OCEAN'S THREE (2).

All the attention in the underground gambling den was on the table that featured the medical director, the dealer, and the 'Black Devil'. Everyone stopped what they were doing and the underground gambling association took that as an opportunity to make a profit and hosted a bet with reasonable odds for both contenders. The patrons of the den put almost all of their money on the medical director while the bodyguard that escorted 'Black Devil' bet a million dollars in favour of 'Black Devil'.

The medical director only smirked at that gesture and gave a quick glance to the dealer. The dealer understood the sign secretly and began to shuffle the cards at speeds that made his hands look blurry. The underground gambling den actually hired this dealer years ago from the fourth ward that was ruled by Uta. The dealer of course is a ghoul at the peak of the A rank!

Only the medical director and the owners of the underground gambling den know this of course. If anyone from the Washuu clan knew this and knew that one of the reasons they had lost a small fortune there was due to the appearance of a ghoul, they would simply use the CCG that they control from the shadows to conduct an investigation in the underground gambling den to reap back benefits and spoil their business. But alas, that secret is still well kept.

If Mairo hadn't broken through to the peak of the A-rank a few days ago, this would have been hopeless and would put the plan on halt-for plan A anyway. Mairo immediately focused all his senses on the shuffle but could barely make out the colour and type of cards. This wasn't the dealer's first rodeo, he had been doing this for years and would put in his very best each time he was called to do this for special events. He is eternally grateful for the human owners who could actually find a use for him being a ghoul that feeds on humans and gave him a life amongst humans while providing him with debtors who refused to pay back what they owe to him as food.

A drop of sweat trickled down Mairo's forehead as he tried his hardest but decided to calm down and play the game.

'This dealer is definitely a ghoul but I am quite sure he doesn't know that I and Kanae are also ghouls. Since I can't read his speed I will simply apply my teachings here.' Mairo thought as the dealer dealt him his cards which were basically useless. The medical director tried to hide his smile by frowning immediately. Mairo immediately knew he would lose if he didn't pull off one of his teacher's ultimate techniques.

Mairo tapped the floor lightly with his shoe but that was enough to be heard by his bodyguard who cursed in German in her mind and went with the plan. The bodyguard was in fact Kanae Von Rosewald. Kanae was given the role to escort Mairo to the den a couple of times till they met their target. They of course knew that the Washuu's attended such gatherings but prepared a long blonde wig for her which brought out the colour in her eyes.

Kanae removed her hat that looked like a chauffeur's hat, she let her shoulders relax and opened two buttons on her loose white shirt and took a deep breath that made her chest rise and she fanned herself with her hat. She wore a loose white shirt with a black jacket hanging on her shoulders and black trousers with matching heels. It was as if time slowed down a bit and for a hot second, all eyes were on the female bodyguard who decided to grace them with her beauty and discard her earlier stiffness. Everyone's focus was on the table and the players they bet their money so it wasn't hard to miss that action. Even the dealer paused too. Shuu was right about Kanae all along, she is indeed very beautiful if not the most beautiful female in the Tsukiyama household. But Shuu didn't want to emphasize on that since he had other plans for her.

During their frequent visits to the den, Mairo had noted down the types of cards used during special events were customized cards and couldn't be found in Japan. That would have been a problem if he didn't have the backing of a wealthy and influential family. Mairo ordered the same cards from Colombia and took some with him to the den and immediately swiped his cards with the ones he served. The game was a one-round decider after all. Mairo immediately concentrated all his will on his fingers and exchanged his cards for the ones he had. The exchange was immaculate and too swift for any camera to notice.

He had practiced this technique day and night but could only perfect it with a suitable distraction. Kanae unwillingly played her part and Mairo his. The medical director then turned to face Shuu and smiled lecherously.

"You are good at hiding precious things 'Black Devil'. Why don't you add your bodyguard as part of my reward eh?" The medical director asked shamelessly. Kanae instead looked bored and waited for the whole thing to be over, she had already gotten used to the behavior of the patrons of the den. She remembered Shuu's warning her not to draw more attention than needed to herself since she is a wanted ghoul and can only free herself by becoming stronger. The thought of Shuu suddenly brought calm to her demeanor.

Mairo simply ignored him and watched the table and the dealer.

"You are no fun at all. Anyway, when I win I basically own you, which means I own her too."

After three minutes, the medical director spread his cards on the table with glee on his face.

"Well, what do you know, I got a full house on my first try!" He said while staring at Kanae.

"Hmm." Mairo uttered. He hadn't expected that his opponent would go all out like this. It seemed that he really wanted to end this in one go.

"You know what, I am a nice guy. Why don't you stop that futile attempt at staring at your cards as if they are going to beat mine? Why don't you serve my family till you are fifty but you will have to procreate and leave behind three children that will continue to serve my family in that order for generations to come. See, at least you get retirement! Ha ha!" The medical director laughed and soon the whole den was filled with laughter.

"Thank God, I bet on him. I used my kid's next session school fees on this one. Now I can make bank and a little respect from my wife!" A patron commented in the background.

"Yeah, even me too. I used this month's rent, now I know I can move to a better place and stop taking nonsense from my pesky landlord!" Another agreed with the first patron.

"My mom has cancer and I used her chemotherapy fees on this. Now she can get proper treatment."

"I am supposed to pay the Yakuza in the twenty-fourth ward this money I owe them, but I guess I am better off now! Hey bartender! Drinks for everyone, including that loser and his hot bodyguard, ON ME!"

Cheers and laughter filled the den as drinks went round and guards approached Mairo and Kanae as if to take them away.

A sigh was heard from 'Black Devil' which signaled a great triumph for patrons in the den. The guards shrugged and began approaching 'Black Devil', the dealer was about to leave until Mairo put down his cards.

"Royal Flush." Mairo said calmly but was easily heard by everyone.

The laughing medical director paused and stopped laughing when he heard that. He picked up his glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on. He leaned forward as if to inspect the bluff. Dread suddenly filled his face as he looked at the cards then 'Black Devil' and also the dealer. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. This game was already rigged and bought before the game even started. It is not incorrect to assume the director is one of the owners of the den and fault his surprise.

The dealer himself was shocked. He was sure he served different colours, and numbers, and virtually useless cards to 'Black Devil'.

'Is he really the devil as they say? But that's impossible, I have dealing cards for years, and no one can see how fast I switch the cards or predict their outcome. Even if you had the same cards you must have paid hundreds of millions of yen to buy a copy and expect the delivery in a year's time. These cards were made with rare materials that make them extremely light which helps dealers to shuffle with great speed and also very durable to the point that it will take a very long time before it is actually burnt or destroyed by water or fire. There is just no way I could have been tricked, even that one-second distraction from his bodyguard isn't enough to elude me.' The dealer thought as he began sweating buckets.

The director noticed his dealer's demeanor and thought something was off and took a deep breath.

"I don't trust you! After all, you are nicknamed 'Black Devil'! Search him and check the cameras!" The director huffed while pointing at 'Black Devil'.

"This is not fair. I played a game of cards with you and now you request a search, this is an insult to this establishment and one such as myself! If I didn't know any better I'd think you are trying to scam me!" Mairo shot back.

The medical director retracted his gaze but the guards approached Mairo. The first one that attempted to touch Mairo found his arm looking weird and only realized threes seconds later that his arm was twisted without him knowing. He let out a cry and fell to his knees, Kanae only looked down at him and then fixed her attention on Mairo.

"Pathetic." Kanae said as if looking down on lowly worms.