Past Regrets, Future Redemption

Rantaro and Ryoma were already playing Roulette. They both looked up, and Rantaro waved. I walked over to them, and let them explain how this unusually-built Roulette table worked. You placed your E-Handbook on a kiosk, and a display showed up, asking how much you want to bet, and where. The display at the front of the machine showed a Roulette table and where everyone bet, and cycled between that person's face and their bet.

There were a variety of bets you could choose, each with different odds for winning, and a list near each kiosk explained the bets and their odds. To summarize, the bets went like this:

1:1 - Odd/Even, Black/Grey, 1-18, 19-36. These bets won you whatever you bet.

2:1 - Rows or Sections. You could bet on the first, second, or third row (there were three rows of 12 numbers on the board), or you could bet on the first, second, or third 12 (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36). These bets won you double your bet, but had a lesser chance of success.

You could also pick a specific number, at a 35:1 payout, though these were nearly impossible to hit.

There may be other ways to bet in Roulette, but those were the ones I remembered offhand.

I looked over the display board. Any winning bets would be displayed here, showing the bettor's face and green numbers displaying how much they won.

0 and 00 were instant losers, no matter how you bet.

Standing back, I watched Rantaro and Ryoma place their bets. Rantaro's face appeared on Odd, Black, and 19-36, while Ryoma bet on the middle row and 13-24.

Rantaro them spin the wheel, counter-clockwise, through the cutout, and released the mechanism for the ball, which spun clockwise. The ball and wheel spun round and round, seemingly forever. Finally, the ball started descending down towards the numbers, dancing around the numbers on the wheel, before finally coming to a stop, the wheel still slowly turning.

The ball landed on 10. A black number, even, on the first row. Ryoma lost everything he bet, while Rantaro lost on his Odd and 19-36 bets, but won on Black.

Monorakun appeared in the doorway. "Enjoying a nice game of Roulette, eh?"

Ryoma turned to face Monorakun. "Why are you in here, bothering us now?"

Monorakun shrugged. "I was actually wondering the same thing, Ryoma."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed. "Are you wondering why you're here with us?"

Monorakun shook his head. "Actually, no. I was wondering why YOU were here, Ryoma. Seriously, of all the people they could've chosen, why did they decide to trap YOU in here? I mean, the only people that ever cared about you are dead now, am I right?"

Ryoma's eyes widened a bit, but his only response was "Not cool". I could tell that struck a nerve with him, but he didn't seem to be the type to show it.

Rantaro responded calmly to Monorakun, "So...is that how you're playing this game, Monorakun?"

Monorakun cocked his head, looking almost cute if it wasn't for his jagged red eye. "Huh? What game?"

Rantaro merely chuckled to himself. "You persistently bring up family trauma as a way to cause emotional harm to the students. I wonder if that's your ploy, to make someone snap and trigger them to kill another, just to escape your taunts and insults."

Monorakun laughed out loud. "Hey, not bad there, Mr. Ultimate Adventurer! Although...how much of an Ultimate Adventurer can you be, if you've lost all of your sisters in the process?" Monorakun paused, then added, "Or perhaps...maybe they're not lost after all. Maybe...you killed them instead, and are using the 'They're Lost' story as a ruse. Hmmmmm..."

Rantaro's face grew serious. "I would never harm my sisters. I will find them all one day, just you wait and see."

Monorakun suddenly glanced down the hallway. "Hmmmm...something else is requiring my attention right now. I'll have to continue this chat later. See ya!" Monorakun waved to the three of us, then walked off.

Ryoma continued to stare off into the distance, so I had Rantaro show me how to play Roulette with my E-Handbook. I put it on a kiosk, and a Roulette table display showed up on the screen after a brief loading screen, along with my 50 Monocoins in the upper right corner. I decided to bet 5 Monocoins on Black, 5 on Odd, and 10 on Third 12 (25-36).

I spun the wheel counter-clockwise, as a mechanism prevented it from spinning clockwise, and released the lever to let the ball spin. I watched the ball spin round and round with Rantaro. Finally, the ball slowed down and started dancing in and out of the slots, bouncing out of 00 at one point before landing on 27, Grey.

Red, Odd, Third Section. I lost my 5 on Black bet, but won 5 on Odd and 20 on my Third 12. So I bet, coming out ahead by 20. I broke even on Black and Odd, but the Third 12 pulled me ahead to 70 Monocoins!

Rantaro smiled. "Hey! Nice betting there, Shishano!"

Ryoma finally came to his senses. "Yeah, way to go there." I felt that Monorakun's words stung Ryoma hard.

"I d not wish to pry, Ryoma, but what was Monorakun talking about earlier? Its words did not make much sense to me."

Ryoma sighed. "I once had a girlfriend and family, but after refusing to lose a fixed match, the mafia murdered them all. What Monorakun said, however harsh, is true. I have no one waiting for me on the outside."

Rantaro looked sad. "I'm sure someone on the outside cares about you, Ryoma. What about your fans from your tennis days?"

Ryoma shook his head. "Those days are far behind me, I'm afraid. I haven't played tennis in a very long time. It reminds me of what I've lost."

Ryoma suddenly started walking off. "I'm gonna head back to my dorm. Don't follow me. Good people like you shouldn't get too close to a murderer like me."

That left me and Rantaro at the Roulette table. Returning my attention to it, I bet 10 Monocoins on Second 12 and the Third Row, and 5 Monocoins on Black. Rantaro chose Black as well, but chose Even and 19-36. I released the lever to let the ball start spinning after Rantaro spun the Roulette wheel. Round and round the ball went, and round and round the wheel went the opposite way. Eventually, the Ball Dance (as I have chosen to call it) commenced, and the ball stopped on 24, Black.

Wow...we won on ALL of our bets! I won 5 Monocoins on Black, and 20 apiece on Second 12 and Third Row, bringing me up from 70 Monocoins to 115 Monocoins.

Curious about his sisters, I decided to ask Rantaro about them. He revealed that on his adventures, he ended up losing all 12 of his sisters at various locations, and that he was determined to find them, once he escaped this place. He insisted he did NOT kill them, as Monorakun accused, and that he would never even consider such a thing. Other than that, he didn't really want to talk about them too much, seeming to want to use Roulette as a distraction for this topic.

We decided to play again, as I was having fun anyway. I went 20 apiece on First 12, Grey, and Odd, feeling frisky from the winning streak. Rantaro went Odd and Second Row. This time, I spun the wheel while Rantaro released the ball. I smiled as the wheel and the ball spun in opposite directions, until they met and the Ball Dance began. Finally, the ball stopped on 7, Grey.

I won on all 3 bets again! I won 20 on Grey and Odd, and 40 on First 12, while Rantaro broke even. I was now up to 195 Monocoins!

Wanting to do one final round, we made our selections. I went Grey, 1-18, Second 12, and Odd. Rantaro went Odd and Second Row, and put a single Monocoin on 15, saying that bet was for the 15 other students he's with.

I spun the wheel. Rantaro released the ball. Round and round they both went. The Ball Dance was spectacular this time, nearly jumping halfway across the wheel, before settling on 23, Grey.

I won on Odd and Grey, but 23 is, naturally, too high to win on my other two bets, causing me to break even. Rantaro, on the other hand, lost his bet on 15, but he won his Odd and Second Row, coming out ahead.

Glancing at the time, it was now 7:15pm. We decided to head to the Dining Hall together, where Rantaro made some Spaghetti Alfredo (we couldn't find the spaghetti sauce), and I baked some garlic bread to go along with them. I am actually a much better baker than I am a cook, as I often bake cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and other snacks for our mourning guests at the funeral home. We put the dishes in the new dishwasher (or, at least, it looked new to us), and sat in the Dining Hall until 8:30, discussing my family and my older brother, Karadano.

Karadano Kantoku is known as the Ultimate Physical Therapist, having gone to (I presume) the REAL Hope's Peak Academy several years ago. He currently works at the local hospital, assisting patients who have had surgeries to regain their strength and mobility. He often joked that if he didn't do his job, then we got to do ours. Karadano is a wisecracker, but respectful when the situation calls for it, and he will do our family proud.

As we left the Dining Hall, Gundham came out of the Boys Restroom and greeted us.

"Hail, Seeker of the Twelve Maidens and the Mistress of Death! The time is nigh for the ritual of cards to begin!"

Rantaro looked at me, confused. Meanwhile, I started piecing his words together. Some kind of card ritual...a game, perhaps...coming soon?

"Are you saying some kind of card game is happening soon, Gundham?" I asked politely.

Gundham laughed. "Yes, indeed! A cunning match of wits, all decided by the fate of the cards. Hold'em, from the land of Texas! There will be 5, and only 5, invited to this battle. Dare you both join us?"

Rantaro shook his head. "I've never been much good at playing cards, but I wouldn't mind to be the dealer, if everyone's ok with that."

Gundham smiled, and two of his hamsters poked their heads out of his scarf. "Hmmmmm...yes. The Four Dark Devas of Destruction give their approval. You shall be the deliverer of our fates. I was actually planning on performing this deed myself, but I shall not deny you."

I spoke up next. "I would love to play Texas Hold'em with you all! I know a wide variety of card games, actually."

Gundham nodded, seemingly pleased. "So we have our Five Companions then. We shall meet at the Game Room at 5pm. Rantaro shall seal our fates with the cards he deals, and may the one fated to victory, seize it! Hahahahaha!" Gundham continued laughing as he strolled off towards his own room.

So, a Texas Hold'em Tournament at 5pm, tomorrow. I had 195 Monocoins, and had no idea how much the others had, or who was even playing, for that matter.

Who would prevail?