— — — — — —
Ryo looked toward the source of the voice in surprise.
Standing there was a young woman dressed in a pale moon-white robe. A vermilion mark adorned her forehead, and her long black hair was tied into a ponytail with a simple band. Tall and graceful, she carried herself with effortless elegance.
Beside her stood a casino attendant in a bunny-girl outfit, who looked like she worked there.
At that moment, the attendant was desperately trying to talk the woman out of it. "Ma'am, the gentleman in front of you isn't one of our employees. You... you can't request him."
"Oh?" The woman blinked, then smiled. "Is that so?"
"But your casino doesn't get to decide that." She turned to Ryo. "The only one who can answer that is the gentleman himself... isn't that right, young man from Arcadia?"
Ryo's pupils contracted slightly.
He recognized her immediately.
One of the pillars of the Hindu pantheon. The consort of Vishnu. The Auspicious Goddess
Lakshmi.
'So... the enemy's boss has personally come looking for me?'
With that thought, Ryo smiled. "If Lady Lakshmi herself is extending the invitation, I'd hardly be polite if I refused."
He glanced at the bunny-girl attendant. "You may go. If casino management gives you any trouble, just tell them I insisted."
The attendant looked nervously between the two of them. Gritting her teeth, she hurried off to report the situation to her supervisor.
Once she was gone, Ryo turned back to Lakshmi. "I didn't expect Ouroboros to move this quickly. It's been less than an hour."
"Oh, you've got the wrong idea—" Laughing softly, Lakshmi walked over until she was almost leaning against him. Though she was about half a head shorter, she stopped just five centimeters away, never actually making contact.
"—I've been staying at this hotel for two days."
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
His first instinct was that his whereabouts had been leaked, or perhaps she'd foreseen his arrival.
But that couldn't be right.
Two days ago he'd still been in High School DxD. No matter how powerful Lakshmi was, even a Two-Digit couldn't observe an unobserved universe.
'Then... was this really just a coincidence?'
Narrowing his eyes, Ryo smiled. "Then I suppose Lady Lakshmi and I must be fated to meet."
"You could say that." She stepped back and smiled brightly. "Meeting me today means you're in for some good luck."
"My thanks for the blessing."
Ryo smiled on the outside.
Inside, he was screaming.
'Good luck? I randomly pick a hotel and run into one of Ouroboros's leaders, a Three-Digit. That's about as unlucky as it gets.'
If he'd been even slightly weaker, she could probably have taken his head off and kicked it around like a ball.
At that moment, Lakshmi casually looped an arm through his. "Ever played blackjack?"
"I don't gamble," Ryo answered with complete sincerity.
"What a coincidence." Lakshmi smiled. "I don't like gambling either."
Her answer left Ryo wondering whether she was messing with him.
'You don't like gambling... yet you're in a casino trying to hire a gigolo?'
He certainly didn't think of himself as one, but the way she'd tossed money at him earlier had radiated rich-lady energy.
Just then, Lakshmi gave him a meaningful look. "Although... You don't strike me as someone who dislikes gambling."
Ryo frowned.
He understood exactly what she meant.
She wasn't talking about card games. She meant the way he lived.
Perhaps she was referring to his challenge against Zeus. Or his decision to observe another universe. Or maybe she was simply commenting on his personality.
'This cryptic way of talking is seriously annoying...'
Keeping his thoughts to himself, he replied, "There's a saying. Never judge a book by its cover."
"That saying doesn't apply here." Without another word, Lakshmi took him by the arm.
She led him to a blackjack table.
As luck would have it, a player had just cashed out, leaving the seat open for her.
Ryo frowned but stayed silent.
Lakshmi sat down and began playing as though no one else existed.
"Hit!"
"Hit... ah, lost again!"
"Stand? Hell no! I'm all in!"
One after another, the gamblers at the table were completely crushed by Lakshmi.
Before long, a crowd had gathered behind Ryo to watch the spectacle.
"This woman's luck is insane. That's eighteen straight wins."
"She keeps landing exactly twenty without busting once!"
"Think she's cheating with a Gift? I heard some can manipulate luck..."
"Come off it. There's a Four-Digit overseeing this casino. Nobody's using Gifts under that kind of suppression."
"..."
Listening to the whispers around him, Ryo's expression became increasingly strange.
Everyone else thought Lakshmi was simply lucky.
Ryo knew better.
He could sense a subtle power fluctuating around her.
He had never encountered this exact force before... but it felt familiar.
He had experienced something similar during his battle against Ares.
'No way... Is she actually using Authority to cheat at cards?'
Ryo nearly cursed aloud.
'A Three-Digit powerhouse cheating in a casino? Does she have absolutely no shame?'
Just then, the tiger-man sitting across from Lakshmi slammed both hands onto the table.
He threw down his cards, planted one foot on his chair, and pointed straight at her. "All in! I refuse to believe you'll hit twenty again!"
His own hand totaled exactly twenty. A nearly unbeatable score.
"Come on, woman! Let's see your cards!" His eyes were bloodshot with excitement.
Lakshmi sighed, "Oh dear. Looks like I really didn't get twenty this time."
She turned over her cards and shook her head helplessly.
"Hahaha! I knew it! I—" The tiger-man's laughter abruptly died in his throat.
"...What? No... that's impossible..." His furry face turned deathly pale as sweat poured down it.
Because Lakshmi's hand... totaled exactly twenty-one. The absolute maximum.
"...Damn it! I'm done!"
His face shifted between red and white.
Cursing furiously, he grabbed the hostess beside him and stormed away. He at least planned to win in bed tonight.
"It seems I won." Lakshmi smiled gracefully, lit a cigarette, then swept the mountain of chips into her arms.
Without warning, she stuffed a huge handful into Ryo's pocket, "Here. Your reward."
There were so many chips that several spilled onto the floor with a clatter.
Ryo looked at her speechlessly. "Can I report you for harassment?"
"To whom? The Heavenly Army?" She laughed. "I'm a respectable citizen. They're hardly going to arrest someone like me."
Ryo understood the implication immediately.
'A clean public identity. Untouchable.'
He chuckled. "No wonder you snakes stay hidden so well."
"I'm hardly one of the snakeheads." Lakshmi shook her head and extinguished the cigarette.
She wasn't actually fond of smoking. Still, gambling somehow felt incomplete without one.
"As for your order... I've decided to have the Ori people accept it."
Ryo looked at her in surprise, "Why?"
Lakshmi smiled without answering immediately.
Instead, she gestured toward the towering pile of chips on the table.
A rough estimate put her winnings at around twelve thousand gold coins.
They weren't Thousand Eyes coins, but they were still worth a lot.
"If you really want a reason..." Lakshmi picked up another handful of chips and carefully stuffed them into Ryo's already overflowing pocket.
"I suppose it's simply because... I won."
Her smile widened.
"So again, I'm betting that I won't lose."
.
.
.