Gambling In Love

Chapter 14: Election

"I thought she was dead."

"Didn't the Momobamis kill the Jabamis?"

"I heard the Momobamis owe them money."

"That bitch will pay."

"Anyway, the reason you're all here is because I'm offering up a secondary prize," Kirari explained. When everyone nodded, she continued, "the winner of this election will not only be president, but they'll also be head of the clan."

Everyone gasped in surprise while Yumeko looked mortified. She knew that if any of the clan aside from Kirari and herself became head of the clan, she'd be murdered immediately. All of them wanted her dead for their own reasons, most of which she didn't know or understand. Kirari seemed to sense the fear on Yumeko's face, and she just smiled confidently at the raven-haired girl.

"Momobami, if I may," one of them, a girl in a wheelchair, asked as she slightly raised her hand.

"Go ahead," Kirari said.

"Why are you letting her in on this," she said with an accusatory glance at Yumeko, "She's not even really a bami, and let's not forget, she's been worse than the rest of us since childhood. It's almost unfair to her."

"So that's why she beat you?" Kirari clapped back, causing everyone to go silent as only Kirari, Ririka, Yumeko, and Terano knew what had really happened that day.

Yumeko watched as Kirari fumed. She remembered Kirari mentioning that she thought of her as a sister, but she hadn't expected this level of anger as such a small insult. "Yumeko is an honorary Momobami," Kirari said firmly, causing everyone to gasp, "If you have a problem with her, you have a problem with me, and if you have a problem with me, you have a problem with my family. Got it?"

Everyone groaned as they nodded reluctantly. "If Jabami wins this, I expect all of you to accept it," Kirari said firmly, "understood?"

Everyone reluctantly nodded, knowing that until someone knew as appointed, Kirari was head of the clan, and going against her was practically suicidal. Kirari then dismissed everyone, but Yumeko stayed behind.

"Yes, Yumeko?" Kirari asked.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Yumeko exclaimed. Seeing where this was going, Kirari made a gesture for the student council to give them some space.

"It's the only way they'd accept you as head of the clan. Didn't I tell you that if anyone was to succeed me, I wanted it to be you?" Kirari explained with a genuine smile.

"I don't want that! I don't want to be head of the clan! I just want to live," Yumeko explained distraught.

"Look," Kirari said as she grabbed Yumeko's shoulders, "running from everyone all your life, that's not living. If you really want to live, you have to lead the clan. That's the only way."

"But I don't want that," Yumeko said as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kirari apologized sincerely, "but I'm doing this for you. All you have to do is bring your a-game."

Yumeko blinked away her tears as she just nodded and left. She calmly walked back to her friends before pausing halfway there. She shouldn't hang out with her friends while 20+ people in the school want her dead right now. Instead of meeting her friends, she collected her food and went to the roof of the school.

A while later, she heard the door to the roof open, and she panicked as she saw who it was. The girl in the wheelchair, who she knew was named Terano, appeared. The girl who always followed her around to help her out put her wheelchair down as she helped Terano into the seat.