Chapter 30: Village Girl A and a Casino

I went into the Gobroak Casino at Gimmimunee looking to gamble, so how did things come to this? I haven’t really acknowledged my own appearance in a while. Sure, I am aware that I’m in a new form, but I’ve always rationalized my existence as an NPC who just happens to be a village girl. Believing my existence to be solely “Village Girl A” has kept my fine thus far.

Being asked to wear a bunny suit is an entirely different manner!

As soon as Reuby, Maddie, and I walked in, we were given stares from all over. I forgot that this place was a high-end casino, for the wealthy and noble. A village girl, a village boy, and a demon prince with slightly baggy clothes walking into a den of wolves like this was sure to attract attention.

When I observed the casino itself, it was exactly as I remembered it from The Tears of Nephelai. A strange casino with an underwater theming. The floors were carpeted red, but the lighting was dim, so most of the brightness was from the walls. It was exactly like an aquarium, but instead of just regular fish, they were abyssal creatures and monsters swimming within as well. If I recall correctly, the owner of this casino has control over underwater creatures, and has used them to decorate their casino.

Various monster girls were around and acted as attendants to the nobles, while monster guys typically maintained tables and handled the bar. It was truly a melting point of various combinations, and it was thoroughly exciting to see these people in my own eyes. The modeling of real life truly can’t be compared to simple sprites! Even with all these eccentric designs, we must have looked particularly odd. Probably due to our clothing.

I noticed all the attention I received as I walked inside, but paid no mind to it. In the end, we’re all here to gamble anyways, so my simple appearance wouldn’t matter. I went to a special slot machine and started spinning. This slot machine was called The Void’s Greed. In Namida’s lore, this machine was known as one where no one could ever get a jackpot. It was specially enchanted to drain luck and money. Because of this, the amount to be paid out was piled so high that anyone could live comfortably after winning. In reality, the enchantments were simply translated into the tightest slot timings possible.

When I sat down to spin the slots, I could feel the very essence of The Void’s Greed connect with me. It’s hard to describe what the feeling was like, but any pressure others would feel from the enchantments at this machine were not effective against me. Instead, all I could think about was money. The shining exterior of the machine drew me to the darkness within. I had just lied and robbed a bank for an uncountable amount of treasures. Gimmimunee’s noble economy would be in shambles after this, but strangely, I didn’t really focus on that.

My first thought after receiving that much money was instant.

“How can I make more money?”

I had already planned to go to the casino, so the thought was answered instantaneously, but the longing for more wealth was a new feeling for me. Was this how nobles became corrupt? Did they follow their thoughts instantly like I did? I wouldn’t be able to tell.

When my fingers grabbed the switch to spin the slots, I felt my body tremble. It wasn’t from fear that I might lose the money I gained, but instead it was excitement for the money that would be coming. I was certain. Even in the real world, instincts can remain useful. When I think back on my fight with the Bratty Ratties, or even when I recall the feelings of Chicken Synchronization, those immediate reactions and calculations are similar to what I felt at that moment. After licking my lips just once, I concentrated on that twitching, pulsing, instinct. I concentrated on the feeling of wanting that money no matter what, and I mixed it with my muscle memory from playing The Tears of Nephelai.

I spun the slots.

Knowing the timing due to my playtime in The Tears of Nephelai, I immediately got a jackpot. In the game, when I hit the jackpot as the Hero, nothing happened. There was a special achievement, but that was about it.

That wasn’t the case this time around.

The Void’s Greed sounded out an entire victory jingle that wasn’t even heard in the game, and it immediately attracted all the attention on the first floor of the casino.

Before I could even process anything, all three of us were whisked away, and a succubus in a bunny suit attendant handed me a bunny suit of my own, saying, “You must wear this in order to meet the mistress, okay darling?~” before vanishing. She had an incredibly pretty appearance. Admittedly, I zoned out for a few minutes thinking of her charm before snapping back to reality.

So. Here I am. Holding a bunny suit. What exactly am I supposed to do with this? The succubus even gave me heels and pantyhose to go along with it. I’ll admit, such outfits are nice on the eyes. But… they really want me to wear one?

I mean, I’m just Village Girl A, right? My appearance is standard at best, my hair is somewhat messy, I’ve never worn heels, nor pantyhose in my life, and compared to most of the monster girls I’ve seen here, my battle power in charm is drastically underleveled. Seeing it in real life, how the heck do those monster girls operate with battle power like that? My body wouldn’t even begin to keep up, and frankly, I don’t want it to. This seems like a losing battle the more I think about it.

Plus, who the heck is this mistress? Was she referring to the owner of this casino? In The Tears of Nephelai, only the first floor of the casino could be accessed, even in the postgame. The fact that I’m even on the third floor is an impossible occurrence. If this truly is an opportunity to meet the owner of the casino, who only had two lines of info about her in the game, then this is awesome. Seeing a new character who could have been fairly integrated into the original game feels like playing an RPG with a remake that adds new characters. What’s her name? What does she like? What is with her bunny suit requirement? If she’s the owner of the casino, how does she control all of the aquatic creatures that decorate the walls of every room?

I have so many questions I want to get answered. Now that the lore-enthusiast side of me has awakened again, I’m feeling compelled to get as much info as I can. It’s a shame I have to wear an embarrassing bunny suit to find answers.

Hmm, the crossroads of meeting a hidden character and maintaining my dignity is a tough one…

What should I do?