Ayanokoji Qingping's hand was indeed a flush; he hadn't lied.
So I couldn't have won from the very beginning…
Knowing this, Ruribird Nadeshiko, on the contrary, felt relieved and relaxed.
If she had lost a game that she should have won, she might have held a grudge, but knowing that she couldn't have won in the first place, she instead calmed down.
Ruribird Nadeshiko, who suggested gambling, was the first to lose all her money, and the game naturally ended.
In the [Challenge Poker] game, Ruribird Nadeshiko lost one million, while Saotome Meari and Kurume Laiwei each lost over three hundred thousand.
In the last round, Ayanokoji Qingping won over eight hundred thousand, but Ayanokoji Qingping had basically called every round before, losing too much; although he recouped some losses in the end, he still lost hundreds of thousands of yen.
Incidentally, the round that completely "checkmated" Ruribird Nadeshiko was exactly Ayanokoji's guaranteed win.
He knew from the very beginning of this round that he would win; he just didn't expect his win to be so… dramatic.
He had a good high card, and he originally thought his hand would be key in the game and would end the match when the cards were "revealed."
But what he didn't expect was that his good hand was completely useless; he would have won this round even if he had a high card.
The final winner of this gambling game was, of course, Ririka.
She could analyze others' emotions by observing their micro-expressions and determine whether they were lying.
In the game of Challenge Poker, she was It can be said that unmatched; everyone was convinced by Ririka's gambling skills.
Having lost her last 10,000 yen and now penniless, Ruribird Nadeshiko's eyes were unfocused as she sat at the casino table, spacing out.
"Now I have no money left at all; my Steinway, my music room, my money…"
A week ago, Ruribird Nadeshiko was still a small rich woman with over ten million yen in hand, about to save enough to buy her dream piano, but after just a few days and a few gambling sessions, she was bankrupt and penniless.
She suddenly became down and out overnight.
"Serves you right; who told you to gamble?" Kurume turned her face away, not wanting to look at her in this state.
If Ruribird Nadeshiko had chosen to take her money and leave at any point in the middle, she wouldn't have lost so miserably.
She had been given a chance, but she herself was unwilling to leave the casino table; now she was suffering the consequences of her own actions.
"Kurume…"
Ruribird Nadeshiko snapped back to reality; she suddenly lowered her head and sincerely apologized to Kurume: "I'm sorry, Kurume, I made you lose an extra 100,000 yen!"
It was she who asked Kurume Laiwei to challenge Meari in the last round, but that money was wasted.
Ruribird Nadeshiko felt very guilty.
Seeing her friend, who used to be so arrogant, lower her head and sincerely apologize, Kurume felt a little unaccustomed: "It's nothing, really; I was going to challenge her anyway…"
Ruribird Nadeshiko looked up and asked cautiously: "Kurume, are we still friends?"
Kurume, who had originally thought about ignoring Ruribird, softened when she saw her pitiful appearance and relented: "Fine, as long as you don't think about that unrealistic steinway piano, we're still good friends."
As long as Ruribird Nadeshiko didn't choose to gamble, she could still be a good friend to hang out with.
"That's great! But my piano…"
"Hmm?"
Kurume just hummed, and Ruribird Nadeshiko panicked, quickly saying: "I know, I won't buy a piano; I'll just play the school's piano!"
Although Ruribird Nadeshiko said this, her face still showed a very reluctant expression.
Ayanokoji suddenly asked out of nowhere: "Ruribird Nadeshiko, do you really want a steinway piano that much?"
"Of course!" Ruribird Nadeshiko nodded vigorously: "Owning my own steinway piano is my dream right now!"
She still didn't want to give up buying a piano, but she couldn't help it; who told her she had no money now… If she lost her money and her friends too, then she would truly have lost miserably.
Ayanokoji nodded thoughtfully and suddenly extended an invitation to Ruribird Nadeshiko.
"In that case, if I put a steinway piano in the Cooking Room, would you want to come here to play it?"
"…Eh, what do you mean?"
Ruribird Nadeshiko blinked, completely confused.
The other girls also didn't understand what Ayanokoji was thinking.
"Didn't you say before that my casino lacked taste, and that playing piano music through speakers was an insult to the pieces? So, how about I buy a steinway piano and put it here for you to play?"
"You mean… you want me to be a pianist?" Ruribird Nadeshiko caught on.
In some restaurants or bars, to enhance their bar's ambiance, they would hire pianists to play there.
So Ayanokoji wanted to hire her…
Ruribird Nadeshiko, realizing that Ayanokoji intended to recruit her, instantly transformed from a pitiful state to an arrogant one, crossing her arms and becoming reserved: "You can hire me, but I'm very expensive."
He's already starting to raise his own value...
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eye twitched.
However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't about to humor her.
He sighed softly, "Ruribird, are you misunderstanding something?
I just saw your miserable state, with no money, unable to even pay next month's rent for the music room, and felt pity. You don't really think I need a pianist here, do you?"
Ayanokoji's words were extremely harsh, and Ruricho Nadeshiko's face immediately flushed crimson. She argued, "Do you really think I'm short on money?! My family is very rich; if I just act a little spoiled, my dad will give me a huge sum of money!"
"Is that so? But I remember someone saying before gambling that the money was your father's, not yours? Since you say your father will give you money, then why did you gamble to earn money?"
Ayanokoji sneered.
"Let me guess, your father did give you a lot of money, but he probably doesn't want you to gamble, and the money he gives you each month is limited. If he knew you lost ten million in gambling..."
Ruricho Nadeshiko, in a moment of desperation, quickly cried out, "No, please don't tell my father!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded inwardly, confirming his guess: Ruricho Nadeshiko's father indeed disapproved of her gambling.
A businessman who cares about cost-effectiveness, even if he gambles, will keep the gambling money in his own hands, rather than giving it to his daughter, letting a pampered young lady squander the family fortune at will.
Her desperate attitude had already proven the truth of Ayanokoji's words; it was too late to deny it now.
Ruricho Nadeshiko simply gave up.
She plopped back into her chair, pouting, "You're right, my father really hates me gambling. Now you know, just tell me what you want to do!"
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