Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Satsuki Yui's attitude did not displease the waiter; on the contrary, it made him even more respectful.

The waiter maintained his smile, his gaze sweeping over her wristwatch before settling on the diamond necklace around her snow-white neck.

Underground casinos are least afraid of wealthy, powerful, and arrogant customers.

The waiter lowered his voice and said, "There's a quieter place in the shop where you can have even more fun, specially for guests like you. If you're interested, I can take you there."

It's finally here.

Yuzuru Hanyu feigned interest and turned to look at Satsuki Yui beside him.

"Mio, since there's a place like this, why don't we go check it out?"

Satsuki replied casually, "I was invited by Yamamoto-kun, so naturally I'll follow your arrangements."

This tone was clearly perfunctory, revealing the wealthy heiress's indulgence of her male companion.

Yuzuru Masahiro pulled her hand and stood up, adopting a critical look: "Lead the way, and you'd better not disappoint."

"Don't worry!" The waiter bowed and led the way, taking them deeper into the ballroom.

After passing through the bustling dance floor and bypassing the booth area, I arrived at a seemingly ordinary wooden door at the end of the corridor.

The waiter pressed the hidden latch on the wall three times, then turned the handle. With a soft "click," the wooden door slowly opened inward.

Behind the door was a downward staircase covered with a dark carpet.

"Please, gentlemen, take your time." The waiter stepped aside to let them pass and stood guard at the door, no longer following them.

Masahiro Hanyu held Yui Satsuki's hand the whole time; it was cool, soft, and smooth.

The two walked down the steps, and she maintained her haughty demeanor throughout.

At the end of the stairs stood two security guards dressed in black. Seeing the two approaching, they pushed open a heavy soundproof door.

The moment it was pushed open, a cacophony of clinking chips, spinning dice, and shouts from men and women rushed in.

This is a large underground space, brightly lit, with rows of gambling tables neatly arranged. Gamblers are gathered around the tables, their expressions ranging from excited to anxious.

The dealers in uniforms dealt cards and rolled dice with practiced ease, while security guards patrolled the area with sharp eyes, fully on guard.

This is the underground casino hidden beneath the Twin Star Ballroom.

A waiter in a yellow vest came up to us and said, "Welcome! Is this your first time here? Let me introduce you to the various games."

"However, the two of you must first purchase at least 20 yen worth of chips before you can enter the game."

Masahiro Yuzuru looked around and said, "I see. Actually, there's not much fun to do here. We might as well go dancing."

Yui Satsuki seemed very interested, "I think this place is great, Yamamoto-kun, you're not worried about the 20 yen, are you?"

Yuzuru Masahiro looked somewhat embarrassed. "Ms. Mio wants to play, how could I possibly feel bad for her!"

The waiter in the yellow vest, observing her expression, said, "Yes, Miss wants to have some fun. Why would the sir care? I think we should buy 30 yen worth of chips first."

Masahiro Hanyu puffed out his chest. "Okay, I'll buy it for 30 yen."

After exchanging 30 yen in chips, the waiter led the two forward along the gambling table, introducing the games in turn:

"This is Baccarat, the most popular game here. The rules are simple and the wins and losses are quick. You just need to bet on the player, the banker, or a tie. The dealer will deal the cards in turn, and the player with the closest total to nine wins."

"This is blackjack. The dealer deals the cards. By drawing and stopping cards, you can try to get the sum of your cards as close to 21 as possible. Remember, you can't exceed the sum, or you'll bust and lose."

"This is a slot machine... this is a roulette wheel... this is a coin toss..."

After the waiter finished his introduction, Yui Satsuki looked at the baccarat table and said, "Yamamoto-kun, let's go play there first."

The waiter smiled ingratiatingly, "Baccarat doesn't require complicated skills, it's all about luck, and many customers enjoy playing it."

"I won't disturb you two any longer. Please enjoy yourselves."

After the waiter left, Yui Satsuki approached Masahiro Hanyu and whispered, "Try to do things within the appropriate scope that will attract the casino's attention, and ideally, draw the manager, Kazuhiko Inoue, to see us in person."

Masahiro Hanyu decided to investigate the Twin Star Ballroom based on the second piece of information: the ballroom's manager was once Keiko Tanaka's dance partner when she was young.

Satsuki Yui agreed to come to the dance hall, probably because she got some clues from Officer Yamamoto.

The two still share the same idea: to get close to Inoue Kazuhiko in a way that avoids suspicion.

Masahiro Hanyu turned and leaned close to Yui Satsuki, his lips almost touching her earlobe. He used this intimate gesture to cover up their whispers.

Satsuki Yui understood that he had no intention of taking advantage of her, so she didn't flinch, but the warm breath blowing into her ear made her heart itch.

"Try to win a significant amount of chips, and the manager will see us. Is baccarat your forte?"

Satsuki Yui nodded slightly. "Yes! Is Yamamoto-kun good at it too?"

Masahiro Hanyu put his arm around her waist. "Of course I'm not as good as Ms. Mio. I can only cheer you on."

……

On the dark green tablecloth, colorful chips were piled higher and higher.

Satsuki Yui held a chip in her hand, her gaze falling on the cards the dealer had revealed: Banker six points, Player eight points.

"Player wins".

This marks Satsuki Yui's eleventh consecutive win.

Standing to the side, Masahiro Yuzuru lowered his eyes. Yui Satsuki wasn't bragging; she was indeed very skilled at playing baccarat.

Yui Satsuki is also skilled in mind reading; she can guess the dealer's bets correctly time and time again.

The underground casino's baccarat table uses a six-deck shoe. The dealer's shuffling skills aren't top-notch, but Yui Satsuki makes precise bets every time by observing the dealer's subtle expressions.

Each time she won money, she would simply smile slightly, exuding an air of confident composure.

The gamblers around her couldn't help but follow her lead and placed bets, and soon a small crowd of followers gathered.

"This young lady's luck is frighteningly good." People around her whispered among themselves, their voices full of envy.

The young dealer's forehead was already beaded with sweat, clearly flustered by Yui Satsuki's winning streak.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a sharp, angular face, dressed in a dark kimono, slowly walked over. The young croupier, as if seeing a savior, bowed and then stepped aside.

The middle-aged man first bowed to the area around the gambling table, his gaze landing on Satsuki Yui. "Miss, I'd like to gamble with you on our luck."

He picked up the deck of cards, placed his fingertips on the deck box, and with a gentle twist, the six decks of cards seemed as light as a feather in his hands.

His shuffling motions were fluid; as his fingers flew across the cards, the arcs they traced carried a strange rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow.

Satsuki Yui tried to read this person's thoughts, but found no trace of them.

The other person was expressionless, made no unnecessary movements, and showed no signs of distraction; mind reading was completely ineffective against him.

Satsuki Yui hesitated for a moment before pushing half of her chips into the "Player" zone, betting most of her winnings in this round.

The gamblers around her hesitated for a moment, then followed her lead and bet on the player.

Masahiro Yuzuru shook his head; he knew Satsuki had lost.

As expected, the player has 14 points and the banker has 17 points, so the banker wins.

Then, Yui Satsuki lost three consecutive rounds, giving back all the chips she had won.

The young croupier beamed with delight, "Manager Inoue, you truly deserve to be called the gold medalist!"

Is this middle-aged man Kazuhiko Inoue?

Yuzuru Masahiro stepped forward. "Manager Inoue, I'd also like to try my luck with you, but we'll play it differently."