Editing Kakegurui Trip Fulltext (section)

==Chapter 5, part 4==

The guy who called last, won the pot. This turn of events postponed eliminations as he was the one with the least chips. In the spur of the moment, he stood up and shouted. Some were rooting for him but there was also laughter in the audience. He quickly sat back down, looking embarrassed for what he did.
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His comeback was sort lived. In the next hand he lost to Mitarai. Some hands later, the rest of his stack went to Mitarai too. The first elimination of the round was a fact. 
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It was as if Mitarai was targeting him. If he was out of the hand, Mitarai took it easy. If he was betting, Mitarai raised. He eventually had no choice but to go all-in against her and lost the showdown.
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Yumeko seemed to be playing as carefully as she could get away with. She folded very often and didn't win or lose much.
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Mitarai seemed to be frighteningly good at the psychological game. If there was a showdown that she lost, it was for a small amount. Nobody could figure out her bluffing. If the cards were not folded, she seemed to always have at last one pair. 
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The audience around me was taking about her. From what I picked up, nobody seemed to have heard of her. She was playing at least as well as Ace, but had none of his fame.
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Four players remained. Yumeko started the hand with a small bet. The girl and guy after her both raised a little. This was by now a familiar situation. Everybody expected Yumeko to call or fold as she had shown no interest in huge raises. Mitarai folded.
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Yumeko broke her pattern and went all-in. Her chip stack was the second largest, so losing to her here would mean elimination. The girl took a moment to think and then nodded as she moved all her chips forward. The guy after her did the same.
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They probably read Yumeko's sudden change in play style as a bluff. Yumeko wasn't really bluffing, however. She had two pair with aces. It was good enough to win.
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The crowd reacted. Some were cheering for Yumeko, some were clapping for the eliminated.
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Only Mitarai and Yumeko remained. Mitarai was leading with slightly more than three million, while Yumeko had a bit less than two million worth of chips.
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''"Come on, Yumeko, you can do it"'', I yelled.
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Despite the noisy crowd, she heard me. She looked at me and smiled while nodding. She then quickly turned her attention back to the table.
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Either Yumeko or Mitarai would win 500 million Yen, a sum much larger than the lifetime earnings of the average Japanese wage worker. It felt unreal that so much money was at stake at a table game. The sum I had wagered on the tournament was pocket change in comparison. 
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From the start of the round, Kifune only acted as the dealer. Now that the game entered the final phase, she picked up her role as announcer again to entice the public. She grabbed the microphone and spoke with a dramatic voice. ''"Now, only two remain! Two out of the 125 made it this far! I can't wait to see who will take home the grand prize! The ante goes up to 320 thousand! Ladies, please place your chips!"''
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Mitarai complied. Her appearance remained unchanged. She was hunched and looked down onto the table, like she had done all this time. It occurred to me she was missing out on lots of information by no observing anyone. Since she was performing so well, it had to be part of a strategy somehow. A strategy I could not understand. 
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Yumeko's appearance also remained the same. There was something about this round that made her very unhappy. Here she was, playing a game she loved so much with such a fabulous prize on the line and the public rooting for her. There was however no trace of her usual passion. She had not yet moved her ante into the pot. 
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The public sensed something was wrong and went silent. Suddenly, you could hear the jazz that had been playing in the background all this time. The air conditioner was cranked up to the maximum for such a crowd and the soft swoosh it made blended with the hi-hat of the music.
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Yumeko sighed deeply. She started tapping the edge of the poker table with her thumb ring. It was the loudest sound in the hall.
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''"You... are enjoying this game?"'', Yumeko asked slowly.
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Mitarai looked startled when spoken to this way and her shoulders trembled slightly. 
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''"I find it utterly boring. It doesn't excite me even a little bit. Why do you think that is?"'', Yumeko continued. 
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Mitarai said nothing.
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Yumeko looked like she was suppressing anger. It was so unlike her usual self. She continued speaking slowly to Mitarai, emphasizing ever word. ''"You can hear me, right? If you know the answer, could you please tell me?"''
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Mitarai began answering with her weak voice. ''"Well, I guess that..."''
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''"Jabami-sama, please keep the talking relevant to the game"'', Kifune interrupted.
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''"I wasn't talking to you. You're not the one who's playing here. Don't interfere, please"'', Yumeko said without looking up. It was a reply to Kifune, but Yumeko didn't avert her eyes from Mitarai.
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Mitarai shriveled up and retracted her shoulders even further. She was short to begin with so her seating at the table wasn't high. With how low her head was hanging now, her bangs were almost touching the table.
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''"If you don't comply, I can use my authority to remove you from the tournament. What will you do, Jabami-sama? Will you obey dealer's instructions or forfeit the game?"'', Kifune said. As she was about to add something to that, there was a commotion in the crowd.
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The spectators were dead silent since the start of his hand, but now something was going on among them at one end of the hall. Some were stepping aside to make room, others were dragging their friends aside who had not yet realized what was happening. The crowd parted, opening a corridor like the Red Sea did for Moses.
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Through the opened space, a girl was walking up to the tournament table. She wore her long silver hair in two braids that were hung in loops, forming ornaments around her ears. The blue huge of her eyes and lipstick matched. She was beautiful and walked with grace and determination, like you would imagine royalty to do. Like many at the hall, she was wearing the school uniform summer vest. She however combined it with a long-sleeve shirt with frills.
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The navy blue ribbons that tied her braids swayed as she dodged the barrier surrounding the table. Everybody knew who she was. Even if somehow someone didn't, the effortless confidence she was radiating made it clear for them.
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Not far behind, was Sayaka Igarashi. Sayaka had her usual black ponytail and was wearing the long-sleeve uniform jacket. She had a focused and serious look. Everything about her told you she was here for business, fulfilling her role as the council president's secretary.
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Kifune grabbed the table edge after briefly losing her balance when she saw who was approaching her. Shock and panic could be seen in her wide open eyes.
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In front of Kifune was student council president Kirari Momobami, the undisputed ruler of Hyakkaou Private Academy.
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Kifune grabbed hold of herself and snapped into her hostess role. She bowed deeply. When her face was visible again, she had narrowed her eyes and was smiling as wide as her mouth allowed.
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''"President Momobami, what a pleasant surprise. I'm grateful you have come all this way. If you are vacationing, I'll be happy to assign you personal staff"'', Kifune said, maintaining her grin.
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Kirari did not respond. When she reached the table, she didn't stop walking. Instead, she slowly went around it with slow, deliberate steps as if she was checking if the floor was creaking. She looked completely at ease and was not acknowledging Kifune, the players, nor the crowd. 
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With a faint smile, Kirari turned towards her secretary. ''"Sayaka, you can deal Five-card Draw poker, right?"''
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Sayaka had caught up and was now also at the table. ''"Yes, president. It won't be a problem"'', she promptly replied.
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Kirari briefly put her slender hand around Sayaka's waist and looked at Kifune. ''"Splendid. I've decided that from now on, Sayaka will deal this game."''
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Sayaka did not react to the touch and was calmly looking at the table. She was taking notice of what state the game was left in.
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Kifune looked baffled and one of her eyelids quivered.
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Kirari ignored her expression. ''"Thank you for all your hard work, Kifune. You may step down now"'', she said, maintaining her faint smile and slightly raising one eyebrow.
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''"You are surely joking. What need is there to change dealers now? Am I not good enough?"'', Kifune protested.
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''"Ah, my apologies for not being clear enough. I suppose there is need to put it more bluntly. I'm not asking for your input. I'm simply stating that you can go. That's all"''
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''"With all due respect..."'' Kifune stepped a bit closer to Kirari and faced her. One of her hands was on the edge of the poker table. She was using it to support herself. It trembled slightly.
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The head of the Hyakkaou's student council and the boss of Ryouran Island stared at each other. For a moment, there was only silence. The jazz music had stopped some time ago and this made the air conditioner the only noticeable sound in the hall.
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Kifune finally spoke. ''"...This casino is officially sanctioned by the Tourism Industry Association and the Kansankai have permission to operate it. Even as student council president, you have no standing to dictate how we run things. You must know we have no intentions to oppose the council and fully intent to pay tribute with any income we can spare."''
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''"Oh, yes. I know that you have the Kansankai work tirelessly to promote Ryouran. You're all doing a great job. I truly appreciate it, don't worry"'', Kirari said while placing a finger on Kifune's chin, raising it slightly.
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''"But, if I say that the dealer will change, the dealer will change"'', Kirari continued with a knowing smile.
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Kifune's eyebrows began to twitch.
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''"Earlier you guaranteed as the manager that the game will be dealt fairly. I think I have enough clout to do the same"'', Kirari said and then widened her eyes as if she remembered something. ''"Ah, but I have to take an oath first, right?"''
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Kirari placed her right hand on the left side of her chest. She closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly. Her long and elegant silver-gray eyelashes were on display.<br>
''"I, Kirari Momobami, promise fairness and neutrality in regard to the dealer selection."''
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Kirari slowly opened her eyes and smiled at Kifune. ''"That should do it, don't you think?"''
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It wasn't a condescending smile and the girls were about the same height and age. Yet, this was clearly not some friendly banter between equals.
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Kirari gestured towards the shuffle machine. ''"Besides, it doesn't really matter who the dealer is, does it? The mechanical shuffle combined with the manual one just gives you randomness, after all. I'm sure Sayaka can manage it just fine."''
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Kifune was speechless.
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Kirari glanced at Kifune as she stepped away from the table. ''"Ryouran Island belongs to the student council. This means I can treat it like my property and get the final say about everything. I'll go back to spectating. I can't wait to see who will win. Sayaka, you know what to do. Now, resume the game."''
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All this time, Kirari had been speaking softly and politely. There was no hint of aggression in her body language. Her dignified presence alone was enough to keep the spectators silent. When she was standing it the spotlight, it was as if no one else on the hall mattered. The glance she gave to Kifune had no malice behind it. It was more of a knowing look saying ''"I bet you didn't expect that"''. 
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After a moment, Kifune managed to regain control of herself. She picked up the microphone with a trembling hand and announced that the round would resume. 
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