Yumemi looked at Ayanokoji, who was deep in thought, her mood exceptionally tense and complex.
She didn't want this either; if possible, it would naturally be best to win by her own strength.
But she had already given her all. She never expected Ayanokouji Kiyohira to be so much stronger than her, leaving her with no hope of victory even with cheating…
Would Ayanokouji Kiyohira agree or not? If he didn't, should she add more conditions…
Ayanokouji Kiyohira was thinking about whether he should agree to her.
Seven days of an exclusive maid… that was truly tempting.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira suddenly felt that Yumemi was like a high school girl caught red-handed by the store owner while stealing from a convenience store.
To avoid being handed over to the police, she could only choose to satisfy the store owner's demands in exchange for the opportunity to delete the surveillance footage…
While the store owner taking advantage of the situation was despicable, it was her who first made the act of "stealing," which led to her being caught by the "store owner" and blackmailed.
She herself had "original sin."
It seems… neither the pervert on the train nor the stealing in the supermarket analogies are quite right. They don't seem like scenarios that would occur in daily life.
However, secretly doing "stimulating" things at a concert, hidden from the audience, a fantastical scene that could only appear in a Suiryoku manga, became their personal experience. Although this analogy is strange, it is quite fitting.
Moreover, this gamble is not quite the same as "stealing from a convenience store."
Throughout this gamble, Yumemi was the one actively pushing, while Ayanokouji Kiyohira was always passive, doing almost nothing.
He didn't feel that he was deliberately taking advantage of her; this was Yumemi's own choice and suggestion. He himself had never actively proposed it.
Yumemi had actively offered herself.
He was like a farmer waiting by the tree for a rabbit; he had only come to the concert to relax, but Yumemi, this rabbit, had bumped into his "tree" and fainted.
Time ticked by, and only thirty seconds remained until the game ended.
Just as Yumemi was tense and about to offer more conditions to tempt Ayanokoji, Ayanokouji Kiyohira, sitting opposite him, suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo…!"
Ayanokouji Kiyohira instinctively lowered his head when he sneezed, preventing the sneeze from hitting Yumemi's face.
He rubbed his nose, and when he looked up again, accompanied by a harsh siren, the timer paused.
The entire venue fell silent.
After a while, the audience realized the game was over.
"The final winner of this match is Yumemi Yumemite!"
"Yumemi won!"
Yumemi's fans below the stage cheered.
"Yumemi, Yumemi…!"
They cheered Yumemi's name.
There was no referee for this match; the audience below the stage were the referees. They witnessed Ayanokouji Kiyohira lose a good opportunity and Yumemi's victory.
Yumemi was still a bit slow to react.
One moment she was worried about her failure, and the next moment Ayanokoji sneezed, granting her victory.
Yumemi instinctively asked Ayanokoji, "Ayanokoji, you…"
Ayanokouji Kiyohira's face on the big screen showed an expression of annoyance, but he said in a calm tone, "I deliberately let you win. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had any chance of winning this match."
Yumemi froze for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile.
As expected, it was Ayanokouji Kiyohira's intention.
Her first thought was that Ayanokoji had made a mistake. She really thought too much.
…Indeed, he had the upper hand. If she hadn't actively proposed the exchange condition, he wouldn't have shown mercy or made such a low-level mistake.
"Yumemi, I did as you said. You won't go back on your word, will you? If you want to go back on your word…"
"I won't go back on my word!" Yumemi quickly adjusted her mindset, looking at Ayanokoji with a complex expression. "Ayanokoji, after the concert, I'll call you to discuss the specifics."
As for now…
Yumemi stood up. She had already put on her shoes and walked to the center of the stage, opening her headset with a beaming smile.
"Thank you all for your support! Although the process was intense, Yumemi did not disappoint the audience's expectations and won this match beautifully!"
At the opportune moment, the spotlight on the stage shone on Yumemi, as if at this moment, she was chosen by heaven, and she was the only one.
Yumemi felt the lights shining on her, a brilliant smile on her face, enjoying the congratulations from the entire venue.
Yumemi turned and pointed her finger at Ayanokouji Kiyohira, a triumphant smile on her face.
"It's a pity, although this lucky audience member almost defeated me, he was just a tiny bit short. But, a loss is a loss, and you can't refuse to admit defeat! From now on, you'll be the president of my fan club!"
"…I lost." Ayanokouji Kiyohira said with a look of annoyance, as if he truly regretted the defeat.
One person was smiling, the other was looking down in disappointment, but in reality, their moods were exactly opposite.
Yumemi seemed to be smiling exceptionally happily, but… only she knew how forced that smile truly was.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira appeared extremely annoyed, but… although he lost, he achieved the spoils of victory, and he was trying his best to control himself from laughing out loud.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira didn't care about superficial wins or losses; it didn't matter even if he admitted defeat.
Even if he had won Yumemi fair and square, he would have only gotten ten million yen. But if he admitted he lost, he would get much more, which was more to his liking.
Yumemi had begged him like this; it would be rude not to give her face, wouldn't it?
If he really didn't give Yumemi face and just let her lose, besides ten million, Ayanokoji wouldn't get anything else, and Yumemi might be completely disheartened and unable to gain a foothold in this school again.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira deeply understood the principle of not "draining the pond to catch all the fish." As long as Yumemi remained active in the school, he could continuously and steadily "fish" from her, gaining more.
Gambling is not just about fierce competition; it's also about human relations.
The audience below the stage watched the entire match, and their enthusiasm was incredibly high now.
They didn't find this silent gamble boring; let alone a "pantomime," as long as it was related to gambling, they could even watch hours of Go.
This match lasted only ten minutes at most, and Yumemi was constantly making expressions, making people not want to shift their attention from her face.
For them, this time was not long, and it would even be fine if it were extended further.
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