The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 158: I Prefer Being on Top

The dealer announced loudly:

"Miss Jabami, you won on 3 tiles, resulting in a total of 102 chips, while Mr. Fujii lost 84 chips."

"The round is over. Miss Jabami currently holds a total of 193 chips, while Mr. Fujii has just 7 remaining!"

Three tiles wagered with a 30x multiplier yielded 90 chips.

Since Shunsuke didn't win a single tile, the 9 chips he had bet all went to Yumeko.

This added up to the 3 winning tiles' value plus 90 from the multiplier and 9 from the opponent's failed bet, for a total of 102 chips.

Combined with 91 chips that Yumeko hadn't bet, her total shot up to 193, a swift windfall.

Meanwhile, Shunsuke not only lost 90 chips but also had 6 chips from Yumeko's losing bets taken from him, resulting in a loss of 84 chips. After just one round, he was left with a mere 7 chips in front of him.

Shunsuke stared blankly at the scattered swords on the roulette wheel, then summoned Star Platinum to investigate a hidden compartment in the floor.

Sure enough, the secretary, Sayaka, lay inside, face flushed, with her right eye positioned directly under the teapot drop point. She held a needle in her hand—the same needle she had used to push out the sword that had been stuck in slot eight.

But after completing her task, Sayaka quickly stashed the needle and began retreating, her expression filled with regret.

"Well, well," Shunsuke thought bitterly. "I really thought you, Kirari Momobami, had started being considerate, but it turns out you were setting me up all along. And you, dear secretary—are you really so unwilling to let me have a fair game that you stoop to these tricks?"

Though he wasn't upset about losing, knowing that he was destined to win in the end, Shunsuke still felt a vague sense of betrayal.

"Ahahaha! Shun's face looks awful!"

Runa burst into laughter, clutching her stomach with one hand and pointing at Shunsuke with the other.

"Isn't that the classic reaction of a small fry?" she chortled.

"That kid really never learns her lesson," thought Shunsuke.

He silently made a mental note about Runa, then turned to Kirari. "Kirari, what happens if someone gets caught cheating at this school?"

"Oh?" Kirari said lazily. "Does Shunsuke think Yumeko cheated? Unfortunately, unless you catch her in the act, it doesn't count."

Yumeko pouted. "Shunsuke, you're so mean! I would never cheat. I had a reason for my bets—2, 4, 10. Those numbers spell out Nishinotouin, don't they? It was bound to hit!"

"Miss Jabami, please don't mock people's names. Nishinotouin is a historically significant family name originating from the Heian period," said Yuriko, her face dark as thunder.

Shunsuke nodded in agreement. Mocking someone's surname is one of the lowest things you can do, almost as bad as ridiculing someone's physical disabilities. So…

"Ha ha ha, you're too much, Yumeko Jabami! Doing that makes Shunsuke's bet on 6 and 8 seem downright idiotic!"

Before Shunsuke could say anything, Runa jumped in again, clearly eager to stir up more trouble.

Yuriko took a deep breath, then once again returned to a smiling expression—her skill at hiding her emotions was unparalleled.

Dealing with Yumeko was one thing, but when you added in Shunsuke and Runa… Forget it, she thought. You can mock all you want; I'll just pretend I didn't hear a thing.

Shunsuke mentally made another note about Runa and then knocked on the floor. "I wasn't talking about Yumeko. Kirari, where did your secretary go?"

Kirari smiled. "Shunsuke, you're a man I hold in high regard. If you can't turn things around in such a dire situation, you're not qualified to stand by my side."

"Standing by your side? I'd much rather be on top," he replied.

Shunsuke composed himself. Seven chips against 193—he still had the upper hand.

He took out one chip and placed it directly on the number eight. "Yumeko, how about just one chip for this round? No problem, right?"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it!" Yumeko's face was flushed as she nodded, clearly understanding Shunsuke's intentions.

"Betting before the round even begins…" Yuriko gasped. Runa fell silent, while Kirari's smile mirrored Yumeko's, though it carried a refined elegance that concealed her inner fervor.

All eyes were now on Shunsuke, waiting to see what kind of technique he would employ.

And whether he could pull it off? No one doubted it. That was the reputation Shunsuke had earned. If he dared to do something, he would surely see it through.

"Alright, the second round begins!"

The dealer threw ten swords into the target and quickly covered it.

"18 survives, 30 dies."

Shunsuke looked at the results but held back from acting immediately; he wanted to see which number Yumeko would bet on.

Yumeko hesitated. While she could bet on the number 8, that would be too boring. In the end, she placed her chip on 18.

A monster!

Watching Yumeko pick the one correct answer so effortlessly, Shunsuke struggled to keep his composure. He was finally beginning to understand just how absurd Yumeko, the protagonist, really was. Compared to her, Mary was a joke.

It was a relief that this world had no Demon King or Heaven's Gate. Otherwise, even with Star Platinum on his side, Shunsuke feared he'd end up losing at Mahjong.

In the final second before the round closed, Shunsuke stopped time. Star Platinum's hand passed through the target, flipped the sword in slot 18, and repositioned it. At the same time, it swapped the sword in slot 30 with the one in slot 8.

This maneuver resulted in 8 being the winning number and 18 the losing number. Yumeko would owe Shunsuke a total of 61 chips.

To prevent Kirari from interfering, Shunsuke froze time once more as the dealer uncovered the target. This time, no one disrupted his plan.

After confirming that nothing had changed, Shunsuke allowed time to resume.

The target was revealed, and the dealer's pupils contracted before announcing loudly, "8 wins, 18 loses! Mr. Fujii, you've won on one number and gained 62 chips. Miss Jabami lost 61 chips!"

"The round is over. Miss Jabami now has 132 chips, and Mr. Fujii has 68!"

"What?" Yuriko stared wide-eyed at Shunsuke. "We watched him the whole time—he didn't make a single move!"

"He made himself win and Yumeko lose at the same time. How on earth did he pull that off?"

Runa was no longer laughing. In fact, she couldn't laugh even if she tried.

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