Ikishima Midari's right hand trembled, clearly enduring intense pain, but she still had a joyful smile on her face, as if enjoying the suffering, and still wanted to thrust the dagger down further.
"Ikishima Midari, what are you doing!?"
Although the countdown hadn't ended, it was no longer time to just watch. Ayanokoji quickly tried to snatch the dagger from Ikishima Midari's hand to stop her self-harming behavior.
Ikishima Midari seemed to have little strength left; her right hand wasn't holding the knife firmly, and Ayanokoji easily took it away.
"Give me the knife, the time isn't over yet..." Ikishima Midari reached out to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, wanting to continue her challenge.
"Is this the time for a challenge!? And this dagger you're holding...!"
Ayanokoji lowered his head to look at the dagger in his hand, and only then did he notice the difference.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had thought that Ikishima Midari was using unsharpened daggers in the challenge, just like him, but that wasn't the case.
Unlike the unsharpened dagger he used in the challenge, the one in Ikishima Midari's hand was sharpened; both its tip and edge were extremely sharp, making it fully capable of being called a weapon.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka merely touched it lightly with his finger, and immediately, his finger oozed blood.
Was Ikishima Midari actually playing Quick Knife Finger Stab with him using this sharp dagger just now!?
It was precisely because he knew the dagger was unsharpened, and that even a mistake would only result in a small wound, that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka dared to use the extreme method of increasing the error rate to raise speed during the challenge.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't believe that Ikishima Midari had mistakenly picked up the wrong dagger; she must have been using this sharp dagger from the very first game.
What was Ikishima Midari thinking? Didn't she know that if she made one wrong move, her entire finger could be cut off!
"What does it matter? Anyway, the knife I gave you was unsharpened, wasn't it?" Ikishima Midari's hand was still profusely bleeding, her face pale, but she wore a happy smile.
She pouted as if spoiling Ayanokoji, "Hurry up and give me the knife, my challenge isn't over yet..."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't expect Ikishima Midari to still want to continue the challenge with her hand in such a state.
"What time is it, and you're still thinking about challenges! Hurry up and stop the bleeding!" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka completely ignored her, threw the dagger aside, and began rummaging through the medical kit for a tourniquet.
Unlike Ayanokoji's superficial wound, Ikishima Midari's wound this time seemed as if a major artery had been slashed, and the blood kept flowing.
Such a wound could not be treated carelessly; the most important thing was not disinfection, but stopping the bleeding.
There wasn't much in the medical kit that could help here. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could only temporarily apply pressure with gauze bandages to stop the bleeding, and then send Ikishima Midari to the nearest infirmary for treatment.
Ayanokoji bandaged her left hand, but Ikishima Midari was still preoccupied with the challenge: "The game isn't over yet, this round counts as my loss. We each have two wins now, and there's still one last round..."
"What time is it, and you're still thinking about playing? The last round is off, I concede, alright!" Ayanokoji said irritably.
This woman is a lunatic!
He was holding an unsharpened knife, so even if he stabbed his finger, it would at most be just a hole. Yet she was enduring the danger of potentially losing a finger at any moment, and yet at this moment, there was actually a smile on her face!?
Even though she was so seriously injured now, she still wanted to gamble!?
Is she sick!?
"Oh, right, eat this." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, taking a moment from his busy work, materialized a milk candy from his mailbox and handed it to Ikishima Midari.
"I don't like sweets..." She wanted to refuse, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't give her the right to refuse, directly putting it into her mouth.
[Milk Candy] is an R-grade item, whose effects are to calm the mind, nourish the heart and qi, and also slow down blood flow.
This item was originally for promoting sleep, but it was perfect for this situation.
Ikishima Midari had intended to refuse, but she suddenly found the taste of this milk candy to be very special, many times better than any she had tasted before.
She blinked blankly, closed her mouth to carefully savor the taste of the milk candy, and obediently watched Ayanokoji treat her wound, no longer refusing.
The three club members behind Ikishima Midari were all stunned, exchanging glances.
When Ikishima Midari usually pricked her hand, she would still be smiling, and even if her club members wanted to help her treat the wound, she would refuse them.
What was wrong with her today? She was actually accepting help from her opponent like a good girl?
Had she changed her ways?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's move was like a doctor giving sugar pills to children after an injection to make them close their mouths and not cry.
Although Ikishima Midari was not a child, it seemed this trick was equally effective on her for now.
Suddenly, the casino door was pushed open from the outside, and a group of people entered in single file.
Walking at the very front was a woman with a high ponytail, exuding the aura of a strong, capable woman. On her shoulder was the emblem of the Beautification Committee.
"I am the Beautification Committee Chairman, Miharu Taki Sakura. Ikishima Midari, you haven't paid the casino usage fee for a month. Now it's time for you to pay..."
Miharu Taki Sakura's words were cut short when she saw Ikishima Midari's bandaged left hand and asked in surprise, "Ikishima Midari, your hand is injured? What exactly happened?"
"That's none of your business. Don't you want money? The money is on the table, take it yourself." Ikishima Midari said casually.
Miharu Taki Sakura was very surprised. She had heard from her Beautification Committee members that Ikishima Midari was very difficult to deal with, so why was she paying so readily today?
She scanned the casino. Ikishima Midari was sitting on the sofa, her hand seemingly severely injured, and a boy was kneeling beside her, bandaging her wound.
On the sofa where Ikishima Midari sat, a suitcase full of US dollars lay neatly open.
On the table next to her, three daggers were placed, and the table was stained with blood, looking shocking.
This scene looked particularly eerie, and Miharu Taki Sakura felt as if she had stumbled into the scene of a gang transaction.
"Ikishima Midari, what's your motive?" Miharu Taki Sakura frowned, "What exactly happened here?"
Ikishima Midari clicked her tongue in displeasure, "No motive, I just owe the casino usage fee, right? Just take the money and leave, don't disturb me!"
Ikishima Midari's dismissive attitude made Miharu Taki Sakura, the Beautification Committee Chairman, feel a bit uncomfortable, but she couldn't say much.
Just as she was about to take the money and leave, she suddenly saw Mikura on the sofa opposite Ikishima Midari, and her eyes lit up.
"Mikura, why are you here? Could it be that Senior Juraku sent you?"
She recognized this "loyal dog" by Sachiko Juraku's side. She thought Sachiko Juraku had been here, which was why Ikishima Midari was paying so easily.
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