Gambling In Love

Chapter 23: Getting To Know You

"Huh?" Mary asked, surprised.

"I asked if you'd be my girlfriend," Yumeko repeated as she kissed Mary's cheek.

"You idiot," Mary said as she rolled her eyes. Yumeko's face fell momentarily before Mary kissed Yumeko as passionately as she could. When she dramatically pulled away from the kiss, making a popping sound as she did, she finally said, "Of course I'll be your girlfriend."

"Don't scare me like that," Yumeko complained as she crossed her arms.

"Did you think after all the work and confessing I did to make our relationship a reality I'd just turn you down?" Mary asked as she laughed a little, "You really are an idiot."

"Hmph," Yumeko huffed, "At least I'm not short."

"Here we go again," Mary rolled her eyes, "It's one inch, Yumeko. One inch!"

"Dinner!" they heard Mary's mom yell from downstairs.

"That still makes you shorter," Yumeko said confidently as she stood up.

"You suck," Mary complained as she got up as well, following Yumeko to the kitchen.

When they got to the kitchen, Atari gave them a knowing look that had Mary looking at the ground and Yumeko fighting the urge to laugh. At this rate, she wondered how Mary could still possibly be embarrassed. This had to be their... third time getting walked in on? And it's not like they were naked or anything.

When they all sat down and Amaya put food on the table, everyone took their portions of food and began eating. None of them were really religious, so they didn't bother praying or anything of the sorts.

"How's the election going?" Mary's mother was the first to speak. She had been made aware of the gamble between the sisters, and while she didn't approve, it's not like she was their mother. What say did she have? Even if she did have a say, for the two of them, it was like a proper way of refamiliarizing themselves with the current versions of them. After all, even she knew that gambling was a game of reading each other, and to do that, you needed to understand your opponent.

Apart from the sisters, she also knew that her daughter was invested in the election. She wasn't sure what her daughter's exact motive was, but she was happy to see her putting serious effort into it, even if it was centered around something like gambling.

"Actually," Mary muttered, mostly in realization, "We haven't really been applying ourselves."

"I heard Kirari's offering up her seat as head of the clan," Atari said as she ate, "I wouldn't be surprised if the clan's fighting amongst themselves."

"Shouldn't that also include Yumeko?" Mary's mother asked.

"Theoretically," Atari offered with a kind of so-so look, "but as far as I know, they didn't even know she existed."

"I gambled with them once at the Momobami mansion," Yumeko told her sister.

"Really? That's a bold move, even for George," Atari said thoughtfully.

"He introduced me as a Jabami as well which was most surprising," Yumeko nodded, her face sharing the same look of thoughtfulness.

"Either way, they probably don't see you as much of a threat, especially if they know about the deal we made with George," Atari concluded.

"What did you agree on, anyway?" Mary asked, finally joining the discussion. All that had been said up to this point were things Mary was already aware of, so she merely spectated as she ate.

"Something about not holding a grudge, basically," Yumeko summarized.

"Although, surely he doesn't expect me to just forgive and forget," Atari hissed, "He definitely didn't."