Len had come to the most prominent casino in the city, hoping to earn some quick cash for his stay there. For such a prosperous and busy place, the daily expenses did not come cheap —food, transportation, hotel bills, they could add up into many zeroes.
Nonetheless, entering the casino symbolized a retrograde step from the new life he was trying to lead. He had broken his pledge to avoid one whenever he could.
He couldn't. That was the problem.
The casino was almost the same as the others: the familiar division between well-dressed crowds and those with their casual Sunday clothes, dealers in formal suits, a roof that hung above him like a cavernous dome, carpeted floor littered with cigarette butts. It played a familiar melody of dinging slot machines, the clacking of chips and dices and the garrulous chatter of people throwing down money.
Len had a habit of putting whatever intrigued him into lyrics, composing his amusement into some form of a poem or song.
The city swirls with desire, activity, and bargaining
Veterans seek out work, success, dreams, and hope
In the casino where bartenders, dealers, and gamblers gather
"Let's bet everything you hold dear"
Voicing outs his final thoughts, Len mocked: "What a petty romanticization of this place."
Amid all the fanciness, it was only an elaborate setup, a snare for many delusional adults who hoped to hit it big however small the chance of a positive outcome may be.
He would not be one of them. A few games and he would be off, Len promised himself.
"Hello." His old friend, Rin, approached him with a sing-song voice.
Len grinned at her, holding his hands out with an open casualness. "Hey, I came as promised. Where's my reward?"
"Do you mean dinner?" Rin shook her head disapprovingly. "Play a round with me first. If you win, I will do anything you want."
Anything I want? Rin had given the suggestion half-jokingly; perhaps it was only an empty promise or a figure of speech—one cannot judge with so little to base on for that's what people call overthinking. But don't these regular chit-chats reveal most of what a person thinks?
"You are bad at keeping promises. I say we have dinner first," said Len.
"Aw, come on. Won't you do what the lady wants?"
"Well, you'll do anything if I win?"
"Sure. If you can," Rin said haughtily, confirming what that was once a seemingly pointless remark.
Len celebrated the early success but he knew not to be too optimistic. The winning part was never that easy. Len knew Rin, she had the biggest cheat in the world—her eidetic memory. For this reason, she favoured card games because most games of this variety could make use of her ability.
Requesting other games for her to play seemed impossible even for Len. Either with her ingenious evasion or manipulation, she would send him back to the starting point of the bargaining. Besides, playing a game in which there were no involvement of cards didn't count as a game with Rin; the idea had been rooted in Len's mind after he had first discovered the challenging fun of a hard-earned victory against her.
"So, so, what do you want to play?" asked Rin while joining him as a spectator at the Blackjack table. "This?"
"You think I would do something that suicidal? I know this is your best game, old friend." Len flashed Rin his charming smile to negotiate for a game in which he had a chance.
Rin could not disregard his request for he knew that she too loved challenges.
Only that he could find a game with the exact condition: a card game which Rin would be bad at. Making the right choice was a crucial aspect for victory.
"Why not?" Rin's protested rhetorically.
"Tsk, tsk, we are playing a more exciting game tonight. Something you have not played for a long time."
"Alright, amuse me. We will do it your way." Rin finally agreed after a long and thoughtful pause.
"Say, is that pretty dealer your friend?" Len referred to GUMI, for he had noticed her association with Rin; both girls had been chatting affably before Rin saw him.
"Yes. Why?"
"The more the merrier. We are inviting her over to our exciting game. Let's see if the lady would mind."
"Perhaps." Rin gave Len a long, curious stare, as if she could make out something by looking at him. "What are we playing?"
"Casino War."
Rin's displeasure was instant, puffing her cheeks into a pout even though she was too old for it. "You must be kidding me. That's like the easiest game in the casino. For beginners."
"You said that you would do it my way."
Seeing that the persuasion didn't work, Len drooped his eyelids, parting his lips into a knowing smile and put his index finger conspiratorially to his lips, leaving an overall contemplative impression. His tone was thoughtful and solemn. "Don't belittle the simplicity of the game."
Rin huffed as her final protest, though she couldn't resist laughing at his faked seriousness. "You're right. The game does have a nostalgic feel to it. Not bad at all."
Len was happy to see her agreeable smile, and now, it was just up to him to entertain her. This had always been their relationship: Rin having a perpetual hunger for undiscovered enjoyment and Len being the innovative cook who prepared the dishes that would satisfy her.
Rin's initial introduction to card games had been because of Len. Except, he was surprised that the girl would hold her interest of it for so long—and even make money out of it— as Rin was a fickle person who could quickly lose interest in even the most engrossing hobbies.
"So, you're back," GUMI stated while resting her head on the table lazily. "With a man." GUMI's laughter was shared with none but herself. "Nice to meet ya, good looking. GUMI at your service."
"Len. Nice to meet you too."
"Bit too formal, yes?" GUMI voiced out her analysis, spying on Rin out of the corner of her eye for any annoyance.
"Please, don't pollute him with your bad manners," retorted Rin.
"Okay, okay. I acknowledge that he's yours. I won't mess with him until you announce otherwise."
"Miss GUMI. Do you mind joining us for a li'l bit?" Len asked the dealer, interrupting the building animosity between the two women.
GUMI measured Len's request and said: "You mean that you are inviting me to your game or something?"
"Yes. If you can come."
"I don't understand. But I guess…" GUMI left her post with a gaily stride, happy to slack off once in a while.
"Are you even allowed to leave?" asked Rin.
"Probably not."
"You're in trouble, missy."
The casino is here to entertain, why not give the guests what they want? Be honoured that I give you this special privilege."
"Thank you." Rin's tone was a mixture of gratitude and humour.
"Don't mention it. So what are we playing?"
"Casino War."
"Sounds simple. I hate doing the thinking. The odds are either this or that."
"When did you last play the game?"
"Three years ago, as dealer."
"When you first worked here?"
"I'm surprised you remember."
"Duh. I can't forget the day when I actually made a friend."
GUMI was touched by the reply and gave Rin a smile reserved only for these special occasions. "Loner."
"Says who?" Then Rin turned to Len who was leading their way. "Do you know where the table for Casino War is?"
"This way please, miladies." Len urged the two women over to a corner where two tables stood for the specific game. One table was occupied while the other was empty. The dealer, an auburn-haired female, was watching them with an open curiosity, wondering whether they would be her next customers or not
Rin looked at Len admiringly. "Wow, that's a quick discovery. You know that the arrangement here is not very orthodox. The owner placed the tables in an inconvenient way. A table game here, a machine there. He insists to keep the customers fairly surprised. Typical."
"I had arrived early but you were busy with your game. So, I was checking out this place in the meantime." Without an apparent pause, Len voiced his curiosity. "You sound like you know the owner well. Why?"
"He's my uncle and I kinda own this place."
"I see why they tolerate your…incessant victories." Len laughed at his own joke, musing at Rin's pout. She was too old for it, but was there an age limit for being cute?
"Hey, I did lose once or twice."
"For show?"
"My, my. You have been undeniably rude tonight."
"Don't be upset."
GUMI, feeling left out from their exclusive conversation, had gone over to say hello to Meiko, the dealer—her fellow worker, drinking buddy, and distant cousin—and gave the prepared excuse of why she was slacking off.
"How I wish I could be as inconsiderate as you. No, no. I am too old for that. You know, once you understand the concept of obligations, they will shackle you to your duties." Meiko gave GUMI an accusing look which one reserved for lecturing their younger relatives.
"You have no right to use the word 'inconsiderate' if you consider how you act when you are drunk. Just—" But then, GUMI's companions had cut in before she could finish her retort.
"Hmm. I'm surprised to see there's a space open. The table is fairly popular you know. Always flocked with newcomers." After finishing voicing her observations, Rin started their game by tossing down a wad of hundred dollar bills. Len fumbled in reach of his share, same with GUMI. Rin grinned at them teasingly. "You need to come prepared when playing with me."
Meiko took in their cash and with a professional swiftness, readied their cards and her own in a matter of seconds. Flipping them over, Rin had won the first round with the highest valued card.
"Let's see who will make the biggest earning tonight. He or she'll be our winner," declared Len while feeling the cards he hid in his sleeve, searching for those which matched the pattern of the deck Meiko was using. This casino had a shrewd preference to a few different decks to make it harder for a cheater like Len.
Victory would be tough to acquire. Circling the tables and collecting the cards had increased his chances of being caught but they were necessary preparations. Though, despite the fuss, swapping cards would be Len's last resort. He would first attempt to use his uncanny abilities to calculate the odds, thus securing the right choices. Besides, it would be a challenge to swap the card in this game without Meiko noticing. (He hoped that bringing GUMI here would be more of a distraction to her and Rin than another pair of eyes on his tricks.)
"It's a tie," announced Meiko whose cards had the same value as GUMI's.
"No war. I'm not too stupid to defy the odds" It was a rational choice; if GUMI had wanted to continue, she would have to add to her bet which would amount to the same sum of her original. As they say: you bet $5 and get a tie. You put up another $5. If you win, you win $5, but if you lose, you lose $10.
"Bet again?" asked Meiko.
Meiko did not seem to know her cards well: the outcome of the game so far indicated no cheating on her part. They were all winning and losing the same.
Unless that was intentional.
Without losing focus on the rapid game, Len's recalled the patchwork of his observation on the outcomes. Though his memory would never be as good as Rin's, he was sure that he utilized it better than her, who had an infatuation with just memorising the backs of cards rather than putting them to a better use. It was a pity and almost childish of her to put so much importance in the practice.
Yes, adding it all up, the cards were slightly favourable for Meiko. In other words, she was winning, albeit slowly. He knew some dealers of her type who invented various ingenious ways to delude the players into thinking that they had lost in a fair play. Was she one such person?
Dealing out another set of cards, it was Len's turn to receive the luck of getting a tie. Meiko smiled at him and said: "Another tie, my dear boy. Go to war?"
"Shit. What's with your cards?" mumbled an unhappy GUMI.
Her complaint rang distantly in Len's mind. He was calculating the possibilities. Bet or not bet? There were only two answers given the simplicity of the game. But simplest was actually the hardest.
Concentrating, Len summed up their wins and losses, hoping to deduce a pattern in Meiko's ploy. And he could see it: the right answers, the correct moments to cheat, the ideal path to victory.