Ch.115Rise Up, Gambling God (12)

“Aaaah!!! Shota!!! With a sweet comment that could make even men fall for him, he advances to the finals!!!”

Leaving the announcer’s shout behind, I returned to the waiting room.

And… in the waiting room, I was immediately getting scolded by my girlfriends.

“S-sorry…”

I was pinned down and buried under my girlfriends. I could feel the sensation of voluptuous buttocks pressing against me from all directions.

Wait… isn’t this supposed to be a reward? That thought did cross my mind, but the atmosphere was far too menacing for that to be the case.

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

Umi spoke in a chilling tone.

She usually just says weird things… but when she suddenly gets serious and angry, it’s terrifying!!!

“Well… I honestly don’t know.”

I spoke my true feelings. What did I do wrong, exactly?

“So you’re just mindlessly apologizing to get out of the situation without even knowing what you did wrong?”

Umi immediately put her weight on me.

“After mindlessly apologizing, next you’ll be mindlessly sticking your dick in any woman.”

Taiga added her crude insult while also putting her weight on me.

No… Taiga. What are you saying?

“Really… Shota’s problem is his lack of self-awareness. You have a talent for charming people with your words, you know?”

Eri sighed as she spoke.

“Right. Somehow when you flap your mouth, you look cool. Sneaky bastard.”

Taiga agreed with her.

“I… I only have you guys!! I have no intention of adding new harem members! Really!”

I desperately tried to reassure my girlfriends.

“Hmm… is that so?”

Eri said with a disbelieving expression.

“After already bringing in three of us, saying something like that… is a bit shameless.”

Taiga said.

“And she’s already naturally made her way into the waiting room!!!”

Umi immediately pointed to a corner of the waiting room.

There sat a kind-looking white beauty. Yes, it was Tina. She had followed us insistently, claiming she wanted to become friends with my girlfriends. Moreover, with the overwhelming friendliness typical of Westerners, she had already exchanged numbers with everyone.

“Hello, unnies.”

Tina said with a bright smile and a friendly tone.

“Who are you calling unnie?!!!”

Umi immediately got angry.

“You’re my harem seniors who became official first. Even if we’re the same age, I should call you unnie.”

Tina said.

“We haven’t let you into the harem yet, you know?”

Taiga snapped.

“That’s right. I’m not official yet. In other words, I’m a concubine, a secondary wife.”

Tina said.

Hey… she’s a foreigner but unnecessarily fluent in Japanese. How does she know words like “concubine” and “secondary wife”?

“So I’ll respect you as my seniors, okay?”

Tina said with friendly persistence.

“Hmph!! Making such irresponsible statements!! I know they’re just empty words!”

Umi fumed.

“That’s the type who gradually reveals her true intentions once she gets close.”

Eri said.

“Exactly!! She’s a big-nosed foreigner!!! She’s definitely trying to dominate our harem with talk of trade relations or whatever!! Yankee go home!!”

Taiga jeered at Tina.

Taiga… if you were born in Joseon, you’d probably be a star member of some anti-foreign influence cafe. If you were born in old Japan, you’d be advocating for expelling foreigners. You’re surprisingly conservative.

“I’m not a Yankee!!! I hate America too!!”

Tina shouted loudly.

As the argument was heating up:

“Alright!! As a concubine, you should listen to the official wife, right? My shoulders are stiff because of my large breasts. Give me a shoulder massage. Make it thorough.”

Suddenly, Umi made an unexpected proposal to Tina.

“Okay! Unnie!”

Tina immediately scurried behind Umi.

“No, you don’t really have to…”

I gave a wry smile as I pointed this out. Umi just talks nonsense whenever she opens her mouth. It’s better to filter out most of what she says.

“No! I need to earn your favor here!”

Tina smiled as she kneaded Umi’s shoulders.

“Wow… Umi has such smooth skin. And such a pretty neckline.”

Tina attempted to groom Umi while massaging her.

“Hehehehehe.”

With just that, Umi immediately melted.

“You have an amazing figure too. Do you have Western ancestors?”

Tina said with a smile.

“Well… I am pretty sexy.”

Umi immediately preened. Well… though she was boasting, it was true. Umi was literally walking sex appeal.

“Your boyfriend must adore you.”

Tina continued the massage diligently, chuckling.

“I am the most favored one!”

Umi exclaimed.

“Wow… she’s fabricating things to show off.”

Eri gave Umi a cold look.

“Umi… how shameful.”

Taiga also gave Umi a pitying look.

“I’m the real power! Ask me about anything related to the harem!”

However, Umi was already too caught up in the flattery to notice.

“Wow! I should really get on Umi unnie’s good side!”

Tina fueled Umi’s pride.

“Shota, she’s pretty decent. Maybe we should accept her as a concubine?”

Umi said with a silly grin.

Umi… you’re really such an easy woman. I thought that once again.

“Really… Shota. But think about this seriously. Though I hate to admit it, you are cool.”

Eri squatted down in front of me as she spoke. This revealed the lines of her buttocks and thighs.

I immediately buried my face between Eri’s squatting buttocks.

“Ah! Really…❤ I’m trying to have a serious conversation here!”

Eri pushed me away with a tap. Though she didn’t really dislike it.

“If you flirt with just anyone, you’ll end up like an Arab royal. Then you’ll really be dead.”

Eri said.

“Right!! Just stick with the three of us!!! For now at least!!!!”

Taiga shouted.

Umi, Eri, Taiga. Maintaining these three seemed to be the maximum compromise.

“Well… okay.”

I answered like that. I did have feelings for Tina too, but… I didn’t want to hurt the original three members.

“Sorry, Tina. I’m already taken.”

I finally said, suppressing my heavy heart.

“Hmm… can’t be helped.”

Surprisingly, Tina accepted it readily.

“Love is about timing. I’ll put joining the harem on hold for now.”

After that, Tina looked at our harem members.

“Contact me if you change your mind?”

After saying that coolly, Tina left.

She’s surprisingly considerate. She seemed pushy at first, but she wasn’t really.

“Is she… planning something?”

Taiga watched Tina’s retreating figure, still suspicious.

“Yeah. We need to be cautious.”

Eri also said with narrowed eyes.

“Why? She seems nice.”

Umi just had no thoughts. As usual.

———

After leaving the waiting room, Tina sighed.

“Well… their guard is tougher than I expected.”

She succeeded in buttering up Umi, but the others’ defenses were too strong.

“Besides, even if I join, it would be a four-person system… that’s not ideal.”

In the end, she’d only get a quarter of the attention.

“Then I’ll have to go with Plan B.”

Tina made plans after wiping the smile off her face.

“The girlfriend position might be impossible… but the mistress position is viable.”

Yes, the position of the other woman. A secret relationship different from a girlfriend, one that burns hotter because of its forbidden nature—she could establish herself in that role.

Men fundamentally seek tension, which is why the mistress position often works well.

History has proven this. Neither Yang Guifei nor Cho Sun were official wives. Yet weren’t they the most favored? Men often mistake the tension in relationships for excitement.

“According to my mommy.”

Tina’s mother, the current queen of the Neverdreaming Kingdom, had started as a mistress before becoming empress. This was according to Tina’s mother. Any objection would be considered a personal attack. Tina thought this with utmost seriousness.

She resolved to have secret meetings with Shota, satisfy him as much as possible, and gradually increase her share in his heart.

*Ding!*

Tina smiled as she sent a message to Shota.

‘Let’s meet separately later for a happy affair?’

‘❤❤❤❤❤’

Adding cute emoticons was just a bonus. With that, Tina laid her groundwork.

Tina Burst. She was a surprisingly scary girl.

——–

At that time, Saito Kana was bewildered.

“T-Tina Burst… when did she develop a connection with him?”

Honestly, Kana was shocked when she witnessed the public confession.

She knew he already had three girlfriends and was popular.

But… she didn’t expect him to charm women he had no prior connection with.

“H-he’s not even that handsome…”

Kana was confused about this point.

“Really… at this rate, you’ll end up like a dog that gave up chasing chickens.”

Tetsu looked at his granddaughter with exasperation.

“Grandpa, shut up!!”

Kana shouted back.

‘Really… why does my chest feel so tight?’

Kana felt a tingling pain in her chest as she stood up.

‘I’ll quickly beat whoever’s next and then beat the crap out of that bastard Shota.’

Kana thought as she adjusted her uniform.

———

The last match of the semifinals.

The final finalist would be determined there. Naturally, the atmosphere was quite heated.

“Now!!! The next match is between… the idol of the fighting god’s cup!!! Saito Kana and!!!!! The mysterious Thumbs-up Man!!! A mysterious swordsman whose name, age, and origin are not written on the entry form!!! But he’s strong!!!!!”

The announcer explained both contestants.

“Then!! Saito Kana! Anything to say?”

The announcer asked.

“No.”

Kana replied curtly. She’s surprisingly unsociable.

“Then!! Mr. Thumbs-up Man? Anything to say?”

The announcer awkwardly brought the microphone to Thumbs-up Man.

*Thumbs up!*

Thumbs-up Man just gave a thumbs up. He’s really committed to his concept. Wow. Maintaining his character even here? That’s dedication.

“W-well!!! The battle between these two taciturn contestants!!! Begins now!!!!”

The announcer shouted loudly.

With that signal, the distance between the two instantly became zero.

CLANG!!!!!

Their swords collided with tremendous force.

Ooh… it was already exciting.