Kamishita Nagi chose to go all-in in this round, and now it was Ayanokoji's turn.
Without hesitation, Ayanokoji, with a calm expression, continued, "I also choose to go all-in."
At this moment, no one was surprised by their choice.
Their conversation proved that at least one of the two sets of cards in Ayanokoji and Kamishita Nagi's hands was "Blackjack."
In this fourth set, which was the second-to-last round of the game, it was no longer a time to hide cards; everyone had already guessed what cards they would play in this round.
"Both sides have placed their bets. Now, let's reveal the cards."
Mikura first flipped over Kamishita Nagi's cards, and as expected, his hand was Blackjack plus a junk card.
She then revealed Ayanokoji's cards, and just like Kamishita Nagi, it was Blackjack plus a junk card.
Blackjack against Blackjack, a tie.
It's like in Landlord, when you only have a joker and a 3 left in your hand, and the two opponents also have fewer than four cards. At this point, the first card played is definitely the joker, the largest card in hand.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kamishita Nagi were not surprised by each other's plays; they had both anticipated this tie long ago.
In the fourth round, both tied, and the number of chips in their hands remained unchanged.
Next... was the final round, the most crucial one. All their previous contests had been a prelude to this last round.
Kamishita Nagi let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Ayanokoji, you only have 11 left for your last card, right? I gave you a chance earlier, but you didn't cherish it. Now if you want to ask for a draw, I won't agree."
"Come on, your card can't be 21, can it?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head and chuckled softly, also looking as if victory was in his grasp.
He crossed his hands in front of him and suddenly said to Kamishita Nagi, "How about this, I'll give you a chance."
"You currently have 6 chips, and I have 4. If you choose to throw down one chip and fold in this game, we'll be considered a tie, and you won't have any losses.
Even if you go back to Mibuomi Aoi, you can say that neither of us won or lost."
"Are you kidding me?" Kamishita Nagi burst into laughter.
He thought Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was talking nonsense.
Making him choose a tie when he could win? Ayanokoji was dreaming too much!
Kamishita Nagi had already seen that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was clearly at his wit's end; once he revealed his cards, his pathetic 11 points would be exposed.
This must be the "Empty Fort Strategy," right?
He clearly had no cards left, yet he was pretending to be calm and composed, making him doubt if he still had a hidden card, and then become timid and "retreat."
Kamishita Nagi had already used this tactic once in the second round, so it was naturally impossible for him to fall for it again now.
Ayanokoji sighed softly, "Since you put it that way... I choose to go all-in."
In the fifth round, Ayanokoji still chose to go all-in.
"I'm going all-in too!"
Kamishita Nagi did not back down, following closely with a sinister grin: "Ayanokoji, I'm sorry, but I'm only one step away from victory now, and I won't give up here. I'll gladly accept these forty million!"
Without Mikura having to do it, Kamishita Nagi himself flipped over his cards!
3, 6, Q.
19 points.
Kamishita Nagi's face was filled with a smug smile, his expression even somewhat distorted from the hearty laughter: "Ayanokoji, you were right about one thing, my card isn't 21, but my card is 19!"
"How can this be?!" Kurume cried out in alarm.
His card wasn't the best match!?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also looked at him with some surprise: "Your card..."
Seeing Ayanokoji's surprised expression, Kamishita Nagi explained triumphantly.
"The key to this game is forming the best match, that's correct. However, the best match isn't necessarily the combination that wins; this game isn't simply about comparing values, but about placing bets."
"When splitting, I deliberately made two sets of 21 points and one Blackjack, while the other two sets I combined into 13 points and 19 points. If both of us played our weakest hands, I would definitely win against you with either 13 points or 19 points."
"In the third round, I conceded cleanly, because at that time my combination was 13 points. No matter how many chips you used to entice me, I would not have gambled against you."
Kamishita Nagi said confidently, "Alright, Ayanokoji, quickly flip over your cards. The gamble is over, and you've lost!"
"Why do you like to open champagne at halftime…"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka shook his head helplessly, "To be honest, there's one thing I really didn't expect. You, who claim to love kamen rider the most and resemble Kiryu Sento, didn't use 'best match' in this game.
You were subtly hinting to me that your cards must be a 'best match', but you did the opposite. I admire that."
"However…" Ayanokoji tapped his fingers on his remaining stack of cards and said calmly, "Kamishita Nagi, didn't you ever consider why I'm still so relaxed after you flipped your cards?"
Kamishita Nagi sneered, "Don't pretend anymore. Don't tell me you played the 11-point combination in the second round. Don't say such things. In the second round, you definitely played 21 points!"
"You're right, I did play 21 points in the second round," Ayanokoji nodded in agreement.
"Then…"
Ayanokoji interrupted him and continued, "But didn't you ever think that I would throw out my 'underdog' in the third round?"
"Third round…" Kamishita Nagi was startled.
In the third round, it was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's turn to bet first, and he chose to bet two chips.
Would he raise when he was betting with the smallest hand? That would be too bold!
"No, there's no way you played it like that. Your current hand is only 11!"
Kamishita Nagi completely disregarded Ayanokoji's words, thinking he was just talking big, and impatiently urged, "It's come to this, even if you say you admire me, it's useless. Quickly flip your cards!"
"Whether it is or not, just take a look."
Ayanokoji looked up at Mikura and smiled, "Dealer, please help me flip my cards."
Mikura, at this moment, also didn't know where Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's confidence came from. With a nervous heart, she bent down and flipped over the last set of cards in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—4, 7, 10.
The total points were… 21 points.
Kamishita Nagi's pupils constricted. How could this be… This was absolutely unacceptable to him!
Was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka really that bold, to play the smallest hand in the third round, just like him?
The combination he played in the third round was 13 points. If he hadn't chosen to fold, but had opened his cards directly, he would have secured victory in the third round!
Even if he chose to fold in the fourth and fifth rounds, he would still have 7 chips in his hand, enough to win the game and claim victory directly!
At that time, if he had called with two chips and opened, even if he lost, he would still have 5 chips in his hand!
But now… Kamishita Nagi was filled with regret, deep regret.
He and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka both went all-in. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka won this hand, taking four chips from him. Now Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has eight chips, while he only has two left.
That's right… There's a possibility, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka cheated!
His third set must have been 21 points, he cheated without my knowledge!
Thinking of this, Kamishita Nagi, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, suddenly stood up and quickly flipped through the discard pile, wanting to find evidence of Ayanokoji's cheating!
But unfortunately, in the discard pile of the third round, he not only saw his own 13 points but also Ayanokoji's 11 points.
This set of cards had always been there, never leaving his sight.
Kamishita Nagi sat down dejectedly, as if his soul had left him.
"How could this be, I should have won…"
He slumped onto the table. Victory was within reach, yet he watched it slip away.
This wasn't a small failure, but a gamble involving 40 million.
He lost forty million Japanese Yen.
Both his "face" and his "reputation" were lost in this game.
"Sorry, the 'laws of victory' are in my hands. I am the final victor."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka smiled and patted his shoulder, whispering something lightly in his ear.
"You think you're Kiryu Sento? Sorry, in my eyes, you're just Sato Taro."
"Sato Taro," in "kamen rider Build," he and Kiryu Sento had the same appearance.
But he was not the protagonist, but merely a band singer who died of fright at the very beginning of his appearance. Subsequently, his handsome face was transferred to the protagonist, Kiryu Sento, thus beginning Kiryu Sento's adventure story.
Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words were light, they were deeply hurtful—you are not a hero, you are just an ordinary person with the same appearance as a hero.
"I'm Sato Taro…?"
Kamishita Nagi was completely stunned, only mumbling this sentence repeatedly.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't say anything more to him. He turned his head and smiled at Meari and the others, "I won this gamble. To celebrate the victory, tonight… shall we all have yakiniku?"
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