SS 20. [‘Bet'' Game – Round 2]


    "Anego, you''re good now, right? You ready!?"


    "I''m totally perfect,nee☆ Leave it to your big sis!"


    "I’m counting on you, seriously!?"


    Princess, the game master, was screaming as the game neared copse. I… I guess I should step in and help as best as I can…


    "Ahem, thank you all for waiting. Let’s reflect on the results of Round 1. Currently, everyone’s chip counts are as follows:"


    Chip Counts


    Anego… 30 chips


    Alchemist… 30 chipsIlyena… 29 chips


    Orthros… 29 chips


    Iroha… 8 chips


    Ogu… 28 chips


    "Now, please begin Round 2."


    The timer reset, and the countdown began again.


    From here on, the game proceeded rtively smoothly.


    Well, with a few small issues here and there, of course.


    For instance…


    "Iroha-sama, may I have a word in private?"


    "Huh? Sure."


    Invited by Illyena, I switched our call to a private voice channel.


    This way, the others wouldn’t hear what we were discussing.


    At the same time, all outside voices faded, leaving a quiet atmosphere.


    It felt just like a secret conversation.


    "So, why did you pick me out?"


    "Actually, I have something I wanted to discuss… with you alone."


    "Okay, specifically?"


    "………? Well, the main goal is to talk alone?"


    "!?!?!?"


    "Hehe~ Just the two of us, Iroha-sama! Now, for the rest of the limited time, you’re all mine! Such an idea… the members of Sanboke are geniuses!"


    "Eek!? Somebody help me!!"


    The princess did say, "Use it however you want," but surely she didn’t mean it like this!?


    Anyway, I ran back to the main voice channel, screaming…


    "Aaah, Ah-nee! You bet another 5 chips!? You listened to the princess’s instructions, right!?"


    "Of course,nee☆ But I’m a genius big sis, so I figured it out, nee~"


    "…And, what exactly did you figure out?"


    "Basically, the bigger the number, the stronger it is!"


    "That’s not it at all!"


    She still hadn’t understood the rules!?


    …Wait, maybe she sort of did?


    Betting 5 chips is high-risk but high reward.


    You could call that “strong,” right?


    "…Ahh, Ah-nee, I can trust you on this, right?"


    "Totally! Besides, I knew the rules from the start? It’s all part of the n, you know!"


    "Well, if you say so…"


    But in the next round, Ah-nee only bet 3 chips.


    Everyone screamed, “Why!?”


    She had no consistency!?


    When I asked her reason…


    "My mood!"


    "…Oh, right."


    "Hey, Iroha. Did you give up on understanding?"


    "No, I didn’t."


    Well, that was fine.


    It’s a fun event, and everyone’s in the same boat anyway.


    It’s not just Ah-nee; everyone’s betting amounts are unpredictable.


    But after a few rounds of this, the game''s mood wouldpletely shift…


    "You all! What’s with this half-hearted ying!? Stop fooling around! I want a real deception battle! This is supposed to be a Liar’s Game!"


    "“Ehh~?”"


    The princess was angry.


    But her attempt at intimidation had the opposite effect…


    "Oi! Comments, that goes for you too! ‘Cute'' isn’t right! You’re supposed to say it’s ‘scary'' or ‘terrifying!''"


    We couldn’t see thement section, but it was clearly teasing her as expected.


    Watching the princess being dragged along made me chuckle…


    "See, that’s the problem! If that’s how it’s going to be… Behold!"


    Chip Counts


    Anego… 27 chips


    Ogu… 25 chips


    Iroha… 25 chips


    Ilyena… 24 chips


    Alchemist… 23 chips


    Orthros… 23 chips


    "This is the result after Round 4! Especially you two at the bottom — you’re not trying hard enough!"


    "But it’s not like we’re cking off…"


    "We’re doing our best too…"


    "Oh, still talking back, are we!? Then let me show you exactly what it means to face a loser’s punishment… I mean, a social death!"


    Through DithCord, some data was shared.


    Its contents were…


    “““!?!?!?”””


    The atmosphere changed in an instant.


    The two from Sanboke both gasped, "“Gah!?”"


    "This is way too embarrassing!"


    "No, I absolutely can’t do this!"


    "I… I’m the same!"


    "Haha! This is hrious, Ah-nee~!"


    Our casual mood vanished.


    Except for Ah-nee.


    We couldn’t afford to lose, not to each other.


    Everyone’s fierce resolve was palpable.


    "Ooh, things are getting tense! But no real fighting, okay? …Hey,ments, why are youughing!? This is serious!"


    The princess couldn’t fully embrace her “evil” role…


    But our focus was razor-sharp.


    "Now that the air’s been set… Let’s begin Round 5!"


    At the princess’smand, Ogu made a bold deration to everyone.


    "Listen up! From now on, I’m betting the max — 5 chips — every round!"


    "“What!?”"


    And so, the true Liar’s Game began.


    The real game of deception had started!


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