Betting and Gaming

Author's Note:

If you ever wonder about the rental arrangements, that is how I presently rent my apartment. I pay ahead to my landlord for an entire year. The entire year, rent, water, heating, cable, internet all paid for the near future so I don't have to worry about it for that year. As for betting, who knows what can happen.

Morning at the Hinata-Sou:

Most everyone was at the table for breakfast. Keitaro took a quick look around, "Where are Sarah-chan and Su-chan?", he asked.

"They are suffering the pains of their own greed from eating all those sweets that they got at the market.", Motoko said with a small smile on her face.

"But surely they should have digested all the sweets they eaten yesterday by now?", Keitaro asked with some worry in his voice.

"Yes, they did and they had belly aches from eating too much. So what did they do this morning before even getting ready for breakfast?", Motoko looked around the table, "They dived right in and started eating everything they had left and had not eaten yesterday.", she finished.

"I remember all the stuff they got. That was sure a lot of different sweets they were carrying back.", Shinubo added.

Everyone at the table had to smile at the image of the two trouble makers being their own worse enemies. No-one noticed Kitsune was smiling more than anyone else.

"I WON, I WON!", Kitsune was mentally shouting this to herself in her mind. She knew better than to say this aloud as Motoko was trying to curb her gambling but even worse was willing to take the next couple of months rent directly out of her winnings. Her horse had come in second, and she thought it was all over, but she had been listening to the radio this morning to get any ideas of future races if she ever figured out where to get some money when word had come down from the racing association that the winning horse showed odd results on the latest blood tests and it's winning was cancelled. Of-course, some people would had cash out right after the race and did not appear to be coming back to return their money, but the racing commission was insisting that anyone with now valid tickets that covered the new results must be paid.

"Let's see, I bet 15,000 yen on the horse to win and at 85 to 1 odds I get 1,275,000 yen. I am rich!", Kitsune just had to smile to herself.

Quietly, she slipped out of the house and headed to downtown to collect her winnings from the brew master's assistant.

On the way to the brewer and thus the bookie:

It took some time but all the way whether she was walking on the streets or riding on the train Kitsune was on cloud nine thinking of the different boozes she could buy and future bets to make. saving up to pay the rent never crossed her mind.

However, when she arrived, it was to find an angry crowd in the front of the building.

At the brew-house:

It took very little time to find out what happened. The first declared winner had people showing up the previous day and collecting their winnings.

However, when the racing commission changed the winner they were not coming back to return the money either.

Meanwhile, others still behind in the news showed up in the morning expecting to get their money only to have the assistant claiming their winnings were invalid because of changes made by the racing commission - that is what started a small angry crowd, but now people like Kitsune were also showing up and the assistant realizing he could not cover the 85 to 1 odds especially after he had already paid out so much yesterday in the first place for the then declared winner, he quickly vanished thru the back door of the establishment to save his own skin.

Like a lot of others, Kitsune was angry, but also she now knew she was now very tight for money. Because of Motoko's actions she did not have to worry about rent for the next month. But that was the last of her free cash, and until she figured on how to make more, it mean no more booze or gambling for her. That would make for a tough life indeed.

Morning at Naru's bedroom:

Today was a home study day. She had no classes at the school or the cram school, and Naru thought of this as a good time to catch up on her weak points of study.

"Those boys have taken up too much of my time designing the female characters of their game.", she thought to herself even while design ideas flick thru the back of her head to improve the game. What did not cross her mind was the fact that she no longer saw the boys as budding perverts.

"I wonder if we could ... What am I thinking? I don't need to think about the game, this is study time.", she chastised herself, and went back to the open books.

Naru, now deep in study did not register the passage of time, until!

"Naru-chan!", her mother called, "There are some boys at the door asking for you.", she announced.

Naru sighed, she knew who it would be. "Well, I guess I could use a break.", she admitted to herself.

She headed downstairs but did not find the boys at the doorway as she expected.

"They are in the living room.", her mom said as she handed Naru a tray of cookies, "I will be right in with the tea.", she also added with a knowing smile.

Naru entered the living room to find the three boys talking to her younger sister Mei. Naru placed her tray on the central table.

"Don't go infecting her with your otaku ways.", Naru warned the boys.

"You better leave, Mei-chan. These boys only want to use you to play their computer game and see what you think of it.", Naru warned her younger sister.

"So you are not considering any of them as your boy friend?", Mei asked, tilting her head as she questioned.

"NO!", Naru was making it quite clear how she felt.

"Good, but I bet you are still thinking of the boy at your old dorm.", Mei theorized with a smile.

"No, now off with you.", Naru said as she pushed her sister out of the room.

"Here is the tea.", her mother choose that moment to enter the room with a tea set and a steaming tea pot that she placed on the same table as the cookies.

"So what is this about?", Naru's mother asked as she protectively scanned the boys who seem to have an interest in her older daughter.

"We are here to discuss game development with Naru-san, something very important has come up", one of the boys explained.

"This could even be a great opportunity for us to get a job right after we graduate.", another boy added.

"As long as you realize Naru-chan plans to go on to university.", Naru's mother said while giving Naru a knowing look.

"Well, in any case I will leave you to talk, but call me if you need me.", Naru's mother said as she left the room.

Naru noticed that her mother never completely closed the door when she left.

"Well? Why are you here?", Naru demanded as at the same time the boys were helping themselves to the cookies. "And why are you not taking any of my mom's tea, do you expect me to serve you?", Naru was getting a little angry as she asked.

"We don't like tea.", one boy answered. "And we came here with important news.", another boy added.

"We were talking to our club supervisor and he gave us tickets to the big game makers convention that will be held in Tokyo in four months. And if we can finish enough of our game we can show it off there.", the third boy continued. "And if we can impress them enough with what we have done, then it's sure that they would be interested in hiring us after we graduate.", the first boy finished.

"I thought it would not be finished till next year? And we are just beginners, they will be experts, why would they even look at what we have?". Naru asked, then, "Wait, Tokyo, did you just say Tokyo?".

Naru's head started filling with the idea of seeing the girls and the manager of the Hinata-Sou again.

"How long will we be in Tokyo?", she asked with hope in her voice that it would be a long stay.

The boys could see they were winning her over.

"The conference is only three days long, but we need to get there the day before to setup our own booth and the day after the conference for the journey back, so four days, maybe five if we want to see the sights.", it was explained, their excitement clearly to be seen.

Now Naru really thought she would have time to go to Hinata-Sou, she did not plan to go the conference that much if she could help it.

And with that, Naru found herself roped into talking for the next couple of hours about further game's design that could be finished within the next four months.

On the streets of Tokyo:

Kitsune wandered the streets thinking about her situation. She had first tried contacting the different editors as she was hoping for a temporary writing job, she just needed one or two articles would do for now. But none had any offers to give her, and it did not look like there would be any other writing offers soon.

She also knew better than to bet against anyone about being able to out-drink them. Lately she seem to be losing such bets.

As she continued to wander around, she looked everywhere hoping to see something that could give her some inspiration of how to face the future and her lack of money. Suddenly, she thought she spotted a familiar person in the distance.

"Isn't that my bookie?", Kitsune asked herself in surprise as she hurried to catch up with the figure. Then she started to slow down as she notice how fugitive he seemed to be acting. "I better hold back and just follow him to see where he goes.", she decided.

In time the lone figure led she to a rundown motel, he took a quick look around and then he ducked into an apartment.

An angry Kitsune was just going to march up to him and demand her money when she realize "What do I do if he refuses, even tries to fight me?", asked herself.

It took only a moment's thought to decide to get Motoko's help, but at the same time Motoko was not going to just help her continue her gambling ways and collect a bet. "I just have to lie to her.", Kitsune decided without thinking of the long term.

Once back at the dorm:

Motoko was surprised by the knock on her door. She had already been aware that Kitsune was in her area, but she had not expected her to want to talk with herself after all the bad blood between them about her last bet.

"Motoko-san", Kitsune started, "I know you do not want me gambling anymore, but my last bet was my last bet and it won! However, but my bookie says it is not safe to walk around with so much money. Would you guard me if we go to his place to collect my winnings? It is over a million yen after-all."

"A million yen!, "Motoko exclaimed.

"Well, actually 1,250,000 yen, can you believe it", Kitsune happily replied back.

"And this is your last bet?", Motoko asked to be sure.

"My last bet, I placed it before you talked to me last,", Kitsune lied to get her way of-course.

"Okay, but I am going to hold you to your promised that this is the last bet you make.", Motoko stated.

"Then let's go then.", Kitsune was ready to go back for the money.

At the front door of the bookie:

Kitsune knocked on the same door she had seen her bookie entered earlier.

"Just a second.", a familiar voice called out. "What is it? I told you on the phone I would be right down with the rent in just a few minutes.". The door opened and Kitsune found herself face-to-face with her bookie, then the next moment face-to-door instead.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing, you own me money, lots of money.", Kitsune yelled out.

The door quickly opened again and her bookie started to drag her into the room he was renting, Motoko who was right behind Kitsune followed since she was not going to leave Kitsune alone with a man, much less an unknown man like this bookie.

"Don't go yelling about money in this neighborhood.", the bookie exclaimed. Behind him was a bed with two open suitcases, one full of random bills of money and the other suitcase clearly with clothes he was packing for a trip somewhere.

"Well, what is this about?", he demanded.

"You own me from my last bet, and you have not paid me yet.", Kitsune retorted while waving a betting slip in his face.

"You can't expect me to pay you now, and all the other bettors out there from yesterday's race?", the bookie defended himself.

"Yesterday's race?", Motoko was instantly angry as she grabbed and examined the betting slip that showed it was for one of yesterday's race.

"Kitsune-san! You told me this was an old bet that you were collecting.", Motoko was very angry, her bokken was already out.

Thinking quickly, Kitsune stepped behind the bookie. "When she is like this, it is best to just hand over the money and have us leave as soon as possible.", she offered, "And we don't have to mention to any other betters where to find you.", she also threaten.

The bookie looked at Kitsune and then Motoko in fright, not realizing Kitsune was the focus of Motoko's anger. As fast as possible he scooped up money to pay Kitsune and stuffed it into a paper bag. He was so focused on what he was doing that he did not notice Motoko's focus was on Kitsune, not himself. Of-course, Kitsune constant moving to insure he was between Motoko and herself helped.

As he started to hand over the bag of money to Kitsune, he hesitated in his movements.

"Kitsune-san, what have you dragged me into?", Motoko demanded, asking her at the same time and distracting the bookie's attention.

Kitsune had to think fast. "Motoko-sempai is an accomplished marital artist, she is here to protect me if anyone get violent or tries to hold out paying what they own.", she told the bookie while keeping an eye on Motoko.

"WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING ME TO DO!", Motoko exclaimed again loudly.

"I am expecting you to protect me while I collect the money already owned to me by this person.", Kitsune told her, as she reached out and grabbed the bag from the frighten bookie.

"I don't like this, you lied about when you were betting horses, and now you want me to scare other people.", Motoko said as Kitsune headed to the door.

"And I will keep my mouth shut for sure.". Kitsune promised the bookie as they went to leave, Motoko followed her, unsure how to act.

Outside on the streets:

As they started to walk back to the train station, Kitsune could clearly sense that Motoko was not happy with her or how she had presented Motoko's role to her bookie.

"Hey Motoko-san, why are you so upset? We have got all the money I was owned.", Kitsune was positively giddy in the presence of so much cash.

She held out the bag for Motoko to see, only to have it vanish from her grasp and appear in Motoko's who immediately started counting some of the money off.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing Motoko-san, that money is mine.", Kitsune declared.

"Just taking off another five months's rent to be safe.", Motoko answered, "And another month's rent as a safety deposit that you get back, if you don't cause damage to the Hinata-Sou by then.", she added.

"What damage? I am never breaking things, that's all Keitaro-san's fault.", Kitsune said in surprise.

"Do you think I have not been carefully reviewing my memories of events.", Motoko replied sharply, "Too often I now realize they started as practical jokes that you were playing on our kanrisha. The sign saying the girls are bathing did not change itself by it's own for example.", she pointed out.

"But it was just some harmless fun.", Kitsune tried to defend herself.

"Harmless fun that resulted in me hitting Keitaro-san with my bokken. And we can now see that state of things can not continue.", Motoko explained as she handed the remaining money back to Kitsune.

Kitsune wanted to complain, but she already had more money than she had ever won before, and she realized she did not want Motoko any more angry at her and maybe even demanding a full year's rent from her.

She did the smart thing and kept her mouth shut as the continued to the train station.

Later at the dinner table:

Motoko looked around as she tried to evaluate her fellow dining companions.

Kitsune she was still mad at. "I realize now how many times I blamed Keitaro-san when it as really just a trick by Kitsune-san. Plus she lied to me in order to collect her winnings. It seems I can not trust her for honest help.".

Her attention switched to the two young girls, "They cause as much mischief as they can, and especially to Keitaro-san, again I can't trust them to prove anything about our manager.".

Another switch and her eyes fell on Shinobu, "She adores that male so much she can never see anything he does as wrong.", she theorized while skipping over the detail that he never tried to do anything bad to the little cook in the first place.

"And Naru-san is not here, but after that last time when she suggested I lie to the elders, I am happy she is not around either.", Motoko continued to herself.

Finally her gaze was directed to Mutsumi who showed up at the last minute for dinner. "Again, like Shinobu-chan, in her eyes Keitaro-san can do no wrong. It looks like this task is mine and mine alone.", Motoko told herself.

That Night:

As Motoko lay on her futon trying to sleep, different thoughts about Keitaro went thru her mind. "The more I looked into the past, the more I realize most of Keitaro's actions were not pervert things he was trying to do. Instead it seems it is the other girls setting him up. In-fact it seems most perverted actions occurred around Naru-san. Did she cause them and then just blame Keitaro-san, considering she told me to lie - I don't know what to think now.".

"After-all, he popped up into her room and saw her while she was changing clothes, even being almost undressed at times. Yet she never would put anything heavy on the plywood covering the hole between their two rooms.", she noted.

"Well, I know he pulled my pantyhose down on more than on occasion.", she said to herself, then had to add it happened when she was falling and Keitaro was trying to save her. A troubled Motoko drifted off to sleep wondering just how much perverted Keitaro really was vs how much were the girls of the Hinata have been misleading her.

As Kitsune was in her room she was too excited to sleep. Time and time again she could not help herself and found herself recounting the money. Of-course she was also so excited that she never came out with the same number each time, but no matter what count she got, it was a lot of money. She was even grateful to Motoko, she did not have worry about rent for the next six months, so all the money in-front of her could be used for Sake and if she could sneak it by Motoko, some betting too. Kitsune drifted off late into the night dreaming of all the different options open to her.

Shinobu fell asleep right away, and just dreamed different recipes, need we say more?

Sarah an Su seemed not to learn anything, they were making lists for the next time they went to market.

Mutsumi went to bed very happy. She had spent the entire dinner sitting right beside her beloved Kei-kun, she even touched him a few times. But with Motoko sitting just on the other side of him, she not going to go too far. Still she was smiling as she fell asleep.

Naru was restless as she laid in her bed. Four months and she could be back in Tokyo. This was something that HAD to happen. Ideas flew in her mind, but she knew she would need her sleep if she was going to help with the game. At the same time she knew her parents would keeping an eye on her grades, she could not afford to let they slip either. She forced herself to sleep, it did not work well but finally she drifted off.