Unable to shake the hollow feeling of knowing this child would die someday, I went back with Peruere and shuffled the cards. Was Citra planning to stay over there the whole time? She had boldly jumped out earlier, saying she would beat me.
"All right, children? Have fun playing with Clervie until the food is ready. Avrora, once you finish eating, come with me."
"Yes, understood..."
Obviously, it would be about offering up Clervie. I gave you my daughter, so give me an appropriate reward in return, blah blah blah....
What kind of parent had no affection for her own daughter and regarded her as nothing but a playing card? She was the sort of trainwreck parent you only saw in dramas. Ah, but this was a game world, so maybe it made sense that someone like her existed?
Once Crucabena left, Clervie was immediately surrounded by the children. The fact that she was Crucabena’s daughter seemed to have served as the catalyst.
"Hey! What’s life like at your house? I’m curious!"
"You must have tons and tons of sweet snacks, right?"
"Uh... well... um...."
Clervie short-circuited beneath the children’s barrage of questions. Understandably so. How often would someone her age be surrounded by peers like this? I did not even know whether kindergarten was a concept in this world, but anyone would start stammering if suddenly thrown into a situation like that.
"Peruere?"
"Yes, Big Brother."
"Don’t you think we should help Clervie?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
I called out to Citra, who was basically the ringleader of those kids.
"Hey! Citra!"
"What?! Can’t you see I’m asking Clervie something right now?!"
"Aren’t you going to play cards? If you want, bring Clervie along and take me on."
"Hmph! A two-on-two battle? Fine! Clervie! You and me, we’re going to show that Demon King what we’re made of!"
"Huh? Demon King?"
When had I become a Demon King? Clervie was going to get the wrong idea.
"What do you mean, Demon King? I have a perfectly normal name: Avrora."
"You’re first in your studies, first in physical training, and Mother likes you too. Is that even human? You’re obviously the Demon King!"
"Sheesh. Stop talking nonsense and come sit down. I’m going to shuffle the cards."
And so, Citra and Clervie formed one team, while Peruere and I formed the other for a card game.
"So, what game are we playing?"
"Old Maid."
"Ah, that’s completely luck-based, isn’t it? Something like that is nothing to me!"
"Hey, you’re the last person who should be saying that."
In some anime, there had been a scene where the heroine’s face fell whenever the male lead was about to draw a card that was not the Joker. I had wondered whether anyone could really be that obvious in real life. But when I played Old Maid with Citra last time, she had followed that exact pattern—gloomy, smiling, gloomy, smiling. Maybe it was because she was a child, but she was absurdly transparent. As a result, Citra had lost and had her snacks taken by me.
"Hmph. Today will be different from then. Because now I have a reliable ally named Clervie!"
"Huh? Can I really be helpful? That would make me happy, but...."
"Citra, explain the rules to Clervie. I’ll shuffle the cards in the meantime."
I began shuffling the cards with gusto. The other children were clumsy at shuffling, but for someone who had spent over a decade playing Yu-Gi-Oh!, it was nothing. The crisp shff-shff-shff of cards echoed through the room while Citra thoroughly explained every rule to Clervie. She really wanted to win.
"Got it, Clervie? We can’t lose to that Demon King, okay?"
"Yeah. I don’t really understand, but okay."
It should have been a happy thing, watching them become friends like this. But knowing the future made all of it seem meaningless to me.
Once I had finished shuffling, I started dealing cards according to the number of players. Who had gotten the Joker...? Ah, damn it. It came to me.
The turn order went like this: Citra drew from Peruere, I drew from Citra, Clervie drew from me, and Peruere drew from Clervie. Would the game be settled before dinner?
"Why do I have to draw from Peruere?! She has no expression, so I have no idea what I’m supposed to do!"
Blame your luck for losing at rock-paper-scissors, Citra.
"Who was it that said Old Maid was purely about luck in the first place? Stop complaining and just win."
"You sound just like Mother...."
Clervie looked at me and said I sounded like Crucabena. Hey, Clervie? That was an insult, you know?
"Anyway, let’s hurry up and finish before dinner. Start!"
After some time passed, Citra was lucky enough to finish first. Holding up the five of spades and five of hearts together, she cheered, shouting that she was done. Then, like a gambler who had bet everything on Clervie, she desperately begged her to win.
"Clervie? Please win! Let’s wipe that smug look off his face!"
"Huh? I drew something strange. Is this a good card?"
Citra walked over and looked at Clervie’s hand, only to turn pale. She had drawn the Joker from my hand. Why was she so honest about it?
"W-Well, anyway! All that matters is winning, right?! Heheh!"
Her competitive spirit was certainly something. Next, Peruere drew from Clervie’s hand, and I drew from Peruere’s.
"???"
What? Why had the Joker come back to me? Could those odds even exist...? Of course they could. I had seen enough opening hands where I drew every single hand trap among forty cards and had to set one card and end my turn without even being able to make a play. So odds like this... but why now?!
When I panicked, Citra peeked at my hand from behind and snickered. She should learn from Peruere how to suppress her emotions.
After that, Clervie drew from my hand. This time, she did not take the Joker. Instead, she drew the nine of clubs and laid it down with her own nine of diamonds. I was starting to get nervous.
"That’s it, Clervie! Let’s see that guy lose this time!"
Just how much resentment was this girl holding onto? Peruere also drew from Clervie’s hand, then laid down the jack of spades and jack of clubs. Thank goodness. Peruere’s hand was getting smaller and smaller. Maybe she would be the next one out? Then would it come down to a one-on-one showdown between Clervie and me? While all kinds of thoughts raced through my mind, Peruere called to me.
"Big Brother, draw from mine."
"Ah, sorry, Peruere. I was thinking about something."
It never even occurred to me that Peruere might screw me over. She was such an obedient, exemplary child.
A few minutes later, the three of us were still playing. With only two or three cards left in each hand, the nail-biting battle continued.
"Why won’t this end?! It’s almost dinner time!"
As I listened to Citra’s complaint, her childlike lack of patience beginning to show, I prayed that Clervie would draw the Joker that had somehow returned to my hand again. That Joker sure liked coming back to me.
"Hmm... which one should I pick?"
Clervie was pondering her choice. Please take the Joker. Take the Joker. I had two cards left. The odds were one in two. If Clervie took the Joker and I chose well from Peruere’s hand, the game was over. Would cheating be a little too much?
"Hmm... this one!"
"Heh...."
"Ah... it’s the Joker...."
Ah, a laugh slipped out. The first step had gone according to plan. The problem was Peruere. As long as Peruere did not draw the Joker, victory was mine. With an expressionless face, Peruere drew from Clervie’s hand, then gestured for me to draw from hers. The moment of choice had come. Which side? Right or left? No, don’t overthink it. It was a fifty-fifty choice. And this was Peruere, wasn’t it? The girl who would do anything for me? A girl like her would never betray me. But what if she did? What would I do then?
While I was lost in all those thoughts, Peruere spoke as though telling me to hurry up and draw.
"Big Brother, we’ll run out of time at this rate. Hurry and draw."
Whatever.
And the card that came into my hand was....
The ten of clubs. My remaining card was the ten of diamonds.
The game was over.
I-I did it! I won this wheel-like battle!
I stood up and threw my hands in the air. My legs were shaky from sitting so long, but the satisfaction of sticking it to Citra more than made up for it.
"What?! Avrora’s done?!"
Citra stared back and forth between the remaining two in shock. I had gotten one over on Citra. But it took only a moment to realize that life did not always go according to plan.
"Big Brother. The Joker is still left."
Peruere was holding the Joker. Clervie had finished first.
Crash!
I toppled over on the spot, shocked that Peruere had screwed me over despite having no intention of doing so. Right... this was purely luck, so what could I do...?
Drunk on the thrill of victory, Citra hugged Clervie and shouted.
"We won, Clervie! We gave that Demon King his first loss!"
"Um... is it really that exciting?"
"Of course it is! Thanks to you, I can do this too, you know?"
Citra swaggered over to me as I lay in an OTL pose and delivered her victory line.
"You’re really terrible at Old Maid, aren’t you?"
Twitch.
Anger suddenly flared up inside me. Just you wait, Citra...!
"Big Brother... did I make a mistake?"
Peruere approached me with concern. It had been a luck-based game from the start, so what could she have done? This child had done nothing wrong. Probably.
While I was at the height of my despair after Citra had rubbed salt in the wound, Crucabena opened the door and entered.
"Children? It’s mealtime~ Come eat. Avrora, why are you like that?"
Citra took Clervie’s hand and stepped forward, proudly speaking up.
"Mother! Clervie and I beat Avrora in a game!"
"Is that so? What game was it?"
"It was a game called Old Maid! It was simple, but it feels great to beat Avrora!"
"Hmm~ I see. Citra must be very happy, then. Tell the other children all about what happened while you eat. Avrora, don’t sit there looking so gloomy. Let’s go."
I got up, took Peruere’s hand, and headed for the dining hall. This humiliation was probably going to linger for quite a while.
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