The Southside Casino was not ostentatiously situated above ground. It was an underground labyrinth hidden beneath the basement of an abandoned shopping mall—a world devoid of sunlight, where time was warped by smoke, alcohol, and bottomless greed.
The rusty elevator took the three of them down to the deepest level. As the heavy metal doors opened, a thick draft of air reeking of cigars and cheap perfume hit them square in the face.
Kairi stepped out first. Draped in a bespoke, wrinkle-free midnight-blue suit, his hair meticulously slicked back, revealing a delicate forehead and chilling, bone-piercing eyes. The solid gold Rolex Daytona on his wrist gleamed under the glaring red lights. He looked exactly like an arrogant "young master" from some powerful, aristocratic family, carrying his family's wealth to burn for mere amusement.
Right behind him was Ginji. The gangster had shed his usual sloppy demeanor, replacing it with an unbuttoned black silk shirt that exposed his tattoos, topped with a faux-snakeskin vest. His swaggering gait and shifty eyes assessing the surroundings, despite wearing sunglasses, helped him perfectly play the role of a seasoned advisor and bodyguard, specialized in escorting high-rollers.
Yume had arrived earlier and was waiting for them because Ginji was busy fixing Kairi's attire, and partly to scout the situation.
It took Kairi almost two seconds to realize the person standing before him was indeed Yume.
Under the dim light of the corridor, Yume was strikingly radiant. The wine-red strapless evening gown hugged her slender figure, accentuating her pale skin and delicate bare shoulders. Her voluminous hair was elegantly styled in a side bun, and the designer sunglasses resting casually on her face only heightened her haughty, alluring charm.
"She... usually dresses so simply, doesn't she?" Kairi thought to himself, a flicker of surprise flashing deep in his eyes. "Changing her style makes her look like a completely different person."
Lost in thought, Kairi suddenly felt a soft warmth press against his arm. Yume had nonchalantly approached, naturally linking her arm with his, leaning close to his shoulder like a genuine high-society couple.
"Let's go, my 'young master'," Yume whispered in his ear, her sweet voice hiding a playful tease.
On the outside, Kairi maintained his cold, arrogant facade of someone who looked down on everyone. But deep down, he felt his heart skip a beat at the close contact and the faint scent of roses. With absolute rationality, Kairi instantly adjusted his breathing, forcing himself back to a calm state, not letting even a ripple of fluster show on his face.
Before entering the casino, Ginji removed his glasses and produced three masquerade masks. He tossed a red, feather-adorned one to Yume and a black-and-gold mask featuring a coin pattern to Kairi, while keeping a purple, crystal-encrusted one for himself. He then said:
"Put them on; everyone here wears them to conceal their identities. No one wants to run into an acquaintance while visiting a place like this."
Kairi and Yume nodded in agreement and put on their masks.
They approached the arched security checkpoint. Two towering, heavily tattooed bouncers immediately stepped out to block their path. They frowned, scrutinizing the appearance of the three unfamiliar guests.
Before they could even speak, Ginji glared, striding forward to stand in front of Kairi. He pulled a thick stack of 10,000-Yen bills from his breast pocket and slammed it directly into the bouncer's chest with extreme arrogance.
"Clear the way, you watchdogs," Ginji scoffed, his raspy voice full of threat. "My young master is bored tonight, and he wants to burn some cash."
The bouncer snatched the stack of cash, his thumb brushing against the rustling edges of the bills. He glanced at Kairi's obnoxiously arrogant, cold demeanor, then bowed deeply to make way. The heavy steel doors swung open.
Stepping through the doors, an endless grand hall covered in a brilliant red velvet carpet revealed itself. The clattering of dice, the whirring of the Roulette wheels mixed with the furious shouts and maniacal laughter of the gamblers.
Right at the chip exchange counter, Kairi stepped up and tossed two combination-locked briefcases onto the table. When opened, they revealed neatly stacked bundles of the highest denomination bills.
"Change it all into chips for me. The largest denominations," Kairi waved his hand, his raspy voice dripping with indifference.
The cashier's eyes widened in shock. He hurriedly counted and pushed out stacks of glittering, multi-colored chips. Kairi casually pinched a fifty-thousand-Yen chip and flicked it straight at the cashier's chest: "Keep the change."
At this moment, the group began executing their pre-planned "act" to separate naturally.
Yume narrowed her eyes, whining as she shook Kairi's arm playfully: "Babe! It's too noisy here and reeks of smoke! I don't want to sit at these crowded tables!"
Kairi frowned, casually brushing Yume's hand away, scoffing condescendingly: "Stop being a nuisance. If you want, take this pile over to the slot machines and play. Once you're out of money, get lost." He grabbed a handful of chips and handed them to her like a handout.
Ginji, standing beside him, chimed in with a boisterous laugh: "That's right, miss! Let the young master play a few big hands for fun. You women are better off playing those coin-spitting machines!"
Yume huffed, stomped her foot, snatched the handful of chips, and haughtily strutted toward the Slot Machine area.
The moment she was out of her teammates' sight, the snobby smile vanished from Yume's lips. Behind her sunglasses, her eyes quickly scanned every corner: 12 security cameras, 3 hidden emergency exits, and 2 mobile security patrols. She sat down in front of a slot machine, leisurely dropping coins but secretly activating her ability.
In Yume's vision, the casino now looked like a lake with gentle ripples of causality radiating from the gamblers' greed, among which Kairi and Ginji were emitting a highly unique type of causal wave. She held her breath, using The Echo network to guard the entire outer hall.
On the other side of the hall, Kairi and Ginji headed straight into the high-stakes gambling area. As they walked, their pre-heist discussion echoed in Kairi's mind.
"Listen closely, Kairi," Ginji's voice echoed in his memory. "I currently have exactly 18 luck points stored up. With these points, I can 'pump' you to win about 5 to 6 consecutive rounds. But remember, you are not allowed to throw money at bets with extremely low odds, like guessing an exact number, otherwise my luck points will be burned clean instantly."
"I understand," Kairi had replied. "I will focus on high-probability bets like Over/Under or Red/Black. It's safe and easily attracts attention if we win consecutively."
"Good," Ginji nodded. "Just pick a bet and throw in an insane amount. Every time you place your chips, I will touch your shoulder. That's when the ability is activated."
The sharp slam of a brass cup pulled Kairi back to the present. He stopped at a crowded Sic Bo table. Without hesitation, Kairi shoved a mountain of chips worth 2 million Yen straight onto the Under bet. Whispers immediately erupted around him:
"Who is this brat? Throwing two million Yen on one round right off the bat?"
"Crazy! With a baby face like that, he must be some rich kid burning his parents' money!"
Ginji stepped up from behind, patting Kairi hard on the shoulder: "Great bet, young master! Open the cup!"
An invisible surge of luck was instantly transferred over. The three dice tumbled in the pitch-black brass cup, subjected to the interference of microscopic physical variables. The dealer lifted the cup.
Two, one, three. Six points. Under.
Even the dealer was stunned.
However, instead of collecting his winnings, Kairi smirked. He gathered all the money he just won, added another 3 million Yen, and shoved it all straight onto the Over bet. The crowd around them began to lean in, eyes wide.
"All-in again? He's betting over 7 million Yen!"
"Holy shit, if he loses this hand, a whole fortune is gone!"
Ginji squeezed his shoulder hard again, laughing heartily: "Going head-to-head with the house! Why not!"
Another invisible ripple of causality affected the shaking force. The cup was opened. Six, five, four. Fifteen points. Over!
All attention began shifting entirely toward the Sic Bo table. Two security guards standing nearby had already pressed their radios close to their ears, muttering reports to the upper floor.
"To the Roulette table," Kairi commanded coldly, drawing the gazes of dozens of gamblers who flocked behind him like he was a god of fortune.
At the luxurious mahogany Roulette table, the ivory ball was spinning rapidly. Kairi didn't even bother looking for a pattern, waving his hand to toss a massive pile of chips onto Black.
"He didn't even bother calculating!"
"Betting like this is just blind gambling, but how is his face so cold?"
Ginji slung his arm around Kairi's neck: "Tonight, the young master's luck dominates this hall!"
The energy of luck seeped into the spinning wheel. The ball clattered across the numbered slots before stopping exactly on Black 22.
Kairi maintained his bored expression. He left his entire massive pile of winning chips on Black and simultaneously scattered another heap of ultra-high denomination chips onto the 2nd Dozen (13-24). A bet on top of a bet!
The crowd completely held its breath. The air around the betting table was so suffocating that one could almost feel the rapid heartbeats of the onlookers.
"Doubling the bet again... This guy is either a genius or the craziest lunatic in this city!"
By now, several veteran gamblers had noticed Kairi's exceptional luck. They hurriedly pushed to the front, frantically throwing their own chips to piggyback on his bets.
"Look, the security from the upper floor is coming down!" Someone in the crowd whispered.
Ginji patted Kairi's back once more: "Burn this casino to the ground for me!"
The ball zoomed across the spinning wheel. It darted forward, seemingly about to drop into a Red slot, but then an invisible resistance from the luck energy miraculously altered its course, making it drop right into Black 17!
An explosive roar of sound echoed across the hall. The gamblers cheered wildly. The chips in front of Kairi had piled up like a small mountain, glittering as they reflected the glaring red lights.
At this moment, in the upper floor corridor, the oak doors opened. A Casino Floor Manager, dressed impeccably in a tailcoat suit with a red rose pinned to his chest, slowly walked down the stairs alongside four burly security guards carrying metal detectors.
The crowd automatically parted in two as the manager approached.
"Respected young master," the manager bowed deeply and respectfully, yet his narrow eyes were sharp and scrutinizing. "Your luck and decisiveness tonight truly make our casino tip its hat. However, I'm afraid this lower hall is far too noisy, and the betting limits here might not be enough to satisfy you."
He took a step back, politely extending his hand toward the velvet-carpeted stairs leading to the VIP floor.
"Would you be interested in stepping up to the VIP rooms upstairs to partake in more private games, more befitting of your status?"
Ginji, standing behind, gave a subtle wink. He patted Kairi's shoulder lightly one last time—confirming that the luck points were perfectly depleted, and the prey had fully taken the bait.
Kairi slowly stood up, lightly brushing the lapels of his premium vest. He pinched a fifty-thousand-Yen chip and flicked it straight into the chest of the trembling dealer as a tip. He glanced at the manager with half an eye, the corner of his lips curling into an arrogant smirk, a true spoiled aristocrat:
"Lead the way," Kairi growled. "Playing with these commoners down here... is getting too trivial."
Following the footsteps of the security guards, Kairi and Ginji strode up the stairs leading into the VIP floor lair. From a distant corner, Yume smirked slightly as she watched the backs of her two teammates disappear behind the soundproof doors.
The bait was taken. The real hunt had only just begun.