Reisen got up from her futon and, after she put her usual clothes, get out of her room. Luckily the neutralizer pill did all its work this time and a big drowsiness was the only effect evident it seemed. It was nothing she couldn't handle.

While walking in the corridors of the mansion she noticed lots of rabbits scattered around lazily but decided to ignore them. Maybe they were the cleaners of last night, or the associates of the earth rabbit youkai…

Either way, she continued walking. After all it was already noon and she still had work to do before dusk.

Covering a yawn she reached the sliding doors of the kitchen but stopped herself from open them when she heard voices from there. Listening closely she identified them to be the princess and her master. She was about to enter but her curiosity got the best of her. "Maybe they are talking about the vacations." she thought very optimistically.

On the other side of the doors, Kaguya was in one of the sides of the kotatsu and had a small cup of smoking tea. After blow it a little she took a sip of it.

"An open Pool tournament you say?" said another more mature voice in front.

"Indeed" said happily the black haired girl hiding her mouth with one of her long sleeves. "It will be fun, I bet."

"Yeah, and we can get more money from It" the woman added. "While I have my fun."

She was Eirin Yagokoro, the pharmacist of Eientei and one of the most intelligent persons you would ever meet with the ability to create any medicine possible such as the Hourai Elixir. She seems to be a little older and mature than the princess herself. She has dark grey eyes, long silver hair in one brand that reached her hips and was dressed in her usual long dual-colored blue and red dress and nurse cap with its constellations patterns and a white tie on the hips, brown shoes and white socks.

"Ah, ah, ah." said the lunar princess empathizing with one finger. "I think it's best if you don't enter."

"Hmm? Why is it?" the pharmacist said curious and a little offended as she served her own warm cup.

Noticing her friend's discomfort, the elegant girl explained "It's not that you would lose or something. Quite the contrary if I may say. But we need more people in this tournament, and if they know you're in it, well…"

"Oh, I see." said now calmly Eirin taking a sip of her tea. "Then this tournament will be for amateurs only."

"You even said so." giggled Kaguya. "Sometimes the fool spends more than a Whale."

"Hmm, that's new." thinks the red eyed girl getting near the door.

Maybe they weren't talking about the vacations but it was still worth to listen and she didn't dare to interrupt them.

It wasn't that tournaments were new in the casino or something, but they always were for the professionals and Whales. Those were done exclusively on the VIP zone and always leaved a big juicy thirty five percent of the final bets for the casino even if Eirin wasn't competing.

There was no reason to do an only-rookie one. Reisen couldn't think for a proper reason they would do it. The only she could think was that maybe the princess wanted to see more competitors than big wallets for once.

And the fact that her master wasn't going to compete (or any other shark) was surely going to attract lots people…

Maybe she… "No Reisen. Remember. We cannot play with the gamblers." she mumbled, reminding herself.

Dismissing her quick desire she rapidly centered her attention to the still unfolded conversation.

The two shared a smile. Even if Kaguya was a lunar princess, the two of them were intimate friends. Eirin almost always acting like a counselor... and babysister when needed.

Looking at her so happy princess, her friend says humorously "My, isn't this caprice of yours getting on your head a little too much? Even when telling your old tales you didn't seem so lively."

"You know what they say: Life is comprehended looking at the past, but it has to be lived looking at the present. Besides, you don't seem too displeased from it either." teased back the younger-looking girl.

Eirin laughed at the weird statement of the black haired immortal and drinks from her tea again. "All right. No sharks in this competition. I got it, but, are we going to send a representative of the house?"

The princess giggled again and, after taking another sip from her cup, says "Why not?" after a pause she chirped "We just need somebody in who we can really trust."

That peek her interest so much her two rabbit ears twitched a little.

"Representative? Trust? Could that be…" she whispered with a sudden spark on her eyes.

Since the beginning of the casino thing there was no rule of "no gambling in the casino with the costumers" to the workers. Reisen never had a problem with it; after all she didn't had great interest in gambling in real with others, but that changed a week after her owners created the rule. Just when she felt the small thorn of curiosity of do it.

Maybe they would make an exception of it. Maybe they would choose her!

The thought made her feel warm inside and smiled. "I… I'll do my best!"

"Even if we trust in that person, it doesn't mean he or she will be good enough to win." said concerned the silver haired.

"Ara, always thinking in the big comp, aren't we Eirin?" Kaguya asked. Obviously still teasing her friend.

To be the so-called "brain of the moon" her friend was a very competitive person in lots of things (mostly thanks to her perfectionistic nature). And that same competitiveness was a weak spot as well if used correctly. Gambling was one of these.

"Only. I just play to win, princess." Answered the more mature girl suddenly deadly serious. "Besides with that restriction of yours I can't do more than just watch, it's reasonable why I'm worried."

"Uhuhu~, well yes, that's the most you can do on the competition." sings the elegant girl with a mischievous tone. "But what I said was that you or other sharks cannot influent on it directly."

Quickly understanding what her friend tries to imply the mature one says "Is that so? Then I know what to do…"

"I know you do."

With that, the dual colored dressed female, stands up without finishing her tea and leaves the room as Kaguya continues drinking from her cup.

The sound of steps getting near to the door got her on edge for a second. It wouldn't be good if she was caught spying on them after all.

"Oh no…" she whispers and quickly steps back a little just in time the sliding door is pushed aside.

"Oh, Udonge." says calmly Eirin looking at her nervous pupil. "I thought you would sleep a little more so I asked the rabbits to prepare the food. Either way, there are bamboo shoots."

The alluded thanked mentally the lunar God for her luck.

Dismissing her nervousness, the bunny girl looked at her master and then the still open door. Her tummy sounded a little. "Thanks. Is there something I can do for you before?"

The silver haired touched her mouth with one finger and said "Hmm… no, I don't think so."

The red eyed girl feels a little discouraged and proceeds to walk pass her master. "Uh, all right." while walking she thought "Maybe later she will tell me."

"No, wait." calls her master. Reisen suppressed a smile.

"Yes?"

"Actually, I want to ask you something." said seriously her master.

"What is it?" the bunny girl asked a little excited.

Eirin smiled and said "Would you be so kind to call Couch? I have something important to tell her."

"Ah…" that wasn't what Reisen hoped. "Y-yes. Of… of course."

At the moment the eyes of the rabbit turned in two big white orbs making her look silly.

"Good. I think she's around the forest." she turned back and started walking. "I'll be on the clinic."

As her master disappeared from view, the bunny girl entered the kitchen while closing the door behind her.

Like a mechanical thing she passed the kotatsu and went directly to the cupboard and took a cup and a plate deep in thought.

"Maybe she wants to discuss something with her. Probably about the vacation thing." she says softly. Trying to cheer herself up.

"My, my. Inaba, you're up. How was your sleep?" suddenly says the black haired still sitting on the table with an empty cup in front. There was a mischievous smile still pasted on her face.

"Ah, princess. It was good, thanks." the lunar rabbit said. She got a little surprised she didn't felt her presence at all. Maybe she was thinking a little too much? Either way Kaguya didn't seem angry or something so she proceeded to serve another plate in front of the immortal.

"Wonderful." the princess said with a sweeter smile. Reisen proceeded to fill her owner's cup with the small porcelain kettle on the table and then she filled her own. "I was talking with Eirin about this little thing and I think is time to suspend the silly rule about no gambling for the workers."

Knowing the reason but confused on why she was telling her, the red eyed then served herself and her owner a bowl filled with warm rice soup with bamboo shoots and the respective chopsticks. She decided to act "U-uh. Why?"

"Well… I do believe you all have the right to enjoy the competitiveness the casino has to offer along the costumers even if only this time…" Kaguya said covering her mouth with her sleeve as though in deep thought. "And the little hassle the Inaba-Couch caused was because she couldn't gamble as she liked."

"At least she still calls her 'Inaba'…" thinks Reisen and, after separating her two chopsticks, says sheepishly "If you say it like that I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." giggles the black haired as she closed her eyes not looking at her already eating pet. Her face suddenly retracted the serene realness she inherited and in a soft tone added "I'm not as lightheaded as you all may think."

The moon rabbit was so concentrated in the bowl in front of her because of the hunger that she couldn't hear the last part well. "Excuse me princess *gulp*? What did you say again?"

"I said that you shouldn't eat like that." chirped Kaguya. The solemn expression her face retained a while ago was long lost and changed to a funny childish one. "You're making a mess around yourself."

Udonge didn't know if her princess was saying the truth or just mocking her. After she saw the table she noticed the grains of rice scattered around the table. "Extreme need of substance. Another side effect." she quickly thought; still she wasn't completely sure that that was what the immortal truly said first but played along. It's not that the princess would tell her if she asked directly anyway and she had a point either way. She was being noisy eating like that.

"*gulp* Aren't you going to eat, princess?" asked the bunny girl after a more controlled swallow of a mouthful of rice noticing the untouched bowl with its chopsticks just as she left them.

The elegant girl dismissed the offer waving her right covered hand. "I already did."

"Now if you excuse me Inaba, I have some manga to read…" with that she stood up and exited the room.

Later. Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

"Au, au… why do I have to look for her?" lamented Reisen walking around the bamboo forest with laziness suppressing a yawn. Just after she finished her second bowl of rice and bamboo slices, she got out of Eientei. "Wouldn't it have been better sending a rabbit for her… or something?"

Thanks to the deepness of the sea of bamboo, the sunrays were dimed making it look as if it was early in the morning even if it was in reality noon. Either way, the little light was enough to see around so it wasn't too much of a bother to the ones that knew the forest well.

"High exhaustion. I don't like this." says tiredly to no one in particular. Looks like the neutralizer pill wasn't one hundred percent accurate this time…"At least it's not involuntary rapid body convulsions this time…" mumbled.

As she walked in the forest, she noticed the lame traps around. Not even bothering to deactivate them, she just walked pass them. "Fairies. Always trying in the wrong place." she thought.

Fairies weren't allowed in the casino. It wasn't that Kaguya hated them or something but after a 'little' incident with noodles and a trio of them in the lottery one night… let's just say that it was clear gambling wasn't good for those creatures.

Anyway, after the sign prohibiting their entry appeared the next night, the fairies decided to take revenge on the costumers setting pranks all around the forest. Of course those were bushleague works and they were always located far away the path the humans took… and youkai usually fly their way home.

"Let's be realist. Master Eirin is going to send her whether I like it or not. After all she's better at it." sighed defeated the girl.

"I wonder how much I have to walk until I find her…" she though looking at the small patches of sky until she realized something. "…thinking about it I haven't seen any pi-YIIIII!" while walking, she felt the ground under her feet give and she fell on her quarters hard.

"Ite…" the bunny girl groaned while she stood up and gently rubbed her backside. "Wa-? Oh." Quickly looking around the place she fell, she noticed that her surroundings were dirt. That only mean something.

It was a hole. Her hole.

"Well, at least I'm near." she said tiredly as she climbed up the hole.

Now out of the offending pit, Reisen noticed other hidden ones around her thanks to the almost unseen changes in the color and texture of the earth. Those were really some of her handworks.

"What do you want?" sounded from behind her.

The sudden noise startled the red eyed girl for a second making her eyes go completely blank and do a small jump and kick the air in front of herself as an awkward reflex while rapidly yelling "Tatsumak-senpu-kyen!"

Regaining her composure quickly, the mature bunny girl looked around and saw nothing, then behind her and squeaked with her hands like fist while her face turned in a shadow of deep red out of complete embarrass. "Ah…! T-Couch! Don't-!"

"Pff gahahahaha! You should see your face!" replied Couch sited down and laughing at her friend's display. "…or that kick. That was hilarious!"

Then she did a clumsy attempt of the kick still in the floor. "Tasumaykempouken…!"… and she just ended with her back on the dirt and her limbs fully open chuckling without stop.

Udonge just sighed. It was just who she wanted to see after all. The child-like earth rabbit youkai with her newfound friend on hand, a half-empty bottle of sake. It was safe to say that she presumably was still drunk as an oni…

"Jeez, stop it. It's starting to annoy me."

"Do not care so nop," chirped happily Couch as she got up. "Anyway, Yer looking for an early flower view spot or did you missed me already? Nehehehe, Rei-tan, it has only been less than a day… and from where you learned that cool kick of yours?"

"Better finish this fast. I miss my futon…" thought the long haired girl for a moment. "That's not it. I'm only here because master Eirin wants to talk with you." she calmly said now with her arms crossed, careful not to sound jealous. "And for your last question: it's none of your business."

"Gehe, tell her she can wait." answered the intoxicated girl waving off her hand with a smug smile.

The lunar rabbit looked strangely at Couch, she then shrugged the comment and stated "She may require of your services."

"Huh?"

Now that she got her attention, the long haired explained "They're doing an open pool tournament without sharks and they want to send a person who plays for the casino. And that person may be you."

"Hmm! but I'm as good as Eiriiiin!" Resien only rolled her eyes at the drunken rabbit's angry tantrum. "Why me?! Are they threating me?!"

"I don't think so… maybe… uh…" thinking fast in a good reason, the mature but abused rabbit opted for the more credible one her mind could come with now. "I think because you're still not so known around so the rule doesn't apply on you."

"Is that true?" asked the childish youkai with her angrier long gone.

Reisen nodded silently with her eyes closed and a small but cute smile as a drop of sweat rolled from the back of her head while thinking "God, sure she's a little bipolar when drunk, isn't she?"

"What are we waiting for? A weird scrap-metal monkey dancing? Let's go!" and with that said, Couch half hopped half ran to the direction of the eternal mansion.

"A…are? Whatever you say…" said confused the lunar rabbit as she began to follow the semi-crazed earth rabbit.

Hakurei Shrine.

Reimu was looking at her donation box.

Sure she knew it would be empty, but it doesn't kill take a look, does it?

"…as expected." she said checking the wood box and sighed returning to the shrine.

Broke. She was officially completely broke thanks to last night, and the always absent donation got things worse.

"You should have thought twice before betting all of your money." said a drunken childish voice to her right.

"Shut up Suika," said annoyed the shrine maiden. "I'm not in the mood for another lecture."

The alluded (who was leaning comfortably on the veranda of the shrine) was what appeared to be a child with brown eyes, long orange hair tied with a chain with a blue cube hanging from it and a red ribbon. Suika Ibuki, one of the Four Devas of the Mountains who has a pair of brown horns with a purple ribbon attached to one. Dresses a simple tattered white blouse and a purple skirt. Has chains on both wrist that had a red pyramid and a yellow sphere hanging from them; uses a black belt on her waist and finally, has a small-sized blue ground with red stamps on it.

"Oi, oi. Just sayin' the truth." said defensively the small oni waving one arm.

"Save it."

"All right then," sighed the ginger haired youkai as she took a sip from her ground. "Oh… before I go, Marisa left something before she left last night. Luckily I was still alive and kicking back then…"

"Hmm?" That zapped the Hakurei's attention. "A thing…? Where is it?"

"Here," said the oni as she handed a small bag at the miko; then she got up and stretched her limbs.

Reimu measured the not-so-heavy item in her hands with curiosity. It was a very peculiar action coming from the witch, so Marisa might have a good reason to leave that. "But why she gave it to Suika?" she thought.

Whatever it was, the miko hoped it would be a donation…

Suddenly, something ringed in the head of the black haired and bluntly asked "You said something of leaving. Where are you going?"

"Heaven!" replied happily Suika throwing her arms up as a dramatization act.

Eirin's Clinic.

Now that she finished with her last patient, she could start relaxing until Udonge's comeback. It had hardly passed ten minutes since she opened the clinic and she got her first two patients. Luckily the first one was an easy case, and the second, well… messy would be a good description of its problem…

She looked at the small pool of blood near the patients' chair and sighed. She would ask her apprentice to deal with it latter, now it was time to rest.

"Are humans really that stupid…?" thought Eirin not bothering to look at the 'souvenirs' her patient left her.

As she went for her cards deck in her desk, the sliding doors of her clinic were opened again.

"Eiriii~n!" echoed from the other room.

With a sigh she went out of her office.

As she opened the sliding doors, she was greeted with a grinning Couch and a panting Reisen.

"Oh, it's you two," said the lunarian gazing at the rabbits and crossing her arms. "Thank you Udonge."

"No problem, master." replied the red eyed girl with a bow.

"Yo, Eirin!" chirped happily Couch as she stepped nearer Eirin. "What ya' need me for?"

It was amazing that even in the intoxicated state in which she was now, the earth rabbit could plan or do things fairy well, like remember the way from the forest to Eientei without a mistake and avoiding traps, or walk without reeling that much or even put an act about not knowing why she was called here. Maybe because she's not all that gone into the alcohol as one would first think? But even more surprising was how her bottle of sake was still half-full since yesterday's night…

"Be more respectful, will you?" Udonge muttered to her companion slightly poking her arm.

"Geez…" replied Couch as she smacked the offending hand away.

"Honestly-"

"If you're done playing I would rather continue." said coldly the pharmacist interrupting the small display of the two youkai. "I call you here becaus-"

"Excuse me, Yagokoro-sensei," suddenly said a blonde girl as she closed the sliding doors behind herself, successfully interrupting Eirin's speech. "I'm here to purchase some more Kochoumugan."

The room stood in silence for some seconds, the gazes of the rabbits and lunarian where on the newcomer. The lunar rabbit had a face of confusion, the other rabbit one of slightly surprise and the other one of deep thought.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Did I interrupt something? If so, pardon my intrusion." she said while bowing in a polite manner as an apology. A small doll floating next to her did the same as well.

This girl was Alice Margatroid. A Magician and one of the few residents the Forest of Magic had. She has short blonde hair reaching her shoulders adorned with a red bow and has orange eyes. Wears a light blue sleeveless dress and a white capelet, a pink string was used as a belt while other was used as a tie. She also wore brown boots and she was carrying her always-present locked black book. Her doll, Shanghai, had blonde hair too and wore a black dress with a white apron.

"… Perfect!" exclaimed Eirin breaking the silence with a grin on her face clapping her hands together.

"Uh?"

"Hm?" Alice straightened and looked at the lunarian quizzically.

Couch grumbled something around the lines of "Ghu?"

Looking at the lucky rabbit and then at her patient a little more intentionally, an idea was formed in Eirin's brain. "I bet you can do it too." she said when her mental scheme was finished looking straight to the confused puppeteer's eyes. "Even better if I'm correct."

"E-excuse me?"

"Miss Margatroid, would you mind coming with me to the next room. I need to talk to you in privacy."

Thinking about it briefly, the newcomer saw something in the pharmacist eyes and replied "As you wish."

Still with the same smile on her face, Eirin opened the door of her office and waited for the youkai magician to enter.

"…What?" said Reisen surprised as well from her master's change of behavior not caring about her spacing out torturer. Now that she thought about it all her trip then was a waste of time at the end! Still tired for the pills, that annoyed her a little.

The silver haired shoot a final glance to her stunned apprentice and closed the office's door while saying "If you excuse us, Udonge, Couch."

"…Uh," mumbled the well endowed rabbit as she watched the door for a second.

"Man, of all times to come… right carrot head?" suddenly said Couch looking back at Reisen with an idiotic smile. It was obvious that while she could still do some things, she could miss others like not fully understand what happened. Blame the alcohol.

A small pulsating vein appeared in the lunar rabbit's forehead. "She asked for it," she thought and with an emotionless voice she said "You still don't get it, right?"

"Are?"

Still with that cold voice and with a hard gaze she said "Just forget about being the representing of the casino."

Looking at the drunken rabbit's face as she grasped the situation, Reisen quickly covered her ears wisely and started to count.

3… 2… 1…

Hakurei Shrine.

Reimu went inside her shrine just as Suika left.

She was humming to herself while serving tea. After she finished, she took her cup and went to the veranda of the shrine to enjoy the peacefulness of the day. Now that the oni went to her little trip, there was nothing that would interfere with Reimu's peaceful afternoon. Not even the Fairies living on her tree, that bored Celestial or Yukari could ruin it. They just couldn't.

After sitting down and taking a sip from her drink, the brunette took the still unfolded bag from her sleeve and looked at it deep in though.

"Knowing Marisa, there is probably mushrooms inside… or a blob-like experimental monster that would eat me or something." she said and untied the red tie that secured the bag nonchalantly.

Throwing the string aside, she peeked inside the bag and her eyed widened leaving her with a completely blank stare.

…

Wait.

Wait!

At first she just looked and looked. After some seconds of doing nothing aside of looking, she placed her hand inside the bag to make sure she wasn't dreaming. When she heard the sound of 'clarck' made when the things inside the present clashed with each other she smiled widely. It wasn't an illusion after all.

"Oh yes, oh yes!" yelled the overexcited miko at the top of her lungs lighting her hands up with the small bag in one of them.

Some birds flied from the nearby trees startled by the sudden noise but Reimu didn't pay them attention. She had something more in mind after all…

"I'm rich b****es!"

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places in the story, Team Shanghai Alice is the owner of all. The only thing that is mine is the Houraisan Love Love Bunny Casino.

Hello there~!

It's been quite the while, right? Still I would have like to end this sooner but with school eating my days again and my newfound procrastination it took longer for me end this chapter. Well, better now than never.

Maybe there's no action in this or the last chapter, but they were necessary so I could put some things in order. Next chapter will contain more gambling, I swear.

Hell, I'm having a hard time trying to add some of the Touhou cast in the story nicely as well *cough*Embodimentofscarletdevilormy ouren*cough*...

Anyway, thanks Captain Vulcan! Even if you don't believe it, you helped me to come up with some new ideas for this story. :D

I would appreciate good criticism.

Well... see ya'!