"Catgirl…?"
The moment those words left Lumine's mouth, everyone's expressions turned strange.
"Could it be that Lumine's real goal was this from the very beginning?"
Paimon narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
After all, ever since Lumine saw Keqing turn into a cat and lie comfortably in Boss Han's arms,
she'd been acting a little… off.
Who's to say she wasn't using this card game to achieve some sinister personal objective?
"But Lumine's probably miscalculated. How could someone possibly play out 17 cards in one go?
If it were me, maybe—but not just anyone!"
Paimon grinned.
As long as her Ace came out and there were no bigger cards, she could instantly finish everything.
Not everyone could have her kind of luck.
"So Lumine has this kind of hobby too?"
At that moment, the purple cat's eyes lit up.
She hadn't thought too deeply about it, assuming Lumine had only said it for the sake of Boss Han's promise.
Still, it let her discover a new side of Lumine.
"Maybe we can… exchange notes sometime."
Keqing thought quietly to herself.
"Tch… Lumine as a catgirl, and at night, no less…"
For some reason, Han Feng started to look forward to it.
He didn't even care anymore about whatever promise Paimon had made.
On the surface, however, he remained perfectly calm.
"Then you're about to lose."
As he spoke, he directly played four twos.
Then came an 8-9-10 airplane with three single cards.
Finally, he closed it out with a single Ace.
Just like that—
All 17 cards, gone.
"What the heck—Boss Han actually cleared everything?!"
Paimon stared in shock.
But when she saw the 8-9-10 airplane, it suddenly made sense.
After all, she'd had a similar hand herself earlier.
"To think such a tiny probability actually happened… Looks like Lumine's catgirl cosplay is unavoidable now."
Paimon sighed.
"Y-you actually… wiped me out?"
Lumine was completely stunned.
Four twos alone would've been bad enough—
But how did he even get an 8-9-10 airplane?!
The odds of that were even lower than drawing a bomb!
Which meant…
Recalling what she'd just said, Lumine's face instantly turned red.
Burning hot.
She had thought about dressing up as a catgirl before, sure—
But she'd only agreed because the odds of winning were so high!
Who could've guessed she'd lose like this?!
"How about this—since you're still getting used to the rules, let's play another round.
The previous bet doesn't count."
Han Feng smiled as he spoke.
He decided to give her another chance.
Naturally, he also quietly gave himself just a tiny bit more luck.
"Yes, yes, that's right! We really weren't familiar yet. Let's redo it!"
Seeing Boss Han give her a way out, Lumine immediately took it.
At the same time, her gratitude toward him grew even deeper.
"If you lose again, your promise still stands.
But if you lose this time, you'll have to double it."
Han Feng smiled meaningfully.
"No problem!"
Paimon agreed without hesitation.
A second chance to beat Boss Han—she wasn't going to miss it.
"Don't worry, Boss Han… If I lose again, I-I'll keep my word."
Lumine nodded shyly.
Boss Han had already been so considerate.
If she lost again, she wouldn't back out—
She'd pay it back in full.
Soon, the cards were shuffled again.
As before, Lumine was the one dealing.
Three cards were set aside for the landlord.
Then the cards were distributed.
And once again—
The landlord was Han Feng.
"Why is it Boss Han again?"
Paimon muttered.
Twice in a row—wasn't that a little too coincidental?
"Hey, don't look at me. You're the one who dealt the cards."
Han Feng shrugged innocently.
He gently flipped his cards, glanced at them, and closed them again with a faint smile.
That tiny boost of luck really worked.
"…They're all airplanes."
Keqing, perched on Han Feng's shoulder, saw his hand clearly.
Her entire cat body froze in shock.
What kind of insane luck was this?!
"Looks like those two are doomed."
She looked at Lumine and Paimon with sympathy.
Playing cards against Boss Han—
They were never going to win.
In front of overwhelming fate, even the best hands were meaningless.
But Lumine and Paimon didn't notice Keqing's gaze at all.
They were far too immersed in their own excitement.
"This hand—I've got three bombs, plus a king bomb!
That's three more than last round! We're guaranteed to win!"
Lumine was practically glowing with excitement.
She'd never had such good luck before.
This round was definitely hers!
Still, remembering that Boss Han had given her this chance, she felt a little embarrassed.
"Th-then… maybe we can forget the promise.
Let's just cancel the catgirl thing."
She thought shyly.
There would be other opportunities later.
Paimon was just as thrilled.
Her hand was incredible too—
Three bombs as well!
"Hehe, Boss Han, even if you tried to dump all 17 cards at once, there's no way you'd win this time!"
She was feeling downright smug.
The promise didn't even matter anymore.
Just beating Boss Han once—
That alone would be immensely satisfying.
"Sorry, but this time it's not 17 cards."
Han Feng smiled calmly.
"It's all of them."
As he spoke, he slammed his entire hand down at once.
10-J-Q-K-A airplane, plus five single cards—
Cleared in a single move.
"I—what the—?!"
Paimon was so shocked she cursed out loud.
Was this something a normal human could even draw?!
This was even more absurd than the last round!
She'd finally gotten three bombs—
And this was the result?!
Compared to Paimon, Lumine had already started questioning reality itself.
Three bombs.
Plus a king bomb.
And she didn't even get to play a single card?
On top of that—
She was the one who dealt the cards.
"…Is the universe really telling me to dress up as a catgirl?"
That thought suddenly crossed Lumine's mind.
Otherwise, how could something like this even happen?
As for cheating—
The idea never even crossed her mind.
Boss Han had gone out of his way to give her another chance.
Someone with such integrity would never cheat.
Since fate had decided—
Then Lumine would accept the loss with grace.
"Boss Han… a-about that catgirl thing…"
"I'll… keep my promise."
Even as bold as Lumine usually was, saying it out loud like this still made her unbearably shy.
Her face burned red as she spoke.
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