261 Reckless Bravery Without Calculation
"Hmph, since none of you are afraid, then let's start the gamble now." "Gladly."
Saotome, Kokoro Aiura, and Shimotsukiuri Ouri, who quietly followed Yumeko to the activity room, were also stunned when they saw this scene.
Kokoro Aiura took a step forward and raised a question: "Wait a minute, this finger-cutting machine was prepared by Mushibami-senpai herself, right? Then you should know which string will win, so wouldn't this gambling be invalid?"
"Because the psychological pressure on both sides isn't even on the same level!"
Mushibami Erimi glanced at Aiura Kokoro, wondering where this insignificant pest had suddenly appeared from, and explained with boredom: "If all you can say are useless things like that, then just shut up, pest."
Saying that, she opened the side panel, revealing densely intertwined wires.
"The wire connected to the blade can be freely connected by opening the side panel of the device. How could such a low-level thing be asked by a pest?"
Aiura Kokoro, called a pest, stiffly swallowed her saliva and whispered, "C-can this even be called gambling? It has nothing to do with luck, intelligence, or calculation—it only requires reckless courage!"
She tugged on Saotome's sleeve and asked with some confusion, "I can understand Yumeko, but why would even Hikigaya-kun agree to join this kind of gambling? Isn't this type of gambling the kind he hates the most?"
Saotome Mary also looked a little puzzled, shaking her bright golden twin tails.
Perhaps because the heavy gambling pressure wasn't on her, and with her current observation skills, she hadn't figured out the secret behind this gamble.
But compared to herself, she was more willing to trust Hikigaya Hachiman. Whispering into Aiura's ear, she said her opinion: "I think someone as self-centered as Hikigaya wouldn't risk losing a part of his body to gamble... In other words, there must be a loophole we haven't noticed in this gambling."
"Maybe the problem lies with that finger-cutting machine?"
"That doesn't sound like something you would say, Mary."
With Saotome's reminder, Aiura Kokoro also realized it.
Really... At first, Mary was the one who trusted her own judgment the most.
But now, the situation between them had reversed. Indeed, she could not believe in herself but could not disbelieve Hikigaya Hachiman's gambling skills.
"But your question reminded me—Hey, head of the family~ There should be a specially neutral person in Hyakkaou Academy, right?"
"To ensure fairness in gambling, the blade's connecting wire on the finger-cutting platform must be connected by a completely neutral third party. You understand this, don't you, head of the family~"
"Of course."
Momobami Kirari nodded and opened her phone to send a message to a woman dressed in a yellow bunny suit.
In an instant, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Immediately after, the activity room door was pushed open.
"Oh, former president, is there something you need?" Yomozuki Runa, full of excitement, hadn't expected the Hyakkaou clan's gambling to need her so soon as the host.
"Let me introduce you—this is the absolutely neutral person of Hyakkaou Academy. She will be in charge of controlling the device from now on."
"Hello!"
Erimi hesitated a moment, then extended her hand to shake.
This girl looks a little unreliable.
"Wow, this is quite a dangerous machine!" Yomozuki Runa bit the lollipop in her mouth on the blade, and with a crack, the candy inside was cut cleanly.
Usually quite careless, Runa's neck stiffened as she turned to Momobami Kirari.
"Now Runa will adjust the connecting wires on both ends of the machine to ensure complete randomness and disorder. Of course, she could also set it so whoever you want to win, wins."
"Mushibami-sama—"
Yomozuki Runa stepped forward with a fierce aura and said: "Don't worry, something like that is absolutely impossible! We election committee members pride ourselves on absolute neutrality and will never favor either side."
"Don't underestimate our election committee. Compared to all of Japan, we are like the U.S. forces stationed in Japan, and the two sides gambling are rival politicians."
"I-is that so..."
Mushibami Erimi instinctively took a step back. "Then let's proceed. Please start quickly."
"Alright, now everyone please leave the activity room."
Yomozuki Runa swiftly pushed everyone out of the activity room.
"Runa sure is careful." Yumeko kindly linked arms with Hikigaya, "Who would think of spying? After all, if you peek, half the fun of gambling is lost."
"Tch—such a pose."
Mushibami Erimi frowned and walked toward the two. "Cherish this last moment with your whole hand intact. In a few minutes, someone here might lose a finger."
"Even though medical technology is advanced now, and a cut-off finger can be reattached, it definitely won't be as useful as the original."
"Don't worry." Hikigaya didn't even look at her directly. "If it comes to that point, I'll definitely pull out my finger together with Yumeko first. After all, it's someone else's life, and compared to my own finger, I can still tell which is more important."
Mushibami Erimi was momentarily speechless.
That didn't make sense.
According to the script, Hikigaya should have the resolve to risk everything to save a person.
Could it be that Yuri Briar isn't worth that much to him?
Since he has Jabami Yumeko as a girlfriend, the importance of Yor Briar, who lives with him, might not be so high in his heart.
Damn scumbag!
...
"I'm done, everyone, you may come back in."
Back in the activity room, both ends of the finger-cutting platform were reconnected. Yumeko sat like a lady on one side of the sofa, facing Mushibami Erimi across the table.
Hikigaya Hachiman inspected the platform, then turned to Yomozuki Runa and asked, "Have you seriously checked it? This is an important tool to fully enjoy the thrilling risk of cutting off fingers; there can be no mistakes."
"Yes! Chairman Hikigaya!" Runa saluted him comically, "If the blade falls from that height, there's no doubt it will cut off the finger!"
"That's good."
Hikigaya gave Erimi a meaningful smile.
That smile made Erimi feel uneasy, thinking, "Has this guy discovered something?"
"All preparations are done. Now, please extend your right index fingers into the holes—Hikigaya-sama, Jabami-sama, Mushibami-sama!"
"As the most commonly used part of the human body, let's stake the loss of the right index finger and have a thrilling gambling match!"
Red—Flesh—Black—
Three different colored fingernails passed through the hole until the whole finger was out.
"[Finger-Cutting Guillotine], begin! Following the order, the first cut is Hikigaya-sama's turn!"
Hikigaya Hachiman calmly took the scissors Runa handed him, watching the wires on the right side. With a playful look, he said, "Which one should I cut? After all, this is a big deal, losing a finger. I have to think carefully~"
Bang bang bang
The wires were strong and emitted sounds like a stretched rubber band when hit by scissors. It was impossible to tell by sound which wire was connected to the blade.
This was truly a gamble testing courage!
The participant is unconcerned, but the onlookers are anxious.
Even a battle-hardened woman like Honebami Miroslava felt tense; sweat appeared on her palms and soles, and her slender feet curled nervously inside her long boots.
In her heart, she silently prayed for Hikigaya.
"I can't understand it, Yumeko." Hikigaya sighed. "You really can't tell by sound. There's a 1 in 20 chance; hopefully, we're not that unlucky."
Click
While talking, Hikigaya randomly cut a wire.
"Hey, Hachiman, I have a suggestion~"
"Hm? What?"
"This gamble is about pure courage. How about all of us blindfold ourselves? Relying only on touch to cut... that's undoubtedly the biggest thrill!"
Yumeko tightened her full thighs and twisted nervously.
"Indeed, if blindfolded, even if Mushibami-senpai has some cheating method, she wouldn't be able to use it."
"Exactly! Then I'll go first!" Yumeko closed her eyes excitedly, took the scissors from Hikigaya, and cut decisively. "What a shame, I didn't hit it."
Mushibami Erimi took a deep breath and realized she had underestimated these two.
Though there were many wires and the chance of cutting the right one was small, the decisiveness was remarkable...
Not to mention the infamous Jabami Yumeko, why could Hikigaya Hachiman also remain so calm?
Before coming here, Mushibami specifically read Hikigaya's report and concluded: He is an outright egoist.
Why could such a person gamble so calmly like Jabami Yumeko?
Could it really be because of the power of love?!
When it was Mushibami Erimi's turn, she followed Yumeko's suggestion and tightly closed her eyes, cutting a wire at random.
Unlike the madness or the power of love that might appear in Jabami and Hikigaya, this gamble was not risky for her at all.
Why?
Erimi's gaze turned meaningfully toward the device. The blade length was carefully calculated; thanks to hidden iron plates, it wouldn't cut the finger.
It was just a deterrent.
The design of the gamble was as cunning as she was!
262 Under Heavy Pressure — Mushibami Erimi
Just imagine, in a gamble where both sides risk losing parts of their body.
One side has to endure the psychological pressure of potentially having their finger severed the next moment, while the other side, knowing the mechanism's design, psychologically doesn't have to bear that pressure at all...
In such a situation, with the psychological advantage shifting back and forth, for a normal person, the one who breaks down first will definitely be the former.
And this is not cheating.
The blade will still fall in the end, but it won't cut the finger; even the absolutely neutral administrators can't say anything about that. And Mushibami Erimi can confirm that at the moment the blade drops, no one can resist such fear, they will instinctively pull their hand back, and in the end, that means victory for her, Mushibami Erimi!
That strange person named Yomozuki Runa must have noticed this when checking the gambling device earlier, but she neither said anything nor asked me about it; without breaking any rules, the existence of this hidden fail-safe was tacitly accepted.
Momobami Kirari wasn't lying to me; it seems the absolutely neutral personnel really are neutral.
With timing, terrain, and people all in her favor, from the conclusion's perspective, she will absolutely win.
"Your resolve can only hold until the moment the finger-cutting blade falls! It's just a question of whether you can endure the terror of losing your finger repeatedly!" "Let me, Mushibami Erimi, witness your disgrace!"
"I say, Miss Mushibami, is this device the torture tool your Mushibami family usually uses?"
The scissors returned to Hikigaya Hachiman's hand again.
He closed his eyes and casually tapped the pull cords one by one with the scissor tips.
Behind him, Saotome Mary couldn't help but gasp in surprise: "Torture? In this day and age?"
"Heh, what a fuss!" Saotome's outburst was quite satisfying to Erimi.
She proudly flicked her pink twin tails and glanced at Saotome with displeasure.
Seriously, the onlookers are all nobodies, not even comparable to peripheral members of the Mushibami family!
"Of course, torture is a tradition passed down generation to generation in our Mushibami family."
She licked her red lips and said, "We put the target's fingers into this finger-cutting device," then slowly cut the pull cords one by one. "Few can hold out to the end without giving in~"
The more Mushibami Erimi spoke, the more excited she became, listing details like a treasure:
"In fact, this is not even my proudest creation.
We blindfold the target's eyes and tie them to a pillar, make an incision on their wrist to let the blood flow out, then interrogate them every half hour.
By the end, some people are so scared they lose control of their bladder and bowels~"
"D-Devil! You're committing a crime, aren't you?"
Saotome instinctively stepped back, unable to look directly at the disgusting evil radiating from this girl who looked like a loli. From her pure worldview, she couldn't believe such cruel methods existed in the world.
"Crime?" Erimi laughed lightly. "Setting aside the fact that our Mushibami family represents the law — the law serves people like us! Isn't the gambling you're doing in this school also a crime?!"
"Humans eat humans; everyone just uses their own methods to break laws and devour those sheep protected by the law, that's all!"
"You..." Saotome Mary was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, since entering Hyakkaou Academy, using gambling methods and with Hikigaya's help, she had earned a lot of money from those foolish and spoiled children of the elite.
Her living standards had improved several levels because of this.
Wealth not matching intelligence eventually flows back into society in various forms.
Saotome Mary never felt she was breaking the law — all she did was accept this return of wealth normally, nothing more!
And Hyakkaou Academy was a platform provided for special students like her by President Momobami.
"You're right." Hikigaya unusually agreed with his enemy's opinion: "To me, gambling is gambling — it's fundamentally illegal. But as long as you keep winning, you'll never have to eat the karma you sowed yourself."
"But you, Mushibami Erimi, should have no complaints if one day your karma comes back to bite you. Especially now, since this gambling was proposed by you."
"Though it can't be said 'it's just a finger, no big deal,' nor 'if lost, there's nothing to be done.'"
What the hell is this guy talking about?
Hikigaya's convoluted implication rushed into Erimi's brain in one sentence, leaving her processing unit overwhelmed for a moment.
Hikigaya turned to Yomozuki Runa: "Yomizuki, did you remove that thing properly?"
"Heehee, of course, my job is to ensure the finger-cutting device is flawless~ If something unwanted happened to the device at a critical moment, that would be bad~"
"That's great; now I can fully enjoy the pleasure of karma chasing after us. Let's see whether the karma of my gambling or the karma of Mushibami's torture strikes first."
Yomozuki Runa showed a meaningful, creepy smile.
And it was this "innocent" smile that made Mushibami Erimi break out in a cold sweat.
"Then I'll continue!" Hikigaya Hachiman raised the scissors, about to randomly cut one pull cord.
No, no, wait — what did she just say?! She removed it? Removed what? There's nothing removable in this device!!
Erimi's pupils violently shook as a strong sense of unease engulfed her.
At the moment she heard the scissors close, she seemed to see her own fragile fingers painted with black nail polish falling onto the table like a chicken claw.
'It will be cut! It will be cut! It will be cut!!'
In this extreme terror, time seemed mysteriously erased. The scissors, through Yumeko's hand, once again returned to her.
My gambling is to enjoy my opponent's fearful posture unilaterally! My gambling is absolutely safe!!
How did Hikigaya Hachiman notice the weak point hidden in the finger-cutting device?!
Or did those two just use some code I don't understand to scare me?!
Removing the doubts that sprouted was impossible, because I proposed this gamble — if I questioned it myself, it would be like admitting to cheating.
But even so, I can't back down! This is the honor of the Mushibami family, the dignity of an interrogator! It's just a finger! Didn't I prepare myself for this?!
By the sixth cut, Mushibami Erimi's expression had become grim and terrifying.
As the designer of the gamble, she knew better than anyone the horror of this finger-cutting device. There are 20 pull cords in total, and it still seems safe now.
But no one knows if the next cut will be the fatal one.
Kokoro Aiura was right; this has nothing to do with wisdom or calculation — all probabilities become illusions under the threat of Damocles' sword.
Everything depends on reckless courage.
Click
Mushibami Erimi bit her silver teeth tightly.
Her whole body seemed deprived of all strength, limp and powerless as she collapsed onto the sofa, gasping heavily like a salted fish stranded on a shallow shore after the tide receded.
Luck is on her side!
Now the pressure should be back on the two of them!
Click — Click —
?!
Two more crisp scissor sounds pulled Mushibami Erimi back to reality. She didn't even have time to savor the feeling of surviving, as the scissors returned to her hand again.
"Eh?" She looked up, dazed, staring at the two who were talking.
"What a pity, Hachiman, still no cut." "That's not something to celebrate. If anything, the fact that it hasn't been cut yet is the thing to celebrate."
As they spoke, both looked at Mushibami Erimi: "Miss Mushibami, what's wrong? Why are you hesitating to move? Don't tell me... you're scared?"
So... so weird! Why can they talk so casually, finishing the matter deciding the fate of a finger so quickly?!
"If they realize I tampered with it, even if it's just a bluff, they could just call off the gamble. Why do they have to risk losing their fingers and fight me to the end?! Can't they just back down?! Must they fight me to the death for some meaningless pride?!"
If I'm expected to lose first... that's impossible! I, Mushibami Erimi, will never bow to torture!
"Hey, don't push me too hard!" Erimi's voice showed a clear tremor as she shakily raised her hand and took the scissors from the table.
But when it really came time to decide, she realized humans don't have such courage to lose parts of their bodies.
Tears and snot uncontrollably poured out of her body, but even so, she did not pull her finger out of the guillotine.
She didn't want to lose her finger, but she also didn't want to give up her dignity. Both must, must be preserved!
"Really, you proposed this finger-cutting game, but you're the first to cry, Mushibami-san, what's your problem?"
Even Kokoro Aiura and Saotome, who were previously considered nobodies, had unconsciously come behind Mushibami Erimi, resting on both sides of her body, mercilessly mocking her.
"Bastard—" "Don't underestimate me, the heir of the Mushibami family!"