As he spoke, Mr. Antonio smiled and showed Shade his hole card. At this point, both men had only two cards in hand:
"Look, Mr. Watson, my luck has finally arrived."
Stars 4, Forest Story Clown. When this card was the hole card, if the total value of the first two cards was no greater than 8 and their suits differed, the player could choose to stand, treating the total value as 20 points (Note).
On the card, a clown riding a unicycle juggled five balls amid towering trees in the forest.
"What an interesting rule."
Shade praised it, then looked at Mr. Antonio's hand. His ordinary card was Sun 2, which meant the special card could take effect:
"So, are you standing?"
"Oh, certainly. Since I drew a Special Rule Card, how could I possibly not use its rule?"
The playwright said this, and Shade noticed that he had raised his voice slightly, to the extent that the people nearby could hear him. Originally, only the two of them had been playing at the table, but upon hearing that a Special Rule Card had taken effect, three more gentlemen came over.
Shade was happy to wait a while and let Mr. Antonio explain the situation to his acquaintances at the association before saying:
"Then I'll keep drawing."
Shade showed his first two cards. They totaled only 13 points.
"Then may luck be with you next, Mr. Antonio. You've won."
His third card was Stars 10, bringing his total to 23 and making him bust immediately. The middle-aged man who had made the right choice smiled at once. Though he had only won the first round of the third game, his expression made it seem as though he had already won the entire match.
After all, having a special card