You were silent the whole time you were at your class, like you'd always do, yet you kept throwing glares at Sayaka. You shook your head and looked away. It wasn't her fault why your legs ached, it was the twins' fault because they didn't drive her out of the office immediately.
You readied your things once the bell rang. Like the usual, you'd just wait at the parking lot for the twins, not to stay because you didn't want to gamble or to watch people gamble.
You received a text message from Ririka telling you to go to the office again. You texted back a no and went out of the classroom. You didn't want to be in a compromising situation again. Your phone vibrated and lighted up. A message from your only friend, other than the twins, popped up on the screen.
[ Y/N! Come at the usual spot, I got something to tell you ]
You laughed at the message from Mary Saotome. Yes, your friends with one of the quite famous student of the academy. And that was what she would always tell you when she wanted to meet up with you. She wouldn't just tell you directly that she missed you and wanted to see you.
You didn't have to reply and went on your way to that usual spot where Mary was waiting. And that spot was at the back of the building where an abandoned garden was.
And there was the blonde girl waiting for you. "Mary!" You exclaimed and ran to hug her. It had been four days since you last saw her because the twins had you occupied that the only thing you could do was to text your friend.
"Stop hugging me!" She tried to push you away, but you only tightened the hug. "Seriously? You're just like that Jabami girl."
You pulled away and looked at her. "Jabami? Who's that?" You asked out of curiosity.
"A transfer student. The reason why I have this," she said while raising something. And you had just noticed a familiar necklace hanging from her slender neck. The necklace of a housepet.
You balled your hand in a fist as your right hand gripped the necklace from her hold. You couldn't believe your eyes. One of the best non-council member gambler now had a housepet necklace because of a transfer student. A part of you believed that she deserved it after mistreating the housepets herself. But you just couldn't believe that she lost.
"A transfer student?" You looked at her in disbelief. "You lost only to a transfer student?! Did the tricks under your sleeve run out?! You have many ways to cheat on a gamble!"
Mary lowered her head and looked at the ground. "I know. I-I underestimated her. She was a freak. A gambling freak who didn't play for money, but only for pleasure." She gripped the hem of her skirt. "I'll get back on her," she said in gritted teeth.
"Don't think about getting back on her now. Think of how to pay off your debt. Speaking of that, how much do you owe her?"
"8.8 million yen," she said in a low voice.
You gasped and sat beside her on the old bench as your legs weakened. "Are you kidding me?"
"Unfortunately not."
The both of you fell into complete silence. You didn't move when Mary leaned on your shoulder. You snaked your arm around her waist as you tried to think of ways on how to help her. You couldn't help her monetarily because you didn't have much yourself. The only thing you could do was to convince Kirari to not make a life plan for her, if that would be possible.
"What are you going to do now? How can you pay your debt? Why did you even let yourself lose?" You continued on scolding her like a mother who caught her child did something wrong.
She interrupted you, "wait, you're not wearing your usual perfume. You smell different." She sat up and faced you, looking at you up and down. "The blazer is familiar. Is that... the president's?"
You mentally cursed. Of course, Kirari's blazer had different design from the others! Why did I even accept it? "W-what nonsense are you talking about?"
"This isn't the usual blazer. It's hers, I know it!" She squinted her eyes on you. "Why are you wearing that?"
"Why don't you just think of ways on how to solve your problem instead of pouring your attention on my blazer?" You evaded her question. You didn't want to answer her. You didn't want anyone to know your relationship with the Momobami twins. But these days, those two had become more reckless, unconsciously making your relationship noticeable.
"Ah, I don't know what to do!" She exclaimed.
You felt your phone vibrated, you immediately knew it was from Ririka since there were no one else who knew your number. "Just go home and rest. I'll think of ways to help you," you assured her.
You walked her to the gates before you walked to the parking lot where the twins waited for you inside the limousine. You made sure no one was watching when you entered the vehicle.
"Where were you?" Ririka asked as soon as you entered.
"With Mary. Am I right?" Kirari answered her twin in your stead, her eyes not leaving the papers on her lap.
"About Mary.." You trailed off.
Kirari looked at you with a smirk on her lips. "What about Saotome?" She asked even if you both knew that she already had an idea.
