It's that female protagonist.
I never expected that on my first day transferring to this school, I'd run into this person, Jabami Yumeko.
"My name is Haruto, Jabami-san. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, Haruto-kun. Let's get along well."
The two conversed amicably.
In her normal state, Jabami Yumeko was a friendly, kind, and slightly airheaded girl.
A completely obedient and well-mannered.
As long as gambling wasn't involved, she was the very definition of a proper young lady.
"So, Jabami-san transferred to Hyakkaou Private Academy from another school? That's quite impressive," Haruto casually remarked.
For students outside the Three Prestigious Academies, transferring into one of them was extremely difficult.
Sōbu Academy required exceptional academic achievements and outstanding competition results.
Shuchiin Academy demanded a prestigious family background and immense political influence.
And Hyakkaou... likely required an astronomical amount of money.
Yumeko nodded.
"Yes, I made a huge donation to the academy. It couldn't be helped if I wanted to enroll."
Haruto glanced at Yumeko.
"It seems like you really love gambling, Jabami-san. After all, this academy is famous for it."
Yumeko paused for a moment at his words, but then her expression dramatically shifted.
Her face flushed red, her expression exaggerated, almost as if she were experiencing something euphoric.
"Yes! I'm absolutely obsessed! The thrill of enormous amounts of money changing hands in an instant!"
"That feeling of wagering your very life on a probability, where one misstep leads to utter ruin!"
"The rush of soaring to heaven or plummeting to hell in a heartbeat—it's simply irresistible!"
Haruto sighed, rubbing his forehead.
He had seen this coming.
Jabami Yumeko was the definition of a contradiction.
An obedient, well-mannered girl in daily life, but a complete lunatic when gambling was involved.
"Haruto-kun, you must love gambling too, right?"
Yumeko retracted her exaggerated expression and asked him directly.
Haruto shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I'm the type who enjoys peaceful, ordinary days. The thrill of life-or-death bets is exciting, but I'm afraid it's not for me."
Yumeko nodded in understanding.
"I see. Well, everyone has their own preferences. Haruto-kun, which class are you in?"
Yumeko asked curiously.
Haruto took out his transfer papers, which contained his class information. However, before heading to class, he had to report to the student council first.
Yumeko leaned over and beamed.
"Wow! You're in Class 1-Hana? What a coincidence! So am I!"
"Indeed," Haruto responded perfunctorily. "I need to check in with the student council first. See you later."
Yumeko cheerfully waved him off as they parted ways.
Following the academy's internal map, Haruto found the student council room.
It was an extravagant, private chamber.
When it came to the Three Prestigious Academies, only Sōbu had a balanced power structure.
At both Hyakkaou and Shuchiin, the student council wielded greater authority than the school itself.
It was absurd!
He knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A slightly immature-sounding female voice answered from inside.
Haruto frowned slightly.
That voice... didn't sound like it belonged to a high schooler.
He pushed open the student council room's door and stepped inside.
There were only two people in the room or rather, two people and a large monitor.
Haruto raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"Yo! You must be the exchange student from Sōbu. The president specifically told us to greet you."
"Oh, right! My name is Runa Yomozuki, a student council member. Nice to meet you!"
A petite girl with a playful appearance spoke while munching on snacks.
Runa Yomozuki looked about the same age as Shiro.
She wore a cute animal hoodie with little ears on the hood, along with black-and-white striped thigh-high socks, giving her a mischievous vibe. Aside from snacks, she also held a gaming console, barely looking away from it as she spoke.
The other girl stood silently, wearing a white mask over her face and possessing pure white hair.
At that moment, the screen lit up, displaying the image of a young woman with neatly tied white hair and light makeup.
Momobami Kirari.
The student council president of Hyakkaou Academy.
The current leader of the Momobami Clan.
And Haruto's target for this mission.
Haruto had assumed that after reporting in, his role as an exchange student would be complete.
All he needed to do was meet Kirari.
Then, the Blacklight Virus could infect her without a trace, transforming her into his puppet.
It wasn't exactly ethical.
But for the sake of the Foundation's expansion, the Four Major Financial Clans had to be brought under his control.
However, Haruto hadn't expected their first meeting to unfold this way.
"Welcome, Haruto-kun. I'm delighted you accepted the invitation to Hyakkaou Academy."
Momobami Kirari spoke pleasantly from the screen.
Haruto remained silent, locking eyes with her through the monitor.
At first, he hadn't understood why she invited him here.
Now, he had a good idea.
It seemed that this financial titan had caught wind of something. The existence of the Foundation was no longer a complete secret.
Those who wielded immense power and influence had likely heard rumors about it.
That was inevitable.
Even with strict confidentiality protocols, a behemoth like the Foundation would inevitably cast a shadow over the world.
And Haruto, as an O5 Council member and one of the Foundation's highest authorities, had comparatively lower secrecy measures.
(A/N: A deliberate move to attract enemy forces.)
For those trying to investigate the Foundation, targeting Haruto was the most logical approach.
"Haruto-kun, you don't seem pleased with this meeting," Kirari observed.
Haruto nodded.
There was no need to hide it.
"The greed in your eyes toward me is practically overflowing," Kirari chuckled. "Good thing I trusted my instincts and arranged our first meeting this way."
Haruto casually responded, "Just an inconvenience."
Since he was already here, he would simply take his time. Eventually, Momobami Kirari would be his.
"Oh my, how dangerous," Kirari continued smiling. "But there's no need to be so impatient, Haruto-kun. I'll meet you in person."
Haruto raised an eyebrow in surprise.
If she sensed the threat he posed, why would she willingly meet him?
"I invited you here because I wanted to meet you... and to gamble against you. If we had met normally, the game would have ended before a single gamble could take place."
"After all, the rumors about you are terrifying, Haruto-kun. But that's what makes this so exciting!"
Kirari's words made Haruto narrow his eyes slightly.
She was insane.
Even if it sounded self-important, from a normal person's perspective, he was essentially a god.
Yet, she had invited him here, ready to stake everything; even her own life, just to experience the thrill of gambling against him.
If that wasn't madness, what was?
And worse, this lunatic held one of the Four Major Financial Clans in her grasp. She had the power to indulge in her insanity however she pleased.
Haruto smirked.
"Challenging me is foolish."
(T/N: "Challenging a god is incredibly foolish."
Author making the mc have a god complex now?!)
"Gambling isn't about strategy either," Kirari grinned. "But I just want to experience it."
Haruto nodded, accepting the bet.
Since she was going this far, he might as well entertain her. Consider it a preemptive reward for his future employee.
"I'm glad you agreed, Haruto-kun. Now, listen to the rules of this game."
From now on—
No borrowing money.
No external funds.
Using only the one million yen provided by the student council, he must gamble his way to ten billion.
At that time, he would be able to play a game with Kirari.
Of course, for Haruto, as long as he could meet Kirari, the outcome of the game was irrelevant.
Although, there was no way he would lose.
The conditions Kirari proposed were as difficult as reaching the heavens.
One million to one billion—such an exaggerated gap.
For ordinary people, it was impossible.
But for Haruto, it was simply effortless.
"Alright, I accept."
Haruto said with a smile.
Then, he turned to the petite girl beside him, Runa Yomozuki.
"Runa-san, let's gamble."
Haruto's pupils, at some unknown time, had turned blood-red, with three black blade-like patterns slowly rotating within them.
"Haruto-kun, please... take it easy. If it ends too quickly, it won't be any fun. Just treat it as experiencing Hyakkaou Academy, okay?"
On the screen, Kirari Momobami spoke helplessly, with a hint of coquettishness.
Hearing this, Haruto sighed.
His eyes returned to normal, and then he left the student council room.
A while later, Runa seemed to wake from a nightmare.
Her body collapsed into the chair, and cold sweat poured down her forehead and back.
"This guy is a monster! President, if you bring in a monster like him, everyone will be devoured, right?"
Runa muttered with some resentment...
Previously, when she heard Haruto and the president talking, she had been somewhat disdainful.
A god? How could this guy boast so much?
(T/N: Yea, fuck! I don't know what to substitute.....
I'll probabaly leave it as it is.)
Until she met his gaze just now.
If the president hadn't spoken up in time, she would most likely have started gambling and lost ten billion to Haruto.
Hearing this, Kirari smiled.
"That's exactly why I want to bet everything and play a game with him."
-------------
After leaving the student council, Haruto sighed helplessly.
Aside from her insane personality, Kirari also had an intuition beyond ordinary people.
There was no way her intelligence network could grasp Haruto's true abilities, not even the tip of the iceberg.
At most, she might know that Haruto belonged to a mysterious organization and possessed some unknown power.
Everything else—was purely her instinct.
Because of that, Haruto would have to "play" at Hyakkaou Academy for a few more days before he could claim the Hundred Devouring Families.
But...
That wasn't so bad.
A few days were nothing compared to the reward.
Besides, Kirari herself, Haruto was starting to want her as well.
When he arrived at the first-year class Hana, Haruto saw a large group of people gathered.
At the center sat two girls.
One of them was Yumeko Jabami.
The two seemed to be gambling.
Haruto recalled that this was likely the opening act of Kakegurui.
The class gambling queen (?) was displeased with the new transfer student, Yumeko Jabami.
So she set up a trap, preparing to scam Yumeko.
Only to be utterly humiliated.
Well... it was quite amusing.
Haruto joined the crowd with a spectator's mindset.
The game they were playing was called the Rock-Paper-Scissors Game.
Classmates would draw rock, paper, or scissors on cards and place them in a box.
The two gamblers would then draw three cards and play against each other.
It sounded like normal rock-paper-scissors.
But in reality, it was a test of control over the class.
If someone could command more than half the class to draw a specific symbol, then knowing in advance that one type of card made up the majority would provide a massive advantage.
Clearly, the class gambling queen, Mary Saotome, was using this method. And, she was completely unaware that Yumeko had already noticed.
"Oh my, how lucky, I won again."
Mary was still smiling, completely unaware of the danger.
"Then, for the next round, let's bet ten million."
Yumeko's crimson eyes flashed with a dangerous light. As she spoke, she opened her school bag and poured a large pile of money onto the table.
The sheer amount of cash created a powerful visual impact.
Mary was dumbfounded.
"You carry this much cash with you!? And for a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, you want to bet ten million!? You're insane, absolutely insane!"
Saying that, she prepared to take her winnings and leave the table.
"Ultimately, gambling is about entrusting one's entire fortune and life to probability—it's inherently irrational. But that's exactly what makes it so beautiful! The essence of gambling is madness! Now, let's gamble our way into the abyss!"
Yumeko Jabami revealed her signature insane expression.
Seeing this classic scene, Haruto took out his phone and pressed the capture button.