I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"If you collect 7, Joker, 5, 2, and 3, you win the game. The order of the cards is determined by this."

What a strange rule, that's what I thought at the time, but fortunately it's not difficult to understand.

"Why is there such a rule..."

A direct victory... sounds like cheating.

"But don't games have a way to win by simply gathering all the necessary items? For example, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

"...That one is hard to type, okay..."

I glanced at the chaotic array of cards in my hand, and it suddenly struck me that collecting them all would be quite a challenge. Well, it's just a game, after all, so there's no need to take it so seriously...

"Speaking of which, do you want to make a bet?"

"...What kind of bet?"

It had become her habit to bet before every game. Her requests weren't excessive, and since I was the winner most of the time, I had no reason to refuse.

"You will never collect all five cards to defeat me."

"Oh no..."

Seeing that confident look, my fighting spirit naturally soared. "That kind of confidence isn't good. I'll just bet I can win it."

"No problem. Let's talk about the bet..."

At that moment, I felt like I could sense Rinsenkawa's gaze. It was a warning to me not to push too far... Well, I know my limits, so I wouldn't ask for anything out of proportion. The person I should be most worried about is my opponent; I don't know what kind of bet she'll propose.

"If I win..."

"Well, let's wait until you beat me," I said, interrupting her, "otherwise I might regret it."

Although I don't think I will lose.

"Ah...that's right."

She laughed.

"Then let's get started."

Chapter 15: Something I Can't Forget

I'm feeling a bit tired... My eyelids felt heavy when I woke up. But I know it's not from staying up late. I've been feeling tired since I got home yesterday. It feels like something's missing inside, a bit strange.

Speaking of which, when I woke up this morning, I felt a lot of pain in my knee. After taking a closer look, I found that there was a bruise... It turned out that I hit it so hard that time.

Well, it doesn't seem to matter, as long as it doesn't interfere with my walking...it's not a big deal.

anyway...

"...I was dreaming."

I scratched my hair and it seemed like there were quite a few parts sticking up.

“…”

I've heard that healthy sleep doesn't produce dreams... I'm too lazy to verify whether this statement is true or not. Anyway, before I fully wake up, let's think about the content of my dreams...

As I reminisced, my body expertly dressed itself. As I picked up my pajamas, I suddenly realized I needed to wear a school uniform.

...Yes, I seem to have dreamed about her... Although the specific details have changed a bit, it was roughly about the scene of the bet I made with her before the holiday.

If she wins...what will she say...

"...The winner hasn't been decided yet... Damn it."

. . . . . . . . . .

It's already September, and since we've entered autumn, the weather should be getting cooler. However, as if we haven't completely escaped the two-month summer vacation, the high temperatures seem to be staying with us for a while.

I loosened my tie a little, feeling a bit of coolness. Even though I was drenched in sweat... maybe this is what they call self-deception?

"So, did anyone encounter anything interesting..."

Even though the new books had been distributed, it was common knowledge that the teacher wouldn't cover any formal content during the first class. So, the teacher standing at the podium...was finding all sorts of excuses to interact with people other than me.

boring...

At this thought, my eyes naturally shifted from the clean blackboard to the window. A figure suddenly appeared in the deserted campus. For some reason, I subconsciously focused my attention and looked at that figure.

Unfortunately, even though she was a decent-looking female student who hadn't taken off her stockings due to the weather, she wasn't the person I expected. So I just watched her skirt sway as she left my sight.

"......"

Sure enough, something is wrong.

Over on the bulletin board, someone was already tearing down the class list. After all, no one needed to check their class at this time. And I could almost run over to check it without waiting for get out of class to end... If conditions allowed, I really wanted to check again and again, and then find that name somewhere I hadn't noticed before.

Is it because of a statistical error?

"Are you daydreaming again?"

Familiar voice.

as well as...

“Pah!”

The pain on my forehead wasn't the one I hadn't felt in nearly two months, but the sensation of being struck by a book. It wasn't my usual rhythm at all.

"......"

I looked at Brother Nan in front of me with confusion. I remembered him with the same short black hair and handsome face that had never changed.

"what..."

Oh, maybe Brother Nan knows something...

"Ah, what? It's your turn." She stared at me. "Whatever you're thinking about. Anyway, stand up and tell me what you did during your summer vacation."

"..."

.............

What did you do during the summer vacation? If you think about it carefully, there are indeed many things to talk about.

But there's no need to tell anyone else.

"...I'm not a person who likes to go out much."

However, a senior who liked to talk to himself and was very shameless dragged me out during the holiday and asked me to help him in a confused manner... If it can be called help, it was to help him solve a small problem.

“Similarly, I don’t have many friends…”

The few people I could call my friends seemed to have all been gathered in this class. I wasn't lonely during this vacation, because they seemed afraid I'd get lonely, so they came to see me every now and then... And then, whether it was just chatting, working on something together, just meaningless wandering, or chance encounters... While I didn't accomplish anything to be proud of during that time, I didn't feel the kind of emptiness that's typical of vacations either. It was really strange...

"only..."

However, it was only when school started that I suddenly realized that a friend was missing.

"I'm used to this. I'm just bored at home... Actually, there's nothing much to say."

Habit... Will you really get used to this kind of thing gradually?

"...No wonder you're always in a daze. It turns out you're a pretty boring person..."

I don’t know if it was intentional to give me a way out or if he believed it, but Brother Nan waved his hand and asked me to sit down.

"Well, please don't try to fool around like that student who just said, 'My vacation was boring, too,'" he said. "He's just a special case."

...what does this mean...

"And people who say such things are very pitiful."

Ah...I think I understand.

"Then... next..."

. . . . . . . . .

"Why did you choose dinner time to come again..."

With a slightly dissatisfied tone, Nan impatiently threw the lunch box aside. Perhaps she didn't want me to see her eating... Actually, it's nothing. There were so many people in the cafeteria when we were there. Compared to me, these were just small scenes.

"I can't help it. Now is the only time you have time."

And there was no one else in the office.

"Ah, never mind. Tell me...what's the matter?"

"Hmm...you are still the homeroom teacher after all."

This is what I want to admire the most.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you that before...otherwise, who's going to take care of you...Well, I don't really want to be too demanding on your behavior. I'm just trying to get you to listen carefully in my class." She changed the subject, "So, there's no need to dwell on these irrelevant things. If you have something to say, just speak up."

"..."

His lips parted for a moment.

I wanted to ask a question, but suddenly hesitated.

Because... I'm a little afraid of getting the answer.

"that..."

But...

"...?"

A puzzled look.

I must look weird now...

"Aya..."

What will I do if I get an answer that is not what I expected?

"Where did Ling Shen go?"

"..."

"Why...is her name not on the list at all?"

. . . . . . . . . . .

It was the first day of school, but I didn’t go to the cafeteria.

The guy hanging around the club room during meal time... must look weird to others.

It wasn't just because I couldn't find my meal card, but also because I had something to confirm. And the answer...if I'm not mistaken, it should be in the club room.

"Kacha..."

I used the key to open the door of the club. I have to say that the club at this time is a little different from usual.

Well, as for the origin of the key, I found it from Rinquangawa's desk without her permission... Well, she probably won't mind... if I explain it in time.

These things don't matter...

Actually, even if I was discovered, it wouldn't matter. But I still tiptoed to the activity room and set my sights on the card game on the table.

"...just a little bit..."

I first picked up my hand, which was capped at seven... Excluding the three unimportant cards, the remaining cards were "7," "5," "2," and "Joker"... To win, I only needed one more...

"So..."

I stood up slightly and took the cards that were originally placed with Lingcan.

“…Ugh…”

It was a bad hand. In other words, even if I didn't have enough, I could definitely beat her as long as I kept playing.

"..."

But that's not what I need to pay attention to. I know her very well, and if she didn't do anything... she wouldn't have that confident expression.

"...one two three..."

After gathering all the scattered cards in my hand, I began to check the number.

"...really."

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.