A Lucky Day!

Gambler 1: "Hahaha, it seems I have a bad hand. I'll raise it by 100 dollars."

Bad hand? What a joke! I can see those cards shining bright orange! Did you think I'd fall for your bluff? Your card is black, yours is black, and yours is also black. I guess the only green cards are mine.

Gambler 2: "You guys have no luck this time, you better fold. ALL IN!"

Did he just go all in? Does he really think he can win with such a move? Buddy, even the black cards in your hand look darker than the night.

Gambler 3: "Fold."

Gambler 4: "Fold."

Looks like we have some smart ones among us. Sorry, kids, I won't be stealing your money today.

Gambler1: "This will be my last hand, so might as well play. ALL IN!"

Dealer: "Mr. L?"

L: "ALL IN!"

The cards started to be revealed one by one. Those with black-colored cards clearly had a lousy hand. As for the person with orange cards...

Dealer: "Full House, you must be having a lucky day, sir."

Gambler 1: "Hahaha, really? Maybe."

Gambler 2: "Damn, he's bluffing."

Of course, he was bluffing, you dimwit. Who would reveal they have a bad hand for real?

It was my turn to reveal my cards.

Dealer: "Royal Flush."

Gambler 1: "R-Royal Flush? What are the odds? Ch-cheaters, all of you!"

He continued shouting and pounding on the table, how pathetic. Two burly men came and escorted him away, grabbing him by the arms.

Gambler 1: "You'll pay for this!"

L: "You're the one who'll pay, my friend."

Dealer: "Is this your eighth consecutive win, Mr. L?"

L: "You know what they say, luck favors the bold. I just happen to be a bit lucky, that's all."

It's a lie, all of it. I don't know if I'm lucky or not; I just win easily with the skill I possess.

Dealer: "Is this really luck? I think we need to investigate."

Here we go again, as always.

L: "Hey, folks at the table, you can stay, I've had a good run so far!"

I grabbed the chips I won and headed towards the chip redemption table. The doors were glowing black, pink, red! I had to hurry!

L: "Hello, sweetheart, can you cash these chips for me?"

Staff: "I'll do it right away, please wait a moment."

Come on, come on, come on...

L: "You know what? Forget it, I'll just take some cash from this counter, and the rest can be yours!"

I reached over and scooped up some cash from the counter, then dashed towards the exit. I might have gotten only a fraction of the value of the chips I won, but it was enough to survive for the month. I was running towards the exit, but wait, is the exit glowing red?

When I turned around, I saw the black-clad guards already moving to catch me.

Focus, focus... look around, colors, colors, what do they say?

Two guards entered through the red entrance door, probably the ones guarding the door.

The waitress's foot was orange, a puddle on the floor was red. The waitress would step on the water, and her foot would slip. The bottles in the waitress's hand were orange, and the carpet in front of me was also orange. That meant the bottles would fly from the waitress's hand to here when she slipped...

Two guards were running towards me from the entrance, and the other guards behind me would catch up in a few seconds. The waitress stepped on the puddle, and the bottles flew into the air. I caught one in mid-air and threw it towards the guards coming from the entrance.

One guard dodged by bending down.

Guard 1: "Missed! There's nowhere left to run, Mr. L!"

L: "Is that so?"

The bottle I threw landed among the decorative flames inside the entrance, causing a massive explosion of fire and smoke. The fire suppression system started working, spraying water everywhere, and everyone abandoned gambling, rushing out of the casino in excitement and panic.

Guard 1: "Too crowded, can't reach him!"

Guard 2: "Someone catch that damn guy!"

Everyone's attention was diverted, and I took advantage of the chaos to escape from the casino.

L: "Thanks for the allowance, kids!"

With the chips I won, I could at least afford a nice bowl of ramen. I went to my favorite ramen shop and took my usual seat.

Ramen Chef Kenta: "Hey, isn't this our Lucky again? Same as always?"

Lucky: "Yes, sir, please."

I'm Lucky, although that's not my real name. People call me Lucky because they think I'm incredibly lucky. Am I really lucky? Not exactly. People might think I'm lucky, but I actually have a talent. My whole family were gamblers: my father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on. After my mother gave birth to me, she left my father, who was a gambler, and left me with him. I don't know him because he never came home; he never left the casino.

Lucky: "How about a little game, Mr. Kenta? I'll try to guess a number between 1 and 10. If I get it right, you treat me to a bowl of ramen!"

Ramen Chef Kenta: "Sorry, kid, I won't play that game with you again. How do you always manage to guess the number I'm thinking?"

Ramen Chef Riko: "That's why we call him Lucky, right? Hahaha."

Ramen Chef Kenta: "I guess you're right, sweetheart. Still, I won't play this game again. Finish your meal, and make sure you pay this time!"

Lucky: "Alright, alright, I'll pay."

I started eating my ramen with gusto. Kenta's little son Yuta approached me.

Yuta: "Lucky big brother, can you guess which hand the bug is in? I'm sure you won't find it this time!"

Lucky: "Again with this game? Will you promise not to cry if I find it this time?"

Yuta: "Yuta is all grown up now, Yuta won't cry!"

Yuta showed me both of his hands tightly closed. His right hand was shining black, so the bug must be in his left hand.

Lucky: "I think the bug is in your left hand."

Yuta: "Yes, you got it! How do you always manage to do it?"

Lucky: "Just luck..."

Yuta: "Do you know what kind of bug this is? It's a Hercules Beetle! It can lift up to 900 times its own weight!"

Lucky: "Wow, that's really amazing!"

Ramen Chef Kenta: "Hey, Yuta! Didn't I tell you not to bring those bugs here

? You'll scare off the customers!"

Yuta: "Hahaha, Dad can't catch me! Dad is chubby!"

Ramen Chef Kenta: "You little..."

Lucky: "Hahaha!"

Ramen Chef Kenta: "Is there something funny? Better finish your meal before it gets cold!"

Lucky: "Oh, right!"

I enjoyed my ramen while Bay Kenta started throwing kitchen utensils in my direction.

Lucky: "I should probably go, see you!"

Ramen Chef Kenta: "Hey, that scoundrel didn't pay again, did he? LUCKYYYYY!"

I could hear Bay Kenta's shouts from a few streets away. He really must love me.

Where was I? Oh yes, I was living almost entirely alone, and since my father died, I've truly been living alone. Making money was tough, but thanks to the skill I possessed, I managed to survive somehow. However, today, I went to the last casino in this city that I hadn't visited yet, and I got kicked out. Now that they know my name, they won't accept me either. Initially, I didn't run when I realized they were going to catch me, and when they couldn't find what kind of cheat I used, they beat me up and took my money. Since that day, whenever I realize I'm about to get caught, I run away from the casinos at full speed.

I entered my home and lay down on my bed.

"Ugh, isn't tomorrow the first day of school? A new high school and new friends, huh? Being a new student, I'll probably be the talk of the town, hoping to be quickly forgotten."

Luckily, before my dad passed away, he left me some money for my high school life, but when I covered my education expenses, I was practically penniless. Until now, I've been going to different casinos to make money, using my skill to try to earn as much as possible. What's my skill, you ask? Well, it's a bit complicated.

I see some colors: Black usually indicates that something is missing. For example, if I wonder if someone has something in their hand and they don't, I see a black sparkle, or if I wonder if someone is coming through the door and they aren't, again, I see a black sparkle. Yellow signifies that something is about to happen. Green means safe or yes. For instance, if I wonder if the sun will rise today and look at the sky, I might see a vibrant green glow.

Still, I won't ask about that now because all I want is to sleep peacefully. Red indicates danger. I learned what these colors are for through card games my dad taught me when I was little. After understanding how the colors work, I started winning consistently, and my dad began calling me Lucky. However, these colors don't allow me to see distant future events or answer uncertain questions. For example, if I ask whether this house will collapse in a thousand years, I see no colors, or if I ask if I'll get into college, I'm not even sure where to look.

Over time, I got used to using these colors and even gave them a name: "Lucky Colors!"

What do you think? I think it's pretty cool!

Lucky: "So, it's school, huh? Why do I feel excited about a new school? Maybe this time, I can really make some friends."

I've never been antisocial, but I'm not very good at making friends either. When I talk to people, I can't help but ask questions and see colors. Also, like my whole family, I enjoy gambling, so I like playing small dice games with my friends. But what I enjoy most is winning! I love that amazing feeling when you win, the happiness of winning, people looking at you with pride or envy, the feeling of superiority...

Talking like this might make me sound crazy, but winning is genuinely fantastic, and as long as I keep winning, what's the harm in being a little crazy?

Lucky: "Come on, Luck! Tomorrow is the new year of your last year in high school; you better sleep, or you'll be late in the morning!"

Even though I wasn't really sleepy, I managed to force myself to sleep.

...

So, this is my new school, huh?

Student Girl 1: "Who's that kid? Is he a new student?"

Student Boy 1: "Did he dye his hair white? And what about those bright green lenses? He looks like a freak."

Student Girl 2: "I don't know; I think he looks cool."

It's nice that some find me cool. My white hair and green eyes come from my family; we've had these hair and eye colors for generations. According to my dad, our green eyes come from the Goddess of Luck, Fortuna; her eyes were green and so beautiful that the gods ordered Fortuna to cover them with a cloth because the sparkle in Fortuna's eyes could blind anyone who looked at them. As for our hair, we supposedly got it from the trickster god Loki. Of course, it's obvious that all of this is a lie. After all, how could a child be a descendant of gods from two different cultures? Still, it's a nice story to tell, and if I ever have a child, I'll definitely share it with them.

I walked quickly towards the classroom. The teacher asked me to introduce myself since I was new. I stood in front of the class.

Lucky: "Hello, my name is Archie, but they usually call me Lucky. Nice to meet you all."

Student Boy: "Lucky? Isn't that some kind of dog's name? Hahaha."

The girls seemed to be angry at the boy making fun of my name.

Yuki: "So, your name is Lucky? I'm Yuki; would you like to sit next to me?"

Aiko: "No, sit next to me! Hello, I'm Aiko!"

"No, sit here!"

"No, sit here!"

The girls were already fighting over me. For some reason, all the male students seemed to be looking at me angrily.

Teacher: "Everyone, calm down! Alright, Archie, there's an empty seat next to Hana; you can sit there."

I sat down where the teacher pointed, at the back by the window. The girl I sat next to had jet-black hair and cold, blue eyes; she had a look on her face as if she didn't care about anything. When I sat next to her, she didn't say a word, just glanced at me for a second, then went back to reading her book.

I guess it's better this way. She doesn't even care about me. This way, I won't have to talk to anyone during class, and I didn't expect to attract everyone's hatred on the first day. Why is everyone looking at me? Anyway, it's the first day of school, so let's not let this ruin our mood!

Suddenly, the ground started shaking.

Students: "What's happening!?"

"An earthquake? Is this an earthquake?"

Teacher: "Stay calm! Everyone, take your seats!"

Students: "Hey, look outside!"

Outside? What could be so important to look outside right now?

When I turned my head to the window, I was shocked by what I saw.

Lucky: "Is that a tower?"