On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Ninety-Eight

Eri was looking at me with sparkling eyes as I adjusted my tie and cufflinks in the mirror. Once we had finished the long, playful time in the hot tub, we had all refreshed ourselves and started to change, ready for the evening ahead. I had dressed in the expensive suit I had rush-ordered, as well as all the matching accessories such as a rather nice watch, and if I did say so myself I thought I looked rather dashing. Eri also seems to think so.

“You look so good Akio.” Eri gushed then, unable to hold herself back from giving me another kiss. She was wearing a very pretty evening-style dress, a far cry from her usual attire, one that I had bought her on our shopping trip to Inuyama. As her arms snaked around me gently, careful not to crease our outfits, she let out a hot sigh as her kissing became more aggressive, the alcohol still in her system perhaps making her bold. As wet sounds echoed around the room I felt warm inside, until my sister slapped us both across the back of our heads, breaking our kiss.

“Bad bro, bad Eri-chan. Have you forgot Shaeula and I are watching? Man, I’m not prepared for seeing that…” Aiko was fanning herself, face flushed. “I’m all embarrassed now, but it was kinda hot… no, wow, what am I saying?” she shook her head to clear the fog. She was also wearing an evening dress she had bought in Inuyama, again in dark blue. Eri was wearing purple, so the two looked a bit like sisters. Cute, definitely cute.

“If I recall correctly, you were complaining but a short while ago-ago that Eri was not being aggressive enough in her pursuit of greater closeness with Akio, were you not-not?” Shaeula interjected. She had also worn her suit, her legs wrapped in dark tights and a charcoal pencil skirt, the matching jacket over a crisp white shirt and slender amber tie, her wrist wearing a matching ladies’ watch to mine.

“I did yeah, my big bro is past his prime, if someone doesn’t push it he’ll miss the boat and stay a virgin forever, but…” she trailed off then, realising she was effectively telling us, her brother and best friend, to… well, to put it bluntly, make love. “Yeah I’m happy that Eri-chan and my bro can get that passionate, but please, we are right here! Have a heart!”

I blushed to match Eri, causing Shaeula to snort laughter. Trying to change the subject I complimented them on their looks, borrowing my sisters’ turn of phrase. “Wow, Eri, Aiko, you two look like a pair of sister supermodels. Those dresses really suit you, well worth the price. And you, Shaeula. There is something really sexy about a girl in a nice suit, but few can carry it off like you.”

Yeah, she’s petite and doll-like, which juxtaposes with the fact that it is usually older women in suits. As for my sis and Eri, the slightly daring dresses also balance their youth and good looks. They’ll be the prettiest girls in Las Vegas, I’m sure.

“Do I really look good in it?” Eri asked me, seeking reassurance, and I kissed her again, careful to make it a modest one.

“You sure do. I have no need to lie. You should be more confident in yourself. After all, you did bag a big catch in me, so you are set for life now, right?” I winked, and the room was filled with yet more happy laughter.

“Seriously, photo time!” my sister said, lining us up to take a series of shots, firstly me and Eri, then her and Eri, then me and Shaeula, her and the girls and lastly all of us together. “We need to have records to remember this day! Besides, we can show these off back at school and everyone there will know we are the true princesses of Nishimorioka. “

“Just don’t boast too much.” I warned. “It’s important to keep your friends…”

“I know, I know. Wow, just let me have some fun, all right? Anyway…” she looked at Shaeula and I in our business attire. “What’s the plan for this evening big bro? You’ve got business, have you?”

I nodded. “Well, in a bit Shaeula and I have a client meeting. But that should only take a few hours. After that Shaeula will come back and meet you two, and you can have some fun together, while I have a solo meeting with another executive.” We had decided that since Shaeula was not really suited to poker, that after we had done some gambling before the tournament at Casino El Diablo she would return to have some fun with the girls while I hopefully cleaned up in the tournament. After all, If I can win that, our financial goals should be cleared easily enough. Worst case scenario we have most of tomorrow to gamble hard. I want the girls to make as many precious memories as possible while we are here.

“That sounds great. I’m sure Eri-chan and I can kill some time while you two are busy. Then we can have a girly night again. We have lots to talk about, right Eri-chan, Shaeula?”

“Sure, that sounds lovely.” Eri agreed. “Though I was hoping to spend more time with you Akio…”

Ugh, my heart… that sweet look in her eyes. She always used to be cute, but she’s grown up so well…

“Don’t worry, we’ll have time tomorrow for that. Anyway, we have a couple of hours’ first, what do you want to do?”

“Oh, I know, I know!” my excitable sister chimed in once more. “We have come all this way to Las Vegas. We need to gamble! It’d be stupid not to, right?”

Shaeula met my gaze and we both held in smiles. Yeah, we know. That’s why we are here, little sis. “You can’t, you are under twenty-one.”

“Sure, but you two can, right? We can just watch. It’ll be fun, right Eri-chan?”

“I don’t want you to lose all your money, Akio.” Eri began, but I stopped her.

“Don’t worry, your boyfriend isn’t a fool. We have some spare cash we can wager. How about we let you pick a series of colours/trebles and you can have a cut of any winnings? That way we can all share the fun.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go, let’s go!” my sister ushered us out of our suite, eager to play.

*********

We went to the Bellagio, once more admiring the fountain display, and headed to the casino floor. Shaeula was asked for her ID as usual, and the security seemed a bit put out when they realised she was old enough. My sis and Eri sat on a table overlooking the nearest roulette area, and after ordering drinks (non-alcoholic for the girls of course, as we weren’t alone in our suite now) we set our strategy. Shaeula subtly buffed us both with her fortunate winds, and I was feeling powerfully lucky, after all, my Fortune was even higher now.

“So, don’t forget to stick a ton on twenty-two, that’s Eri-chan’s birthday. You NEED to remember that. Her birthday is the 22^nd of September. Don’t forget it, all right? As for the other bets…”

I couldn’t help but laugh as Aiko was so hyped up. Of course I remember Eri’s birthday. How long have I known her? Shaeula had wandered deep into the casino floor, following her instincts, and had drifted to the slot machines, which she was studying with interest. Leaving Aiko and Eri to chat I hit the Roulette tables, going straight for the high-roller ones. I couldn’t bet too much, or my sisters would be worried, but while they could see the table from here, it was too far away to make out things like bet limits, so it should be fine to drop some big chips…

Cashing in ten thousand dollars I received my chips in denominations of five hundred apiece, and proceeded to follow the betting sequence, remembering to put a chip on 22 each time like Aiko wanted. Giving them a little wave when they looked over I watched as the ball spun around the wheel. It first came up on Red 5, which I won on the trebles, and after that I had more small wins and losses, until on the fifth spin it came up 22 Black. Nice. That’s a sweet profit…

My sister was pointing excitedly at us as I swept over my chips. I could feel my luck swelling, the winds of fortune whispering in my ear. Taking a long gulp of my beer to steady myself I listened to where it was leading. 22 Black again. This time I peppered the area around 22 black with as many chips as the table limit would allow. My sister and Eri looked nervous as all my winnings went back on the table, but moments later…

The dealer was looking at me enviously, as once more the ball landed on 22, the winds around me shivering in triumph.

The large pile of chips pushed my way were filled with many high-value ones, and I didn’t even have time to count them before putting more on the table, following the selections I had been given. Over the next twenty minutes 22 came up twice more, and a half-dozen people around me were also well up, following my bets.

Uhh, I think I’ve won too big here… The dealer was sweating profusely, looking rather sick, and several burly men in black suits were watching in the distance. It was probably time to cut and run… but before I could do so a series of loud sirens rang out. Fire alarm… no, people seem excited?

Gathering up my chips I decided this would be the ideal time to call it. Everyone was gravitating over to the slot machines, and I could hear people excitedly talking about a jackpot winner. I suddenly had a strange feeling. It couldn’t be, could it… surely not…

A high-ranking member of the casino staff was rushing over, flanked by four security guards. I followed them, mixing with the curious crowd, to where a machine was lit up and giving off loud music. Standing in front of it, looking somewhat puzzled, was indeed a young amber-blonde woman in a sharp suit. Shaeula. Holy hell, this looks a big deal, how much did you win?

She was cocking her head, looking confused, but her eyes lit up as she saw me. “Ahh, Akio, there you are-are. I followed the wind which led me to this machine. I can not-not say I understand it well, but it seems I have won something. Do you know how much?”

The staff member had checked the machine, and with a pained smile asked to see Shaeula’s identification. “The machine is in order.” He allowed. Looking at her passport he nodded. “So, Japanese citizen. You don’t have to pay US taxes then, but you should report it to your own revenue authority on your return as they will want to levy their own taxes. It’s around thirty percent, if I recall. Still… I think you’ll be happy with your winnings anyway.”

“Help me, master!” Shaeula pleaded, eyes spinning at his long spiel of complicated concepts. “What should I do-do?”

I patted her on the head comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll go through the paperwork with you.” Turning to the staff member I asked the burning question. “So, I’m guessing this is a decent win. How much is it, exactly?”

All around us I could hear silence, as everyone waited for the man to answer. “Two point seven million dollars and change. Congratulations. And thanks for choosing the Bellagio for your gambling today! Do you mind if we get a celebratory picture so we can use it for publicity? We’d appreciate it. We can then get your cheque sorted out.”

My wind went blank. That’s… just under two million dollars after we pay our taxes, and we’ll have to, as unlike our other winnings this will be public record… Uhh, so… roughly two hundred million yen?

Shaeula looked at me concerned, but I pulled her into a hug, getting cheers and catcalls from the surrounds. “You’ve done it Shaeula! With that sort of money, our next stage is in the bag, no matter what happens later!”

As she preened, impressed by my praise and the attention, not really understanding just how much she had won, I realised that we couldn’t see Eri’s table from here, and my sis and her weren’t able to come on the floor, being underage.

“Sure, we can get the publicity shot, but can I bring my sister and her friend? They are underage, but for this they should be able to access the floor, right?”

The man nodded. “Sure, it’ll make the photo look better. A real family affair, lives changed and all that…”

I hurried back to the table, my sister and Eri showing relief when they spotted me. “Hey what’s going on big bro?” Aiko asked, and Eri echoed her, saying she was worried when I ran off.

“Err, well… come this way. Shaeula had an incident…”

“An incident. She’s okay, right?” Eri asked, concerned. I merely patted her head gently.

“I say incident, but I mean a win. A big one. Come on, we are getting a publicity photo taken.”

Ushering them through the crowd, security clearing a path, we lined up with Shaeula, as the casino staff took our picture several times, arranging us artfully.

“Yeah, you are all so pretty and handsome.” The photographer admired us. “This story should be worth the losses. If we can have a few words after this, get your thoughts, that would be great. If you do, food and drinks are on the house all night, VIP treatment guaranteed!”

“So, wow, this… uh… seems a big deal bro.” Aiko said, nervous. “Just… just how much did she win?”

“Well, she’ll have to pay taxes when she takes the money back to Japan, but after that…” I dragged it out, causing Aiko to punch my arm. “… around two hundred million yen, give or take?”

“Wowowowowowowow. I think I misheard you. Did you say… two hundred… million… yen?”

Beside me Eri looked faint, so I put an arm round her, shielding her from the crowd.

“Yep, a bit over two point seven million dollars, though thirty percent of that’ll be taxed away. Guess she hit the jackpot.”

“So… wow. Yeah. Just wow.” Aiko swallowed. “That’s… that sure is something. But hang on a minute…” she suddenly flashed a malicious smile. “That’s got to be bad for you, big bro. With that sort of money Shaeula doesn’t need to work for you anymore. She’ll kick you to the curb, right?”

Eri shook her head. “Shaeula won’t do that. You know that.”

“Indeed, how could you say such a thing, Aiko?” Shaeula protested, having overheard. “I shall stand by Akio until the end-end. This is but the beginning of our rise to power!”

“I’m joking… I’m joking. Wow, my head has gone funny. I can’t keep up with this.”

“Yeah, me too.” I agreed. “Makes my winnings look positively anaemic in comparison.” I took out the mound of chips I had accrued. “I only made around two hundred and ten thousand dollars. I’m such a loser…”

Eri and Aiko looked at me, then at each other, then back to me, who was grinning victoriously. “Your big bro can pull off a win too, can’t he? You can’t have it now, but each of you can have ten percent when we get back. Save it and don’t spend it recklessly, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Eri asked and I held her closer.

“Of course. After all, wasn’t it thanks to you two we decided to gamble here today? Besides, sharing the wealth is what family does, right? Anyway, shall we go? I think that the staff want to interview us and sort out the details…”

Following the casino staff through the excited crowds to a private room, we spent some time sorting out the particulars, answering some questions and saying what we would do with the money. At some of Shaeula’s answers the man looked puzzled, but even so we managed to get through it without embarrassing ourselves too badly…

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