The Probing Girl

Cover

**The Probing Girl** is the 22nd chapter of Kakegurui Twin, written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Kei Saiki.

## Summary

In the continuation of the Doubt Poker game between Mary and Tsuzura, Kurumi advises Mary that Sachiko might be cheating. Mary considers the possibility that the cards are marked. When the game resumes, Mary becomes convinced that the cards are indeed marked. As Sachiko is leading in chip count, she raises the bet to one million. Mary goes all in and declares that she has a heart flush. She then publicly accuses Sachiko of cheating. Mary explains that the cards have pattern that reveal their numbers, but not their suit.

Sachiko doesn’t doubt Mary’s hand and declares that she has three aces. She admits that Mary has a strong drive to win but states that she can read minds and had accurately guessed Mary's cards. As they have a showdown, they realize that Sachiko had no hand and just taunted Mary with a high-stakes bet. Mary’s guess about the cheating was wrong and her will to fight is broken. In the subsequent rounds, Sachiko easily defeats Mary, leaving her with no money. Mary won’t be able to pay her debts alone. Mary asks Kurumi for another loan, but she refuses. Mary now has to join the Full-Bloom society or become Sachiko’s housepet.

## Plot

Before the Doubt Poker game between Mary and Tsuzura resumes, Kurumi gives Mary advice. She implies that Sachiko is cheating. Mary doesn’t think that’s true at first. She then considers this possibility. If Sachiko cheated, it’d be with the deck she chose. Mary concludes that the cards are marked.

Tsuzura resumes the game. Mary is now convinced that the cards are marked, but she just hadn’t seen it. Sachiko is leading with 6.5 million to Mary’s 3.5 million. Both players are betting low. Sachiko notices and points out that Mary isn’t playing like she usually does. She reminds Mary that she’ll have to fight if she wants to win. Sachiko bets one million. Yukimi understands that Sachiko made this move to taunt Mary. Mary shocks every spectator by going all in. Sachiko calls. She declares that she has three aces. Mary declares a heart flush.

Mikura finds Mary to be stupid. A flush is the second best hand in this game. The chances of her getting such a hand when Sachiko just challenged her are incredibly low. Mary reminds Mikura that this is the most rational move she could make. She asks Sachiko for confirmation. Sachiko doesn’t approve or deny. Mary asks Sachiko to stop playing dumb. At first, she believes that Sachiko was just talented in reading her opponent, but she could read people she had never played against and could continually tell when they were lying.

Mary publicly accuses Sachiko of cheating. Sachiko asks how she cheated. Mary responds that she has marked the cards. Sachiko says that there aren’t any marks. Mary guesses Sachiko's hand to be three aces, a king, and a two. Sachiko doesn't react. Mary explains that the pattern on the back of each card is different. Yukimi can't see it. Mary says that it's about where the pattern gets cut. On each card, it cuts at a different location.

Tsuzura now notices it. Mary says that it's impossible to tell the suits apart, but it's possible for the numbers. Tsuzura asks Mary why she didn't fold it if that was the case. Sachiko should know all of her cards. Mary reminds Tsuzura that she can't read the card suits. A flush is the only poker hand in which only the card suits matter. If Sachiko saw a 2, 5, 6, 10, and J, she'd just think Mary had nothing, not a flush. Mikura denies the allegations. She believes this is a big bluff. Mary asks Sachiko to thus doubt her. Mary also won't doubt Sachiko since she believes in her. If Sachiko doubts and loses, Mary wins the whole game. If Sachiko doesn't doubt, but loses, Mary will have 7 million while she'll have 3.

Sachiko admits that Mary has a great drive to win but explains that she's so dedicated that her judgment is clouded. Mary believed that Sachiko's guesses were too accurate to be actual guesses, so she had to be cheating. Sachiko reminds her that she asked to change decks when she went against Mary. Mary reminds Sachiko that she said herself that the old cards had cuts. Sachiko is surprised that Mary believed that. Sachiko explains that she can simply read minds.

She congratulates Mary because it took her three rounds to be able to read her perfectly. Sachiko can usually read people off the bat. Sachiko doesn't doubt Mary. She really has a flush. Sachiko asks Mary if she doesn't find strange the fact that she taunted her with a high stakes bet as soon as she got a flush. The timing is odd. Sachiko reveals that she doesn’t have a hand. Yukimi can't believe that Sachiko had bet one million on a no-hand. Mary thinks there is no upside in doing that. Sachiko was just playing with her. Mary understands that the cards weren't marked. She can't figure out a way to defeat Sachiko. Her will to fight is broken.

Sachiko easily beats Mary on successive rounds, making her go down to 0 yen. Mary asks Kurumi for another loan; she declines. Sachiko asks Kurumi if that's ideal for the Full-Bloom society. After all, she's one of the society's leaders, she wouldn't loan money to Mary for no reason. Since Mary won't be able to pay her debts, she'll have to either join the Full-Bloom society or become Sachiko's housepet.

## Quick References

### Character Appearances

* Tsuzura Hanatemari
* Mary Saotome
* Kurumi Kurume
* Sachiko Juraku
* Yukimi Togakushi
* Mikura Sado

### Chapter Notes

* Sachiko crushes Mary in Doubt Poker.
* Mary is out of money and will have to join the Full-Bloom society or become Sachiko's housepet.