Chapter 18 – Casino and a Bit of a Shock

After a full meal of hamburgers, we move on to Central Park.

It’s amazing. Even the pillars are crawling with plants. I was surprised to see trees planted inside the ship, but I guess they planted them for the scenery. It is relaxing.

To be honest, nature in other worlds is too harsh. Dense forests, huge insects, and ferocious monsters… It would mean taking a walk in the woods would be suicidal.

Central Park, on the other hand, has easy ground to walk on, moderate vegetation, no dangerous creatures, and birdsong (recorded). If you get tired or hungry, there are cafes and restaurants.

As a frail Japanese person, man-made nature is definitely the right choice. There are no bandits, no monsters, not even people. It is lonely to see no people at all, so I should summon three Saporabis and place them there.

“Wataru-san, what a beautiful but strange place. Why are there plants here when we are on a ship?”

It seems that Alessia-san doesn’t understand the meaning of planting vegetation all the way inside the ship. Well, it’s a harsh environment, and nature is a lot of things in this world.

“I think the parks are built for a relaxing environment because this ship can make long trips. A place with vegetation, where there is no danger, is a place where people can relax.”

But there is also a possibility that the ship’s designers just thought it would be cool to have trees and such growing inside the ship! The possibility of just thinking about it is not zero, but it’s different, isn’t it?　

The ladies are also walking leisurely. But they are not showing much interest in the vegetation. I wonder if Claretta-san is interested in the vegetation? It would be interesting if the earth’s plants had some special power, but there doesn’t seem to be anything like that.

I take a leisurely stroll through the park, which is somewhat relaxing for me, although I am curious about the many rooms on both sides of the park. I walked from one end to the other, but… I got tired of it.

I’m hungry, so I’ve had enough. Let’s go to the casino. I’ve seen Italian food, steaks, and elegant restaurants, so this is good this time, right?

“Well then, let’s go to the casino.”

Ines smiles at my words. It’s amazing that she doesn’t feel any remorse for the cause of her enslavement. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since she has an allowance.

We arrive at the front of the casino, and before we go in, let’s have a proper talk. I don’t want to make anyone go bankrupt. When I asked them before, they gave me the money as a reward except for living expenses, and after that, they were with me, and they were not working so much. If it’s not good, there’s a chance they only have the ten gold coins I paid them. I have to be careful.

“Everyone in Girasole, if you get addicted to the casino, you could lose a lot of money. I’ll explain the rules but don’t get too carried away. …Yes, and today, never spend more than five silver coins.”

Five silver coins… 5 million yen, that’s a lot of money, but you wouldn’t spend that much if you were cruising the minimum rate, would you? Probably. I just had a little experience with it when I traveled to South Korea, too…

There’s so much I don’t know and don’t understand since I’ve been on a luxury liner. I can see how my life has never been involved with luxury liner before. It’s a little sad.

“Five silver coins, I get it. We’ve hardly ever gambled, so we’ll be careful.”

Hmm, maybe I should have just come with only Ines and Felicia and not brought Girasole? Well, it’s too late now, isn’t it? Let’s have fun anyway.

After paying attention, we entered the casino. It’s gorgeous. What should I play first? Is roulette the obvious one? I played table games, and then maybe the slot machines.　

I sit down at a table where the minimum rate for roulette is five copper coins. …What are you going to do with it? Let’s see; the screen says I need a dealer. I don’t really think it would matter if they skip forward to the next moment. I can’t figure out the system anyhow. Is it because it’s not elegant?

When I summoned Saporabi, a Saporabi dressed as a dealer appeared. …He handed me something like a menu that he had, and when I checked it, I found the rules written on it.

In a regular casino, they don’t have these things, right? Do they even have this stuff to keep them from talking? I think they put too much effort into Saporabi. I don’t think it would be a problem if they could speak in the first place.

Didn’t they talk in roulette when it stopped or something? …Oh, did that ring a bell? Something doesn’t feel right, but I guess there’s nothing I can do when the dealer is a horned rabbit…

Anyway, I ask for 20 5-copper chips. They should have been deducted from my SeaPass card. The ladies exchange chips in the same way.

“Wataru-san, why are all the chips different colors?”

Alessia-san asked, comparing everyone’s chips.

“In roulette, the chips are placed where the letters and numbers are written, so it’s easier to tell whose chip it is, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I understand.”

“Then let’s bet on the outside this time to get a feel for it. These three separate places are three times the number of hits, and the choice is red or black. A choice of even or odd numbers; a choice of 1-18 or 19-36. These are doubled when hit. After that, 0 and 00 are outliers if you bet on the outside. Shall we try it?”

I don’t need to explain the rules; I can solve this with a staff appointment. …I don’t want to do that because I think it would be dangerous if they understood. Stretching out a small amount of money while worrying about it will not cause serious damage.

…I’m assuming we’ll lose, but there’s a chance we’ll win big… Well, you can play with small bets at first. If anyone loses more than one gold coin in a month, they will be banned from the site for that month.

…Huh? If they get addicted to the casino and lose their wealth, I may be able to do this and that with the help of money… Hmmm, a beautiful woman with big breasts who has a gambling addiction… I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not; it’s hard to say.

“Aren’t you going to start, Wataru-san?”

“Eh? Oh, I’m sorry, Alessia-san. Shall we begin?”

Saporabi says in a cute voice, “Place your bets.”

[T/n: The Saporabi dealer talking in English.]

“…He spoke!”

Eh? Are you talking normally after having kept it up all this time? I was surprised, and Saporabi threw a ball into the ring. The ladies were surprised, too, but they put down their chips. I put one chip on the red one. I’m sorry, it’s just a little bit too small.

“Last call.”

It means that the deadline is almost over.

“No more bets.”

It means you can’t bet anymore. Saporabi, you’re supposed to say it out loud.

…The ball went into the red 32… I won it, but I’m more concerned about Saporabi. Saporabi collected the chips from the lost ones as if nothing had happened and overlapped the chips…

“Hey, Saporabi, tell me something…”

Saporabi nodded his head. Alessia-san and Claretta-san make a fuss about how cute it is.

“You can only talk about certain things?”

Saporabi nodded his head. That’s a pain-in-the-ass limitation. Is that it? Like the villagers in an RPG who can only speak a certain language?

Let’s stop worrying about it and keep going. The ladies who have learned the rules also happily put down their chips. When the ball is thrown in, they cheer for the ball to go where they bet.

This is something, isn’t it? If it weren’t for my ship, they would have been kicked out of the ship. They are making so much noise that they might be banned.

In between betting, I continue to play roulette, sharing trivia such as the fact that betting on two places with three choices is more likely to win than betting on two choices, even though the profit is smaller.

After playing for a while, Ines said she wanted to bet on the numbers as well. She told me that depending on the timing and speed at which the ball is thrown in, you can usually predict where it will land…

“That’s fine, but I’m going to go to the other games… so just three more times.”

“Okay. Watch and see, Master. I’ll show you how good I am.”

The one who sold herself through gambling confidently proclaims to me. …It must be a waste of time. I enjoy it with Rimu, making predictions in red or black. Maybe it’s because of the luck involved, but Rimu is more likely to hit the mark than me.

My luck is constant in terms of status, but I wonder if it doesn’t matter if I have a good day or a bad day. If my total luck is 15, that’s pretty depressing.

“No, Master. I really know. Just one more time. H-hey, it’s okay, right?”

After easily losing three number bets, I quieted Ines’ cries for one more and moved on to the blackjack table. The result of the roulette game was that Alessia-san and Ines lost all their chips, while the others won a little and lost a little.

Alessia-san was lured by Ines into betting on the numbers and lost all the bets. I explained to her that she could have bet in two places or four places by placing a single chip at the intersection of the lines, but she was so focused on one point that she missed all the bets. Ines is not a gambler; she just likes to gamble.

I sat down at the table and summoned the Saporabi. By default, he hands me a piece of paper with the rules.

Everyone reads it around thoroughly to make sure everyone is familiar with the rules. Teach them the hand signs for hit and stay, and explain doubles, splits, etc., as you play the game.

Saporabi still only talks about place your bets, no more bets, etc. I explain the rules, and since we can’t all sit down together, we take turns going over the rules and playing the game.

It’s as noisy as ever. And it’s interesting to see the personalities. The most exciting ones are Alessia-san, Carla-san, and Ine. Carla-san’s being so easygoing is a bit strange.

Dorothea-san, Marina-san, Ilma-san, and Felicia are orthodox players who check their own hand and the dealer’s hand carefully and make a decision.

Claretta-san is cautious or has extremely few hits over 15. …This shows her personality, doesn’t it?

After finishing blackjack, we go on to enjoy poker, baccarat, craps, etc. For some reason, Ines is awakened in baccarat and is winning all over the place, and she’s very happy. I’m worried about her later.

I lost two silver coins, and among the ladies, Ines won 33 silver coins. Alessia-san lost five silver coins. The rest of the group won a little and lost a little.

“How was the casino?”

“Well, I lost, but it was fun. There are many games I haven’t played yet, so I want to come back again. Next time I will win.”

Alessia-san was not satisfied with her biggest loss, and she was eager to get her revenge. Ines, on the other hand.

“Look, Master. Isn’t it great?”

She is beaming with a big smile on her face. …They’re absolutely faking it, aren’t they? First, they let her win, and then later, they will take all of her money.

That’s what I would do. Saporabi is supposed to do the bare minimum of work, but I think that is among the bare minimum of work.

The other members seemed to enjoy themselves. I think it’s Alessia-san and Ines who are likely to go on a spending spree at the casino. I have to be careful.

“Then let’s go to dinner. I want to eat my hometown food today. Is that okay?”

Finally, Japanese food. I love hamburgers and steaks, but the very name “Japanese food” is very appealing to me.

“It’s fine. I’m looking forward to it because everything Wataru-san has cooked for us so far has been delicious.”

“I hope it will live up to your expectations.”

I was looking forward to the Japanese restaurant with great anticipation.

…..This is not what I was expecting….. The sushi was delicious. The ladies love this Japanese restaurant because it’s delicious and fun.

But when I ordered teppanyaki, I found out that I needed a Saporabi, and since I was ordering teppanyaki, I summoned a Saporabi, thinking that I would need one if it were going to be cooked right in front of me.

That was the beginning of the discomfort. Saporabi was using a teppanyaki iron? Saporabi started to make a loud action with his teppanyaki iron.

He spun the eggs around on the griddle and began lifting them with the iron. Finally, he threw an egg into the air up above and caught it with his cocked hat.

After that, he continued to grill meat, seafood, and vegetables with various actions… Is fried rice a Japanese dish? It tasted good, but I would say this is not Japanese food. The Japanese teppanyaki restaurants I have been taken to did not have such intense action.

I am torn between clearing up the misunderstanding and not clearing up the misunderstanding, but it is hard to say to the ladies who are enjoying themselves that this is not Japanese food. Now let’s buy a Japanese luxury liner. I think it was Asuka II, right? Japanese food should be okay on that ship.

Let’s gently clear up the misunderstanding about Japanese food. There is a possibility that they will be disappointed with the lack of action when I take them to a Japanese restaurant on Asuka II…

That’s kind of sad. Let’s go to the bar, have some drinks, and go to bed with Ines and Felicia spoiling me.