Ayanokoji's words were like a stone suddenly thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples to appear on the surface.
Kamishita Nagi scratched his head, annoyed, then his eyes lit up, and he looked up, saying with conviction, "No, you must be bluffing. If you used 11 points in this round, you definitely wouldn't have chosen to only add two bets!"
"Why can't I add a bet?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka calmly retorted, "I used my 11 points against your 21 points. Even if I lost two chips, I still profited."
Did Ayanokoji really throw out 11 points in this round?
If that were truly the case, Ayanokoji using his "lower card" to exchange for Kamishita Nagi's "middle card" or even "upper card" would not be impossible for two chips.
It could even be said to be a small profit...
Absolutely impossible, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka must be bluffing!
Kamishita Nagi had already decided that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, seeing him so smug, was deliberately using these words to provoke him, just wanting to strike him psychologically... He absolutely could not believe what he said!
Although Kamishita Nagi had made up his mind, a thought had already appeared in his mind that he couldn't shake off.
What if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka really played his smallest hand, 11 points, in this round?
Kamishita Nagi clicked his tongue inwardly; he knew he had been influenced by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words.
This game is not only about verbal suppression but also a psychological battle.
No one knew if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was bluffing.
Ibuki Jotaro, who stood on Kamishita Nagi's side, frowned, while Hanatemari and others, who hoped for Ayanokoji's victory, regained hope in their eyes.
Meari, however, suddenly poured cold water on Hanatemari and the others.
"Don't get your hopes up too high. Ayanokoji is very likely just unwilling to admit defeat verbally, wanting to psychologically attack Kamishita Nagi. It's highly probable that he threw down 21 points in the second round."
"But it might not be false, right? Ayanokoji's calm demeanor doesn't seem like he's faking it," Kurume protested unwillingly.
"That's why I'm not sure either," Meari sighed. "I hope it's really like that."
The second round ended, Kamishita Nagi already had 7 chips, while Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only had three.
After they both selected their cards for the third round, Mikura said calmly, "Third round, Ayanokoji, you bet first."
Mikura could see that Ayanokoji was at a disadvantage at this moment, but she couldn't help much now, she could only worry in secret.
Although she was nominally the Dealer, she was basically just a commentator now; the facts were clear, and she couldn't possibly tell lies with her eyes open.
The anxiety of the onlookers did not affect Ayanokoji; he picked up two chips and placed them in the center of the table, saying calmly, "I bet 2 chips."
"Two chips, huh... That's a subtle number."
Kamishita Nagi stroked his chin and chuckled thoughtfully.
"I currently have seven chips in hand; even if I bet two, it's only the same as you.
You're definitely trying to lure me into dropping two chips, and then you'll go all-in directly. In that case, I'll either have to throw in another chip to call, or I'll have to give up these two chips and fold."
"However... I won't do as you imagine. I choose to fold." Kamishita Nagi picked up a chip and threw it in front of Ayanokoji.
When the opponent's bet is too high and you don't want to play, you can throw down a chip to fold and skip this round.
"You're skipping?" Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Kamishita Nagi spread his hands and laughed, "Now I might as well be frank. The card I threw down in this round was only 11 points, my smallest hand. I exchanged one chip for your 21 points; this deal is more cost-effective than what you did in the last round, isn't it?"
"Why do you think I threw out 21 points? Actually, like you, I also threw out 11 points in this round, do you believe me?"
Kamishita Nagi waved his hand and said with a smile, "Alright, that's enough talk. I don't believe you would do that.
You lost the last round, and you'll definitely want to get back at me this round. If you threw out Blackjack, you would have gone all-in directly, instead of probing with two chips. So, you threw out 21 points, didn't you?"
Kamishita Nagi looked as if victory was in his grasp, as if he had already seen through Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's thoughts.
"If you think so, then so be it." Ayanokoji sighed and did not refute, as if he had already acquiesced to what he said.
The third round ended, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka won one chip, securing victory in this round.
But apart from Kamishita Nagi and Ibuki Jotaro, the two members of Zenshoukai, no one else showed a happy expression on their faces, because they knew that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was still at a disadvantage.
Just as Kamishita Nagi said, they also believed that Kamishita Nagi's analysis should be correct.
In the first round, both sides had 21 points, ending in a tie.
In the second round, both sides still had 21 points, but Ayanokoji lost two chips because he was worried that Kamishita Nagi's card was Blackjack.
In the third round, Kamishita Nagi, as he said, played his smallest card, 11 points, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, to recover from the previous loss, still played 21 points.
In other words, Kamishita Nagi still had a Blackjack and a set of 21 points in his hand.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka only had Blackjack, and... 11 points.
The situation was very unfavorable for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Although he had a high chance of winning, Kamishita Nagi felt a subtle unease in his heart as he looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's calm expression.
He suddenly spoke, "Ayanokoji, you know your chances of winning aren't great right now. If you choose to fold and concede now, as I said before, I only need to take half of your gambling money, twenty million yen, and that's it."
Despite having the advantage, he chose to proactively let Ayanokoji concede, generously offering Ayanokoji a "way out."
"That's enough, saying that once is fine, but saying it a second time will just be annoying." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head slightly, his gaze calmly fixed on Kamishita Nagi.
"You're in a big advantage right now, yet you're proactively willing to reduce your profit. Either you're truly a great philanthropist, willing to only take half of my gambling money. Or... you're actually not as confident in winning the game as you imagine."
Ayanokoji lightly tapped the table, analyzing in front of everyone.
"Now, both of us only have two sets of cards left. You and I both still have a Blackjack in our hands; there's no need to say more about this set. The key is the remaining set."
"You said that you threw down your smallest card, 11, in the third round. So, what you have left now is 21 points. Even if my remaining set of cards is 21 points, at most it would be a tie with you, right?"
"We'll have two ties. In that case, the number of chips in our hands won't change, and you'll win four million yen because you have one more chip than me."
"So, why would you choose to end the gambling game early?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked up at Kamishita Nagi, his tone certain.
"The reason is simple: your other set of cards isn't 21 points, but your smallest hand, 11 points, right?"
Kamishita Nagi didn't expect Ayanokoji to analyze so thoroughly, but after hearing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's analysis, he actually felt relieved.
Although Ayanokoji's analytical ability was strong and he had analyzed most of his strategy, there was still one point he hadn't figured out.
This would be the key to his failure.
Kamishita Nagi deliberately put on a disappointed look and sighed softly, "I kindly gave you a chance, but you didn't appreciate it... Fine, since you don't want to end the gambling game early, then let's gamble until the end."
"Alright, stop trying to cover it up. Let's start the fourth round."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ignored his pretense and was the first to push out one of his remaining two sets of cards.
Kamishita Nagi shook his head helplessly and followed suit, pushing out his cards.
This was the fourth round, and it was Kamishita Nagi's turn to bet first.
"I'm going all-in."
He said.
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