The sun's rays were peeking through the blinds, but no amount of sun was going to wake Yoshiko up. In fact, it was very hard to wake up a sleeping demon such as herself. The only thing that could work was a really loud alarm. Specifically, a really loud alarm playing something that she hated, so that she would be forced to wake up and shut it off. Every work day, such as this one, she would be awoken to an ugly, screeching sound.

Baby, you can be tough

Say enough is enough

You can even be blunt

Just do it with love, love, love, love

"Ugh, shut UP!" Yoshiko grumbled crossly as she grabbed her phone, fumbling to shut off her alarm. She couldn't stand that stupid Hillary Duff and her stupid blonde face. What she also couldn't stand was working on a Friday. It was so damn close to the weekend. Why did it have to be ruined by going to a job she didn't enjoy? She was just going to be chewed out by her jerk boss for being late with paperwork anyway. What a drag.

In fact, why did she have to go to work? Shouldn't she be allowed to miss one day in the whole freakin' year? She worked hard, after all. Well, she worked hard whenever a supervisor was around. That was basically like working hard all the time, as far as her superiors were concerned. So yeah, she deserved a day off. Her stress levels really needed it. She was going to call her boss right now and tell her so.

As she started to dial the number to her office, she wondered what kind of excuse she would give. Probably the tried and true 'I'm feeling sick' bit. That usually worked, and she doubted even Riko would bother driving all the way to her house just to check if she was faking. It was a waste of time, and that suited her just fine.

The phone rang a couple times, and then a surprising voice answered. "G-Good morning. How may I direct your call?"

"Ruby? What are you doing answering the phones?"

"Y-Yoshiko? W-Well, Fumiko didn't show up for work today, so Sakurauchi-san told me to handle the phones today."

"So she chose you to talk to customers? Ruby, you can't even talk to your own sister without stuttering."

"Big sis is scary, Yoshiko!"

"Okay, that's a fair point. Eh, whatever. Look, can you patch me through to the boss? I'm not coming in today."

"Wh-What? Why not?"

"Eh, I'm sick or something."

"A-Alright. Sh-She's gonna yell at me, though..."

"Nah, don't worry about it, Rubes." As soon as she was being patched through, however, she whispered an apology. It wasn't like she wanted Ruby to get in trouble because she was playing hooky. The poor girl's nerves must've been shot having to answer the phones rather than hiding in a cubicle. She'd make it up to her somehow. For now, she had to get through the boss.

When she was patched through, there was clearly something wrong with Riko. Not that it was blatantly obvious, but her voice didn't have the same inflection of power that it usually did. "Tsushima-san?" Usually the way she spoke and the way she carried herself left no doubts that she was the boss bitch, but there was something about her voice that was almost spacey.

"Hey, Riko, I can't come into work today." Alright, now she just needed to mention she was sick. Probably cough too in order to really sell it. "I just need a bit of me time, ya know?" Wait, that didn't sound like an illness excuse. ... Wait, what the hell did she just say?! Panic set in, and she really didn't feel all that tired anymore. What kind of excuse had she just given her? A bit of me time? What the hell was wrong with her?

The silence was almost tangible. Yoshiko thought she could hear the paint peeling from her walls. Her own heart was pounding in her ears. Was this enough to get fired? Finally, Riko's voice came through the speakers, exhaustion clear in her voice. "Yeah, whatever. Why not?" Why not? ... Why not indeed?

"Oh, well... great! Thanks boss!" Yoshiko quickly hung up before Riko could change her mind, dropping her phone on the bed and pumping her fists in the air. "What a beautiful day!" It was time to celebrate the early start to her weekend. Smiling, Yoshiko flopped back down on the bed and slept for a couple more hours.

When she woke up again, she yawned and stretched, feeling more rested than she had for months. Now what was she going to do next? For some reason, the image of a bar appeared in her mind. Sure, it wasn't even noon, but who cared? She was a grown woman, and if she wanted a drink at 10 AM, then by god she'd get a drink. It wasn't like anyone else at a bar at ten in the morning was going to judge her.

She hopped in her car and drove down to her favorite bar, mostly because it was the closest one to her place. Sometimes she'd go down to try and pick up women, but her luck was absolute trash and by that point she'd gone about oh for twenty-six. Apparently women weren't so keen on the whole 'fallen angel' schtick. Maybe she needed a new angle. A 'normal' angle, as Ruby tried to call it, as nicely as possible.

Maybe she'd try that today. After all, you know what they say: twenty-seventh time's the charm. Then again, what were the chances any pretty girl was going to be in a bar at 10 AM anyway? Probably not likely. Well, she could always try some other time. For now, she wanted a Shirley Satan's Temple. No, that wasn't a real thing. She just asked for a Shirley Temple and some tequila, then voila: a mistake.

When she walked in, she headed directly for the bar. The bar part of the bar. It made more sense in her head than actually trying to explain it. She was halfway there when she was stopped in her tracks. There was only one other person sitting there on a barstool, and it was - no fooling - a beautiful woman. Holy shit, what were the chances again? She needed someone from accounting to do the math.

The woman had deep blue hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and as Yoshiko tentatively crept closer, she could see the definition of muscles in her arms. There was also a hint of sadness in her eyes, but that wasn't surprising. Not many people who were content with their lives went drinking this early in the morning. Herself excluded, of course.

"Hey there." Yoshiko pushed her tentativeness to the side and put on an air of confidence, sitting down next to the woman and flashing her the best smile she could muster. "Fancy a drink?" She had noticed a single empty glass next to the woman, so she must've already downed that one. Her face didn't scream 'drunk', so it may very well have been her only drink. One more couldn't hurt, right?

"Hm?" The woman looked at Yoshiko, momentarily confused. When she realized what was going on, she gave her a small smile. "Yeah, whatever. I'm parched." Chuckling, Yoshiko waved the bartender over, taking the woman's order as well as getting a drink for herself. "I'm Kanan, by the way."

"Yoshiko." After the introductions were out of the way, they began to drink. Yoshiko tried to keep herself from getting too lost in the sauce, though. She had to drive home, after all, and she didn't want to be at the bar all day. Maybe she could actually go somewhere else, and maybe Kanan would go with her. Having gotten her name was honestly farther than she'd gotten with a girl in years. She was feeling pretty bold now, though whether it was from having a good day or from the alcohol, she wasn't sure.

"So how come you're looking all sad? Something got you down, Kanan?"

"Well, it's..." She seemed hesitant to reveal what it was, but another gulp of her drink loosened her lips. "I just get frustrated sometimes, you know?"

"Uh huh, go on."

"Well, my friends are always so busy, you know? They've been dating for years, and sometimes I just feel like they don't even notice my presence. Not mention how high-strung Dia's been lately."

"Huh, my friend has a sister named Dia. She's pretty high-strung too."

"Guess all Dias are like that." Kanan laughed, looking more at-ease. Yoshiko felt like this was her chance to ask her out. She was feeling lucky, which was very unusual for her. Today just felt like a special day, and she wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up! Why don't we go somewhere? I can drive us, since I'm the soberist of the two of us."

"Is 'soberist' a word?"

"Not important. So how about it, Kanan? Care to join me?" Yoshiko smiled and offered her hand. Kanan just stared at her for a moment, then laughed and took the offered hand with her own.

"Yes, I think that sounds like a lovely idea. Take me away, Yoshiko." That made her heart flutter, and she was more than eager to pay for their drinks and get the hell out of there. The whole city would be their plaything today.

They went to Yoshiko's car, hopping in as she started up the car. "Uh, are you sure you're good to drive?"

"Of course! That's what I said, right?" Flashing her a confident grin, Yoshiko put pedal to the metal and sped out of the parking lot, heading into the city. She wasn't sure where she wanted to take Kanan, but she had a feeling that something would come to her. While they waited for that to happen, they listened to the radio and talked about whatever came to mind.

When some flashy lights came into view, Yoshiko started to slow down. Even if it was the middle of the day, this place decided it would still be good to have their flashy neon sign still on. She recognized it as a casino that she'd passed by a few times before, but she'd never been in. Well, she was feeling lucky. A casino sounded like the perfect place to go.

"A casino?" Kanan looked up at the building, getting out of the car after Yoshiko had parked it. "You gamble?"

"No, not really," Yoshiko admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "But hey, I was able to get you to come with me on a date, right? I'm feeling pretty lucky." That brought a light blush to Kanan's face, but she recovered and laughed, linking arms with Yoshiko as they walked into the casino.

Once inside, they went over to the exchange table so that Yoshiko could get some chips. She wasn't sure how much she was willing to risk, but she was still feeling somewhat risky, so she got 22,477 Yen. Of course, she wasn't some expert gambler, or even a decent card player. The only game she had more than a basic knowledge of was poker, so to the poker tables they went.

A game was just about to begin, with three others sitting at the nearest table. Yoshiko sat down at the end and nodded to the dealer, glancing back at Kanan, who was standing off to the side. She gave Yoshiko an encouraging smile, which gave her another shot of confidence. All four of them ante'd up, and the game began.

Each player received two cards, and when Yoshiko glanced at hers she nearly choked: two aces. That was definitely a good start. She glanced at the other players, who all had likely played more often than she did. None of them were giving away their hands, stonewalling with their expressions. She took a breath, trying to steady her slightly-buzzed nerves. The dealer looked over the four players, then began to flip over three cards: the flops.

The first card was a king of clubs, which wasn't any help, so she disregarded it instantly. Next was another ace, giving her three of a kind. It was hard to keep her breathing steady, but she managed to keep it under control. That task became a lot harder when the third card was flipped over: the fourth and final ace.

Yoshiko wanted to whoop and holler for joy. With the way the cards had come up, there was no way anyone could beat her. Four aces was the second-best hand in the game. There was no way the fourth card would unfold in a way that could kill her vibe. She didn't want to appear overconfident, though. If she bet it all right then and there, people would get suspicious and bow out. So she settled for a 6,000 Yen bet. One person folded, but the other two matched her.'Suckers.'

The turn was a ten of clubs. It didn't worry her too much, but she did feel herself becoming more aware of the hand above her own. What if one of the others had a straight flush? Nah, it couldn't be. What were the chances of that? Why did that sound so familiar?...

Ignoring that thought, she decided the time had come to test her opponents. She had the four aces, and there was little chance that either of the remaining participants would be able to top that. Pushing in the rest of her money, she declared smugly: "All in!"

The two others looked at her, then at each other. One of them dropped their cards and folded, but the other held on for a moment longer. Then they pushed in their chips, matching her. "All in." Uh oh. That was not the kind of confidence she wanted to see.

Now it was time for them to flip over their hands. There was no going back now. Trying to remain confident, she flipped over her two aces, getting a polite gasp from Kanan. That made her feel better. At least, it did until the other guy flipped over his cards: a queen and a jack of clubs. Ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and all of clubs... Her heart sank. It was a straight flush. She'd been reckless.

The guy was just about to grab all the chips, but they still had one card to flip up. Not that it was going to help her, but it was customary. When the dealer flipped over the river card, Yoshiko's jaw wasn't the only one that dropped. Everybody, even the dealer, stared at the final card: a joker. It was a bug. That meant she had gotten five of a kind, and that made her the victor.

"I... I won?" Even she couldn't believe it. She glanced back at Kanan, who seemed to be very surprised, then at the dealer, who couldn't do anything but shrug. What could he do? The deck had spoken. "I won!" Gleefully, she reached out and replaced the other guy's hands with her own, pulling the chips towards her. What a game, huh? She was really lucky today!

Then she felt someone tapping on her shoulder, and then she didn't feel as lucky. A giant bouncer was looking down at her, and he didn't look very happy. With a completely stonefaced expression, he leaned down to look at the cards on the table. "Hmm... Nice hand, ma'am."

"That's... That not a problem, is it?" She wanted to sound tougher, especially in front of Kanan, but she must've looked and sounded like a scared teenager instead. The way he looked, she wasn't sure if he'd say something or knock her head in. Either option seemed likely at that moment. Rather than doing either of those things, he just shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever. Fair place here."

"O-Oh. W-Well... Thank you." Deciding this was likely the extent of the luck she'd get at that point, she just nodded and scooped up her chips, gesturing to Kanan as she went over to the exchange area. They'd only just gotten there, but she was shook up enough that she didn't really want to stay any longer.

"Oh wow," Kanan laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I thought that guy was going to kill you."

"Hush, you." Yoshiko rolled her eyes, but when she set the chips down, she groaned and held her face in her hands. "Gods, I thought so too. Why did he have to look so menacing if he wasn't going to end my existence?!"

"I think that's just the bouncer way." Kanan looked at the money that was now the property of one Yoshiko Tsushima. "So what are you gonna do with all that money?"

"Hmm..." Yoshiko picked it up and started to count it, letting the bills flutter in her hand. "... I've got an idea. You blaze, babe?"

She knew her time with Kanan could be at an end. The entire day had been way too lucky. She figured she'd get a chance at being laid for the first time... in... the last twenty-four hours. Yup, only a day. She wasn't a virgin, and nobody better be thinking otherwise. So, get laid, and then that'd be it. It'd be bittersweet, but that was the life of a fallen angel, wasn't it?

With some of her earnings, she'd bought some serious stash, and had split it with Kanan. Now the two of them were driving back to the bar so that Kanan could pick up her car, and hopefully she'd drive it to Yoshiko's place. That was her own personal hope, anyway. She was even less drunk than before, and that hadn't been drunk at all. However, one's driving might be admittedly impaired when they were smoking weed behind the wheel. Don't do drugs and drive, kids.

She was laughing with Kanan, passing a joint back and forth, when she missed something slightly important. Her car was still on the road, and she hadn't crashed into anything. Maybe that was part of the luck, though, because she'd ran right through a red light. Now normally, that'd be a problem on its own, but a second, larger problem was now behind her, flashing its blue and red lights.

"Oh shit!" Both of their eyes went wide as Yoshiko had little choice but to slow down. "Quick, hide the stash in the glovebox!" That wasn't a good hiding place, but there wasn't much time for good thinking, and she was panicking. The car came to a stop as she put it in park, whimpering slightly as she could smell the dankness on both of them. "Well, it was nice knowing you."

"I can't go to jail!" Kanan whispered in a panic, her eyes wide as they could see the cop approaching them from the rearview mirror.

"Why? Have you already been to jail before?"

"No, but I heard it's not a very nice place."

"You know, I think with your muscles, it won't be a nice place for the other inmates... Or maybe it will. Everybody has their kinks." At that point, the cop made it to the driver's side, and Yoshiko hoped that she wasn't sweating noticeably.

The cop stopped by the door, looking at the two women. At least, Yoshiko assumed he was. She couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses. After what seemed like an eternity, he tapped his pen against a pad of paper and waved them on. "Yeah, whatever. On your way, ma'am." Yoshiko wasn't going to stay there and question it. She just nodded and put the car back in drive, driving away at the speed limit this time.

"Are you the luckiest person on the face of the Earth?" Kanan was awestruck by how once again Yoshiko had escaped certain doom without a scratch.

"Not usually," she admitted, leaning back against the seat. That was the closest of close calls. She decided that she was never going to do that again. Her luck couldn't possibly hold up like that.

"Well, whether or not you're lucky, this has been a much more exciting date than I could've ever imagined." She smiled at Yoshiko, biting her lower lip. "And it's kinda turning me on."

"You know what? How about we just go straight to my place? I'll drive you back to the bar later. Maybe tomorrow."

Yoshiko laid back against her pillows, sighing in satisfaction. Next to her was Kanan, who seemed satisfied as well, plus was very naked. That was a key point to mention. "That felt great," she panted out, smiling up at the ceiling. "It's been awhile, honestly."

"Yeah, it really has been. I can't wait to tell Dia and Mari. They'll definitely pay attention to me when I tell them what happened today." They laid in comfortable silence for a moment, then she reached for her pants and grabbed her phone. "Hey, give me your number, will you?"

"Eh? Alright." She recited her number, watching curiously as Kanan typed it in, then started to type something else. Her own phone buzzed, indicating she'd gotten a text. When she grabbed it from the nightstand and looked at it, it was from an 'unknown' number, with a message saying 'Hi!' and a dolphin emoji next to it. "Now you've got my number, in case you want to ask me on another date."

"Well then, I guess this date went well, hm?" Feeling confident again, Yoshiko grinned as she rolled over and got on top of Kanan, looking down at her. "I'm not sure our current date's over just yet, though."

"Heh, apparently not." Yoshiko's dominance lasted about five seconds before Kanan easily flipped her over, getting on top so that Yoshiko was now the one pinned down. "Let's go for round two then, shall we?"

Yoshiko glanced between Kanan's cute grin and her flexing muscles. Yup, round two sounded good. "Best day ever."