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Chapter 95: Grand Casino
Alongside the Ganesha Familia, Tsuna arrived at the El Dorado Resort, Orario's premier casino.
"So this is Orario's biggest casino..."
Entering Tsuna's vision was a golden building boasting the strongest presence even within the Casino Area.
The vicinity was teeming with patrons strutting about in overtly lavish attire. Tsuna honestly felt as if he were out of place and wondered if it was really okay for him to be there.
"It's only natural to be nervous on your first visit, but if you act too suspiciously, we'll draw unwanted attention."
"S-Sorry..."
Currently, Tsuna and Shakti had come to the El Dorado Resort under the guise of being guests for their undercover investigation. For this reason, Tsuna was clad in a tailored black suit, sporting a black hat and glasses to obscure his identity. Shakti, meanwhile, wore an elegant blue dress paired with a crimson wig.
By the way, members of the Ganesha Familia besides the two had also infiltrated and were handling security.
Those who could enter this El Dorado Resort were individuals with massive funds or those in special positions, such as nobles. Moreover, only those who had spent a certain amount of money at other casinos in the Casino Area or those who possessed an invitation could enter.
Normally, they wouldn't have the qualifications to enter, but by using the Ganesha Familia's connections, they managed to obtain invitations, allowing Tsuna and Shakti to successfully infiltrate the El Dorado Resort.
"More importantly, are you okay with this? You're the Captain, right, Shakti?"
"There is no issue. The Ganesha Familia is not so fragile as to be incapable of doing anything just because I am absent."
Tsuna worried that as Captain, Shakti focusing on the undercover investigation might cause problems if something happened, but Shakti, seeming to hold strong trust in her members, answered coolly without faltering in the slightest.
"Primarily, if I, who am supposed to be on security duty, suddenly disappear halfway through, that would be far more suspicious. Therefore, it is wiser to infiltrate operating under the premise that I was not here to begin with."
Shakti had informed the casino beforehand that a mandatory mission had come in from the Guild. A mandatory mission was a compulsory quest issued directly by the Guild. The fact that one had come in served as a sufficient excuse for her not being able to attend security duty.
Furthermore, the Ganesha Familia was highly trusted and boasted 11 Level 5s, possessing the highest number of First-Tier adventurers in Orario, with a military strength rivaling even the Loki Familia and Freya Familia. Therefore, even without Shakti, their security would not be hindered. Knowing this, the casino side did not question it and made no complaints.
"Oho, I won again!! The Goddess of Fortune is smiling upon us today, Guild Chief!!"
"Gahahaha!! Why, she must be blessing me for my daily deeds!! I work my fingers to the bone day and night for Orario, after all!!"
Meanwhile, a fat Elf guest burst into loud laughter, seemingly having won a bet.
"That Royman. To think he frequents this place..."
"An acquaintance?"
"Royman Mardeel. He is the supreme executive of the Guild."
"Eh!? That person is!?"
"Yes. He is competent and devotes his efforts to Orario, but... drowning in power and money, he became as fat as that. He is a man who is even called the Guild's Pig by his brethren."
Unlike Royman, Shakti was a Human, but even so, she clearly did not harbor a favorable impression of him.
"For now, let us rendezvous with our comrades."
"Yeah."
As Shakti spoke in a low voice, Tsuna and the others headed towards the Ganesha Familia members who were gathering information while acting as security.
"Is that..."
Among them, there was someone who noticed Tsuna and Shakti's presence. It was Syr, dressed in a gown.
"Is something wrong, Sir... Sirene."
"Isn't that Tsuna by any chance?"
"Gasp!"
Standing beside Syr was Ryuu, who, for some reason, was cross-dressing. Hearing that Tsuna was here, Ryuu became flustered, her face turning red.
"S-Shakti...!?"
Following Syr's gaze, Ryuu indeed saw the figures of Tsuna and Shakti walking together in her field of vision.
Ryuu was friends with Shakti, and they were also comrades-in-arms who fought together to restore Orario's public order during the Dark Age. Shakti was also one of the few individuals who knew that Ryuu was the Gale of Evilus.
Why exactly were Ryuu and Syr at the El Dorado Resort? They had come to save a woman named Anna who was captured by Terry.
The whole ordeal started with a conversation between Anna's parents at the Hostess of Fertility. In an unthinkable move, Anna's gambling-addicted father, Huey, had used his own daughter as collateral to clear his debts. He claimed he had no intention of using Anna as collateral, asserting it was unavoidable due to the opposing party's threats. However, as it was a situation brought about by Huey's gambling addiction, Anna's mother, Karen, was filled with anger while weeping in deep sorrow.
Learning of this, Ryuu resolved to borrow Asfi's power to locate Anna and storm the casino. However, with the eyes of the Ganesha Familia present, infiltration seemed impossible, but... Syr, who had accidentally overheard Ryuu and Asfi's conversation, used her own connections to obtain invitations to the El Dorado Resort. The two had come to save Anna by disguising themselves as a married couple.
"Hahaha... I-I'm glad... Shakti... So you found a good person..."
"Ryuu!?"
Misunderstanding the situation, Ryuu assumed Shakti had tied the knot with her fated partner. She offered her congratulations, but the sheer shock was apparently too much to bear—she was literally crying tears of blood from her eyes and mouth.
"It's not certain that they're dating yet!! So pull yourself together!!"
"Ah... the wedding speech... If someone like me would suffice, by all means..."
"Why are you starting your own arbitrary delusions!?"
"O-Oh, a child was born... It's not much, but please accept this baby gift from me..."
"Please come back to us, Ryuu!! I know it's a shock, but remember our purpose for coming here!!"
"...Ah!! That's right!!"
Thanks to Syr, she somehow managed to pull Ryuu—whose mental damage kept increasing through her own arbitrary delusions—back to reality.
"I must save Miss Anna."
"Anna isn't over there, you know!?"
Ryuu remembered her objective to save Anna, but for some reason, she suddenly started walking toward a wall, and even after bumping into it, she continued to walk, engaging in such eccentric behavior that Syr was forced to retort.
Meanwhile, as for Tsuna and Shakti, who successfully made contact with their comrades.
"Did you uncover any information about the inside of that room?"
"My apologies. We couldn't grasp any suspicious information regarding Terry. However, we did manage to find collaborators."
"What?"
With those words, the male Human member shifted his gaze to the side. There stood a male Catperson staff member and a female Elf staff member.
"It seems they are currently on break... I overheard them grumbling complaints about Terry, so when I explained our circumstances and asked if they would collaborate with us, they readily agreed."
"Well done."
Convinced that the preparations for infiltrating under the guise of affiliates were now in place, Shakti headed toward the collaborators alongside Tsuna.
"Are you the ones who agreed to collaborate with the Ganesha Familia?"
"A-And you are...?"
"W-Who...?"
"I am Shakti Varma. I am infiltrating in disguise to expose Terry's wrongdoings."
"Shakti Varma, you mean...!?"
"Ankusha!?"
Because she was in disguise, the two didn't recognize her as Shakti, but raised their voices in surprise when she revealed her true identity.
"Huh? Are you the person who was in the War Game recently...?"
"H-Hello..."
"W-Why are you with Ankusha...?"
"He is a collaborator. More importantly, is it true that you will collaborate with us?"
"Yes... That owner works us to the bone and... honestly, I hate him, so I'd be happier if he got arrested..."
"He looks at me with such lecherous eyes... and the women around him always have these gloomy expressions. I just feel so sorry for them..."
"I see..."
Shakti learned from their tone that they were genuinely willing to collaborate from the bottom of their hearts, and at the same time, she sympathized with them.
To hear more detailed information, the four of them moved to a secluded back alley. They were taught information about the inside of the room and the staff's mannerisms.
"Alright, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I leave the illusions to you for now."
"Got it."
Prompted by Shakti, Tsuna entered Hyper Dying Will Mode and transformed into the Catperson man standing before him. Furthermore, he cloaked Shakti in Mist Flames, altering her appearance to that of the Elf woman.
"How is it?"
"I-It looks exactly like me..."
"A-Amazing..."
Despite having witnessed the War Game, seeing it up close proved to be a far more incredible power than they had imagined, leaving the two utterly overwhelmed.
"With this, we can infiltrate."
"Yeah, let's go."
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