The morning of the Second Eu
The second Eu, a weekday in the Tinaye calendar, is roughly equivalent to the second Monday in the standard calendar. Today, just like any other day, Shamrock was picked up by a government gondola at his home. Usually, though, the pilot, Aron, would be boring him to death with his small talk, but for some reason, he was unusually quiet and his face was puckered more than it needed to be. Suspicious, Shamrock tried to talk to him.
“What's wrong, Aron?”
“Ah! I-It's nothing, sir! Yep, I saw nothing!”
Those were the words that came out of his mouth.
It seems like Mojito's girls managed to successfully ' convince ' him to be silent about what he saw. How they did it piqued his interest but it was doubtful he'd get anything from Aron in the state he's in.
“That's right. You saw nothing, so you better say nothing, alright?”
First thing's first, though: he ought to make sure his mouth stays zipped.
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Upon arriving at the hall, he headed straight for his office. There, he found Isla already working at his usual spot—the secretary's desk positioned right in front of the door to his office.
“Morning, Isla.”
Isla looked up, simply staring at his face without returning his greeting.
“What's wrong?”
It appears that somehow, Isla managed to understand what was going on inside his head just by his expression, all thanks to her third eye, no less. There was simply no use hiding something from someone with such powers.
After inviting her to his office, he explained to her everything that happened this weekend.
“So… Now you gotta somehow buy time for them, huh?”
“Yeah. I can make do with the funds by selling some of my assets but I'd need time to do that. There's gotta be a way to delay Her Drunken Highness's voyage, but I can't come up with any good ideas.”
“So do something to slow down the requisition of slaves.”
“Isla… It's my job to make sure that goes through smoothly. If I do something there those old geezers will be breathing down my fucking back! “I'd rather not draw their attention.”
“So you get someone else to slow that down.”
“And who will do that, precisely? “I can't just rely on the Black Hand for everything!”
And this wasn't a job he could entrust to the girls, so he was in a fix. Then, Isla took a piece of paper from Shamrock's desk and held it up to him. It was a report from the Black Hand .
“This here's a report from Oux do Vi about the suspicious movements of the Japanese, though I bet you haven't read this yet, right?”
“Well, duh! I just got here! So what's suspicious about them? How does this relate to our topic?”
“Vi's saying that the Japanese are looking for a ship.”
“What the hell for…?”
From what he knew, the Japanese, once they were done with their work, would board a ship chartered by the Black Hand and be escorted out of the country by the navy. In other words, they didn't need to look for a ship.
“Remember the slave requisition order?”
“Oh, so now you're saying they know of it already?!”
“Yeah. The Japanese have lobbied some powerful individuals thrice to petition the government to relinquish custody of a certain slave.”
The slave requisition order was issued in secret to prevent domestic and foreign revanchist Avion royalists from catching wind of the situation. For a group of foreigners who weren't even spies to be aware of the order means that it was only a matter of time until the entirety of Nasta Bay knew of it.
“But still, why would they need a ship?”
As soon as he said those words, his sharp mind reached a conclusion.
“Wait. No…”
“Yep. These people are here to take back their enslaved countrymen. Just because the negotiations are going nowhere, I don't think they're the type to just back down and leave.”
“Yeah.”
The Japanese have come all the way to distant Tinaye just to take back their enslaved countrymen. They've already concluded talks with the slaver to hand them back their enslaved countrymen for a hefty sum. However, with the slave requisition order, the slave trader was bound by law to comply, preventing the exchange from happening. If they had set their minds on giving up and going home, they'd have no need to look for a ship. But the fact that they're looking for a ship on their own means that they must be planning on doing something that was outside their agreement. In other words, now that they were unable to proceed with negotiations, the Japanese were moving to take things into their own hands.
“So they're forcing their way into the issue since they couldn't talk their way to getting what they came here for. They're powerful enough to force the Empire into peace talks, so it's natural that they had something else up their sleeve when they first came here.”
“If the Empire proved no match against them, then our marines will fare no better.”
Shamrock took a look at the Black Hand report, the contents of which confirmed his suspicions. At the end of the report, Oux do Vi suggested arresting the Japanese to stop them.
Shamrock empathized with the Japanese. He understood their conviction of coming this far to rescue a VIP and, if possible, he'd like to assist and fast-track their negotiations. However, given the circumstances, he couldn't do that, but he couldn't let them go either now that he knows they were acting against the Tinaye state. The republic would lose face if they allowed foreign elements to act unimpeded in their territory.
Still, beyond his responsibilities as a statesman, how can he use this knowledge to his advantage?
“Alright. Let's make use of those bastards.”
Isla's eyes sparkled.
“So you'll be taking advantage of the trouble they'll cause and slow down the slave requisition? “You could even push the blame onto them.”
“Yeah, but the main problem is letting the Japanese get to work while Oux do Vi is right on their asses. As he stands, he's watching their every move. This is probably not their strength…”
With information on their movements being leaked to a third party, the Japanese, with all their military might and power, will probably not succeed in getting their way through such sloppy means.
“Oux do Vi's just that good. So why not use your position to order him to stand down?”
“For what good reason? That brat's got a good head on his shoulders, so if I don't give him a convincing reason he'll sniff me out! I'd rather not deal with him. Also, if I order him to stand down, the blame will just go to me for not doing anything about it!”
“Huh. Sounds as if you're intending to frame him for the Japanese getting their way…”
“Exactly. It's too dangerous to have someone as good as him in the ranks. “I'm planning to reorganize the Black Hand to only have people who are loyal to me.”
“Then I've got this idea: why not support the Japanese from the shadows?”
Just then, the sight of Mojito's girls flashed in the back of his mind. This was the perfect job for them.
“I've got the perfect people for that.”
“And what about the ship they're looking for? It seems like they can't move without it, so why not give it to them? “You should have a good ship lying around in one of your docks.”
“Uhh, I'd like to help them, but lending them one of my ships…”
“Did you forget? “They brought with them a lot of money.”
Shamrock's eyes widened and sparkled at the idea.
“I can lend them my ship for their money, which I can give to Drake! Aren't you a smart one, huh, Isla? Why the hell are you a secretary?! You can get a higher position with that intellect of yours, I bet!”
“So by aiding in conspiracy, could I land a position in government? Puh-lease. I'd be bored out of my mind sucking up to my superiors day-in-day-out. This life's more interesting.”
She said as she walked out of the office, intentionally swaying her hips at him as she did.
The afternoon of the Second Vo (4th Day of the 2nd Week)
Tokushima was walking along Nasta's back alleys with the kind of quiet footwork characteristic of a submariner while avoiding people's gazes. These back alleys were in a part of a town where boarding houses catered to ships' officers while they were in port. The owners of these boarding houses were either wives or widows of sailors so they had some understanding of the way sailors lived. The rent these sailors pay also serves as their sole source of income to make ends meet.
It was the door to one of these boarding houses that Tokushima knocked on.
“Ah, Tokushima! Welcome back!”
What greeted him was the voice of a girl—a chestnut-furred, mouse-eared girl named Patty. She was in the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a knife in one hand.
“I'm back.”
“Hmm?… I smell fish, meow!”
The silver-furred cat girl, Atya, approached him.
“Yeah. “I went to the market to buy someone.”
Tokushima placed the basket he was carrying on his back down on the floor and took a fish from it to show everyone. Atya didn't seem to like the smell of the fish as she moved him to quickly get it prepared and cooked, which was an indication she took a liking to his cooking.
“Hey, Atya! Stop that!”
The black-haired Fatima came and scolded the cat girl. As the eldest of five sisters (since they were all of differing races, they didn't seem to be related by blood), she took it upon herself to lead her sisters in running the boarding house since their grandmother, the proprietor, was bedridden .
“But meoooow…”
“Forgive my dear sister, Sir Tokushima…”
Holding a broom and mop in either hand, Fatima appeared to be in the middle of cleaning, but now she was bowing nonstop for her little sister's unsightly behavior. Of course, Tokushima had no interest in being mad at such an earning girl; if anything, their banter was fun to watch.
“No no, it's all good.”
The MoFA boys really hit the jackpot by finding them a base of operations. If they ever need to come to Tinaye again, this homey place would be the first place he'd think of making their base of operations. However, it was definitely odd that there weren't other boarders.
“But…”
“You got it rough too, I bet. It's admirable that you're helping your grandma out. “No doubt your future husband will be happy to have you.”
“I wouldn't go that far…”
Blushing slightly at the remark, she seemed like an innocent girl who'd blush when praised. Moving past her, Tokushima went to the room the foreign ministry boys were renting.
“Petty Officer, 1st Class Tokushima, reporting in!”
Inside were Edajima, Tōdō, and the others, who seemed to have just come back themselves.
“So how'd it go, Tōdō?”
Tōdō grinned and gave him the good news.
“We got ourselves a ship! They call her the Novasdis and she'll be loaded with food and water bound for Alnus; they'll set sail on our notice. They raised the charter fee when they saw us, but I'm just glad we had enough money.”
“Guess that's our escape plan secured.”
“How'd it go on your end?”
“I got the goods.”
Tokushima plopped down the basket he was carrying and took out a fish from it.
“Is this it?”
"Forks."
“Alright, with the props ready, let's review our plan for today.”
Edajima laid out a hand-drawn map on the table.
“This here is the Relena Company warehouse. Once we have the journalist, we'll head out to sea by boat from this pier so Tōdō… You guys have the Novasdis drop anchor here.”
“Roger.”
“If ever a complication happens and things don't go according to plan, you and the rest of your team drop everything and set sail straight for Alnus. Is that clear?”
Tōdō and the others agreed in acknowledgment, which meant that if things went south, they were to leave Tokushima and Edajima behind and promptly return to Alnus—to Japan. If something happens to the two and they can't evacuate to Novasdis in time, the only thing that Tōdō and his team could do is go home and report to their superiors what happened. For Tokushima and Edajima, they could likely rely on a team of experts who are given more authority and power to come to their rescue. While this may seem coldhearted, the fact that most of their people could safely reach friendly shores is more than enough hope that help will come. As such, even if the worst-case scenario comes, all that Tokushima and Edajima need to do is focus on surviving until help comes.
“Alright. Let’s head out.”
At Edajima's signal, Tokushima and the MoFA boys moved into action.
“Fish. Very bad fish. What's he going to do with it, meow?!”
Once Tokushima went into the room, the silver-furred Atya tilted her head in thought. Someone as good at a cook as Tokushima should be able to tell what's a bad fish to eat, or maybe he's not that familiar with the fish in this area. Thinking of the latter possibility, she felt that she ought to tell him about it.
“Why? What's with that fish? Is it poisonous?”
The black-haired Fatima asked her.
The Japanese seem to be putting together a plan to rescue their enslaved comrade but the girls are at a loss about what it is exactly they're trying to do. Shamrock instructed them to help them from the shadows so they appropriated a boarding house for the Japanese to use but they couldn't do much else lest they attract suspicion. Just as they seemed to be wrapping up their plan, they learned that what they were gathering were fish. If they were poisonous, then it's a sign that they may be trying to set something up.
“Maybe they plan to poison the lookouts?”
Fatima wondered.
“It's not that kind of fish, but if you don't eat it right, you'd suffer in a way that you'd probably want to have died from poison, meow.”
“Huh?”
Before she could get a clearer answer, Tokushima and Edajima came out of their room, followed by the rest, who appeared to have packed their things and were ready to leave.
“Leaving so soon, meow?”
“Yeah, all of a sudden we got some work to do. Sorry for the suddenness, but can we ask for the bill? “We'll be paying now.”
“Ah, y-yes, of course!”
Fatima hurriedly calculated their bill and handed it to them. Tokushima handed her the exact amount of coins.
“It's been fun! Hope we'll see each other again!”
With those words, Tokushima and the others left the boarding house. Once they were away, Fatima turned to the girls with a stern face.
“Patty. Reported Sir Shamrock at once!”
“On it.”
“Innie, Minnie. Take the payment.
“What about the old lady here? Do we make her disappear like usual?”
“No, this place is too convenient that we might need it again. It's also convenient for us that the old lady is senile enough to believe we're her granddaughters, so go make up some stories to get her to accept us. If it's ever necessary, one of us can stay here to keep one foot in the door.”
“Understood.”
“Atya and I will shadow the Japanese. We'll make sure that they can carry out their work without harm. Got that?”
“Loud and clear, meow.”
“Good luck everyone. It'll be a long day ahead of us.”
At her prompt, the girls set out at once.
“Umm… What's the meaning of this?”
Moi ha Rerena asked as he maintained his customer-friendly smile. He wasn't expecting an appointment from Tokushima and Edajima yet here they were with a request from Tōdō he couldn't understand.
Sitting across from Moi, Edajima explained.
“In simpler terms, we're here with an offer that you may find to your liking—a deal if you will.”
“I'm afraid I don't follow. I don't understand how letting you feed the slaves in my possession with the fish you brought considered a deal that I 'may find to my liking'?”
“I find it difficult to believe that a businessman as smart as you doesn't follow.”
“I'm afraid you overestimate me.”
“Then I'll explain it in a roundabout way, so that you may understand. As stipulated by the slave requisition order the Tinaye government has issued, you are obliged to relinquish your assets to the Tinaye Navy tomorrow for use in their warships. Am I correct?”
“The Black Hand has warned me not to talk about that.”
Even now, Moi was tight-lipped. Wearing his own customer-friendly smile, Edajima pressed on.
“They will probably issue you guarantees based on the market value of the slaves but as a businessman, you must be expecting to have gotten more profits had you sold them in the market instead. That is to say, this is a loss for you. Am I correct?”
“If ever such an order was indeed issued, then yes.”
“Since the beginning of this week, the market value of male slaves suitable for physical labor has shot up through the roof. But that was a given; with the slave merchants, the largest supplier of slaves in the market, effectively taken out of the market, there were now only small-time slaves left. The balance of supply and demand is broken and the market for slaves is now a sellers' market. If only you could break into that market with the slaves you have… Or at least, that's what I assume you must be thinking right now.”
“Any bonafide businessman would be thinking exactly that, but in times where fortune doesn't favor us going against the circumstances would only worsen our fortunes. “I think that the best course of action in this case is to just give up.”
“So what if we gave you a proposal that will let you keep the slaves the government has taken from you?”
“Any bonafide businessman would consider that option, but I'm afraid I still don't see where you're getting at…”
“Consider this a hypothetical: what if, for some inexplicable reason, the slaves all came down with the plague?”
“If the slaves were to hypothetically come down with the plague, the Tinaye government will commandeer the affected warehouse without a warrant and burn it down to prevent the spread of plague.”
“But what if instead of an actual plague, it turned out to be the work of external conspirators? Instead of plague, it's actually just poison—no, but rather just the side effects of indelma? What then? Will they still burn the affected warehouse?”
“Incineration is only for when they have no other choice; as soon as they realize it isn't plague, they naturally wouldn't resort to that option.”
“But the symptoms of indelma poisoning could last for three days at the very least, which means that the slaves can't be pressed into service. In the event that happens, will the government postpone the ships' dispatch until they recover?”
“They won't. The government has prioritized those ships' dispatch, so they will not wait for their recovery and just procure slaves elsewhere.”
“And what happens to the slaves after the ships leave?”
“The government will probably have no interest in the poor bonafide businessman and his slaves… Ah, now I understand. Once those slaves have recovered the following week, they will prove to be an asset to the bonafide businessman in a market where their market value has risen.”
He was sure to make a killing out of the plan.
“What happens afterward is none of our business.”
“However, any bonafide businessman will ensure that such a plan will be carried out with a message that it was not his intention nor idea, so you must make sure that it was you who fed the slaves indelma. That's a fair expectation, right?”
“While we more or less planned to protest such an accusation by claiming we didn't know that that would be the side effect, we will accept the accompanying reputation just for this case. Of course, we expect to be compensated .”
“Ah yes, the compensation in question will be that slave, yes? However, the big question remains: will the government respond in the manner you expect them to? After all, this conversation remains hypothetical and the perceived benefits may not materialize. In other words, this is a gamble.”
To this, Edajima pointed to the die and cards that were left out next to the table.
“I'm sure a businessman who has a fondness for gambling understands that all investments are a gamble.”
“Of course. To engage in commerce is to engage in gambling. The fundamental point of it is that the more you gamble, the more you could win, but simultaneously, the more you could lose too. The capacity to make those judgments is what defines a businessman, so I engage in gambling to keep my senses sharp.”
Tōdō bent forward to challenge him.
“Then take this gamble!”
“And if I went along with this gamble and you fail to deliver results, what then will become of me? I have moved my place of business all over, but I've come to a point where I want to settle down. If I went along with this gamble and it failed, Tinaye would make sure I could no longer do business here. In other words, I am entrusting my fate into your hands. Can you say to yourself that you are worth my life?”
Tōdō insisted, “We are dead serious.”
“That's not the point. I'm asking you if you can make your plan succeed.”
Edajima replied.
“Then why don't you and I play a game of cards to test our luck? I have 20 malt silver coins with me; I'll keep 10 and give you the other 10 so we can start with something. If I win, you go along with our plan.”
“And if you lose?”
“You get to keep the 20 silver coins. That'll be your profit.”
Moi glanced over at Tokushima. Then, he agreed.
“Very well. I will play along. It's engaging in these matches that you get to know more about the other party, after all. However, it will not be you who will be playing, but him.”
Moi pointed to Tokushima.
“Huh? Me? But I haven't played any of the games you play around here.”
Tokushima was naturally getting cold feet because he never expected to be picked to play. However, Moi was adamant about it.
“By going with your plan, I'm entrusting my fate to someone else. To make it fair, you, Edajima, should also entrust your fate to someone else. Is this condition not just?”
“W-Wait, sir! “Before you say anything—”
But Edajima went and agreed with Moi's conditions.
“Indeed, you have a point. “Alright then, good luck Tokushima.”
“Wha?! You can't be serious…”
“Please, do stay and watch me walk away with 20 silver coins.”
Moi has Relena's lips curved into a slight grin as he looked at his cards.
The game of cards they're playing is similar to cards back home.
“I'm a businessman with a sound mind; I don't indulge in things like gambling. Still, the reason why I keep dice and cards around is so I can know what kind of people my clients are, what their dispositions are, and so on.”
“Is it effective?”
“Oh, yes. They let out who they are: whether they get impassioned by gambling, whether they get a high from winning, whether they throw a fit when they lose, how they bet their money, how they bargain in setting the conditions, whether they honor the agreement and pay what's due when they lose. All of these things give me an insight into their personality. If they're the type to rehash old problems and break promises, they're obviously a character who's hard to do business with, so I stop doing business with them and spread the word about their personality. What do you think happens next?”
Edajima responded.
“Everybody thinks less of them.”
“That, or other merchants stop doing business with them. “This may look just like any other game of cards to you, but in our world, this is a serious game of life or death.”
As Tokushima took his seat opposite Moi's, he spoke up.
“So you say, but you see… I don't even know how to play.”
Moi looked at him. What he saw was a young man who was visibly at a loss. It would be troublesome to play with someone who hasn't gambled at all, but since he was the one who made it a condition that the young man be his opponent, he has no choice but to do good on his word. After some brief consideration, I decided to politely explain to Tokushima how to play.
“All cards belong to one of four groups: swords, wings, oars, and gems. Are you aware that they also correspond to the four goddesses of the sea?”
“Err, the swords are for Eulo, the goddess of the east, the wings are for Zevullah, the goddess of the west, the oars are for Notos, the goddess of the south, and the gems are for Vorey, the goddess of the north.”
“Right. The strongest cards from each of the groups are the goddesses' cards—the ones with their drawings on them. Below them are another eight cards, which have digits written on the cards corresponding to their strength.”
“Ah, so it's kind of similar to the game of cards we played back home.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but each of the four suits has 13 cards, not nine.”
“Hmm. If ever you find the time to come back here, bring a standard deck with you so I can see how they play. Maybe I could even buy them from you to resell as an item of interest.”
“You really are a merchant through and through, aren't you?”
“Of course! Anyway, I will now explain how the game works. We alternately take a card from the pile so that the overall value of the hand we have adds up to 10 points. Should the value of the cards not reach 10 points, the hand with the closest value to 10 points wins. To add, the value of each of the goddess cards is nine.”
Tokushima recalled the kinds of games they'd play with cards. This one was similar to blackjack, although the particulars were definitely different.
“So if my points exceed 10, I'll have the weakest hand?”
“Indeed. You catch pretty quick.”
Somehow, Tokushima was right on the money with his understanding.
“What the hell, Edajima? “I didn't hear anything about betting away our chances!”
Tōdō whispered to Edajima, but he showed no signs of regret.
“Didn't we decide to strike hard at the onset and then let's see where we go from there?”
“So what you actually meant by that was playing cards? What's really insane is that you allowed Tokushima to play and, above all, used what money we have left!”
“That was to persuade Moi to take this gamble, which paid off now that he's locked in.”
“Still, it's unusual for you to settle this through a game of cards. Surely there's a more reliable way…”
Moi smiled wryly at Tōdō's words.
It seems that this Tōdō is a textbook example of a government official, one who's under the impression that simply showing their client a list of benefits is enough to persuade them. These kinds of people will always negotiate as long as the other person has something that they want, which are exactly the type of people who are extremely easy to do business with. If this man has been a career diplomat for as long as he has, then there's no doubt that his home state of Japan was a land of riches, one that puts business at the forefront.
“Tōdō, people don't live their lives by always picking the reliable option. There are times when they have no choice but to bet on a gamble.”
In contrast to Tōdō, the person Moi feels to be the most troublesome to deal with is this Edajima character. He put in their own money as stakes and invited him to a game of cards to get him to accept their plan and displayed no negative feelings toward his condition for Tokushima to play for him. Given all that, it's clear that his man is well-versed in the art of negotiations. These types of characters are usually stubborn, and tenacious, and usually have a secret plan up their sleeve to turn things around no matter how badly the odds are stacked against them. In fact, the deal he brought to the table could be considered a reversal in their struggle with the Tinaye government. He should be feeling quite good once things turn out his way.
“Let's begin. Edajima, why don't you do the honor of shuffling the cards?”
Interested in his character, Moi designated Edajima as the dealer.
“Gladly.”
Moi and Tokushima each put down a silver coin as wagers to open the game. After shuffling the cards, Edajima each passed to Moi and Tokushima a card face down.
Moi got a five of gems. As he watched Tokushima to gauge his reaction, he asked for another card.
“Edajima…”
“Here.”
Edajima handed him a card face up. Unfortunately, he received a six of wings, which added to his five of gems tallies up to 11 points. If Tokushima were to challenge him without asking for another card, it would be his loss.
However, this was where the real essence of cards started. Moi puckered his mouth and made a displeased face.
Seeing this, Tokushima asked for another card. He received a four of oars, earning a pleased reaction from Tokushima. He then placed his card down, signaling that he wouldn't be asking for any more cards.
Both sides now have cards in their hands. To the regular player, this would be where the game ends, but to Moi, his psychological battle was still in full swing.
“So, Edajima… You're a military man, aren't you?”
Moi asked as if he was interested in Edajima's background.
“I'm technically an SDF official, but yes, you are correct.”
“Don't wonder. To be frank, I've always thought that merchants and military men are similar. If I said this to some Tinayese officer they'd probably get mad and tell me not to lump them together, but in truth, merchants live in a harsh world where dog-eat-dog rules are supreme. Decisions could cost you your capital, and your men's lives… In that aspect where many things hinge on the minute-by-minute decisions we make, merchants and military men are not that different.”
Edajima nodded.
“Interesting opinion. Please continue.”
“No one wants to lose. No one wants to lose what they have. If there was always a way to win something with certainty, anyone would pick that. That's why they do everything in their power to determine the fine line between gains and losses, but no matter how favorable the conditions are, there will never be true, perfect guarantees. Business is but a series of gambles in which no one knows what will happen until the settlement is paid. That's also how it is in the military, right?”
“Indeed. We have our own military capabilities to consider, and then there's the other side's capabilities. Both sides try to collect every bit of information on the other. The side with more numbers has the advantage, so we try to amass numbers; the side with better firepower has the advantage, so we try to make more destructive weapons; the side with the best-trained men has the advantage, so we try to engage in more drills; it is an endless game of trying to build as much advantage over the other side as possible. But once you lose despite everything, that's it. History is ridden with many such examples.”
“Given all that, Edajima, in this endless string of gambles, what do you think is the most essential factor to secure a final sweeping victory?”
“The number one factor for me is the sensitivity to determine the turning point in one's fortunes, but I believe that above that, one must be well acquainted with human psychology. To win or to lose, it is all up to the mind of the human.”
Moi laughed. This man sure is one strange believer in psychology.
“Then enlighten me, Edajima: does this young man in front of me possess that factor?”
“No, unfortunately. In fact, I believe that there isn't anyone out there who is as inept in taking risks and making bets like him.”
Tokushima agreed in agreement.
“Yeah, there's just no way a greenie like I could win something like this.”
Moi was also in agreement. Before Tokushima revealed that he didn't know how to play, Moi had already sensed that he was ill-suited to business, warfighting, gambling, and the like. Not to say that he thought of him as an idiot; everyone has things they are good at and things they are terrible at. A character as frank and good-hearted as he would make a great laborer, craftsman, or academic—fields where the point is to be the best at doing one's craft.
Moi continued by asking Edajima again.
“So then why did you accept my condition to make him my opponent? Is it because you thought that I think that winning or losing this game is secondary to the fact that this game is to test whether I can trust the other party? If so, then I'm afraid you're mistaken.”
“Indeed. You are the type to quickly give up on losses and hold on to your hard-earned gains. Once you win this game, you will keep the 20 silver coins we gave you and call it a day. “You never had the intention of accepting our offer.”
“And he has no chance of winning against me. With that said, there's only one way he could really win against me.”
Edajima grinned slightly and agreed.
“Yes, by cheating.”
I smiled.
“I knew it…”
Edajima tilted his head to the side.
“If you noticed that, why did you make me the dealer, hm?”
“To give you that opening; I wanted to see what you'd do. I believe that people reveal their true colors once they're put on the spot. Whether you like it or not, everyone is playing to win, so when a person is put in a tight spot, what do they do? What means do they resort to? You can see how stubborn someone is, and how desperate they are to win. All is fair in the world of business, so cheating is rampant; “What's important for us is to see how they do it because that's how we can tell what kind of person they are.”
Moi said as he asked for another card. He was already past 10 points, so there was no point in asking for another card, but as long as Tokushima was his opponent, he had a chance.
“Okay…”
Moi looked at the card he received and affirmed in confidence.
“Let's go.”
Tokushima then placed down all nine of his silver coins as his bet. Having assumed he'd fold, Moi was taken back.
“Huh, so you're going all in? You do know if you lose this round, it's game over?”
“Yes, I do.”
He took a long hard look at Tokushima's expression. Based on his beaming confidence, it appears he's reached a winning number. Probability says it isn't impossible, especially not with Edajima as the dealer. They must have already cheated, but he can't just call them out if he hasn't seen them in action. Foul play that hasn't been caught isn't foul play, after all.
For some time, Moi stared at the nine silver coins stacked up on the table. Then, I decided to fold. He may have lost the silver coin he used at the start, but he'll have the opportunity to try and spot the trickery Edajima uses in the next rounds.
“What's your hand?”
Moi asked Tokushima to reveal his hand as he revealed his. When Tokushima turned his unrevealed card around, it had the image of the goddess Eulo wielding a sword in one hand.
Moi was shocked. It was the goddess of swords and her other card was the four of oars. The points totaled more than 10, meaning if he had called the round, Tokushima would have lost. Sure, he too had more than 10 points so it would have been a draw, but had he not asked for another card, the game could have ended here.
He pondered inwardly what kind of trickery they were going for with such a suicidal play.
“Tokushima…”
“Ah! Sorry, sir…”
Edajima rebuked him. It seems that things turned out differently from their prior discussion.
“I see… Tokushima didn't have to ask for another card, huh?”
It seems that the two have been conversing through secret, inconspicuous signs, which didn't seem to work out for them.
Moi was flat-out disappointed. Based on Edajima's demeanor and disposition, he expected fancier, more elaborate ways of foul play.
“I expected more out of you. I'm concerned with the success of your scheme seeing how clumsy that was. Even if I were to lose the next round, I would be less inclined to go with your deal, you know?”
“Yes, that was shameful of me.”
Edajima lowered his face in embarrassment.
“Let's continue.”
Moi decided to end this farce once and for all.
After shuffling the cards, Edajima gave Moi and Tokushima a card each. Moi flipped his card, revealing a goddess card, netting him nine points at the onset. Meanwhile, after he took a look at his card, Tokushima asked for another. Edajima handed him a three of swords, evoking a doubtful reaction from him; still, he placed all 11 of his silver coins down on the table as his bet.
Edajima clicked his tongue in reaction, an event the ever-sharp Moi took notice of.
“Going all in again? Or maybe you're just bluffing like last time?”
“Ah, my bad. Since you only have nine coins left, you'll be short, won't you?”
The principle of gambling is to keep the stakes equal. Tokushima reached out for his wager and was about to take two coins from the stack when Moi stopped him. He then took his purse, produced two silver coins, and placed it on the table to answer Tokushima's wager. Rather than leave him with two more coins to wager later and prolong the game, he produced two coins from his own pocket to try and end the game as quickly as possible.
Both sides revealed their hands: Moi had nine points; Tokushima had eleven. It was Moi's victory.
“Hmph… That was disappointing. Ah well, that's how it is. “I win.”
Moi declared the 22 silver coins on the table for himself.
“Alright. “I will now ask all of you to leave.”
But Tokushima wasn't done.
“Not just yet.”
Edajima opened their metal briefcase, produced 22 more silver coins, and placed them on Tokushima's end of the table.
“Wasn't our agreement to play with 10 coins each and that once one side has none left, the game is over?”
Moi clarified, to which Tokushima responded.
“You're right. However, you yourself changed the agreement midway, right? Just now, you took two more coins from your own pocket and added them to your bet.”
“Y-Yes, I did do that, but…”
“Don't tell me you're the type of person to break the agreement but still expect the other party to play fairly? What was it you said again about merchants being ruined because of their reputation as being unfair?”
Tokushima posed the question, which Moi asked.
“Ngh…”
He remembered the look of the metal box Tokushima brought and how filled to the brim it was with gold and silver coins.
“B-But then if we go by that, when will this game end?”
“You opened Pandora's box, didn't you? This game will end only once we both run out of coins to play. Until then, you can't back out.”
Edajima turned to Moi and added to Tokushima's statement.
“You see, Moi, this is the trickery we were planning all along. So how's that concern for our success coming along?”
Going against a powerful country's entire capital was a fight Moi couldn't win, not even with all of his capital combined. Only now did he see the trap he had fallen for.
It was now the 10th round.
Moi was horrified at the sight of a hundred riva gold coins stacked up on the table. Yes, these were gold coins, not silver. He could only imagine the time and effort a bonafide businessman would have to spend to see that much profit. But just then, Tokushima nonchalantly added an additional two hundred gold coins into the wager like they were nothing. Meanwhile, to resupply his wages, Moi had already opened his safe and he also had to resort to drawing away from his company's operational funds. If he didn't, he'd have to fold, but then in the next round, Tokushima would add even more to his bet, making it even harder for Moi to fold.
“S-Say… Aren't you nervous about this?”
“Not really, no.”
Tokushima's expression remained unchanged. Every game, he'd nonchalantly ask for a second card before calling the round. Seemingly having gone on the offensive, from the third game onward he didn't even bother to check the first card he would be handed.
Edajima explained to Moi with a merry look on his face.
“This is what I meant when I said he was ill-suited to these things. He just doesn't care even when he loses. Because of that, it's impossible for him to 'grow up.' That is also the biggest reason why he isn't fit to be a combatant. “His biggest fixation is one thing and one thing only: food.”
“B-But aren't you concerned about what you'll lose if you don't win?”
Tokushima tilted his head as if the question didn't make sense to him.
This frightened Moi further, almost as if he were looking at an emotionless monster. A cold sweat started to run down all around his body. As the stakes got ever larger, the more restless a person became. The body and the mind begin to become paralyzed by the fear of losing. But this Tokushima boy was somehow not affected by any of that. He may have given the impression of an idiot wet behind the ears but there was no way anyone who's like that would be capable of doing something like this.
“D-Do you really approve of such tactics?! T-Tōdō!! “Well?!”
“It's just how it is.”
Tōdō simply shrugged in response.
Moi regretted looking down on him as some third-rate diplomat. Their country wasn't rich despite characters like him; Their country was rich because of people like him. In other words, Japan was a country of people who did not shy away from wielding their country's massive riches to get what they wanted.
Moi looked at his hand. Tokushima looked at his. Then both of them turned to look at the massive pile of gold coins in the middle of the table.
Moi has managed to walk the tightrope and make it this far, but the game just can't seem to end. Tokushima and Edajima won't let him back off from the game. The wager only got larger as the rounds came and went. Before long, the wager will become as massive as his entire fortune combined.
If—no, when it comes to that, will he be able to stay calm?
Gambling is a zero-sum game so if you continue to bet everything you'll eventually lose it all; even if he wins now, he will still lose somewhere down the line. The fear of such a scenario was so great that he felt like he needed to run away before all hell broke loose. But then how will we get out of this situation? This was all Moi could think of for a while now. As it stands, the only way to get out of this situation was to agree to the Japanese proposal to feed his slaves the fish they brought. If he doesn't agree to that, he will not only lose his slaves but also his entire fortune. At least by agreeing to the Japanese offer, he has a chance of being able to continue doing business here in Tinaye.
Realizing that, he suddenly remembered what Edajima said earlier.
< The number one factor for me is the sensitivity to determine the turning point in one's fortunes, but I believe that above that, one must be well acquainted with human psychology. To win or to lose, it is all up to the mind of the human. >
“It's all up to the mind, huh…”
He wants to run away from it all. He wants to be out of this hellhole.
Then, I realized his folly. Just when he arrogantly thought he could see how the Japanese would trick him, he had already been caught in their cleverly set trap.
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