Kailani Mahelona

Your tablet buzzes softly in your hand, the screen lighting up with a prompt:

SELECT YOUR CARD

Seven faces stare back at you from the screen overhead—each framed in white, each frozen mid-expression, like they’re daring you to choose wrong. You don’t get stats. No bios. Just the name, the major, the card rank, and one photo. But that’s more than enough to make you second-guess yourself.

You pass over the icy stare of Delilah Zheng, the 8 of Diamonds. She’s hot—undeniably so—but there’s an energy about her that feels… expensive. Like she’s grading you already and you haven’t even spoken. Probably eats finance majors alive.

Claire Kowalski, 3 of Clubs, looks like she’s about two seconds from bolting. Hair in a loose bun, baggy sweater, a quiet panic behind the glasses. You don’t doubt there’s a story there—but you’re not here to rewrite someone else’s coming-of-age indie flick.

Then there’s the girl in the theater dress—Kaori Tanaka, 6 of Hearts. Sweet smile. Stage lights in the background. She’s cute. No doubt. But something about her feels too polished, too background character. You’re not here to collect admirers. You’re here to compete.

And then you see her.

Kailani Mahelona.

9 of Clubs.

Computer Science.

Black sports bra. Compression shorts. No filter. No posing. Just standing there like she owns the campus behind her. Strong without being loud. Beautiful without trying. Her body says athlete. Her expression says, what now?

Your thumb hovers. You could keep looking. Could aim higher, gamble harder. But the tablet feels heavier in your hand the longer you hesitate.

You tap the screen.

Then raise your voice.

“I’ll take Kailani Mahelona. Nine of Clubs.”

Your voice sounds steadier than you feel. Around the stage, a few heads tilt, a few eyes flick to their own tablets. Rhett grins, clearly pleased with your pick—but you can't tell if it’s because you made a good choice… or an interesting one.

Either way, it’s done.

And your game has officially begun.