who's winning now?

the tension from the previous rounds still hung in the air as zero recalled his sneaky move. "{so, this is what i did during the first round, second game. my jacket had some glitter powder on it. i moved my hand around so it sticks to my hands, then shook it while holding the cards. the glitter stuck to my card, and no one noticed.}"

the second round began. zero, calm and confident, glanced at his cards, glitter-covered again. he smiled at josh.

"hm…" (zero noticed the glitter and chuckled softly)

josh shifted in his seat, eyes narrowing. "{not this again... did he figure it out? even if he did, there's nothing he can do.}"

"show your cards!" rin said.

zero's card: paper

josh's card: scissors

rin: "2nd round goes to josh again! {i guess he'll lose. i mean, it was obvious.}"

zero leaned forward, his amusement barely contained.

"{he's cheating in his own casino, and people are around. if i do it now... hehehe,}" zero thought.

suddenly, zero blurted, "he's cheating!!"

the crowd stirred, curious.

"sigh, another loser..."

"what's going on?"

josh forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. "huh? {fool, i own this place. no one will go against me.}"

zero's smirk widened, sensing his moment.

"fool haha. little josh walked right into my trap." he turned to the crowd. "everyone! my jacket has glitter powder, and during the first match, it fell on my card! i got the same card every match. he cheated, meaning he lost! {i know you guys want your money back. this might be your last chance.}"

the crowd's murmurs grew louder, more people gathering.

"what?"

"huh?"

"let's see what's happening."

josh glanced at the growing crowd, sweat beading at his temple. "he's lying! it doesn't prove anything! and doesn't that mean he chea—"

zero interrupted calmly, "i'm sure there are cc cameras. show us the cards your partners picked. it was like they knew it all!"

"{he won't show it. that'll be his mistake,}" zero thought.

josh froze, his mind racing. "{no, i can't let them see the cameras. they'll stop coming here. i'm trapped.}"

chuckling nervously, josh said, "haha, it was all for fun. yes, you win. {just take it and leave.}"

zero leaned in closer, voice low. "fool."

josh stiffened. "what did you say?"

zero straightened up, sharp and confident. "if i had lost, you would've taken my money! you wanted more than money. you wanted to be the smartest and steal from all of us!"

"ah, so he scammed me too!"

"give our money back!!"

josh's panic rose. "guards!!!"

zero smirked. "if you kick them out, your business is done for."

"yeah, we'll never come back!"

josh's desperation showed in his voice. "{why does this guy have to ruin everything?} stop! i'll give everyone's money back. just don't leave!"

zero smiled darkly. "alright, let's end it quickly. this will be the last match. whoever wins this round is the true winner. and no more cheap tricks this time; i don't want to make you look bad."

josh, now visibly angered, barked, "alright, bring it on! no more partners needed! rin, take these old cards and give us new ones!"

rin nodded, feeling a strange unease while collecting the old cards, like she was forgetting something.

zero remained calm, and for the first time, rin felt his overwhelming aura. it was pure darkness filled with evil. zero glanced at her.

the third round began.

both players picked their cards themselves.

"go!" rin said.

zero's card: rock

josh's card: scissors

josh, eyes closed, thought he had won. as soon as rin said, "winner is the pro gambler," josh quickly opened his eyes and saw the menacing face of zero. the smile on zero's face made josh shake. "ho-how?"

zero walked away, his voice cold. "see ya, josh. you were good..." his tone darkened, "cheater!"

josh felt frozen. "yo-you-ou don't want th-the money?"

zero waved him off without looking back. "nah, keep it. {you'll need it more than me. heh, calling for other people wasn't my strategy, but to distract him from the game. while he was proving his innocence, i cheated. no way you thought i'd play fair after he cheated. in the whole game there was no rock card, and while he was talking, i noticed that. so, the last match would have been paper scissors. i signaled rin by showing her my fingers, all she had to do was see the number to and translate into words, indicating that i wanted the rock card and she understood. they all hate him, but why is that smart girl working for that fool? anyway, now i'm exhausted from using this much brainpower. now i'll get headaches ugh, no!}"

as he exited, zero muttered to himself, "exams are soon. better get ready. i'll walk around till midnight, i guess."