Editing Kakegurui Trip Fulltext (section)

==Chapter 5, part 2==

Yumeko closed her eyes in delight every time she brought the spoon to her mouth. She had ordered a passion fruit mango double scoop and was sitting next to me, enjoying her treat.
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''"Kifune-san hasn't done anything to you besides the linen room thing, has she?"'', I asked.
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Yumeko let out a soft moan as she took another spoonful. ''"Nope! I bet she's too busy running the place."''
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''"Right. I can't see the benefit for her in pestering you, anyway"'', I said.
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Yumeko licked her lips, collecting ice cream residue from them. ''"I'm not going to try anything against her personally either. As long as I can gamble here, I'm happy. I'm hoping everybody can have a good time like I do."''
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It was amazing seeing her like this. After such intense matches, so much money on the line and with undoubtedly skilled opponents up ahead, she looked completely at ease. She was simply enjoying her ice cream, detached from the world around her.
<br><br>
Kifune was back on the intercom. ''"Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests! Thank you for your patience! The final round of the Ryouran Island Poker Tournament will start shortly! Players, please take your seat!"''
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Yumeko quickly stuffed the last spoonful in her mouth. ''"Hmm... I have to hurry! See you later, Suzui-san!"'' I watched her disappear into the crowd.
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The tournament hall had only one table now. It was right in the center, surrounded by the familiar red draped barrier. The crowd around it was thicker than ever. The spot where the screens were hung was probably just as busy. 
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The five players were seated. They were being cheered on by the crowd, even louder than before. Somebody was waving a banner in support of their friend.
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Yumeko was neatly sitting upright, with her hands resting on her legs. It seemed that almost every conversation around me was about her. She spotted me and waved in my direction. Many around me thought this was a public greeting and raised their arms, in support. 
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Yumeko then turned to one of her opponents. ''"So, we meet again, Mitarai-san. I'm a bit surprised, but happy to see you"'', she said softly.
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Mitarai quickly looked at Yumeko though the gaps in her bangs. She said nothing.
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Mitarai made the same impression as when we met her at the bar yesterday. She was looking down and hunching as if she wanted to disappear into the table. Her presence at the tournament final looked out of place. It was hard to imagine that someone so timid and shy as she had the skill to consistently win poker games. Her housepet tag became even more of a mystery. Apparently she had a million Yen, but instead of paying her student council tribute, she chose to sign up for this tournament instead. 
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The intercom was used for another announcement. ''"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the dealer of the final round!"''
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A girl stepped over the red barricade with a microphone in hand. It was Kifune. The gold colored buttons of her black uniform where glittering as brightly as those of the other Kansankai staff. However, only she wore a wine-red ribbon that created a contrast with the rest of her outfit.
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She took the dealer's spot. The light in the hall dimmed and a spotlight was aimed at her. The crowd applauded. With an exaggerated gesture, she spread her arms wide and slowly turned a full circle as a greeting to the public.
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Kifune cleared her throat. ''"This is the last night of the Ryouran Island Summer Camp! I sincerely hope that pleasant memories of this event will stay with you for a lifetime! Now, onto the final round of the poker tournament! I hope that it will be something that you will remember fondly as well!"''
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Kifune gestured towards the players at the table. ''"One of the remaining contenders will go home with 500 million Yen. No matter the outcome, I wish that all of you playing and all of you watching will enjoy yourself to the utmost!"''
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The crowd applauded again. Louder this time. Kifune knew how to work the public. Her presentation was spotless and confident.
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She put her right hand on the left side of her chest. ''"I hereby swear, as your host and the manager of this casino, that I will act as an impartial dealer! Let's begin!"''
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The lights returned to normal and Kifune put the microphone away. She picked up a card deck from one of the stacks at the table. After the card snuffle machine did it's job, Kifune retrieved the deck and did the riffle shuffle with unusual elegance and speed. Earlier, I noticed that some of the dealers were not so practiced and used the table when performing the move. Kifune however, could do it in the air and without looking at her hands. Her eyes were on the players and she was smiling gently.
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It was as if she was wearing an entirely different face than the one she had at the ship. You would never think this was the same Kifune that grinned with such contempt when she pulled that petty stunt on Yumeko. I remembered that she was switching personalities back then too. It was scary to imagine what made someone behave this way.
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All the players had a million worth of chips and the ante started at 20 thousand. It was just like how the previous rounds began.<br>
The cards were dealt, the ante was placed and the players peeked their hand. The crowd was silent now.
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''"Please discard"'', Kifune said. Yumeko changed two cards.
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''"The betting can start"'', Kifune continued.
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Clockwise, the first after Kifune was Yumeko. She was ignoring Kifune and only looked at the other players.
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I wondered what kind of impression Yumeko was making on those who had never met her before. She probably looked like a nice, normal girl, eager to play a nice, normal game.<br>
But of course, she had a reputation and 500 million Yen was at stake. Perhaps the fact she didn't look scary it all was what was frightening the other players the most.
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''"Bet, 300 thousand"'', Yumeko said, moving the chips forward. 
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So once again, the round started off with a huge bet. This time it was Yumeko who did it, however. I remember that at her table in the first round, a guy made this move with a mediocre hand. At her table in the second round, it was Ace who went for that stunt with a hand that was never revealed.<br>
Perhaps Yumeko liked the impact that it made and decided to initiate the round herself this way now. She eventually found a way to have fun playing against Ace. She may be looking to pull off something similar here.<br>
I knew Yumeko well enough by now to know that is was likely not some calculated tactic, but rather a move to see how she could tempt the others out of their stiffness. ''"If the game was not played with passion, than nobody was having fun"'', she must have been thinking.
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The player after Yumeko was a guy. I didn't really know him but I'm pretty sure he was a second year like me. His mind was made up quickly. ''"Fold"'', he said, sliding his cards towards Kifune.
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''"Fold."'' The girl after him followed suit.
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''"Fold"'', said the guy after her just as quickly.
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The last player was Mitarai. If she would fold too, Yumeko would collect everyone's ante for a quick 80 thousand profit. It would have been a decent but somewhat boring start.
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''"Raise... 500 thousand total"'', Mitarai said with a timid voice.
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A murmur went through the hall.
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Despite her appearance, Mitarai had to be a shrewd player. She had made it to the final table, after all. She must have taken Yumeko for a bluffer, or perhaps Mitarai got crazy lucky here and her hand was good enough to justify wagering half her chips. 
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Yumeko looked bewildered for a moment. She stared at Mitarai with wide open eyes. Mitarai did not meet her gaze and kept looking down onto the table.
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''"Call"'', Yumeko said decisively.
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''"On to the showdown, then. Jabami-sama, Mitarai-sama, reveal your cards please"'', Kifune calmly said.
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Yumeko went for a slow reveal again. She smiled and flipped over her cards one by one, keeping her eyes on Mitarai. ''"Three-of-a-kind aces."''
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The crowd murmured again. Yumeko was not bluffing. This was a very lucky hand.
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Mitarai turned her cards over without ceremony and spoke with a weak voice. ''"... Four-of-a-kind fours"''
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The crowd gasped. Getting such fantastic cards is incredibly lucky by itself. It's even more lucky when this happens in a hand where a player before you put lots of chips into the pot already. Raising will look like you are suspecting a bluff, while in reality you don't even have to be doubting the strength of their cards.<br>
It was almost inconceivable that Mitarai could keep her shy and reluctant look while fortune smiled on her this warmly. I guess I understood why she was good at poker. She was dominating the game with the poker face of a quiet reclusive. Her housepet tag became even more of a mystery, however. 
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Yumeko didn't react. She gave Mitarai a neutral look, as if nothing had happened. 
<br><br>
The pot went to Mitarai. She calmly re-stacked her chips and made no eye contact with Yumeko. 
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