Top. (Reader x Various Kakegurui)

75: You Are A Plague

"You are a plague! On all of us!" Sayaka thought back to the conversation-- nay,  one-sided argument-- she had had with Yumeko Jabami "You drag people into a morass of gambling just for your own personal entertainment! Yuriko, Midari, Yumemi and Kaede-- all incredibly talented people! All put in positions where they couldn't afford to lose! But all of them were lured in by your siren song! They lost themselves and had to taste defeat! You drive people to the brink of insanity! You take away all their pride! And drive them to destruction like a plague!

"The plague, huh?" Yumeko smiled "Me?"

"President! This woman needs to go! Expulsion, suspension, bribery, coercion-- Anything is fine! We have to kick her out of this school! You saw how she upset the princess! This woman..." Sayaka pointed at Yumeko. "Is destroying the academy you love!"

But Kirari had other plans.

"Kick her out?" Kirari giggled. "Kick her out, you say? Sayaka, you always have a way of striking at the heart of things. How... So incredibly like you. But there's no need for such drastic measures. Only through gambling can a true gambler validate her existence. Am I right?"

It was now Kirari's turn to take the floor.

"Gambling only works if both sides agree to it. If there's no opponent, there's no game. Even if you force it, if your foe's unwilling, all it is, is extortion. The 'public matches' are the same. Council members agree to those terms when they take the post. If they don't like it, they can always leave." Kirari explained artfully. "Every gamble is based on a common agreement. In other words, Yumeko... it'd be easy to kill you. All we need to do is make sure nobody will play with you."

She smirked, knowingly as she continued speaking.

"You are too good... not just at gambling but right at your roots. You aren't satisfied unless you and your foe both take risks. That's not something just anyone could do. So all I have to do is prod you a bit." She waved her hands for emphasis. "If I say 'no gambling with Yumeko Jabami' that's all it'll take for everyone to shun you. And with the student council president's word behind them, nobody would dare accept your invite. Theyre scared of getting destroyed. And that'll be the end for you. Your unfulfilled urges will eat at your very soul. It'll kill you in the end! That... is the way we can destroy you, Yumeko."

Sayaka shook her head as she remembered the next words out of the president's mouth.

"But... I can't let that happen." She placed her hand on her heart. "It's simply because I have a deep love for Hyakkaou Academy. All you have is yourself in this Garden of Eden, removed from the outside world's rules. The only principle here is survival of the fittest... via gambling. That's why I love it so much. Without that, everything would lose its meaning. Currently, Hyakkaou Academy is an aquarium I've crafted for myself. I was waiting for an opportunity to swim in it and Yumeko has created just that. With the Princess out to take care of her precious man-child, I have time to play. If I created all this... why would I possibly want to tear it all down? Anything else you want to do is fine... But! I absolutely forbid you to take away the gamble itself."