Here
we are, the next chapter of ASA. Kinda short with half the usual word
count ^^;; Hope you'll understand. I've been having a hard time
trying to find enough time to write all these.
Anyways
Nice reading!
apple
street agency episode 5 part 2: Nanatsuyoru
Both Shirou and Saber felt the pressure literally hanging all around them as they made their way into the heavily cramped elevator, the poker tournament has just ended and the bell signaling the start of fight night has just been triggered on the boxing ring. Many have begun to scatter to make their way into the show. The escalator was of course heavily populated with swarms of poker addicts and boxing enthusiasts alike; the elevator it seemed was no different.
As the elevator made its way down to the lobby, Shirou and Saber kept gasping for their breath, unable to find adequate space among the tight congregation of tall-fat americans. Well, of course there are many white populations in the world but Tall-fat was usually a stereotype tag assigned to your average North Americans so the phrase did seemed to suit their choice of words and Japanese were by default, anti American.
"Following your luck has never been the best course of action huh, Shirou?"
Said Saber, as she struggled to keep the asses out of her face. Her expression was evident with annoyance as hinted by her apparent frowns.
"Well, you saw the escalator right? It would've taken us at least a quarter of an hour to reach the lobby."
"The Emergency Exit?"
Saber, pushing away bodies with her arms replied while maintaining her expressions. To her reply, Shirou simply scratched his head and made a big sigh. Moments later, the door to the elevator opened and the swarm of people immediately rushed outside both Shirou and Saber almost lost their footing in the process but miraculously they managed to get out without a scratch.
"at least we reached the lobby in the nick of time."
Shirou made a big thumbs up to which Saber ignored. True, Saber has never really liked the notion of being amongst the crowds, but this apathetic demeanor of hers wasn't actually the result of that claustrophobic experience in the elevator.
It was more about that girl, the extravagant poker player clad in pink, called jean. There was that certain aura about her that seemed to set her apart from your average citizen. The stoic eyes, the cool, calm demeanor that seemed out of this world. Saber knew that expression, the sort of expression that battle hardened warriors carried with them. That was the exact same lieu that she felt from her. Before her indirect contact with Jean she had no recollection of ever recognizing such face in various poker programs and what-not. Rin had always known her proficiency with luck so she was often called out to watch silly poker programs and yet she never recalled seeing any character with her…uniqueness. Yet here, the moment she exchanged sights with her, a faint memory seemed to build up within her. She wasn't really there but there she was, in memory. The memory seemed unclear yet familiar to her. It somehow felt as if she had been…charmed.
"Shirou, that poker girl. You do remember seeing her somewhere on TV right?"
Shirou tilted his head and folded his arms across his chest. Then after a moment of contemplation Shirou replied back as if it wasn't a very big deal
"Of course, three consecutive world poker tournament champion, Jean Ciel Manson. Why do you ask? I mean, she's famous you know."
Saber's eyes narrowed, forming a narrow crease around her brows. The claim was too extravagant for her to swallow. Three consecutive world poker tournaments champion. She tried to recall it all But as she sank into deeper thoughts, the more the things seemed to blur. The truth seemed within her grasp but at the same time, her mind was going astray, hovering above the answer yet never reaching a conclusion.
"Hm? Is there something wrong Saber?"
Saber composed herself as her master's husband's words took her back from her world. The question never really left her head but she decided to let things go for this moment.
"No…nothing…by the way, her eyes. They looked charming didn't they?"
"Yeah, felt like an ocean was hitting me…only it kinda lacked something important for some reason."
To this Saber nodded in agreement. A fleeting moment of silence engulfed them afterwards, but it wasn't long before Shirou opened his mouth and let out a speech
"Anyway, we still have our 200 buck to spend, Want to try some slots?"
Saber shrugged. She was never really fond of doing whatever this Casino had to offer but there was no reason to reject Shirou's offer as well.
Shirou knew the implication of the stoic expression that Saber was projecting on her face; he's lived with her that much to understand details to such extent. He knew Saber didn't like it here. And he needed to find a method to remedy her uneasiness, fast. And what better is there than a game at the slots?
"Okay, I'll see that as an agreement. Don't worry about it too much, you'll like it."
Making a small grin, Shirou grabbed Saber's hands and lead her down the red carpet, and towards the Slotting area.
***
The slotting area was as grand as any other gambling areas littered around Riviera, even bigger in hindsight. There were hundreds of well decorated slotting machines dotting the massive gambling compound. Almost each and every single machine was occupied with tourists savoring the chance to strike it rich and big. However, despite the high hopes of the poor souls who keep helping themselves into pulling the golden lever, winning has never been a word that could be attributed to slots.
People will definitely lose more than they can win, and unlike card games the odds were never reversible. But the temptation of earning thousands of dollar worth of prizes with a single dime and dollars has always managed to attract many fools to venture into this world. Many of them come out with nothing, and most come out of the seat empty handed but somehow, somewhere, very rarely, one does come out with the big grand dollar prize in his or her grasp. But it's that rarity that pulls greed in and grants easy money to the casinos.
Shirou of course knew that going about the slots was not a very good strategy to start with. But of course, what more can they lose from a mere 200 dollars? For the newbies like Shirou and Saber playing slots was the most feasible (or perhaps the only) option among everything the Casino could offer.
"Are these what you call slots Shirou?"
"yeah, Slots, it's like playing an arcade game. Only more lucrative"
Saber took a cursory look over the metallic frames of the slotting machine and the plastic screen. Beyond that is a monitor that generates tens of millions of possible pixel perfect combinations. Unlike the many slot machines of the eighties and nineties everything was computerized, all down to the buttons and the levers.
Of course, Saber instinctively knew that this so called machine was impervious to luck. When it came to slots it was all down to the machine and not the hands of the player himself. You pull the lever and the machine does all the work for you. Talking about luck in the face of such odds was pointless from the start.
"I'm not sure if this is a very good idea at all…"
Saber turned to Shirou and made a voice of concern. However Shirou shrugged off Saber's worries with a single leisurely smile.
"Nah, we'll be fine. Besides, Rin will fetch the money for us. Let's just have fun right now."
Saber twisted her lips and gave some thought to Shirou's choice of words and nodded in compliance. If the reason for playing slots didn't involve striking it rich, rather than attaining a mental satisfaction then what else could they lose?
"Well then Saber, why don't you choose the machine for us? It's your game after all."
Both Saber and Shirou began strolling around the slotting compound the moment Shirou uttered those words. Shirou followed closely behind as Saber slowly skimmed through the slots. Before long, Saber stopped her steps and stopped by a mundane looking slot machine. Aside from it being in the far end of the line of slots everything about it seemed normal, just a plain old money sucking slot. Except for the slight difference in the rust of the lever.
"Hmm, high stakes slots huh? Up to five dollar bet"
"By the way, I
don't know how this thing works."
Saber's curious eyes met
Shirou's excited gaze, he of course, was more than happy to
oblige.
"Alright, let me show you."
Shirou opened the chip box and pulled out one five dollar chip from it and inserted it on the slot. Soon, all the generic repetitive animations on the screen was immediately replaced by three pixel perfect three spinning reels with three identical symbols. Saber watched in amazement as she fixated her eyes at the luminescent screen.
"The minimum bet for this machine, Saber, Is one dollar you can always bet up to five dollar if you want, but only if your gut feeling tells you to do it."
"Gut feeling eh? I'm not too sure about that."
That word smacked Shirou's unprepared mind like a palm on the face. But of course, a man can never live forever with bad luck can he? Purposely dodging Saber's remark, Shirou pressed the red button on the tray and slowly reached his hand out to the lever as the wheels started rolling.
All that he felt that moment was nothing but calmness, not the confidence of a winner but more like that of a hermit who has long forgot his worldly desires. That's right; he never really expected to get something out of it. His gut feeling told him to use that five dollar chip, too bad his gut feeling has never been reliable at all these recent years. today it wasn't supposed to be different…or was it?
As the reels slowly rolled, Shirou and Saber calmly waited for the symbols to line up. Within the first ten seconds, A 7 symbol appeared on the first wheel. Then five seconds later the next wheel stopped, revealing a big 7symbol on the screen. Shirou's senses began to light up as the second symbol appeared on the screen. He could hardly believe his eyes, a triple seven is the second highest possible winning combination, second to a triple thirteen.
Saber of course, knew that fact as well leaving her as tense as Shirou felt. The next five second seemed longer than it seemed, the result of the last combination began to reveal itself as the last wheel began to slow down. Then, after a few more rotations, the wheel stopped, revealing a triple seven and the word JACKPOT on the monitor. There it was triple seven, the magical combination.
Both Saber and Shirou stopped where they were, dumbstruck and agape, as the dimes and nickels kept filling the bucket. Countless strings of clinks and clangs reverberated through the complex, attracting the problem gamblers around the slots. Shirou swallowed every single spit he could find in his mouth and drew them inside his throat. His whole body was shaking beyond control and his heart was beating unusually fast. He actually won, and he actually won it big.
"Shirou…
uh, I think this bucket won't hold enough of those."
True, the
coins kept flushing down the bucket for almost a minute now and it
was starting to overflow and in danger of spilling out. Shirou
slapped his cheek and turned to his spoils. Shirou shook his head,
unsure as to what he should do.
***
"Here's
another bucket for you if you like."
Shirou turned to the source
of the voice. There, not two feet away from him was a waiter like
figure clad in a butler's cloth and a pair of thick round glasses.
His eyes were cobalt blue with a tinge of black in it. His overall
facial complexion was Asian, Japanese to be precise. And his short
jet black hair added an extra calm look about him that seemed to
remind Shirou of himself. The man offered a new money bucket to
Saber, to which Saber replied with a short word of thanks.
"Oh, thank you we needed one of those. Mr, umm…"
"Shiki, Tohno Shiki, miss…"
"Penny, Penny Arthur. It's very rare to see Japanese working here. Any particular reason?"
Giving a false alias to the fine looking Japanese, Saber eagerly returned his inquiry as she replaced the now already full bucket with the new one. Shirou silently observed their conversation as he waited for the new bucket to fill, albeit with a hint of interest in the Japanese man.
"Oh, how should I put it…? I travel around the world collecting rare items, treasures if you will."
With a chuckle, the man answered, to whichSaber clasped her hands with enthusiasm.
"Oh, a treasure hunter! But how did you end up in here? I mean, America is not very famous for noble…I mean, treasures."
The man made a small grin, and instead of talking the man reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out an exquisite looking antique with a "Nanatsuyoru" Sign engraved on its hilt. He gently grabbed Saber's wrist and placed it neatly on Saber's silky white palm and folded her fingers to hold the knife. Saber was inexplicably taken by surprise by the man's actions, which was seemingly evident in Saber's slightly flushed cheeks.
However Shirou's reaction to that was something different, the knife somehow gave a different story to the man's seemingly harmless outlook, a sudden sense of danger tingled in his head. But he wasn't too sure whether to believe his gut feeling or not, so he patiently waited as the man went on.
"Well of course, miss penny. However, treasure doesn't necessarily have to carry myths and legends to be worth something. As long it holds purpose and meaning, even a rusty and worn out knife like this one can always remain an irreplaceable treasure to the ones who possess it."
Saber carefully examined the wooden switch knife, tracing the sleek contours of the nixed family dagger. As Saber's finger went through what looked like a round protrusion, a blade suddenly slid above the hilt, making a slight gash wound on Saber's index finger.
"Ouch."
Saber dropped the antique knife on the ground, surprised and awestruck. It wasn't the pain that so much caused her to wince. It was something else entirely.
"Oh my, it seems I haven't locked the blades in yet. I am so sorry miss penny; let me fix that wound up for you."
The man immediately grabbed a plaster from his pocket and applied it to Saber's finger in a snap. It took Saber a while to realize what was going on. Saber held her finger up to her eyes and kept her gaze on the plaster as if she' was seeing something out of this world.
A small prop behind from Shirou took her back from the world of her own. Tucked in between both his arms were buckets, each full with coins from the slotting machine. Saber knew the sign, she had to go.
"Umm, it's okay Shiki…san, I should apologize for dropping that dagger of yours."
Saber lowered her body to grab the switch blade when both the man and Shirou's hands converged at the dagger. Shirou raised his head and fixed his eyes at Shiki, whom simply tilted his head sideways with a grin; IT all looked cynical to the eyes of Shirou but at the same time looked something that was extremely harmless as well. He wasn't able to differentiate whether all of it were just facades or pure honesty.
"Is there anything wrong Mr…?"
Ignoring that, Shirou stood on his feet, letting the waiter take his own thing and moved on to the counter. Saber pointed her head back and forth at the waiter several times before making a sigh and deciding to stay a bit longer. There were some questions in her head, things that needed to be solved; she stayed behind, tailing the waiter who silently went off to do his work. Before long, Saber caught up with the man.
Saber gave a small pat on the man's shoulder and walked side to side with him. Shiki rolled his head to the woman who was following right beside him, somewhat confused by her presence. Before long, the blonde woman began.
"So…What was your name again?"
End apple street agency episode 5 part 2: Nanatsuyoru
The gang Splits up, what awaits each of them? Find out in the next chapter of ASA!
