5th Day, Distraction

This is a translation of projectMDHM‘s “petite amie magique ~Madoka and Homura’s Exam Week~”.
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◆Game 7◆
Homura-chan is the dealer.
My hand is 8 of hearts and 9 of diamonds.
She calls 10 chips.
Even though she has the upper hand, she still plays it safe.
But, that’s natural. The more you lose in the later games, the closer you are to instant defeat.
I lost big time in the previous game… so, even a small mistake would be fatal!
Losing 70 chips makes a tough battle ahead…. There’s no such thing as being too careful.
【Madoka】 「Call!」
Flop. 5 of spades, Ace of spades, and 3 of diamonds….
Uu, nothing good. I wonder if my luck ran out….
But, if I give up here… I’ll lose.
I checked. Homura-chan also checked.
【Madoka】 (Her hand… for now, it doesn’t seem like she has an Ace…)
The 4th card is flipped. 7 of diamonds.
With this, my hand… is an inside straight draw. In other words, I need one more card to complete a straight… but.
It’s clearly unlikely to happen. I’ll check….
【Madoka】 「Check…」
I noticed a gleam in her eyes.
【Homura】 「Raise, 10.」
Uu…! She’s obviously putting on the pressure….
Under pressure, you give away how strong your hand is….
Because when you’re 『lost in thought』, it’s like claiming not to have the best hand!
Meanwhile, Homura-chan rests easy with her flawless poker face.
She gazes at me calmly, waiting to see how I react to her nasty attack.
【Madoka】 (… They really are pretty…)
… Wait, what am I thinking! I’m in the middle of a serious game right now!
I burn with fighting spirit. Time to focus.
If I lose this, then she will definitely take it as permission to 『quit while ahead』…!
That’s right, she only needs one more win… after that, her victory is assured.
Therefore, I have to persist no matter how weak my hand is, to minimize the risk of defeat, and win…!
There’s no choice… I have to risk it!
【Madoka】 「Call!」
I bet 10 chips too.
The 5th card is flipped……. 6 of clubs!!
【Madoka】 (It’s here…!)
I barely let out a sigh. But, I can’t let her find out…. Time to inflate to pot!
Homura-chan’s hand is definitely weaker than a straight! Even if it is a straight with a 5, 6, and 7, she can’t beat my 9 high straight…!
Still, she doesn’t have a hand where she would immediately fold….
If she raises, then I’ll use that chance to counterattack…! I will raise back…!
I can do this…. I will take back the lead…!
【Madoka】 「Check…!」
【Homura】 「……」

Just then. She seems to ponder over something.
【Madoka】 (… Was I found out…?)
Aah, the suspense is killing me…!
【Homura】 「Ah, that’s right…. I forgot to mention it.」
The way she said that――.
【Homura】 「About magical girls being able to see with their soul gem――」
【Madoka】 「!?」
Homura-chan speaks nonchalantly.
Her soul gem… is on my lap!
My cards…… are being 『leaked』!?
【Homura】 「――That isn’t true, so relax.」
Before I can protest, Homura chuckles.
That was… not even a bluff, just a joke.
However, I… was undoubtedly 『shaken』.
【Homura】 「…… I fold.」
【Madoka】 (She got me…!)
Homura-chan folds without even checking. Maybe she had a bad hand.
Still, a tiny win is a win. I regained some chips….
What matters is the fact that we’re almost even.
I got back to 90 chips.

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5th Day, Turnabout

This is a translation of projectMDHM‘s “petite amie magique ~Madoka and Homura’s Exam Week~”.
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◆Game 6◆
I am the dealer!
【Madoka】 「My turn! Draw card!」
【Homura】 「Madoka, you’re acting strange. And you’re not supposed to draw…」
My hand is 8 of clubs, and 10 of clubs.
Muu, these aren’t strong cards, but… I’ll push my luck!
【Madoka】 「Raise 20!」
【Homura】 「Call.」
She responded calmly. She made a prompt decision as always.
Her speediness makes it difficult to guess her hand.
Flop…… It’s!
8 of diamonds, King of spades, and 10 of spades…!
There it is!! Oops, I mimicked Hitomi-chan’s catchphrase.
A pair of 8s and 10s…. I have a good feeling about this.
The betting round starts with Homura-chan.
【Homura】 「Check.」
A check…. She didn’t raise. I wonder if the community cards didn’t improve her hand as much as she expected.
Now, what should I do….
If she has a King and an 8 or 10 in her hand, then that would be unfavorable.
But that means she has a pretty good hand. But she didn’t raise, even though she’s a conservative player.
Let’s see how it plays out by checking.
The 4th card is flipped. That’s a 10 of hearts!
I’ve got a full house! Game, set, match!
Wait, I can’t say that. She’s going to fold if she finds out I have a good hand.
I have to carefully… 『inflate the pot』…!
『Inflating the pot』 is when you don’t raise despite having a strong hand, to prevent your opponent from folding, so that you might win more chips.
【Madoka】 「Check.」
【Homura】 「Raise, 10.」
Here it comes, here it coooomes!!
She thinks she can win with that 10? Let’s see her face my three of a kind and two pair!
【Madoka】 「Call!」
Then the 5th card is flipped. 3 of spades!
That’s not much of a card. Now, the time’s come… to pull it off.
【Madoka】 「Raise, 10!」
Well, let’s see you get out of this, Homura-chan!
Even at a time like this… her reaction was fast.
【Homura】 「… Raise, all in.」
…… Wh-… Whaaaaaaaat!!?
She’s going all in!?
She put her 65 remaining chips onto the table like it was nothing.
… Is this 3 the key to her success…? … Maybe a flush of spades…! But my full house is still stronger!
Still, what’s with her sudden confidence…. She raised on the 4th card…… could she have a four of a kind……!?
No…… I have a 10 in my hand. It’s impossible for her to have a four of a kind! …… So that means……!
Hu, huhuhu… Homura-chan!
Your desperate bluffing has backfired!!
【Madoka】 「Homura-chan…. It looks like we won’t need to play all 10 games!!」
Because I have won!
By underestimating my hand, luck, and obsession with braids and glasses, you have met your demiiiiiiiise!!
【Madoka】 「Call!!」
Just then, Homura-chan murmured something. It’s extremely rare for her to make comments in the middle of a game…….
【Homura】 「The essence of poker… is psychological warfare. 『Having a strong hand』 is 『not a condition for victory』…. Especially in Texas hold ’em…」
What… does…?
She slowly reveals her hand. … That’s…! A pair… of Kings…. Making a Kings full house!!
…… Wh-… Whaaaaaaaat!!? (Second time)
【Homura】 「『Bet when you’re going to win』. That is all. ――It’s a turnabout.」

She elegantly gathered her 130 chips.
How could this be…. To have the pot inflated this much… was my fault!?
【Homura】 「If I were to 『quit while ahead』… at the end of 10 games, our chips would be even. That’s… not what you want, is it?」
Those are the eyes of a 『gambler』…!
【Madoka】 「…… Of course…! It’s not over yet! Those braids and glasses are waiting for me!」
【Homura】 「Great.」

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Translation note:
【Madoka】 「My turn! Draw card!」
A reference to the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, Duel Monsters.

5th Day, Close Call

This is a translation of projectMDHM‘s “petite amie magique ~Madoka and Homura’s Exam Week~”.
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◆Game 4◆
I am the dealer.
My hand is 6 of spades, and 8 of spades. It could be better….
After calling 10 chips….
【Homura】 「Raise 10.」
Uu…. What should I do. …… But since I’m in the lead, I should be fine. I’ll call.
I call, adding a total of 20 chips.
Flop. King of hearts, Queen of diamonds, and 5 of spades.
Hmm, this isn’t good at all…. I think I messed up.
It’s Homura-chan’s turn to bet….
【Homura】 「Raise 30.」
【Madoka】 「Eh!」
Without hesitation, she bet over half of her remaining chips.
She’s playing so confidently, could she have a King or a Queen in her hand…?
If so, then I have no chance of winning this time.
But what if she’s bluffing…? She might be acting like this because she has a bad hand.
If I win this game, then Homura-chan will have no chance of recovering….
Maybe I should take advantage of my lead to raise some more?
I look back and forth between my hand and her face.
If the 2 unturned cards are spades, then I would have a flush. If they are 7 and either a 4 or 9, then I would have a straight, but….
Homura-chan maintains her poker face.
Hmm…. … It’s no use, there’s more rounds to go and it’s too risky.
【Madoka】 「I fold.」
【Homura】 「A wise choice.」
Muu, I still have the lead! That hasn’t changed!
I have 115 chips.

◆Game 5◆
Homura-chan is the dealer.
My hand is… 10 of spades and 10 of clubs, making a pair. Luck is with me!
She calls 10 chips.
Now, what to do…. A pair of 10s is fairly strong.
She didn’t raise this time. I wonder if that means she doesn’t have a strong hand.
Should I test the waters a bit?
【Madoka】 「Raise 10.」
Homura-chan immediately called.
Uh, does she actually have a strong hand…?
Flop. Queen of spades, 2 of diamonds, and 7 of hearts.
This doesn’t improve my hand…. If she has a Queen, then that would be unfavorable. Should I see how it plays out some more?
I check. Homura-chan checks as well.
What does she have in her hand….
The 4th card is flipped. 4 of hearts.
Like the previous round, we both check.
Finally, the 5th card. Ace of diamonds.
There’s an Ace…! If she has an Ace, then that would be even more unfavorable.
I check again…. Then, Homura-chan checks too.
【Madoka】 (Huh?)
Showdown. I have a pair of 10s.
Homura-chan has Jack of hearts and King of hearts. A flush draw, but no pair.
【Homura】 「I thought I could win with a flush, but looks like it didn’t pan out.」

That was a close call…. But, a win is a win!
With 5 games done, I now have 135 chips.
I can’t rest easy yet, but I’m on a roll!
We’re halfway through the game.
I will be the next dealer… if I want to start quitting while ahead… um.
…… Hmm, then it’ll be a draw. Seems like I can’t pull it off just yet.
Still, I’m in the lead at the halfway point as planned! I can do this!

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