Chapter 82: Bet
“(ㆆ_ㆆ), Is something wrong, Miss Momoka?”
“I told you not to call me by my first name.” (Momoka)
“Considering there are three Miss Kibershades, it’s hard for me to comply with that unreasonable request.”
“Grr! Fine, do whatever you want. You’re just a show-off anyway. I bet you’ve been playing this for a long time and were just playing dumb.” (Momoka)
“No. Miss Shiro is the first person I’ve played this game with, which, in the end, turned out not to be all that great. (ㆆ_ㆆ)”
“💢 Do you think you’re such a big deal just because you beat Shiro? Let me tell you, she’s never been any good at this.” (Momoka)
“ಠิ_ಠ, are you by any chance implying that you are better than Miss Shiro?”
“What’s with that face? Tsk. That’s exactly what I’m saying. It’s annoying hearing you talk all that shit just because you can beat Shiro, who’s low-level at this.”(Momoka)
“Well, I see you don’t hesitate to look down on your beloved little sister. Anyway, may I say a few honest words that might sound a little rude?”
“I don’t look down on Shiro! I just said that… ugh! Whatever. Say whatever you want, but I’m warning you to think about every word before you say it.” (Momoka)
“Yeah, to be completely honest, you don’t seem very capable of anything other than using brute force. In case you didn’t get it, you come across as a musclehead who settles everything with violence, and asking you for any kind of reasoning or deep thought seems like a futile task.”
“💢💢💢 I told you that—grrr!… You’re just a little know-it-all who only knows how to talk, and you really need someone to put you in your place. Shiro, step aside. I’m going to teach this guy a thing or two.”(Momoka)
“S-sis, v-violence isn’t—” (Mashiro)
“Damn it!, why are you so determined to defend this piece of trash!? Grrr… and I’m not going to hit him. The best way to deal with charlatans like him is to take them down in the very thing they’re most confident about.” (Momoka)
“Oh! For the first time, I agree with you, Miss Momoka. That’s a good way to bring someone down to earth who thinks they’re above everyone else.”
“💢 Enough talk. Let’s just play.” (Momoka)
Making her angry really was effective.
“All right, go ahead. I’ll let you go first.”
“Grr… fine.” (Momoka)
..
.
“I won. Let’s see if you can repeat what you said earlier.” (Momoka)
Her skill level was, in fact, far above Shiro’s.
Her planning and strategy slowly led to my defeat, without me being able to do anything about it.
Even so…
“Yeah, you’re right. You’re definitely better than Miss Shiro, but it’s no big deal.”
“💢” (Momoka)
“Huh? What’s wrong, Miss Momoka? Do you have a problem with what I said?”
“Nothing that’s any of your business.” (Momoka)
“Well, it’s not like I care, even if you do.”
“💢💢” (Momoka)
“By the way, I’ve noticed that your face flushes easily when you get angry, and sometimes your veins bulge. I also offer massages for those kinds of problems. I think you have poor blood circulation and that the blood always rushes to your head.”
“The only problem I have is you.” (Momoka)
“I see. Same here. There’s also that growling you do every now and then, but that’s a problem beyond my control.”
“Shut up. You really don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you? You’re unbearable.” (Momoka)
“…Well, then, do you want to end it here and walk away proudly with your victory, or keep going and eventually be defeated by me?”
“💢💢💢 This is just getting started. I see that defeating you once isn’t enough for you to know your place.” (Momoka)
“Go ahead. We’ll see if you’re capable of living up to your words.”
..
.
“I won again. What do you have to say now, you jerk?” (Momoka)
“Hmm, I think that, actually, this game is more complex than I thought, and you’re actually very good.”
“Tsk. You’re finally starting to get the picture!” (Momoka)
“Yes, but that doesn’t change my mind. Even though it’s better than I thought, it’s still a simple game, and I’ll beat you eventually. In fact, I think I’ll win the next round.”
Honestly, she was in a whole different league compared to Shiro, and even though I did my best, she won.
Still, I’m not that far behind her level, and besides, this wasn’t just about the game itself.
It was also about understanding my opponent, and two games were enough to see how she operates.
“You really are a smooth talker.” (Momoka)
“Hmm, well, we’re about to find out. Anyway, why don’t we make a bet? Whoever has the most wins by the time your sister finishes her massage session wins. The prize is granting one of the other’s requests.”
“What are you thinking, you damn pervert?” (Momoka)
“Haaah~… You’re the only one with those thoughts. Anyway, my request is that you let me call you Momo without any honorifics. Honestly, I have no respect for you, and the only cute thing about you is that name.”
“💢 Y-you dare to—!”
Once again, thanks to Amarillys, I know she doesn’t really like her name—or rather, she doesn’t like anyone other than her family using it, especially that cute nickname, Momo.
Personally, I think it’s a very pretty name to give a daughter; the problem is that she’s making a big deal out of something that isn’t.
But the important thing is that she’s embarrassed by that, and that’s perfect for me
“What’s going on? Does it bother you? If so, all the better for a bet. A perfect punishment for a loss. Although I suppose it shouldn’t bother you, since you’re confident you’ll win, right?”
“Grrr! Fine! But if I win this, you’ll address me with absolute respect using my last name, act obligingly and without any sarcasm, and your stupid, annoying mouth won’t say anything more than necessary.” (Momoka)
“Hmm, that’s a pretty long condition, huh? But I’ll take it. If I lose, I’ll do my best to fulfill your peculiar fetish.”
“💢 Shut up and just play! I’m going to show you your damn place.” (Momoka)
All right, with everything agreed upon and settled, the third round began.
..
.
“Oh! But what’s this?… I won? Yes, just as I said I would. Do you have anything to say, Miss Momoka? Or should I start calling you Momo now?”
“Shut up!. I just let my guard down a little; you were just lucky.” (Momoka)
“Oh, I didn’t think I’d hear the typical words of a sore loser. But you know what? If you quit right now, you can technically beat me and preserve some of your fragile pride, because I assure you that continuing will only drag you down even further.”
“And you say I’m the arrogant one, you jerk!… Let’s cut the nonsense and get on with it!” (Momoka)
“As you wish.”
We both moved on to the fourth round.
..
.
I won the fourth round again, which meant we were tied.
“I swear, if you say anything, those will be your last words.” (Momoka)
As soon as I did, she set up the board again and stopped me from saying anything.
It seemed like something would actually break if I said anything.
“(‾◡◝), if you want, I can set some limits for myself.”
Even so, with her already at the limit of what seemed to be her patience, I couldn’t help but provoke her.
“You bastard! 🔥🔥” (Momoka)
I could actually feel how her eyes were so full of rage.
But she wouldn’t hurt me; if she did, it would only prove that what I said was true.
And just as I thought, she didn’t say anything else and began preparing for the fifth round.
..
.
“Ha! Your luck’s run out, you bastard.” (Momoka)
“I don’t get why every time I win, it’s considered luck. Anyway, I could say the same thing. Looks like it was your luck this time.”
“Tsk, you wish.” (Momoka)
She won the fifth round.
She’s really very good. She seemed to completely change her approach and style—something that isn’t easy to do.
Not to mention that this game really has some elements and conditions that still catch me off guard, but I definitely won’t fall for anything like that again.
I know that. Although she seems to be in a better mood now that she’s beaten me, she’s not satisfied. For her, the ideal outcome would have been to leave me without a single victory at all.
So her goal now is to keep beating me one after another. I guess it’s not a bad idea for her to get a little more cocky, since the higher you climb, the harder you fall.
The sixth round began.
..
.
“Yeah, your luck has definitely run out.” (Momoka)
“I really don’t understand how she has the nerve to say that when I was in control most of the time.”
“Tsk.” (Momoka)
The good thing is that I can see Iris’s point of view and understand how much time I had left.
Akane seemed to enjoy the massage so much that she asked for other types, both relaxing and restorative.
And even though Iris had no ulterior motives, she seemed more than happy to massage her while complimenting Akane’s toned muscles.
Those massages were more relaxed, and they started chatting with each other.
They were getting closer, which is good.
Anyway, even though there was still some time left before they finished.
This older sister was really giving me a hard time.
But, if I had to compare, she’s less skilled than my mom, and I’d already really gotten the hang of this game, so…
..
.
I won the seventh round.
“One more.” (Momoka)
As soon as we finished, she didn’t say anything else and started arranging the pieces again. Even though I still had the lead in points, I saw her clench her teeth in frustration.
She really gave it her all and even made moves she hadn’t made before. Still, I counterattacked and didn’t let her gain any advantage at all until I slowly cornered her.
It must have been one of the longest games, since she refused to give up, even though I’d basically won many moves ago.
“Sure.”
I agreed without any problem and kept smiling triumphantly. My mocking smile was really stinging her pride.
Now I know that people don’t just give off a little steam when they’re embarrassed, but also when they’re really angry.
The next round began under her menacing gaze.
..
.
“🔥皿🔥”
Her gaze was now unbearably intense, and I could even hear her grinding her teeth in anger and frustration.
The reason is that I won the eighth and ninth rounds again, putting me one win ahead of her.
Every time I won, she quickly reset the board.
She’s definitely not a good loser.
In a way, she’s like my mother-in-law—though by this point, my mother-in-law would’ve already thrown the board out the window.
Anyway, Iris’s massage was about to end, and in fact, you could already hear the two of them starting to come out.
“You make the first move.” (Momoka)
She seemed to have noticed it, too. Even so, she quickly encouraged me to start another round.
“Hee!~ Okay!!”
I didn’t say anything about what she was doing; I just smiled and went along with it without any problem.
At this point, she just wants to break the tie.
By now, I think the requirements for completing the mission are basically met…
But it never hurts to be sure.