Chapter 259: The Appearance! The Hundred Devouring Clan X Hostages and Gambling
"They've come~"
Kirari's gaze wandered as she looked at the door that was being pushed open.
A person with choppy yellow hair, hollow and jet-black eyes, wearing white gloves and with a flat chest, was the first to step into the conference room.
Bowing slightly toward Kirari, they said:
"Everyone has already arrived, so I've brought them here."
"Wait! We're holding an important meeting right now. Unauthorized students are forbidden from entering!"
Standing beside Kirari, Igarashi Sayaka flared up.
This person's behavior was nothing short of a challenge to the president's authority.
"Yes, I am acting with full knowledge of the situation."
"You... who are you?" Igarashi's confusion grew at the other's composure.
Could this person be from the former third-year student council? But no matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn't recall seeing this person in Hyakkaou Academy.
"A person like me… cannot give my name first. Please allow me to introduce the distinguished individuals behind me."
With that, She made a formal bowing gesture, extending their arm toward the doorway.
"First, we have the honorable Terauno and Yumi of the Totobami family."
From outside the door, a gyaru with light brown hair pushed a young lady in a wheelchair into the room.
"And next, the honorable Sumika of the Warakubami family!"
A woman whose face was half-covered by a white mask, arms hanging ghost-like and heavy, entered.
"The honorable Miyo of the Inbami family!"
A sultry, mature woman with light red eye shadow and long hair stepped in.
"The honorable Miri of the Yobami family!"
Like the previous woman, she wore light red eye shadow, but had a childlike face and hair tied in two buns.
"The honorable Miloslava of the Honebami family!"
Wearing black gloves and exposing her pale, shapely thighs, Miloslava strode into the room with queenly dominance.
Her gaze instinctively met Juraku Sachiko's.
With just one look, they recognized each other as the same type.
"And lastly, the honorable Erimi of the Mushibami family!"
A girl with pink twin-tails entered the room, holding a doll patched together from random seams.
Hikigaya's eyes locked onto her, cold and openly hostile.
'This is the one who tried to threaten me using Yuri.'
"I am Rei Batsubami, here to assist these lords in living within this academy."
The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Even within the student council, only a very few were aware of the Bami clan.
Clearly, Igarashi Sayaka was not among them.
She looked to Momobami Kirari in confusion:
"President, these people are...?"
"It's too troublesome to explain."
Kirari turned her palm upward and pointed to X Bami Zero with her index finger.
"You explain it for me, Rei Batsubami."
"These honored ones belong to the clan under the direct command of Lady Momobami Kirari, head of the main family. The Bami clan consists of the Momobami main family and numerous branch families. The individuals here are representatives of their respective branches, the most outstanding young members of the Bami clan, sent to this academy."
"Momobami equals Bami—the collective name is the Hundred Devouring Clan."
"Momobami Kirari may also be referred to as Bami Kirari."
"Welcome to my academy, to participate in the survival-of-the-fittest student council election."
Kirari spoke in a gentle tone, smiling sweetly. But her deep blue eyes held no warmth—only boundless greed.
"So—so basically, distant relatives and members of the main family," said Yomozuki Runa, nodding in understanding. "What a large and enviable family~"
"Hey, hey, hey—we didn't come here for some student council election, you know that, head of the Momobami family~"
"We're here for your power, to fight for the position of head of the Momobami family!"
"Pretentious as always. Whoever wins this election will become the head of the Bami clan. You said it yourself. That's why these lords are here, as representatives of our families."
"You inherited the position of head of the Bami family and quickly gained control of the entire academy. Not just students—even the debts of graduates were consolidated through your life plans."
"And then, the Hyakkaou Academy's student council presidency became a symbol of power in the eyes of ordinary students, further expanding the Bami clan's influence..."
"You truly are worthy of the Bami headship."
"To seize Hyakkaou Academy is to seize the country. Even if you lost the gamble with us over the family head position, you still had the fallback of the student council presidency."
"But you chose to gamble it all, abandoning your position as president—"
"In other words, this is a gamble where you're wagering everything—both the headship of the Bami clan and the Hyakkaou student council presidency in a succession battle!"
"You truly are something, Kirari. Watching you toy with us branch members at your whim—you always so easily grasp what we desire, then casually discard it as bait... I—"
"Absolutely loathe you!"
As she spoke, Terano's pupils narrowed like vertical slits, glowing with a piercing yellow light, her face twisted as if she would devour Kirari whole.
Clap, clap, clap—
Faced with such a provocative declaration, Kirari didn't get angry.
Instead, she smiled and clapped approvingly.
"Very good, Terano. That's the kind of fire I like~"
"You're different from those old farts in the Totobami family."
"Silence! Kirari, even if you're the head, don't you dare insult my grandfather like that!"
This is too chaotic—what the hell is happening anymore?!
Nishinotouin Yuriko stood frozen.
She couldn't make sense of this sudden intrusion by the Hundred Devouring Clan, but one thing was clear: this family intended to devour Hyakkaou Academy whole.
She immediately stood up:
"This must not be allowed, President! The academy's order will collapse!"
"She's right, President! Please retract this decision!" Igarashi Sayaka cried out anxiously.
Yumemi Yumemite looked gloomy. At this point, nothing could stop it. But if they got in the way of her becoming a top idol, she'd crush them without mercy.
"Hell yeah! Bring it on!" laughed Ikishima Midari, excitedly feeding on the chaos.
"I've never taken back a decision I've made~" Kirari turned to face the objections calmly.
"Besides, if you're worried, you can just use Hyakkaou Academy's tradition—gambling—to defeat them."
"Isn't that right, Yuriko?"
"...Yes."
But… could these people from the same clan as the president really be as easy to handle as the Full-Bloom Association had been?
Having suffered a blow, Nishinotouin Yuriko weakly sat back down.
At this point, all they could do was handle these chaos-bringers through gambling, just like they had with the Full-Bloom Association.
Nishinotouin's heart pounded uneasily.
"If there are no further objections, this decision stands."
"Everyone is free to tour the campus or find any gambling match that interests them. Later, I'll have the absolutely neutral Yomozuki Runa broadcast the detailed rules."
"Ha, whatever." After confirming the terms of the election gamble, the two Totobami members were the first to leave the room.
The rest of the Bami clan soon followed, dispersing across the campus.
Only Mushibami Erimi and Honebami Miroslava remained in the conference room with Kirari.
"Do you two have some business?"
Kirari asked with a smile.
At that moment, Hikigaya pressed his hands on the table and slowly stood up.
"It's something to do with me."
He had no intention of giving Mushibami Erimi a private talk.
He was going to say this outright:
"This Mushibami girl kidnapped someone close to me and used their life to threaten me. She's trying to make an unspeakable deal with me."
"President, were you aware of this?"
"Oh?"
Kirari looked interestedly at Mushibami Erimi and asked softly:
"Is this true, Erimi?"
Her voice was soft, but to Erimi, it sounded like death itself.
Heaven knows how many people had been executed in Bami clan meetings with that same tone.
This must not be pinned on me!
"Lies! I never said I'd threaten his life!" Erimi loudly defended herself.
She didn't deny the premise, though—because even if she did, Miloslava would surely tell Kirari anyway.
"So in other words, the kidnapping is real." Kirari narrowed her eyes.
"I'm very curious. What made you go so far as to kidnap someone close to Hikigaya-kun?"
"That person's an INTERPOL agent!" Erimi looked grim.
She hadn't expected Hikigaya to be this bold.
Didn't he realize that if she sent just one text, that Yuri person would die?
She couldn't explain too much in front of everyone, but by revealing Yuri's identity, Kirari would surely understand.
"I see..." Kirari turned to Hikigaya and shook her head.
"If it's such a sensitive identity and involves the Bami clan's interests… I can't intervene, Hikigaya-kun."
"But..."
"At Hyakkaou Academy, you don't need authority to resolve things—you can use gambling~"
Kirari stepped between them.
"You both have your own intentions—I won't ask what. But since I've heard of it, solve it with gambling."
"If Hikigaya wins, Erimi, you must release the hostage unconditionally."
"If he loses, you still release the hostage—but you get to make a request he cannot refuse."
"No objections?"
"Fine," Hikigaya nodded. "But first, I need confirmation of Yuri's safety."
260 Gambling: [Cutting Finger Guillotine]
Soon, under Momobami Kirari's arrangement, everyone arrived at a long-sealed activity room, fully equipped with all necessary facilities.
Perhaps because they knew someone would come today, even though it hadn't been used for a long time, it was cleaned until not a speck of dust remained.
Hikigaya: "We can connect the phone to the TV, then cast the video over."
"This kind of thing doesn't need your explanation."
Saying that, Mushibami Erimi grinned with a creepy smile, casting the live surveillance footage from her phone onto the TV screen.
Hikigaya's gaze sharpened.
On the screen, Yuri Blair was tightly bound to a chair, eyes covered with a black silk cloth, mouth gagged, completely immobile.
Worse yet, hanging overhead was a device resembling a guillotine.
"Actually, I had already anticipated this kind of situation," Mushibami Erimi toyed with the remote control in her hand. "If the conditions can't be agreed upon, or if something unpleasant happens, I just need to lightly press the remote, and Yuri Blair will die~"
"But since the family head has spoken, let's decide it with gambling."
Mushibami Erimi was somewhat frustrated.
You see, her original goal was to use Yuri Blair's life to blackmail Hikigaya into fighting for her, increasing her stake to reach the highest position.
But now, she was being forced to gamble with Hikigaya, and regardless of winning or losing, she had to release the hostage.
If she easily won the gamble against Hikigaya Hachiman, wouldn't her plan be ruined from the start?
"Tch—" Erimi's face darkened. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something amusing: "The chairman just now never said the requirement was to return a living person~"
"If Hikigaya Hachiman loses to me in the gamble, then... returning the corpse is fine too."
"You bastard…"
Hikigaya's expression grew cold.
This was his first time confronting the hidden Mushibami clan.
So far, the three he had encountered—Yumeko, Kirari, and Miroslava—although twisted in their own ways, none had shown such disrespect for life.
The complete darkness and madness that Mushibami Erimi displayed, treating human life as a toy, was exactly the type Hikigaya detested the most.
No wonder Kirari wanted to use me to get rid of these guys.
Erimi was still smug over her perverse pleasure, completely unaware of Kirari's deepening azure eyes beside her.
"This is your choice, Mushibami, but think carefully about the consequences before you act."
"Don't worry, family head~ Our Mushibami family has its own style of doing things."
"Good."
Kirari leaned against the wall, having already sentenced Mushibami Erimi to death in her mind.
She didn't like this rogue branch that disobeyed orders and was fine letting Hikigaya deal with her.
Erimi suddenly changed topic: "I heard there's another female from the Bami clan who hasn't yet appeared at Hyakkaou Academy."
"Seems to be... from the Jabami family, Jabami Yumeko~"
"I've investigated; she has a good relationship with Hikigaya Hachiman. This gamble requires three people, so bring her here."
Hikigaya's cowlick twitched involuntarily, his DHA-rich eyes hidden beneath his bangs, revealing no emotion, he slowly exhaled: "You, you exude a disgusting evil all over your body. I can't wait to send you off."
"If you say so, then so be it."
With a serious face, Hikigaya took out his phone and first sent a message to Miss Yor:
"Mr. Yuri is currently safe. Judging from the surroundings, he's tied up in the basement, restrained."
"If things go wrong in the end, try to be restrained and avoid bloodshed. I will deal with Erimi here."
Only then did he contact Yumeko, who was in a classroom, asking her to come to the activity room.
Erimi was a bit surprised by Hikigaya's straightforward acceptance of her terms.
She originally planned that if Hikigaya refused, she would let Miroslava participate in the three-person gamble.
She clapped her hands.
Several deputies who followed her to school carried a machine covered with a red curtain and placed it in the center of the activity room table.
Then, Erimi hugged a worn-out doll in her arms and quietly waited.
This was one of the techniques she learned from torture—making the opponent's mind doubt itself, accumulating psychological pressure.
Applied to gambling, it causes psychological imbalance and eventual crushing defeat.
Knock knock—
Soon, knocking came at the door outside the activity room.
"Come in."
Yumeko placed her hands folded on her abdomen, walking over to Hikigaya with the air of a refined lady.
"Since Hachiman said there was gambling and wanted me to participate, I came~ I never expected the opponent to be you, Miss Mushibami ."
"Hehe, it's been a long time, Yumeko~"
Erimi's creepy smile appeared: "I'm sorry for making your sister lose all her money and go crazy in the clan's previous gamble~"
"It's okay. You play, you pay."
Wow, now the reason to get rid of Mushibami has been found.
Hikigaya's eyes flickered; he didn't expect the other party to have such a connection with Yumeko.
He remembered the first time he went to the hospital with Yumeko, when she mentioned that her sister lost the gambling match due to a betrayal by a Jabami elder, who wanted her sister to quit gambling... Who knew the person involved was this vile woman before him?
Truly... unforgivable!
"Hehe, it's great you think that way, Yumeko~ I helped your sister 'quit gambling' before, and now I can help you quit too."
Erimi reached out toward the red curtain and lifted it:
"Because the gambling we're going to do is—"
"Cutting Finger Guillotine!"
[Cutting Finger Guillotine]
[All players put their fingers through the holes, and take turns cutting one of the 20 strings. Only one string is the losing one—cutting that string causes the guillotine blade to drop, and of course, the finger will be cut off.]
[Which string is the losing one is unknown. Whoever first pulls their finger out from the hole is the loser.]
Under the red curtain in the center of the table was an exaggerated and terrifying gambling device.
The blade gleamed white, leaving no doubt about its sharpness.
Dense pulling strings connected both ends of the blade, with a hole at the bottom just large enough for a finger.
The design resembled a real guillotine.
To prove her words, Erimi lightly scraped the worn doll under the blade, making a hideous crack appear.
During this attempt, she leaned her upper body on the table.
The table shook slightly—an insignificant detail that made Hikigaya's eyes flicker, and he instinctively exchanged a glance with Yumeko.
"How about it? This is a new gambling game invented just for coming to school~"
"Whoever first pulls their finger out from the hole loses.
In other words, it's a gamble of courage between cutting the finger or pulling it out! The person most afraid is the loser!"
"If someone quits midway because they fear bodily harm, that means their gambling spirit collapses.
Yumeko Jabami, you understand what I mean, right? If your finger is cut off, you'll never gamble again.
And you, Hikigaya Hachiman, carrying that person's life on your back, you mustn't give up no matter what~"
No matter how excellent a gambling expert, if they lost a finger, many cheating techniques would be impossible to execute. Erimi was firmly convinced of this.
Erimi seemed intoxicated in her own world, her voice trembling:
"Ah~ how wonderful. You two—one must prove their gambling spirit, to justify their family name.
The other carries a life and must gamble to the end even risking physical mutilation.
And you two just happen to be lovers, not wanting each other's bodies to be permanently harmed."
"Hehehe, truly a brilliant gamble!"
The air fell silent.
Behind them, Miroslava crossed her arms and frowned deeply.
This time, Erimi had gone too far.
Forget about herself, didn't she know the relationship between Hikigaya Hachiman and the Momobami family head?
Under these circumstances, even if it was a gamble, the stakes should be as monetary as possible, unless she was really prepared to compete with the family head like herself...
But even so, no body part— not even a finger—should be a gambling stake!
Hikigaya and Yumeko exchanged a glance and remained silent.
"Looks like such a cruel gamble scared you into silence~"
"I was indeed shocked."
"I was dumbfounded too."
"Is that so? Being so scared is inevitable. After all, Hikigaya Hachiman is carrying a life on his back," Erimi said with exaggerated tone, "But Yumeko, if you're scared, you can give up now. I'd like to have Miroslava participate, because I want to see her howl in pain~"
"Isn't that great?" Yumeko put her hands together in a prayer gesture, face flushed: "This is exactly what I want—simple, ultimate win or lose! I wanted this kind of gamble. Thank you, Miss Mushibami. I misunderstood you before."
"So that means, if you participate, you, Mushibami Erimi, will be at the same risk as us?"
Hikigaya Hachiman showed a rare cold smile: "That's great. Thinking about seeing you get your finger cut off is really delightful."
Erimi held her tattered doll and froze.
And despair filled her.
'Huh? What's wrong with these two?'
'Are they not afraid of this gamble?'
'N-no way. Losing a familiar body part causes instinctive fear. No one can avoid it.'
What they were showing now was only a pretended calm, the last glow under the influence of adrenaline.
When the last string was left, fear would dominate their mind.
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