Raison d'Être

“	I want to thank you, Kifune-sama. [...] Before, when I was hit, I would just accept it and act as if it had nothing to do with me, waiting for the person to get bored and go away. But after I met you, I looked the person in the eye after hitting me. Strangely, I didn't feel scared. So I said it in my mind.	”
—Hana Mitarai to Izayoi Kifune

Raison d’Être
Chapter name
Japanese	レゾンデートル
Translation	Rezon Dētoru
Chapter information
Chapter no.	5 (Trip)
Volume no.	Kakegurui Trip
Release Date	August 22, 2017
Number of Pages	120
Gambles
Gambles	Closed Poker
Chronology
Previous	Poker Tournament
Next	Epilogue (Kakegurui Trip)

Raison d'Être is the 5th chapter of Kakegurui Trip, written by Hikaru Muno and illustrated by Tooru Naomura.

Summary

Izayoi believes that everything she’s invested her academic life into will soon come to fruition. Players of the final table are seated. Hana sees Yumeko. Izayoi walks in and announces that the finals begin. She also acts as the dealer. Players have stacks of 1 million yen. Yumeko bets 300,000 yen quickly. Three players fold successively. Hana murmurs that she raises to 350,000. During the showdown, Yumeko reveals a three of a kind of aces. As Ryota thinks her victory is set in stone. Hana shows a four of a kind of fours. Players who are at the table with them are stunned.

Chips rapidly move around the table. Hana calls the huge bet of a boy. He has a straight. However, he loses, since against her flush. Ryota finds her extremely strong. One third of the total chips have moved to her. Yumeko is currently in second place. She stares at Hana throughout the match.

Only Yumeko and Hana are left. The latter has never shown a losing hand. She has more than 3 million while Yumeko is below 2 million. Yumeko asks Hana if Poker is fun to her. She responds that she doesn’t find it fun at all. Kirari and Sayaka suddenly walk in. Kirari declares that Sayaka is now the dealer. Izayoi reluctantly steps down. Kirari points out that Izayoi just used her authority as leader of the Kansankai to claim that the game is fair. As the Student Council president, she should also be able to do it. Kirari takes an oath and ensures the dealer she’s chosen will be fair. Izayoi becomes devastated by Kirari’s apparition. She had been cheating with shuffling tricks to help out Hana. Her business is going to fall into ruins if Yumeko wins.

Yumeko seems satisfied since Sayaka became the dealer. Ryota realizes there’s been cheating and Yumeko found out about it. Mary walks in and speaks with him. He believes that Mary is the one who brought Kirari and that it’s what Yumeko whispered to her about earlier. Mary denies it and explains that she was in the display area until the end of the second round.

Yumeko and Hana are being evenly matched. They both feel the heat of the moment. Yumeko asks her again if she wants to win. Hana finds the question to be stupid and assures her she wants to win. They both go all in.

Izayoi finds that Hana has become so strong since she met her just a few months ago. When first seeing Hana, Izayoi felt as if she was looking at herself back when she had just entered. Hana was at her lowest, since housepets lose sight of any future. Izayoi allowed her into the Kansankai. Izayoi believed the Hana of the past must’ve died for a new Hana to be born, just like her. As for the tournament, she planned to let Hana win, as no one would bet a lot of money on her, most likely. She wanted no one else to win besides her. But Kirari’s arrival laid that plan to waste. One thing she hasn’t expected is Hana now playing so well without cheating. She begs for Hana to win. With a one pair, she loses against Yumeko’s three-of-a-kind. Izayoi believes Hana will lose, and then, in the midst of her long thoughts, she hears a shout.

Hana is delighted as she wins with a three-of-a-kind. Applauds and cheers spread throughout the room. Hana has defeated Yumeko; Izayoi believes Hana has been reborn. The casino business can continue. A staff member goes against an order by rushing to Izayoi. To tell her something. That someone has bet on Hana. She can’t believe someone could be drunk enough to bet on a no-name player. She still accepts it, as the payout should only be 5-to-1 by the time the person made the bet. Her calculations for the payout are proven to be right. Except, the bettor placed 200 million yen. Therefore, they owe a billion. Izayoi is horrified.

Mary had no intention of participating in the tournament. But Yumeko had still given her an order: for her to observe the matches from the display area so she could check the overall movement of the tables. Yumeko was convinced that someone would cheat. Yumeko asked for Mary to bet on the suspicious person right before the finals began. At least 100 million yen. While Mary was reluctant at first and she didn’t know how to come up with so much, Yumeko explained that she’d be able to cover the losses if Mary’s bet didn’t succeed. Mary thinks about the amount of unnecessary trouble she’s had since pairing up with Yumeko. During the second round, Mary thought that Hana’s plays made it look like she had clairvoyance. Bets were always made in the right amount and at the right times. After Ace was eliminated, he went to meet up with Mary. Mary asked him to bet at least 100 million yen on Hana, but she suggested he go as high as he could. They agreed to a deal. If the bet on Hana turned out wrong, then Ace would go on a date with Mary. He had 200 million yen at his disposal. He began to tell Mary about his plan for a date at an amusement park. Mary only has 5 million she can bet.

Despite being aware of the cheating, Yumeko joined this tournament for fun.

Izayoi thinks she’s going to lose Ryouran Island. She thinks that her attempt to become one of those who wields power has failed. Izayoi is nowhere close to being able to pay Ace.

Kirari and Sayaka walk into the room. Izayoi is about to admit that her business on Ryouran Island won’t be able to continue. Hana storms into the room, sweating and breathing heavily. She begs Kirari to let the business continue. She asks Kirari to give her a life plan, as long as she lets Izayoi continue operating the island. Sometime after she was taken in by Izayoi, Hana thanked her, even though her classmates still mistreated her. It’s because she was able to look them in the eye when they hit her. Before, she’d just act like it was none of her business and wait for them to get bored. Hana believes that she now has a clear future: To make the casino business of Izayoi a success and to devote herself to her. Kirari informs them that she has no plans on giving Hana a life plan and doesn’t have any intention of stopping the business either. She brings forward a contract which will free Hana from her housepet status, but the contract also makes the Tourism Industry Research Society be absorbed by the Student Council. Kirari wants to own the casino. Izayoi, scared to hear an answer, still asks Hana what she’s going to do now. Hana still believes her future is tied to Izayoi’s. She acknowledges herself as Izayoi’s servant. Izayoi signs the contract.

Plot

Part 1

Izayoi reminisces about when she first joined the academy. Her classmates had made her fall into a sea of debts. She feels like she’s detached herself from her own life and is merely an observer, even when she looks in the mirror. She reminds herself that she owns the Ryouran Island casino, she’s in control now.

If the tournament comes to an end, investors and the government will be involved with her, especially since she’s going to graduate from Hyakkaou. She tells herself she purposefully avoided being on the Student Council because having a stable position there isn’t her reason for existence. She repeats that everything she’s invested her academic life into will soon come to fruition.

Part 2

Players of the final table are seated. Hana sees Yumeko eating an ice cream with two scoops. Ryota finds Yumeko to look quite lively despite the two successive matches. Yumeko greets her. Ryota is surprised and feels like she’s out of place here.

Izayoi walks in and announces that the finals begin. She reminds them of the 500-million yen payout for the winner. She then acts as the dealer. Players have stacks of 1 million yen.

Yumeko swaps two cards. She bets 300,000 yen quickly. Three players fold successively. Hana murmurs that she raises to 350,000. Ryota sees a puzzled expression on Yumeko’s face for a brief moment. She calls. Izayoi makes them do the showdown. Yumeko reveals a three of a kind of aces. Ryota is shocked to see such a hand in the first round. He believes Yumeko’s victory is practically set in stone. Hana shows a four of a kind of fours. Players who are at the table with them are stunned. While Hana avoids Yumeko’s eyes, Yumeko stares at her face. Hana pulls the pile of chips towards herself.

Part 3

Chips rapidly move around the table. The second boy makes a huge bet. Hana calls. He has a straight. However, he loses, since Hana shows a flush. He glares at Hana with a bitter look on his face.

Ryota has never seen her at school. When she takes action, her voice sounds timid, but her playing style is still bold. The way she pushes her chips makes other players flinch. At the same time, there’s also a cautious side to her. Ryota finds her extremely strong. One third of the total chips have moved to her. Yumeko is currently in second place. The latter’s expression is gloomier than before. Ryota guesses that she’s unhappy with Hana having the upper hand.

Two players go all-in. People carefully look at Hana’s movements. She folds quickly. Yumeko also folds. Ryota judges that they made the right decision as one of the contestants with fewer chips will be eliminated either way. The other third party goes all-in as well. The chip difference between those three is small. In the midst of this, Yumeko still stares at Hana.

Part 4

Only Yumeko and Hana are left. The latter has never shown a losing hand. She has more than 3 million while Yumeko is below 2 million. Yumeko’s expression turns pale and everyone notices. She asks Hana if Poker is fun to her. Hana responds that she doesn’t find it fun at all. Izayoi tells Yumeko that conversations between players are forbidden. Yumeko dismisses her and continues the conversation. The dealer explains that she has the authority to force Yumeko to withdraw. Kirari and Sayaka suddenly walk in. Izayoi immediately bows. Kirari declares that Sayaka is now the dealer. Izayoi reluctantly steps down. She assures her that she has no intention of defying the Student Council and that they should let her operate.

Kirari tells her not to worry. She reminds Izayoi that her orders are absolute, and if she says the dealer should change, then it should change. She points out that Izayoi just used her authority as leader of the Kansankai to claim that the game is fair. As the Student Council president, she should also be able to do it. Kirari takes an oath. She ensures the dealer she’s chosen will be fair. Kirari adds that this island ultimately belongs to the Student Council. Most of the students are feeling overwhelmed by her presence.

Part 5

Izayoi is devastated by Kirari’s apparition. She realizes Kirari found out about her setup. Using shuffling tricks, she could deal the cards she wanted to the players. She realizes that her business is going to fall into ruins if Yumeko wins. Izayoi considered pausing the tournament if it was needed, but with Kirari’s arrival, that possibility has been shut off. She’s shocked as she thinks Yumeko might’ve brought Kirari there.

Part 6

Yumeko seems satisfied since Kirari made Sayaka replace Izayoi. Ryota realizes there’s probably been cheating and Yumeko has most likely found out about it. As Mary walks in and speaks with him, he believes that Mary is the one who brought Kirari and that it’s what Yumeko whispered to her about earlier. Mary punches him in the solar plexus. She denies it and explains that she was in the display area until the end of the second round. Then she happened to see Ryota, so she went to meet him.

Part 7

Yumeko and Hana are being evenly matched. Hana takes off her jacket. Her shirt is wet. Yumeko blushes. She doesn’t believe Poker should be like this. She spreads her arms open and asks Hana for her first name. Hana reveals her first name, which Yumeko finds to be lovely. Yumeko then asks her if she wants to win. Hana finds the question to be stupid and assures her she wants to win.

During the next round, Yumeko doesn’t swap any cards, which shocks Hana. Hana exchanges three cards and shouts that she definitely doesn’t want Yumeko to win. Yumeko asks Hana to put everything in these five cards if she really doesn’t want her to win. Yumeko pushes piles of chips forward, going all in. Hana is shaking. She slams the table with both fists. In a high-pitched voice, she shouts “all-in” repeatedly.

Part 8

Izayoi finds that Hana has become so strong since she met her just a few months ago. Hana was covered in mud, looking like a stray cat. When seeing Hana, Izayoi felt as if she was looking at herself back when she had just entered. Hana was at her lowest, since housepets lose sight of any future. She burst into tears and neither wanted to die nor wanted to keep getting trampled on by others. Izayoi wiped Hana’s face and held her hand. She allowed her into the Kansankai. Izayoi believed the Hana of the past must’ve died for a new Hana to be born, just like her.

As for the tournament, Izayoi planned to let Hana win, as no one would bet a lot of money on her, most likely. She wanted no one else to win besides her. But Kirari’s arrival laid that plan to waste.

However, one thing she hasn’t expected is Hana now playing so well without her rigging the card dealing. She begs for Hana to win. With a one pair, she loses against Yumeko’s three-of-a-kind. Izayoi runs the calculations through her head. She believes she can afford to give the 500 million yen payout without angering the sponsors. She plans on increasing the days the island remains open and on allowing other schools to join in. Izayoi also wants to increase the quantity of the loans from new investors. In the midst of her thinking, she hears a sudden shout.

Hana is delighted as she wins with a three-of-a-kind. Izayoi has never seen her so cheerful. Kirari calmly claps her hands. Izayoi feels shameful for doubting Hana. Applauds and cheers spread throughout the room. Hana has defeated Yumeko; Izayoi believes Hana has been reborn. The casino business can continue as long as Kirari doesn’t find evidence of the early cheating. The Kansankai leader believes no member will betray her. A staff member goes against an order by rushing to Izayoi. To tell her something. That someone has bet on Hana. She can’t believe someone could be drunk enough to bet on a no-name player. She still accepts it, as the payout should only be 5-to-1 by the time the person made the bet. Her calculations are proven to be right, as the payout is indeed 5-to-1. Except, the bettor placed 200 million yen. Therefore, they owe a billion. Izayoi’s voice is of low volume as she repeats that it’s impossible.

Part 9

Mary had no intention of participating in the tournament. She parted ways with her two friends early on. But right before it, Yumeko had given her an order: for Mary to observe the tournament from the display area so she could check the overall movement of the tables. Yumeko was convinced that someone would be winning in strange ways. Yumeko then asked for her to bet on the suspicious person right before the finals began. At least 100 million yen. While Mary was reluctant at first and she didn’t know how to come up with so much, Yumeko explained that she’d be able to cover the losses if Mary’s bet didn’t succeed. Mary thinks about the amount of unnecessary trouble she’s had since pairing up with Yumeko.

During the second round, Mary had analyzed the players in detail. Hana’s plays made it look like she had clairvoyance, according to Mary. Bets were always made in the right amount and at the right times. After Ace was eliminated, he went to meet up with Mary. Mary asked him to bet at least 100 million yen on Hana, but she suggested he go as high as he could.

They agreed to a deal. If the bet on Hana turned out wrong, then Ace would go on a date with Mary. He had 200 million yen at his disposal. He began to tell Mary about his plan for a date at an amusement park in case Hana lost. Mary only has 5 million she can bet.

Part 10

Ryota is shocked, as while he had been cheering for Yumeko unaware, she was reading the Kansankai’s schemes. He believes Mary’s observational skills were also of great help in finding one cheater amongst 125 players. Izayoi quickly walks out. Hana is brought out by the staff. Yumeko joins Mary and Ryota. Ryota points out that if Yumeko asked Mary to find a cheater before the tournament began, that means she already knew the organizers were up to something. He guesses it’s because of the way Izayoi acted on the ship. He asks why join the tournament in the first place. Yumeko responds that it’s because it’s fun.

Part 11

Izayoi is devastated as she’s going to lose Ryouran Island. She calls it a loss against Yumeko. Information comes out that Mary has been in contact with the man who bet 200 million yen before the match. She’s certain that it was from Yumeko’s orders. Izayoi wonders if Yumeko would’ve participated if she hadn’t made that move on her on the ship. She also wonders what would’ve happened if she didn’t cheat in the Poker Tournament. Perhaps she shouldn’t have allowed Yumeko in the competition in the first place. She concludes that she simply shouldn’t have gotten involved with Yumeko at all. She thinks that her attempt to become one of those who wields power has failed. Izayoi is nowhere close to being able to pay Ace. She wonders what Hana would think if she saw her like this.

Kirari and Sayaka walk into the room. The Student Council president tells Izayoi that she looks terrible. Izayoi is about to announce that her business on Ryouran Island won’t be able to continue. Hana storms into the room, sweating and breathing heavily. She begs Kirari to let the business continue. She asks Kirari to give her a life plan, as long as she lets Izayoi continue operating the island. Hana bows, her head slams into the floor. Izayoi asks her to stop.

Sometime after she was taken in by Izayoi, Hana thanked her, even though her classmates still mistreated her. It’s because she was able to look them in the eye when they hit her. Before, she’d just act like it was none of her business and wait for them to get bored. Hana believed that she now has a clear future: To make the casino business of Izayoi a success and to devote herself to her. Izayoi burst out laughing. Hana should’ve protected it even if it cost her her life. Izayoi mentioned that she was going to use her for the rest of her life.

They both tear up. Izayoi admits she can’t hand out the full amount. She’s still going to give Hana enough money for her to buy her freedom. Hana refuses, as she’s certain her future involves the casino and Izayoi. Kirari laughs and informs them that she has no plans on giving Hana a life plan and doesn’t have any intention of stopping the business either. She explains that they've made arrangements to refund what she owed to the Student Council. The contract also contains an agreement which essentially forces the Tourism Industry Research Society to be absorbed by the Student Council. Izayoi clenches her fist and doesn’t understand what benefits there are for Kirari to do this. Kirari responds that everything the council owns is hers. That was the reason for Kirari agreeing to pay for the island without being reimbursed. Izayoi realizes her mistake in not suspecting any ulterior motive.

Izayoi, scared to hear an answer, still asks Hana what she’s going to do now. Hana still believes her future is tied to Izayoi’s. She acknowledges herself as Izayoi’s servant. Izayoi signs the contract.

Quick References

Character Appearances

• Izayoi Kifune
• Hana Mitarai
• Yumeko Jabami
• Ryota Suzui
• Kirari Momobami
• Sayaka Igarashi
• Mary Saotome
• Ace (flashback)

Gambles

• Closed Poker

Location

• Ryouran Island
  • Resort hotel
    • Surveillance room
    • Casino Dominium

Chapter Notes

• Hana wins the finals of the Poker Tournament.
• Ace has bet 200 million yen on Hana winning, therefore, the Kansankai owes him 1 billion.

Navigation

Light Novels

Kakegurui Joker

Prologue • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Epilogue