I Should...Probably Deal With The Person Who Just Entered First

The Wish-Interface hovered, waiting. After a little thinking, I selected the word "Peak". It was perfect. We said it all the time. And soon, I’d be fucking Valerie Wonder. That was the definition of peak.

Valerie turned to me right on cue, leaning back in her chair. “So, did you see the new Clash Royale update? It’s kinda trash, right?”

“Absolute garbage,” I agreed, glad for the easy conversation. “Level 16 - who the flying fuck thought of that bullshit? Also, they nerfed the good cards and buffed the ones nobody uses. Remember when Mega Knight could jump across the whole damn map?”

“The C.H.A.O.S modifier was actually fun though,” she said, eyes lighting up. “The random modifiers make every match feel different. Last night I had a game where—”

I saw my opening. I reached over and lightly punched her shoulder, grinning.

“Yeah, that modifier is straight up peak.”

The effect was instant. Valerie’s words cut off mid-sentence. Her bright eyes went glassy and blank, her whole body going still as the hypnotic trance took hold. She sat there, staring straight ahead, completely checked out.

Finally.

But before I could even start giving commands, footsteps came down the stairs. Kaze appeared, looking satisfied as hell.

“I won,” she announced proudly, then paused, staring at Valerie’s blank face. “Uh… what’s going on? Valerie? You okay?”

Shit. Shit shit shit.

Internal panic hit me like a truck. But right then, the Wish-Interface flickered again.

Ability: Hypnotic Touch Level 2

Please select command word for Kaze Fujiwara.

I had to think fast. “She just dozed off a little,” I said, forcing a casual grin. “Poker Night’s been long. We should splash some water on her face to wake her up.”

Kaze’s confusion shifted into a mischievous grin. “Oh, that’s evil. I’m in.”

She turned toward the kitchen sink. Perfect. I stood up quickly, stepped behind her, and grabbed her shoulder, while mentally selecting the first word that came to my mind as her command word.

“Arigato.”

Trust me, I'm not racist.

Kaze froze. Her eyes went blank instantly, that satisfied little smile fading into empty obedience. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Listen carefully, Kaze. Forget everything you saw since you walked down the stairs. Valerie wasn’t zoned out. Nothing weird happened. Got it?”

She gave a tiny nod.

I took a second to really look at her. I never really caught on before, but Kaze was hot as fuck — slim but curvy Asian beauty with surprisingly huge tits straining against her shirt. The kind of body that made you want to bend her over the poker table.

In the spirit of the night, I decided to have a little fun.

“From now on, whenever I make a bet with you during Poker Night — or any game really — you’ll always accept the challenge. If you lose, you’ll pay up without hesitation. You’ll see all forfeits as a bit embarrassing but totally normal. Understand?”

Another small nod.

“Oh, and one more thing. You can’t actually win any of the bets we make. Something will always happen to make you lose. For example, you’ll get scared and fold even with an amazing hand. Got it?”

Another nod.

“Good. Go sit back down at the table.”

She obeyed, moving like a puppet back to her chair.

I turned toward Valerie, ready to start programming my crush, when I heard it — a toilet flushing upstairs, followed by a loud door slam and raised voices. Sai and Michael were arguing again, and they were heading down.

Fuck. No time.

I quickly grabbed both girls’ shoulders.

“Peak,” I whispered to Valerie.

“Arigato,” I said to Kaze.

Both of them blinked, awareness flooding back. Valerie shook her head slightly, looking normal again. Kaze stretched like nothing had happened.

Seconds later, Sai and Michael came stomping down the stairs, still bickering.

“You slammed the door so loud the fucking U.S. government probably heard!” Sai complained.

Michael pointed at Kaze. “This one cheated! She pushed me!”

“You're just too slow.” Kaze said innocently, now fully back to her usual self.

Sai sighed, rubbing his temples. “Whatever. Everyone shut up. Let’s get back to the game.”

He started shuffling the cards again as we all settled in.

My heart was still racing, but relief ran through me as well. While I missed my shot with Valerie tonight, I now had Kaze in the palm of my hand. Technically, I still made a net profit.

Besides, the night was still young. I was excited to see how the rest of Poker Night would play out.