Chapter 202

“Hey, you there! How’s the water for the guests below today? No, come here quick. I’ll point one by one, and you just need to tell me how much those kids have won!”

“Uh… Huh!? I’m just a regular staff member without that kind of authority…”

“Ah! If you don’t know, just call your superior quickly! Alfred from Yorkshire Capital, who has built sufficient load-bearing supports for the Rendezvous Casino, is getting bored!”

Grabbing the collar of a passing service staff member, our masked old man has started to assess the water quality as if he were in a nightclub.

Leaning dangerously against the floor railing with his head poked out was a worrying sight, but since he wasn’t drunk, surely he wouldn’t fall.

…Well, if it truly seemed like he might fall, the nearby staff would handle it accordingly.

What should be done at such an interlude isn’t pointless worries, but inquiries, inquiries.

Shall we listen to the stories of these suspicious wealthy folks, who are playing in a manner that other guests merely watch from afar, too hesitant to join in?

“So… should we really play just the three of us?”

“No! I’d rather wait. Playing with someone skilled is nice, but I prefer the thrill of pulling pranks.”

“…….”

At the lackadaisical response, Sasha completely relaxed and slumped in her chair. Sugar declared a break by resting her clasped hands on her knees, while the dealer staff member took this opportunity to check the cards and clean the table, doing their best to keep things tidy.

Hmm… Asking how those two ended up bonding over such a peculiar hobby in this situation might come off as gossiping about someone who is absent. I hope they don’t react too sensitively.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm??”

Her hand, which had been probing her partner’s strict areas, suddenly froze.

Whenever there’s a gap during the game, if given this kind of break time, she tends to repeatedly engage in such embarrassing behavior but stops when it’s really time to cut it out—she’s not rude… just a bit of a habit.

…Or is it? Should it rather be considered stranger if she deliberately does this knowing it’s inappropriate?

“It feels shameless to ask after gathering a bunch, but if I were to swallow Alfred’s explanation, isn’t what the two of you are doing almost a fifty-fifty chance charity? I doubt that a guest sought out like that would properly repay even if a loan agreement were signed.”

Without bringing forth the question of ‘Why?’, she cut off mid-sentence.

There was a sneer at what seemed like malicious, perverted behavior, but in some sense, they were merely offering a chance for a turnaround in life.

Down there, how much could one actually win after gathering a hefty sum at the gaming hall?

At best, a few hundred thousand? Maybe a million if lucky, but it would be difficult to say that could significantly improve quality of life. It could be an essential sum for someone.

In contrast, if one were to ride the flow here and win big like me, the narrative changes completely.

While creating something from nothing is impossible, generating wealth from wealth is quite easy. Earning interest through proper reinvestment isn’t just a dream for living a life without working.

Honestly… If it weren’t for the urgent issue about where to lay my head down right now, I would have leisurely thought about financial strategies first.

Money really has a plethora of immediate needs but requires significant work to earn back or relies on dangerous gambling like this.

“…Pfft! What, was that what you were curious about? People who really aren’t concerned with credits seem to be interested in all sorts of other things. Now, how should I explain this?”

“Uh…”

I was about to retort, ‘No, I’m more concerned than anyone in the world…,’ but I quietly closed my mouth.

It wouldn’t be polite to abruptly interrupt the other person while they’re trying to create a mood and share personal stories.

In front of my silent self, Sasha seemed to be thinking about something as she lightly bit her thumb and rolled her eyes.

As if searching for suitable materials to use as examples. Her gaze wandered back and forth between the table and beside her, finally landing on the mound of chips stacked on the table.

“Darling, how about we play a game after a long time…?”

“…….”

With a subtly chilling voice.

Hearing the word ‘game’, the somewhat lecherous-looking unknown man, Sasha’s partner, swallowed nervously.

Now? Why bring up a game when the reason is being showcased?

Various thoughts crossed my mind, but there was no need to argue legitimacy. The woman seemed unfazed, and the man wore a peculiar expression mixed with anticipation and fear.

“From now on, I’m going to place one chip at a time in your mouth. However, the type and order of the chips are entirely up to me, and you must not move except for your head. And when you can no longer hold any more chips, all the ones you had will be yours. Okay? Hmm♪ Let’s get started.”

“!!”

Bang!

Before he could respond, a bright red chip was placed right onto his tongue.

A million-credit red chip, a slightly challenging size to hold neatly. He had just won one million credits with that. …Considering the commission lost at the counter, it might be a tad short, but anyway.

After placing one, Sasha unhesitatingly picked up the next chip and shoved it in as well, bringing his total winnings nearly to two million.

‘……What?!’

I tilted my head.

It was a phenomenon where solely one-sided losses and gains coexisted. Can this even be called a game…? I glanced back at Zero over my shoulder, half seeking agreement.

As expected? Our cool-headed partner was busy analyzing that incomprehensible scene just as it was.

– Yes, it’s quite bizarre. In fact, so many explanations are missing for this to constitute a fair game. For example, the victory conditions required by the organizer and the threshold that must be met. Especially, there is a lack of safety mechanisms for the players. –

“Is that so…?”

Though I was nodding along, I thought he wouldn’t refuse to receive the growing reward.

But upon further reflection, I suddenly realized that having rules regarding when and how to stop might be necessary after all.

“Ugh…!”

“Right, right.”

Clack clack…!!

The chips clanged against his teeth, making an obnoxious noise.

By now, the foreign object lodged in his airway was causing nausea, and he kept screaming, but in a situation where his tongue and teeth could not move, those screams formed no coherent language.

What was promised to him was money that he could earn at his discretion, with biological resistance restrained—a sweet reward.

Struggling would end the pain, but whether or not she, being fickle, would graciously accept that or disqualify him was something no one other than himself could know. This meant he had to endure without a plan… until when?

“Guh…! Guhhh, ugh!!”

“Oh my, are you giving up already?”

Drip.

Even though her lips were split and blood was trickling down, Sasha showed no concern and kept rapping the chips at the entrance.

His mouth, filled with protruding red chips, shook wildly. It was no longer bearable; he really wanted her to stop. As she stared at him, gauging how sincere he was, she tantalizingly licked her lips.

“Ah~ I guess I have no choice? I was going to start putting in something else soon.”

“Eh!?”

Yes, just a moment ago, she set the red chip back to its original place.

Instead, she picked up a black chip, gleaming with a wicked hue.

One for ten million credits, it was a sum that could be difficult to amass in a lifetime of diligent work. But unfortunately, her well-aware lover had no space left in his mouth, and she smiled brightly.

“Oh dear?? What should I do? I’m reluctant to let this go, darling?”

“Guhhh, ugh…!!”

Desperately attempting to avoid dropping what he held.

No matter how he twisted his jaw to make room or opened his throat as if to swallow the chips, he found himself in an unfortunate scenario with no solutions, desperately chasing after Sasha’s finger with his eyes.

Tug tug. As she touched the aggressively protruding chip, her empty hand reached out, seized his hair, and gently asked.

“If you want it that badly… I can forcefully put it in for you. How about that?”

But her tone may have been soft, the overwhelming sadism and violence contained within it was evident in her subtle gestures, leading me to believe he would stutter or refuse in some way.

Who would accept such a sinister proposal logically? Who would want to put themselves through an ordeal?

…However, perhaps questioning common sense in the face of such money was just a thought that arose from the comfort of my own situation.

“……”

Slowly but undoubtedly clearly, the man nodded his head up and down.

While still adhering to the rule of only moving his head, in a position where he couldn’t speak, I couldn’t determine who was more thrilled by the clearest expression of consent between them.

The fact that he could gain another ten million credits thrilled him, as his eyes sparkled.

Sasha, who sought the participant’s approval for the mini-game, grinned, her grip tightening.

Crack—!!

“Guhh, ugh…! Huh!!”

With a retch, something white flew into the air. Oh, crazy. Broken teeth scattered.

After neatly arranging the black chips at the edge of the table, before the spectators could fully grasp the situation, she pulled on his hair and slammed him down. With that, the sounds of vomiting chips and blood followed.

In the surprise eruption of violence, screams arose from the sidelines, with occasional applause and whistles mixed in. Meanwhile, she playfully gathered the chips scattered on the floor, especially the black ones that were hard to see, while waving goodbye to her ‘partner’.

“Ahh♡ Honey, that was fun today! You can go now. Oh, promise you’ll come out next time if I call, okay??”

“Wow….”

Yet, that simplistic farewell was delivered not to the man who swayed and disappeared into the crowd after being granted permission to go, but to me, standing agape and wide-eyed.

Sasha had candidly confessed that she perpetrated all those actions as a sort of presentation.

Proudly pushing away the empty chair, the blood-soaked woman chuckled as she flicked her hands clean.

“Did you see that? That’s humanity. The moment a magical product is dangled before their eyes, they instantly reveal their true colors while pretending to be reserved, flattering, and prim. That’s why I came to this casino, to watch this first-class spectacle!”

“……What about Alfred?”

“Well, in that sense, it’s like I teamed up with that old guy since we met, huh? Initially, there were more people, but these days they don’t show up as much, maybe because they got bored or the credits they were spending became burdensome.”

I turned away from the old man, still vigorously pointing at the rails.

One person wanted to witness someone betting their life on a piece of paper, while another believed that human nature reveals itself in front of money.

Indeed, there was no other conclusion than that these were serious perverts. This meant my apathetic attitude of ‘If it’s good to win, that’s fine, if not, so what~’ was thoroughly unsatisfactory.

You truly have a value system that is incredibly difficult to relate to.

Alfred seemed to think I’d understand if I played the game as well, hence his actions, but I only planned to watch and possibly pick up some crumbs.

So, at least… if I ever needed to borrow money, I decided to steer clear of Sasha and approach Alfred instead.

…Ugh, I thought the violent inclination would be more dominant in a loan shark, but I’m still shocked, and my heart races.

“Hey, hey, contact the counter. I’ll change more chips, so hurry up and bring the scanner.”

“……Of course! Ms. Sasha.”

Sasha, glaring at the blood-smeared table, grumbled to the dealer, who, despite the table being messed up again, maintained a service smile as he responded.

I thought she would ask for the mess to be cleaned up, but instead, she first mentioned that there weren’t enough chips left from the previous round… it’s really dizzying.

At least I’m glad to know they’re not the type to get angry at me for chomping off some profits in a legitimate game.

While I pondered whether sitting around here was the best choice, Sasha, who was slowly finishing the surrounding cleanup, pointed out something I had almost forgotten.

“Did you say your name is Anastasia? Fairly, can I ask you one thing too?”

“…? Yes, go ahead.”

Nodding in reassurance, expecting she’d ask something comfortably, I sensed her suddenly lowering her voice as she whispered in my ear.

“Um, do you happen to know Sugar? That man seemed quiet, but ever since you came, he’s gotten even quieter… Ah, did I just meddle in someone else’s romantic business for no reason?”

‘……What?’

I quickly turned my head away from her beaming smile and the subtly raised eyebrows and looked at the bystander who had been silently crossing their arms.

I felt like an enormous prejudice was cast over that plain-appearing face, which I once thought aged gracefully.

Was there another pervert trying to threaten me? Would something really happen right now? Or would it be seen as a grievance for running away?

But my concerns did not linger long. Perhaps it was just a tad delayed.

The mood maker of this table, who had briefly stepped away, had returned with a full smile, bringing along a new player.

A man reeking of cigarette smoke, who seemed set on finishing things today.