A maze of lights and luck.

As he stepped through the revolving glass door, Shuichi found himself in an entrance hall with similar architecture to the exterior: large stone pillars and archways, intricate chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, and an impeccably shiny marble floor. Approaching the front desk, he was greeted by a rather attractive man with slicked-back black hair and pale skin, likely in his early thirties, wearing a traditional butler outfit.

“Um, would you mind pointing me in the direction of the nearest ATM?” Shuichi inquired politely.

The well-dressed man replied, “Oh, I am terribly sorry sir, but this resort features no ATMs anywhere on the premises. If you wish to obtain paper money, I’m afraid you will need to play a few rounds here. Simply use your debit card here or at any service counter to exchange some yen for our in-house electronic currency. When you’re ready to collect your winnings, we would be happy to provide them in cash if you so desire.”

He reached under the desk to pull out a card reader, and presented it to the office worker.

“There’s no other way for me to get cash out here? Seriously?” The receptionist shook his head politely, eliciting a sigh from Shuichi. “Of course… they must have kept ATMs out just to get people like me to lose money here. Bet they even had this be the bus’s last stop on purpose too.”

Sighing again, Shuichi pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text message to Maki and Mukuro; “Sorry, something came up after work, don’t think I can make it to the workout tonight.”

Without waiting for a response, he pulled out his debit card and inserted it into the machine, which beeped several times and asked him to enter his signature. The process completed and Shuichi’s card returned to his wallet, the butler reached to his side as another machine printed out a casino card for him, stamped with his name and the casino’s logo.

“Thank you so much for choosing to play with us today,” the staff member said as he handed Shuichi the card. “Remember, you have to play at least ten games before you can cash out that card, and if you leave without redeeming it the card becomes worthless. Enjoy your stay, and may lady luck smile on you tonight.”

Shuichi nodded silently in thanks before heading to the nearby bagcheck to store his briefcase - he didn’t plan on staying there long, but he still didn’t want to keep dragging it around regardless. With that done, he ventured to the set of huge wooden double doors near the back of the entryway, and entered the main gambling hall.

If the outside of the building was like looking at a small sun, the inside was like being in a supernova explosion. Rapidly flashing lights as far as the eye could see, the clamor of people far and near - whooping and hollering in triumph or moaning in defeat - as well as the rattling of tokens and a multitude of electronic and mechanical sounds from the sea of machines and game tables. The acrid smell of tobacco smoke lingered in the air faintly, just strong enough to be noticeable but not bothersome. Shuichi stood there in awe of his surroundings for a while, before the comings and goings of patrons around him brought him back to reality. With uncertain footsteps, he stepped onto the floor.

There were a plethora of different options for Shuichi to choose from, but he swiftly reminded himself that he wasn’t there to try and win; he just needed to play ten times and that was it. With that in mind, he decided to sit down at what he figured would be the cheapest and simplest option in the casino: the slot machines. However, when he found an open machine, it was immediately apparent that his stereotypical notion did not match what he was dealing with. A bright computerized display with colorful shapes and symbols he didn’t understand, five reels instead of the traditional three, and an entire panel on the machine dedicated exclusively to explaining the various combos and bonuses that could be racked up.

“W-when exactly did gambling get so complicated…?” He wondered aloud as he sat on a velvet cushion.

Nevertheless, he inserted his casino card into the machine, bet a hundred yen, and pulled the lever. Music blared from the speakers, and the reels began to spin like mad.

One by one, they came to a stop, five symbols lined up in a row. A short jingle played, and after consulting the table, he determined he’d gotten a small win, doubling his money. He tried again, this time not earning a win, but simply breaking even. Undeterred, he bet two hundred yen. Another small win, and four hundred yen added to his card.

“Okay, seems like it’s not so bad!” He looked around, observing some of the other nearby patrons on their machines. They did not seem to be having the same luck, losing money or breaking even more often than not. There was one man who seemed to be doing fairly well: a rather short fellow with a dark jacket and beanie with two spikes on it. The stranger had a cool and collected aura about him, and he operated the machine with rather impressive speed, his other hand holding a lit cigarette, which he took a drag from on occasion. He was not winning consistently, but certainly keeping a positive trend overall.

Soon, Shuichi had spun for the tenth time, but his goal of just getting cash for the bus ride home had long fallen out of his mind. Instead, he just kept pulling the slot machine lever again and again, racking up more money as the other patrons and staff who noticed looked on in amazement.

Meanwhile, three floors above Shuichi, a woman with short black hair relaxed in a large marble bathtub, surrounded by a decadent bathroom. A thick layer of bubbles covered the water’s surface, hiding everything below her neckline and arms. The lights were turned low, a warm fragrance wafting through the air from various scented candles, and soft classical music filled the space with relaxing notes and an element of class. Humming along quietly to the music, she sipped a mimosa out of a pure crystalline glass. A quiet beep emanated from an intercom located within arm’s reach. The woman set down her drink and pulled her body slightly farther out of the bath, the suds clinging to her modest chest. Expressionless, she pressed a button on the console.

“You may speak,” she spoke, her voice laced in a smooth, European accent.

“Duchess, if I may, you ought to hear about this.” A gruff voice squawked over the intercom.

“I do believe that I asked not to be disturbed, yes?” Her quiet but firm female voice pierced the silence. “I presume this is something important?”

“Yes, madam. Reports from the first floor about a newcomer: a man with an unbroken win streak on the slots. We’ve never seen anything like it before.” The intercom replied. “We just got the thing checked the other day, too, so we know it’s not broken. It’s completely unnatural!”

The woman took another sip from her drink and pressed the button on the speaker again. “Keep an eye on him. You know what to do if you catch him in the act.”

“As you wish, duchess.”

“My, my… another lucky customer,” she mused to herself, releasing her finger from the intercom and settling back down in her bath. “If he’s a cheater, he’s not a very good one; blowing all his ‘good luck’ right out of the gate, and on low-bet slots no less. One does wonder what these fools are thinking sometimes…”

Satisfied that his own luck was at least as solid as that of the short man nearby, Shuichi began to place larger bets, and soon he managed to win enough money to equal a full week’s worth of pay. He might have stayed there all night playing with that machine, but eventually a few of the other gamblers began asking if they could use his ‘lucky machine’ and he finally decided to take a closer look at the other games that they had.

As he walked around and perused the different tables, he started to notice that a small majority of the staff all had very similar features as the man he’d interacted with at the front desk: fair-skinned, prim and proper attire, and very attractive; they were almost like clones. They also had an extremely subservient attitude towards all of the paying customers: offering to shine their shoes, delivering them free drinks, and providing them shoulder massages. It unnerved him slightly, but he assumed it was some strange part of the European inspiration that he just didn’t understand.

While traversing deeper into the casino-resort, the various restaurants they had to serve the guests caught his eye. A far cry from the strictly-European inspiration of the building itself, the dishes ranged from traditional food like steamed rice, freshly-cooked takoyaki, and made-to-order sushi, all the way up to high-class French cuisine: steaks, escargot, and various other foods that Shuichi couldn’t hope to identify. His stomach growled from the faint smells of the delicious meals, reminding him he still hadn’t eaten dinner yet. However, glancing into the French restaurant, he noticed that the posted menus didn’t have prices listed anywhere, which gave him a sinking feeling. “For the sake of my wallet, I should stick to something modest instead,” he told himself.

After consuming a delicious, but reasonably-priced, plate of sashimi, the next place he visited was the blackjack tables. Of all the people at his table, one of them seemed rather scary: a tall, well-built man with dark sunglasses, a bespoke gray suit, and carrying a large metal briefcase.

Shuichi at first assumed he was a businessman, but he seemed to exude a slight aura of danger and hostility, so he chose to sit at the opposite end of the blackjack table. Similar to the slots, he inexplicably was dealt winning hands almost every time, while the intimidating gentleman seemed to lose each time he won - and each time he lost, the tighter he seemed to clench his teeth. Eventually Shuichi was so intimidated by the man that Shuichi decided he might throw a round or two just to make him feel better, but his hopes of going bust were dashed when he was somehow dealt three blackjacks in a row.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?! ” the man in the suit cried out, a slight regional accent in his voice. He turned and glared at Shuichi, but only for a moment, before returning his focus on the dealer. “I’m bleeding cash while Mr. Salaryman over there is winning almost every round! This shit is fucking rigged! What’s the big idea? You think that just ‘cuz your casino is the biggest game in town, you can scam me outta all my hard-earned money? Think again! ”

He slammed his fist down on the table, scattering cards and chips. He stood up, knocking his chair over and stepping around the table, encroaching on the dealer. Before they could say anything, the thuggish man threw a punch. Shuichi closed his eyes, dreading what was about to happen.

A loud smack rang out amongst the clamor, which momentarily quieted down as people paused and looked towards the source of the disturbance.

“Wha–?” The thuggish man’s voice cried out.

Shuichi cautiously opened one eye and saw, much to his shock, that the card dealer had deftly caught the man’s fist in mid-punch, a pleasant smile still on his face.

“Now sir, you should be aware that violent outbursts like this are forbidden. I do not wish to cut your visit short, but if you do not calm yourself, I will be **** to contact security. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself by being thrown out over a simple game of cards, would you?”

The frustrated man stammered, even more shocked than Shuichi at the staff member’s dexterity and unwavering demeanor. “H-how did… what kind of…”

The dealer respectfully released the thug’s hand, and escorted him back to his chair, righting things and cleaning up the messed-up table. “Why don’t you take a break, sir? Help yourself to a complimentary beverage at the refreshments area.”

“Uhhh, y-yeah, sure. I’ll do that.” The man in the gray suit sheepishly replied, picking up his briefcase and slowly stepping away from the table.

Back in the penthouse, the owner of the suite still sat in her bathtub, washing her short black hair with an expensive shampoo and conditioner. Halfway through rinsing her hair off, she was interrupted by another beep from the intercom.

“Tch…” Her crimson eyes narrowed, and she took a few moments to dry her hands before answering.

“Forgive the interruption, Duchess. It’s about the–” The voice crackled over the intercom again, before being cut off.

“The unusually lucky newcomer, I presume? What of it? Did his ‘luck’ run out naturally or did you have to persuade him?” Her voice remained soothing and calm, but it carried slightly more annoyance this time around.

“T-that’s just it, he… doesn’t seem to be cheating as far as we can tell. He’s even doing well at the blackjack tables,” the voice explained. “He just keeps winning, and no one can make heads or tails of it!”

“Heads… or tails? How fascinating.” The woman reached out of the tub and grabbed a coin that she kept next to the intercom. She flipped it, caught it in her hand, and chuckled quietly to herself as she looked at the result.

“D-duchess?” the voice on the intercom asked after a few moments of silence. “Is everything–”

“Wherever he goes, circle him like vultures until I get down there. I’m going to investigate him myself.” The woman’s voice returned, with an amused excitement in her tone.

“You’re going to– er… understood, miss,” the intercom said, discipline quickly returning to its voice. “Ah, one more thing, we had a small confrontation at blackjack table number fifteen. Dealer had to handle a pretty rough customer.”

“Understood. See to it that he’s compensated for protecting his table,” she replied. “Also, make sure that the other customers at that table are served refreshments, it may help alleviate any lingering tension.”

Clicking off the intercom, she briskly rose from the bath, her incredibly pale skin glistening as the water trickled off of her naked body. Stepping gingerly out of the tub, she grabbed a towel and began drying herself off. A wide grin came to her lips. “Well, well… let’s learn a little bit about our intriguing guest, shall we?”