The new round had already begun.
No one said it out loud, yet everyone at the table seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Kenshin Oda had been underestimated.
Everyone except Tetsuya.
The gladiator had watched the entire hand without blinking, his expression unchanged. It was impossible to tell what he thought.
His face was like stone.
The flop was already on the table.
Three players remained in the hand.
Mika.
Even though she had just lost the previous round, it didn't seem to intimidate her in the slightest. If anything, it looked like it annoyed her.
Ren.
He glanced down at his cards once more.
Ace of diamonds.
Jack of diamonds.
High cards.
Good potential.
Good odds.
And then there was Shura.
Probably the most mysterious player at the table.
Ren studied him carefully.
Nothing about him screams danger, Ren thought.
And yet he's a Rank D.
Shura leaned back in his chair casually, a relaxed smile on his face.
But something about that smile felt fake.
Too relaxed.
Too careless.
The flop sat in the center of the table.
K – 5 – Q.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Straight draw.
Ten would complete it.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
If I could enter that state again…
That strange state where he could hear heartbeats.
Feel emotions.
Read everything.
But the feeling didn't come.
It remained silent.
When Ren finally lifted his gaze—
He realized Mika was staring directly at him.
Not casually.
Not playfully.
Fixated.
Her eyes were sharp.
Irritated.
Probably because of the previous hand.
Ren didn't seem very interested in her gaze.
His attention was still drifting toward Shura.
And that irritated Mika even more.
She tilted her head slowly.
"Hey, Ren… lost in thought?"
Her voice was smooth.
Almost teasing.
"Let me give you an idea."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Imagine you and me on a deserted island…"
Her lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"…and the ocean waves just took all our clothes away."
Ren swallowed.
His throat tightened.
This crazy bitch…
Shura burst out laughing.
"Brother, that's your chance."
Itsuki swallowed hard.
His body leaned forward slightly.
He wanted that invitation.
Badly.
But suddenly—
He felt it.
A presence.
He turned his head.
Tetsuya was staring directly at him.
The look in his eyes was cold.
Heavy.
Itsuki immediately felt something crawl through his spine.
Fear.
Pure fear.
He slowly leaned back into his chair again.
Tanaka chuckled softly.
Her cheeks had turned slightly pink.
Mika noticed Ren was still silent.
She leaned even closer.
"Ren… what?"
Her tone became softer.
"I understand… maybe you're not the type who likes imagining things."
She slowly licked two of her fingers.
"Then you could always try."
Ren inhaled slowly.
"Sorry," he said.
"I'm not interested."
"I want to play poker."
His voice wasn't very firm.
And everyone at the table could tell.
Because honestly—
Who wouldn't want someone like Mika?
She looked incredible.
Her body.
Her confidence.
Her presence.
But Mika didn't laugh this time.
Her expression changed slightly.
What's wrong with him? she thought.
Why is he resisting me?
He's just an E+ like me.
She exhaled quietly.
"Fine then, Ren."
Her fingers moved slowly.
The buttons of her shirt came undone one by one.
Until the shirt hung loosely around her shoulders.
It no longer covered her chest.
Only her bra remained.
The table erupted.
Tanaka immediately leaned forward.
"Mika, please… maybe we should—"
She was cut off.
Itsuki slammed his hand on the table.
"Mika."
His voice was rough.
"Come to my room. Now."
He grinned.
"You won't survive what I'll do to you."
But Mika wasn't laughing like before.
Her mind had already moved past the noise at the table.
She had learned long ago that moments like this were never about embarrassment, shame, or even seduction.
They were about control.
And control began with marking.
He's already marked.
Her gaze drifted briefly toward Itsuki.
That one had been easy.
Embarrassingly easy.
The moment she had leaned forward earlier, letting her shirt open just slightly, she had already seen it in his eyes. The hunger. The desperation. The kind of cheap male instinct that made men predictable.
Itsuki didn't even realize it.
But his attention was now chained to her.
His mind would wander back to her body every few seconds. His betting patterns would follow it. His focus would crumble.
That was what marking meant.
You didn't need to touch someone's body.
You just needed to occupy their mind.
Her eyes slid slowly toward Oda.
The boy looked like he might pass out from embarrassment.
His face was still red. His fingers nervously adjusting his glasses again and again.
She almost smiled.
He's not marked yet…
But he would be.
Eventually.
People like Oda were predictable too. Socially awkward men with brilliant minds were often the easiest targets. All it would take was the right pressure.
The right situation.
The right distraction.
He would break.
Then her gaze shifted again.
Toward Shura.
Now that one…
She studied him more carefully.
Shura looked relaxed, but not stupid.
His eyes were sharp.
Observing.
Almost amused.
Interesting.
He hadn't reacted like the others.
But Mika was confident.
Even men like him had weaknesses.
Sooner or later, instinct would betray him.
I can mark him too.
But there were two real problems at this table.
Her eyes moved slowly.
First—
Kaito.
The man leaned back in his chair, cigarette between his fingers, exhaling smoke lazily as if none of this mattered to him.
He hadn't reacted.
Not once.
Not when she opened her shirt.
Not when she grabbed Ren's hand.
Not even when the table exploded in noise.
Just smoke.
Just watching.
You're annoying, she thought.
But fine.
She would deal with him later.
The same went for Tetsuya.
Her gaze moved toward the gladiator.
The man looked like a statue carved from stone. Muscles relaxed, arms resting calmly, eyes half-closed as if he didn't even care about the table.
But Mika could feel it.
Danger.
Real danger.
Tetsuya was not someone she could mark easily.
But that problem could wait.
Because the real question was sitting right in front of her.
Ren.
Her eyes returned to him again.
How?
She couldn't understand it.
He was only E+, the same rank as her.
Yet somehow he had resisted longer than expected.
Any normal man would have completely lost focus already.
Even if they tried to pretend otherwise.
Mika noticed.
And laughed.
Ren was trying to stay composed.
But occasionally his gaze dropped toward the floor.
Toward his own lap.
This was becoming extremely difficult.
Mika suddenly stood up.
She walked toward him slowly.
Ren froze.
She grabbed his hand.
And before he could react—
She pushed it inside her bra.
The room exploded.
Tanaka covered her mouth.
"Mika! Please—"
Tan, the snake around her neck, hissed violently.
Shura's eyes sharpened instantly.
Itsuki began grinding his teeth together in anger.
He was furious.
Tetsuya…
Didn't react at all.
Oda had turned completely red.
His face looked like it was about to explode.
Kaito simply exhaled smoke.
Watching.
Observing.
Then—
Mika's other hand moved slowly toward Ren's pants.
Ren looked like he was trying to resist.
But his body had already betrayed him.
Temptation.
Excitement.
Both had taken control.
A thin drop of blood slid from his nose down to his lips.
Mika looked directly at him.
Her eyes lit up.
"I knew it," she said happily.
Then suddenly—
She stepped back.
In one swift motion she buttoned her shirt again.
Covered herself.
Returned to her chair.
Sat down calmly.
Everyone at the table stared at her.
Judging her.
Confused.
Shocked.
But Mika…
Only smiled.
Completely satisfied.
She leaned back in her chair.
"Alright."
"Let's continue."