Contestants (before battle)

<This isn't good. We've reached the top floor, but we don't have nearly enough Wishpower…>

Ah~ Don'tcha worry about that. 'Cuz it's finally time to reveal what I've been itching to share.

I actually pinched a little Wishpower back at the pawnshop. It's not a lot, but it should be just enough, right?

Rodya flashed us a wish sticker sheet with only a corner of it left.

Why'd you wait until the last minute to tell us?

Like you said, gambling is all about keeping a poker face. Wouldn't want one of us to slip up and complicate things.

Dante~ Mind if I borrow your boss role for a sec?

I nodded, seeing as I wasn't really being much of a leader anyway.

Even if I were committed to my role, given how things crashed and burned under my lead... it would only be right for me to forfeit it and bend my knees in atonement.

... Had it been just a few hours ago, I would've been vehemently against this. But now...

Good thinking. I've never lost once in anything where money was involved.

Alright…

Here comes the contestant~

Wait, I'm not the last? Aw man, I wanted to be fashionably late.

And you are…?

Name's Rodion. I'm here to gamble for the basement access rights.

Pfft... Hahaha!

So much for finally meeting the infamous "Wishpower Whisker" of the Tingtang Gang in person. You've got a lot of nerve for a nobody, sauntering in here like you own the place.

What, this your first day or something~? Haven'tcha been playing this game long enough to know it's not about who plays, but who wins?

Well, you got me there. I suppose getting this far's a qualification on its own.

A pleasure. I'm Aida.

And this is…

Golly, my back's hurtin'.

… That a robot? No, a prosthetic body…?

What're ya lookin' at me for? Never seen a full-body prosthetic before?

Isn't your model… a bit antiquated? You look like somebody plucked you right out of a museum.

Old is gold, as they say. Patched it up a few times, and now it's sturdier than most new ones.

Why's that boy so comfy with bein' tardy, anyhow? Arrogant brat thinks he can show up late to serious business, eh?

Pardon me. I had an urgent matter.

?!

Are you having a bad case of main character syndrome or something, Sonya? Are you really so hungry for attention that even our annoyance feeds your ego?

Haha, it's not like that. If anything, I thought you were always the "main character," Aida.

……

It's been a while, Rodya.

What's up? You two know each other?

Let's say that she's a... friend from back home. Isn't that right, Rodya?

So, are you… still leading the Yurodiviye, then?

Hmm. "Still?" You're saying that as if we've disbanded or something... You were the only one who dropped us.

Now now, that's enough catching-up. Since we have all the players, let's go over the rules again.

The four bidders for the casino are all here: Sonya, Aida, the Tieqiu boss, and... the Tingtang Gangleader's... suspicious yet shameless representative.

We'll be playing a straight game tonight - no cheats, no sleights of hand allowed. Anyone catches you in the act, you're out.

It should go without saying that anything involving Wishpower is, likewise, forbidden.

Ooh, when I catch ya cheatin', you're goin' right on the chopping block! I'll mess ya up good!

……

We'll play three games in total, and the one with the most chips wins. Simple enough?

The winner will get to take the elevator to the underground section where the Golden Bough is.

Yes, that same Golden Bough that the former owner of this casino so desperately wanted to claim, going so far as to dig a whole tunnel system under this property to find it.

Too bad they suddenly passed away for reasons unknown, but that allowed us lucky four to win the joint bid on this establishment.

… What an elegant way to put that they died under shady circumstances.

Haha, oh Rodya. I see you haven't lost your sarcastic wit.

… Shut it. How do you guys all know about the Golden Bough, anyway? Didn't think it was such an open secret.

Any Syndicate worth its name has caught wind of the stories. Those about the Golden Bough buried down here… and the riches and fame it'll bring to the owner.

That so? Seems someone has gained an interest in fame and fortune, huh? I think I remember how you always used to preach to us to steer clear of such things, Sonya.

The Golden Bough can be used to achieve things far greater than the accumulation of capital, Rodya. I have never strayed from my purpose: to destroy the system of oppression and exploitation, to keep a watchful eye on the unequal distribution of wealth…

Yeesh, Sonya's 'boutta begin lecturin' again. Someone kick away that soapbox under 'im.

My apologies. It reminded me of the old times.

It's funny how I always used to discourage your obsession with gambling and riches.

Yet here we are, sitting around the same gambling table, hiding our hands of cards from each other in this game with our goals on the line.

So, what is your goal?

… To win.

… Of course.