Chapter 57: Blackjack
"You want a match? What kind of match?"
"We'll wager the club's budget and settle this with a showdown!" Makihara Kozue pointed confidently at Ronan. "Let's decide it with a tabletop game!"
"…I'm not really familiar with board games, so I don't think—"
"Don't worry, we won't bully you."
Kozue grinned and pulled out two decks of playing cards from the drawer.
"We won't use traditional board games. Let's go with the simplest one—Blackjack."
Blackjack, also known as 21, originated in France and has spread worldwide with a long history.
The game is usually played with 2 to 6 players using a standard 52-card deck (excluding jokers). The objective is to have a hand value as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it.
It's a simple game, commonly seen in casinos.
"So, you're saying that you're unhappy with my decision to cut your budget by 50% and want to use Blackjack to turn things around?"
"Exactly!" Kozue smiled. "If we win, you must allocate our full budget without any deductions."
"And if you lose?" Ronan asked. "Don't forget, the authority to allocate funds lies with me. If losing means nothing changes, that's not really a punishment. You need to put something on the line as well."
"Hmm… let me think."
Kozue pondered for a moment before snapping her fingers.
"Then how about this—Fujiwara has to go on a date with you!"
"EH!?"
Hearing that, Chika let out a shocked scream.
Ronan's face instantly darkened.
Going on a date with this terrifying woman (as he saw her)? Why did it feel like he was the one being punished if they lost?
"I sense malice. Can we pick something else?"
"Hey! Ronan, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying going on a date with me is that unbearable?" Fujiwara Chika, who had just been protesting moments ago, now puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"If it were you being forced to go on a date with someone, would you be okay with it?"
"Well…" Chika tapped her chin in thought. "If it's just going out with Ronan, I suppose it's not entirely unacceptable."
"I feel like you just don't care about anything in general. And I can't accept this…"
"Since there are no more issues, let's get started!" Kozue clapped her hands.
"…Fine."
Ronan agreed to the match.
But deep down, he had already made up his mind—since the Tabletop Gaming Club was now openly gambling, he'd slash another 50% from their budget on top of the initial cut.
...
Including Ronan, there were five players in the game, with Ronan acting as the dealer.
"To ensure fairness, after you shuffle the cards, each of us will take turns shuffling them as well. No issues with that?"
"No problem."
"By the way, we'll be using eight decks for this game," Kozue said with a smile.
"Eight decks, huh…"
If it were just a single deck, Ronan could easily calculate the probabilities of hidden cards through mental math and formulate a surefire strategy. But with eight decks…
It wasn't that the calculations were too difficult for him—it was just that the number of variables increased significantly.
Ronan skillfully shuffled the cards before handing the deck to Kozue. After she shuffled, the cards were passed around for each club member to shuffle in turn. Finally, they reached Fujiwara Chika.
As she casually shuffled the deck, Ronan suddenly spoke up.
"Secretary Fujiwara, you wouldn't be trying to cheat, would you?"
"...What are you saying~? Of course not."
"…That little pause of yours just now—what was that about?"
Following the standard procedure, Ronan began dealing the cards.
The club had prepared small toy pieces as makeshift chips for betting.
On his own table, Ronan had one facedown card and a 6. The four players in front of him had the following hands:
K, 9 — 19 points
8, K — 18 points
10, 10 — 20 points
2, 7 — 9 points
Kozue glanced at her cards, then at Ronan's hidden card, and said, "Hit."
That meant she was requesting another card.
Ronan hesitated for a moment.
Excluding the jokers, each deck had 50 cards. With eight decks, that made a total of 400 cards. After dealing the initial ten cards, 390 remained.
If she didn't draw an Ace or a 2 next, she would bust.
Since one of the 2s was already in Chika's hand, the probability of her drawing either of those two specific cards was roughly 0.16%. Was she really willing to take that risk?
Seeing the confident look on Kozue's face, Ronan suspiciously dealt her another card.
She flipped it over—a 2 of spades.
"Yes! 21 points!"
K, 9, and 2—exactly 21 points.
"…Not bad luck," Ronan muttered.
Despite his lingering doubts, the game continued.
As the next round began, Ronan had a facedown card along with a 9. The other players' hands were as follows:
J, 9 — 18 points
Q, 3 — 13 points
4, 5 — 9 points
J, Q — 20 points
Kozue: "Stand."
This time, she decided not to take another card.
The next player also chose to stand. The following player opted for a hit and drew a 7, bringing their total to 20 points.
Finally, it was Chika's turn.
She already had 20 points, meaning that unless she drew an Ace, she would bust immediately. Normally, no sane person would choose to hit at 20, so Ronan assumed Chika wouldn't take another card.
"I choose to hit!" Chika declared.
"…Are you insane?" Ronan asked.
"Hmph~ Ronan, you just don't get it! Sometimes, in a game like this, you need to dance on the edge of a blade for it to be exciting," Chika said with an air of wisdom that left Ronan speechless.
"…Alright, but don't blame me when you bust."
Ronan dealt her a card.
Amazingly, it was an Ace.
"Oh~ Looks like I won my gamble!" Chika beamed with delight.
"…"
Something wasn't right.
Both Kozue hitting at 19 and Chika hitting at 20 seemed like reckless gambler's instincts on the surface, but their choices were highly illogical.
Ronan glanced at the board game club members. They looked completely unfazed, as if they had expected this outcome all along.
Lowering his head in thought, he pondered whether there was something he had overlooked.
'Wait a second.'
Then, he noticed it—something unusual about the backs of the cards.
He flipped over his own hidden card, his eyes widening for a brief moment before a smirk crept onto his lips.
"Ronan, you can continue dealing now."
"Of course," Ronan replied with a smile. "But before that, can I put on something? It boosts my luck."
"Hm? I guess that's fine…"
"Good."
Ronan reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring, slipping it onto his index finger. The ring wasn't particularly special, but upon closer inspection, a pattern resembling a magic circle was engraved on its surface.