Editing Kakegurui Trip Fulltext (section)

==Chapter 4, part 2==

''"Boss, it looks like Jabami is signing up."
<br>''<br>
''"That's not a surprise. She's a gambling junkie after all. Although, I was hoping she would get scared and stick to the usual games instead"'', I replied.
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I was in the surveillance room. It was dimly lit and had mirrored windows. You had a good view of the whole casino floor beneath you from here. Everything in here looked remarkably unremarkable. There were no decorations of any kind, so even if guests got a peak of the inside, they would soon forget all about it. This is how large casinos handle surveillance, so this is how we handled it here to. 
<br><br>
I caught a peek of Yumeko in the crowd at the sign up point. Aside from the holdup there, the rest of the casino was running smoothly.
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''"So, eh... Are we doing something, boss? Do you want me to adjust the participant count last-second? If I do it now quickly, I can make her sign up be too late"'', my friend in black continued.
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I shook my head. "''Neh, don't bother. Let her join. She screwed up when she became a Mittens and she'll screw up now too."''
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I sat on one of the comfortable couches in the room. The casino was running great. We were heavily in debt, but our investors were generous. 
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I was in my 3rd year, so this was my last summer as a Hyakkaou student. You could say that everything meaningful I did with my time at the school was hinging on today. From the moment I joined the Kansankai, I stopped existing as a normal girl. Good grades, hobbies, sports, romance... I had no time or energy for any of those. Sometimes I think I'll regret having been so single-minded, but I'm unsure I could have done things any other way. I had to drag myself out of the gutter and realize my dream.
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---
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With the despair of being a housepet, I found a new strength. I had little to lose so it was easy to take a radical approach.<br>
I could not allow myself to be spat on or become a failure. It was simply unthinkable for me to give up on myself like that. Then, something came along that could bail me out of my misery. Grabbing onto that with all my might came strangely natural.
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At the time, the Kansankai was just another student club. Becoming it's leader was not difficult. Things were starting to look good as we were running a couple of gambling dens. This however, was not enough. We made a plan to open a casino. A real one, not just some tables in a basement.
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It was strangely easy to secure funding. Just mentioning that we were from Hyakkaou Private Academy was often enough to be taken seriously and attract investors. Some of my club mates had family connections that made this go even smoother.
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Then came the next challenge. We needed a location. Something fancy, luxurious and secluded but also easily reachable. A place the high roller students would gladly keep coming to. Ryouran Island was that place. However, getting permission to use it would mean I'd have to deal with student council president Kirari Momobami directly.

Whenever any group at the school came even close to becoming a threat to the student council, they got ruthlessly stepped on. I knew this and became increasingly anxious about what was in store for the Kansankai as our club grew more successful. Strangely, nothing was ever done to us. This was convenient of course, but also suspicious. 
<br><br>
I wasn't going to defy the council... yet. The Kansankai was by no means strong enough for such an act and we'd be forced to disband in no time. I'd have to play their game for a while, showing them that we would be beneficial to them rather than a challenge to their power.
<br><br>
I made an appointment though Sayaka Igarashi. She was the president's secretary and her most trusted servant. After some back and forth, a date and time was set.
<br><br>
I opened the heavy door to the student council president's office. Kirari was sitting at her desk with a large window behind her. It was around noon and the bright sunlight was blinding me as I looked at her. I couldn't see her whole face, but I did catch a faint smile on her blue hued lips.
<br><br>
What this an honest smile? Was she taunting me? Was it something else? With people like her you'd never know for sure. If she were easy to read, she wouldn't be sitting in that chair.
<br><br>
Her presence was unnerving. Looking in her direction made my heart pound. It was as if she had an aura that was pulling you in. With the effortless self-confidence that was radiating from her, it seemed impossible that she was the same age as me.
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Standing there, I realized something about myself. I wasn't afraid of her. I wasn't attracted to her. It was something else that was stirring me up so much. I wanted to be like her. I was looking at the girl I wanted to become. The power she was projecting on anyone who stood before her is what I wanted for myself.
<br><br>
I tensed up to suppress the trembling and make a conscious effort to keep my face straight. There was business to be done and I couldn't show weakness. A lot was riding on this conversation. I would be pitching my plan to the ruler of Hyakkaou Private Academy and I'd be damned if I didn't do a good job. 
<br><br>
There was a portfolio under my arm. Weeks of tireless labour went into it. Everything was sourced and all calculations double-checked. There was no way our plan for the casino did not look extremely compelling.
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I made a quick bow and spoke as calmly as I could. ''"Thank you for taking the time to see me today. I'm Kifune Izayoi and I lead the Kansankai student club. If you will allow me to present my case, you'll see that our club has..."''
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''"So what are the requirements?"'', Kirari interrupted me. She had her elbows on the armrests and her long slender fingers were crossed.
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Right to the point, huh? I couldn't let this throw me off.
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''"Our intention is to propose opening a casino for this academy. We are confident that it will contribute significantly to the development of Hyakkaou. As for the time line..."''
I took my eyes off of Kirari as I was talking to open my portfolio.
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''"That's alright. Keep the papers."'' Her voice was suddenly coming from a lot closer.
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I looked up. Kirari was right in front of me. I could make out my reflection in her deep blue eyes. She had them wide open, looking at me with curiosity and anticipation. This froze me up completely.
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''"You want Ryouran Island, don't you? Do you need a loan?"'', Kirari asked, slightly tilting her head sideways.
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I forced myself out my stupor. ''"No... I mean, yes.... The m-money is something we have covered, actually. A-all we ask for is the right to use Ryouran."''
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''"That's fine. If gambling is the essence of this school, what good would it be without a casino? This place was getting boring without one. Your efforts to stir things up are commendable"'', she said softly.
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''"You can use the island for free. Sayaka, please..."'', Kirari said while walking around her huge desk, back to her chair.
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''"Yes, president"'', Sayaka replied while pulling out paperwork.
<br><br>
Kirari took a stamp the size of her fist out of a desk drawer and pressed it hard onto the document she was handed.
<br><br>
Bang. The room was silent again but my heart was racing.
<br><br>
Sayaka handed me the stamped form as Kirari hung back into her chair and crossed her legs. The tip of her knee was peaking from below the desk, revealing her ink black stockings. 
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''"This concludes our business, I'm sure. I'd love to chat a bit, though. Would you like some tea?"'', she asked.
<br><br>
I knew it was just a piece of paper but somehow it felt light in my hand. With how much we worked to get to the point of receiving this, I somehow imagined it should have been heavier. 
<br><br>
Sayaka poured the tea and placed a chair for me. I sat down silently and faced Kirari form across the desk. 
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''"What kind of casino will it be? Do you have anything special in mind? Will there be some theme to it? Won't you tell me?"'', she asked with what looked like genuine excitement.
<br><br>
Ah, so this is how it was. The feasibility studies and technical planning didn't interest her. She was just looking forward to having a new toy.
<br><br>
I spoke frantically. It felt like I was talking to calm myself down, rather than for her benefit. The unease within me was still strong and speaking helped to suppress the urge to run away. I humored her as much as I could, rambling on about the luxuries in stock for our guests. 
<br><br>
As the conversation continued, I started looking past her, rather than at her. The light falling through the window was like the path to my future. Kirari was an obstacle on that path. Someday, I'll get rid of this obstacle. I'll rule over everything. 
<br><br>
---
<br><br>
''"Boss...? Kifune-san...? Are you okay?"'' My black suited friend was looking into my eyes with a worried expression.
<br><br>
''"Huh? Yes! I was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it. Let's get moving. It's almost time"'', I said while standing up and straightening out my clothing. 
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