Sera crossed her arms, raising one eyebrow as she asked, "And how exactly did you know that Asus was cheating, Yi-Fei? You didn't seem to mind at all during the game."
I paused for a moment, choosing my words carefully before answering. "It was the dealer," I said finally, causing a few surprised blinks among the girls. "He was in Asus's pocket. Like everyone else who works at his casino, the dealer was rigged to help Asus win."
"But if you knew, why didn't you ask for a new dealer?" Kuroko interjected, her green eyes glinting with curiosity.
I chuckled lightly, stretching my legs out comfortably as I leaned back in my chair. "Because I wanted Asus to believe he had everything under control. The thought of having the game in the bag would make him sloppy, overconfident. And that's exactly what happened." I concluded, giving them a satisfied smirk.
The girls exchanged glances, realization washing over them as they understood the level of cunning involved in my strategy.
Sera's gaze narrowed slightly as she asked, "So, how exactly did you cheat, boss?"
I grinned at her, my eyes lighting up with amusement. "I used card counting," I replied simply.
Sera furrowed her brows, leaning back in her chair as she regarded me curiously. "Card counting?" she echoed.
I nodded, leaning back in my chair as I started to explain. "Card counting is a method used in games like poker and blackjack, to get an edge over the house or in our case, over Asus," I said, my eyes scanning over their attentive faces.
"You see," I continued, "by keeping track of the number and type of cards that have been played, you can make reasonably educated guesses about what cards are still left in the deck. If you know what's left, you can change your bets and playing strategy accordingly, giving you an advantage."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she absorbed the information, while Lila looked mildly impressed. Nia, on the other hand, looked as though she was trying hard to keep up with the explanation, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"So, you had to memorize all the cards that were played?" Isolde asked, sounding impressed.
I chuckled lightly, shaking my head. "Not exactly. I had a system. By assigning a point value to each type of card and tracking the sum, I could estimate the state of the deck." I explained.
Sera crossed her arms, her gaze piercing. "But explain how you used this technique in the final game, Yi-Fei."
I gave a nod of acknowledgement and cleared my throat. "Well, during the third game," I began, spreading my hands out, fingers splayed, "I started by assigning point values to the cards, right?"
Kuroko nodded, her fiery eyes riveted on me. "Right," she said, "and each card is worth either plus one, zero, or minus one."
"Exactly," I said, pointing a finger at her. "Now, as the game went on, I kept a running total in my head. When Asus and I were dealt our initial hands, I subtracted the value of my cards from the count. That gave me a better idea of the remaining cards in the deck."
Isolde tilted her head, her brow furrowed. "But how did you know when to bet all your chips? That's the part I don't get."
A sly grin spread across my face. "Ah, well, that's where the real trick comes in. You see, if the count was high, it meant there were more high-value cards left in the deck. That's advantageous to the player. So when the count was high during the third game, I felt confident in going 'all in'."
Lila's eyes widened, and Nia let out a low whistle. Aurelia, however, leaned back, her arms crossed. "You risked everything on a counting strategy?"
I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's more than just counting cards now. I didn't win because of luck, I won because of math." I grinned.
"Math?" Nia laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "All that tension and drama, and it boils down to math? That's hilarious!"
I folded my arms across my chest, my grin widening. "I'm serious, Nia," I said, "Poker, at its core, is a game of numbers. Probability, statistics, counting, those are all math. I didn't win because of some fluke or good luck charm. I won because I calculated the odds and used them in my favor."
Yuki nodded, her gentle eyes filled with understanding. "That's very insightful, Yi-Fei," she said, "It's easy to forget how much strategy and planning goes into a game like poker."
I tilted my head back, looking at each of the girls. "Remember, nothing in this world is left to chance. There's a reason, a method, a formula behind everything. And if you can understand that, you can control your own destiny."
Isolde smirked, her emerald eyes glinting. "Well, my darling is not only strong but also a genius. What a deadly combination."
"I'm not a genius," I said with a humble smile, "I'm just a guy who knows his way around numbers." The room filled with laughter as we all fell into a comfortable silence, the tension of the day finally melting away.
Just as I was about to call it a day, Sera spoke up again:
"Seems like you and that demon have known each other for quite a while," Sera commented, her arms folded and her brows furrowed.
I nodded, "Yes, I met him about seven decades ago."
Kuroko blinked, her feisty eyes widening in surprise. "Seven decades? But boss, you only look like you're in your twenties!"
Before I could respond, Nia jumped in with a playful chuckle, "Oh, don't be fooled by our commander's youthful appearance, ladies. He's over a century old."
This time, it was Lila's turn to look surprised. "O-over a century old?" she stammered, her usually soft voice rising in astonishment.
Sera's eyes narrowed skeptically. "You're kidding, right?"
I simply smiled, amused by their reactions. "I assure you, she's not. I may look young, but I've been around for longer than you might think."
The girls seemed to accept this, and we moved on from the topic, their eyes still filled with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
"Wait a minute," Sera started, the disbelief evident in her voice. "How do you even live that long, let alone keep a... a..." She struggled to find the right word, her tsundere nature kicking in. "Youthful... appearance..."
I chuckled at her struggle to articulate her thoughts, and simply raised a hand to calm her curiosity. "That, Sera, will be a story for another time."
Her brows furrowed further, clearly unsatisfied with my evasive answer, but she didn't press further. The room fell into a thoughtful silence, the weight of the revelation of my age and the secret of my longevity adding a new layer of mystery to the already complex situation.
Q: Are you good at math?