Addictive

As we prowled around the hotel, I counted 95 people scattered around the main area. 42 men, 48 women, and 5 children not including myself, Ekko or Ko.

Most of them had rings on their hands, symbolizing marriage. Even with the pill you were required to wear a ring symbolizing matrimony on your left hand, fourth finger. But the rings these people had were nothing short of stunning.

Giant diamond gems, shiny gold bands with gemstones of glimmering variety running down the side, even a few that broke the clear traditional values and looked more oddly shaped, thicker and using colourful stones to dazzle eyes in these glimmering lights above.

The few men and women that weren’t in some sort of union were conversing off in a corner. All the women, married or not, were dressed in a variety of outfits that accentuated their feminine features rather abruptly, while the men more or less wore the same suits as their married counterparts. Those men that were single seemed to be more in shape, well groomed, their hair combed well to seem more rugged and handsome.

As a stark contrast, and putting it bluntly, many of the married men were morbidly obese. I had a hard time imagining the women that clung to their arms like they were some polygamistic pimps ready to stud themselves out, let alone actually see it. I suppose their size was a classic display of long time wealth.

“Well ladies, why don’t you take a little cash and have some fun?” one of the larger men tossed some money into the air.

The girls at his arm screamed as they pranced around to catch the paper bills he let loose.

It was the most interesting thing at the moment, so we kept a close watch.

A few of the girls ran into a rather exciting part of the building, one with flashing lights and very loud rattles of bells and coins. It looked like there were a lot more people in there too.

“Let’s follow them,” Ekko suggested.

The room was even flashier on the inside. Rows of extravagant screens and endless blinking lights dazzled our eyes with amazement. Like the temptation of a siren, we approached without caution.

“There’s more excitement in this room than in my entire life,” Ekko commented.

“No kidding,” I said. “What is this place?”

A loud ringing sound hit the air, and someone started screaming.

It put us on high guard. We thought they were being murdered, but it appears that they’d just scored a mountain of change.

In lieu of that, I read the instructions on one of the machines…

For a measly few coins, this thing gave you the chance to multiply your money several times over. No wonder people flocked to it in the hopes of getting even more wealth.

I have to wonder…in a world where money doesn’t matter, what markets are these people even spending it all on?

“Do we have any money to give this a try?” I asked Ekko, who was in charge of keeping our change handy. “Might help us blend in a bit.”

“I think we can spare a few coins to give it a shot.”

Ekko handed me a bronze metallic token worth 50 yen, then I placed it inside the machine.

A colourful display of exciting images spun across the display. A catchy tune sung from the speakers that spun around my head when the gamble began.

Five rows of symbols continued to spin until I struck a button, forcing them to stop. Each stopped in succession, revealing fruity looking pictures all lined up.

*WINNER*

The machine’s fanfare worshiped me with firework-like lights and spinning gizmos all over. It was thrilling to see.

My 50 yen coin had evolved into 2000 yen, multiplying it 40 times over.

“Ekko, give me another one!”

She happily handed another over.

The same exciting display happened, this time a row of crowns lined up on my display.

*WINNER!*

Yet another win. This one graced me with 10000 yen.

The money I’d placed in had grown exponentially so easily! I had to keep going. If this was what the old world was like, everyone must have been rich!

I kept going, putting coins in and getting money, but the more extravagant numbers dropped to mere pittance…that was until…

*LOSER*

From a stark decline to absolutely nothing.

1000 yen would drop to 10 yen within seconds. I kept losing and losing, not nearly making up for the cost with my occasional wins.

“Stop!” Ekko put her hand in front of the coin slot, preventing another from dropping in. “Wait. Let’s quit while we're ahead.”

I wanted to keep going at all costs, forcing another win. If only just one more coin could go in, I was sure this would work out. Then I could leave happy.

But she was right. There was a pattern to this scam.

It pulls you in, promising gold in the very walls that can be pulled easily, only for you to discover those are the teeth of a monster, and you’re stuck in its jaws.

We didn’t really make much of a net profit here, but the thing I found most valuable was understanding how addictive things in the old world could have gotten. No wonder most people were spending their time here.

It wasn’t the only game though. There were other tabletop gambles people could join in on, some more social than others. Ekko gave one of those involving dice a try and made a friend.

The woman was named Shiwai. Her bets on the table were always pretty small, but somehow she’d always come out with a profit before passing the dice.

“You’re really good.” Ekko lovingly rubbed her arm. “I’m so impressed by your luck!”

“Thank you…” Shiwai proudly smiled. “Now if only I could have the same luck with men. Maybe it's my lucky night to catch one.” She turned to me. “This woman, take care of her! She’s so precious!”

“Ha ha! I will, don’t worry,” I assured.

The two of them stepped away to get a drink. After a little socializing, Ekko returned to me, far less refreshed than I was expecting.

“She was cheating.” Ekko pulled out a pair of red see-through dice.

“Are those loaded?” I asked.

“No. Clear dice can’t be loaded.” She rolled the dice around, always landing a 4, 5 or 6.

“How do these work?”

“Take a look for yourself…”

I kept twirling the die in my hand, noticing that it literally only had 4, 5 and 6 on it at all.

“You can only ever see 3 sides of a die at any given time, so she was banking on that to reduce suspicion. On her turn she’d swiftly swap out for these and make her bet. Nobody could tell.”

Incredible. Those low bets probably didn’t attract much attention either, so people wouldn’t be suspicious when she raked in a little cash each time.

“Did she give them to you?” I asked.

“No. Remember when I touched her arm? I swiped them.”

“You’re a good thief,” I commented.

Something about that comment turned her gaze livid. I quickly apologized.

Ko had been mostly on her own up to now, so when she came scampering at us I was a little surprised, and slightly relieved by the broken tension.

“We have a problem…” Ko claimed. “Follow me.”

She was exploring parts of this casino that Ekko and I weren’t, and there was a lot going on. It had been a little fun getting to play around, but now it was time for us to find out what all this money and hype was for in the first place…