Hakari POV:
'The palace of heavenly pleasures.'
'one of the only places that serve sorcerers eh? At least in Shinjuku.'
The castle's marble floors, The golden edges of the roulette wheels and the shady corners where men in white silk suits threw curses at each other as the smell of their ciggerates overpowered the room.
The table Hakari sat at was covered in a tense atmosphere as everyone tried staring holes through hakari's deck.
The dealer wearing mirrored glasses. A non- sorcerer but sharp enough not to ask any questions.
Hakari took in a deep breath letting the smell of smoke and cards fill his body.
'Feels like I'm just at home.' Hakari smiled as he glanced at the other people at the table through his sunglasses.
He smirked before sliding a fat stack of cursed chips onto the table like he owns the place.
'All in.'
Hakari grinned while chewing gum.
"How many times do I have to tell you losers? I don't bluff I only hit jackpots."
He leaned forward on the baccarat loosening his tie just enough for him to still appear cocky, before he flicked another special coin imbued with cursed energy onto the roulette table. The bets were not only for money but people's lives.
Across the table a foreign sorcerer sat, his snake eyes and monotone grin made him unreadable. with rune covered cards in his hands.
At hakari's side, Kirara watched with a wine in one hand and her other hand idly playing with hakari's hai playfully. Her long nails, sparkly lashes combined with star shaped accessories pinned to her dress looked beautiful.
She lounged on the arm of hakari's chair, Their eyes constantly flickered watching each and every move of their opponents, the dealer and the cards. Calculating all the possibilities.
Kirara blushed as saw how hot hakari's serious face looked as he observed the table.
'Mhmm~... You looked much cuter last to last round when you pretended not to know the rules.'
Kirara smirked before leaning into hakari's ear,
"His pulse just spiked when you went all in... Stop pretending, you know he's bluffing."
Hakari grinned.
"Hehehe... You caught me, I just wanted to see the look on his face as I win."
The cards were revealed.
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Banker- 4
Player- 9
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He won by a landslide.
The foreign sorcerer's expression twitched even if just for a split second. And hakari didn't let it go unnoticed.
"Well then gentlemen good game."
He nudged all the chips on the table to his side with one of his hands but it's what comes next that he loved the most.
The feeling of disbelief, despair, depression and horror that fills the people who stand against him as they watch their money dissapear.
' ~Mhm~ too good~'
As everyone slowly got off the table the only one left was the foreign sorcerer staring at him.
Hakari smiled before speaking to him,
"Since you look new to town, let your boss know if you wanna cheat do it... But not at my table. Now scram."
The sorcerer said nothing before leaving the table. Only hakari, kirara and the dealer were left.
The room went silent. Tension brewing, A few onlookers looked at his table uncomfortably.
Hakari just cracked his neck before leaning back into the chair, A coin rolling in his palm.
"Tch. I at least hoped that the people here would grow some balls and face a 16 year old but it looks like I was WRONG...." Hakari shouted hoping to provoke someone to play against him.
"Now now darling, I think we made enough money for one day don't you think?" Kirara asked while pointing at the mountain of chips next to him.
"Tch, fine..."
Hakari rose from his seat cocky as ever using his leg to push the chair back in.
"Haaah.... Too easy I say we hit another casino, I think we have enough time for it." Hakari asked kirara as his arm slowly slipped around her waist.
Kirara smiled back before feeding him the rest of the wine in her glass.
"Okay sweetie... If you say s-"
Kirara suddenly paused as she felt the air around them shift.
A giant shadow had fallen on the roulette table. Eclipsing hakari and Kirara.
A caloused hand filled with scars quietly slammed down on the green felt of the table. Yet the entire room reacted because of his identity.
Hakari stopped collecting the chips from the table before tilting his head upwards before looking at the imposing figure infront of him.
"And who the fuck are you?"
His menacing smile combined with the scar he had on his lips made his mere appearance unsettling.
The figure didn't respond.
Toji zen'in stood infront of him. The outline of his broad chest on full view through his black tank top. He had no cursed energy but his presence was overwhelming. With a toothpick between his teeth he stood like it was just another Tuesday for him.
"You've got quite the mouth kid. You sure you can back that up?"
Hakari narrowed his eyes before spitting the piece of gum onto Toji's shoes.
'Looking at everyone's reaction when they saw him, he's definitely not a normal guy.... But since when was anything in this world normal?'
"And who the hell are you supposed to be? The owner?"
Toji scratched his head, amused.
"Toji zen'in. Just a guy who likes gambling." As Toji spoke from his pocket he took out a stack of neatly stacked 10000¥ bills.
'A zen'in clan member? It's better not to mess with th-
"2 million."
Toji's voice echoed through the room as he slapped the bills onto the table as curious eyes watched the drama.
"One round. No cursed energy, no cursed techniques or domain shenanigans. You up for the task?"
Hakari felt his heart beat faster as he saw the money in Toji's hand.
"You sure wanna go barehanded against me old man?"
"Hey.... Hakari are you sure about this? He's a part of the three noble clans. What if he goes after us." Kirara whispered into his ears.
Hakari shrugged her off, his eyes not leaving
Toji's figure.
"Good. I'm tired of the regular."
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The dealer spoke softly,
"Gentlemen place your bets."
Toji passed forward the two million yen while hikari in return slid forward half of the chips he had.
The cards were dealt, two each facing down. No one moved their cards. Building tension.
Hakari continued taunting Toji,
"You ever smile old man? You'll remain single forever with that hideous scar on your lips."
No reply came.
Reveal.
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Hakari: 5♦ + 4♣ = 9
Toji: K♠ + 6♥= 6
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"Player wins."
Hakari let out a low whistle before picking up the stack of two million and adding it to his pile.
"What's wrong? Giving up already?" Hakari was smiling ear to ear as he saw Toji's suprised expression.
But Kirara stared at hikari unamused.
'im getting a bad feeling from this guy....'
At his loss Toji simply smiled wider before reaching into his pocket once again.
"20 million yen." Toji's voice once against silenced the spectators that were watching the match with curiosity.
Hakari once again went all in barely able to stop the drool from falling from his mouth.
Cards dealt.
Hakari's fingers drum. He didn't even look nervous he thrives here.
Reveal.
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Hakari's hand: 3♥ + 6♦ = 9
Toji's hand: 7♠ + 2♣ = 9
"Natural tie. Drawing third cards."
Hakari draws: 5♠ → now has: 9 (unchanged)
Toji draws: 6♣ → hand becomes: 2 + 6 = 8
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"Player wins."
"Damm. That must hurt am i right?" Hakari smirked as he took the stack of money from Toji's side.
"Now now... This is just getting even more interesting am i right?" Instead of backing down the smile on Toji's face didn't Dissapear.
He reached his hand out into the purple blob in his shoulder, from which a suitcase was pulled out.
"100 million yen."
Finally the confident expression on hakari's face faltered.
'something's wrong....Definitely wrong. Either he's a nutjob or he wants something from me.'
"On one condition." Toji tapped the suitcase while speaking.
"What? don't tell me it's something perverted old man.... I'm still 16." Hakari said while dramatically hiding his chest.
"..." Toji
"..." Kirara
" Okay fineeeee the joke wasn't that bad..." Hakari coughed
" No....If you lose you have to join JJK high."
Hearing this hakari frowned.
"Hey hey hey you think I'm some brat you can trick into becoming your student? "
'But it is 100 million though....'
"Think about it hakari kinji. If you win you get 100 million... If you lose you get your own private dorm, a proper education and actually have a future for a change."
"With the amount of cursed energy you have and that cursed technique of yours your future is limitless."
Although hakari looked uninterested Kirara stared at him in intrigue.
"Hey Hakari it doesn't sound that bad.... With the protection of JJK high we won't have to worry about those loan sharks and debtors. Besides don't you wanna live a normal life?"
At kirara's words hikari's eyes closed in contemplation, Before making his choice.
"Over. My. Dead. Body."
"You can go out to gamble every now and then... Hell you can even bring that twink with you." Toji added to sweeten the deal.
" *A-Ahem...* If you put it that way." Hakari turned his head before pouring all his chips in.
"Great."
"Tch fine but if I win I'm burning that school to the ground."
" I would love to see you try."
Dealer deals. The air stays still. Cards land like thunder.
Reveal:
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Hakari's hand: 9♠ + 8♣ = 17 → 7
Toji's hand: 6♦ + 2♠ = 8
________________________________________
Dealer:
"Banker wins."
Silence.
Hakari stared at the cards like they had personally betrayed him.
"You how could you...."
"Run it again." Hakari whispered.
"I'm sorry buddy but game's....over?" Toji spoke in an even lower voice taunting Hakari.
Hakari exploded from his chair. His cursed energy flooding the room. Hot, boiling.
Kirara moved back stunned.
"YOU THINK THAT MEANS ANYTHING? I'M NOT YOUR LAPDOG!"
Toji rose from his chair unbothered, in a flash his figure was infront of Hakari. With a gentle nudge from his fist his body flew to the wall, arms pinned behind his back. His cheeks dug into the velvet wallpaper.
"Now now student Hakari you aren't allowed to gamble with your life." Toji said before wiping the wall with hakari's face.
"You gambled. You lost. Grow up."
"I-i'll kill you!" Hakari replied in a grunted voice.
"After you graduate."
Feeling that Hakari had quit resisting Toji let go of him allowing him to breathe properly.
"As a man I'll honour our deal... But don't think for a second I won't kill you the first chance I get." Hakari stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
Toji simply responded by raising both his hands.
From behind them kirara's voice could be heard.
"Sooooooo, when are we joining?"
"Hmmm why not meet your classmates now?"
Toji stretch his body before pointing to a young man with short dark hair and thin eyebrows who wore a simple formal black suit. His eyes were fixated on the slot machine as he kept on slamming the buttons in a trance.
Seeing his condition the smile on Toji's face slightly faltered.
'Haibara.... That's definitely a good first impression. Sighhh'
"Maybe teach your senior a thing or two about gambling.... Tell him that Toji sensei sent you and what happened here." Toji spoke before walking back to the roulette table.
As his eyes scanned across the room, the people who were watching the drama hurriedly went back to their own problems.
'What a bunch of fools.'
"Darling, it doesn't sound that bad of a place? He wasn't really trying to harm you..." Kirara spoke while staring at Toji who had used his purple blob to swallow up all the chips on the table as well as the suitcase.
"Haaaah well since we lost, I guess we have to do this." Hakari felt a headache as he slowly approached Haibara who was banging the slot machine like a zombie.
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Meanwhile,
A certain white haired boy's POV:
After the last car he was hitch-hiking broke down he wandered the streets alone thinking about how he would make enough money to go back home.
That's when he saw it....
~NekoNeko Magical Gal Cafe🪄💗~
Now hiring!
'Pfftttt why would anyone willing join a place like this....' Although Gojo said so his body slowly entered the cafe.
He should've turned around.
He was a dignified grade one sorcerer. Even entire cities would be decimated if he wanted to. But he unfortunately said five words that changed his life.
"Do you guys pay in cash?"
It started innocently enough.
All he had to do was be a waiter and serve the coustomers their drinks. But slowly as the cafe understood that the main reason people were visiting was because of him they made him wear more and more ridiculous clothing until two hours in,
He'd been given a persona: "Maid Prince Yuki"
A reverse-trap magical butler-maid that no one asked for... Well other than the costumers.
Gojo didn't question the situation but instead kept his full attention into the act. Treating it the same was as he would treat a grade one curse subjugation quest.
At Table 4, a shy middle-aged man clutched to his coffee like it was his last remaining joy in life, Gojo floated to his side like a magical gal, his soft voice echoed in his ear.
"Masteerrrr~"
"You've returned.... I'm so lonely~"
The man gulped. Gojo took his hand, kissed the knuckles lightly.
"~Masterrr~ Tip me, and I'll cast a spell that guarantees your next blind date won't block you within ten minutes~"
The man tipped him ¥15,000.
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Finally by the fourth hour something inside Gojo snapped.
He was handing out "cursed magic love charms" that were actually just the cafe napkins with random symbols drawn on top of them. Each "blessed" with a "magical" kiss from him combined with a wink and a heart pose from him.
He made ¥200,000 in an hour.
The staff were stunned.
The manager cried.
Customers were lining up outside just to be publicly humiliated by "Prince Yuki."
Yet the crowd didn't care no matter what Gojo called them, the horndogs came back for more....
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7 hours later,
Gojo stared dead eyed at the tip jar infront of him that was overflowing with money.... More than enough for a to and fro trip to Tokyo ten times.
'i've won... But at what cost?'
"I quit." Gojo stormed out of the cafe, tip jar in hand. The only thing he left behind was his dignity.
The manager and staff cried as they saw him take off the maid outfit and makeup, but instead decided to frame the outfit on the cafe wall.
...
As he finally reached the train station Gojo cried non-existent tears while cursing Toji.
"When I come back I'll kill you sensei...."