I became the Strongest Minus's mother!

Chapter 8:Teppou Uchi's sure win Russian Roulette

From the beggining of this meeting both Saki and Uchi were on completly different wave lenght. The younger girl barely acknowglede the General Affairs Manager's presence.

However, at this very moment they had the same reaction upon the words spojen by tge bewly revived Kumagawa. That is, utter confusion.

Uchi:...Kumagawa-senpai, did you just meet with Anshin'in-san? Right now, while you were dead?

Kumagawa:[Yep. Because I died, a forced encounter event was triggered. You sure did something mean, didn't you, Teppou-san. Secretly loading in all the bullets before I could notice.]

Kumagawa showed the revolver's cylinder, showcasing all of tge six bullets inside. It made clear to Saki that means Uchi must have a skill with allowed her to reload without as much as touching the bulllets.

Inwardly, she thought it was a pretty plain skill. Even though there probably was no skill tht could match All Fiction, it was still nothing more than a cheap trick.

Uchi:Ain't it all right? Even if you die, you'll just come back to life, right? Upupupu.

Kumagawa:[That's right, I'll come back to life. Although, strictly speaking, it's not coming back to life, but making dying as if it never happened, okay? Well, that's really just a matter of how you interpret it. So? What did you want to accomplish with this Russian Roulette? Were you just trying to prove that I was an idiot for not being able to see through your trick? Because if you were, you're totally off the mark. For me, even if you didn't use a trick like that, I would've still pulled the trigger on a Russian Roulette even with all six bullets in it. So what you just did was unnecessary and a waste of time. It was like praying for rain on the night before a typhoon.]

Saki:Praying for rain?

Saki's jaw tightened at his words. Even though that didn't techically happen because of the way All Fiction works, the memories of his blood and brain matter washing over her were still fresh in her head.

She'd really appreciate to not be so casual and sarcastic about something like that. Especially when she's right beside him.

Uchi:Upupu, it was just a performance. What I wanted to say was, as long as I'm borrowing this Skill from Anshin'in-san, there's no way I can lose at Russian Roulette. Although it's true that someone like you will play Russian Roulette no matter what the probability is... Maybe not with all six bullets, but you'd even play a five bullet Russian Roulette. But you're the only one who'd do that, right?

Uchi spun in her chair, turning around. For the first time she was looking directly at Saki.

Uchi:If you had a five-sixths chance of winning, would you go for it?

Saki:...It depends on how much is at stake... I suppose?

Uchi:Upupu. And that means?

Saki:So, like, it's a matter of the circumstances or the odds. If I'm betting my life in this gamble, then I'd go for it if I could gain something worth the same as my life, or maybe even worth more than my life...I guess I wouldn't have any choice but to go for it? For example, like this. If the lives of my friends or family were at stake. If I won at Russian Roulette, I could save a friend's life. If it was something like that, then I wouldn't have any choice but to play. Of course, if the odds weren't good for me, then I'd be a little hesitant, but if it's Russian Roulette...

She would go for it. She imagines most people would.

Kumagawa:[I'd do it even if the odds weren't great, personally. If my friend's life were at stake.]

That was a truly awful thing to say. The worst part was that, as alwais, Saki couldn't tell if he was lying or saying the truth.

Uchi:Right. Even if it wasn't something so convenient. If, say, you could get a huge debt forgiven if you survive at Russian Roulette, I think most people would take on a challenge like that. Upupu. Well, let's put aside the certainty of that for now. If I had to say it, Russian Roulette itself is really a malicious game of luck. The problem is, no matter what reason you have, no matter what you need, once you start playing Russian Roulette. As long as you're staking your life, it becomes a game that you absolutely gotta win.

Although Saki was asked the question, she doesn't feel like sge really has Uchi's attention. It's more like she was a supporting actor ir something like that.

Uchi seems very determined to provoke Kumagawa in some way. A shame that the minus's composture was just that good.

Uchi:That's right, Kumagawa-senpai. In this world, there are battles that you absolutely can't lose. Battles that you absolutely don't want to lose, right?

Her theory was proven correct as Uchi turned around to face Suisou's cureent President. She was going for Kumagawa.

Uchi:You're a pro at losing, and you pass yourself off never having won a single time since you were born. So it should be undeniable in this world that there are game states you just can't get through. Or don't tell me that you think you'll be able to get through anything with how you've always done, by achieving your goals through losing, all the while smiling like an idiot?

Kumagawa:[...Well, who knows?]

There was no doubt that Kumagawa was fully aware of the malice Uchi had directed at him. However, he let it pass through him like nothing.

Kumagawa:[In the first place, I don't consider myself a pro at losing at all. I'm always trying as hard as I can, desperately trying to win, and it's just that my efforts aren't bearing fruit. Teppou-chan, don't tell me you believed all the sore-loser-like parting shots I gave to Anshin'in-san and the like? If so, that's more embarrassing for me.]

Uchi:...Is that so, so you weren't a pro at losing? Then that means you're just a naive little amateur, huh. In that case, why don't I have you figure it out, Kumagawa-senpai? A Russian Roulette conquest strategy.

Kumagawa:[A Russian Roulette conquest strategy?]

Uchi:That's right. For this gamble that you absolutely must win, this game that you absolutely have to win. Figure out a conquest strategy for Russian Roulette. I pulled it off once using the Skill I borrowed from Anshin'in-san. Now figure out a way to pull it off without using any Skills at all.

Kumagawa:[Without any Skills at all... So, in other words, without using any special abilities, right?]

Uchi:Right. Your All Fiction and Anshin'in-san's Lady Guitarist aren't techniques that anyone can use, right? What I want to hear is a conquest strategy, a hidden trick that anyone can pull off, that anyone can accept.

Kumagawa:[A logical conquest strategy, huh...]

It'd be something hard for him. After all, one word that could accuratly be used to describe Kumagawa Misogi would be illogical.

Uchi:That's right. If you manage to show me a conquest strategy for Russian Roulette that even I can accept. Upupu, I'll tell you then. The message for you that Anshin'in-san left with me.