Chapter 2 There’s a Sweetness in This World That’s More Dangerous Than Any Sugar. Absorb Too Much, and…
Morning came.
When Masato realized he was awake, he covered his face with his hands before opening his eyes.
I just know Mom’s face is gonna be right in front of me…
He might open his eyes to find her face inches from his, then panic and try to pull away only to somehow end up accidentally kissing her. And that would just be an unmitigated disaster. He had to take preemptive countermeasures.
He carefully opened his eyes…and saw the inn’s ceiling through his fingers.
“…She’s not here?”
Somewhat taken aback, Masato sat up. He looked around.
“Oh, Ma-kun! You’re up! Good morning.”
“Huh? O-oh, you’re next to me. Mor— Nyaaahh!”
He turned toward the voice. Next to him was…well…
…a butt.
She appeared to be changing, and he’d caught an eyeful just as a suspiciously familiar pair of skimpy panties was pulled over her rear.
“Aughhhhh! Why are you doing that where I can see?!”
“Hm? …Oh, you mean these panties? Yes, they’re the ones you bought for me yesterday! I wanted to save them for a special occasion… Besides, Porta’s not here, right? And she’s got all our spare clothes.”
“Well, thanks for finding a good use for my present, I guess? Wait, no, I mean, why change when I’m in the room…?!”
“Goodness! We’re family! What does it matter?”
“Are those the magic words that make anything okay?!”
“Oh yes, and for breakfast today, I thought we’d have oyakodon.”
“Are you even listening?! Gaaah!!”
At times like this, it was useless to say anything to her. Masato was finally starting to learn this. Giving up was critical.
Now that Masato had gotten in his morning vocal exercises, it was time for breakfast.
Like Mamako had said, they were having oyakodon: chicken and green onions simmered, mixed with eggs, and served over freshly cooked rice.
Wasn’t that an awfully hearty meal to start the day with? Hardly. Plenty of protein and nutrition to jump-start their sleepy bodies—one of the best breakfasts possible.
It was just the two of them today, so they took the oyakodon and soup back to their room to eat.
“I’m surprised this place had the right bowls for donburi.”
“I was so pleased when I found these! Since I knew it would be just Ma-kun and Mommy this morning, I wanted the two of us to have a special meal together, and it just so happened that they had two bowls in the perfect size!”
“Hmm. I guess you’re always lucky that way… Not the world’s most spectacular form of luck, but still…”
As they talked, he dove into the oyakodon. “Mmm…definitely tastes like home.” It just felt right on the tongue. Of course it tasted good, but there was something fundamentally satisfying about it.
But as satisfying as it was, it definitely felt like there was something missing.
Most likely because it was just the two of them. Eating alone like this, there wasn’t much conversation, and the meal passed in awkward silence.
“…I’m always happy to be with you, Ma-kun. But this is a little lonely.”
“…Yeah.”
“I hope they all slept well…and woke up on time and are enjoying a nice breakfast.”
“I’m sure they are. They’re all together… Between the three of them, they’re top-tier prizes worth 1,250,000,000 mum total. It sucks that they’re being treated like prizes, but at least that means they’ll be taken care of. I bet they’re in a fancier room than us, eating a full-course breakfast or something like that.”
“This prize thing is just not right… But yes, let’s trust they’re being looked after.”
“Yeah. I’m sure they are.”
He knew this argument was just to put their minds at ease, but he felt it was important nonetheless.
And Mamako seemed to get what he was trying to accomplish. She clenched a fist and pumped it in the air. Not a pose he ever wanted to see her do and one that was always mortifying, but…
But if she’s perking up, that’s for the best.
He relaxed a little.
Once he was sure she’d cheered up, Masato changed the subject.
“Right, so…time to strategize.”
“Then let’s head right for the bath! I’d better get it started!” She started undressing.
“I’m not talking about the whole naked strategy session thing! And don’t strip here!”
He’d already seen far too much of the panties he’d given her, so he had her put them away again.
This was a serious moment.
“Um, first, let’s be clear. We’ve gotta earn one billion two hundred fifty million mum to get Wise, Medhi, and Porta back.”
“When you put it that way, it certainly is an awful lot of money.”
“Yeah, we’re not earning that much by grinding random monsters out in the field. And our weapons are both in Porta’s bag.”
“So if we can’t fight for the money…then we’ll have to hit the casino…”
Mamako’s expression clouded over. She clearly wasn’t a fan of gambling.
And yet…
“Mom, please. This is an emergency. The three of them are being treated like prizes! If someone else cashes them in, we’re sunk. We need to make a lot of money very quickly. And the only place you can do that is a casino. So…”
“Yes, this most certainly is an emergency. And if there’s no other way, then I suppose we have no choice… Very well.”
Mamako nodded resolutely.
“Ma-kun, let’s go to the casino together!”
“Yeah! That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear! …Oh, uh, not the part about going with you or anything, just to be clear.”
But he’d finally secured her consent. Now he could gamble freely!
Cool.
With breakfast finished, Masato and Mamako hastily got themselves ready and left the inn. They were headed straight for the casino.
However, it was still very early. There was no one else on the road, and none of the casinos were open yet.
“Um, Ma-kun, I think we arrived a little too early.”
“Actually, I wish we’d shown up even earlier… I have an idea, you see.”
Masato hurried down the street, making a beeline for Sorella’s casino.
Even outside of business hours, the magic stones had the place lit up. He looked the building over carefully, thinking.
We could go someplace else…but I feel like we should make our stand here.
Sorella’s casino was the sort of place that would treat people like prizes. They were undoubtedly doing all sorts of other illegal, immoral things.
And that definitely meant they were cheating. Why wouldn’t they be?
That was the point, after all.
“Right. Okay, Mom, let’s sneak in.”
“Okay, let’s… Um, wait, Ma-kun? What did you say?”
“I said, let’s sneak in… Racking up a trillion mum in debt in a single day is no easy feat. The casino was definitely pulling some tricks. So we’re gonna investigate how and then use their own cheat against them. That way we’ll easily rake it in. Good plan, right?”
“No, we can’t! I am completely against it! We shouldn’t do anything bad!”
“They’re the ones doing something bad. Think about the predicament Wise and the others are in! This is straight-up human trafficking. There’s no way we’ll be able to win against people like that if we fight fair and square.”
“That might be true, but for us to stoop to their level would… Oh?”
Mid-protest, Mamako suddenly directed her attention elsewhere.
It was a child—a little boy—dressed distinctively in some sort of old-fashioned ethnic garment.
He was running down the road, his eyes fixed on Sorella’s casino as he followed the exterior wall before disappearing around back.
“Oh my! Ma-kun, did you see that child? He’s too little to be all by himself… I wonder if his mommy and daddy are around.”
“Uh, Mom, c’mon. This is important, so try to focus!”
“Oh dear. Oh my gosh! He went around back! I wonder if he’s playing hide-and-seek? But I don’t see his parents anywhere… I’m worried now. Let’s go make sure he’s okay.”
“Geez. The second you spot a little kid… Moms, honestly! …Fine, fine, let’s go check on him.”
They weren’t getting anywhere as long as Mamako was fretting, so the two of them headed around the back of the casino to look for the kid.
But when they rounded the corner…
“Huh? He’s gone?”
“I wonder where he went? …Oh, maybe…!”
…a different building stood behind the casino. Along the walls were stacked a large number of wooden boxes, presumably containing casino prizes.
At the top of the stack was a small open window.
“What’s this building for? …The casino’s warehouse? Rooms for the staff? Something like that? …Either way, there’s a good chance that kid went inside… Mom, what now?”
“We have to get him back! Let’s go look for him right away!”
“Roger that.”
This was working out. An actual stroke of luck. But he kept that opinion to himself, clambering quickly up the boxes and climbing in through the open window.
The window was set pretty low, clearly intended for ventilation purposes. Masato easily slipped inside.
Just what kind of room was this? There were wooden lockers all lined up in a row.
The child in question was nowhere to be seen, but the door leading into the hall was slightly ajar.
“A moment too late, huh? That kid doesn’t waste any time. I feel like I used to be the same way.”
“Aaand hup… O-oh?” Mamako seemed to be stuck.
“Sheesh, this is less hide-and-seek than tag…”
“Mm! Mmmmm!” Definitely stuck.
“Now where’d he go? …And what’s this room? It smells nice.”
“Um, um, Ma-kun! Mommy’s in trouble here. Could you please help?” She had tears in her eyes.
“Oh yeah, yeah, coming. I kinda figured…”
Her hips were stuck in the window frame, and she couldn’t muster the effort to get the rest of the way in. “Here goes!” Masato said and pulled her inside. Rescue complete.
And then…
“We partied and had room service, and now we’ve overslept! We’re so late!”
“You were partying, too… Ah, the changing room door’s open! I wonder why…?”
…he heard voices from the hall. Female… On the younger side…
Wait.
“Uh…did she say changing room? …No… You’re kidding… That means…!”
“Ma-kun, look! There’s Bunny Girl clothes in these lockers!” Mamako said, opening one.
“That’s the last thing we neeeeeeed!”
Of all places to sneak in, they had to choose the women’s changing room—and there were girls approaching that very moment.
If they ran headlong into them, that would be a disaster. Masato would be branded as a lecher and consequently arrested and executed.
What now?! What options did he have?!
He considered fleeing, but there was a strong chance Mamako would get stuck in the window again. In which case…
“O-okay, we’ve gotta hide!”
…the only possible hiding place was the lockers. Masato opened the nearest one and slipped inside!
A moment later, Mamako climbed in after him, like this made sense, and closed the door tight.
“(Whisper, whisper) Hey! What the heck?!”
“(Whisper, whisper) Um, I just thought I’d join you!”
“(Whisper, whisper) Whyyyyyy?!”
The locker was hardly that big, and the two of them were a very tight fit. Mamako’s large, pillowy, um, assets were pressed right up against Masato’s chest, and her hips and thighs were equally in full contact.
Enveloped in softness and warmth and scent, Masato’s eyes glazed over.
…This is like…that torture device, the iron maiden…
The one that was like a coffin lined with spikes. This torture device wasn’t actually stabbing him, but it felt pretty much the same. After all, he was waaay too up close and personal with his own mom.
As much as he wanted to scream and shove his way out, he was trapped. Someone had already stepped into the changing room.
“Helloooo…? Oh, nobody’s here. Oh well! Let’s just get changed.”
The door closed, and he heard rustling sounds very close at hand.
It sounded like more than one.
“Ughhh, I’m no good at this Bunny Girl thing!”
“You’re right. You don’t really have the chest for it.”
“Shut up.”
“But we’ve got to make money! It’s our fault we’re in so much debt! We can’t create trouble for Masato and Mama!”
“Yeah, I know. It’d be real pathetic if we just waited for them to bail us out. I mean, at least we’ve got our pride.”
“Yes. Let’s do our best to siphon all the money we can from these customers!”
“I still can’t get over how you say crap like that with that pretty face.”
This conversation could well get people in trouble, but more importantly…
…inside the locker, Masato and Mamako were whispering to each other.
“(Whisper, whisper) Ma-kun, is that…?”
“(Whisper, whisper) Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure it is.”
“(Whisper, whisper) Then it’s safe for us to step out?”
“(Whisper, whisper) No, we’d better not.”
If they stepped out now, it would lead to trouble. The girls were busy changing, and he was in a locker all pressed up against his mom. If either group saw the other, it would only lead to tragedy.
So of course someone else opened the locker.
“…Huh?”
It was Wise. Medhi and Porta were right behind her.
Apparently, Bunny Girl outfits were worn without underwear, because all three were stark naked.
Meanwhile, the heat inside the cramped locker had caused both mother and son to be drenched with sweat.
Both parties stared at each other in horror for a long moment.
Then Wise quietly closed the locker.
“We’re gonna finish changing. You wait there.”
“Damn, you took that well! Wait! At least allow us to make excuses! Or at least me!”
“The window’s open, isn’t it? …And the two of you climbed in through there, heard someone coming, and quickly hid, yes?” asked Medhi.
“Yes, exactly! We’re not up to anything weird!”
“Yeah, we know. It’s ’cause Mamako’s with you.”
“Mamako would never do anything wrong.”
“No such faith for me?! …S-so, uh, anyway! Just now, I—!”
“You only caught a glimpse, right?” asked Wise.
“Some say if it’s less than three seconds, you’re safe,” added Medhi.
“We’re applying the three-second rule here?! Seriously, I feel like you’re both rolling with this way too well!! Do you even recognize that I’m a guy?! Don’t I warrant even a little bit of shrieking?!”
“I’m happy to see you and Mama again, Masato! Eeek!”
“Hee-hee. Thank you, Porta, dear. I’m glad you’re all in high spirits.” Squeeze.
“Mom, this isn’t an excuse to squeeze up against me even tighter!”
Masato had a lot on his mind all of a sudden. He definitely was not cool with his party just breezing right through this situation like there was nothing wrong with it. He thought everyone involved ought to be on their knees getting a very stern lecture, himself included.
But that would have to wait until the girls were done changing.
“…I see, so you were following a kid?”
“Yep. It was a great excuse to convince Mom to sneak in… Maybe I shouldn’t admit that. Anyway, the kid left the changing room just before you all came in. You didn’t see him?”
“I didn’t… Medhi?”
“Nor did I. Maybe he ran down the hall in the other direction… We could ask the assistant manager to look for him later, perhaps?”
“You think that’d work?” asked Wise. “I mean, he’s a stickler for the rules, but the guy seems nice enough. Seems good to me.”
“I didn’t know they had someone like that here,” replied Masato. “Cool, let’s do it.”
“You got it. Let’s just leave the thing with the kid aside, then… Masato, here.”
“Would you like one as well?” offered Medhi.
The two Bunny Girls held out macarons with their best customer service smiles. “They’re only one hundred million mum each!” “Mine are one hundred fifty million mum.” “Put it on my tab.” He shoved them both in his mouth, gazing around him.
They’d left the changing room and were in the three girls’ private suite.
It was located within the staff quarters but felt more like the kind of thing you’d see at a fancy hotel. All the furnishings looked expensive, as did the paintings, plants, and decor. There were free snacks and drinks and even a pile of stuffed animals that at the very least probably delighted Porta.
“…Considering they forced you into debt, the treatment here ain’t half-bad.”
“We were pretty taken aback ourselves,” Medhi said. “The assistant manager got this room for us, but…honestly, I can’t help but think any time someone’s being this nice, there’s some ulterior motive at play.”
“It’s ’cause we’re top-tier prizes, duh. At least, I think.”
“And you’re the cheapest of us, Wise… Such a cheap woman… You poor thing…”
“Oh, please. Yours includes compensation for the property you destroyed! The base amount’s the same as mine!”
“Essentially, your prices aren’t about quality, just your debts… You guys started with ten million split three ways, so…how did you end up like this? And I guess I don’t need to ask what happened to that money, huh?”
“We exchanged everything for chips and bet it all. And now look at us!” Ha!
“It disappeared in a staggeringly tiny amount of time!” Ha!
“That’s nothing to boast about! I was an idiot to place my hopes with you! …Still, a hundred million? A billion? These numbers are nuts. It makes no sense.”
“Yeah! Exactly! That’s what we said!”
“The amount they demanded from us certainly was a lot, and I think the slot settings were off as well! It doesn’t make sense for them to not pay out at all! I suspect they were cheating!”
Wise and Medhi roared like carnivorous beasts (not at all like bunnies.) Their bunny ears stood straight up from the force of their rage. It was a little funny.
“So they are cheating,” Masato said. He’d suspected as much. “But honestly, I’m surprised to find you both working here. If they’ve swindled you, I’d have expected you guys to erase your debts with force and level the casino to the ground.”
“Masato, I don’t know where you got that idea, and I think we need to have a long talk about it.”
“If I could’ve solved this with magic, I would have! But it’s not that easy. C’mere, look at this.”
Wise beckoned him over, and she kinda smelled good—like, did she actually have the nerve to have perfume on? Wow, who let her do that? But whatever.
She pulled up her stat screen and showed him…but instead of SAGE, her job was listed as BUNNY GIRL.
“See? Our jobs got changed.”
“Changed… I thought that wasn’t possible? That’s what they said when we started this game anyway…”
“That’s what I thought, but there you have it. They’ve been changed. I’m seriously pissed about it, but when they showed me the debt invoice, I had no choice but to sign it…and I’m not the only one. Same goes for Medhi and Porta.”
“Even Porta? …Uh, wait… If your jobs have changed, then…?”
“Yeah. I can’t use magic at all. Bunny Girl isn’t a magic class. Any abilities we had before don’t carry over, apparently.”
“Wow… Wise, you’re—”
“What’s that, Masato? You’re gonna comfort me? I guess even you can be nice some—”
“So instead of getting your magic sealed like always, you’re now completely unable to use magic at all.”
“When you put it that way, it’s not actually any different. She’s consistently useless.”
“Shut up, Medhi! Nobody asked you!” Raaage!
Yikes, Wise was really pissed this time. It was pretty funny but also kinda dangerous, so Masato decided to back off.
“So, Medhi… You can’t use magic, either, and Porta can’t use any of her Traveling Merchant skills?”
“Yes. I can’t use Appraise, Item Creation, or even the party storage! All our stuff is still in my shoulder bag, but I can’t take any of it out!”
“Wow, seriously? Then I guess me and Mom are stuck without our weapons…”
“Supposedly, once we pay off the debt, we’ll get our original jobs back… I’m not sure how much faith we can put in that, but with all this debt and the loss of our job-related abilities, the only option left was to do what we’re told.”
“Yeah… This is way worse than I’d expected…”
“And it’s all our fault,” Medhi continued. “I suppose it’s not like me to say something like this, but…”
“Y-yeah…?”
“Wise.” “You got it!”
Both of them stepped forward.
The bunny girls attacked!
“Please save us, O Hero!” Wink.
“You’re our only hope! Please!” Smooch.
Wise activated Lucky Wink! Medhi activated Blown Kiss of Fortune!
Attacked by two Bunny Girls, Masato was captivated…
“Mm? Oh, sure, I was gonna do that anyway.”
…Nah, he was the same as always.
“H-huh? It was ineffective?! Why?!” whined Wise.
“How come bunny girl specialty skills don’t work?!” cried Medhi.
“Uh, don’t ask me!” Masato said.
Maybe he just wasn’t that into them? “You really oughta be more interested in girls your age, Masato.” “She’s right. You’re being quite rude.” “I could say the same to you two!” Neither of them ever treated him like a guy to begin with.
“Whatever… So…? How, specifically, are you planning on saving us?”
“Well, about that…”
That was the problem.
“I was thinking about finding out how the casino is cheating and using that to our advantage to rake ’em over the coals…but Mom is super against that.”
“Yeah, go figure.”
“It isn’t exactly the most virtuous approach…”
“So I’ve got a choice between trying to talk her into it or coming up with some other plan… Wait, where did she go? I don’t see Porta anywhere, either.”
Masato turned around, searching.
Then the bathroom door opened. “Sorry to keep you waiting!” said an adorable Bunny Girl with a shoulder bag. She came running out, and Masato was all ready to catch her…
But this was not time to be playing around. A wave of horror washed over him.
“Sorry for the wait! It took so long to change!”
“…Yo…”
Behind Porta was another bunny…but not a “girl.”
Slender legs encased in fishnet stockings spilled forth from the high-cut material.
The portion intended to cover the bust was entirely unable to withstand such generous proportions, and it was just barely clinging to the underside.
This was no girl. This was a bunny mom—Mamako.
“Hee-hee. See, Ma-kun? Look! Mommy goes hop, hop! Hippity hoppity! I hope… I mean, I hop it looks good!”
“…You gotta be kidding me…” Masato just groaned loudly.
“Ma-kun, you’re so hoppity-harsh…” “Can’t you just sulk like normal?!”
Mamako seemed to have her own interpretation of what it meant to be a bunny mom.
“Why does Mom have to be a bunnyyyyyy…?”
“Why not? Dressing like this here is a good way to avoid attention… I mean, however Mamako dresses, she’s always gonna stand out. At least up top.”
“Yes, I chose the biggest pair of ears I could find! Hop!” Wiggle, wiggle.
“I wasn’t talking about the ears… Whatever. At least this way you should be able to move around freely.”
“It makes sense for Mama to be with us!”
“R-right… Okay… I guess I can accept this as part of an undercover infiltration…”
Yes. Giving up was key.
Adventuring with one’s mom was a constant test of a son’s patience. How many times had he shed tears of blood? Once more, he wiped them away.
As he did, an announcement echoed through the room.
“All staff assemble for the morning meeting. All staff please stop what you’re doing and swiftly gather in the casino hall. That is all.”
Okay.
“We’d better make sure we’re there, too,” said Wise.
“They might take attendance,” added Medhi. “So…”
“Wise, Medhi, and I all have to go to the casino hall!”
“Got it. The three of you go… Mom, what should we do?”
“Oh, I was going to join them! Hop! Mommy’s a bunny, too! Hop!”
“Geez, you are way too into this whole shtick… I mean, you’re making a conscious choice to say ‘hop’ after every sentence… You really shouldn’t bother.”
“Well, why don’t you join us, Ma-kun? Hop?”
“If you’re gonna keep up that hop-hop thing, then I’d really rather not… But either way, we’ve gotta go figure out how they’re cheating, so…I guess I will.”
With that decided, they started moving right along.
Only Masato was still in his usual gear, but that was fine. With the gauntlet and jacket off, he was just wearing a shirt and a vest, which kinda looked like what the dealers wore.
Three Bunny Girls, a bunny mom, and a fake dealer left the staff dorm for the main building and walked into the casino hall.
Since the facility had yet to open, half the lights in the hall were still turned off. The giant keno machine and the rows of slot machines were completely dead, giving off neither lights nor sounds.
A place where people game, eager to win…but where many tasted the agony of defeat. A sad sight, a symbol of a casino’s dark side.
But enough wallowing in emotion. They mingled with the other staff; no one attempted to form lines. Everyone just gathered around willy-nilly, waiting for the meeting to start.
“Say, Ma-kun, I wonder if that boy is hiding in here somewhere, hop?”
“As long as you keep saying ‘hop’ I refuse to talk to you. Do not underestimate the power of an adolescent boy’s rejection.”
“O-oh… Mommy’s all hoppity-sad now.”
“You need to stop adding ‘hoppity’ to things. No one’s gonna understand you!”
“Mamako, leave the boy to us,” said Medhi. “We’ll ask people to look for him. The staff here can handle that.”
“Hmm… Well… I suppose we should leave shop business to the staff… All right. Please take hare of it.”
Mamako seemed convinced. She let the matter drop. Whew.
But Masato himself was still pretty curious about that boy.
I wonder if his parents are working here…
Motivated by altruism, Masato quietly activated his skill.
It was a unique skill, possessed only by Masato in this world, or indeed, any world. A skill that allowed him to tell at a glance if someone was a mother or not.
…A Child’s Sense…
A pale pink light filled Masato’s vision, turning everything carnation colored. The light was coming from Mamako, next to him.
If a person was a mother, their body would give off this rosy glow, and Masato alone could see it. But Mamako gave off waaay too much light.
Right, anyone else…?
Using the skill, Masato looked around, wondering if anyone else might be the boy’s mother.
Dealers, Bunny Girls, guards, chefs—the casino held nearly a hundred staff members…but nobody else had that carnation glow.
There are no mothers in this casino, huh?
Apparently so. Maybe there were some fathers, but he had no way of telling…
“Let’s get things started. Good morning, staff.”
An elderly man in a black suit had stepped up on the platform by the keno machine. “…Yo, Wise, who’s that?” “The assistant manager.” “Oh, so that’s him…” Clearly important. Masato followed suit, bowing like the other staff.
“Ahem. Today, I’d like to start by introducing the newest addition to our lineup of prizes. This way.”
Young men in black suits began carrying the prize forward.
It was a coffin.
“So this was discovered on the casino grounds. Inside is a mysterious nun. We assume she died due to a bug of some sort. There was a proposal to take her to the church to be revived, but that would cost money, so instead we’ve decided to dispose of her by offering her as a prize. She’s available for a single mum chip. As this is a prize we wish to rid ourselves of posthaste, we have no issues with any staff member trading for her. Please do!”
Well, there you had it.
Masato hung his head.
“Less a prize for selective tastes than one specifically for us… Any time we find a coffin, you-know-who’s inside…”
“Yeah…no point even wondering… She wasn’t the manager here; she was the prize…” said Wise.
“I feel like she’s staring at us from inside that thing, even though that isn’t possible…” said Medhi.
“I’ll trade for her later! Leave it to me!”
“Thank you, Porta. We’d better secure her quick, hop.”
She’d already been carried away somewhere, but for now, it was best to forget about her.
The assistant manager went over the rest of the business for the day, and then…
“And now, a word from our manager.”
He bowed and left the stage.
Replacing him was the casino’s manager, Sorella.
“Morniiiing. I’m Sorellaaaa. How’s everyone doooing?”
Even at a business meeting, she maintained that same languid speaking style. She looked around the room.
Masato quickly shrank out of sight. He and Mamako definitely didn’t belong here. They couldn’t let themselves be seen.
“Oh my! Ma-kun, what’s wrong? Does your tummy hurt?”
“No! Mom, hide! Quick!”
Masato quickly grabbed Mamako’s shoulders, pulling her down. Safely out of sight, he glanced around to see if they’d been spotted.
And Sorella…
“Ummm… Today we have some special guests comiiiing… So do your best, everyoooone. Make it seem like we’re a kind, friendly, totally not suspicious casino, okaaay? Goood, then it’s time to ooopen.”
…simply addressed her staff and languidly walked away.
It seemed that Masato and Mamako had gone unnoticed.
“Whew, that was close…”
“Hee-hee. Ma-kun’s letting Mommy spoil him again today! I’m so glad the Quality Life Classroom taught us how.”
“That’s not what’s going on!”
He quickly pulled his hands off her shoulders.
It was time for the casino to open.
The staff moved quickly, bouncers and dealers hurrying off to their positions.
The Bunny Girls—Wise, Medhi, and Porta included—lined up by the doors, ready to greet the customers.
All the lights came on, and the slots began to hum. Sound and light transformed the place into a den of pleasure, hope, greed, joy, and sorrow.
As he watched the customers pour in, Masato sighed.
“Sheesh. We never got a chance to figure out how they were cheating… Oh well. At least Sorella and the other staff didn’t notice us. I guess I’ll poke around a bit and pretend to work.”
“Ma-kun, don’t do anything naughty. Promise Mommy you won’t.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“Yeees, Masatoooo. Don’t be naaaughty.”
“Yeah, yeah, I already promised… Wait. Augh!!”
Sorella was standing right next to him.
“H-how…?!”
“Mwa-haaa. You thought I didn’t notiiice? It was sooo obviooous. Too baaad.”
“Seriously…? Gah…”
“I don’t mind you sneaking iiiin; don’t woooorry. The casino’s open anywaaay. Go ahead and plaaay. Sooo…”
Sorella snapped her fingers.
A Bunny Girl came over and handed Masato a case of chips. He opened the lid to see chips of several colors all lined up in rows of ten.
“Fair enough. Can’t exactly gamble without chips… Lessee what we got here…”
The colors and values were as follows:
Red: 50 mum
Green: 250 mum
Black: 1,000 mum
Purple: 5,000 mum
Yellow: 10,000 mum
Brown: 50,000 mum
Orange: 250,000 mum
Gold: 500,000 mum
Rainbow: 1,000,000 mum
Masato picked up a rainbow chip, his fingers shaking.
“U-um… This ridiculous value is…”
“So, for instaaance, the red chips are worth fifty mum, seee? Which meeeeans… Well, you knoooow.”
“One mum is, like, one yen, so…”
There were ten of each chip, making this case worth a total of 18,163,000 yen.
The blood drained from Masato’s face. Meanwhile, Sorella seemed highly amused.
“We let you pay laaaater. Go ahead and use thooose.”
“No way! You can’t just give people eighteen million and tell them to go have fun! T-take these back! I’m not accepting them!”
“Whyyy? I meeeean, if you don’t have chiiips, you can’t plaaay. You need funds to get your party baaack. Isn’t that the poiiiiint?”
“I-it is, but…but this is…”
Masato stared down at the case of chips, flustered.
Then:
“Ma-kun! Over here! Mommy’s in a bit of a pinch!”
Mamako was calling his name. He looked around.
She was surrounded by customers.
“What a beautiful Bunny Girl! Please show us your Lucky Wink! I could use a little fortune!”
“I-I’m so sorry. I don’t work here…and I’m not a girl, I’m a mother. So…”
“Whaaat?! You’re far too young and beautiful to be a mother! Hang on, so you’re a bunny mom?! That’s a super-rare kind of bunny! Well, all the more reason, then! I’ll pay you! Please! Gimme a wink!”
“If you insist, I suppose it would be rude not to… Well… Hyah!”
Mamako winked! Lucky Mom Wink
And with that: “Oh! I can feel my luck skyrocketing!” “Really? Then let me!” “Me too!” “And me!” Whatever the actual effect, regular customers and high rollers alike were swarming around Mamako, demanding winks, and she dutifully doled them out.
A minute later:
The crowd passed, and Mamako was left holding a pile of chips as payment—about twice the number in the case Masato held.
Sorella’s jaw dropped.
“Wh-whaaat?! You collected chips without borrowiiiing?!”
“Geez, she’s something, huh? My own mother terrifies even me… So!”
Masato put the case of chips back in Sorella’s hands and headed toward Mamako.
“Uh, Mom, mind if we split those chips?”
“Oh my! You want some? Okay! Half for Ma-kun, and half for Mommy!”
“L-look, just so we’re clear, I’m not asking to be spoiled! If we have chips, that means we don’t need to take out a loan. Understand?”
“Ma-kun, you protest too much! Hee-hee.”
No, no! That wasn’t what this was! He was just being rational!
But with chips in hand, it was time for the battle to begin.
Masato considered getting the Bunny Girls he knew to help him sort the chips Mamako had collected, but there was no sign of them. Wise, Medhi, and Porta had all gone off somewhere. They were on the clock, after all.
Another Bunny Girl came over and consolidated the chips for them in two cases, one for Masato, one for Mamako. Minus a few for her tip.
Now then, what to try first?
“There’s a whole lot here… So let’s start with Texas Hold’em.”
There was a round poker table right next to him.
It was a high-limit table, with a big blind of 100,000.
“That seems a bit crazy…but you can’t win if you don’t play. All right.”
There were seats for ten people. Masato sat down, folded his legs elegantly, and tried to look like a gambler.
Mamako tried to sit down next to him.
“Hang on. If you’re gonna play, too, Mom, you should play at a different table.”
“Oh, why? I want to play with you, Ma-kun!”
“I’m not saying this to be mean, okay? Texas Hold’em is a game where each player is competing against the others. What’s the use of us fighting each other?”
“Gosh, is that right? …You sure know a lot, Ma-kun.”
“It’s ’cause I’ve played it online before. I know the basics, at least.”
“Well, okay. Then Mommy will just watch you play—”
“Parental participation is strictly forbidden… You said you were just gonna watch me in class at that school, too, but you couldn’t help yourself, remember? Mom, you know you’re gonna end up joining in somehow, and that’ll really hurt us here. So please go find something else to do.”
“I don’t want to get in your way, Ma-kun… Well, all right. I can’t be here bothering you, so I’ll just take a walk around the casino.”
Mamako looked a little sad but went off in the other direction, her bunny ears drooping.
Masato felt a little guilty, but he had to do it. There was no point in having Mamako steal all Masato’s chips. He put it out of his mind.
Right.
“Now I’ve just gotta get a few more players… Hopefully some gather soon.”
“Ohhhh? Then I don’t mind if I doooo.”
And here was Sorella again, taking a seat opposite Masato.
“Seems a waste not tooooo. What about a one-on-one maaatch? Or are you too scaaaared?”
“Course I’m not.”
“Reaaaally? …You knoooow… I’m aaactually…one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Libere Rebellion, Scorn-Mom Sorella, she who scorns the very concept of mooooothers. Are you scared nooooow?”
“…Huh?”
The woman running her hands through her oddly colored hair, gazing at him with sleepy eyes, was none other than…
…the second major foe from the group they’d been fighting.
“Scorn-Mom Sorella…? You’re…one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“Yes, I aaam. Surpriiiised? I bet you aaaaare. Thanks for falling for that flyer I seeeeent. Mwa-ha-haaaa.”
“You mean…that casino flyer was…? …Oh.”
“That’s riiiiiight. An invitation from your enemyyyyy… So what noooow? Wanna take me ooooon? You see, I don’t believe in fighting with magic or swoooords. I only fight by gaaaambling. What d’you saaaay?”
“Wow, facing off against one of the Four Heavenly Kings already… W-well, I dunno if you’re telling the truth, but I won’t back down from a challenge! I’m not so easily frightened. No point in trying to rattle me!”
“Ohhh? Well, aren’t you a heroooo. Let’s do thiiis! Mwa-ha-haaaa.”
And as Sorella laughed to herself…
“Mm? …Just now, was that…?”
…Masato felt like her body had briefly glowed, albeit in a different color from Mamako’s A Mother’s Light.
But everywhere he looked, the casino hall was full of lights. Perhaps it was due to a glint from the magic stones. Masato decided that was more likely.
“Then let’s begiiiin. Are you readyyyy?”
“Yep! Let’s do this! I’m ready to win!”
Sorella slid a tile with a D on it toward Masato.
Whichever seat held this stone—the Dealer Button—would serve as the dealer. That was the rule.
Masato took a deck of cards from a Bunny Girl and shuffled as elegantly as he could. Fifty-two cards, no joker.
“Two-person Texas Hold’em… Here goes!”
The game consisted of four rounds of betting.
The first round was called the pre-flop.
“No cheating, okaaay?”
“Of course not.”
As the dealer, Masato dealt two cards facedown before each of them.
The rest of the cards went in a deck in the center of the table. Each checked their hand, raising just the edges of the cards so their opponent couldn’t see.
Masato’s hand was a seven of spades and a king of diamonds.
“Hmm, I see… Then first, the forced bets.”
“Since it’s just the two of us, and you’re the deaaaaler…you pay the small bliiiind. I’ll pay the big bliiiind.”
The small blind was half the table’s minimum bet and the big blind the full value. Those were the rules.
Masato tossed in a brown 50,000-mum chip. Sorella offered two of the same.
Now it was time to think. Masato consulted his hand.
A seven of spades and a king of diamonds… Should I fight with those or fold?
This game proceeded to the next round of play once each participant’s bets were the same value.
Masato made up his mind.
“…Call.”
Calling a bet meant paying the same value as the current bet—essentially, electing to continue the game. Masato added another brown chip. If he’d decided not to continue playing the hand, he would have said, “Fold.” Chips already paid were gone for good; only the game’s winner would collect.
But since Masato had called, the game continued.
The total value of chips on the table was now 200,000 mum.
Now for the second round of betting, the “flop.”
“Hurry uuuup, deeeealer!”
“I know! Don’t rush me!”
Masato flipped three cards from the deck, lining them up in the center of the table.
A four of hearts, a king of spades, and a six of hearts.
These were the “community cards.”
In Texas Hold’em, you make hands of five using the cards in your hand and these community cards.
These hands were made according to the same rules as any other type of poker.
Well, between the king of diamonds in my hand and the king of spades on the table, I’ve got one pair, at least…
Might be a decent start.
“Okaaay. Bet time! That’s bet with a t, not any naughty bedtime shenanigaaaaans.”
“Quit it. You’re up first this time. Hurry it up.”
“Right, riiiiight. Well, I’m gonna go for iiiit.”
Sorella put two brown chips down. Same value as before.
What should Masato do?
She’s not betting the house here…and I have a pair… Might as well keep going.
He felt like he had a decent shot. “Call,” he said.
Now there was 400,000 mum on the table.
The third round of betting was called the “turn.”
“You only turn over one card heeeere. Don’t screw it uuuup.”
“Yeah, I know… Here goes.”
Masato flipped one card from the deck, adding it to the community cards.
The fourth card was a seven of hearts.
Nice! I’ve got two pairs now!
He wanted to shout with joy, but he wasn’t stupid enough to let Sorella know what he had, so he maintained his poker face. His hands were twitching a little, but he kept his cool.
Sorella watched him closely as she made her bet.
“Mmmm… I suppose this will doooo,” she said, tossing another two brown coins. “Your turn, Masatooo. Or are you ready to fooold?”
“I can’t leave this match now… Raise.”
Raising meant increasing the amount bet, and this had to be double the current bet or more. It was an aggressive tactic.
Sorella’s not betting big… I bet she’s got nothing. But I’ve got two pairs!
Masato threw in an orange 250,000-mum chip.
“Ohhhh! Look who’s feeling confideeent. Got yourself a good haaaand?”
“Maybe, maybe not… Your turn. What’ll it be? Call or fold?”
“Weeeell… Maaaybe the next card will be a good one…so I’ll caaaall.”
Sorella removed her two brown chips and replaced them with an orange one.
Both bets were even, so it was time for the next round.
The current total stood at 900,000 mum.
The last round of betting was called the “river.”
“This is the last one. What’s it gonna be…?!”
Masato turned over one last card—a king of clubs.
He kept calm, not moving a muscle on his face. He sat back down and pumped his fist under the table.
On the table were a four of hearts, a king of spades, a six of hearts, a seven of hearts, and a king of clubs.
In his hand were a seven of spades and a king of diamonds.
He could make a hand of five from any of these seven cards. This gave him three kings and a pair of sevens—a full house.
I win.
A full house was pretty good hand in poker. Naturally, it couldn’t compare to ridiculously unlikely hands like a royal straight flush. But it was plenty strong. You wouldn’t often lose with one of these. He definitely wasn’t about to.
Masato was certain of victory. He knew he had this in the bag.
“Whew… Time for the climax. Place your bet.”
“Right, riiiight. I’ll staaart…but instead, I think a check is in oooorder.”
“Check” meant you were passing the right to make the first bet to the next player.
Since Sorella had checked, Masato would start the betting.
Now, how much should I bet…?
This was his fight to win, but that didn’t mean he should raise the stakes immediately.
If Sorella sensed she was about to lose and folded, he’d still win, but all he’d get was what was already on the table.
If possible, he’d like to squeeze some more out of her and make off with a mountain of high-value chips.
But first, he had to bait her into it.
“…Bet,” he said, putting all six brown chips he had left on the table.
A 300,000-mum bet.
“Quite a bit higher than befoooore. I guess I should do the saaame! Raaaaise!”
Sorella put out six brown chips, then added two orange ones.
An 800,000-mum bet.
Sorella was in. Good.
“Then I’ll raise again.”
Masato left the brown chips alone and added all nine of his orange chips.
A 2,500,000-mum bet—more than triple the previous one. Immediately after making it, he worried he was upping the stakes too fast.
“Wooow. Aren’t you feistyyyy. I think I’ll raise, toooo.”
Sorella also put in her remaining seven orange chips and then added all ten of her gold chips at once.
A 7,550,000-mum bet.
She, too, was tripling the previous bet. Masato was getting a little nervous, but…
She’s trying to scare me into folding… I’m sure of it!
The first to flinch lost. That’s how these things worked. Masato had been through his share of tough fights, sword in hand, and he knew that only too well.
Then again, most of the time Mamako had done all the fighting…
Whatever.
“Now, Masatooo… What do you saaay?”
“Obviously… Raise!”
Masato threw in his ten gold chips, and not backing down at all, he threw in all his rainbow chips, too.
A 17,550,000-mum bet.
A big fight. One he was certain to win.
“Hoh-hooooh. You mean busineeeeess… Heh-hehhh… Then I guess I’ll caaall.”
Sorella put in ten rainbow chips, matching his bet. Including the previous rounds…
…the total amount on the table was 36,000,000 mum.
A terrifying amount of money and a huge mountain of chips.
All Masato’s attention was on the two hands about to be revealed.
This moment of the game was called the “showdown.”
“Since you were all aggressive and raised last, you show fiiiirst.”
“Okay, sure. I’ve got…a full house.”
Masato was certain he’d won.
But Sorella’s countenance didn’t change at all. Her eyes still looked sleepy, her manner languid, her voice soft. “Mwa-ha-haaa… Masatooo… Such a shaaame.”
Sorella’s hand was a three of hearts and a five of hearts.
Combined with the four, six, and seven of hearts in the community cards, she had a three, four, five, six, and seven of the same suit—a straight flush.
Which beat a full house.
Masato lost.
“…”
He found himself at a loss for words. He couldn’t even breathe. What had just transpired was perfectly clear, and yet he couldn’t understand it.
Sorella seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of him frozen to the spot.
“Mwa-ha-haaa,” she drawled. “You looooooose.”
“N-no way… Hold up! Wait just a second!”
“The results wait for no maaaan… I captured Porta in mere mooooments, and Wise and Medhi tried to win her baaack, but they both loooost. And now you tried to get all three baaack, but you lost to me, toooo. That’s how it gooooes.”
The hero Masato had gone up against one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Libere Rebellion with his companions’ futures on the line and lost.
BAD END
And that was just…unacceptable.
Masato slapped the daze off his face, trying to reset his mind.
He wasn’t going to let it end here. This wasn’t over.
“Not yet! I haven’t lost yet!”
“No, nooo… The game is already—”
“You said our battle would be decided by gambling in this casino. Well, I’m not finished yet. I still have chips left!”
“That’s called being a sore looooser. But okaaaay. You’re riiiight… Go ahead and struggle, it’s all pooointless. Pffft.”
“Pointless or not, you’re damn right I’m gonna struggle! That’s what a hero does!”
Masato still had a case of low-value chips. Low value, but the total was still worth 163,000 mum.
Clutching tightly to this sliver of hope, Masato left the table.
He headed for the slot corner.
“Gotta start by increasing the chips I have left!”
Slot machines had two types: flat tops that made frequent low payments and progressive machines that had low odds of scoring a huge jackpot.
If he wanted to increase his stake, common sense dictated he should go for the flat tops. He had enough experience with online games to know that much.
“Not like I’m afraid to take a risk! But I can’t afford to lose today. Gotta play it safe and slowly build things up! That’s important!”
Talking himself into it with some convincing excuses, Masato poured his chips into a video slot machine.
Placing the minimum bet on all lines he could, he pressed the AUTO SPIN button, letting it turn the reels automatically. Now he just had to wait for a hit…
Then…
“Sheesh! Gotta build up my stake on the stupid slot machines. My fate will be decided here! I’m putting it all on the line!”
A woman sat down on Masato’s left and began pouring chips into the machine. She sounded like she’d been on a losing streak and was getting rather worked up about it.
Wait.
“…Yo.”
“…Hmm?”
The girl next to him had a wild ponytail and a long black coat slung over her shoulders.
It was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Libere Rebellion—Anti-Mom Amante, she who rejects the concept of mothers.
Masato and Amante stared at each other for a long time, then gasped and tried to take up combat stances… But neither one was about to abandon their seats, so they wound up half standing, clutching their slot machine, and glaring at each other.
“You… What are you doing here?!”
“I’m not gonna answer that! Not this time! No reason I should tell you that I came to help another one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Sorella, in her battle against Mamako Oosuki, but she laaanguidly turned me down!”
“Man, it’s such a help how you always explain these things! …So Sorella wasn’t kidding about being one of the Four Heavenly Kings, huh?”
“I tooold yoooou. You didn’t belieeeve meeee? So meeean. Waaah, waaah.”
Speak of the devil. Sorella came walking laaaanguidly over to them and sat down next to Masato.
Sorella on his right, Amante on his left, a slot machine before him. Two of the Four Heavenly Kings and a hero, all in a row.
…Sheesh, this is…a really bizarre sight…
Like he was starting to lose track of what enemy even meant.
Still.
“Gasp… Y-y’know…I’m starting to think I might be in real danger here… Like mortal danger…”
“Mwa-ha-haa. Maaaaybe. You might get killed at any seeeecond…”
“As if. I mean, Sorella’s using her skill. And the effect of it means everyone in the casino’s stats are at rock bottom. Even if I were to attack Masato Oosuki right now, I’d do, like, zero damage to him. Wouldn’t even be worth calling a fight.”
“She’s got a skill like that? …Oh, so was that why you looked like you were glowing earlier—?”
“Geeeeez! You and your loose liiiips! Amante, you really are the duuuumbest! You’re such a peeest! Please just go awaaay!”
“Oh, I will! You don’t even have to tell me! …You’re the worst, you know that?”
Apparently, Amante had just run out of chips. Furious, she punched the video slot machine as hard as she could.
She was strong enough to defeat a boss designed for guilds to fight, and yet the machine simply rocked slightly, remaining unharmed. Clearly, her stats really were at rock bottom.
“I’ve got that passive skill that reflects all attacks, and I thought I might be able to reflect Sorella’s skill with that… But I guess I can’t reflect anything that doesn’t have a hitbox. And if she’s lowered your Luck stat, there’s no way you’re ever gonna win gambling against her. So I’m calling it a day.”
“You’re quitting because you keep losing? Incredible.”
“So duuumb. Also, you can’t reflect debt, eeeeither. Make sure you paaay.”
“Debt? …Heh, I can handle that…”
Amante sneered confidently, snorted, and yelled, “Escape is victory!” She burst into a run. “Catch her, pleeease.” “““Yes, ma’am!””” An army of black suits gave chase.
So.
While that was happening, the reels on Masato’s slot machine ground to a halt.
This was a flat-top machine, and it should be throwing out regular small wins, but he’d gone this entire time without lining up a single set of images. It had eaten all his chips, leaving him with nothing.
But Masato was still perfectly calm.
“…Can I ask you something, manager?”
“Noooo. At least, if you’re going to accuse me of cheating, then you’d better come armed with prooooof. Clear, visible proooof. Or a confeeeession. If you can’t do either, I’m in the cleeear. Mwa-haaa.”
“Tch, that’s a load of crap and you know it. A skill that tanks our stats is invisible, so I can’t prove it.”
“Mwa-ha-haaaa. Soooo? Now that you’re flat broke, Masatoooo, that means I’ve defeated youuuuu… Now all I have to do is go beat Mamakooooo, and victory is miiiine.”
“…You, beat Mom?”
“That’s riiiight. Of course, in gambliiiing. I’ll win so eeeeasily. Skills don’t count as cheating or anythiiiing. But Mamako’s going to lose right here in my casiiiino. So saaad.”
Such confidence.
Masato just shook his head and let out a long sigh.
“Mom’s gonna lose, is she? …Sigh… Have you looked behind you lately?”
“Mmmm? Whyyyy?”
Sorella slooowly turned around.
Mamako was sitting at a slot machine nearby.
“Oh no! Oh my goodness! I don’t know what to do! They just keep coming out!”
High-value chips were spewing out of the slot machine, burying her lap.
Sorella’s sleepy eyes shot wide open. She blinked rapidly, and her jaw nearly dislocated with surprise.
“Huh—? …Whaaaaaa—?! What is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis?!”
“Nicely done, Mom.”
“M-Ma-kun! Mommy’s in trouble! The chips won’t stop coming out! Did I break the slot machine?!”
“No, not at all. Kinda the opposite…”
Mamako looked seriously at risk of being buried under chips, so he went over and helped pull her out.
He looked at the screen, and sure enough, the word JACKPOT was dancing across it.
Masato just shook his head, but Sorella staggered over, completely at a loss.
“But howwww?! How did you get a jackpoooot?!”
“Sorry. That’s just what she does… You may have your skill active or whatever, but…that stuff’s useless against her.”
“Th-that’s not possibleeee! Not that I was cheatiiiiing, but my skill is the strongest debuff effect in the entire woooorld! It tanks all your skills and luuuuck, so even Mamako is doomed to faaaail! …A-anyway, Mamako, come with meeee!”
“O-oh, okay…”
Sorella grabbed Mamako’s arm and dragged her away.
They made a beeline for the center of the casino hall, in front of the giant keno machine.
Keno worked a lot like bingo. You placed bets on several numbers from one to eighty, and the more numbers that matched what the machine picked, the more you won, a very simplistic game.
Sorella gave Mamako a quick rundown and thrust a betting slip into her hand.
“All right, Mamako, pick ten numbers—go oooon! We’ll get that machine spinniiiing! And with your luck depleted, you’ll lose, and I’ll be deliiiighted!”
“Wow, you’re just saying that to her face…”
“I just have to pick ten numbers between one and eighty? That’s easy! …Now, then…”
The numbers Mamako marked off were as follows:
Four, twenty-five, fifteen, one, seventy-two, sixty-five, twenty-six, five, thirty-six, and seventy-five.
Ten in all.
“Uh, Mom, any reason why you went with those?”
“Well, they’re your birthday, and then your age, and then your height and weight, and then your shoe size, and then your body temperature and heart rate from yesterday when you were learning how to be spoiled.”
“Okay, stop; that’s enough. I’m already mortified… And when did you take my temperature and pulse anyway?”
“I can tell that much just by touching you! I’m a mother, after all. Hee-hee.”
“R-right… Love is a terrifying thing sometimes…”
“Who caaares! Hit that buttonnn!”
The balls began whirling in the giant flask, passing down tubes and appearing in front of them one at a time. The first to pop out was…
…a ball with a 4 written on it.
“Oh my! I’ve already got one!”
“Yep. I can see where this is going.”
“I-it’s not over yetttt! You’ll miss the next oooone! I’m sure of iiiit!”
Delighted, dejected, and desperate. Three very different reactions, but the machine kept on spitting out balls.
The 4 was followed by a 25, then a 15, then a 1… You get the point.
When all ten numbers were out, the final results came to:
Four, twenty-five, fifteen, one, seventy-two, sixty-five, twenty-six, five, thirty-six, and seventy-five.
The end.
“Look! Look, Ma-kun! I got them all right!”
“Yep. I had a feeling you would. So…”
“Nggggggghhh?! I-I’m not done yetttt! This isn’t ooover!”
The sore loser grabbed Mamako’s arm and pulled her over to the Texas Hold’em table where Masato and Sorella had played their fateful game.
“There’s a special rule todaaay. People who win at kenoooo…get to bet all their chips heeeere, and if they win, they get them all baaack! Mamako haaaas… Hmm… Fifty million in aaaall, it seeeeems? That’s pleeeenty!”
“Yo, hang on! That’s not how this works! She’s got all the chips she started with, plus she hit the jackpot at the slot machine! She’s got way more than that!”
“The manager has spoooken! No arguiiiing! Do as I say or I won’t let you cash iiiin!”
“Now you’re just making stuff up!”
“But if we don’t win, we can’t get everyone back, right? We might as well try.”
“Wait, Mom! Don’t sit down!”
“She took a seeeeat! That means she agrees to participaaate! If you don’t understand, just ask Masatooo! The forced bet is fifty million! Let’s goooo!”
Bunny Girls were scurrying around with chips, and Sorella, looking quite beside herself, started dealing.
Two cards were dealt to each, and since the first round of betting, the pre-flop, was already accounted for, they went straight to the second round, the flop.
“All right, three for the community caaaards! Here we goooo!”
“Uh, hey! She hasn’t even checked her hand!”
The cards on the table were a ten of hearts, a king of hearts, and an ace of hearts.
“Hey, Ma-kun, what should Mommy do?”
“W-well, first, check your hand! And make sure she can’t see it—carefully!”
“Got it. Carefully…” Peek.
Mamako looked at the two cards in her hand. Masato peeked as well, stressing it.
A queen of hearts and a jack of hearts. Like a kindly queen and her son.
So, uh. Wow.
Masato wasn’t even surprised. He just sighed as if this had been foreordained.
“You’ve done it again… That much hasn’t changed…”
“Hey, Ma-kun, if I combined this with the three on the table, that would be a royal stress, right?”
“Whoever heard of such high-class stress? That’s not even what that hand’s called. And you’re supposed to keep it a secret, remember?”
“Ooooh, what’s thiiiis? You have a royal straight fluuuush? …Woooow, pleeease, there’s no waaay. You can’t scare me that eeeasy.”
“We’re not— No, I don’t even care anymore… We start the betting from this round, right? We can pay for the chips later and use as many as we want, so…fifty million.”
The Bunny Girls put fifty rainbow chips on the table for him.
Sorella opened her eyes wide, blinking.
“U-ummm… You want to keep plaaaying? I-I’m not falling for such an obvious bluff, you knoooow. Fine, I’ll caaaaaall. The next round is the tuuurn!”
“The fourth card… A three of clovers!”
“They’re called ‘clubs,’ Mom. Doesn’t matter what else comes out. Time to bet. Same amount again.”
“Y-you’re still goiiiing?! B-b-b-but I’m not gonna drop oooout! Caaaall! The last round of bets, the riverrrr!”
“The fifth card is the eight of spades!”
“Bet. Same again.”
“F-fiiiine! I’ll take you oooon! And I’ll raaaaise! Double it! One hundred million!”
“Then we’ll raise, too. Double again! Two hundred million!”
“Errrkkk?! Th-th-th…th-then…I’ll raise by two and a half! Five hundred million!”
“Raise! Double it to one billion!”
“Heeeeeeyyyyy! I—I can’t go further… I have to call…!”
The raise battle had the entire table buried in rainbow chips.
With a grand total of 2,300,000,000 mum on the line, it was time for the showdown.
After that aggressive betting, Masato and Mamako revealed their hand. The queen of hearts turned over. Followed by the jack…
“PAAAAAAAAAUSE!!” Sorella shrieked, her expression far too tragic. Was she trying to pause the game? That’s what it sounded like. He knew how she felt.
“You can’t pause this…”
“W-w-we can if I say we doooo! I get one pause per maaaatch! I’m the manager, and I say it’s soooo! It’s a special ruuule!”
“There you go, making stuff up again.”
“Th-thennnn…we leave all the chips on the taaaable, and we deal new cards and do the showdown with thooose! Okay, dealiiiing!”
Sorella hastily swept up all the cards, shuffled for a really long time, said a prayer, and then dealt to their hands.
Sorella immediately laid the five community cards:
Ten of hearts, king of hearts, ace of hearts, three of clubs, and an eight of spades.
The exact same cards as before.
Sorella’s blinking was almost strobe-like.
“Wh-what the…? Hmmm? W-wow, that’s…a coincideeeence! B-but there’s no way you got a royal straight flush twice in a roooow!”
“Yep. That’s completely out of the realm of possibility… But there’s just one thing I’d like to say.”
“Wh-what’s thaaat?”
“My mom’s the master of the two-hit attack.”
Sorella flinched once, then froze.
Meanwhile, Mamako quietly checked her cards: a queen of hearts and a jack of hearts.
At the time, nobody noticed—not Sorella, not Masato, not Mamako.
But Mamako had a skill active. And this skill was called A Mother’s Spoiling.
This was a unique skill that she had acquired the day before, after spending a blissful mother-child date with Masato and spoiling him to her heart’s content. The spoil power within her influenced her surroundings, spoiling the rules of games and the skills others used on her.
And what happened as a result…need not be said.
The unsettling battle was over, and it was time to settle up.
“Manager. This is the final summation. For your approval.”
“A one-billion-one-hundred-million-mum loan to Mamako…and we end up paying one billion two hundred million mum… I can’t believe it… I can’t… Ugh…”
Sorella handed the paper back to the elderly assistant manager, a stricken look on her face. Then she fell over, foaming at the mouth, and was carried out on a stretcher. Poor thing.
With Sorella KO’d, the assistant manager bowed deeply.
“The amount owed to Mamako Oosuki is extremely high and thus requires the manager’s approval. But as the manager is out of commission…I’m afraid payment and prize exchanges will have to be tomorrow or later.”
“You can’t do anything…? We’d really like to get our party members back…”
“Hmm… If you can’t let us claim them today, can we at least ask that you make sure nobody else can claim them? Is that possible?” asked Mamako.
“Understood. I do apologize for the delay. Your request is entirely reasonable. The casino will be closing immediately. Thank you for coming.”
It wasn’t like they’d won the battle and lost the war…
…but they would have to wait at least a day to claim their companions.
Meanwhile, in the prize warehouse in the staff dorm:
“Ughhh! The heck? Why do we have to clean?!” moaned Wise.
“Cleaning is just an excuse. They just wanted to get us away from those two, so we don’t give them any extra information,” replied Medhi.
“I’m not super-happy about it, either, but this is our job, so we’d better get this place clean!” Porta added.
Grumbling, the three girls dutifully plunged themselves into work. Still dressed as Bunny Girls, they took rags in their hands and began carefully wiping down the prizes.
Then there was a knock on the door, and several men in black came in, carrying a coffin.
“Hard at work, girls? We’ve brought that new prize. Can you take it from here?”
“Yep, got it! Thanks for carrying it all this way! …So anyway.”
“It’s definitely her inside, right?” asked Medhi.
“Oh! I wanted to claim this coffin, but can I do that now?” inquired Porta.
“Huh? Uh, sure,” one of the men replied. “They said staff could claim it, so go ahead. You’ll need a one-mum chip to claim it, but…”
“Okay! I have one!”
Porta pulled out the front of her leotard, stuck her hand in, and pulled out a single white chip. A chip warmed by the chest of a twelve-year-old girl.
“Here you go!”
“I will treasure this forever and use a different chip to complete the exchange.”
The man in black pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped it around the chip. “Gimme that!” “Can I have a sniff?” “Stop that!” He left, arguing with the others. Such merry guards.
Anyway. The three girls gathered around the coffin, thinking.
“It’s one thing to accept the thing, but what now?”
“Neither Wise nor I can use magic…and we can’t take items out of Porta’s bag…so I guess we should just keep this in our room?”
“I think that’s all we can do! As soon as we’re done cleaning, we should carry it… Huh? There’s something sticking out!”
Porta leaned over and pulled out a piece of paper stuck under the coffin lid:
A PLEA FOR THE RECOVERY OF VALUABLES
It was a flyer, like one asking for donations to a fund-raiser at a local elementary school. There were drawings of flowers and animals around it, of a quality one could only call cute if they were being extremely polite.
The actual body of the text, like the title implied, was a request to recover a valuable item. No deadline given.
And the item could be found in the casino basement.
“Recover a valuable item from the basement? What valuable item? Does this casino even have a basement? I don’t remember seeing any stairs leading down. What do you think, Medhi?”
“I’m as confused as you are… But I wonder if this information is—?”
Before Medhi could finish her sentence, the coffin started rattling. “Eeek?!” “Wh-what the—?!” “Wow! It’s going wild!” It certainly seemed to want to say something.
Medhi took the hint and rephrased.
“Um, uh… Maybe this infooormation was intended for us. Something she intended to infooorm us about?”
“Oh, I guess that’s possible. She planned to call us here like always, but before she did, another bug killed her… And the casino flyer was…”
“I think we can safely assume that was sent by the manager, Sorella. Either way, this infooormation is clearly the real one.”
“You want us to recover this valuable?! Should we?!” Porta asked the coffin. There was no reply.
Apparently, it would be a while before they could get detailed infooormation out of the coffin lady.
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