It was rare in the world to see such an absurd event where Ikishima Midari, the house, pleaded with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the challenger, hoping he would win this gamble.
In Ikishima Midari's expectant gaze, she saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka slowly nod.
"...I will compete with you. In the next game, I will use all my strength. However, if you still perform this well, I won't have any chance of winning…"
"Are you asking me to go easy?"
Ikishima Midari realized the hidden meaning in Ayanokoji's words. Her expression instantly changed. She slapped Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's hand away, took two steps back, crossed her arms, and looked down at Ayanokoji with disdain.
"Sorry, Ikishima Midari never goes easy. You've miscalculated."
"So, there's nothing to discuss, then? Alright, I concede…"
Before Ayanokoji could even say the word "concede," Ikishima Midari darted back in front of Ayanokoji, covering his mouth, looking very flustered: "Don't concede! Keep competing with me! Believe in yourself, you can win!"
Ayanokoji didn't speak, only looked at her with his eyes, the meaning very clear—either go easy, or I concede.
Using one's own concession to force the opponent to go easy, such a thing would probably not be believed by anyone if spoken aloud.
But at this moment, Ikishima Midari released Ayanokoji, her expression conflicted, seemingly truly beginning to consider this decision.
Finally, she relented, her expression very complex: "I can go easy, but only a little bit…"
Very good, that's what he wanted to hear from her.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's mouth.
All the previous groundwork was for this.
"Okay, as long as you give me a visible goal, I will do my best," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also promised.
Mikura, unable to watch from the side, pulled Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's arm and advised, "Hey, you don't have to do this, right? The stakes are just a casino, aren't they? You can just lose to her; you're not short on money."
She didn't understand why Ayanokoji would go to this extent.
Did he want Ikishima Midari's first night so badly?
"You don't understand," Ayanokoji shook his head and whispered, "I must win, otherwise, my sunk cost will be far more than just a casino."
If Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still had room for regret before using the buff, losing would have been fine, with no impact on him.
At most, he would apologize to Saotome Meari after the casino was banned and then help her find another casino.
Saotome Meari was a very gentle person and would likely forgive him.
But after using the buff, Ayanokoji had invested too much into this game; these R-tier foods were priceless, worth more than a casino.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka originally thought that with the buff in the first game, he could defeat her fairly and squarely with his own strength, but unfortunately, the opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations.
If he failed the challenge, although there would be no apparent loss, he would feel a huge loss internally.
This is the sunk cost effect—because too many resources have been invested in a gamble, one must achieve one's goal, otherwise, these already incurred, non-recoverable expenditures would all go to waste, becoming sunk costs.
To recover these losses, Ayanokoji could not easily withdraw and even had to invest more.
Everyone has this kind of psychology, which is easy to understand when compared to gacha games.
When you encounter a character that perfectly matches your XP, you spend several 648s on gacha, but you get other useless characters instead, not the one you wanted most.
Either you give up, admitting that you gave these non-recoverable expenditures to the game company for nothing. Or, you grit your teeth and continue to spend money to pull the character you like.
From a rational perspective, sunk costs should not influence our decisions.
However, we often make many irrational behaviors due to wanting to recover or avoid sunk costs, thereby falling into a quagmire from which we cannot extricate ourselves, and sinking deeper and deeper.
This is a common human trait, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was no exception.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka originally thought that after investing four R-tier items, he had invested enough resources, but now it seemed it was not enough.
He still had to invest a little more.
But he was very worried that even if he invested more, he might not get the "character," so to avoid this situation, he deliberately played a small trick.
In the second game, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka made a mistake, deliberately pretending to be affected by the injury, reducing his speed, making his score in the second game worse than the first.
But in reality, this mistake was intentional on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's part.
Because Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had previously consumed the [Cake], just like being given an anesthetic, the nerves in his left hand were numbed. Even if he stabbed his finger, he didn't feel any pain, just a tingling sensation like a slight electric shock.
His feigned look of enduring pain was all an act, and his deliberate surrender was part of his strategy.
Ikishima Midari wasn't actually concerned with winning or losing in gambling; she believed that only when both sides wagered something important did the gamble become exciting enough to thrill her.
What she truly loved was gambling itself; she didn't care what others thought, only wanting to experience pleasure from it.
She yearned to meet an opponent who, like her, was willing to bet their "precious things" in a gamble.
In the first round, Ayanokoji, as a complete novice, dared to wield the Quick Knife Finger Stab without hesitation, letting the dagger dance between his fingers.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka displayed his courage and resolve, which made Ikishima Midari acknowledge Ayanokoji, deeming him worthy of gambling with her.
She longed to see Ayanokoji bring her more excitement and thrills, but in the second round, Ayanokoji made a mistake.
The experience he provided was not as good as the first round, which greatly disappointed her.
Just then, she suddenly heard Ayanokoji say that her strength far exceeded his imagination, that he had lost confidence, knew it was futile, and decided to rationally concede.
The originally scheduled five rounds ended without even completing three.
It was like Ikishima Midari had finally felt some pleasure while self-generating, only to be forcibly stopped right before reaching the climax.
This kind of thing was too tormenting!
Ikishima Midari was now left hanging, and she insisted on Ayanokoji continuing, wanting to reach a peak with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's help.
That's why she pleaded with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, hoping he wouldn't give up.
At this moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka painted a grand picture for her—telling her that if she was willing to give Ayanokoji a tangible goal, he would continue the game and display his full strength.
This condition was extremely tempting to Ikishima Midari, as if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka promised her not only climax but also the ultimate bliss beyond that.
Although Ikishima Midari didn't like to go easy on others, in order to obtain this pleasure, after some hesitation, she still relented and decided to give Ayanokoji a slight opening.
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