The Slit-Eyed Woman (Episode)

## The Slit-Eyed Women

**The Slit-Eyed Girl** is the third episode of Season One in the *Kakegurui animated series*. It is produced by MAPPA and aired in Japan on the 15th of July, 2017.

## Summary

To regain her status, Mary duels student board member Yuriko in a game of "life or death." With Mary's crushing defeat, Yumeko offers to play next.

## Plot

As Yumeko and Ryota enter the Traditional Culture Room they see Mary hunched over a game with Yuriko Nishinotouin. Mary looks over and is surprised to see Yumeko in the room before wondering why she's there.

Yuriko seeing that Mary is visible upset and frustrated remarks that there's no need for her to look angry as they haven't gambled together in some time and tells her to enjoy it.

Mary is seen visibly upset about the one-sided gambling match that is occurring between her and Yuriko and the large gap between her and Yuriko; who is seen winning, with 16.8 million yen compared to Mary's 3.2 million yen. Mary comes to the realization that the only way the gap between them could be this big is if Yuriko is cheating.

With the belief that she can turn the game around in her favor, Mary places a bet of 32 chips which causes Yuriko to tell her that it seems like their game is coming to a close. The dealer of the game, an unnamed student, announces that she's going to place ten miniature swords into a cup. She places the swords in the cup and begins counting down from ten as both Yuriko and Mary divide their chips into spaces on a board that is in front of them with Mary dividing her chips into 6 groups that she then places onto 5 different spots on the board. Mary not wanting to give Yuriko any chance to cheat during the game hopes that the swords landed on the correlating numbers she's placed her chips down on (those numbers being: 2,4,8,16, or 22). The host begins to lift the cup covering the swords that are on a Roulette style board; one of the swords is seen sticking out of the 22 number slot. Yuriko praises Mary saying that she picked correctly, but tells her that the result is "death." Since Mary bet 6 chips on the number, she suffers a penalty times 30 meaning she's lost 180 chips or the equivalent of 18 million yen with Yuriko's winnings, Mary's overall accrued debt comes to 49.6 million yen.

Yuriko congratulates Mary on a good game and tells her that she'll contact her later to arrange payment and asks someone to escort her out of the room. Before coldly announcing that she no longer has any business with her. This causes Mary to scream as a student comes over attempting to help her. Mary stands up in despair revealing that she had the intention of paying the student council to get rid of her pet status, even if it wouldn't give back her former standing in the school before her match with Yumeko. She laments the fact that she shouldn't have played this gamble with Yuriko or even dared to dream about getting her old life back. As she passes by Yumeko she bitterly comes to the realization that she shouldn't have gotten involved with her.

Ryota is seen saddened over the fact that Mary was forced to play a "public match" as a last resort. This prompts Yumeko to ask him what a "public match" is, he reveals that a public match is a right that students with a pet status are guaranteed to. Pets have a right to challenge someone to a gambling match only once; no one is allowed to refuse as long as the bets are reasonable. Student council members are able to participate in the matches without a limit on their bets and as a result of this, pets are able to turn their lives around and get rid of their status through a single high-stakes game.

Yuriko then cleaning up the chips that Mary had seen destroying in a fit of anguish welcomes Yumeko to the Traditional Culture Club. She greets Yumeko by telling her that she's a member of the student council and president of the club before telling her her name. Yumeko greets her back as Yuriko asks her if there's something that she needs before disregarding the question as a silly statement and asks Yumeko if she would care for a match with the club's original game: "Life or Death."

Yumeko responds happily that the game sounds interesting and that she would love to play much to the concerned surprise of Ryota.

Yuriko begins to explain the rules of the game; there are ten sword shaped pieces that are placed into a cup that are then dropped onto a board that have several holes in it labeled from 1 to 30. Players place their chips on a separate board with numbers that they think the swords will fall in. The game is similar to Roulette or dice, where players are forced to guess the number(s) that will likely pop up. However the differentiating component of "Life or Death" is that if a sword is seen facing upward in a number, the player gets "life" meaning that the total number of chips that were bet on that single number gets multiplied by 30. If the sword is facing downward, the player gets "death" which causes them to lose the chips they bet on that number that is then multiplied by 30 as well. Before the game begins, both players must agree on the amount of chips that are going to be used for the bet. Once the dealer begins to shake the cup, the players only have 10 seconds to place their bets. If either player places a bet on a single number that doesn't show up then the players gain 0 chips, the differences between their balances is settled and the game is over.

Yuriko then tells Yumeko that they should decide on how much to bet, but that small bets are boring; Yumeko decides that they should start the game by betting 40 million yen total (with each chip being worth 1 million). They both start the first round by betting 10 chips (10 million yen). The dealer tosses the swords in leaving Yumeko and Yuriko with ten seconds to place their bets; Yuriko quickly places her bets as Yumeko looks at the board only to then place her bets down once a few seconds remain.

Yuriko comments that it seemed like Yumeko was hesitating and asks if there is something on her mind. Yuriko tells her that it seems like the cup the dealer uses for the game seems a bit shallow around the edges, as a result of this, the chances of the swords going into the smaller numbers in the middle seems higher. Before adding that it doesn't matter what type of game it is, it would be a boring game if there was none at all and as a result of this, she isn't a patient person. In the first round, no chips are exchanged as neither Yumeko nor Yuriko bet on a single number that a sword landed on.

Ryota realizes though that if Yumeko had just bet a number higher she would have won 30 million yen. Ryota tells Yumeko that she should quit the game as he can't sit there and watch. Yumeko calming him tells him that everything is fine and that there's no need for him to worry as this amount of money isn't that big of a deal. She tells him that the game is fun due to the large amount of chips that can change hands and stopping while already playing the game would be a waste.

Yuriko also tells Ryota that there's a thrill in knowing that money could change hands at a single drop of a cup before telling him that he would need to experience it in order to understand the thrill. Before asking Yumeko if she can understand the feeling. Yumeko responds that she can and that she feels the experience could be addicting before telling Yuriko that her way of doing things is terrible. This statement surprises both Ryota and the host. Yuriko asks Yumeko what it is that she just said, forcing Yumeko to boldly ask if she should repeat herself. Yumeko repeats that Yuriko is terrible as there was no need for her to play such a complicated game against Mary who simply challenged her in order to restore her honor. Yumeko goes further by telling Yuriko that it seems like she's the kind of person who would give someone hope when they're down only to beat them down further before telling Yuriko that she seems similar to a loan shark. Yumeko then tells her that she isn't certain if she's a good gambler but that it seems like she's the lowest of the low as a person. Then proceeds to tell her that she's the equivalent of shit.

The dealer, shocked at Yumeko's words screams that it's rude before politely referring to Yuriko as "Yuriko-sama" and asks her to kick Yumeko out of the room. The dealer looks visibly scared as Yuriko looks down upon her with disdain and refers to her by her last name, Kumagusu, asks her why she should kick Yumeko out. Kumagusu looks back up at Yuriko who seems to have retained her pleasant demeanor, tells her that Yumeko is just a little bit loose-lipped.

Yumeko interrupts and tells Yuriko that she's sorry her bets of 2, 4 and 10 didn't go well. Yuriko seems confused by this before Yumeko tells her that she loves word plays as Yuriko's last name Nishinotouin can be read with the characters for 2, 4, 10 and "in." Yuriko tells Yumeko that she should stop playing with her name as her surname has a long history to it, before Yumeko interrupts her again and says that if one were to count even numbers then 6 and 8 are missing, but that it makes sense to do so before laughing and telling Yuriko that it seems that her name makes it senseless to do so.

This pun causes Kamagusu to become annoyed at Yumeko's impish behavior, but Yuriko laughs and calls Yumeko fascinating as she reveals that the student president was right about Yumeko. Yumeko embarrassed responds that receiving such praise is a little uncomfortable. Yumeko seen attempting to calm herself and her anger takes a deep breath before lifting her head and asking Yumeko how much they should bet on the second round. Yumeko places all of her chips down and responds that they should bet with everything they have.

Kamagusu tosses the swords into the cup and begins to count down as Yuriko reveals that even if she wins, Yumeko's taunts have affected her mental state and that stress is the biggest enemy of beauty before boldly announcing that she plans on killing Yumeko. She places down 5 groups of chips on 8 separate numbers. Ryota realizes that if Yuriko is attempting to get all of Yumeko's chips then there's no need for her to bet 5 different groups of chips before realizing that she's pissed. Yumeko is seen placing down her final chip onto her stack of chips before apologizing to Yuriko for offending her earlier, but that all of her taunts earlier were just a ploy for her to bet all of her chips down on the number 24 slot. Yuriko visibly shaking asks her why; Yumeko simply responds that it was because she was cheating. This causes both Yuriko and Kamagusu to gasp as Ryota confusedly asks if Yuriko was really cheating.

Yumeko tells him to look at the right hand of the dealer, Kamagusu, and the two "moles" that seem to be on her hand. Yumeko reveals to him that their guide for the Traditional Culture Room earlier also had the same similar "moles" as well. Before revealing they aren't natural, but man-made and that they look like piercings. Yumeko then praises Yuriko for making the members of her club pierce their hands for this simple ruse but admonishes her that she does some wonderful things in the club as well. She then reveals that there's likely a magnet in one of the swords and that a "dealer" can force a sword to magnetically stick to the side of a cup with their piercings and that by sliding their hand on the outside of the cup they can force the sword to move into any position they want.

Yuriko yells for Yumeko to wait and reveals that since she walked into the room she hasn't accurately guessed the location of any of the swords and that when Mary was playing against her, her bet was placed after the cup was shaken. Before denying her involvement in this scheme that Yumeko is talking about. Yumeko tells her that the best part of this trickery is that no one is 100% guaranteed to win. She reveals that even if a dealer can control the position of the sword it would still take a lot of skill to get the sword into the proper slot and there's still a chance that other swords would end up in other slots as a dealer can only control one sword, leaving the rest to luck. Meaning that Yuriko's percentage of winning this way isn't high and that Mary didn't notice this as such a trick isn't always guaranteed to work, but it was more than enough for Yuriko, who as a member of the student council and club president could afford to go into gambling dens with large amounts of money. Yuriko didn't need to win every single game but just needed a slight edge over her opponent. Even if Yuriko lost one game she could make back the money she lost through several games. As a result of this, the most important part of the scheme wasn't the trick itself, but Yuriko's wealth.

Yumeko admonishes Yuriko for not thinking too much about losing tens of millions of yen compared to herself where she's putting everything on the line and further admonishes her by saying that it isn't equivalent gambling and therefore unfair.

Yumeko then tells Yuriko that they should bet fairly and that if her number reveals a sword that is pointed in the "life" position then the 40 chips she betted will force a debt of 2.17 billion yen on Yuriko. She then laughs and states to a worried Yuriko that such a high amount of money hanging in the balance is truly the equivalent of "Life or Death." Excitedly, Yuriko screams that they should gamble and turns towards Kamagusu to ask her to lift the cup.

A terrified Kamagusu grips the cup as she calls out Yuriko's name who is terrified at the prospect of being ladled with a 2.17 billion yen debt as she can't afford to lose such a high quantity of money and as a result may be forced to used the stashed payments of the Culture Club members to pay such a debt. She faces a dilemma if she chooses to use that action, however, as using the payments may cause her to lose her council seat. Her membership on the council allows for the clubs continued existence and the club members abilities to avoid becoming "pets." As Yuriko attempts to find a solution for this, Kirari Momobami, Runa Yomozuki, and Ririka Momobami intrude into the room.

Terrified, Yuriko asks the president why she's there to which the president simply responds that things seemed to have gotten interesting before glancing at Yumeko and responding that trouble attends to occur when one bets large sums of money. Before telling Yuriko that she simply is going to take the role of an observer. Yuriko attempts to persuade her that there's no need to do so and that she can handle the situation herself. Kirari grips Yuriko's cheeks between her fingers and tells her to shut up and wait for the results. Runa, laughing taunts Yuriko over the fact that she's seemingly gone pale as Kawagusu calls out her name. Yuriko turns to her and nods, indicating that it's time for her to lift the cup.

It's revealed that there's a sword in the 7 slot that is facing upwards. Yuriko who had 5 chips placed on the number gets 195 chips (195 million yen) whereas Yumeko loses 115 (115 million yen). Which negates Yuriko's total winnings to 310 million yen. Ryota is surprised that Yumeko lost as Kirari tells Yuriko that she's surprised that she even won as she wasn't sure she could handle it before telling her that it seems luck is on her side. Kirari tells Yumeko that things have turned out poorly for her and that she fought hard only to be defeated by luck. Yumeko looks excited as she exclaims that it seems like a "bear-in-the-hole" situation. A "bear-in-the-hole" refers to a type of cheating that was used during dice games in the past. First, a player makes a tiny hole in the floor, a white cloth is then placed down onto the floor where the game is going to be played so players won't notice it at first glance. In traditional Japanese homes, there's a space underneath the floor, so a person could hide underneath the floor and with a candle use it to see through the cloth and what side the dice landed on. Depending on the numbers, they would stick a needle through the cloth and change the dice so as to give the gambling den an advantage. Yumeko reveals to Ryota while they're underneath the Traditional Culture Room that she's fairly certain the club president did something similar by using a magnet to move the sword that was stuck in the 24 slot as Yuriko seemed uncertain of this trickery that had occurred, but the fact that there was a sword stuck in one of the numbers she picked was certainly an advantage of luck.

Ryota seemingly confused by how this trick occurred tells Yumeko that a "bear-in-the-hole" trick could only be done because of the space that was available underneath traditional Japanese homes. Yumeko tells him one can simply make their own space if they need it for the trick and that all the student council needed to do was modify the school building to fit such a purpose or that the student council president ordered the modification of the building specifically for that purpose. Yumeko, excitedly states that it would be amazing if either was true and that normally one couldn't imagine such a situation, much less carry it out, but a crazy person would. Yumeko then boldly announces her intention on gambling the student president.

The next day, in her classroom, Yumeko is confronted with graffiti on her desk, torn textbooks, a broken doll that resembles her with a knife sticking out of its chest and a "mike" tag. Some students in the classroom began to chant cat as Yumeko slips the tag on and turns as she hears her name being called. 3 of her female classmates stared worriedly at her as they state that they heard she gambled with a club council member yesterday. Yumeko proudly showing off her tag, responds that she did, but lost. The students confirmed that they heard this. Yumeko, thinking that her classmates are worried about her begins to tell them that they shouldn't worry when she's interrupted by them as they burst out laughing. They began to lament her with verbal abuse due to her new status within the school. Yumeko not letting her position put her down, responds that she thinks it's cute to be considered a "mike."

Yumeko then lays down on the floor and begins to behave like a cat, this scares the 3 girls who run away. Ryota comes over to Yumeko who is still behaving like a cat, she jokes to him that she's considering on getting a tail to which he responds that she shouldn't.

In the student council room, Sayaka presents Kirai with Yumeko and Mary's schedules. While the other members talk about Yuriko's perceived failures over her match with Yumeko. Kirari reaches out for Yumeko's schedule and begins to open it.

## Character Appearances

* Yumeko Jabami
* Ryota Suzui
* Mary Saotome
* Yuriko Nishinotouin

## Differences between anime and manga

* In the manga, before Yumeko visits the Traditional Culture Research Club, she gets invited to hang out after school by three of her classmates but turns them down to tour the school some more with Ryota. This is absent from the anime (Chapter 3).
* In the anime, Yumeko learns about official matches after Mary loses to Yuriko. In the manga, she learns about it right before Mary loses to Yuriko (Chapter 3).
* After losing to Yuriko, Yumeko goes directly below the room, where she suspects someone used a bear-in-the-hole cheating method to force for loss. In the anime, this place seems to be a basement. But in the manga, this place is a classroom (Chapter 4).

## Trivia

* Yuriko Nishinotouin can be read as 2, 4, 10 and "in" as 2 ( 二 ), 4 ( 四 ), and 10 ( 十 ) are read in Japanese with those characters (the exception in pronunciation being 4 and 10 as 4 is read with the rarely used pronunciation of it "shi/ 死" (due to the pronunciation being similar to the word for death) and 10 is read with its traditional reading in this case instead of its Sino-Japanese pronunciation.)
	+ So Nishinotouin is read as 二四(no)十(in) or 2 4 (no) 10 (in)