26. Strip Poker
“A-Are you serious?”
I couldn’t help but flinch at the woman’s words.
I knew strip mahjong existed back in my original world, but I had never heard of strip poker. Maybe it was because I lived in Japan, but I wondered if something like this was even possible.
“Yes, I still don’t want to quit. What do you think, Mr. Dealer?”
The male dealer furrowed his brows slightly at the woman’s question. That was understandable—he clearly didn’t know how to respond. The male spectators obviously wanted him to allow it, but for those of us actually participating, it was hard to agree so easily.
To be honest, right now I wanted money far more than I wanted to see the woman next to me naked. Even if I won against her, if the only reward was the right to see her nude, I would firmly oppose it.
“Your value will be decided by us. If that’s fine with you, then we’ll take you up on that proposal.”
The one who spoke up was the top player.
“So, you’ll appraise the value of whatever I bet and set the stakes accordingly?”
“That’s right.”
“Will you be the only one deciding the appraisal?”
“No. It’ll be the five of us, excluding you. We’ll each state what we think your offered item is worth, then we’ll set the stake at around the average. How about it?”
“Understood. That’s fine with me.”
Rules were quickly settled between the top player and the woman, and the atmosphere around the table instantly reached a boiling point.
“Wait a minute.”
My single sentence brought the noisy excitement back to silence. I could feel countless hostile glares stabbing into my back from behind, but there was something I had to confirm.
“If it’s just for seeing her naked, then I cannot accept these rules.”
What I wanted right now was money. No matter how beautiful she was, I would choose money over seeing her naked. If I wanted to see a beautiful woman’s body, I could just go to the appropriate establishment and pay for it. Therefore, I would choose money here and now.
“What about you?”
When I turned to the woman, she smiled sweetly.
“Of course, we’ll do more than just stripping.”
The cheers that had already been at their peak grew even louder, turning into such a roar that I almost wanted to cover my ears as the noise echoed throughout the tavern.
“Of course we will. Man, you really are just a kid, priest-boy.”
“Shut up.”
While being mocked by the man on my right, I pulled the dealt cards toward me.
With the special rules decided, the first hand began.
“So, what are you betting first?”
“Let’s see…”
Since it was the first bet, it would probably be her hat or something she was wearing. However, the woman was wearing what looked like a single dress from top to bottom. Other than the hat, there wasn’t much she could bet—assuming the condition was to take something off.
Looking at how she had acted so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if she suggested something outrageous right from the start.
“How about my underwear?”
Her words drew loud cheers from the surrounding men, while we—the actual players—were left stunned.
“You’ve got some real guts, miss. Alright, I’ll put in five silver coins,” the top player declared first.
The other men followed, each stating their own amounts for her underwear.
“How much will you put in?”
Now it was my turn. I calmly stated my amount.
“Ten copper coins. That’s worth one silver coin.”
Jeers immediately flew from the male spectators.
“Hey, come on, kid. That’s way too low.”
Even the man on my right criticized me. That was to be expected—my ten copper coins were the smallest amount by far. The next lowest after me was two silver coins. There was zero respect in my offer for the woman’s bold action.
“Alright. We have one with five silver, three with three silver, and one kid with one silver. Shall we set it at three silver coins?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
While the dealer distributed the cards, the top player once again explained the rules.
“From now on, anyone who wants to play the hand must put in three silver coins. Miss, you can declare ‘Call’ at any time you like. Once you do, we’ll decide whether to continue or fold after seeing our hands.”
“Got it.”
Following the man’s instructions, the woman looked at her dealt cards and returned them to the dealer.
“I’m sorry. Could I have a new deal, please?”
“We don’t mind at all.”
After the dealer shuffled and dealt us two cards each—doing this process twice—the woman finally declared:
“Call.”
“Alright, then we’ll check our hands too.”
We men, including myself, looked at our cards.
My cards were the Four of Diamonds and the Eight of Clubs. Completely unplayable. I folded without hesitation.
However, the top player and the man on the far left both put out three silver coins.
“Just so we’re clear—this money goes to whoever wins the hand. Understood?”
The top player’s words were directed more at the man opposite him who had entered the hand than at the rest of us. The opposing man nodded, and the showdown finally began.