ෆ Words of Encouragement. In a private classroom repurposed for a high–stake gamble. Dim lights. Intense mood. Two players sit across each other at a table, a small crowd gathered, murmuring and observing quietly.
Rin Obami smiled politely at his opponent, cards in hand. He was able to successfully lur his opponent to his set trap, each round calculated to perfection.
He had his polite mask on, tone was soothing, but his mind was just a sharp knife slicing away his opponent's confidence. Just one more play, and he'd win both match and their election chips.
The crowd turned. Rin's eye twitched.
[F/n] skipped into the room with a warm smile, happy to see Rin, as if she hadn't entered a lion's den. She waved brightly as she walked up next to Rin, hands now behind her back.
"Ahh... [F/n]," Rin said smoothly, though his opponent smirked at the interruption, with the delusion that she might be able to distract Rin from focus, "didn't expect to see you here.
She leaned over the table, looking at his cards with fascination. "Are you winning? You look so serious. Like a really intense pigeon who's constipated."
"... A constipated pigeon?"
"Yeah! You know, all focused and tense, coo coo!"
A bead of sweat formed on Rin's temple.
His opponent stifled a laugh.
Rin's usual smiled tugged on his mouth, a hint of strain behind it. "It's a high–stake match, so—."
"oh no pressure!" She said cheerfully, "even if you lose, it's okay! You're still, like, the brightest carrot in the knife drawer!"
He blinked. "I-... I'm sorry?"
She nodded, a sincere smile on her face, "you know, like, when you shine even if things are stabby."
The crowd was silent, looking at [F/n] with confusion, and maybe a little bit of concern.
Rin's opponent, who was once confident was now confused.
Rin took a deep inhale through his nose, "that's... Very encouraging, thank you."
[F/n] smiled, her smile beaming as if it was a solar light powered by too much sun, "of course! That's what peers are for!"
And just as suddenly she had appeared, she wandred off to admire something she spotted in the hallway. Rin stared at her, his face expressionless for a few seconds.
Then, he turned back to his opponent.
Rin smiled, sharper now, "you were saying something about having the upper hand?"
They played the next move. Rin crushed him in three turns.
After that, Rin didn't speak of her intrusion. From that day on, he refused to permit anyone to speak during his games—except for her. For some reason.
Her nonsense didn't throw him off. It threw everyone else off.
And Rin Obami never wasted a weapon—especially one as chaotically innocent as [F/n].
At another election gamble, this time, it's a group–based game with several players watching. Rin was sat at a table, his arms crossed and his head tilted, all while he wore his calm, calculating expression—until...
The door flies open, and [F/n] waltz her way in, holding a juice box and three different notebooks that doesn't belong to her.
"Oh! Rin! Hehe, I made it just in time to watch your math!"
He doesn't even correct her.
The other player glanced around, "math..?"
She sits down on a chair besides Rin—uninvited, all while she kicks her feet like a schoolkid waiting for lunch break. "I wanted to be here to support you emotionally and mathematically."
One player raised a brow, "do you-... Do you even know what the game is about?"
"Nop~..! But Rin's playing, so I'm sure that the vibes are ought to be immaculate."
Rin doesn't flinch. Not outwardly.
Inside, he's SCREAMING into the void.
Mid-way through the game, it required a lot of bluffing, number manipulation, and psychological dedication.
Rin's opponent made a risky move, and the whole table was tense.
[F/n] leaned closed to Rin, attempting to whisper but clearly it didn't work, "psst! Don't worry about losing, I know for a fact that you're as sharp as a melted hammer," she smiled.
The room was silent, trying to process her words.
Rin pressed his lips together, nodding slowly, "yep... I'll... I'll keep that in mind."
Later on, when Rin's bluff got called, [F/n] clasped her hands together with a determined look on her face, "no need to worry, I'm sure you'll land butter–side up."
The dealer actually stopped shuffling the cards to look at her.
Rin's lips twitch into a forced smile, "yes... Quite."
His opponents' composure? Gone. He doesn't know if he's losing to Rin or to [F/n]'s messed up sayings.
After the match, Rin barely won. Once everyone left, he looks over to [F/n] who was now chewing the straw from her juice box.
He sighed and shook his head, "you really have no idea what's going on, do you?"
She looked up with grin, "of course I do!"
"... And you just say things like that all the time?"
[F/n] proudly nodded, "duh, gotta keep the morale confusing and the floor emotionally stable."
There was a brief moment of silence before Rin lets out a genuine chuckle, "... You're impossible."
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