"Did you hear what happened in Hakuren District last night?"
"Yeah, apparently an explosion occurred during the festival. Unbelievable!"
"Rumors say it was the work of Emiko Katsuragi-Rin."
"Why her, of all people?"
"They say she killed all her students on X-You Mountain before vanishing."
"Really? Being lonely must have finally gotten to her..."
"Yeah, the Katsuragi-Rin Clan is even investigating the matter."
"It's their duty among the Katsuragi clans; their job is to find criminals and dangers to the village."
"Aren't they the ones who suggested we take care of the male mortals last year, before they started a revolution?"
"Yes, they were right. Look at what happened to the daimyojo of the Katsuragi Clan... she was assaulted by a mortal until her facial features were unrecognizable."
Thinking about the daimyojo of the Katsuragi Clan made the females whispering in the winding streets of Tsukikage District fall silent. They decided to head back to monitor their fishing business, not wanting to say something that would get them in trouble.
Near one of the narrow canals, two women in eye-catching clothes sat in a wooden boat, passing by samurai-fishermen using nets made from their Rei to catch various seafood. The shinsei, however, used their non-destructive Tama to catch fish.
The two women didn't pay much attention to them and walked towards the only traditional Japanese tavern with a thatched roof to fill their stomachs before setting off to their intended destination.
Mikino couldn't stand the fishy stench; her face cringed lightly. "It's hard to believe Tsukikage has a side like this, no matter how many times I see it."
Sora nodded her small head, her gaze fixed in the direction of the setting sun. "It's similar to the place I grew up in, but there were less people in the streets at this time of day."
Mikino went silent, using her senses to traverse the narrow pathway filled with tiled buildings. As someone who grew up in the lower density areas of Tsukikage district, she never knew about a smelly place like this.
As night crept in, the two ladies reached the yekaku region of the district, directing their feet towards a run-down three-story pagoda with faded signs that read 'Gambling Den'.
They walked past the curtain to be greeted by a busty, smoky place with high ceilings lit by lanterns. Despite its large size, the place looked cramped inside, filled with mostly female patrons seated on low stools, huddled around gaming tables under the supervision of handsome male or stimulating female dealers.
The place was in great contrast to the gloomy silence outside. The two girls shrugged off the feeling and walked in as other females started calling them to a table to play hanafuda. (1)
"Mikino-chan and Sora-chan! You bitches! What took you so long today? I'll finally defeat you today!"
The two girls smiled at the owner of that voice. Mikino teased, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. I may be blind, but I'm the best when it comes to hanafuda."
The female grumbled in frustration, but when the game of six started, Mikino kept pulling animal cards like she had some hidden underneath her table – which she did, but no one suspected her because she was blind.
When Mikino collected 50 diamond paper notes, the female left with a gloomy face, just like usual. Another group kept coming, but the result never changed. (2)
After a few rounds of cheating, a buff man and woman approached Mikino. One of them whispered, "You are invited to the second floor; please follow us."
Mikino raised her brow, turning to face at the man. "Am I allowed to refuse."
The woman coldly glared at Mikino, her Rei-coated hand gripping the blind girl's shoulder.
"It seems like you don't understand something here. This isn't a request, but an order."
Sora, who seemed nonchalant about the issue, nodded her head, and Mikino allowed herself to be dragged by the two in kimonos. Reaching the second floor, Mikino was greeted by loud cheers that resounded throughout the pagoda. She didn't join in the cheers, as the woman holding her dragged her to the stage where all eyes were locked onto.
Reaching the stage, the woman asked with a deathly glare.
"What's your name, swindler?"
Mikino's face turned dark, answering in a hushed voice, "Mi-Mi-Mikino from Yurei…"
The brown-haired woman scoffed coldly, leaving the blind woman as she walked to the center of the stage. Arriving, her expression turned brighter.
"Everyone, we have found a new swindler in our gambling den!"
The crowd turned silent, glancing at the puzzled Mikino with curiosity.
The woman continued, "She was using the fact that she couldn't see to her advantage, gaining pity from her opponents while hiding her cards in her clothing!"
Mikino received ridicule from the people above stage, calling her names. She shrugged, disposing of her act of puzzlement, her ears paying close attention to what the woman was saying.
"As the rules of this place go, swindlers shall be punished by battling on the second floor for five matches before they are set free!"
The crowd erupted into cheers. Everyone in the non-mortal regions could fight, besides children, and there was no need to feel pity for Mikino as they awaited the brown-haired woman's announcement.
"The one to face her will be our personal favorite, Toby Cutter!"
Part of the crowd started placing bets on the fight as a muscular man with a giant axe stepped in, his mighty presence casting a shadow over Mikino.
His opponent, however, smiled, directing her face towards the woman who dragged her, asking teasingly, "Am I allowed to place a bet too?"
The woman nodded, trying hard not to scream at how crazy Mikino was. This was her first time hearing a fighter ask if they could bet on themselves, much less a newbie to the second floor.
She shrugged, faking indifference. "Placing a bet on yourself will get you triple your bet, since you have the highest chance of losing. Placing a bet on Toby Cutter will get you 0.2 your bet back since he has the highest chance of winning."
Mikino took the 5,000 Kojin she won earlier and threw it at the female announcer, her sly smile deepening.
"I will bet on myself."
The female announcer grabbed the diamond paper notes, her tongue clicking in disdain.
"This can't be reversed, nor will you get this Kojin back."
Mikino shrugged playfully before her face turned cold. "Are we allowed to kill our opponents?"
The announcer stored the diamond paper notes, answering half-heartedly, "Sure, that's allowed."
Seeing that all things were in order, the announcer yelled, "May the battle proceed!"
The moment her words faded, a heptagon-shaped Tama absorbed Mikino's light blue Rei. A giant ice shard propelled from her hand, piercing through Toby Cutter's head and blasting it to pieces. (1)
Thud!
Toby Cutter lifelessly fell to the ground, leaving everyone off stage with wide open eyes, shocked by how fast the attack was.
Mikino's voice broke through the silence, "Can I have my 15,000 Kojin now?"
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1 - hanafuda - Japanese playing cards.
2 - Kojin notes - diamond - 100, platinum - 50, gold - 10, silver - 5, bronze - 1
3 - Mizuzaki (Water Manipulation): Mikino Katsuragi-rin can control, summon and manipulate all forms of water,