Ishibashi tacitly agreed with this.
He and Hanai had interacted with ninjas many times in the past, both as enemies and allies. No matter which side he was on, he disliked these people, because it was difficult to see their true colors.
After observing each other, both sides simultaneously retracted their gazes.
The appearance of the Hanai couple was like a signal that caused more tournament participants to arrive.
There was a large man wearing a suit with a kind expression, and a petite girl wearing a one-piece dress with a cold expression.
There was a curly-haired beauty wearing a leather jacket and a tight skirt that accentuated her hot figure, and a short youth wearing a hoodie and wireless earphones.
There was a middle-aged man wearing a shirt and long pants who was holding a black cat in his arms, and a young woman wearing a skirt and jacket who was holding a greyhound.
There was a short-haired beauty wearing a trench coat and long pants with sharp eyes, and a middle-aged woman wearing a knitted shirt and a half-skirt with round-rimmed eyeglasses.
…
When it was time for the boat to depart, the originally empty dining hall now had twenty-two more people. Including Seiji and Little Shi, there were twenty-four people in total. There were a total of twelve tournament participants.
Seiji observed that seven people used a disguise spell just like himself and Little Shi, while the other fifteen didn't.
He recognized all of them, which matched the information that Hana provided him.
These people were all from the third type of tournament participants. Not a single one of them was from the second type. As for the first type … if Seiji counted himself, there was actually one such group.
Each group sat at a table and ordered something to eat and drink. Some chatted while eating, while others remained silent.
Nobody initiated a conversation with anyone else. There was no provocation, no meeting of enemies, or anything like that.
Peace was a good thing, but it was also rather boring.
'Should I suggest that everyone play some cards together? '
'Just kidding. '
Just as Seiji was bored to the point of joking with himself, someone stood up.
It was a man wearing a flowery t-shirt and large shorts. His hair was slightly curly and messy, and he had thick eyebrows and thin eyes. His appearance was more suited to appear on the beach.
"Sitting here like this is rather boring. I'd like to play some cards with someone. Does anyone want to play?" He scratched his head and spoke in a loud voice.
Everyone was rendered speechless.
Someone really did stand up and say that they wanted to play cards! Seiji's cheeks twitched.
"Saito, what are you doing?" The youth beside him asked in an angry tone.
The teenager was wearing a jacket and trousers. His hair was gray and black, and his eyes were fierce. He looked like a gangster.
"I just want to find someone to play cards with."
"Don't look for trouble!"
"I'm not looking for trouble, I'm looking for a mahjong buddy." The curly-haired man with the surname Saito looked around. "Excuse me ~ Is there anyone willing to play with me?"
"Hey!"
"It's just playing cards. If you think it's troublesome, then don't play. I'm not forcing you to participate."
Hearing this, the grey-black haired youngster looked as if he was about to explode, but in the end, he endured it and snorted coldly, not saying another word.
It seems that Mr. Saito really wants to play cards. Seiji smiled faintly.
"Little Shi, do you want to participate?"
"… If Big Brother wants, I'll go with you," the girl said calmly.
Thus, Seiji raised his hand.
"The two of us will join."
Seeing that someone had responded, Saito revealed a delighted smile.
"Thank you, the two of you. Is there anyone else?"
The middle-aged man wearing a shirt slowly raised his hand, followed by the curly-haired girl wearing a leather jacket and the kind-looking man wearing a suit.
Saito was delighted that five people were willing to play cards with him.
Soon, the six of them sat around a table and had the server bring them cards.
Seiji silently looked at Saito and the others.
He knew the names and identities of these four tournament participants. None of them were ordinary individuals.
Saito's full name was Yuma Saito. He was from a samurai family and possessed great power that didn't match his appearance. He had never failed in his job as a bodyguard before. He was nicknamed "Steel Hand" in the industry.
The middle-aged man wearing a shirt was Daikawa Rota, a Spirit Controller. His current appearance was a disguise. His true appearance was that of a young and handsome man. On the surface, he was a private investigator. In secret, he worked as a commercial spy, assassin, and bodyguard. He was an outstanding multi-faceted person.
The curly-haired girl wearing a leather jacket was Mitsuko Kitajima, a ninja. Her physical appearance was also a disguise. Her true appearance was a pure-looking, straight-haired, flat-chested girl. She mostly worked as a spy and assassin, and she especially enjoyed toying with and torturing men to death.
As for the kind-looking man wearing a suit, his name was Yuuzou Yoshihara, an assassin. His nickname was "Judge". Every time he accepted a job, he would always ask for the reason behind it and judge based on his own standards in order to collect different amounts of money. He had been in the industry for many years and had killed more than double digits.
If Seiji didn't know the relevant information, he wouldn't have felt anything special playing cards with these people. But now that he knew about them … Seiji had an indescribable feeling.
After the server brought the cards over, Saito asked everyone what rules they wanted to play.
"Anything is fine. The key is what we're betting on," Daikawa Rota told them.
His tone was quite calm, but the moment he said this, the atmosphere changed.
"Gambling harms friendliness. We can just play casually," Saito told them.
"If we don't gamble, playing cards isn't fun at all … I suggest betting on information." Something flashed in Rota's eyes. "The winner can ask the loser three questions. The loser must answer and guarantee that at least half of the answers are true."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"At least half of the answers are true … so you're saying that we can accept half-truths?" Seiji spoke up.
"Yep. It's impossible to 'guarantee that all of the answers are true.' It's fine as long as half of the answers are true. "
"Heh heh, how do you want to guarantee?" Mitsuko Kitajima smiled seductively.
"It's all up to everyone," Rota stated lightly. "I myself will definitely abide by this bet. I trust that everyone here won't be too stingy."
Although the rule of "half truths" seemed meaningless, it was actually quite ingenious.
Everyone present was a participant of the Bloodwine Ritual tournament. It was indeed impossible for them to say "all truths". Only "half truths" with some leeway would be possible. Truth versus lies, belief versus disbelief … this became a psychological battle.
"Interesting … it's quite fun to gamble like this. I accept." Mitsuko chuckled.
"You can have half truths … well, that's fine." Saito accepted as well.
Yuuzou Yoshihara also grinned and accepted.
Only Seiji and Little Shi remained.
"Brother …"
"If you don't want to accept, then leave. It's fine." Seiji smiled. "This is just a game."
Shika Kagura thought about it for a moment before he stood up and indicated that he would leave.
Seiji stayed behind by himself and accepted this "gamble".
If he lost, he would have to answer half-truths to the winner's questions, and he would even be thick-skinned enough to tell a complete lie … This wasn't a gamble at all. It was simply a game of truth.
Yet, even a game was a matter of pride.
No matter how the five people present viewed this game, it was certain that none of them wanted to lose.
After the game began, auras gradually appeared and clashed against each other.
The other tournament participants were paying attention to this side. Those with good hearing all heard the bet.
Some felt that it was interesting, some felt that it was just a joke, some considered joining, some were completely uninterested …
Not long after, the game ended.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
