The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 80: Betting My Life for One Day of Your Time

"Yomozuki-senpai, is this really your final move? Honestly, I'm a little disappointed." Shunsuke turned his head to look at Runa.

"Ah, Shun-kun, what are you talking about? I don't know them at all." Runa placed the dice cup on the table, her expression innocent. "Come on, place your bets. Don't think that just by saying this, the game will end."

At her signal, the two girls quickly retreated and disappeared into the crowd.

Ryota's face was filled with suppressed anger and helplessness, but he glanced worriedly at Shunsuke.

In the beginning, the protagonist's only redeeming quality might have been his kindness, but unfortunately, that didn't apply to Shunsuke, another man.

Shunsuke squinted his eyes, playing with the chips in his hand. "Since Yomozuki-senpai holds herself in such high regard, how about this? I'll bet my entire life against... your time for one day... no, three days... actually, let's make it a week. How does that sound?"

Having tasted success, Shunsuke wasn't about to stop.

However, considering Suzuna's inexperience and inability to handle heavy tasks, and feeling reluctant to make her limp around on his errands, he couldn't use her for now.

Rui was temporarily out of reach too, leaving him to focus on the gamblers around him.

This was one of the reasons he came to Hyakkaou Academy.

Yes, one of the secondary reasons.

Unfortunately, aside from Yumeko Jabami and Kirari Momobami, no matter how insane the others seemed, they weren't truly obsessed with gambling for gambling's sake.

As for Midari Ikishima, she was just obsessed with dying and didn't care about winning or losing, barely qualifying as a gambler at all.

So, when faced with Shunsuke, who was clearly at a disadvantage but still wagered his entire life, Runa began to sweat profusely.

—What the hell? What is this? Why is he still raising the stakes? Is he crazy?

—A bluff? Could it be a bluff? Is he trying to make me doubt myself and find a way to end this game?

—No, that's not it. Maybe he's doing this on purpose, trying to make me overthink. He's gambling on this!

Panting heavily, Runa couldn't wrap her head around it.

What gave Fujii Shunsuke the confidence to go this far?

How could he dare?

"Hey, Yomozuki-senpai, haven't you made up your mind yet? You're in a great position right now. What's there to be afraid of?" Shunsuke acted like a classic villain blocking the exit. "If a week is too much, how about three days? Still no? Then surely, one day of complete control isn't too much to ask.

"No matter how precious you think you are, no matter how prestigious your family background, compared to me—a future literary giant who's already earning millions at my age—this is a deal you can't refuse."

"Oh, and don't worry. I won't touch your money or belongings, nor will I leave any permanent damage. After all, I'm not a demon."

At this point, Ryota, who had been looking at Shunsuke with a worried expression, shifted his concern elsewhere.

It was clear that, in this moment, he was nothing more than a useless extra.

Runa was being cornered.

In this school, anyone who dared not gamble was essentially no better than livestock.

Even if they weren't labeled as such, their status was indistinguishable.

No one would give even a shred of respect to someone like that.

Let alone Runa, a member of the student council. If she backed down here, her future as one of the school's elite predators would be over.

—But I don't even gamble in the first place!

Runa suddenly realized a key point.

As an absolutely neutral dealer, gambling wasn't her role.

She was merely the one who shook the dice cup—a facilitator, not a participant.

Why was he challenging her?

What could she even bet?

Dealers don't gamble!

A referee stepping into the game?

What would that leave the other players with?

That's simply not how it works!

It was a sneaky argument, but it worked. And so, Runa...

"Fine, let's gamble. Your life—I'll squeeze every bit of value out of it until there's nothing left!"

—It's just one day of control, after all. Besides, this guy is someone the president personally favors, and he's so handsome. No matter the outcome, I'm not losing here!

Taking a step back, Runa suddenly felt a sense of liberation, as if she had opened the door to a new world.

If Shunsuke were truly a villain, Runa might have discovered yet another layer to her "new world."

Unfortunately for her, Shunsuke wasn't that kind of person—he didn't enjoy letting others use what was his.

With just a few sharp words, he had completed the work of a "King," feeling immensely satisfied.

Then, he stopped time.

However, the situation inside the dice cup was strange.

The five dice were stacked on top of each other in a chaotic manner, showing different numbers on each face.

The topmost die, though, displayed a six.

—What kind of trick is this?

Shunsuke was puzzled.

At the final round, was she trying to show off some flashy technique?

Could it be she suspected someone had tampered with his ability to listen for the dice's movement or observe her shaking method, so she just shook them randomly?

Such an idea was laughable.

Rubbing his chin, Shunsuke focused on the bottommost die.

It was likely the key to her strategy.

After he placed his bet, she could manipulate the bottom die, causing the stack to collapse.

The dice would scatter randomly, creating a gambling scenario of pure chance—a fate that no one could predict.

It seemed Runa lacked confidence in herself, opting to rely on true probabilities to decide the outcome: 50.008% to 49.992%. No wonder she had hesitated earlier—this was pure luck, a coin toss.

For skilled players who could rely on their abilities or cheating to guarantee victory, such randomness might be hard to accept.

Admittedly, the move was clever.

But to abandon the hard-earned advantage she had manipulated into place—was she being cautious or bold?

Perhaps this was the nature of a gambler, the essence of gambling's allure.

Unfortunately, Shunsuke had no desire to experience it.

With Star Platinum at his disposal, he was destined never to feel the thrill of uncertainty.

In this regard, he was a mere ordinary person, detached and unaffected because he believed he could never lose.

To outsiders, however, he appeared to be a relentless, crazed gambler.

Once Runa agreed, Shunsuke, from an observer's perspective, wasted no time pushing all his chips onto "Small."

After placing his bet, as expected, when Ryota reached for the dice cup, the bottom die flipped over, revealing a 4.

"Clatter!"

The stack collapsed.

The dice bounced and rolled before settling to reveal their final numbers.

4, 6, 4, 3, 5—Big.

Runa's expression twisted for a brief moment into a smile, but the very next second, that smile froze on her face.

Just as the dice were about to settle, Shunsuke stopped time once again. Using Star Platinum, he flicked three of the dice gently.

"Tap. Tap. Tap."

The three dice shifted ever so slightly, flipping to new faces.

4, 2, 1, 3, 3—Small.

When time resumed, the dice settled into their final positions, and the outcome was clear.

Once again, the victory belonged to Fujii Shunsuke.

He patted his thigh casually and said, "Yomozuki-senpai, come here."

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