Baccano! - Volume 19 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 No One Knows the Future

There’s something known as a lucid dream.

You’re asleep and dreaming, but you’re aware of these things.

In most cases, the moment you realize it’s a dream, your blood pressure and level of awareness begin to change, and your body wakes up.

Whether it was because he’d just been slugged, or because he was very short on sleep, or due to some other factor, Nader Schasschule didn’t know why he was in such a dream. The world would probably never know. In any case, he was sharply aware that none of this was real.

He could see an old, familiar set of swings.

Behind them, the cornfields of his hometown stretched as far as the eye could see.

Noticing that the roof of the barn that had burned down was still perfect and whole, Nader felt doubly sure this was a dream.

Creak…

Creak…

Creak…

Suddenly, he heard the sound of scraping iron behind him, but he wasn’t particularly startled. He knew what it was from.

When he turned around, he saw a reversed version of the scene he’d just been looking at. In that mirror image, the swing was moving back and forth.

A girl was sitting on it.

“…Sonia, you…”

He muttered the name of his childhood friend, but the face of the girl on the swing was blurred.

He was afraid it might change into the Hilton-girl’s face the way it had in his earlier dream, but Nader took a step closer to the swings.

“Nader, Nader. Listen. When are you going to become a hero for me?”

He was relieved this was a dream. If his actual friend had said this to him in real life, he knew it would have broken his heart.

“…Stop it,” he said with a shake of his head, trying to reject her. Even though he knew he was dreaming, his heart was terribly weak, and he wasn’t able to control how the dream went.

“Oh! Say, those people behind you are your friends, aren’t they?! Nader, that’s amazing! You really are a hero, huh!”

At the girl’s words, Nader slowly turned around, but he vaguely knew what would be waiting for him.

Or maybe they appeared because he’d expected them to.

There were men in black suits, holding Thompsons.

The Lemures.

They’d been under Huey Laforet’s command until Nader had gotten them to sell out their boss, then made them his own pawns.

Or that’s how it should have gone.

The muzzles of countless guns turned his way, and his mind shut down.

Since he was dreaming, it hadn’t technically “shut down.” However—and there was no telling what part of his psychology was at work here—those guns weren’t pointed at him. They were pointing at his childhood friend, the girl on the swing.

“Stop… Don’t do it, fellas…”

“Stop what, Comrade Nader?”

“……!”

A voice echoed up from the ground at his feet, and in that instant, the color of the sky changed dramatically. So did the surrounding scenery.

The endless cornfields vanished, blotted out by a vast wasteland.

The swing and the girl were still there, though, standing alone on the railroad tracks that stretched away to the left and right, all the way to the horizon.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Against his will, his eyes were dragged down toward the voice at his feet.

A man in black was crawling there. His tongue lolled, nearly torn out of his mouth, and bright blood poured steadily from his lips, like a waterfall. It was Goose Perkins: the man who’d bitten through his own tongue and died, right in front of Nader, after the Flying Pussyfoot incident.

Not only had he lost his tongue, blood was gushing from his mouth, so there was no way he could really have talked. However, his voice reached Nader’s ears clearly.

“That girl is in your way, isn’t she?”

“No… It ain’t like that…”

“What do you mean? If you can say ‘it ain’t like that’ right away, Comrade Nader, it means you’re already well aware of the reason she’s in the way.”

“Shut your mouth… You’re dead. You know this is just a damn dream!”

He’d meant to shout, but the voice that made it out of his throat felt terribly thin.

“If she weren’t here, no promises would bind you, and you could let go of your guilt.” Goose’s voice grew louder. Nader felt the swing start to shake and rattle.

A train was coming.

Maybe because it was a dream, he knew for sure what was going to happen next. They only took a moment to appear.

Enormous trains came barreling toward them from the left and right.

“If it weren’t for her, no doubt you could just keep tricking and using people as you liked, and live a fairly good life.”

“You’re lying… I didn’t… That’s a lie…”

The trains were bearing down on them at an alarming speed, but if he ran to the girl on the swing now, he could save her. She seemed to be watching him and smiling, as if she hadn’t even noticed the trains.

Even now, in the dream, Nader couldn’t remember her face.

Despite that, he kicked Goose, who was crawling around by his feet, then broke into a run.

“It’s no good. You won’t make it in time. You only pretend you’re giving your all,” Goose said from where he lay sprawled on the dirt. Nader ignored him, and his feet pounded the ground. There was no sensation on the soles of his feet, only a vague sense of speed, of moving forward.

“Then you’ll fool your swindling self, won’t you, Comrade Nader? ‘I did everything I could. I just couldn’t beat fate.’”

“Shut up… Shut up!”

Blocking out Goose’s voice, Nader stretched out his right hand.

Just one more step, and he’d reach the girl.

He could still make it.

If he caught her hand before she was crushed between the trains, if he pulled her to him, he was sure he’d remember her face.

A silver flash ran through his outstretched right hand.

“Oh…”

At that point, something came to mind—he didn’t have a right hand that could reach for her.

Nader’s hand fell off, and blood spurted from his wrist. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman.

Unlike his childhood friend, this woman’s face was very clear.

She was looking at him as if he were garbage. She shifted her grip on her enormous bloody knife—and with no hesitation, she slashed his throat.

Then the trains that were coming from either side crushed Nader’s world.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!”

Screaming, he bolted up in bed.

Breathing roughly, Nader looked at his right wrist. The cheap-looking prosthetic hand was attached to it.

A dream.

Right, that was a dream…

He’d been aware of that all along, but the fact that it hadn’t been real was still deeply reassuring.

Nader closed his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control. From a short distance away, a voice spoke to him.

“D-don’t startle me like that… You okay?”

When he opened his blurry eyes a crack, he saw Roy.

Upham was standing behind him, watching Nader silently.

After waking from a dream like that one, though, he didn’t have the energy to lunge at him the way he’d done earlier.

He seemed to be in his own room. How long had he been out? From the look of the light that filtered in through the window, it was probably a little past noon.

“Are you okay? For now, just calm down. All right?”

“…Yeah. I’m okay. I won’t go ape on you again.”

After Nader had spent a little while taking deep breaths, Roy spoke again. “While you were out cold… Uh, Upham told us about it. About that group you and he were in…the… What was it? The Lemures.”

“…I see.” Hiding the trembling that welled up from deep in his heart, Nader did his very best to sound tough. “So? Why aren’t I dead? Is Huey gonna give you a reward if you bring me in alive?”

Upham sighed deeply, breaking his silence. “Look, I told you, it’s not like that. We’re in pretty similar positions, you and me.”

“…Huh?”

“I left the Lemures, too. I deserted the other guys and booked it off that train. I hadn’t heard any of the stuff you mentioned about Hilton, either. I’ve been lucky; nobody’s found me yet.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” Nader sounded skeptical.

Upham shrugged. “Since you’re still alive, I’d say it’s pretty credible.”

“……”

Nader didn’t completely buy it, but he remembered Upham had sounded worried about him earlier. After a short silence, he apologized. “Sorry about…all that earlier. You sold me out once, remember? We’ll say this makes us even.”

Nader was thinking of the group of black suits who had appeared in his dream.

He’d incited betrayal and had ended up being betrayed. He was remembering his few supporters being massacred.

The hostility was still there, but when Upham heard the word even, his expression softened a little, too. “Frankly, that’s a big load off my mind. To tell you the truth, I figured you were still carrying a grudge against all of us in your coffin.”

“…I already took that grudge out on Goose.”

“? What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t have a beef with you people anymore. From what I hear, most of the Lemures got wiped out on that train. That bastard Goose was a pathetic cinder, lying on the tracks.”

Nader was remembering the past as he spoke, but the creepy version of Goose from his nightmare flashed into his mind, and he went a little pale. After he’d taken a few more deep breaths, he turned to Roy. “Well, what are you going to do with me? Run me out of here?”

“I already told you, we’ve got plenty of fellas with stories they can’t talk about here. If you still think we might sell you out, go buy yourself a better lock for your door,” Roy said. There was a little irony in his voice.

Nader sounded suspicious. “You know about me now. Why harbor a failed terrorist? What’s in it for you?”

“If you’re paying rent, well, we get that out of it.” Roy gave a self-mocking smile, then spoke to both Nader and Upham. “Anything’s fine. I’m not the cops, and with my past, I’d rather they didn’t look at me too closely, either.”

Yeah, I bet that past involves dope. Nader already knew that, but he didn’t press Roy for details. The guy might not look exactly healthy, but from the way he talked, his days as a junkie seemed to be behind him.

Having made that call, Nader started thinking about what came next.

What do I do now? Should I lie low here until the Hilton bitches give up? …Until when? How long should I hide?

She’s everywhere. I hid in the pen for three years, and even then, she— Actually, what is that Hilton group anyway? How did she know my face? Is there a photo making the rounds?

It had taken some time, but now that he’d calmed down, various questions started to rear their heads.

If that waitress had run into him completely by accident, why had Hilton been dressed like that? Was she spying while working as a waitress? On that thought, Nader decided to give Roy and Upham a description of her and ask where she might be waiting tables.

Even though he hadn’t expected much, Roy gave him the answer easily. “Oh, if the uniform was that color, she’s probably at Alveare.”

“…Alveare?”

Upham picked up where Roy had left off. “It’s the biggest restaurant in Little Italy. I’m pretty sure it’s run by this small outfit called the Martillo Family.”

“The Martillos?”

You mean the ones from that casino yesterday…?

……

…What is this? What’s going on?

Generally speaking, Nader wasn’t particularly skilled.

However, in just a few years, he’d worked his way up as a con man, then fallen all the way to the abyss of death, and that experience stirred up a strange, unpleasant feeling inside him. He sensed a weird “connection” between these events, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

He also knew he wasn’t at the center of the connections.

He felt as if he’d just happened to pass by some sort of chain of incidents.

Was he standing next to an enormous current that swallowed his own attempts to flee? He wanted to think it was an illusion, but he couldn’t get that cold sense of foreboding out of his head.

In purely personal terms, as a swindler who’d spent long years in underworld society, Nader sensed the definite presence of “currents” that logic couldn’t explain. Not minor currents, like a winning streak or a run of bad luck. Large currents, like destiny… Long story short, he was confident in his ability to sense whether the organization he belonged to was on its way up or heading downhill.

The one time he’d ignored that current, he’d lost his right hand and been forced to live the wretched life of a man on the run.

He had the overwhelming feeling he was in the midst of that sort of current again. He sensed the presence of it beside him. While it probably wouldn’t rouse the nation to action, it was more than big enough to crush a single organization. It was a torrent like none he’d ever felt before, and it sent a shudder through him; he didn’t know whether it would spell good luck or bad for him.

It was so vast that he couldn’t even tell which direction destiny was flowing.

Say my hunch is right on the money.

What should I do? Should I make a break for it so I don’t get pulled into that current? Or should I ride that current to make my getaway?

The question was, what sort of situation was it for Hilton and the rest of Huey’s people? That was important, but simply trying to suss it out could get him killed.

If the Martillo Family and Huey’s faction were tangling with each other somehow, he should probably hope Huey’s organization would be crushed. However, he couldn’t see one of New York’s smallest gangs managing to pull that off.

Argh, dammit.

What am I supposed to do?

After he’d been silent for a bit, Roy spoke to him with a little smile. “I dunno what you’re worrying about, but… Do you have family?”

“…No.”

“What about a girl or an old pal?”

“…Yeah…well…”

Nader was thinking of his childhood friend, the girl who’d turned up in his dream.

“Don’t neglect your ties to other people. If you accidentally step off the path and end up in deep trouble, sometimes they’ll pull you back out. That’s how I kicked the dope habit.”

“…Sometimes those ties can bind you so tight you can’t move, too. There’s nothing wrong with being a lone wolf.”

“Mm, true. I just figured if you needed to talk this over with someone else, somebody you were close to might be better than Upham and me.”

“Oh… I see, yeah. Sorry.”

That should have been the end of the conversation, but Nader was wondering what his friend was doing now. When he’d returned to his hometown, she’d already been gone. The Hiltons couldn’t have done something to her, could they?

I know. I’ll look for her.

If I see Sonia…something might change.

However, if he met her now, wouldn’t he end up pulling her into his life on the run?

Right, so I don’t need to see her.

No, that’s just an excuse.

Two opposing thoughts popped into his head. However, Nader knew they were nothing as noble as an angel and devil. It was just his sorry selves, which couldn’t become either fully good or fully evil, yelling at each other.

He found himself staring at his prosthetic right hand.

He wanted the courage to reach out for something.

A hand that could pull her close would be fine.

One that would push her away from him would be fine, too.

Whether he chose to ride the vast current that swirled around him or run from it, nothing would happen at all if he didn’t get moving.

He only wanted a small sign.

It could be a current as tiny as the ripples created by a frog jumping into a pond; he didn’t care. If he had a current to push him forward…

No… That’s not it.

Really, I’m just looking for an excuse not to move.

Nader didn’t have the energy to start a wave of his own anymore. He vaguely suspected he might just stagnate here forever, rotting away while he was still alive.

That prediction was on the verge of coming at least half true.

Nader was forgetting something, though.

He’d already been pulled into the current of the crazy ruckus four years back.

The conversation with Roy and Upham had trailed off, leaving Nader feeling awkward. He smacked his cheeks, trying to wake himself up—and then he felt something strange.

Huh? What’s…? Bandages?

His head and face had been properly treated and wrapped in bandages. A few places hurt when he touched them. Maybe he’d cut himself when he’d passed out.

“Did you fellas patch me up?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no way! We just put pressure on your wounds. The doc’s the one who checked you over and bandaged you! He came by around noon to introduce some new cargo movers. It seemed like perfect timing, so we asked him to help with you.”

“Oh… Guess I’ll have to pay him.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.”

“You know I can’t just mooch like that.”

Nader didn’t want to put himself in someone else’s debt. He figured he’d take a few bills out of his pillow once the other two had left the room.

However, Roy kept shaking his head. “Really, he doesn’t need it. He said it was like a follow-up.”

“?”

“Sheesh, c’mon. If you already knew the doc, you shoulda said something.”

“Huh?” Nader didn’t get it, and his eyes went round.

What are they talking about?

I don’t know any doctors…

But before he finished that thought, he realized something.

Wait. I do know one.

But, no… It can’t be, right?

Through his confusion, Nader heard the door beside him open.

“Hey, doc! Nader’s awake!” Roy spoke up cheerfully. Nader automatically glanced in that direction.

A man who seemed far too faded for the occasion of a “miraculous reunion” was standing there.

“Hello. How are you feeling, Nader?”

“ !” Speechless, Nader stared at the other man.

He wore gray fabric from head to toe. Even his face was covered with a gray turban and muffler.

A gray magician.

That was the impression most people got when they saw him for the first time. Nader had been no exception.

That said, the first time he’d met him, because of the circumstances, he’d thought of something else.

On that day, the burns from the explosion and all the blood he’d lost had left him at death’s door.

As he crawled across the parched earth, when he encountered the man in gray, he genuinely thought the grim reaper had come for him.

And perhaps in a way, the man was some incarnation of death.

But he wasn’t there to take his life. He’d come to tell him, “Your time hasn’t come yet.”

Then he remembered.

He hadn’t exactly forgotten this particular fact, but it had been submerged at the bottom of his heart all this time.

He’d already died once.

After nearly throwing away his life through a series of stupid mistakes, he’d been saved only thanks to this passerby.

“Well, well. Destiny really does exist, I see,” the gray magician muttered.

Before Nader knew it, tears were welling in his eyes. “You… Why’re you here?”

He didn’t know why the mere coincidence of their reunion was making him cry. The one thing he did know was that, just now, he’d been given a very definite push forward.

Will this…work? he thought. You mean I’m not actually all washed up yet?

Fortune was finally going his way.

His pretentiousness as a small-timer had once backed him into a fatal corner, but now it was working in an extremely positive way, as the driving force that would propel him back up from the depths he’d sunk into.

No, believe in it. What’s the point of not believing in this?

Yeah, I’m sure this great “current” is going to end up working in my favor.

At this point, he had the feeling that whatever he did would go well.

I bet the era’s mine, ain’t it?

Nader was on the verge of believing this, but in only a few seconds, the universe put a damper on that.

From behind the gray magician, a familiar face spoke with a voice he knew. “Hey, Nader! Haven’t seen you for half a day, pal.”

Ladd Russo, who was standing behind Fred, wore a fiendish smile. When Nader saw him, he thought he must still be dreaming.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he waited, he didn’t wake up.

Thirty minutes later The dining hall

Nader’s mood had crashed again. He’d ended up listening to Ladd in the room for a long, long time after Roy and the rest had stepped out.

According to Ladd, the clinic where his so-called old friend worked was owned by Fred, the gray magician.

“That was a shock. Who’d have figured ol’ Who had gotten off the train with that magician fella in one piece…

“Not only that, but I met up with a guy I knew in stir there. Small world, ain’t it?!

“And then you and I met up again, too.”

That was what he’d learned from Ladd’s careless explanation. However, what concerned Nader was the money he’d been given to use at the casino.

As it turned out, though, there was nothing to worry about.

“Huh? Oh, that. That’s fine. The mazuma’s yours, eh?”

It had been quite a sum, but Ladd talked about it like it was nothing. That made Nader’s knees go weak.

For a little while after that, he told Ladd what he’d wanted to know about his connection to the Flying Pussyfoot incident.

In other words, Nader told him what Upham had told Roy earlier. It would have been easier to talk about with Upham present, but apparently the guy was also a technical worker, and he’d gone to work on some interior finishing construction elsewhere in the building.

Now he’d finished his story, and Ladd was grinning at him. “Huey, huh? Nice, nice. I didn’t expect to find another connection to that guy here… Still, there’s no way a flunky like you would know where his hideout is, huh.”

Ladd sounded half delighted and half disappointed, and Nader was quietly relieved.

I thought he might beat me to death if we met again… Who’d have thought he knew that doctor? He may be a better guy than I figured.

The people with him, too… That fella in the coveralls is one thing, but the two who came with him today seem pretty laid-back.

Forming a drastic misconception about Ladd, Nader glanced at the corridor. The door to his room was standing open, and he could hear people talking out in the hall.

“Let me tell you a sad, sad story.”

As Graham delivered the usual line, the man and woman who were with him protested.

“Huh?! No, don’t! No sad stories!”

“If you tell sad stories, your happiness runs away!”

“Make it a fun story!”

“Yes, or a funny story!”

Graham had never gotten that particular response before, and he fell to thinking. “Tell a fun story, when I’m feeling this sad? God’s given me another tall order. Wait… You’re the ones who gave me that tall order, so… You’re God?!”

At this insane switchback from Graham, the man and woman—Isaac and Miria—cried out in astonishment.

“What?! Is that true, Miria?! Are we gods?!”

“Oh my God!”

“I see… I hadn’t picked up on that. But where are we the gods of?”

“Maybe Japan. Mr. Yaguruma said they have eight million of them there.”

What the heck is with these guys? Shaft thought as he watched the pair have a serious discussion about a nonsense topic. However, the talk promptly turned his way.

“A fun story… A story fun enough to offer to the gods… What to do…? They say a certain religion in some country offered sacrifices to their gods to put ’em in a good mood, but all I’ve got to offer is Shaft… So I guess Shaft over there is gonna tell you a funny story that’s guaranteed to have you holding your stomachs and rolling in the aisles.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Shaft yelled.

“If it isn’t funny, I’ll bend all your joints in fun directions. How about that?!”

“How about no! Why do I have to be a sacrifice?!”

Isaac flashed him a thumbs-up. “No worries. Think positive! If he’s offering you as a sacrifice to the gods, it means you’re important to him! Like his son or a goat!”

“Yes, seven kids for Abraham!”

“Sons and goats are pretty different!”

“Relax, Shaft. Man or goat, I’ll always keep you at my beck and call!”

Hearing bits of the conversation in the corridor, Nader felt a sincere envy for the group.

Wow… They just seem so…dumb and carefree. Lucky…

Nader’s thoughts waxed uncharacteristically sentimental. He wondered if they’d keep going through life their own way, without even noticing the nationwide suffering the Depression was causing.

He might have felt this way because their easygoing manner reminded him vaguely of his childhood friend.

Listening to them, he might even be able to remember her face clearly.

Ladd muttered, “Okay, so what’s our next move?” and fell to thinking. Nader took that as an opportunity and tried to fill his mind with memories of his hometown.

His efforts were shut down by a racket that echoed up from the first floor.

The lodging house First floor

The angry shouts, laughter, and metallic clangs they’d started to hear on the lower floor got everyone’s attention, and the people who’d been near Nader’s room all went downstairs.

Nader was the first to peek into the dining hall. When he saw the face that was in there, though, he hastily ducked back into the shadows of the corridor.

I’m pretty sure he was…

They hadn’t talked, but he recognized those eyes, as sharp as knives.

He was at the casino with the manager—that Firo kid!

“Calm down, please, Mr. Smith.”

Smith responded to Luck Gandor without looking at him. “Tell that to this little girl.”

The “little girl” was a woman who was staring him down from just ten centimeters away and dressed like she’d just stepped out of a saloon. At the moment, she was trying to slash Smith in two, right down the middle, with a pair of Japanese katanas. Smith had blocked them with the pistols he held in both hands. Neither could afford to back down.

Impassively, Luck said, “You drew first, Mr. Smith.”

“Well, sure I did. If you’re here at all, you’re obviously after my head,” Smith grunted.

Maria, the woman with the katanas, laughed at him. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! You’re a total genius as always, amigo! What would Luck want with the head of a sissy like you?!”

“Why you little—!”

“What do we have here? It looks like a whole lotta fun… Wait, is that that idiot Smith?”

“Let me tell you a fun story… That is most definitely Mr. Smith. I see… They say Japanese katanas were forged as offerings to the gods sometimes. In other words, Smith is trying to get katanas to use as offerings for Shaft and me?! Could there be a happier story?!”

“Actually, that guy over there was at Firo’s casino yesterday.”

Ladd and Graham had taken a look into the dining hall and were discussing what they’d seen. However, Nader was hiding in the shadows of the corridor, and he couldn’t check on what was happening inside.

Roy, who’d also glanced into the dining hall, came over to Nader and whispered, “That’s Mr. Luck. Luck Gandor.”

“…Who’s he?”

“One of the fellas who supports this place. Publicly, he passes himself off as the manager of a jazz hall, but he’s the boss of a little outfit called the Gandor Family. See, my girl works at that jazz hall. He’s helped me out a few times. He’s not an out-and-out villain…or that’s what I’d like to tell you, but the mafia’s the mafia, y’know.”

“Yet another syndicate, huh?”

What the hell is this?! One after another…! Internally, Nader was screaming.

In the dining hall, Luck calmly continued talking.

“Maria.”

The girl with the katanas answered Luck without turning around. “What is it, amigo? Where do you want me to slash this guy?”

“Take back the fact that you called him a sissy and apologize, please.”

“Huh? But…”

“No buts.” He spoke as if he was scolding a child, but his words held a sharp-edged pressure.

Maria sulked, puffing out her cheeks. Then she lowered her katanas and bowed her head. “Argh… Sorry, amigo. Didn’t mean it. You’re not a sissy.”

“Why you… Do you actually think a careless apology like that will quell my insanity?” Smith complained.

His young apprentice cut in from beside him. “I think you should prove you’re the bigger man and back down, Master,” he whispered, and Smith grudgingly lowered his guns.

Beside them, an old man was taking gulps from a bottle of liquor. He was spreading a boozy stink around, and the ruckus didn’t seem to have fazed him.

In the midst of that chaos, Luck spoke with calm self-possession. He was talking not just to Smith but to the liquored-up old guy as well. “Mr. Smith, Mr. Alkins. There is a job I would like your help with.”

In response to Luck’s businesslike proposal, Smith’s eyebrows came together, while Alkins’s eyes widened slightly, although he kept his lips on the liquor bottle.

Then Luck began to explain briefly.

He told them about the casino opening that would be held at Ra’s Lance in the middle of February and that the Runorata Family was acting behind the scenes. He also mentioned that there was a possibility things would get rough there, although he didn’t go into detail, and that he wanted to hire a few free agents who could move more easily than his syndicate.

Once he finished, the reaction was dubious. “…I don’t buy this. You could just hire some random local punks to fill out your ranks.” Alkins delivered a sound argument with boozy breath, but Luck quietly shook his head.

“In an ordinary conflict between mafia syndicates, that would be possible. No… In that case, our family would be enough on its own.”

“Hoh! Get a load of you.”

“However, these circumstances are rather extraordinary. That is why I came to you two…” At that point, Luck broke off for a moment, glancing at the boy who stood beside Smith.

Seeming to realize what that look meant, Smith explained, “This is my first apprentice. Someday, he’ll inherit all my insanity. You can say anything in front of him. If you don’t trust him, you don’t trust me.”

“…Very well. It’s not the sort of story ordinary people would believe anyway.” Making his decision based on the look in the boy’s eyes, rather than what Smith had said, Luck went on. “There’s a possibility this incident involves the immortals.”

At those words, the boy flinched.

Luck found his reaction a little unexpected.

He didn’t know that the kid had once marched into the Gandor Family office and smashed a bottle of the “failed” elixir that Szilard had left behind. He’d been given a report on the incident itself, of course, but since he hadn’t met the boy in person, he hadn’t connected him with the one who was in front of him now.

Although that reaction tugged at him, Luck kept his poker face firmly in place. “This is only a possibility, but… The terrorist Huey Laforet may be involved as well.”

He’d based that particular remark on information Firo had given him. This time, it was the rubberneckers who were peeking into the dining hall who reacted.

“…Huey Laforet?” Nader’s spine creaked.

Is he saying Huey’s outfit is going to be in on that casino party or whatever it is?

Is that it…?

Is that what’s been giving me this weird, uneasy feeling?

“…Huey Laforet?” Ladd ground his molars.

I never figured I’d hear that name in a place like this.

A casino, huh…? That ginger bastard and the Melvi gink are gonna turn up there, too, aren’t they?

So if I play my cards right, I’ll be able to butcher all three of ’em at once!

“Wait. Before any of that, do you actually think we’d take a job from the Gandors?”

“’Slong as I can pick up likker money, I’ll take it. I’ll pass up the chance to go a coupla rounds with Vino fer now,” Alkins slurred.

“Gah… Play along a little, would you, Gramps?” Smith said.

Overhearing their conversation, Luck decided to keep the fact that Vino had gone over to the enemy under wraps for a while longer. Sighing, he went on. “Quite true. Taking a job from an organization that was once your enemy isn’t something sane people do. No hitman who wanted to live a steady, peaceful life would accept an offer like this one.”

“……” Smith’s nose twitched.

Seeing that, his apprentice thought, Oh, he’s going to take this job. He was certain how this would end now, but he didn’t dare say a word.

“That is exactly why I came to you, Mr. Smith. I’ve heard you are in possession of a sense of aesthetics regarding your profession that transcends common sense. View my offer from this perspective, if you would: I’ve come to you not as an individual but to pay my respects to your…well, insane conviction toward your work.”

“Oh-ho-ho…” Smith had tried for a brusque response, but his lips began to curve in a happy smirk. Still holding his guns, he tried to push his mouth back into a stoic expression as he responded. “I see. You’ve got promise. That said, it’s not enough to hear rumors and imagine. Once you’ve seen me at work, you yourself will be taken in by true insani— Gwuff?!”

In the middle of his sentence, Smith took a kick to the back and pitched forward.

“Aaaargh… Dammit, who was that?!” Clearly furious, he turned around—and there was Ladd, wearing a vicious smile. “Wha…? Ladd?! Why are you here?!”

“Damn, fella, you always phrase things in the worst way. I bet you’re thinking you’re all special and you’re gonna live forever.” Ladd jerked a thumb at Graham, who stood behind him, while turning toward Smith with deadly intent. “I only spared your life on account of Kid Graham looking up to you, remember?”

“Intriguing… Do you wish to be the clown who gets killed by the life he spared?” Slowly, Smith raised his gun.

However, Ladd ignored him and turned to Luck. “I overheard all that. You say you’re looking for guys with skills?”

“You’re…” Naturally, Luck knew about Ladd. Even leaving out the fact that he was Firo’s acquaintance, there was no way he could have forgotten him after seeing him raise hell at the casino the night before.

“See, I’m looking for work myself. I think I could be pretty useful. You’re a pal of Firo’s, right? I’ll give you a friends-and-family discount. You can pay me half of whatever you pay that fool Smith.”

“……”

For a little while, Luck was silent.

In for a penny, in for a pound, he’d thought. That was why he’d come to scout his former enemies, but he had never imagined this man would be here.

Even if that commotion the previous day had been all he’d seen, he would have been able to tell—the guy was strong, but he was also dangerous.

Forget a pound; it would be like betting the entire bank.

However, after giving it another several seconds of careful consideration, Luck steeled himself. “If we determine you’re a maverick, remember we’ll dispose of you, even if it means you kill us in the struggle.”

“…Ha! I like it! You’re ready to face death; I can see it in your eyes. I love that,” Ladd said.

Luck made sure not to let his feelings show, but he found the comment plenty amusing. Prepared to die? Now that I’m immortal? I thought I’d lost that… But I can’t imagine this man has misread me.

Just a few hours ago, I was almost killed by another right hand. Perhaps my old senses have begun to return.

Even as these thoughts ran through his mind, Luck drew a deep breath, then spoke to the hitmen, Ladd included. “For now, I would like all of you to stop by the Gandors’ office.

“Understand that the moment you step inside, it will be too late to turn back.”

Evening Millionaire’s Row, the Genoard family’s second residence

“Still… Even if the protection money for the Martillo Family is all taken care of, what are we going to do about living expenses in the meantime?”

Jacuzzi gave Nice a self-deprecating smile. “We don’t have much choice. I hate to do it, but let’s look for a buyer for this wine.”

Jacuzzi was holding the top-drawer wine that Eve Genoard had given them the other day. He didn’t feel great about selling a gift, but necessity knew no law.

He took a bottle of wine out of the box and started for the entryway, cradling it in his arms. “Since we’ve been introduced and all, I’ll ask if the restaurant that Mr. Martillo runs will buy it.”

“I’ll go with you this time. I’d like to see what sort of place it is.”

As they were talking, the pair had descended to the front entrance, but then the doorbell rang, and they heard a familiar voice from outside.

“Excuse me. Is anyone there?”

At the sound of the voice, the two of them exchanged a glance. Jacuzzi hastily hid the wine behind a vase. Without meaning to, he’d started acting suspicious. Meanwhile, Nice remained perfectly calm and opened the front door wide.

The girl who stood there was as lovely as her sweet voice had suggested. A car was stopped in front of the gate, and an elderly man in a butler’s uniform and the plump Black woman who worked as the housekeeper stood beside it.

“Oh! Jacuzzi and Nice. We haven’t seen each other in quite some time, have we? Um, the wine I sent you the other day didn’t cause you any trouble, did it?”

“N-no! Absolutely not the tiniest little bit of it at all ever! Uh-uh!” Jacuzzi’s voice trembled as his anxiety mingled with guilt. He didn’t seem to know where to look.

Meanwhile, Nice greeted the girl respectfully. “Yes, it’s been a very long time, Miss Eve. We’re very grateful for all you do for us.”

“Ah-ha-ha. Please, Nice, don’t be so formal.” The girl smiled. Unlike Jacuzzi and the others, she carried herself in a way that suited the luxury residential neighborhood of Millionaire’s Row very well.

This was Eve Genoard.

She was the mansion’s rightful owner and the “employer” who was letting Jacuzzi’s group stay here in exchange for maintaining it. Technically, this was her second residence, but her sudden visit flustered Jacuzzi.

Noticing that the girl’s smile had clouded over slightly, he asked her a timid question. “U-um… Is something the matter?”

Eve responded with a question of her own, seeming just a little more concerned than usual about the people around them. “Well… Excuse my abruptness, but my brother Dallas hasn’t been here, has he?”

Jacuzzi and Nice exchanged looks again.

As Eve had guessed—

—Dallas had been in this mansion just a few hours earlier.

“You fellas be my backers. If I win at the casino, I’ll pay you back the principal, plus ten percent.”

The owner of the mansion had appeared out of nowhere and made high-handed demands.

Of course, as far as Jacuzzi’s group was concerned, Eve was the mansion’s owner, so they treated Dallas as a nuisance. When the delinquents told him they were all flat broke, his mood had soured instantly.

“The hell?! Not one red cent? Tch! Useless! Dammit, looking at your bankrupt faces is gonna take my luck down a few pegs, too. Later, suckers!”

With that rude rejoinder, he’d snatched up a few clocks, dishes, and other items that seemed likely to sell for a good price, then left.

When they told Eve what had happened, she heaved a sigh. “Um… I’m terribly sorry my brother made trouble for you.”

“Oh, no, no! It’s fine—we’re used to it!” Jacuzzi said.

“Jacuzzi!” Nice scolded him in a whisper.

With a gasp, Jacuzzi caught himself. “Oh! No, uh, th-th-th-that’s not what I meant! It’s not like he’s causing trouble for us constantly or anything like that; it’s just…”

“It’s all right. I know my brother does make a nuisance of himself to all sorts of people. I’ve asked him to stop again and again, but…”

Dallas was a skunk, but he loved his little sister. He was probably pulling the wool over her eyes by acting as if he’d reformed when he was around her.

That was what Jacuzzi thought anyway, but he didn’t say so. Instead, he asked a simple question. “But why would Mr. Dallas also be going to the casino event?”

“Also?”

“Oh, uh, just a figure of speech. Please don’t worry about it.”

It was probably better not to mention that they’d be going to the casino opening as well. Eve worried a lot to begin with, and they might end up dragging her into trouble she didn’t need. Putting her off in an absent way, Jacuzzi prompted her to go on.

According to Eve, other wealthy citizens—particularly those with connections to the Runorata Family—had received invitations, which had been distributed extravagantly, one for each individual rather than one per family.

“The Runorata Family killed my father and oldest brother, and yet they sent us invitations… I have to admit I was angry. Only two invitations were sent to our house: one for myself and one for Dallas. They knew we were the only two remaining members of our family, and they invited us anyway.”

“That’s…really awful.”

“I was furious, but for some reason, my brother was very keen on it. He said, ‘When casinos open, they want to rope in regular customers, so they make the jackpots easier to hit.’ He took most of the cash we had on hand and left the house…”

“Yikes…”

When they heard this, both Jacuzzi and Nice thought, Same as ever; that guy couldn’t be any scummier, but of course they didn’t say it aloud.

After that, Jacuzzi and the others promised to contact Eve if they saw Dallas, then waved as she left.

They exchanged looks, but for a little while, none of them said a word.

Then, unable to take the silence any longer, Nick spoke up timidly. “So, uh… That means Dallas is gonna be there on the day, too, right?”

At that, the delinquents started whispering among themselves.

(“…What’ll we do if we run into him? He’ll rip us a new one for playing when we didn’t give him any dough.”)

(“We can just tell ’em we borrowed ours from the Martillos.”)

(“Aah, Dallas hate Firo from Martillos. He said someday he kill.”)

(“Hey, whoa, what happens to us if he finds out we’re helping Firo?”)

(“He might shank us.”)

(“If he does, we’ll settle his hash instead.”)

(“But that guy can’t die, can he?”)

(“That’s okaaay. We can just bury him alive somewheeere.”)

(“Sometimes you say some real scary stuff, Melody.”)

(“If we buried him, Eve would cry.”)

(“I’ll be Eve’s big brother instead, so that part’s fine.”)

(“Shut yer yap.” “Die.” “Fade.” “Take a bunk.”)

(“Hya-haah?” “Hya-haw!”)

His friends were the same as always, but Jacuzzi looked even wearier than usual. Turning to Nice, he spoke very quietly so that only she would hear. “…Sorry, Nice. It looks like we’ve got more trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Jacuzzi. If it comes down to it, I’ll blow all our troubles away.” Nice winked, but since she was wearing an eye patch, it just looked like she was smiling with her eyes shut.

“That actually makes me feel worse…but thanks anyway, Nice.”

They’d had many similar exchanges, but for that very reason, the familiarity made Jacuzzi happy.

He wanted things to be peaceful at night, at least, while he was with his friends.

This modest wish of Jacuzzi’s was shattered just a few minutes later by the strident sound of the doorbell.

“I’m home.”

When they opened the front door, Rail was standing there.

That in itself wasn’t a problem at all, but the man standing nearby certainly was.

“Hi there! Haven’t seen you since yesterday! How’ve you been, Ink?! I like that tattoo of yours. It’s as if you’re rebelling against the body your parents gave you! Open hostility toward Nature! How fun!”

Jacuzzi couldn’t keep up with Christopher’s energy. Moving stiffly, he turned to look at Rail.

“Oh, he said he didn’t have anywhere to go. Put him up for the night, all right? We’re all going to be doing the same job, and this way it’ll be easier to talk things over before we get started. That’s good, isn’t it?” Rail said, casually taking charge.

Jacuzzi wished something would blow him to kingdom come.

But the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless.

“I’m sorry to barge in on you like this.”

Ricardo appeared from behind Christopher and offered him one saving grace:

“As our rent, please let us cover the food expenses of everyone who lives here.”

Night In front of the Runorata villa

“Well, that’s another day’s work done.”

After escorting Melvi back to the villa, Claire had gone to see Huey, who was on the same property. He’d talked with him about Chané until nightfall and had then walked out through the gate.

Apparently, Huey was here to meet with the Runoratas.

My father-in-law, Huey the terrorist, and the Runorata Family, huh?

I’m curious about that combination, but whatever. I’ll ask Chané about it later when we’ve got the time.

Chané was off doing some sort of job on her own, and he hadn’t seen her since meeting Huey. According to what Huey had just told him, every time he’d brought up the subject of Claire, Chané’s expression had cycled through a fascinating kaleidoscope of emotion.

Yeah, I want to go see her right now. I have to let her know I told her dad I intend to marry her.

Well, to make that happen, I’ll have to guard that crumb until this job’s over.

On that thought, he decided to patrol the wall’s outer perimeter before going home. He was off the clock, but he figured he’d give them a little bonus and make sure nobody suspicious was hanging around.

Of course, he thought there probably weren’t many people who knew this was the Runorata Family villa and were still reckless enough to get near the place.

As it turned out, though, that assumption was proven false right off the bat.

When he reached the narrow alley around back, he spotted a woman. She’d piled up nearby trash cans and rocks, and she was struggling to get over the wall.

“Whoa…,” he muttered. Who’d have thought anybody would be trying something this blatantly suspicious? A little appalled, he went over to the woman.

She had a terrific figure and was dressed very well, but he really couldn’t believe she had any legitimate connection to the villa. She also didn’t look young enough to be the Runorata’s daughter, breaking curfew.

“Uh, hey, miss?” He really doubted she was here to bump off Melvi, but she was definitely suspicious. “A scary mafia guy owns this villa. If you’re planning to steal something, I’d hit up an undiscovered ancient ruin or sunken ship instead. Nobody’s gonna call the cops on you there.”

His advice for the trespasser wasn’t quite on target, though.

“What? You don’t say! Oh, but I’m not planning to rob them. It just sounds as though the person I’m looking for is in here…”

The woman turned around. She didn’t seem particularly flustered, but when he saw her face, he froze.

“Hmm?”

“Yes?” She looked puzzled.

He observed the woman’s face by the light of the moon and the distant streetlights. “The shape of your ears and the line of your nose…”

“Pardon?”

“You wouldn’t happen to be…Chané’s big sister?!”

The remark was so ridiculous that anyone who knew even a little about the situation would have doubted their ears.

“What?! By ‘Chané,’ do you mean Miss Chané Laforet?”

“Yes.”

The woman gave him an easygoing answer:

“Um, if you’re asking how we’re related, I’m not her sister. I’m her mother…”

“Her mother! Wow, you’re really young!” Claire handled this extremely abrupt encounter in the exact same way he’d dealt with Huey. “I’m Felix Walken. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“I see… I’m Renee.”

The woman looked perplexed; she seemed to be wondering why he’d suddenly introduced himself. Claire took her hand. “Really, thank you, ma’am. Thank you so much for bringing Chané into my world!”

“Huh?!”

“Your daughter is graciously allowing me to court her. Frankly, I don’t think marriage is too far off.”

Chané and Huey resembled each other, but this woman didn’t look much like her daughter. Even so, although it wasn’t clear whether it had been due to his remarkable observational skills or his love for Chané, he’d managed to spot even that slight genetic similarity.

The one sure thing was that Claire was very, very different.

However, even in the presence of that “abnormal human specimen,” Renee didn’t look the slightest bit surprised. She only observed him as if she were examining a rare mushroom. He was utterly intriguing to her. Abruptly, she realized something. “Hmm? Um, listen… If you’re going to marry Chané, does that mean you’ll live together?”

“Of course. I’m thinking of building us a house with an ocean view.”

“Then you’ll be together all the time, you mean.”

“Until death do us part… Actually, I’m planning to stay together even after that.”

Claire wasn’t joking or anything. He was serious.

Troubled, Renee said, “Hmm. That’s very odd. Huey said he’d give one of them to me. I wonder if he meant the other one we made, then.”

“?”

“One of my reasons for coming here was to claim Chané, but… Um, Felix, was it? Does Huey Laforet know you’re going to marry her?”

“Yes.” Claire nodded firmly, filling her in on their “contract.” “Father—I mean, Huey said if I helped him out with a job, he’d gladly accept my marriage to Chané.”

“Oh dear, did he really…? Hmm. That’s a problem. How inconsiderate of him. Then I suppose he really did mean the other one…”

As he watched the woman mutter to herself, Claire thought, I see. They must be arguing over who gets custody of their daughter.

I wonder if they divorced. And here Chané’s grown and out on her own already.

These were common-sense guesses, but they were extremely off base.

Come to think of it, Chané talks about her old man a lot, but I’ve never heard her talk about her old lady.

He thought they must have some pretty complicated family circumstances, but naturally, that didn’t change his feelings for his beloved.

After worrying and looking troubled for a while, the woman turned to Claire. “Let’s do this, then. It’s all right if it’s only while you’re working for Huey. Would you help me out with my job as well? If you will, while I do feel it’s a shame, I’ll let you have Chané.”

She was clearly treating her daughter like an object, and that was concerning. Maybe when you’d had a kid, they seemed like a part of you, since you’d gone through labor for them.

It did tug at him a bit, but when it came to the human heart, Claire had no common sense. His guess was enough to satisfy him, so he spoke confidently to the mother of the woman he loved.

“Just you leave it to me. After all, for me, nothing’s impossible.”

Night The Genoard residence, somewhere in New Jersey

“Dallas…”

Back home, Eve was still worried about her only brother.

He was practically never home anyway, but the Runorata Family was involved this time, and they’d killed their family. Even if Dallas couldn’t actually die, if they stuffed him in an oil drum again and put him at the bottom of a river somewhere, she might never find him.

The surest bet would be to take her own invitation and go directly to the casino to look for him. However, since her brother had taken almost all the cash in the house, she might not be able to pay the entrance fee. Even if she had an invitation, if she couldn’t buy the minimum number of chips, they might run her out.

More importantly, would she be able to search for him properly if she didn’t know the first thing about casinos? Her invitation said she could bring a companion, but Eve couldn’t think of anyone who’d really know their way around a casino.

Or rather, she did know someone, but she certainly couldn’t invite him—Luck Gandor.

He’d know about casinos, and it would probably be easy for him to look for her brother. However, Dallas had done something unforgivable to him.

Eve’s reluctance was partly because she really couldn’t see him cooperating with her, but she also wasn’t shameless or cruel enough to ask him for help with this. She’d considered asking for advice, at least, but even that would be brazen. She couldn’t do it.

And what is Dallas planning to do if he runs into any of the Gandor men? This is a mafia get-together, so they certainly might be there…

Eve had direct personal knowledge of the fact that the Runoratas and the Gandors had been at war at one point, and so she really didn’t expect the Gandors to be present. However, she also knew that, in this world, there was no such thing as “never.” After all, a few years ago, even her common-sense assumption that “people inevitably die” had been turned on its ear.

That said, Eve was neither strong nor weak enough to write off her brother completely and say that he’d been asking for whatever trouble happened to break out around him.

What could she do?

She would have grasped at any straw that presented itself.

Just as she was thinking this, her butler, Benjamin, knocked on the door of her room. “Miss, a strange fellow says he needs to speak with you.”

“With me?”

“He says it’s about the Runorata casino… Shall I ask him to leave?”

“! No, tell him I’ll hear what he has to say, please!”

When she quickly changed out of her nightgown and came down into the parlor, a man in an expensive-looking suit was sitting on the sofa with a suitcase beside him.

“Well, well. Good evening. It’s a pleasure to meet the young head of the Genoard family.”

“No, I’m…nothing that impressive.”

She didn’t feel the position of family head suited her. She’d meant to yield it to Dallas as soon as she could, but Dallas had said that being the head of a ruined family was more trouble than it was worth, and he kept dodging the issue.

As a matter of fact, this was Dallas’s way of being kind to his little sister; he wanted Eve to get the better part of the deal. Unfortunately, it was having the exact opposite of the effect he’d intended.

Eve knew nothing about her brother’s clumsy consideration, and she simply answered that she wasn’t suited to this. However, her guest shook his head. “No, you have a dignity that befits the head of a family. By rights, a lady like you shouldn’t set foot in a casino run by mafiosi like the Runoratas, no matter what.”

“You knew about my invitation?”

“I assumed they’d been sent to most of the affluent citizens in this area. I just happened to choose to call on the Genoard family… Or that’s what I’d like to tell you. The truth is, I didn’t think a young lady such as yourself would have any connections to professionals like me.”

“…Professionals?”

Eve tilted her head, wondering what sort of professional he meant, and the man obliged her with an answer. “In gambling, of course. I’m a personal gambler.”

“A personal…gambler?”

“I’m not surprised you’ve never heard of it. After all, I doubt you’ve ever had anything to do with casinos before. The wealthy who are accustomed to such places employ people like myself in order to win efficiently, or to make gambling more enjoyable.”

The guest took a pack of cards from the pocket of his tuxedo, slid them out of their box, and shuffled them dexterously. Taking cards in his left hand, he warped them in his fingers and forcefully “fired” them. It was a type of shuffling commonly referred to as the “riffle shuffle.” Since it tended to damage the cards, it wasn’t ordinarily considered a good method.

However, Eve had only ever used cards during card games, and to her, that fancy technique looked like magic.

The guest executed a different type of showy shuffle for the startled girl. “…I’d imagine you don’t feel you need a professional like me. You may not even plan to visit a casino. However, I haven’t come to beg you to hire my skills.” At that point, the guest stopped shuffling, and he placed his suitcase on the table. “That enormous casino the Runoratas are hosting is going to attract all kinds of dealers. Others in my line of work as well, of course. I simply want to test my skills there!”

Speaking more forcefully, he opened the suitcase. It was filled with bundled bills.

“I’ll pay for the chips on the day. If I manage to win, I’ll give you the full amount. If I lose, then that’s it, but… Please. Would you let me attend that party as your companion?”

The man held out a bundle to Eve. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Nader Schasschule. In exchange for this, please sell me the right to escort you at the casino.”

After he’d said it, Nader felt a nasty sweat break out on his back.

Am I an idiot?

A professional gambler? Even a kid wouldn’t buy that line! “Please sell me the right to escort you”? What the hell was that?! You’re not propositioning a hooker, pal.

Even as he mentally cursed at himself, he didn’t let any of it show on his face or in his gestures.

What was a guy who’d been lying low at a lodging house doing in a place like this?

It was all due to his cowardice.

Five hours earlier The first floor of the lodging house

Once Ladd and the others had left, the lodging house was quiet.

“What was that all about, huh?” Roy was relieved the storm had passed, but Nader was shaking in his shoes.

What is this…? Seriously, what’s happening? What kind of current am I swimming in?

Do I have any advantage here? Do I have any kind of shot at crushing Huey’s organization?

The current, right… I have to figure out this current.

Figure out the current—it was a weird way to put it, but really, he was just looking for an excuse to cut and run.

It was a trick Nader used frequently when he needed to duck an important decision.

He’d tell himself that if he threw the die and got a one, luck was going his way, so he’d bet big. At first glance, that seemed optimistic, but it was a gamble he’d lose five times out of six.

In other words, five times in six, he could say, “Oh, I didn’t get it, so I guess that’s that,” and give up. Even if he did happen to throw a one, he’d just look for another reason. “If I don’t get rained on before nightfall,” “If I win three games of solitaire in a row,” “If I throw a rock so it goes right by that dog over there, and he doesn’t bark”… He’d bet on all sorts of different things, and when he lost these bets, he’d tell himself, Today’s a bad day for it, and give up.

He could ride this current, march into the Runorata casino, and crush Huey’s organization. Then he’d return to his childhood friend, boldly and triumphantly, as a hero. That future seemed ridiculous, but if he denied it without even giving it a shot, he didn’t think he’d be able to look either his childhood friend or his past self in the face. Even if assuming he could ever do that again was pretty presumptuous, he knew.

However, to convince his wishy-washy self, he decided to give it a shot.

To make it easy to give up, he set a goal that was just this side of impossible.

If I manage to trick one of the rich folks who got an invitation and sneak into the Runorata casino event, then I’ll charge straight through to the end. Even if it means risking my life.

It was a completely crazy bet.

It obviously wasn’t going to happen.

In the first place, he had no connection to any of the wealthy families in the East. He didn’t know which of them had connections to the Runoratas, and besides, who would listen to some guy they didn’t know from Adam in the middle of a recession this bad?

If a current that was to his advantage had really flowed in, it would carry him through those hardships, and everything would go smoothly. All day today, he’d look for rich people while steering clear of Hilton. If it didn’t work, he’d let it go.

Nader felt like a coward for giving himself a built-in escape route, but he didn’t have the courage to go against his own nature.

There was one problem, though; there was something he’d failed to notice.

The current he thought he’d stopped just short of had actually swallowed him long ago. It had probably happened back when he was with Huey, the moment he learned about the immortals.

“Hey, Roy. You wouldn’t know of any rich folks who might have ties to the Runorata Family, would you?”

There was no way a former junkie and assistant lodging house manager would have rich friends. He’d asked as an easy first step in his search, but he didn’t get the answer he was anticipating.

“Hmm? Oh… Yeah, technically.”

“……Huh?”

“Her name’s Eve Genoard. That family’s got all sorts of close connections to the Runoratas.”

“Y-you aren’t gonna tell me you know where she lives, are you?” Nader asked timidly.

Roy shook his head apologetically. “Nah, I’m afraid I don’t know that much. I do know it’s somewhere in New Jersey.”

“I see. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Vaguely relieved, Nader tried to wrap things up quickly, but somebody ambushed him out of left field, breaking into the conversation.

“What, Miss Genoard’s place? We know where that is. Right, Miria?”

It was the pair of odd ducks Fred had introduced as his new cargo movers.

“Yes, Isaac! We went to case the joint lots of times, so I remember it really well!”

In the parlor at the Genoard residence

And now, in the present…

He’d been concerned by that expression Miria had used, “case the joint,” but before he’d figured out what to do, he’d found himself sitting in front of the girl in question.

He’d said he didn’t want to go into town because it was dangerous. However, Graham had offered to have Shaft drive him over, and so here he was.

He’d told the butler, “I have a proposal regarding the Runorata casino,” but he’d never dreamed the Genoards had actually received an invitation.

The coincidences had to end here, though.

Not many would believe a story as fishy as his.

They’d have to be either terribly hard up or incredibly dim.

After all, he’d ignored all the methods he would have used to pull off a con and winged it, ad-libbing recklessly. The only thing he’d done by way of psychological manipulation was intimidate her by shuffling cards.

Now Eve would get mad at him—“You shady grifter, what’s your game?”—and that would be the end of it. He’d just have to give up gracefully and beat a retreat before she called the cops. That was what he figured would happen, at least.

“…All right. I do have some conditions.”

Eve’s voice was more serious and earnest than he’d anticipated.

“……Huh?”

Nader sounded dubious, but the girl stated her terms anyway.

“I don’t need the money. In exchange, I want you to help me persuade my brother to let me take him home.”

In that moment, Nader finally caught on.

This wasn’t just a current. He’d already stepped into an enormous maelstrom.

And just now, he’d been dragged firmly into the new whirlpool this girl, Eve Genoard, had created.

The vortex that surrounded the immortals was growing more turbulent.

It absorbed several other whirlpools, large and small, that had been generated by the mafia, the Camorra, and various individuals.

No one knew what lurked in the darkness below that torrent yet.

Nader Schasschule kept sinking toward that blackness. He couldn’t fight the current. He couldn’t even make a small whirlpool of his own. He could only sink deeper into the cold, deep darkness.

Unlike the others, he couldn’t even harbor a little desire that would work in his favor.