On Wednesday afternoon, Miharu Taki Sakura arrived at the Cooking Room as scheduled.
She was accompanied by a girl from the Beautification Committee. This girl tried hard to put on a serious face.
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, I've come to challenge you. The stake is 80 million."
Miharu Taki Sakura calmly pushed a bank card towards Ayanokoji: "Also, Ayanokoji, it's better for you to hold onto this money before the outcome of our gamble is decided."
This bank card was the one Ayanokoji left at the bar yesterday to pay the bill.
When Hojo Miyako took the card to swipe it, she was surprised to find that the balance on the card was 80 million yen. She didn't swipe the card and hurriedly handed it to Miharu Taki Sakura, informing her of the matter.
Upon learning the balance on the card, Miharu Taki Sakura was both amused and touched.
This was 80 million yen, not a small amount. This money would make anyone's eyes light up, yet he simply handed the bank card to her, essentially giving her such a large sum of money for free.
Did Ayanokoji trust her that much? He had only interacted with her a few times...
Did he lack confidence in winning the gamble? No, of course not.
He had consecutively defeated several Zenshoukai members, as well as Kamishita Nagi and Ibuki Jotaro, two council members.
Miharu Taki Sakura didn't think there was much difference in hard strength between herself and Ibuki Jotaro. Ayanokoji could easily defeat him, so defeating her shouldn't be a problem either.
So, why would he leave the card here and concede proactively?
There was only one reason: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't want to gamble with her, so he gave her the gambling money in advance today, as if the gamble was over, hoping she would take the money to complete her task.
He would rather pay the gambling money in advance than gamble with her. How much did this guy care about her?
Miharu Taki Sakura felt a sense of care and concern from Ayanokoji that she had never experienced before. For a moment, her entire being was filled with a feeling of happiness, and she unconsciously started smiling foolishly. Only when Hojo Miyako poked her shoulder did she snap back to reality.
Hojo Miyako didn't know that this money was a wager, nor did she know that her relationship with Ayanokoji was a pure senior-junior one. She only knew that she saw Ayanokoji secretly giving 80 million to Miharu Taki Sakura.
The love-struck chef began to fantasize again.
What's going on? The poor boy she remembered could actually come up with such a large sum of money. Did she misjudge him?
Perhaps this wasn't a story of a knight and a princess, but a complex entanglement between two great families, like "Romeo and Juliet"?
The Ayanokoji and Miharu Taki families had a generations-long feud, but the two of them fell in love by chance. Their families discovered them and decided to separate them.
They arranged an engagement for Miharu Taki Sakura, making her someone else's fiancée, hoping to make the two give up on their love.
But the young man and woman were unwilling to compromise with fate. Ayanokoji took out all his worldly possessions as a "dowry" and handed it to Miharu Taki Sakura, vowing that one day they would escape together and defy fate...
This story was even more moving than the knight and princess story. The love-struck Hojo Miyako, without thinking, excitedly grabbed Miharu Taki Sakura's hand: "Young Lady, I will definitely support your love! I won't tell anyone about this 'dowry' either!"
What love? What dowry?
Miharu Taki Sakura was in the middle of being touched when Miyako's words left her utterly confused.
After Miyako explained, Miharu Taki Sakura was torn between laughter and tears. She put on a serious face and explained to Miyako that Ayanokoji and her had a very pure relationship, they were not in love, and this money was certainly not a dowry.
After Miharu Taki Sakura explained their relationship, she specifically warned Miyako not to spread rumors, as it would be bad if it reached Mibuomi Aoi's ears and would also cause Ayanokoji to be targeted by Mibuomi Aoi.
Although she nodded, acting as if she had listened, Miyako became even more convinced of her own conjecture.
If they had no relationship, how could Young Lady protect Ayanokoji Kiyotaka so much? Even going so far as to hide it from her fiancé, Mibuomi Aoi?
Miyako had already decided in her heart that their relationship was definitely not simple!
After instructing Miyako, Miharu Taki Sakura also left the bar.
Thinking of the story Miyako told, she smiled wryly, finding Miyako's imagination too rich.
But deep down, she also vaguely felt that this story, perhaps, wasn't bad either...
Time returned to the present.
Miharu Taki Sakura placed the bank card in front of Ayanokoji, hoping he would take it back and gamble fairly.
Miharu Taki Sakura calmly said: "Ayanokoji, if you think I'm not a 'livestock' and don't have the right to gamble with you, then you're wrong. I am a Student Council member and have the right to force a match with others."
"Is that so?" Ayanokoji didn't actually know this and turned to look at Togakushi Yukimi.
"I don't know either. Student Council members have many rights, and ordinary students like us aren't clear on them," Togakushi Yukimi said softly, adjusting her glasses. "However, since Miharu Taki-sama said it's possible, it should be."
Togakushi Yukimi hadn't expected that Mibuomi Aoi's opponent this time would be Miharu Taki Sakura, the Beautification Committee Chairperson.
Her casino in the library had been open for half a year, and she had dealt with Miharu Taki Sakura several times. Each time it was time to "pay rent," Miharu Taki Sakura would send someone, or sometimes even come herself.
Miharu Taki Sakura was decisive and efficient in her actions. Each time she came, her face was cold, exuding a strong sense of pressure. Besides the Student Council President, whom she had never met, the Student Council member she feared most was her.
She hadn't expected Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's opponent this time to be Miharu Taki-sama. This opponent was different from the rabble before; this was an opponent ranked among the top in the school in terms of hard power. She couldn't help but worry for Ayanokoji.
Meari and the others also looked at Ayanokoji with worried expressions. As the saying goes, 'a person's name, a tree's shadow,' Miharu Taki Sakura was renowned, and they were truly worried that Ayanokoji would lose.
In contrast to everyone else's nervous expressions, Ayanokoji was quite relaxed. He said with a smile, "Miharu Taki Senior, there's no need for you to force me to gamble with you. I've actually already lost, and this money is the gambling fund I lost to you."
"When did I gamble with you?" Miharu Taki Sakura frowned slightly.
"Have you forgotten? Just last night. When we were eating, I ate less than you. I ate two bowls of rice, and you ate three large bowls, so I lost to you."
Ayanokoji spoke with a serious expression, as if he were discussing a very important matter.
Miharu Taki Sakura's first reaction was absurdity. She hadn't expected Ayanokoji to still be joking at this moment. She suppressed her smile and said seriously, "I'm not joking. Yesterday, during dinner, you didn't say anything related to gambling. The bet is not valid."
Ayanokoji sighed lightly: "I'm not joking either. Miharu Taki Senior, I really don't want to gamble with you. Can't you just take this money as me voluntarily conceding? I admit I lost to you."
"But you didn't gamble with me."
"Then I concede now."
This was clearly a bet involving 80 million, which should have been very serious, but their conversation made it impossible to be serious.
Meari felt the atmosphere was all wrong. Why did their relationship feel so good?
She walked over to Ayanokoji, tugged at his sleeve, and unconsciously asked with a hint of jealousy, "Hey, Ayanokoji, are you very familiar with Miharu Taki? And last night, they were eating together?"
Could it be that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka rejected her celebration banquet yesterday just to have dinner with this Beautification Committee Chairperson?
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