30: An authentic Casino experience (Not really)

"Woooo, so this is how a casino looks? I have to say that it is rather fancy looking. So, how do we enter here? Do we need a fake ID? A bribe? A threat?"

"Nothing like that. We just need to walk up to the door and ask to be let in nicely. Here, have a look at how I do it."

Amane pouted at being denied so curtly. She had been looking forward to having an authentic casino experience in that one movie she saw. It had looked so exciting.

But there Lady Faridha had to go and ruin all her fun by telling Amane the truth. So apparently, Amane could not have nice things.

"Stop laughing at me Sakura. I can hear your muffled laughter."

"I am not laughing at you, Yoko. I would never dare to and you know it."

Despite Sakura's denial, her laugh could be heard by Amane. And not only Sakura, but even Lady Ely had also let out a small chuckle.

"Laugh at my misery all you want. But man, how boring is it to be just let in like that."

Even though Amane stated that she knew their group would be denied entry. Lady Faridha had approached the bouncer at the Casino entrance and handed him a card.

But that was not all she did.

It was subtle but there was a hint of magic in the air. Lady Faridha was using illusion magic to ease their way into the casino.

"Hey, what are you waiting around for? Let's hurry up and enter."

Lady Faridha seemed a little out of breath when she called their group over. Sakura and Lady Ely shared an amused look but did not question the absurdity of the situation.

'So they did not notice the charm illusion being used. I wonder if that is a family specialty.'

Amane shook her head as she walked toward the door as well. Now that she saw the bouncer clearly, there was a hint of gloss in his eyes.

An expert could tell that the bouncer had been out under some sort of magic.

"Nie trick you got up your sleeve but you should be careful while using it."

Lady Faridha looked startled at Amane's sudden words. Something like suspicion passed through her eyes before it was suppressed by lady Faridha.

'Ah, so she is still underestimating Yoko. how fortunate for me.' Amane's last thoughts were said rather scantily but they also held a hint of truth.

Amane was able to get away with such crude remarks because she was being underestimated as an easy target. It was something that Lady Faridha would regret soon.

"Just go in. I will enter in a second."

Amane nodded before entering the room. But instead of following deeper, she quickly side-stepped to not be seen from the door and waited around.

She wanted to know what Lady Faridha wanted to do out here.

"Ah, I fell asleep? H-Huh! L-Lady Sah? I was not aware you were coming here today. Y-Your father-"

"Banned me from gambling in the family casino since I play unfairly. I know but I'm not here today because of me. I am here because I have some big fish with me today. Just tell the handlers to leave the green-haired girl alone but the other two are free to fish."

'Ah, I knew she didn't have good intentions for inviting me here.'

Amane had her doubts about Lady Faridha and they turned out to be true. Lady Faridha did want to scam Amane and Sakura out of their money.

'Now then, I should let her have a taste of her own medicine.'

Amane quickly moved away from her position before Lady Faridha came and followed her in. she did not want to be caught eavesdropping on this.

Besides, Amane still needed Lady Faridha to underestimate her. That way, it would be easier to take care of her later.

'But first I should find Sakura and let her know about the plan.'

Amane hurried over to her cousin. Sakura looked interested in a few tables but she had enough self-control to not walk over to them.

"Sakura, you can bet at any table you want to. But keep an eye on the handler and quit as soon as you think you are in trouble. It's alright to lose some money but don't lose any more than you won."

"I know. So you did make us step into a trap after all. And here I was thinking why you wanted to come here."

It was a testament to Sakura's adjustment abilities that she did not even flinch at Amane's words. She likely suspected why Amane had wanted to come here.

"Well, what can I say? I like to take risks but I don't like losing. Even now I am gambling a deal by doing this. Let's just hope this doesn't blow all over our faces."

Amane wasn't worried about things blowing over. The worst that could happen was them getting banned from this place.

A high-profile place like this casino won't make an open enemy with the Tsurugi house. Especially not when there was news of them being affiliated with Lady Suzuki.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to play around? Lady Ely already started her round."

Speaking of the devil, Lady Faridha made her way toward the pair as well. Sakura's shoulders tensed under Amane's hand but Amane quickly draped herself all over Sakura to hide her reaction.

"Ah, I was just thinking about what I should start with. There are too many good choices for me to choose from."

"I see. Well, since you are both beginners, how about you try some card games? I am sure you have played them with your family before."

The confidence in Faridha's voice amused Amane a lot. The way Faridha was sure that everyone played games with family was amazing.

But then again, for someone in her family's line of business playing cards and other games must be a training thing.

"As if every-"

"Show us the way then. I am excited to see what will happen next."

Amane stopped Sakura from saying anything. She did not want to ruin the fun she was about to have.

"I see. In that case, you should join Lady Ely at her table. I am sure she would appreciate some company. I will also lend you the initial sum but anything other than this will have to come out of your pockets."

'Ah, here comes the bait. I wonder how much will this casino let me get away with winning before they try to swipe it all in one go.'

Amane was excited about being scammed. It had been a long time since someone had tried to do this. And this casino was a professional in doing this as well.

Sakura followed after Amane wordlessly. Her face looked as uncomfortable as lady Ely's at that moment.

There were two casino employees at the table which made it a total of 4 players and one dealer. Lady Faridha was choosing to keep herself neutral.

The dealer looked at Amane and Sakura once they sat down before his eyes widened just a little bit once he saw behind Amane.

'Recognised Lady Faridha, did he? So now comes the real deal.'

The game of poker started soon after that. Both Lady Ely and Sakura were bad at it. Lady Ely was a given but Sakura was a pleasant surprise.

But then again, Sakura could not control her facial expressions easily. Her face gave away a lot about her mood and hand.

As for Amane, she played the first few rounds how the Casino and Lady Faridha expected her to. She fumbled her way around a little but her cards were genuinely decent enough to win.

'My luck in games vs my luck in life are opposites. As long as it's not a gamble about my life I will win.'

This was a bitter truth Amane had realized quite early in life.

But Amane could not count 'luck' as the only factor that was helping her out. There was also the fact that Lady Faridha was actively using her illusion to change their cards which complicated the situation.

It was somewhere in the middle of the sixth round when Amane felt something shift. It was a feeling of danger that said that Amane should quit now.

Sakura was already in a neutral state and so was Lady Ely. Amane was the only one who had a significant amount of earnings in her corner.

"Should we start the next round now? How much would you like to bet?"

There was a sweet smile on the server's face. The gentle tone was a trap to lure the players into a scene of safety.

"I would like to quit now. I've had enough for today and I'm tired. We should head back home now, right Sakura?"

"Of course. We have a budget meeting tonight to take care of."

Sakura's acceptance came easily when Amane asked for it. Even Lady Ely seemed ready to leave this place.

The only ones who looked uncomfortable were the Casino player and the server. They both had complicated looks on their faces.

"B-But you are winning! S-Surely you people want to keep your streak going."

"Lady Yoko, you are doing so well right now. Won't it be better to try and get a big hand in one go? Come on, you should bet larger money on the next game and make it your last. You can go out in one big go."

Both the Casino employee and the server tried to get Amane to play more. Their words seemed to be swaying Ely a little.

"Maybe you should play another match, Lady Yoko-"

"Nah, I am done for now. You see, I don't take losing bets, nor do I have a habit of getting scammed outright. I said I am done so I am done."

Amane stood up from her seat and turned toward a startled Lady Faridha.

"After all, money is a precious resource we should be careful with, right Lady Faridha?"

"Ah, yes. Of course, you are right Lady Tsurugi. You should head home if you feel like it now."

'Ohhh, look at her seething. I wonder how much further I can push her?'

Amane gave a lazy smile toward Lady Faridha. The younger was losing a lot of money by letting Amane walk out of here like this.

But she likely had no other choice but to let Amane do that.

"I had fun today Lady Faridha but I hope I never come here again. After all, I am not in a habit of getting scammed outright. Oh, and be more careful next time with whom you target. Who knows, you might be the one getting scammed instead."

Amane dragged Lady Ely out of the Casino and Sakura followed with a polite farewell.

The bouncer looked startled to see the three students exiting the Casino since he could not recall them entering. But then his eyes fell on Lady Faridha and her scary smile which caused him to quiet down.

"Lady Ely, you should call your driver and wait in a cafe for a while. I called our driver and he is here to pick us up arleady. We should get going now."

Amane did want to wait for Lady Ely's escort but it was better to head home now. She had neglected work by coming here.

And since the cafe was brimming with life, Amane felt secure to leave Lady Ely alone there.

"Alright. See you later."

Lady Ely's face had a flush and her eyes were shy as well. It was a cute picture over-all but not one Amane had the time to admire right now.

Sakura was quite this whole time but she finally broke her silence once she was alone with Amane.

"You sure caused a mess back then. Are you sure it will be alright for you to make an enemy in your class?"

"Awww, are you worried about me? It's too late for that since I made a lot of enemies today. But as for Lady Faridha, I don't think she'll be our enemy. Didn't you see her back there? Lady Faridha-"

...….

"-is smiling. I don't think I've seen her smile like this ever. I feel scared for some reason."

The server of the table shivered as she faced those glaring eyes. But Lady Faridha did not say anything else.

She just hummed an interested tone, her head deep in through.