The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 157: Small Fry? Small Fry?

Yumeko sat down, tapping her lips with one finger in a lively, youthful manner.

"Hmm~~, since this is the first round, I should test the waters a bit. I'll start with ten chips—no, make it nine."

—Where the hell did this homo come from?

Shunsuke paused for a moment before taking out nine chips from his stack and placing them in front of him.

"No problem."

The dealer glanced left and right.

"Both parties have reached an agreement. Now, placing ten swords!"

With a loud "boom", the touhu cover landed on the roulette wheel. The dealer began a countdown:

"Ten, nine, eight, seven…"

Yumeko remained completely still, focusing intently on the betting chart in front of her.

Meanwhile, Shunsuke had already stopped time from the very beginning, allowing Star Platinum to extend its head into the.

"4 alive, 8 alive, huh?"

Observing the outcome inside the touhu, Shunsuke resumed the flow of time. Yet, he wasn't in a hurry to place his bet—nor was he eager to alter the result.

He wanted to play a few rounds with Yumeko and see for himself what kind of confidence she had to accept this gamble so easily.

If it were another type of gambling, like poker or dice, there would still be ways to cheat and outwit the opponent.

Luck would play a role, but ultimately, the outcome would be within one's control.

However, in this unfamiliar game of "Life or Death," aside from Nishidouin Yuriko's ability to cheat, wouldn't Yumeko be forced to rely purely on luck?

Or could she still find a way to cheat even in this game—some method to increase her chances of winning?

Shunsuke was extremely curious.

And if she really had no means of cheating at all, yet was still willing to bet her life so easily on a game of pure luck…

No way, no way—there's no way someone could be that insane, right?

Shunsuke knew that Yumeko was crazy, but was she this crazy? He wasn't sure. That's what made him so curious.

What he didn't realize, however, was that while he was evaluating Yumeko like this, everyone else who understood the nature of this gamble was looking at him in exactly the same way.

—Casually wagering his own life like this? Shunsuke is out of his mind!

—Thank god I never crossed them. Otherwise, I'd have been devoured by now.

Yuriko's face had gone pale as she stared at the two monsters sitting in front of her, mentally dramatizing the scene in her head.

"Shunsuke, are you not placing your bet yet?"

As the countdown reached its final seconds, Yumeko divided her chips into three stacks, placing three chips each on 2, 4, and 10.

"Mm, I was just curious to see which numbers you would bet on, Yumeko."

Playing along, Shunsuke placed five chips on 6 and four chips on 8.

In truth, this was nothing more than a dumb Japanese wordplay joke. Nishidouin's name, when broken down, could be read as "2, 4, 10-in," which made it clear that Yumeko was throwing some subtle shade at Yuriko.

Shunsuke joined in by betting on 6 and 8—because in an even-numbered sequence, those were the missing numbers. And "missing numbers" sounded like "brainless" in Japanese wordplay.

Together, the two of them had just roasted Yuriko hard.

Though, judging by her blank expression, she seemed completely unaware of it.

"Three, two, one, zero—game on!"

"Crash!"

Just as the dealer was about to uncover the touhu, the sliding door was suddenly pulled open again.

Everyone turned to look—standing center stage was Kirari, flanked on either side by Runa and the masked Ririka. The atmosphere was so intense it felt like background music was playing.

"Auntie, press it down—"

Kirari shot Shunsuke a sharp glare.

He sighed and silently turned off the music player he had sneakily activated during his time-stop.

Still, seeing Kirari show that kind of expression—what a pleasant surprise.

Feeling satisfied, Shunsuke waved at Runa.

"Runa-chan, long time no see. You're finally not avoiding me anymore. I've been so lonely these past days—I missed you so much."

"Y-You bastard!"

Runa clenched her fists tightly, her entire body trembling in anger, barely able to keep herself standing.

"I just barely got out of the hospital, you damn baka yarou!"

Shunsuke blinked in confusion.

"Huh? Hospital? Runa-chan, were you sick?"

Runa's face darkened even further.

"So many days! So many days, and you never came to visit me, not even once! You didn't even ask how I was doing! And yet, you have the nerve to say you missed me?! Go to hell, you big idiot!"

"???"

Shunsuke had absolutely no idea why Runa was this mad.

Had she… really caught feelings?

No, no, no, don't be ridiculous. This isn't that kind of world. There's no way something like that could happen.

"Ahem."

Yuriko, watching Shunsuke's clueless expression, cleared her throat before whispering,

"Ever since that day, Yomizuki-san was hospitalized due to her injuries. She took a medical leave and only returned to school last week."

"…And what does that have to do with me—wait. That day?"

Shunsuke turned to Yuriko.

She gave him a silent nod.

Shunsuke's mind went blank.

What happened to 'the ox gets tired, but the field never breaks'?!

And then, it finally hit him.

That day… he had used [Golden Experience] on himself multiple times.

As for Runa… he hadn't even considered what might have happened to her.

But even so…

"You didn't just skip school because you were embarrassed about it, did you?"

"N-No, of course not!"

Runa flailed like a petulant child, all bluster with no real bite—completely different from her usual cheeky, slightly irritating demeanor.

In that instant, Shunsuke understood.

—So this… is what a brat looks like after being properly "trained."

"Runa-chan, try saying 'Small Fry? Small Fry?' for me," Shunsuke suddenly said.

"?"

Runa looked utterly baffled.

Nishidouin Yuriko, on the other hand, failed to hold back a chuckle—and she wasn't the only one. Even Saotome Mary had a reaction, though she was currently burnt-out and not in the mood to laugh.

Shunsuke glanced at Nishidouin Yuriko in surprise.

Who would've thought? The one who seemed the most proper and traditional was actually the one who understood the most.

Now that was an unexpected contrast.

Even though Runa still didn't understand what Shunsuke was getting at, seeing Nishidouin Yuriko's reaction was enough for her to know it wasn't anything good.

So, naturally, she redirected all her anger toward Nishidouin Yuriko instead.

"That's enough, Runa."

At that moment, Kirari spoke—calm and indifferent, yet completely silencing the room.

Sensing the shift, members of the Traditional Culture Research Society swiftly brought in cushions. Kirari and Ririka gracefully sat down, carefully tucking in their skirts.

Runa, initially about to sit cross-legged, froze mid-motion when she noticed Shunsuke's gaze.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Without hesitation, she immediately corrected her posture and sat properly.

"I'm here as a witness. Carry on."

"Yes, ma'am. Now—unveiling the results."

The dealer took a deep breath and lifted the cover.

"4—Alive!"

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