Hosting

Lilith smiled while shaking somewhat nervously, gesturing towards Brian.

"J-Jack! I found Asmodeus and brought him over to you!"

Jessica had a particularly bad expression on her face after seeing Lilith again. After all, the only interaction that they had with one another wasn't exactly the most pleasant one.

Jack clapped a few times.

"Thank you so much! I was waiting to see you again, Brian!"

Brian let out a chuckle and waved back at him.

"It's been a bit, hasn't it? Your progress is quite fast. In truth, I was a bit confused by this strange woman trying to find me. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was you who sent her, haha. It looks like you have even more new friends than just her, though."

He specifically looked at both Kenji and Lily one after another.

Mia frowned slightly, noticing that. At the same time, Jessica stepped up, feeling understandably guarded.

"Hold on there! I don't know who you people are but don't think you can take advantage of him. He's with us!"

Lily tilted her head to the side in confusion, though quickly lost interest, instead fumbling around with her bag to double-check she still had the eye within her possession. Lilith was particularly on edge, fumbling with her words slightly.

"I-I would never do something like that! It's j-just that I want to help! Yes... yes, I want to help... Is there anything you need me to do, Jack?"

Jack put a finger on the bottom of his lip, thinking for a brief moment.

"Mm... not right now. Just work on yourself for now! If I do have something, then I will come look for you."

Lilith appeared aghast, as though her purpose in life had been invalidated.

"B-But I just want to help you! Is there really nothing I could do in order to s-stay with you?"

Jack puffed up his cheeks slightly.

"Maybe, but I think it's better for you to take care of yourself! Don't you need to eat and sleep? You look pretty tired."

Lilith was stunned for a moment before she hurriedly nodded.

"A-Ah, yes... alright. Goodbye."

A blush had formed on her cheeks before she hurried on to the apartments. Jessica had a complicated expression on her face but didn't say anything. After Lilith had left, Mia slowly spoke up.

"...When exactly did you guys meet?"

Jack raised both hands into the air.

"For my first promotion mission! It was a really fun blackjack game, hehe."

Jessica's eyes widened slightly.

"Ah! That's the same way we met, Mia. I wonder why we didn't see him though..."

Mia turned to look at Jessica for a brief moment before returning her attention to Brian. She furrowed her brows slightly while making direct eye contact.

"Were you... the host?"

Brian's smile widened slightly.

"Hahaha, looks like we have a smart cookie. Why yes, I was indeed the host for Jack's promotion mission. I must say, he was quite the generous one, handing me several of his 2's. Although I have already repaid him for that favor, I still wish to work with him."

Hearing that, Jessica had calmed down significantly. However, Mia was still eyeing him suspiciously. She seemed to trust him even less after saying that, though there was also a sense of fear. As for Jack, he wasn't thinking too deeply about it.

"Oh! What do you want to do? Is it a fun game?"

Brian took a step closer, speaking in a voice that was ever so slightly softer.

"It is actually related to the earlier topic. I wish for you to be my assistant host for a game. There are requirements around hosting certain games that require an assistant, especially the more important ones. However, having an assistant that you don't work well with is far worse than not having one at all, so I've been putting it off for now. But I've felt for a while now that you would be the perfect fit."

Jack's eyes lit up as he jumped up and down.

"Ooh! That sounds like so much fun, I'll do it!"

Lily had been quiet for a while, though it was from shock. She was looking at Brian with confused eyes for quite a bit before nervously speaking up.

"Wait, that's a host? I've... never seen one before."

Jessica tilted her head to the side.

"Eh? Can we not be hosts for whatever reason?"

Brian promptly answered her question.

"You can become one, but it generally isn't easy to do so. It requires you to be officially recognized by winning at some of the games out there in a certain way. While you don't necessarily have to leave the city to find those, it is more common once you've traveled past the city."

Mia recalled Lily's words about the dangers of going too far out. Although she already had the impression, it became much clearer that Brian was someone she did not want to get on the bad side of.

"I see, thank you for the explanation."

Brian nodded cordially.

"Of course, it's not as though any of this is a secret anyway. Anyway, when would you be available to be an assistant host? I imagine that you must be quite hungry after your journey back, so there is no rush."

Jack tilted his head to the side and giggled.

"I'm not hungry at all, I already ate!"

Lily flinched after hearing that, though nobody seemed to notice. Brian held out one hand.

"Then if there is nothing else, would you come with me to prepare? If it were something less restricting, then I would be comfortable with everyone joining. But for this, there is no purpose for you all to waste your time sticking along."

Jack nodded a few times before turning around.

"Ok! I'll see all of you guys soon, ok? Tell me about everything that happens and I'll do the same!"

Lily was particularly reluctant, but the rest of them ended up leaving to do their own thing. As for Brian, he brought Jack over to the apartments. Though instead of going towards one of the rooms at ground level, he took out a black card and pressed it against the side of a wall, which seemed rather innocuous.

However, a beeping sound came from it as the walls themselves parted to reveal a needlessly large elevator.

There were a few bystanders who were particularly interested, some of whom rushed over towards the elevator, only to suddenly hit an invisible wall. Jack curiously stepped in and wasn't obstructed. When he looked over at Brian, he answered him.

"People can only enter this elevator if they have the proper card or if they have permission from someone who owns the card. And only those with cards can own one of the highest quality rooms they provide. It isn't particularly difficult for someone with a card to procure another, though it will take time. So if you want one in the future, I can get one for you. Just keep in mind there is a cost of a 7 each week."

Jack put his hands on his cheeks.

"Oh! That would be nice."

The elevator closed and just a second later, it opened, revealing the interior of a massive mansion. There was a large pool in the distance and several pieces of art that were strange, even by the standards of what could be considered art.

Brian didn't give a tour. Other than walking over to pour a cup of tea at a bar that was apparently there and handed one to him. Jack eyed it curiously, feeling the steam caress his face. He took a sip, which made him smack his lips a few times.

"Wow, it tastes pretty good!"

Brian chuckled before taking a sip himself.

"Yes, it should also give a small boost to your abilities for a few days if you finish the cup."

He sat down on one of the bar stools.

"Anyway, I will explain to you the basics of hosting a game, since this is still uncharted territory for you. Once we enter the instance, you will be privy to all of the fine print. The highest priority is to follow all of the hard rules. The consequences of breaking them are higher than for losing that game. As you might've seen from the game we played before, you are allowed to break some soft rules, so long as the players involved don't get caught."

His smile widened ever so slightly.

"The standard way to acquire benefits as a host includes receiving tips and when the players involved use the cards from their playing deck. It is somewhat inconsistent, but you also get a commission of cards for those. The main way that a host can acquire the most benefits involves the players losing a few of their body parts. It is essentially a commission fee that comes from The House of Cards. However, there is a limit to how much can be obtained this way, making it pointless to kill off the entire cast of players."

He then just barely opened one of his eyes, his pupil just barely peeking through.

"But of course, if you wish to try that, we can arrange that outcome."