Chapter Text
"Are you aware of why this game is called Rummy, Makoto?"
Celestia Ludenberg asked the question as she was shuffling the cards, not even looking at the boy across the table from her in the process. She was skillfully manipulating the deck of cards between her fingers, shuffling them while keeping them in a single stack, the cards themselves making a pleasant and rhythmic sound in the process.
"Uh, not really," Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, said with a shake of his head, not looking the least bit confident in his answer. "If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with rum. Like...the drink?"
Celeste chuckled. "Most people make that assumption. But in fact, while the name does originate from the word rum, in this case it is in reference to an old British slang term. One that means odd, strange, queer, curious...something along those lines."
The Ultimate Gambler then placed the shuffled deck down on the table and dealt out hands for herself and Makoto.
"In short, a game called 'Rummy' is a game where the goal isn't to get the best cards as one would strive to do in most games, but to end up with no cards at all. A game as unusual as this should be an ideal test of our respective luck, especially given our little wager."
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I think you may be right!"
Makoto was smiling now, and Celeste smiled right back at him.
"I'm so glad you agree," Celeste said, and the two of them then started to place down cards, adding to sets and melds on the table.
The game went on, with the two of them occasionally chatting a little bit between the plays. It was all very casual, friendly and light-hearted, and Celeste had to admit she was actually having a good time.
At least, she was until Makoto finally emptied his hand.
"I can't believe it - I won!"
The short-statured brunette looked ecstatic, while Celeste's widened eyes betrayed her emotions. As the Ultimate Gambler, she was born with unnaturally good luck in games, particularly when something was on the line. She had been curious as to whether as the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto's luck was capable of overriding her own, which was why she had challenged him to this game of Rummy in the Rec Room to begin with.
But the possibility that his luck would override her own and that she would actually lose was one she hadn't truly entertained, and as a result she was now caught completely off guard.
Celeste felt the urge to scream. To throw the cards that she still held in her hands. To kick her chair onto the floor and flip the entire table over.
However, she managed to suppress this urge and remain calm. "Remember: you are Celestia Ludenberg. You are graceful and refined, so you are not a sore loser in the exceedingly rare chance that you actually lose. You keep your cool, always."
The smile returning to her face, Celeste placed down her cards before extending her hand outward toward Makoto.
"Well played, Makoto. Your luck is truly astounding. Hope's Peak Academy was right to select you as this year's Ultimate Lucky Student."
Makoto smiled bashfully and chuckled as he shook Celeste's hand. But then a worried look crossed his face.
"Our bet.....look, Celeste. You don't actually have to do it. I'm fine with just winning the game."
Celeste chuckled at that, withdrawing her hand from Makoto's and shaking her head.
"You know, the funny thing is, I actually believed you would say that. It would have been remarkably easy to accept that a wager made against you would bear no consequences if I lost. And that is precisely why, Makoto, I will hold you to our agreement."
The Ultimate Lucky Student gulped nervously. "Y-you're really okay with this?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Celeste asked, standing up from the table. "After all, I am the one who made the wager. It is my responsibility to see it through. Besides, you won the bet, so there is no need for you to feel any guilt about it."
Makoto also got up from his seat. "That's true, I guess."
He still seemed unsure, but Celeste's mind was made up. There was no talking her down from this.
---
The next morning, Makoto stood outside Celeste's dorm room, fidgeting nervously. He had delivered what she had asked him for, and now it was merely a matter of waiting. After what seemed like hours, the door slowly opened and Celeste stepped out into the hallway.
While she maintained her usual grace poise, Celeste was not wearing her usual attire. No dress, no heels, not even her twin-tail hair extensions. Instead she stood there, short-haired and short-statured, wearing the exact same outfit as Makoto: a gray shirt, a black hoodie, jeans and an old, worn-out pair of tennis shoes.
"I-It looks really good on you, Celeste," Makoto said with a stutter.
Celeste chuckled, running her fingers through her natural hair. "I am quite the adorable boy, am I not? The resemblance is quite uncanny. In fact, I imagine the only difference is my more voluptuous and feminine figure."
She wasn't lying either. The two of them really did look remarkably alike. In fact, given the short dark hair, Makoto thought that she bore a striking resemblance to not only him, but to his younger sister Komaru if she had needed to borrow his clothing.
When the two of them were walking to the dining hall for breakfast, they ran into Sayaka Maizono, who did a double take upon seeing them.
"Hey Makoto. Hey....Makoto," Sayaka said. "Wait, are you two twinning?"
"We are indeed," Celeste said with a giggle. "I lost a game of Rummy to Makoto, and this is the penalty I agreed to."
Sayaka smiled. "It's not much of a penalty. You look really good in that get-up!"
Celeste smirked. "Of course I do."
As the three of them continued their walk, they ended up bumping into Kyoko Kirigiri. The Ultimate Detective didn't say a word as she glanced at Makoto, Celeste, and Sayaka, but a subtle smile crossed her face and she began walking off in the opposite direction rather quickly. As Makoto glanced behind him, he caught a glimpse of her throwing a gloved hand to her mouth.
He looked to Celeste to see if she was blushing now, or showing any sign of embarrassment the way that he was. But no, her calm expression remained completely unchanged. That poker face and her commitment to it was part of what made her the Ultimate Gambler, so Makoto supposed he shouldn't be surprised.
While sitting at breakfast and drinking his coffee while Celeste and Sayaka chatted, Makoto couldn't help but think back to how Celeste had reminded him of Komaru, coupled with Sayaka's remark about "twinning".
"Is that what my relationship with Celeste is like? I already have a little sister in Komaru, so is Celeste like the twin sister I never had?"
The more Makoto thought about it, the more it made sense to him. Maybe Celeste wasn't the most likable person at times, and she had a lot of weird quirks. But the truth was, he genuinely cared about her. From the start, he sensed something in her that he connected with, something that slipped through the cracks no matter how hard she attempted to hide it. It was hard to put it into words, but Makoto innately knew that it wasn't just their unnatural luck that they had in common.
A smile crossed Makoto's face. "I always want to be there for you, Celeste. If not exactly as a brother, then as a good friend."
Celeste, meanwhile, was also thinking to herself, and her thoughts were not too far removed from Makoto's.
"I thought this would be utterly humiliating. And it's true that all of the stares I keep getting aren't the most comfortable of things. Yet I'm feeling more at ease than expected. Is it because Makoto insists on staying around me rather than let me go it alone, wearing these clothes without context? He's such a good-hearted boy. If I had to lose to anyone....I'm glad it was to him."
Even though she was incredibly glad to return to her usual attire the next day, the memory of the previous day would surprisingly become a fond one for Celeste.