Reason 3: She Shows Great Spirit In The Face Of Challenges (3)

In one of our vacant times, I noticed that the gambling group surrounded a corner once more and gambled their money away.

I should just ignore them. I'm afraid that my good mood this morning might turn bad because of their actions.

"Oh! So this is the new Perya app, Ivy? Hey you! Go create the colored boxes so we can start playing," I heard Blessie's bossy tone as she ordered one of the gamblers to create colored boxes.

My mood immediately turned to worse when I heard that tone of hers.

I can't ignore the silent urge in my heart to look at what they are doing. Damn this unexplainable feeling. Always giving me trouble!

I peeked between the surrounding gamblers and saw a tablet with an application opened. It's an app that makes me remember the Perya during town festivals.

A Perya is an open gambling place that even kids can play in. Everyone can bet their money ranging from a peso to hundreds, but most people usually bet by pesos, as the objective of this gambling place is for people to have fun and feel the festivities.

There are three cubes with six different colors in each side. The betting boxes would have those colors and gamblers can choose the amount of money they would bet to the colors they chose.

The three cubes would then be tossed to the ground, and the colors on the upper side will be the winning colors. There are lucky times where just one color is the winning color, and the gambler who bet on that color would be having the spring of their lives, depending on the amount they bet.

"Hey Rae! You want to join us?" Blessie approached me, and I instantly had the instinct to run away from her and hide in Lisa's back for protection.

What's happening to me?! This is outrageous! You are not a coward, Raven Aurelia! You do not have to fear that ice queen!

"I-I do not gamble," I stiffly said as I looked away.

(๑♡⌓♡๑) Her dimples are showing with that iconic smile of hers. It's dangerous for my heart.

"Come on. Even Aira, Marie and Kaye are trying the game," she said with a smirk, and I immediately glanced at some people surrounding the tablet with the application.

Ai-onee-chan (〒﹏〒), even you? It's fine with Marie and Kaye because their brain maturity is high and might diverge from the normal student profile, but you? Our kind and benevolent angel is also playing the betting game?

"I might turn into a fallen sooner or later with how things are going," I said, not knowing if I just cry or not.

"Wow! I just won my tricycle fare later!" I heard Ai-onee-chan say that got my attention.

"Really?!" I asked.

As a frugal and thrifty person, saving money is hard when all the commodities sold in this school are expensive, given their higher quality than the rest.

But even though the quality of goods in this school are high and I agree with this, my pockets are screaming at me to cut my expenses. I still haven't gotten my wage from my summer job, so I don't have any extra allowance this month.

Now, hearing Ai-onee-chan that she just won her tricycle fare for later, I instantly got hooked.

Hmmp! This game is just easy! I have great luck! I just might win my jeepney fare for later! Hehehe~

"Rae, that look of yours is a little bit creepy," Kaye commented, as she put a peso in her favorite color.

I also put my bet on the boxes and waited for the others to put their bets.

Then Ivy rolled the cubes.

Triple win for me! Yey!

We played the game for until an hour later, when it's time for the next subject.

In the end, I won an additional ten pesos. It's half my jeepney fare, but it's a good improvement for my pockets. I'm starting to like that game.

"Hey, will you guys also play that game later in the afternoon?" I asked.

Jean, who was approaching me to ask about something, froze.

Lisa, who was returning my borrowed laptop also froze while about to stand up.

Joana, who was reading a book she borrowed from me, let the book fell in her lap in her frozen state.

The rest of the class froze and had a very frightening expression, except for Blessie, who's smiling wickedly.

I don't know if this is just me or what, but I suddenly felt chills up my spine when I saw that. She's scary (;ŏ﹏ŏ).

"Of course! We'll suspend our Tong-its session later and play the Perya game with you. Ready your pockets guys. Someone will go bankrupt," Blessie said with a grin.

Although she looks scary with that, I can't deny that her dimples are getting deeper as she smiled so it's fine by me.

It looks like I heard some gulping sounds, but I bet it's just my imagination.

Only animes can have such loud and prominent gulping sounds.

~~~

"Jean!" Jean looked at Aira who signaled her to come closer.

"What is it?" Jean asked as she sighed.

"Rae-chan is getting infected by our classmates' habits. Such an innocent child, learning from bad eggs is so not good in my vocabulary," Aira said worriedly.

Jean also nodded in agreement and looked worriedly at Rae that is talking animatedly with Blessie about the Perya game.

"Do you think we can distract her from falling into the abyss of sins?" Aira asked, as she but her lips.

'You're also one of the reasons why Rae is learning all the bad things from our classmates, Aira,' Jean thought.

Aira is Rae's angel and model. Jean knew this because she became the close friend who Rae discloses all her opinions to. She knew a lot about Rae, and Rae sees her as Rae's mother figure.

"We can start by having you avoid joining the ranks of our classmates and focus on highlighting your good sides," Jean suggested, in which Aira answered with an 'eh?'.