ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

61

"61?"

Nitta tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. Imperial Guardsman Capilla explained "61" to him.

"It is a simple number game. You take turns turning over a stack of 'Seasonal Cards' and add the numbers that come up..."

'Seasonal Cards' are the playing cards in this world. The number of suits is the same, but the number of cards is from 1 to 12, and the total number of cards is 48, which is fewer than playing cards. The suits consist of the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The '61' is one of the simplest games played with the seasonal cards. The players add up the scores of the cards they have played, and when it is their turn, if they feel that their score will exceed '61' if they turn over their cards, they 'stay' or 'go'. The player who declared 'stay' decides whether or not they will turn next. If the number does not exceed 61, the player who turns wins; if the number exceeds 61, the player who declares 'stay' wins. If the number of moves exceeds 61 without declaring a stay, of course the side that turns over last loses the game. However, if the number reaches 61 exactly, the game ends at that point, and the side that turned over last wins. If both players choose not to turn over, the game ends in a draw. However, a draw can only be declared once per player. As a rule, the number of games is 7. The maximum number of times a tie can occur in a game is two. The breakdown of the number of points for each card is as indicated on the "Spring and Winter Cards" (1 to 12, with 1 being either 1 or 13), while the "Summer and Autumn Cards" have one point each and no points, alternating from game to game.

After hearing an overview of the game rules, Nitta pondered the details of the game.

'There seems to be a strong element of luck...'

At first glance, this game seems to be completely dependent on luck, but even a beginner like himself has a good chance of winning. As he pondered, Capilla warned him by whispering in his ear.

"It is a seemingly simple game that depends on luck and intuition, but it is very deep. Be careful..."

"Okay, I've got most of the rules... let's get started..."

Nitta took his seat so that he and Rourke are across the table from each other. Then, a slender man, one of Rourke's men, approached them as they sat down.

"One, no cheating. Two, the loser does not object to the payment of his bet. Three, the bets lost in the game can only be regained in the game."

He stated three absolute rules when gambling in Johan.

"If you break any of them, the game is forfeit, and you will pay for it! Do you swear?"

The man asked for a statement asking the player to take an oath. After a pause, the two players opened their mouths simultaneously.

"I swear!"

"Then, a contract of attestation!"

The slender man held out a sheet of paper with two signatures on it. Nitta, who could not read the characters on the Juperia Continent, asked Capilla to read the contents of the document.

"...It is a written oath that you swear to abide by the three rules that was just mentioned."

After hearing this explanation, Nitta turned to Rourke again.

"...You're being very cautious, aren't you?"

Nitta asked Rourke, in disbelief that he would even sign a pledge for a mere bet of one bag and one gun.

"I can't have you overstepping your bounds... so now it's officially gambling under the law... You can lose without any worries, since there are witnesses."