The journey unfolded smoothly, devoid of any complications. Rui didn't leave the room where Naomi was lying, constantly watching over her and devising a plan for revenge against the unknown man. Even the doctor could sense his hatred and resentment. She thought to herself that his emotions would be extremely dangerous, but she decided not to act on that fact. It wasn't her problem. Orine, Daichi, and Hiro decided to take a walk around the ship, and when they had explored every corner, they returned to their quarters and started playing cards, which the bespectacled one pulled out from the inner pocket of his jacket. Suguna, to stretch her legs, decided to check on her passengers, so she went to the quarters.
- Oh, you're playing cards. Can I join? - she asked, looking at the three young men sitting around a small table.
- Sure, the more the merrier - Hiro replied, checking his cards.
The curious doctor approached, observing the game.
- Poker? Will come handy - she remarked, nodding her head.
- How so? - the bewildered boy didn't understand what she meant. They were just playing poker for fun and to pass the time.
- Sometimes, to get something done, all you need is to arrange a poker game, drink, smoke, or do it all at once. Negotiations aren't about fancy banquet halls, elegant language, and substance, but manipulation combined with drugs... at least in the reality we live in - she replied sarcastically, recalling her own experiences.
- I comprehend your message, however, is it indeed confirmed that the audiences have been completely eradicated? - asked intrigued Daichi, laying down fourth card on the table.
- Of course, there's still room for them, but it'll be years before you experience them.
- Years... - the low boy repeated with dismay.
He understood that his journey would be long, but the possibility of spending many years, even decades, searching for his sister and brother caused him immense stress and a feeling of terror.
Seeing the man's reaction, the doctor shook her head, then glanced at Orine. The girl didn't say a word, but she understood the implication behind her aunt's gaze.
- "If only you made it easier for me. I have to handle three people on my own, knowing almost nothing. A week is too short a time to mentally prepare them for such a torment... What a viper" - she thought, lowering her gaze to her cards. She knew the woman was baiting her, but she couldn't leave her gesture without a comment, even if it was only in her head.
The blue-eyed one tried her best to help her friends with preparations, but she knew that no matter how hard she tried, no one could be prepared in such a short time for the start with the main land. She was the only one in the group with even a small understanding of what the journey to these parts entails. In the meantime, the game reached its climax.
- Orine, show your cards - the chairman said calmly.
- Oh, I got lost in thought, sorry - she replied, revealing her hand. The rush of thoughts made her forget about the game.
Suguna whistled upon seeing the cards. The blonde had a straight, Hiro only had a pair of eights, while the chairman stood out with a flush. The doctor was most interested in the chairman. He reminded her of someone she knew very well.
- Let's spice up the fun - she declared, energetically extending her right hand forward.
The golden lines began to form the shape of a table. After a minute, before the assembled individuals, a genuine poker table with a chair and a silver briefcase appeared. Suguna opened the item, revealing a complete set of chips.
- You're welcome - she added, taking a seat.
The table was round, made of beech wood, covered in green cloth with designated spots for chips and cards.
The Elegant gathered the cards from the table, and then the acquaintances grabbed their chairs, settling around the doctor. Suguna sat across from Daichi, Hiro to the right of Suguna, and Orine to her left. When the bespectacled one wanted to start dealing the cards, the woman stopped him.
- We'll play with my cards - she announced firmly.
- They're not marked? - Orine asked, casting a skeptical glance at her aunt, sensing deceit.
- You can check them, please - she replied, extending her hand with the cards towards the girl.
She took the entire deck and carefully examined it. However, she found no clues indicating the woman's deception.
- Shall we begin? - she confidently inquired, knowing her deck contained no marked cards.
- Yes - disappointed by the failed attempt to prove fraud, the girl handed the cards back to the doctor.
Suguna shuffled the cards and glanced at the blue-eyed one. As she was the dealer in this round, Orine, the player to the left of the doctor, placed a small blind with a white chip, and Daichi followed with a big blind using a red chip. The mysterious woman dealt two cards face down to each player. The chairman, checking his own, noticed he had received a jack of hearts and a two of clubs.
- "It could be better. I'll play it safe... this game is just a pretext" - he thought.
The chairman's goal was not to win the game but to extract as much information as possible from the doctor. He noticed that Orine was too agitated to approach the subject rationally, so during the tour of the boat, he devised a plan of action that would allow him to gather more information.
The curly-haired youth looked at his "hand" and saw a jack of spades and a ten of hearts.
- Check - he announced. He had little knowledge of poker but enjoyed spending time with his friends.
- Seems boring, you all are young, yet you're playing like geezers. Let's liven it up a bit... I raise by 100 - the doctor commented smiling, hoping for an exciting game.
- I call - he replied shortly, matching the bet.
Orine drew an ace of diamonds and a four of clubs. Daichi and Hiro also decided to check. Once again, it was the blue-eyed one's turn, who checked once more.
- To add some flavour to our conversation, may I inquire as to the purpose of your visit to this island? I raise - he increased the current bet by 225. He decided to start from the beginning.
The intrigued woman looked closely at the boy. She was pleased that the chairman was trying to obtain additional information, she had hoped for such a reaction when proposing the game together.
- Call - Hiro said.
Suguna and Orine also decided to call.
The doctor took the deck and placed three cards on the table. With just one move, she revealed all the community cards: a seven of hearts, a queen of hearts, and a two of clubs.
- I wanted to visit my sweet niece - she replied evasively, testing the tall man. She thought she would see how cunning the violet-eyed one was.
It wasn't her true reason for visiting, a fact even the chairman was aware of. Orine once again cast a disdainful glance at her aunt, unable to tolerate her banter any longer.
- You could invite her to Kyushu. We've never been to the mainland, and such a trip would surely appeal to her - he suggested, knowing that the girl probably wouldn't be eager to spend time with her aunt. The charming man intended to expose her deceit.
- Appeal to her? Look at her, as if she would toss me to the sea monsters if she could - she replied. The woman's response aligned with the boy's expectations, but before he struck, he wanted to rule out the doctor's malice.
- So, is your sole purpose for being here simply to agitate her?
- Not necessarily. If I wanted to annoy her, a few phone calls would suffice.
- "The perfect moment to strike" - the charming boy thought.
- Therefore, there's no reason for your presence here - he concluded.
- Your deduction is correct, but I came here to train Reiki with Orine - she immediately replied, then looked at her niece. - Your turn...
- Check.
- Check - the bespectacled one repeated.
Hiro glanced at his cards once more.
- "Daichi surely has a plan. I won't pry, and any information will be useful. I wouldn't be able to learn anything more from Suguna... Jack, ten, queen, all hearts, maybe I can pull a flush? - he pondered. A flush was the only poker hand, besides pairs and three-of-a-kinds, he knew. - Check - he added in a light tone, hoping for luck to favor him.
- In that case, why didn't you join us in training?
- I signed up to train my niece. I don't want to teach three novices from scratch.
- So you didn't accomplish your goal?
- I taught her a thing or two - she glanced at the blonde, winking.
- You taught me? I can't deny, the spell was useful, but knowing your tricks, everything was planned - Orine declared, annoyed, wanting to change the subject away from her.
Initially, she deliberately concealed the usage of spell, the anomaly associated with Hiro's meditation was a mystery to her. Not wanting to worry others, she hid the truth, but it was irrelevant now. She knew the chairman wouldn't want to interrogate her about it now, and the spell itself wasn't that interesting anyway, a mere charm siphoning off excess Reiki, too slow to be used for defense or offense. The blonde knew Suguna wouldn't reveal her motive for anything. From her perspective, discussing this event would be a waste of time.
The short boy was indifferent to the new fact, he figured if Orine hid the meeting between her and her aunt, she did so for a good reason. Knowing that family matters were incredibly sensitive for her, he didn't interfere.
- "Spell? We knew nothing about it, but I can't play on two fronts. I need to focus only on Dr. Suguna" - the chairman considered discussing the matter with the blue-eyed one as well but decided to put that topic aside. His goal was to interrogate Suguna, not Orine.
- You can't deny that I've taught you something. I could have done much more, but the situation has changed, and I merely adjusted to the new conditions - the woman replied without hesitation.
Orine glanced at the Elegant out of the corner of her eye. He slightly shook his head in disagreement. The girl sighed.
- I don't have the energy to argue about this, continue - she declared. Despite her apparent dissatisfaction, she was glad her topic was concluded.
- Did you arrive on the island on this submarine? - he asked another question.
- Yes - she replied shortly. Even if she denied the bespectacled one's words, the answer itself was obvious.
- Let me ask you now. Why did you bring a wooden box with you? Orine should have informed you that luggage is unnecessary. I raise by 250 - she declared, deciding to counterattack. She didn't want to be on the defensive all the time, and conversing with the charming man brought her pleasure.
- Check - Orine said.
- The content of this box is essential - he tried to evade answering, feeling they were deviating from the main topic.
- Essential? What could be in there? - she continued, determined not to relent.
- A family heirloom - he replied shortly, trying to end the discussion.
- Will you show it?
Daichi didn't plan to have a discussion about the sword, but after a moment, he sensed an opportunity in the doctor's interest. The chairman placed the wooden box on the table, reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a key, and then opened the item.
- Well, well, what do we have here? A nice rapier, but it lacks a blade.
- It's a specific weapon - he replied vaguely, not wanting to reveal the answer right away.
- "Oh my, you want to intrigue me even more... I'm sure he thinks we'll exchange more information at this moment... I'm starting to like him more... It's just a pity, I can clearly sense the energy coming from the weapon... you still need to learn a bit more" - she thought, admiring the Elegant, but his strategy was too obvious. It lacked cunning.
- Your rapier emits Reiki. I think that's how you activate the blade - she said, tilting her head slightly to the right. - May I hold it?
- "Emitting energy? I didn't know a rapier emits Reiki even when at rest. I could have asked Orine for an opinion" - he said to himself, knowing he had lost this exchange of words. Suguna was no longer interested in the item, she had discovered its properties.
- You said it was a family heirloom. Did you receive it from your father? - she asked a question, but she guessed the answer. She did it only to show Daichi that he had not prepared well enough for this conversation.
- Yes, check - he replied shortly. He had nothing more to add. He could argue that he could have received the weapon from his mother, but he knew it would be a waste of time. The doctor had read the bespectacled one perfectly. He confirmed his defeat by not raising the stakes further.
- Check - Hiro replied, seeming to think only about poker, isolating himself from the inner game between the Golden-eyed one and the Bespectacled man.
Suguna reached for the next card, revealing the king of hearts. The short boy, seeing the fourth card, felt relieved. He was only one card short of a flush. His enthusiasm was sensed by the woman in the lab coat, who glanced at the boy's expression out of the corner of her eye.
- "I let myself get thrown off balance, I equalized the stakes, and none of the cards fit my hand" - thought the blue-eyed one, realizing the mistake made due to her agitation. - I fold - she announced firmly, knowing that further play was pointless.
- So quickly? You don't have the soul of a gambler - commented the woman in response to her niece's fold. She hoped the girl would engage in verbal sparring again.
- I know when to retreat - she replied, pushing the cards aside.
- "That's why you lead them" - she thought, looking at her own cards: the eight and seven of hearts.
- Let's move on to another matter. What is the current situation in Kyushu? I raise by 100 - reconciled that his first attempt to extract information from the woman had failed, he decided to move on to the next question.
- I raise by 300 - said the green-eyed one. Having four cards of the same suit boosted his confidence. Sensing an opportunity, he decided to break the cycle of checking.
- Things are heating up. Finally, something's happening - she replied, pleased. She liked it when the stakes rose rapidly. - As for the political situation, Tamaki holds the presidency. To an unfamiliar person, the system may seem democratic, but if you look deeper, power depends on the size of the "donations". I raise by 400.
- Such governance is highly unstable. Are you confident that we will encounter this region in the same condition as when you departed?
- Kyushu has always been an unstable region. Since the war, it has experienced four uprisings, riots are commonplace, but despite Tamaki's soft rule, the region has not experienced any internal conflicts for seven years.
- Check - said Hiro. - "Last card, if it's the ace of hearts, I have a flush."
The young man was becoming increasingly excited.
- Understood. In that case, I would like to ask about the documents needed to cross the border. When will we receive them?
YOU ARE READING
Monotsuki
Action[TWICE A MONTH SERIALIZATION] LIST OF SAGAS AND ARCS: Miyagi Island: - Aftermath of The Storm arc: 1 - 11. Kyushu saga - Cemetry of Idea: - Kumamoto Invasion arc: 12 - ? Year 2000, 25 years after the civil war. The day has shortened to four hours, a...
