Battler finishes with Natsuhi and moves on after round one.

Still clapping his hand over his mouth, Battler spoke through it with a muffled voice. "Aunt Natsuhi... By 'the true form of the dance,' you mean in a coconut bra and a grass skirt, right? Are you... wearing those under your clothes?"

A look of shock crossed Natsuhi's face. She stood frozen still for a moment as she tried to decide what to say. "Um... y-yes, Battler. Do you... want to pay to see that?" His aunt asked the question with an awkward, reddened smile on her face. She was clearly trying and failing to make that sound less humiliating now that he'd come right out and said it. Since she wasn't crossing her arms in front of her chest any longer, it was not hard to look at the strange shape beneath her blouse and figure Battler's guess was on the money.

Battler looked Natsuhi in the eyes for a moment, staring, as if unsure how to delicately answer her question. He slowly shook his head. "No, thanks, uh... Th-that's a lot of money... for that, Aunt Natsuhi. B-but your dance was really good! You should be proud of it."

"Um... Yes," she responded simply, collecting her money in a stack. "So, Battler, there's a blindfold under the cushion there. You're supposed to wear it for round two. Do you need me to tie that for you, or...?"

"I'm good. Thanks."

"Ah. I see. Well, thank you for your time, Battler. And, if I may say, as your aunt, I'd advise you to be a bit smarter with your money in the future. You paid quite a ridiculous sum to see my silly dance. If Rudolf and Kyrie knew, they'd probably cry-"

Battler's eyes were hidden, but he had a wry smile below his blindfold. He wasn't saying anything, but his expression clearly questioned why he was being lectured for poor judgment by a woman wearing a hula girl outfit beneath her stately Victorian dress.

Natsuhi picked up on it, then cleared her throat. She had a look of real concern when she spoke again. "Please... try to use good sense in this next game you're faced with, as well. I have a feeling that the one who planned it... does not have your best interests in mind. Please don't end up doing something you'll regret."

"Don't worry about me, Aunt Natsuhi! If I can't even see the hula dance she's doing, why would I end up paying for it? Ihihi!"

"And obviously you are not to mention this to a single soul!" Natsuhi immediately raised her voice in response to his joke. "Not your family, or your cousins, nor your friends at school! Understand?"

"Yeah..." Battler was resting his head on his fist, clamming up. As I watched Natsuhi leave with her huge stack, wondering if she truly appreciated how much money she'd just earned for embarrassing herself a little, I couldn't help but wonder if this was really the final mood for the final game...

Well, in the end, Eva is both a little more ambitious and, frankly, a little more sensual than Natsuhi. She can probably pull it off...