Gamble Fish 44

Chapter 44

01

Crowd: He didn't do it!! Shirasagi failed his "Judgment"!!
Crowd: This proves that Hanasaki can control Shirasagi's dice!!
Crowd: It's 6-6-5, the worst possible value for him!!!
Text: Ohhh!
Margin: Witch vs. Gambler!! An incandescent death game!!

Abidani: Ha ha ha ha!! Since Shirasagi lost his "Judgment" he loses 3 times the value of the dice!!
SFX: Pull
Abidani: His pot goes down 51 points!!!

02

SFX: Clatter clatter clatter
Text: That hellish iron pot is headed for Tomu!!
Mizuhara: Wah wah!!!
Yuka: Th-the pot...!!!
Title: Fight 44: Three Mysteries

03

Yuka: Uuh...That's hot!! I can feel so much of the 1200 degrees from here!!
Mizuhara: This leaves Tomu with only 39 points.
Mizuhara: In other words, the pot is only 3 meters and 90 cm from him!!

Tomu: ...I'll admit it, Hanasaki Mayo.
Tomu: I took you too lightly.
Mayo: Heh heh...

04

Mayo: It looks like you finally understand that...
Mayo: my magic is almighty, gambler.

Tomu: No...it's not that.

Tomu: Even if your magic was almighty, rolling 6-6 would have been dangerous.
Tomu: Because...
Tomu: What if I had cheated and forced a 6?

Tomu: If my "Judgment" had been successful, you would have lost and been set ablaze.
Tomu: You took on my challenge even though you were fully aware of that risk.

Tomu: You said you weren't afraid of death...
Tomu: and it seems that wasn't a lie.

05

Tomu: So my opponent in this game is a witch who isn't afraid of death...
Tomu: This looks like a battle that will push me to my limits.
SFX: Gnash!!

Text: Heh...
Mayo: Well my magic has no limits...
Mayo: I'm going to enjoy making you suffer as much as possible.

Mizuhara: Uuh...Tomu is trapped on all sides!!
Yuka: I don't understand. Could there be something inside the dice themselves and someone else is controlling them?

06

Mizuhara: No. The dice are most likely fair.
Mizuhara: You didn't see it...
Mizuhara: but, in the previous games, we were able to freely choose between three different sets of dice that Abidani had prepared.

Natsumi: That's right...!! I chose the Crystal Dice and Mushroom-senpai chose the Casino Dice.
Natsumi: It was mere chance that the "Witch Dice" were left over!!

Mizuhara: They didn't know in advance that these would be the dice they would be using...
Mizuhara: so if they needed something set up in the dice, they would have had to do so with all of them.
Mizuhara: But they all had different shapes and sizes. And the Crystal and Casino Dice were see-through.

Yuka: And!? Are you saying Hanasaki is a real witch!?
Mizuhara: No, that's not what I...

07

Abidani: Shirasagi!! Choose your dice!!
SFX: Push together!!

Tomu: ...Number 5 and number 6.

SFX: Push

Tomu: Now...if you felt like it...
Tomu: you could make me get 6-6 and win this in an instant in your "Judgment", right?
SFX: Gulp...

Mayo: Heh heh. Don't worry. I won't end this yet.
Mayo: As I said, I'm here to see you suffer.

08

Tomu: Oh, really?
Tomu: Are you sure it isn't that you can't control 2 of my dice at once?
SFX: Toss!!

Mayo: ...4-6.

SFX: Roll roll
SFX: Stop

Crowd: 4-6. Her prediction was right again.
Crowd: It doesn't matter if it's 1 or 2 dice!!
Crowd: She's going to torture Shirasagi to death!!
Text: Ohhh!

Tomu: I've gotta hand it to you...
Tomu: If this wasn't a trick, you really would have to call it magic.

09

Tomu: It really is an uncanny power.
Tomu: Is this why you were abused?

Tomu: Those scars I saw when checking your hands before the match...
Tomu: are from cigarette burns, right?
Tomu: Who did that to you? One of your parents?

Tomu: Did they do anything worse to you?
Tomu: Something that would require major surgery perhaps?

Mayo: I see. You think there might be something implanted in my hands.
SFX: Lift

10

Mayo: Sorry, but these burn scars have nothing to do with my magic.
Mayo: As you guessed, these are from the abuse I received from my father as a child.

Mayo: He was like a demon.
Mayo: He was an author, but in name only. He had no talent and never did any work. All he did was drink and act violently.

Mayo: My mother lost all love for him and left. After that all of his anger and stress were turned towards me.
Mayo: If I went against anything he said even slightly, he would punish me very severely.

11

Natsumi: Th-that's horrible...
Mizuhara: I've heard that cases of child abuse have been increasing, but...

Mayo: That piece of trash died of a heart attack when I was 12.
Mayo: It was divine punishment.

Tomu: Divine punishment, huh? Are you sure you didn't just mix some poisonous plant in his alcohol?
Yuka: Sh-Shirasagi!!

Abidani: You're not a detective from some cheap novel, so that's enough about that.
Abidani: Continue the match!!

12

Abidani: It's Hanasaki's turn as leader!!
SFX: Place

Mayo: ...Number 3 and number 6.

Tomu: Wait!!
SFX: Twitch

Tomu: Even counting when we were deciding who went first, you haven't rolled anything below a 3.
Tomu: If your power is truly almighty, then you should be able to roll a 1 or a 2.

13

Mizuhara: C-come to think of it...
Mizuhara: There have been an awful lot of 5's and 6's!!
Natsumi: Is there some kind of hint there!?

Mayo: Ridiculous...
Mayo: It's just that higher numbers are better.
Text: Heh...

Tomu: So you're saying you can roll a 2-2?

Mayo: Fine. I'll go along with your silly demand.
Mayo: 2-2, right?

SFX: Raise...

Tomu: ...By the way, have you met with your mother?

14

SFX: Twitch...

Tomu: She couldn't stand your father and left...
Tomu: but why didn't she take you with her?

Mayo: Cut the chatter already...
Mayo: This has nothing to do with the game.

Tomu: I'm just interested...
Tomu: as to why a mother would leave her precious daughter behind.

Tomu: I'm guessing that even after your father died...
Tomu: she didn't come back for you.

15

Mayo: ...Shut up.

Tomu: Poor thing...
Tomu: Your mother abandoned you, didn't she?

Yuka: Why are you saying this kind of thing, Shirasagi!!?
Yuka: Even if she's your opponent, bringing up her family situation isn't fair!!

Abidani: ...Hanasaki?

SFX: Tremble tremble
Mother: Mayo...!!?

16

Mother: Mayo...!? How did you get all the way here...?
Mayo: I wanted to see you, mama...
Mayo: I asked a lot of people...and searched all over the place.

Mother: You can't, Mayo.
Mother: Go back to papa's place!!
Mayo: No!! I hate him!!

Mother: No. You can't come here.
Mother: I'm not your mama. You don't have anything to do with me!!

17

Mother: Please, Mayo. Don't destroy my happiness!!!

Abidani: Hanasaki!!!

SFX: Toss!!

SFX: Roll roll

18

Crowd: 3-2!!!
SFX: Stop!!
Crowd: This is the first time her prediction's been wrong!!!

Mayo: ...Shirasagi!!
SFX: Stand!!

Mayo: You coward. You agitated me so I would mess up.
Mayo: Is that the kind of strategy gamblers use?

Tomu: I'm sorry I had to pick at your old wounds...
Tomu: but now I've managed to grab hold of a strand leading to your trick.

19

Mizuhara: Eh!? What do you mean!?
Tomu: She just admitted that she messed up due to an emotional disturbance.
Tomu: That means that the dice aren't being controlled by some 3rd person, but by her. And she's doing it in real time.

Tomu: That means the trick is located somewhere she can reach.
Tomu: Once you manage to narrow down the requirements, you can easily see that kind of thing.

Mayo: Heh. How does knowing someone else isn't doing it help you?
Mayo: In fact, doesn't that help prove that my magic isn't some kind of trick!?

Tomu: I wouldn't be so sure...
SFX: Raise fingers
Tomu: There are three mysteries in this game.

20

Margin: The gambler's counterattack begins!!

Mayo: ...What!?
Tomu: And once I solve those three mysteries...

Tomu: I'll have exposed the identity of your magic powers.

Tomu: Hanasaki Mayo, the witch of Shishidou...
Tomu: I will strip you of that mysterious veil!!!