♡ Gamblers to lovers♡ (Mary Saotome x reader)

Chapter 6

Mary and you had heard that the new student was gambling like crazy, and you couldn't help feeling curious about it. You felt the need to verify it as soon as possible, so you ran to the place they heard Yumeko was gambling at, and eventually you found each other. You ran, both of you avoiding every human contact unless it was from each other. You did hear some things during their way though.

—She bet twenty million yen! —An unknown girl said —. Against Sumeragi!

You both smiled when they heard that name. «So she never gets tired —you said to yourself —. How boring». That didn't stop you from running. When you got to the place, you realized the atmosphere wasn't the one you expected. It was rather gloomy, with a big amount of people saying things with a tone of disappointment. Mary got into the crowd to see what was going on.

Yumeko had lost. She was (practically) begging Sumeragi for another chance, knowing that she wasn't able to pay the twenty million yen she bet. None of them had ever seen Sumeragi that confident up until that point, it felt wrong. It felt like a corrupted scenario made with the sole purpose of confusing them.

—Don't be surprised —Mary said to you  —. This thing happens quite often. A new student gets a good streak during their first days, and then she falls into the most painful void ever. Some of them end up as housepets. It wouldn't surprise me if this was the case.

—I thought it would be so fun. I was really looking forward to seeing the rise of a new promise.

You were on your way to start your own conversation, until something stopped you. It was Sumeragi, once again. Her voice was starting to feel exasperating for them.

—Fine, fine —she said —. I will accept a rematch. But there's one condition!

She took a box and opened it in front of Yumeko. It was full of nails. It looked, however, too nate to be actual nails, but too nate to be just a collection of fake nails too.

—These are real nails. From real humans, like you. I just looove collecting them! Here's the trade: I'll give you the chance to play one more game against me. If you lose, you'll give me your beautiful, lovely nails! Oh, and don't think this is only for fingernails. I will demand for your toenails too. What do you think?

Yumeko was glad to hear that. She smirked sweetly, as she sat down on her chair getting ready for the game.

—I accept that. If I lose, I will give you my nails. I promise.

They smiled at each other. Yumeko did it with gladness. Sumeragi did it with a slight anger, but with confidence as well. And so the cards were served.

The game they were playing was called Double Memory. The objective of the players was to find the most pairs possible out of the 102 cards (matching the number and the suit). If a player finds a match, he can continue until they fail to find a pair. In case they fail, the other player will have a turn. The player who finds the most 54 pairs of cards wins the game.
Yumeko had the first turn. Surprisingly, she paired up two cards, with no worries on her face at all.

—Do your parents have a lot of money? —Yumeko said, putting one of her fingers around her mouth.

—Well —Sumeragi looked more doubtful than ever. More doubtful than she's ever been in her games against Mary and (Y/N). It was almost like she was actually afraid to answer that question —, yes, they do.

—I knew it. You know cheating is bad, don't you?

Sumeragi paralyzed. But that was no use, because Yumeko had already started to pair up the cards. Fifty-four cards in total, leaving Sumeragi with no chance to keep playing.
The loser of the game started crying disconsolately.

—Oh God —she said —, please forgive me for what I have done. Please... I just ask you for forgiveness.

—Don't be sad —Yumeko replied excited —. What if we try something new? Oh, what if, this time, we both bet our nails? Won't that be exciting?

—Shut up... I just want to be forgiven.

—Are you going to give up this early!? —Yumeko screamed —. Why? Don't you want to feel the pleasure of betting something important once again?

Sumeragi didn't answer. The only noise she produced was the tears falling down from her eyes, just like a cascade. Yumeko's face changed completely; it went from excitement to neutrality. A biting neutrality.

—How disappointing.

Up to that point, all the viewers had left the place already. Except for two of them: Mary and you. You wanted to keep seeing the situation, and dive into Yumeko's madness. Besides, seeing Sumeragi cry was something that captivated Mary. It didn't please her though, it just enticed her to stay.

Suddenly, Yumeko came close to Mary and you, and spoke to you.

—Hey! —she said — how are you two doing?
You both were perplexed. You didn't expect her to be the one approaching them, but you liked it.

—Hey! —you replied — congratulations on your victory! That was amazing to see.

Mary's heart frowned. She knew it was true, but she didn't want to hear that. She wasn't used to you complimenting other people, especially with those words. She remembered how you said the word "Congratulations" the first time you met, and she got worried because of it. Worried that she might never hear it again. Worried about the fact that you said it to a girl they just met; worried about not being the only one you said that to.

—Thanks, thanks —Yumeko answered —. Do you know why I came close to you?

None of you had a clue of it. You wondered deeply about it, but you didn't find a proper way to reply. It was disconcerting, but in spite of that, it was a good way to get introduced to Yumeko.
«I hope it's something cool! » you thought.
«I hope it's nothing too important» Thought Mary. The reason for that mindset was obvious. The reason might just be the word she had wondered about so much during the past few days.

—Well, the truth is that I have something to tell you —Yumeko said, never letting her big smile go off of her face.
Then, she pointed at you with her right arm, with no apparent reason at all. However, the way in which she did that left something clear: It wasn't a mistake or a misunderstanding. She really meant to do that —. Especially to you.

On that day, a routine that would be about to drive Mary crazy started. Yumeko would keep getting closer and closer to you everyday, showing her gambling gimmicks, smiling at you and acting as your friend.

Mary didn't know why, but she started frowning discreetly every time she saw Yumeko.