I Picked Up the Trash Others Threw Away - Chapter 19.2

Chapter 19.2

Just in time, Trish looked at the game that had just ended and clicked his tongue.

He also seemed to have decided that it would be dangerous to push it to the end against that man. It was a good thing that his pride hadn’t built up.

The other participants, who had no choice but to continue the game, were also looking to step down, folding here before any further damage could be done.

“It’s been a while since we started playing… Shall we stop here for today?”

“Oh dear, I must have joined too late. It’s a pity, I was having fun.”

Fortunately, that man also seemed to stand up after acknowledging the outcome of the game, but the unexpected bad luck did not end then.

The next day, and even the next day, I was on the verge of a headache because of the man who appeared at some point to scramble through the game board.

The first day we suffered a loss, I sighed in frustration.

“Who the hell is that gambler? If he’s that good, he must have a name.”

“How can we know who he is if he’s wearing a mask? Anyway, there’s a clear intent. It’s dangerous to proceed with the plan.”

Was it wrong to try to make money at someone else’s workplace?

I bit my lips tightly and tried to come up with our next course of action to overcome the current situation.

“… We’ll give him our flesh and take his bones.”

“What’s that creepy comment?”

“It means suffering a small loss in order to make a bigger profit in the future. It’s much better than being greedy right now and losing everything.”

I wasn’t sure, but he certainly wasn’t a person who came out to enjoy the game normally as everyone else. Maybe he was a gambler that someone had hired professionally, or maybe he was someone connected to the Moonlake casino.

Thinking that made me feel goosebumps all over my body. It was possible to get caught up in an unknown dark story that didn’t come out in the original.

It was right to end it here if we wanted to get over it without any bloodshed.

Perhaps the man was watching our actions, also trying to withdraw on his own.

But the money we won…!

He was not the one who searched for a hwatu deck from the East with much difficulty and persuaded Trish to run into the gambling hall to make money.

“If we can’t have it obediently, we’ll take it away somehow.”

Trish shook his head in a ‘there she goes again’ manner and ate the sweets on the table.

Either that or he was calm, as if he was used to it.

***

The atmosphere inside the Moonlake casino was quite different from usual, and there was a strange tension.

I purposely came here early in the evening. The main guests of the casino came to fill their tables late at night and played until late in the morning before daylight.

However, the staff of the casino spent their evenings organizing tables in advance or playing simple games to warm up their hands while waiting for the guests. If the man who interrupted the game was a member of the casino as I guessed, there was a good chance that he was already in the casino at this time.

I didn’t bring Trish today. It was better to negotiate quickly with the person concerned before we received any unnecessary suspicions.

For some reason, the casino’s security guard, who recognized my mask, obediently opened the door without even asking me to pay the entrance fee.

‘There must be something.’

I slowly went inside, lifting my fan to hide even the expression behind my mask.

The interior, which was supposed to be crowded and glamorous, looked quiet today without any guests. It might be early, but it made me wonder if there were any special instructions.

I looked around and sat down on a vacant seat where the games were held as usual, and it wasn’t long before a familiar person greeted me in the opposite chair.

“Good evening, Lady. You’re early today.”

I didn’t make eye contact, but I knew who he was at once.

The long black hair of the man who came closer to meet my eye level fell over the table. The ends of his hair had a faint lavender scent.

I nodded with my gaze lowered, flipping the cards on the tabletop. If I made eye contact at such a close distance, he would see my trembling eyes.

“Since you show up even when I come in at a random time, can I take it as if you’ve been waiting for me?”

“Oh my, I’m sorry if that made you feel that way. You can’t help it when there’s something that interests you.”

“I’m sure you weren’t interested in my shadow?”

The man laughed without saying a word at my playful question.

Oh, will you look at this? He didn’t have someone follow me, did he?