ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

61

"...?"

Nomura, who was watching from the side, resisted the urge to scorn at Rourke for saying that. Rourke and Nitta then took turns signing the document.

"There's no running away."

"I have no intention of running away. As long as you don't cheat any more..."

Both sides glared at each other. The other four watched with bated breath. Rourke pulled out ten coins from under the table. He handed five of them to Nitta and began to explain.

"That's the coin that shows the gun. Mine is the bag. Only when both players have taken all five coins can they take away the other's wager bet. Is that clear?"

"..."

Listening silently to his explanation, Nitta took the coins he was given and checked the number of them.

. . .

First Game

0 points: "Summer Card"

1 point: "Autumn Card"

Bet:

- Rourke: 'mysterious bag' (5 pieces)

- Nitta: 9 mm pistol (5 pieces)

. . .

To determine the first and second moves, both players reached for the seasonal cards in a pile in the center of the table and flipped them over at will.

"1 Spring!"

"12 Autumn..."

Seasonal cards are determined by the strength of their suits in seasonal order. That is, Spring > Summer > Autumn > Winter. Since Rourke was the one who turned over the 1 of Spring, the stronger card, the first move of the first game was decided to be his.

"The first move alternates with the second, so the next game is yours..."

Rourke provides additional explanation of the game rules.

"Well, I'll bet you three for the bag just to see how it goes..." Rourke said and offered three coins on the field. Nitta was silent as he watched the scene.

"Oh, are you getting out of this game already?"

Rourke challenged Nitta, who was still looking down, with the implication that he was scared out of his wits.

"...Call three for guns!"

The two finished betting with each other. After Nitta finishes his part, the game finally begins, with Nitta's bag, Nomura's pistol, and Nina's life at stake. Rourke flipped the first card from a pile of 48 cards.

"3 Spring!"

"...12 Autumn."

"Haha, 8 Summer!"

"5 Winter..."

"4 Winter!"

The two then turned the cards over smoothly. However, as the total score gradually approaches 61, Nitta's hands begin to shake as he flips the cards. Rourke, on the other hand, is used to this and does not seem to change his behavior at all. On the contrary, he sometimes looked down at Nitta with a hunched posture, as if to show that he was comfortable with the situation.

"6 Spring!"

On the seventh turn, Rourke flipped a card, and the total score finally hits the 50-point mark.

'Now if I draws an 11 or 12 on a Spring or Winter card, I loses...! No, there are 35 cards left, and the odds of drawing any of the four that should not be drawn from them are infinitesimally small!'

Nitta nervously reaches for the deck of cards with every thought in his mind.

"...! 7 Spring!"

Surprised by the unexpected appearance of a high-scoring card, Nitta's blood runs cold for a moment. In contrast to him, Rourke reaches for the deck of cards with a relaxed look on his face.

"Autumn 2."

Nitta's turn comes around again. The total score of the cards turned over was '59' at this time.

"...Stay!"

Finally, Nitta cannot stand it any longer and declares 'stay'.

'...No, it's too early!'

Capilla realized that his stay declaration is too soon.

"Are you sure? Well, I guess I'll flip this..."

Rourke smirked and reaches for the stack.

"...!"

"...Alright, 4 Autumn! Now, I'll take this one gratefully!"

The Autumn card is '1 point'. This means that when Rourke turns over the last card, the total score will be 60, not 61. Rourke wins the game, reaches out with his right hand across the table and snatches the six coins in the air. As Capilla had predicted, he had declared a stay too early.

"...Next game."

Nitta, who must make up for his loss, mumbles and offers a coin on the table.

"You might run out of coins before the seven games are over... then I'll have to raise you up with something else, so be prepared..."

Rourke's voice is now dark, a far cry from his earlier jovial tone, as he sends a warning to Nitta and, by extension, the other four. They shuddered when they heard Rourke's words.

. . .

First Game Winner: Rourke

Bet:

- Rourke: 'mysterious bag' (5 pieces), 9 mm pistol (3 pieces)

- Nitta: 9 mm pistol (2 pieces)