Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 62

During the interval between drawing cards, Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly offered her opinion with a gentle smile.

"Since it's a game, should we add some rules for handling winning and losing?"

"For example, the loser has to play a truth or dare game... or something like that?"

"Well……"

Staring at her hand, Toyokawa Shoko thought for a moment and realized that what she said made sense.

"You're right. If there were some kind of reward and punishment mechanism, everyone's enthusiasm and engagement would be even greater."

"However, telling the truth is still a bit too serious..."

"Then the loser will have to perform a talent."

Yuan Xudou calmly continued.

"Hum a short song or tell a joke, that's fine... there's no need to be so strict."

"It's just for entertainment and relaxation; winning or losing doesn't matter."

For a group of people with various skills, forming a band wasn't a harsh punishment at all. Plus, since it was a young man who spoke up, they quickly agreed.

As for him personally... Yuan Xudou doesn't think he will lose.

Well, he wouldn't resort to any cheating tricks; he simply trusts his own abilities.

After all, drawing the Joker isn't a simple game of pure luck. Understanding each other's mindset, discerning the thoughts of those around you, and possessing a certain level of skill—these are all crucial factors that determine victory, and he is in no way inferior to…

"That...that...Xu Dou..."

Takamatsu touched the boy's arm somewhat timidly.

Her moist, soft amber eyes, filled with a hint of confusion and bewilderment, gazed at the boy's face.

"...You're supposed to discard the pairs of cards, right?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Yuan Xudou's heart. His eyes twitched slightly, but he nodded without showing any emotion.

Then, just as he expected, the girl threw out all eight cards in her hand.

"It seems like I'm out of cards."

"Is this, the end?"

In the deafening silence of the crowd, the boy pressed his free hand against his throbbing brow.

He retracted his previous statement.

This is an unfair game of luck.

—Xiangzi, how exactly did you shuffle the cards!

Chapter 88 Playing games is all about winning

Under the silent gaze of everyone, Takamatsu's expression gradually became somewhat tense.

A hint of panic flickered in her amber eyes, and the silent, stiff reactions of the others made her feel out of place.

"Did I... make a mistake...?"

"……Do not."

Yuan Xudou, who was the first to come to his senses, reached out and gently stroked the girl's light gray short hair, stopping her from having the illusion that she didn't fit in with her companions.

"Light, you did the right thing."

"I didn't expect Tou-chan to be so lucky." Nagasaki Motoyo then sighed, feigning helplessness.

"After all, it's a lamp, so it's only natural that it's favored by heaven!" Shiina Tatsuki quickly tried to smooth things over.

Then, Ruo Yemu pointed out the crux of the problem in a soft but clear voice.

"Xiangzi, the cards weren't shuffled properly."

"Ugh, ugh—"

Shoko Toyokawa, who undoubtedly bore the responsibility for the current situation, murmured softly, her pale golden eyes darting around unnaturally.

"I... I never expected it to turn out like this..."

Who would have thought that the first person to secure the victory would be Takamatsu Akira, who had never played before and had only just learned the rules?

"...Well, it might not be such a bad thing."

Changing his approach, Yuan Xudou gave the matter another layer of meaning, helping the slightly embarrassed girl out of her predicament.

"At least this way, the lamp won't lose. Let's just consider it a demonstration as a lesson for her."

"Xu Dou is right!"

Finally, someone stood up for her and tried to save face, and Toyokawa Shoko immediately accepted it. She nodded in agreement.

As if to express her gratitude, the girl leaned closer to him, her smooth, fair arms, like the finest jade, gently touching the boy's exposed skin with a refreshing coolness.

Facing the gaze that Genjiro Tomoko was giving, Toyokawa Shoko smiled subtly.

"……continue."

After calming Gao Songdeng down and restoring the atmosphere to normal, he casually announced the continuation of the game.

The players took turns dropping their pairs of cards, officially transitioning from the initial phase to the real game.

In the initial dealing, Xiangzi, Xudou, and Sushi each had 9 cards, while Lixi, Deng, and Mu each had 8 cards. After discarding cards, the situation changed to Xiangzi having 5 cards, Xudou and Sushi having 3 cards each, and Lixi and Mu having 4 cards each.

Fortunately, although Gao Songdeng's luck was ridiculously good, at least no one else present was unlucky enough to be dealt a single card, so everyone's gaming experience was still somewhat guaranteed.

Next, it's time to test our skills.

Judging from the cards discarded by each player, there are no longer any complete sets of four of the same suit on the table; at least two cards from each suit have been discarded. The sets of "4", "J", and "Q" have all been discarded. Meanwhile, the remaining two "K" cards, which are considered jokers, have also been discarded.

After confirming the situation, Yuan Xudou looked at the three cards in his hand again.

It is “3”, “7” and “K”.

In other words, the Joker is currently in his hand.

Despite a less-than-lucky start, the boy remained calm. He picked up his deck of cards and placed it face down in front of Toyokawa Shoko.

"Come on."

In the first round, when neither side knows anything about the other, the use of words and expressions to guide the conversation is ineffective.

Moreover, he and Xiangzi shared an almost soul-to-soul connection, making it nearly impossible for him to mislead her... So the young man simply cleared his mind and let her draw randomly.

"Hmm... then I'll choose this one."

Toyokawa Shoko glanced at the impassive Gen Xudou and casually took the "7" from the very center.

A delighted smile bloomed in the girl's eyes as she glanced at the numbers on the card.

"Hmph, good things always seem to happen when I'm with Xu Dou."

Like ripples on a lake, the elegant young woman chuckled with a hint of pride, using her slender fingers to pull out another playing card from her hand to match it, and then tossed them together into the discard pile.

Then, she leaned even closer to the boy's shoulder. Her long, sky-blue hair almost fell over him, carrying a fresh and delicate fragrance that constantly stimulated his senses.

Feeling slightly itchy from being tickled by the other person's hair, Gen Xudou turned his head slightly to look at Nagasaki Motoyo on the other side.

"Xu Doujun, please take it."

With a gentle and friendly smile, the girl eagerly presented him with the cards she was asking for.

Seeing this, he finally felt a bit of a headache.

Unlike the cunning and elusive Toyokawa Shoko, who was difficult to manipulate, Nagasaki Motoyo was far too easy to deal with, making her a formidable opponent even for him.

Yuan Xudou had no doubt that the other party had no intention of deceiving him with her expressions and eyes. If he wanted to, he could easily see through the girl's thoughts in those pure and clear light blue eyes.

Even if you directly ask her if she has the cards you need, Nagasaki Motoyo might tell you... That's the kind of relationship between the two of them; they've been unconditional natural allies from the very beginning.

However, Gen Xudou wanted to leave some unpredictable fun in this game.

Noticing the gentle yet helpless look in the boy's eyes, Nagasaki Motoyo suppressed the expectant look in her eyes that seemed ready to give everything, and looked at him normally.

Genjiro calmly placed a "5" into his deck after drawing it from his opponent's fingertip, as he had no matching card.

It was Nagasaki Motoyo's turn to draw a card from Shiina Tatsuki.

Compared to the three cunning individuals who could conceal their emotions, Shiina Tatsuki's expression was much easier to understand. With just a little thought and a subtle hint, Nagasaki Motoyo easily took the "A" card she needed from her hand and played it.

Then, their skills were evenly matched, but because he was better at maintaining a blank expression, Ruoye Mu successfully made Shiina Tatsuki unsure of where to start, so he could only frown and casually take a card.

Wakaba Mutsuya also took a card from Toyokawa Shoko's hand. Looking at the "6" card that had returned to her hand, only with a different suit, the pale green-clad girl pursed her lips slightly, a hint of disappointment appearing on her delicate and indifferent face.

While Shiina Riki wasn't looking, she hid the card at the very edge of her hand.

After a full round, everyone was pretty much in the zone and started to get serious.

Although winning or losing isn't the main point of this game, driven by the competitive spirit of young people, no one wants to easily become the final loser.

Under the curious gaze of Gao Songdeng, who was observing with the aim of learning, the atmosphere on the field gradually became serious. Everyone held their breath, looking for each other's flaws and lapses in composure, and engaged in a psychological game back and forth.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the Joker changed hands several times.

Following Takamatsu Akari, the second winner was quickly decided—Nagasaki Motoyo, who was all smiles, threw away all her cards after a few rounds, showing everyone her empty, fair palms.

As the situation escalated, among the four remaining on the field, Shiina Tatsuki and Wakaba Mutsumi's micro-expressions clearly showed tension, while Toyokawa Shoko and Minamoto Kōto remained calm and composed.

They even had time to chat with the winner, Nagasaki Motoyo.

"Speaking of which, it seems that card duels are quite popular."

Resting her chin on her hand, she quietly watched the duel between Li Xi and Mu, one with a serious expression and the other with indifference, but in reality, both were just outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Toyokawa Shoko casually shook the deck of cards she had left with only two cards and brought up the topic.

"If there's a chance next time, how about we take a short break and go watch a game together?"

“Sounds good.” Yuan Xudou nodded naturally.

"It looks like it'll be really interesting, I agree too." Nagasaki Motoyo pressed her lips to her lips, smiling broadly as she gave her approval.

The three of them showed no signs of still arguing over who was winning, and instead began a pleasant chat.

Beside him, bewildered and confused, Gao Songdeng couldn't help but shift his gaze away from the two who were competing, not understanding why they still had such a relaxed and leisurely time.

Then, she met the boy's gaze, which seemed to glance at her unintentionally, dark and deep, earnest and without any impurities.

Thus, the girl vaguely understood their intentions.

'Is...is this okay...?'

By putting pressure on others through a relaxed demeanor and off-stage remarks, they create lapses in their facial expression control...

These three, who are clearly the gentlest, brightest, most generous, and most dignified members of the band, would actually resort to such underhanded tactics when they want to win...

So, so scary.

Chapter 89 The Experience I Want to Go Through

In the end, Shiina Tatsuki was no match for the other three.

If Mutsuya manages to escape from the game that has turned into a killing arena thanks to good luck, leaving the girl alone to face the remaining two.

On one side is Toyokawa Shoko, who has undergone years of aristocratic education and can maintain her elegant demeanor perfectly as long as she does not experience intense emotional fluctuations; on the other side is Genjiro Tou, whose facial expressions are perfectly controlled, whose heart is as calm as still water, and who has never shown any nervousness.

Caught between the two, Shiina Tatsuki struggled desperately, but still could not escape the fate of defeat.

If it were Nagasaki Motoyo, who is good at hiding her thoughts and has a deep mind that far surpasses ordinary people, the three of them might be able to fight on equal terms... But Shiina Tatsuki, who is very expressive of her emotions and has no ability to hide them, simply does not have the ability to participate in this level of competition.

Fortunately, as the boy had said before, this was just a little entertainment for the sake of passing the journey, and there was no need to take it too seriously and make it a matter of winning or losing.

When Shiina Riki accepted her defeat and the penalty of being the loser, softly humming a popular song, everyone kindly clapped and swayed to the rhythm, cheering her on afterward. This brightened the girl's face, which had darkened with defeat.

Taking the initiative to shuffle the cards, Shiina Tatsuki awkwardly spun the deck around in her hands, her purplish-red pupils fixed on the red and white patterns on the cards. A hint of awkward sullenness appeared on her usually aloof and serious, beautiful face.

Clearly, she was still somewhat resentful of her defeat. Unwilling to take her anger out on her close teammates, the young woman could only silently sulk.

But she quickly rallied and, with a determined expression, handed the shuffled deck to Yuan Xudou.