100 VOTE AUCTION INVITATION
I was right.
No one else in the class got an invitation. Just us.
I see.
I wonder who could have sent it.
So, will you...
Of course I'll attend!
I thought you would.
But shouldn't we at least find out who the sender is first?
Do you think so?
I don't mind, as long as the game is stimulating.
You say that, but if you don't know who you're up against,
you may get poisoned again, which would be unbearable.
What a unique experience that was!
Oh, yeah! I wonder if Saotome...
Yes, I received one, too.
You don't think it could be the vice president again?
No.
It's definitely not.
Well, it's most likely that it has been organized by one of the Momobami clan.
We're halfway through the election, but the votes are moving slowly.
It's about time they sped up, or people will start getting worried.
- So, what are you going to do? - Me?
I expect Yumeko's happily all in, as usual.
Yeah.
Committee Chair, the auction preparations are complete!
Great!
- Can you let the organizer know? - At once!
Well, well, well.
I didn't see this coming.
Don't worry, Suzui-san.
We'll find out who we'll play against very soon.
Yeah.
- What are you doing? - Sh! Checking the situation.
Ms. Nishinotoin and Ikishima, did you get invitations, too?
Not just us, but the entire student council.
Although we seem to be the only ones who decided to participate.
What else could you do,
after losing on the very first day of the election.
You're in the same boat!
Anyway, it was only because Miyo Inbami resorted to deception.
Even so, at this rate,
not only will I be removed from the student council
but the Traditional Culture Club will be at risk, too.
How do I get back into Yumeko's good books?
What?
If it carries on like this, she'll ignore me for the rest of my life.
Do something about it!
What do you want me to do?
Suzui-san?
Who is it you keep speaking to?
What? Ikishima...
I don't see anyone here.
- Yumeko, about the other day... - Let's go, Suzui-san.
Come on, Yumeko.
Hey, let it go!
Yumeko!
- Mary-san! - Stay back.
What a wonderful theater!
Vice President?
So you're going to participate, too.
Ms. Nishinotoin, thanks for the game the other day.
Are you sure you can participate when you have no votes?
There's no need for concern.
I won them off members of the Trade Cult Club.
You "won" them, huh?
So Ikishima must have gotten more votes the same way.
- Oh, my! - Batsubami-san?
Everyone, thank you very much for gathering today
for the 100 Vote Auction.
Sadly, it seems not all of those invited
have been able to make it,
but each one of you gathered here demonstrates fearlessness.
In today's auction, I, Rei Batsubami,
will serve as auctioneer.
I guess her involvement confirms that the organizer
is from the Momobami clan.
Moving on, let me introduce our monitor.
My name's Inaho Yamato and I'm your election monitor.
You again!
Thanks, Yamato-san. I hope this is another good game.
As do I!
Let's get to it.
Let me explain the rules of the 100 Vote Auction.
Wait.
What's the matter, Saotome-san?
If you're really auctioning 100 votes,
then who donated them?
And do these votes actually exist?
The sponsor's anonymity is a condition of the auction.
However, the votes definitely exist.
There's only one other person who's in a position to donate
so many votes at short notice.
The sponsor must be Terano Totobami.
The sponsor's anonymity is a condition of the game.
All games are based on a deal.
As long as everyone's in agreement, the game is valid,
regardless of whether the sponsor's revealed. Yes?
Indeed. That's correct.
- Fine. I get it. - Much appreciated.
In that case, I shall continue explaining the rules of the 100 Vote Auction.
The auctioneer will offer lots of 100 votes
for the participants to bid on.
Participants will bid using votes.
Whoever places the highest bid will win the 100 votes.
However, all votes placed prior to the winning bid
will go to the auctioneer, and not to the original bidder.
So if you're not the highest bidder, you lose everything you bid?
As participants,
you will enter silent bids on private terminals.
So unlike a traditional auction,
no one will know who has bid.
Please note that participants are free to withdraw from the auction at any time.
But once they have done so, their game is over.
That concludes the rules.
BID
With that, the 100 Vote Auction...
Will now commence.
Now, ladies and gents.
You may start bidding on the first lot of 100 votes.
We start at one vote.
They may as well be giving out votes for free.
I have a bid of ten votes.
Straight in at ten?
I've only got 13.
Would anyone else like to bid?
Of course not.
Under these rules, you only get the difference between
the winning bid and what you bid.
So the more we get dragged into competing against each other,
the more the sponsor gains.
Only a complete idiot would...
I have 20 votes! Anyone else?
- What? Who did that? - Now, now, Mary-san.
There's no fun in a one-sided gamble you're sure to win.
I swear, you're the only one who feels that way.
That's not to say it was me who made the bid.
Don't look so happy about it!
Thirty votes.
Hey!
Like Yumeko said, since we're all here now,
it'd be a real shame not to take some risks.
If I make Yumeko feel good about this
it may soften her up toward me, too.
I'm surrounded by idiots.
Damn it. You better not butt in like that again!
Eighty votes. Do I hear any more?
Then it's gone, for 80 votes.
Do you see now? I entered the first and last bids.
Which means that the sponsor lost 100 votes but won back 130
from the losing bids.
If we fight between us, we play right into their hands.
- Saotome? - What?
You said we shouldn't compete.
What if we agree on an order and take turns winning?
That won't do, Mr. Suzui.
This is an auction, after all.
Colluding would guarantee the sponsor's withdrawal.
The votes were entrusted to me, so I'd have to withdraw.
If you want to win, you'll have to fight.
Of course. I'm sorry.
Let us move on now to the second lot.
The bidding starts at one vote.
Ten votes.
That ten votes is my bid.
Anyone else who bids will be bidding against me.
I won't back down.
So be prepared if you bid.
I have 20 votes.
Did you even hear what I said?
I could say the same to you.
We're here to gamble. Aren't we, Yumeko?
You eye-patch bitch.
Is something the matter, Mary-san?
I didn't hear anything.
We're currently at 20 votes. Do I hear any more?
Well, if Yumeko's not bidding yet, I'll take this one.
I have 30 votes. Anymore bids?
Forty votes. I have 40 votes. Do I hear anymore?
What?
You again!
It wasn't me!
Then you, Yumeko?
Oh, no, it wasn't me.
Well, then. Do I hear any more bets?
Fifty votes.
Seventy votes. I have 70 votes.
Eighty votes. Going, going, gone.
Gone for 80 votes.
WINNING BID
What's going on here?
This is crazy. No one benefits from this.
I was the one that won that lot.
Nishinotoin-san?
Hey! What are you playing at?
- Like I said earlier, in this auction... - Hush.
There's something strange about this auction.
But in any case,
the only way to stop people bidding... is to bid.
To bid so high that everyone else loses interest.
I know.
Thanks to you, I've found a way to win this auction.
Are we ready?
Then on to the next lot of 100 votes.
Excuse me!
Could we pause for a moment?
I'd like a word with Ms. Yamato over there.
With me? At your service!
Yes, yes! Very well!
Thank you very much.
Ms. Jabami, is there a problem?
Oh, no, no! I'm thoroughly enjoying this gamble.
What about you, Batsubami-san?
I am merely the auctioneer.
I'm not in a position to enjoy the game.
Now, are we ready?
Let's move on to the third lot.
The bidding starts at one vote.
I have something to say.
This time, no matter what anybody else bids,
I'm going to bid 99 votes.
- What? - If you don't wanna lose out,
then don't bid.
Unless you don't mind us both going down together.
I have ten votes.
Anyone else?
I have 20 votes.
Wha... No, no way.
Now, the current bid is at 20 votes. Any more?
Then it's gone for 20 votes.
WINNING BID
Saotome, weren't you going to bid 99 votes?
That was a lie! So, I lost ten votes. But now I know.
The auctioneer's cheating.
Cheating?
This time around, I declared that I'd bid 99 votes,
not that I wouldn't back down.
To outbid me,
you'd need to bid 100 votes to win 100.
There's no point in bidding.
But someone still bid 20 votes.
So who could it be?
- Well... - Don't look at me!
Think back.
Neither the auctioneer nor the election monitor said
that the six of us were the only bidders.
There's someone else bidding
with the aim of deliberately inflating the price.
Which means, you yourself were bidding in the auction.
It's a simple method but incredibly effective.
All you needed to do was keep bidding until
the sponsor made a profit.
I'm impressed, Ms. Saotome.
It's as you say. I was also participating in the auction.
However, I don't believe I contravened the rules.
Just like you, I was putting my own votes on the line.
No, wait, that can't be right.
Negative. Batsubami-sama is correct.
The rules of this game do not prohibit
the auctioneer from bidding.
- The hell? - But I understand.
I'll sit out during the next round. Will that suffice?
I suppose so. Not that it makes up for the first three rounds.
Much obliged. Is that all right with everyone else?
In that case, let's proceed to the fourth lot.
Batsubami won't be bidding from now on.
Does that mean Saotome's plan will work?
Good.
I have ten votes.
We are currently at ten votes. Do I hear any more?
So, it's Suzui.
Anyone else?
I have 30 votes.
That's how I like it.
I have 40 votes.
Fifty.
Sixty votes.
What the hell. This is sure to get Yumeko's attention.
We're at 70 votes.
Hey, stop messing around, all of you!
I'm sorry, Mary-san.
But it's no fun gambling on a one-horse race.
- Yumeko, you... - But I finally figured it out.
- The reason we've all felt uneasy. - What?
On the last lot, mine was the bid of 40 votes.
There was someone else who bid 30 votes before me.
But was anyone, aside from me, more interested in the thrill
of the gamble than in winning?
I bid 70 votes, too, Yumeko!
There wasn't anyone.
So we can only assume that,
once again, someone other than us bid 30 votes to inflate the price.
But there's no one.
Suzui-san, there's something the rules didn't mention, isn't there?
"The participants must all be in view of each other."
- No way! - Yes, there is someone.
Somewhere else, another participant!
Isn't this getting interesting!
Aw, man! Busted!
I was thinking we'd be able to bank a little more, Rin.
That's why I said stop and wait for a bit.
Shut up, Miro.
Why did you let Ibara have the terminal?
Sorry about that.
It's not a laughing matter.
You've basically just ruined Terano's plan.
That's very Yumeko Jabami.
I don't deny that you are not the only participants.
How could you...?
Would you like to terminate the auction now, then?
Of course, I cannot return the bets you have already placed.
Of course not!
This is where it starts to get good!
Batsubami-san, isn't it time we stopped pretending
and got on with the real gambling?
Surely you don't plan on finishing the game
having run no risk whatsoever yourself?
By which, you mean...
I can't help wondering, who you've been working for all along.
As I said before, I am unable to reveal that.
Do you mean that you are "unable" to, or that you won't?
I don't follow.
Reason being that you are both the sponsor and the organizer.
Ms. Jabami, forgive my rudeness, but it seems you are nearly out
of votes to bid with.
Whatever the truth, is it not irrelevant at this stage?
I'm not so sure about that.
Jabami-sama,
here is what you requested earlier.
If everyone agrees, the rules of the game may be amended.
- Thank you. - Yumeko?
Batsubami-san, I have three billion yen here.
From the formal match against Manyuda...
Would you permit me to use it to win this round?
With that much you can buy as many votes as you like.
But no matter how much you accumulate, with such an ambivalent attitude,
you'll end up crushed like an insect.
I don't get any pleasure gambling against you
in your current state.
I want to gamble with the real you,
where there's something at stake!
Not just 100 votes!
With this three billion, I want to win all of you,
everything you've kept hidden for so long under that mask!
Show yourself now!
Who are you? What's the real reason you're here?
I expect nothing less from Yumeko Jabami.
Skillfully done.
How could I back down in the face of such a move?
It's as you say. I organized this auction myself.
EPISODE 11 THE X GIRL
Behold!
This is...
BATSUBAMI
My raison d'être!
Now is the time...