He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

"Wait a minute," the dealer glared at Shirakawa and said coldly. He couldn't stand it anymore. He could throw away millions of yen at a time when serving those rich kids and dignitaries. This guy was playing too slowly. If he didn't know how to play, he should just lose it all and get out of here instead of wasting time.

"I'm sorry, sir, we have rules here. Once you place your bet, you can't take it back."

"Well, alright then, I'll bet 160 million." Bai Chuan had no choice but to accept it, but he was secretly delighted. He hadn't really expected this trick to work. He just wanted to act clumsy and stupid. Unexpectedly, his clumsiness backfired. The dealer was more anxious than the dealer, which actually helped him out.

The noblewoman, seeing Shirakawa's submissive demeanor, assumed he was at most holding a pair or a straight, and couldn't possibly have anything higher.

"I've pushed it back to 500 million!"

With a clatter, the lady pushed in half of her chips. Sanchi and Jackie, however, frowned and whispered amongst themselves, wondering what the old woman's hand was.

With bets often reaching 500 million, they were also worried for Shirakawa.

Shirakawa remained in the same hesitant and indecisive state as before.

"Then I'll go with it too," Shirakawa said casually, pushing in half of his stake.

After Shirakawa called, the noblewoman's experience and intuition vaguely realized that she might have been tricked, but what's done is done, and there was no going back after placing the bet.

"Then both sides, please reveal your cards."

Apart from the noblewoman, Shirakawa, and Maki, everyone else was shocked.

Shirakawa was only slightly older than the noblewoman.

The dealer and his male companion gasped in surprise, never expecting that Shirakawa could hold back even with such a high-stakes deck of cards!

This kind of mental fortitude is not something that ordinary people possess.

Jackie and Michi breathed a sigh of relief. They both had flushes, but luckily Shirakawa's third card was slightly higher than the old woman's.

After letting out a long sigh of relief, he felt a surge of joy at his victory. At this rate, he should be able to rescue Akita-sensei soon.

Maki wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. After running back and forth for so long, her hard work had finally paid off.

"Not bad! My little husband, you've already won half the round. Aren't you going to smile?" The lady said this, but in her heart, she was beginning to feel how terrifying Shirakawa was.

"Oh!" Shirakawa replied indifferently once again.

With Maki acting as an invisible cheat, as long as I keep a calm and patient mindset, it's only a matter of time before I win all this money back.

Winning 500 million would excite even wealthy people like them, but this young boy remained calm and composed.

Could it be that I'm going to lose?

The noblewoman began to feel uneasy. The more skillfully the little boy played and the more composed he became, the more she liked him and the stronger her desire to bring him under her wing grew.

In order to win, we have no choice but to use Plan B.

The lady casually adjusted her mink coat and tossed the hand card she had just used in front of the dealer.

The croupier collected the money, frowned slightly, and glanced at the noblewoman.

The lady also secretly gave the croupier a wink.

The croupier remembered his boss's orders: make sure the lady had a good time.

He had no choice but to turn a blind eye and let it slide.

The astute Shirakawa certainly noticed their secretive interactions, but he had no idea what they were up to.

The next round is about to begin. No matter what they are secretly planning, we will deal with whatever comes our way and remain steadfast in our strategy. Shirakawa will continue with his cautious and composed approach.

After one round of dealing.

Maki tells the lady that her cards are Ace, 9, and 2.

The lady never raised her bet on A's small, miscellaneous hand.

Shirakawa has a pair of 3s and a 6 in his hand.

A small pair is bigger than a single card, so we're sure to win this hand.

"I raise to 50." For some reason, the lady played quite aggressively at the last moment, and it's possible that she wanted to pull a fast one and trick Shirakawa.

But with Maki hiding in the shadows, how could Shirakawa possibly fall for the trap?

"I'll follow."

Both players reveal their cards simultaneously.

The noblewoman's original appearance as ??2 changed to ??A.

It forms a large pair with ??A.

Shirakawa stroked his chin, raising an eyebrow slightly. Even in his usual calm state, he sensed something was amiss.

so, what happened?

Author's Note: Based on feedback from most readers that this part is rather tedious and complicated, I've shortened it slightly. The next chapter will be used for the competition, so please be patient.

A message from the author who loves you all.

153. Victory is never easy (4.5k)

The original ??A, ??9, ??2 became ??A, ??9, ??A.

"How is that possible?" Maki exclaimed in surprise, quickly whispering to Shirakawa, "How come her hand is different from what I said? I couldn't possibly be mistaken!"

"What goes around comes around. This time my luck was on my side, but it's a pity I only won 50." The lady said with feigned regret, testing Bai Chuan's reaction.

Shirakawa was not affected by these words. Instead, he thought about it seriously. It was obvious that the old woman was cheating.

Hide the Ace from the previous hand before discarding it, and then find an opportunity to exchange it.

Since she hid a card, it means that she only gave the dealer two cards last time, and the dealer couldn't possibly not know that.

Shirakawa looked at the dealer, who only glanced at him casually and pretended nothing had happened.

"Excuse me, Auntie, I need to use the restroom. Can we continue later?"

"of course can."

Shirakawa got up and left, then muttered under his breath, "Maki, come with me too."

---

Step through a small door, and you'll find men's and women's restrooms on either side, with a neat washbasin in the middle.

Shirakawa pretends to turn on the tap to wash his hands, but actually talks to Maki.

“Shirakawa, I’m really not mistaken, her card is 2.” Maki explained again.

"Let's put that aside for now. Let me ask you something first: you're not going home this late. Does Aunt Meidu know?" Shirakawa asked.

It's almost midnight now, and if I don't go home at this hour, my family will be worried.

"Ah, I forgot." The various events she experienced after arriving at this "devil's den" had such a profound impact on Maki that she had lost track of time.

Maki took out her phone, which had been on silent the whole time. Midori Kana and Sakura had already called her more than a dozen times, but she couldn't get through.

Shirakawa had a bad feeling.

"Send a text message first to let your family know you're safe."

Maki nodded and began composing a text message.

While waiting, Shirakawa Rikazuchi analyzed the actions of the dealer and the noblewoman, trying to guess how the noblewoman cheated.

After Maki sent the message, Shirakawa had almost sorted out his thoughts.

"I've sent the message, but no one has replied..."

Although Shirakawa couldn't see Maki's expression, he could hear the unease and anxiety in her tone.

"Once we rescue Akita-sensei, we'll go home, and I'll go with you to explain to Aunt Mido," Shirakawa comforted her.

"Okay." With Shirakawa's explanation, Maki felt much more at ease.

Strangely enough, although Maki was disgusted by Shirakawa's behavior here,

But he was willing to go to great lengths, even risk his own life, to save Akita-sensei. For a moment, Maki couldn't simply judge Shirakawa as good or evil.

She was somewhat confused, both loving and hating Shirakawa, unsure of what to do.

"Maki, I need your help to raise enough money for the registration fee to save Akita-sensei." Shirakawa pointed to the empty gambling tables. "I'm telling you, you now... wait for me... and then..."

...

The lady was quite nervous, having just tried to cheat.

It's actually quite simple. She just hid the Ace in the cuff of her mink coat when dealing the cards in the previous round, and only gave the dealer two cards.

Thanks to her thin, bony fingers and long-term experience in gambling, she was exceptionally skilled and discreet in stealing and switching cards.

If she hadn't wanted this little brother so much, she wouldn't have resorted to such a risky and despicable means.

Just in case, while Shirakawa was away, she put the Ace back into her sleeve and handed the two cards to the dealer. This way, she would have two Aces as backup. Every hand, her hand would be rearranged so that she would at least have an Ace face up.

Holding the two highest-ranking cards essentially means controlling the entire game.