Thirty seconds passed in a flash, and Yamato Inaho called time precisely.
"Time's up, Ayanokoji, please stop!"
Ayanokoji regretfully threw the dice in his hand to Yomotsuki Runa; if only he had a few more seconds, he could have thrown it one more time.
Although he had the system's endorsement, he was sure to win this round, but his current score still made him feel a little uneasy.
"The gamble is over. Next, I will announce the results—Ibuki Jotaro's final score is 7 points."
Yamato Inaho announced Ibuki Jotaro's score, then looked at Yomotsuki Runa: "Runa Senior, what is Ayanokoji's score?"
"Oh, his total score is 8 points." Yomotsuki Runa said casually, as if talking about something commonplace.
"8 points?"
The moment she announced this score, Ibuki Jotaro lost his composure and cried out, "Impossible, how could he just happen to have one more point than me!?"
Even the Dealer Yamato Inaho looked at her with suspicion: "Runa Senior, you couldn't have taken a kickback from Ayanokoji, so you're intentionally favoring him, are you?"
She had just announced Ibuki Jotaro's score was 7 points, and Yomotsuki Runa immediately followed by saying Ayanokoji got 8 points.
With such close scores, she couldn't help but be suspicious of this result.
Although she questioned Runa aloud, Yamato Inaho also had doubts in her heart.
It shouldn't be. Yomotsuki Runa was the most outstanding Dealer in the Election Committee, always representing "absolute fairness." She shouldn't intentionally favor anyone, right?
Someone once tried to bribe her with 10 million, but she ruthlessly refused and exposed the other party's cheating behavior on the spot while serving as a Dealer.
Logically speaking, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had nothing that could bribe her.
Could it be that Ayanokoji took out something that made even her heart pound, and secretly reached a deal with Ayanokoji?
Or... did Ayanokoji really get 8 points, and she wasn't lying?
"Hey, what's there to question!?"
Yomotsuki Runa pouted, puffed out her chest, and said aggressively, "I haven't favored anyone. What I saw is what it is. Inaho, you've been with me for so long, don't you understand me? When I'm a referee, I don't add any personal feelings. I'm an absolutely fair referee!"
Although she was small, the aura she exuded at this moment made people feel a strong sense of conviction.
Seeing her like this, Yamato Inaho no longer questioned, nodding: "Since you've said so, Senior, then the result of this match..."
Just as Yamato Inaho was about to finalize the results of this gamble, Ibuki Jotaro suddenly raised his hand: "Wait, I object to the result!"
"Ibuki? We two Dealers were invited by you, but now you don't believe our ruling?" Yamato Inaho frowned.
She had personally watched Ayanokoji throw the dice multiple times in the last 30 seconds, and she also felt that Ayanokoji getting this score was a bit outrageous, but on the gambling table, outrageous things were common. If he didn't believe the Dealer's judgment, then what did he want to believe?
Ibuki Jotaro shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Sorry, I didn't personally witness the gambling process, so I don't acknowledge this result."
Yomotsuki Runa was displeased. Was this questioning her "absolute fairness" as a Dealer?
"Hey, Ibuki, don't forget, you set the rules of this game. You said that neither side should look at the other's dice results during the gamble and leave everything to the Dealer to decide, right?
Now what right do you have to question us Dealers? Are you trying to renege on your debt and not pay the wager!?"
"...Sorry, Runa Yomotsuki Senior, I will not renege on my debt. Since I lost, I will pay the wager, but I have doubts about the result of this gamble."
Ibuki Jotaro placed the bank card and the Kendo Club transfer contract on the table, but he still insisted.
Ibuki Jotaro had seen with his own eyes that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had thrown the dice a total of 8 times in the last 30 seconds, and his final score was 8 points.
He didn't believe Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's luck could be so good, that he wouldn't make a mistake in such a flustered state, that his luck would explode, and that he wouldn't roll a 6 eight times in a row.
"You can reserve your right to question, but the result of this gamble will not be changed now." Just as Yamato Inaho was about to continue speaking, Ayanokoji suddenly spoke.
"Inaho, don't rush to announce the results. Since Ibuki has an objection, why not let him see the results with his own eyes?" Ayanokoji said with a smile.
"You mean..."
"This Cooking Room of mine is equipped with video recording. If you don't believe it, I can show you the recording." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pointed to the ceiling.
In this Cooking Room, Ayanokoji had installed several high-performance cameras, which could both monitor the room and serve as Captain Dragonfly's "compound eyes" to observe every move of each gambler and supervise whether they were cheating.
These cameras were on 24/7, so their gambling footage was naturally recorded.
Seeing Ayanokoji's calm and composed demeanor, even actively offering to provide evidence, Ibuki Jotaro was a bit confused. Could it be that his score really was 8 points?
Although his heart wavered slightly, Ibuki Jotaro still stuck to his belief before seeing the video.
Ayanokoji went to the counter, picked up a laptop, unplugged the charger, and carried the computer to another table, starting to operate it.
Ibuki Jotaro didn't stay put and walked quickly behind Ayanokoji.
Yamato Inaho was also very curious about what was happening on Ayanokoji's side, so she also moved closer to him.
Yomotsuki Runa had already witnessed Ayanokoji's operation once. She muttered, "What's there to see?" and ran behind the bar, washed her hands, and then picked up snacks to eat.
It was as if she treated this place as her own kitchen, and she even took out a can of cola from the refrigerator.
Ayanokoji ignored her. He pulled up the surveillance footage, found a recording that clearly showed his side's angle, and dragged the timeline to the start of the gamble.
The picture was very clear, as if seen with the naked eye, and all of Ayanokoji's movements could be seen.
Watching the video, both Ibuki Jotaro and Yamato Inaho were shocked—for more than a dozen consecutive times, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka never rolled a 6, and his score even reached 15 points.
"Your luck is pretty good, isn't it..." Yamato Inaho couldn't help but exclaim.
"Just average, a little better." Ayanokoji said very humbly.
Ibuki Jotaro looked deeply at Ayanokoji.
Even when he practiced at home, his highest score was only 10 points, and that was with him being very careful with each throw, using a special throwing technique, and with good luck.
But Ayanokoji easily achieved 15 points this time; he could stop at any time, and he himself could absolutely not surpass this score.
Although he hadn't seen the rest, Ibuki Jotaro already believed that Ayanokoji's score was real and that Yomotsuki Runa had not lied.
The surveillance footage continued, showing Ayanokoji suddenly rolling a 6, Ibuki Jotaro seizing the opportunity to call a stop, and Ayanokoji frantically making a last-ditch effort in the last thirty seconds.
Eight consecutive times, again, not a single 6 was rolled.
Ibuki Jotaro didn't watch any further. He turned around and looked at Yomotsuki Runa, who was eating snacks.
"Runa Yomotsuki Senior, could I see the dice Ayanokoji used?" he asked.
"Here, it's on the table." Yomotsuki Runa pointed casually.
Ibuki Jotaro stepped forward, picked up the dice, observed them carefully, and even threw them a few times. Finally, he concluded that there was nothing wrong with the dice; they were ordinary dice, differing from his only in size.
These dice were provided by the Dealer, so there shouldn't be any difference, but Ibuki Jotaro still wanted to check. If there really was a problem with the dice, then it would be reasonable for Ayanokoji to get such a score.
But since there was no problem with the dice, the only reason was that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's dice-throwing technique was more superb than he had imagined, and his luck was also much better than his own.
This was a double overwhelm of technique and luck, and Ibuki Jotaro was completely convinced.
"This match... I lost." He bowed his head to Ayanokoji, admitting his defeat.
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