They didn't have to wait long; the first batch of customers arrived quickly.
However, these casino guests were somewhat unexpected to Ayanokouji Kiyohira; it was Kuroki Ya and his few friends.
Ochi Ren, with his medium-length hair and aristocratic appearance; Kuonji Mamoru, wearing glasses, with a serious expression, looking like an elite intellectual; and Tanaka Yuzuna, a portly, jovial young master.
Ochi Ren, Kuroki Ya, and Kuonji Mamoru were all handsome and dressed impeccably, exuding an aristocratic demeanor. In reality, all three of them came from commoner backgrounds, while the plump Tanaka Daishou was the true son of a wealthy family.
"Why is it you guys?" Meari said with a look of disgust.
Meari had no fondness for them. These people had cheated during the party gambling, and if she hadn't exposed their cheating methods, who knows how much money they would have swindled.
They also knew they weren't welcome. Kuroki Ya chuckled, pretending not to hear, and brazenly stepped forward to greet Ayanokouji Kiyohira: "Yo, Ayanokoji, I'm here to support you guys!"
"Hmm, welcome." Ayanokouji Kiyohira, however, greeted them with a smile and exchanged a few pleasantries.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira had a pretty good relationship with them; they were considered unsavory friends. He had maintained contact through Kuroki Ya as an intermediary and had even had them help him with a few small favors.
"As expected of the casino that Boss Ayanokoji spent a fortune renovating; the taste is excellent. They even added a new piano..."
Ochi Ren praised, then looked at Ruribird Nadeshiko, smiling politely as he asked: "I wonder if this Miss Maid could play a song for me?"
She had returned from the clothing store and was now wearing a maid outfit. Although it was a bit ill-fitting, this sense of incongruity was easily overlooked against her proud demeanor.
"Yes, five hundred thousand per song." Ruribird Nadeshiko glanced at him and said flatly.
Ochi Ren was immediately startled.
"This Miss Maid certainly drives a hard bargain. It seems I'm not fortunate enough to hear it..." He chuckled awkwardly.
Although he appeared to be a rich young master, he actually didn't have much money. Pretending was one thing, but if he were truly asked to spend five hundred thousand yen on a piano piece, he would truly have more money than he knew what to do with.
This exorbitant price also startled Kuroki Ya, who complained: "Hey, Ayanokoji, we're friends, aren't we? Are you going to rip us off like this? You just came up with this price, didn't you? Where does it cost five hundred thousand for a server to play a piano song?"
Ayanokouji Kiyohira shrugged: "Don't ask me; she set her own price. If you think it's too expensive, you can discuss it with her. Maybe she'll choose something cheaper?"
"Then forget it..."
Even if it were cheaper, Kuroki Ya didn't want to spend money on a piano piece. He sat down on a bar stool and smiled at Kurume Kurumi behind the bar: "Kurume, we're classmates. Get me a cocktail, and this time, don't intentionally add chili oil."
Kuroki Ya had visited once before, and at that time, Kurume Kurumi, because he had revealed her dark past, intentionally added chili oil to his cocktail to teach him a good lesson.
Kurume Kurumi showed a business smile: "Don't worry, I've graduated now. I won't emotionally add random seasonings to customers' drinks anymore."
As she spoke, she skillfully mixed a cocktail for Kuroki Ya, pushing a chilled octagonal glass in front of him: "This is a 'Gin and Tonic,' the most classic cocktail."
"Thank you."
The cocktail was mixed in front of him, with only simple ingredients like gin, tonic water, and lime slices. He confidently raised the glass and took a sip.
Kuroki Ya looked up, quite surprised. He had expected it to be awful, but the cocktail tasted good, and he could tell it was made with high-quality liquor.
"Not bad, I didn't expect your bartending skills to have improved so much," Kuroki Ya praised Kurume.
Kurume smiled slightly: "You're welcome. Thank you for your patronage, three hundred thousand yen."
Kuroki Ya immediately choked. He lowered his head and coughed several times before recovering, looking exasperated: "Why do I have to pay? And why is it so expensive?"
Kurume Kurumi crossed her arms and snorted softly: "This is a discount because you're a classmate. If other customers wanted a cocktail, one glass would cost at least five hundred thousand."
"..." Kuroki Ya looked speechlessly at Ayanokoji: "We came here with good intentions to support you, and this is how you treat me?"
He, of course, knew the casino was Ayanokouji Kiyohira's business.
Ayanokoji sighed feigning helplessness, spreading his hands: "During the Ryōran Festival, I've fully entrusted the casino operations to the girls. These prices were set by them, it has nothing to do with me."
This was something Meari and the others had discussed.
During the Ryōran Festival, many people would generously spend their fortunes, so this was naturally the best time to raise prices. Both Ruribird Nadeshiko's piano and the bar's drinks became paid services, allowing them to gain extra income.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira didn't interfere, letting them handle it.
What he didn't expect was that the first people to be scammed were Kuroki Ya and his friends.
"Fine, if I have to pay, I'll pay…" Kuroki Ya gave Ayanokoji a resentful look. Just as he was about to take out money, Tanaka was a step ahead of him, placing a stack of money on the table.
He said with a smile: "Let me pay for this. Please serve a cocktail to each of us."
"Today, Mr. Tanaka is paying for everyone!"
Ochi Ren, emboldened, straightened his back and confidently told Ruribird Nadeshiko: "Please play a song for us."
The stack of money on the table contained fifty ten-thousand-yen notes. Ruribird Nadeshiko, seeing the money, smiled happily and promptly placed her hands on the piano, beginning to play.
She played a very cheerful piano piece.
Earning five hundred thousand yen just by playing one piano song—this job was simply too easy!
The four of them sat at the bar, drinking cocktails and listening to the cheerful piano music, feeling like they had become part of the upper class.
Kuroki Ya looked enviously at Ayanokouji Kiyohira: "Ayanokoji, you really know how to enjoy life, drinking cocktails, listening to piano music, and being surrounded by maids, all within the school…"
"If you want to, you can too."
"Forget it, we don't have money to spend on this…" Kuroki Ya waved his hands repeatedly.
Ayanokouji Kiyohira must spend an unknown amount of money to maintain such a decadent lifestyle; he didn't have spare cash to support so many maids.
They drank cocktails and chatted with Ayanokoji.
Besides supporting Ayanokouji Kiyohira's casino this time, they also wanted to remind Ayanokoji to remember to attend Yumemi Yumemite's concert.
Moreover, Tanaka took out several more tickets, saying he wanted to give them to Ayanokouji Kiyohira.
Ayanokoji felt bewildered: "Why are you giving me so many? One ticket is enough for me."
Kuroki Ya gave him a knowing look: "Aren't there still them? You can invite them to the concert too."
"Remember to give me the handshake tickets," Tanaka added.
How many handshake tickets does this guy want? Is he really that fond of Yumemi?
Ayanokoji looked speechlessly at Tanaka: "What are you thinking? Is it really worth spending a million yen on a ticket just to shake her hand a bit longer?"
Tanaka lowered his head, too embarrassed to speak, so Kuroki Ya spoke for him: "These were obtained through other channels. The tickets only cost five hundred thousand yen each. He thought it was a great deal, so he bought a whole bunch. These are what's left after giving them to everyone we know…"
Well, Yumemi Yumemite hadn't sold many tickets in total, but Tanaka Yuzuna had become the biggest patron.
"I see… However, they already have these tickets, so never mind," Ayanokouji Kiyohira shook his head and refused.
One ticket per person was enough. Meari and the others had all received tickets from Ririka, so having too many wouldn't be useful.
"That's truly a shame…" Tanaka put away the tickets with some regret.
If the handshake tickets weren't included with the admission tickets, one per person, he would definitely only buy the handshake tickets and not trouble others.
"So Yumemi is that popular…" A woman's emotional voice came from the doorway.
Kuroki Ya and the others looked up to see who it was and were so startled they fell out of their seats.
"Miharu Taki-sama… How did you come here!?"
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