“Hmm…”

The opponent only had 12 chips, and he went all in?

‘It doesn’t matter to me.’

I tilted my head slightly and spoke.

“You can take your time.”

“Come on, we’ve been playing for a while now.”

“Yeah, dude! Why are you checking when you know better? Just end it since you went all in!”

The guys from the Department of Public Administration drummed the table.

The student from the Department of Magic laughed and explained.

“I mean, the max for the first bet is 2 chips! You’re going to call anyway, so what difference does it make if I check or if I add 4 more chips to the pot? And remember, you guys also checked at the start~?”

So, that’s why he went all in.

Going all in was allowed, but otherwise, you could only bet 2 chips for the first bet. That was the rule I had read initially.

If it were his second turn, he would have raised 10 chips to match my bet, but it’s his first turn. He can only bet 2 chips.

I wouldn’t raise without chips, so the pot for one round would be a mere 4 chips.

That’s what happened in the third round.

So, he went all in.

‘He must be eager to finish quickly.’

In this case, unless I fold, he would end up with a total of 122 chips.

“So, what are you going to do? Fold?”

“No.”

I pushed the chips in front of me.

“Let’s keep going.”

For a moment, I saw the opponent’s eyes waver.

Then he smirked and turned his head.

* * *

“Let’s keep going.”

Lucas Askanian pushed all his remaining chips toward the table.

‘That’s strange.’

Why would he stay so calm when he’s clearly going to lose?

Well, that’s how it’s been all along. It’s not surprising now.

I looked at his face and asked.

“You seem tired. We’ve been at it for a while, haven’t we?”

“Not really.”

“…….”

Not very sociable, is he?

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

“I’ll reveal the cards.”

The dealer announced, and we turned our cards over.

J, K, J, 8, J, 3, 6.

The suits didn’t match meaningfully, but there was a triple with three Js.

The dealer looked at my cards and said.

“It’s a triple J.”

Since Askanian had one J, a four of a kind was impossible.

I actually wanted to aim higher, hoping for a full house, a combination of 3-2, meaning a triple with a pair….

‘Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. But getting a triple is still good.’

I rested my chin in my hand and watched as Askanian turned over his cards.

‘Q, 2, J… and Q.’

There was another hidden Q.

So he had a pair of Qs.

I understand why he was so confident.

A Q pair is rated higher than a J pair.

‘Simple.’

The kind who doesn’t consider what might be hidden.

It’s not surprising since he showed the same attitude throughout the dozens of rounds we played.

But no matter what, a triple beats any pair.

“Oh!”

While I was lost in thought, a friend jumped up from his seat.

“It’s a Q and 2 two pair? No way! Wait a minute, oh my God…!”

What does it matter if it’s a two pair when I have a triple….

Just as I relaxed my chin to look at his hand, the dealer spoke up.

“It’s a full house with Q-2.”

“…!”

A full house on his side?

In shock, I leaned on the table to get up, causing the chips I had placed to topple over.

Clatter―

‘That means my chips…!’

The pot of 35 chips on the table and the 75 chips I had left were all transferred to Askanian, totaling 110 chips.

One of my friends smacked my back.

“Hey, why did you go all in?!”

“Why didn’t you check and take him down in the 4th round…!”

Still expressionless, Askanian sat with his arms crossed, staring down at his cards. Then he looked up and smiled.

“That makes my chips 122, right?”

“…….”

“That’s correct.”

While we were dumbfounded, the dealer nodded. Then, to wrap up the game, he delivered the final line.

“The final winner is Lucas Askanian, the first poker champion of the morning!”

Bang―!

He shouted downstairs to the first floor and pulled out a paper firecracker from his pocket. Askanian seemed surprised by this unexpected celebration, looking at the student with an incredulous expression.

“Don’t worry. We’ll handle the cleaning.”

“…Oh, okay… sure.”

“So, how do you feel? We’re about to put your name up.”

“My thoughts? I was surprised that everyone had more perseverance than I thought…”

Perseverance?

I frowned at the absurdity of it all.

Then something suddenly dawned on me.

No way….

‘Was he waiting for us to tire out all along?’

It might be overestimating him, but if everything he did, from bluffing with weak hands, raising after consecutive folds, and calling my reckless raises, was all to shatter our guard….

Then I understand why he took such risks every time.

It was a strategy to survive thin and long until the end.

‘By doing so, he could make his moves unpredictable when luck came his way.’

If you wait, luck is bound to come at some point. And that point was now.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I thought he was just doing it because he was out of his mind….

Askanian, with his chin resting on his hand, smiled at us, not the dealer.

“Thanks to you, I had fun, seniors.”

“…Huh.”

His name glowed with magic on the first floor visible below the stairs.

Askanian nodded and then stood up, passing by us.

* * *

“Wow, I knew you’d win!”

“Knew you’d win? You were biting your nails the whole time.”

Elias and Leo lightly bickered behind me.

I brushed off the confetti sticking to my clothes and exited the building.

My name was briefly displayed on the hall’s list, but I asked them to take it down. As a result, it wasn’t completely erased but kept anonymous.

I checked the probability of change once again after stepping out, but there was no change.

“Did you see that 3rd-year guy’s smirk when he showed the triple? Man, I wanted to punch him, but Luca took care of it.”

“…‘That guy’? He’s the vice class president of the 2nd class, 3rd year. We might run into him later, so don’t let that get back to him.”

“What, you saw him often in the student council?”

“I saw him occasionally until last year.”

“Really? Oh, anyway, I should’ve taken a photo of their faces earlier!”

Elias shook his head, chuckling.

Hearing his distinctive laughter, Leo laughed along.

“I know, right.”

“Huh?”

“…What do you take me for, Luca and you? I can think like you guys do.”

Leo shrugged with a small smile.

“What, did Luca have something to say to you?”

“When the art club offered another stamp for drawing, I sketched it out, and they seemed surprised.”

“That’s because they didn’t expect such a trick to work.”

I answered simply.

No need to elaborate. Elias’ attention had already shifted elsewhere.

“Oh, they give two stamps? I should check it out.”

So, in five minutes, we left the exhibition hall again.

Elias, having gotten the stamp, glanced at the visitors’ paintings and asked.

“So, which ones are yours? Oh, here’s Leo’s painting.”

Elias pointed out a picture of Pai.

Since I went to look for Elias earlier, Pai hadn’t seen Leo’s drawing and stood up on my shoulder.

“Is that me?! Is it me?”

Before I could respond, Pai jumped onto Leo’s shoulder.

“…Can you recognize his drawings?”

Leo gently removed Pai from his neck and placed him on his shoulder. It seemed like he was holding Pai, but it was just his short arms; he seemed to be hugging him.

‘He’s learned human expressions….’

Maybe he picked it up from living with humans instead of his kind.

“Did he recognize it? The rabbit seems happy. So where’s Luca’s picture?”

At Elias’ question, I pointed to a picture pinned in the center of the wall.

“Here.”

“Oh.”

Elias squinted, tilting his head as if at a loss for words, and gestured with his hand.

“Okay, I see it. It’s unique.”

“…….”

His expression was nice, but it didn’t seem like a compliment from his gestures.

“It’s pretty ordinary. Look around.”

“What’s this, though? The kid has thorns.”

“Looks like a lion at a glance.”

“Huh?”

Leo reacted strangely to my reply.

“…….”

What am I supposed to say?

Leaving Elias doubled over with laughter, I just walked outside. Leo shouted at my back.

“Hold on, Lucas! I wasn’t going to say anything! You’re not the only one who drew like that, so don’t worry. Besides, we don’t even have an art subject.”

Mocking me….

His habit of saying whatever came to mind was showing again.

Elias laughed even harder.

It was true I was never strong in music or art, so it was fortunate I wasn’t in physical education.

I gestured to Elias, who was now sitting at the entrance, and Leo, who had followed us out.

“Enough. Let’s do something else.”

* * *

It’s time to find Narce.

After a quick meal and buying Pai a snack, it was already close to 1 PM.

There’s still plenty of time since the play is at 10 PM, but since Narce has a leading role, it’s safe to find her early, considering rehearsal time.

As I contemplated sending Pai again, Elias pointed to a booth just opening. It was a shooting range set up in a spacious public training ground.

“Want to try that?”

“What about your crutches?”

“Aha~”

In response to Leo, Elias clicked his tongue as if tired of the leg situation. Then he shook his head and approached the booth, inspecting the fake gun.

“This is a Gewehr knockoff. I remember getting in trouble for using magic to lift it about 5 years ago because it was heavy.”

“…….”

Leo shook his head at Elias’ choice of words.

The workmanship is low; it seems to be a mere toy made to look similar.

When I picked up the gun, Leo widened his eyes.

“What, you’re trying too?”

“Yeah. It’ll just be a moment anyway.”

“We’ve got time, so it’s fine, but do you know how to handle it?”

As I wondered if this was another jab, I recalled that Luca was 17 years old.

‘No way.’

The ruling family members enlist and train every vacation from a young age, so about half the students in the 2nd Academy’s Department of Magic know how to handle old weapons.

The problem is that Luca couldn’t go to the military.

That’s unusual for a mage from a ruling family.

Even if it’s just a toy, it’s better not to attract suspicion by doing something questionable.

After deciding, I handed the gun over to Leo and walked away.

“You’re right; I don’t know. You do it.”

“What?”

I gestured to Leo and stepped back.

With a grim face, Leo took the safety gear from the student in the booth and started shooting.

His accuracy was pretty high, even with the old-style training he occasionally participated in.

‘Maybe I should look for Narce.’

As I was about to ask Pai once more, he raised his arm and pointed into the distance.

At the same time, someone turned their head to look at us.

“Lucas! Fancy meeting you here~”

Narce handed the gun back to the student in the booth and smiled brightly.

Pai shouted.

“Narce~!”

“Hi, Pai~ Oh, I was supposed to buy you a snack. Let’s go get some later.”

“I already bought him one.”

“Oh, really? Thanks.”

But….

I glanced at Narce’s spot and asked.

“…Can you do this?”

“Hmm? It’s fine~ No one knows.”

I laughed incredulously.

Enjoying yourself on an exchange visit, aren’t you?

“So, how many did you hit?”

“I missed them all. Oh, I think I could adjust if I tried a bit more. As expected, the Knight Department kids sweep the prizes.”

“Really? I guess it’s because they’ve been doing it since they were young.”

“Right! Haha, I only held a wand all my life, but it’s so different.”

Narce laughed as she watched the crowd gather.

Then she asked me.

“By the way, you have something to say to me today, right?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep