By the time she arrived at school the next day, Nao's mood was still surprisingly upbeat.
She stepped into the academic building and pulled her shoes from the locker. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
That was good. If she'd been marked as livestock, she'd have to stay alert for things like razor blades in her shoes. It wasn't unheard of.
And even if something like that did happen to a livestock, the Student Council wouldn't so much as bat an eye. In this academy, livestock had no human rights.
That's right—at Hyakkaou Private Academy, the teachers were practically invisible. They held no real authority and existed solely to teach their classes.
The entire institution was governed by the Student Council, which acted as the supreme ruling body of the school.
The academy had a long and storied history, with deep-rooted ties to elite figures in both political and business circles. Naturally, this was because most Student Council members, past and present, came from immensely wealthy and powerful families.
In short, the Student Council had enough influence to dictate the entire course of a student's life. And that—being completely controlled—is a fate even worse than becoming livestock.
Rumor had it that some livestock, buried in debt and unable to repay it, would eventually receive something called a "Life Plan." Their future occupation, who they would marry, when to have children, and how many—every aspect of their lives was dictated by the Council, down to the smallest detail.
As she mused over the tragic fate of livestock, Nao caught a glimpse—someone was standing hesitantly nearby, clearly wanting to speak.
"Ah, sorry," Nao said, snapping back to reality and stepping away from the locker.
A glance told her it was someone familiar: long, deep blue hair that flowed down to her waist, delicate features, and a white hairclip adorned with a cute little flower. She looked timid and uncertain, her demeanor lacking confidence.
This was Hanatemari Kaguro, the quintessential traditional heroine—kind, gentle, compassionate. But she was utterly hopeless at gambling and painfully shy. If not for Nao's intervention in the original storyline, she would've been one of Aipuxin's bullying victims, reduced to livestock status.
Maybe Nao's presence had changed things. No one seemed to be paying much attention to Hanatemari anymore—she'd escaped that tragic fate.
"Um, Nao… is it okay if I call you that?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
Hanatemari bit her lip, hesitating. "Yesterday, you were amazing. Turning the game around and beating Aipuxin in one go…"
"Uh…"
Nao quickly opened her Affection screen. Oddly enough, even though they'd never spoken before, Hanatemari already had 5 points of affection toward her.
Could it be that seeing Nao win yesterday had sparked some admiration?
A blind box with that kind of affection level? She had to capitalize on this. Nao immediately gave her warmest, most charming smile. "I just got lucky, that's all."
A strategy began forming in Nao's head. Capturing Hanatemari would be simple. She was terrible at gambling—just encourage her to give it a shot. Once she inevitably lost and faced the risk of becoming livestock, Nao could swoop in as the savior. Nothing like helping someone at rock bottom to boost those affection points.
"But you know," Nao added thoughtfully, "I realized something. If you're not willing to take risks—if you don't have the courage—you'll never make it in this school."
Hanatemari fell silent, clearly moved by Nao's words. She murmured something under her breath, then slowly nodded, a spark of resolve lighting up in her eyes. "I get it now. I've always avoided gambling because I was afraid of losing… but that's not the way."
"Thank you, Nao."
Nao gave her a look of heartfelt encouragement. "That's right, Kaguro. March forward—toward victory."
Just… try not to lose too badly.
By the time the morning classes ended, Nao hadn't yet decided which cafeteria to eat at. But Aipuxin showed up again, like clockwork.
"Nao, let's have lunch together!"
Not this again.
"Uh, but I already promised Kaguro I'd eat with her." Nao wasn't particularly eager to spend time with Aipuxin. The way she looked at Nao was always… off.
Aipuxin repeated the name, a tinge of frost in her voice. "Hanatemari Kaguro?"
"Hanatemari. That's right."
Hanatemari hadn't even registered what was happening yet. She was the kind of girl who never turned anyone down—especially not someone she liked.
"Ah… yeah."
Under the silent pressure of Aipuxin's glare, Nao gently tugged Hanatemari away and made their exit.
After a simple lunch, Nao said her goodbyes and went off to find a quiet classroom to nap in.
During breaks, the school transformed into a gambling arena, so it wasn't exactly easy to find an empty classroom.
She eventually found a peaceful spot and decided to use her last remaining EXP to draw a card. Just one shot left—please, let it be something powerful.
System: Congratulations, Host. You've drawn the special ability card: Allure.
Nao: Not this thing again!
At this point, she only had one Allure card left.
Wait—there was still that orange blind box she'd gotten from Ikoma Moa. Maybe that would have something useful.
She rubbed her hands together and popped it open.
System: Congratulations, Host. You've received the special medicine Beauty & Fitness Pill! Taking it will enhance your base charm and improve physical strength. Transforms you into a high-performance velvet ball.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Nao was now fully convinced—half the stuff from the system was made purely for flirting purposes.
The worst part? She hadn't even seduced that many girls yet. No point buffing her physical stats just for fun.
Still, a blind box was a blind box. With a heavy sigh, she swallowed the pill.
When she returned to the classroom, Hanatemari was sitting at her desk, completely deflated. Her head hung low, and her aura was practically invisible. Aipuxin stood nearby, looking smug and self-satisfied.
"What a pathetic performance," Aipuxin sneered. "Lost all your money that easily? You'll probably be livestock by the end of the month."
This… probably had nothing to do with Nao. In the original story, Aipuxin had bullied Hanatemari too.
"Nao…" Hanatemari looked up and froze when she saw her.
Had Nao… gotten even prettier in the last few hours?
System: Because she thinks you look beautiful, Hanatemari Kaguro's affection increased by 2.
System: Because she thinks you look beautiful, Aipuxin's affection increased by 2.
Seriously? You're all just a bunch of looks-obsessed degenerates.
To be fair, the pill only made her skin a bit fairer and her aura more elegant.
But skin like porcelain could hide a thousand flaws. A beauty upgrade, even a small one, made a real difference.
"Nao… I lost."
"Ah, don't let it get to you. Everyone loses sometimes."
But her first gamble ending in total defeat had clearly shaken Hanatemari.
"How much did you lose?"
"Five hundred thousand yen," she whispered. "Everything I had. I won't be able to pay the dues at the end of the month."
Nao: …
Young lady, how are you so bold? It was your first time gambling and you staked your entire fortune?!
Aipuxin stepped forward. "Hey, Nao, looks like Kaguro's gonna be livestock next month. Nothing fun about hanging out with someone like that, right?"
"Oh? And what are you getting at?"
Noting the cold edge in Nao's tone, Aipuxin simply smiled. "If you feel bad for her, why not try to win the money back from me?"
"You two are close, aren't you? I'm sure a real friend would help out in a situation like this."
Danger!
Nao finally realized—everything Aipuxin had done, her true aim, had always been Nao.
She hadn't given up on turning Nao into her exclusive pet. By bankrupting Hanatemari, she was trying to lure Nao into a trap—a carefully prepared gambling match.
Currently, Nao only had a single Allure card and the seven or eight man left from the Ikoma match. There was still that 1 million yen in system storage, but she didn't want to touch it unless absolutely necessary.
So should she decline?
Of course not. Whether it was for Aipuxin's affection or Hanatemari's, she couldn't run away now.
"Alright. Let's do it. What are we gambling?"
The moment Nao agreed, Aipuxin's face bloomed into a triumphant grin—like a predator watching its prey take the bait.
Hanatemari looked equally stunned. They'd only met yesterday—why would Nao go so far to help her?
System: Because you accepted the match, Aipuxin's affection +1.
System: Because you stood up for Hanatemari, her affection +5.
System: Hanatemari Kaguro's affection has reached 12. You've earned a red blind box.
Nao opened it immediately—and out spilled a stack of cards.
System: Congratulations, Host! Jackpot! You've received 10 special ability cards: Allure!
Nao: …
I'm done. I'm not even going to comment anymore.
Whatever. Maybe I'll just seduce Aipuxin to death at the gambling table.