Ch. 117 Casino Night, Part One: The Gambling Girl

Students and staff members alike were packed into the courtyard, waiting for their director to begin her speech. The crowd was lively; the anticipation for Casino Night had reached a crescendo, and Erina's decision to cancel classes for the day was met with universal praise. This was in sharp contrast to the atmosphere of the last major event that took place in this venue: Azami's inaugural address. This did not go unnoticed by Erina, who took a deep breath to calm herself before she began.

"Esteemed students and staff members- I thank you for being here on this momentous occasion. As tradition dictates, I, Erina Nakiri, Director of Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy, am here to announce the beginning of our annual Casino Night event."

This was met with a round of applause.

"I will keep things brief, as there is much work to be done. Also, please be aware that some of our guests are slated to arrive as early as this afternoon," said Erina, and the mood shifted noticeably. "I need not remind you how crucial it is that you treat them with the utmost respect; they will be afforded true Totsuki hospitality, in every sense of the word. Their standards are high, but of course, so are ours. Staff members will be on call to escort them to their lodgings, and to provide them with anything that they need. The event starts at 5:00pm sharp, but students should be at their stations no later than 3:00pm to begin their preparations."

The initial wave of excitement was wearing down, as students began to stress about the reality of the situation. Similar to previous events like the Friendship and Rapport Training Camp and the Stagiare, this was ultimately a test for the students. For some, it would be the final test. A night of rock-polishing, as the former director Senzaemon Nakiri would have described it.

"Chin up, Tadokoro. Hospitality's definitely your strong suit. You'll do great!" said Soma, noticing the worry on Megumi's face. She offered him a smile in return.

"Thanks, Soma-kun."

"Has Erinacchi explained the rules yet?" asked Yuki.

"Shhh! I think she's about to," said Ryoko.

"Third year students- enjoy the festivities to your heart's content and consider this a well-deserved break. After all, it won't be long before you have to worry about THAT event," said Erina. The third-years, seated in the front row, nodded in agreement.

"Sounds mysterious," said Ibusaki.

"Indeed. I've heard that the final challenge before graduation is different for every class," said Marui, pushing up his glasses smartly.

"Second year students- you will take on a leadership role during this event. Each of you will be captaining a team of first-year students; you will be in charge of assigning their initial roles and rotations, facilitating communication between the kitchen and the casino floor, and assisting them as needed. There will be 12 first-years to a team; if more than 3 out of the 12 members of your team fail in their individual responsibilities, you will fail along with them. A true captain goes down with the ship, as the saying goes."

This set of a series of hushed whispers from the crowd; the second-years already knew what they were in for, but this condition was news to the first-years.

Satoshi Isshiki was as chipper as ever, and his enthusiasm helped to calm the nerves of his dorm mates.

"I hope we can all be on the same team! Though that might be asking for too much, hahaha," he said.

"Imagine making it all the way to your second-year, then failing because you got stuck with a crappy bunch of first-years..." said Yuki.

"It's actually a pretty realistic simulation. Though I doubt any of us will end up running a casino, eventually we'll have to manage kitchen staff," said Soma, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm...it might be realistic in some regards, but it'll also be a lot different than working in a restaurant setting," said Ibusaki, also thinking this over with care. Though his eyes were always hidden beneath his shaggy mop of red hair, it was easy to tell when he was deep in thought.

"How so?" asked Ryoko.

"At most restaurants, the goal is to keep customers around long enough for them to order multiple rounds of drinks and eventually dessert, while paradoxically trying to get them out quickly enough to open up tables and bring in more customers," explained Ibusaki.

"OH!" said Megumi, making the connection. "At a casino, the game plan is entirely different. You don't have to worry about bringing in more customers; you just need to keep the ones you have happy and squeeze them for everything they've got. Give them a glimmer of hope, and then ruin them completely!"

"Wow, Megumi...I didn't expect you to grasp the sleazy side of this event so well," said Yuki.

"Sounds like Eizan-senpai's kind of event," said Soma. "Wouldn't that be crazy if I ended up on his team? Ahahaha."

"Achoo," sneezed Eizan, just a few rows ahead of Soma and the Polaris students.

"Are you catching a cold?" asked Nene. "If anyone deserves to, it's you."

"Shut up," said Eizan.

"First years- you already know your responsibilities, but I'll explain them again since failure to perform them will result in expulsion. You will each be working three jobs at the event- chef, server, and dealer. Each job has its own set of challenges, and passing each challenge is mandatory to obtain a passing grade. Chefs must create 3 different appetizers and serve no less than 100 portions to each of our guests."

"Come to think of it, that's kinda like the training camp challenge! Too bad I won't get to compete with Erina this time," said Alice. She was getting weird looks from the less confident first-years seated nearby.

"Miss, this challenge will be much more difficult. Though I could still do it in my sleep," said Ryo, beside her as always.

"Fine, then we'll have our own challenge! I bet I can serve more appetizers than you!" said Alice, standing up to point aggressively at Ryo.

"You're on!" said Ryo, also rising from his seat.

"He-hem," said Erina, waiting for the pair to settle down. Alice and Ryo were the only other students standing, stealing the crowd's attention from Erina in the process.

"Sorry," said Alice, promptly sitting back down.

"The challenges for the roles of server and dealer are of a much different nature. It's important to note that guests will be free to roam from hall to hall. If they receive poor service in one location, they will simply move on to the next one. If they tire of the food, or the drinks, or the games being played at the tables...I trust that you understand my meaning," said Erina.

"It really is a team effort then," said Takumi Aldini, who was seated with his brother next to the Polaris students.

"Yeah, bro. It's going to take the whole team just to keep customers around," said Isami Aldini.

"Servers and dealers will be judged by the customers. Between those two roles, if you accumulate more than a single customer complaint, you will have failed. More importantly, if you drive enough customers away...your teammates will find it difficult to pick up the slack," said Erina. "Each team will be assigned a hall, but the team captain will be responsible for choosing which games are played and which drinks are served alongside the appetizers. Captains, I advise that you be prepared to adjust your game plan in accordance with the flow of customers."

"So we just need to make some killer appetizers, and we have one whole complaint to work with," said Soma. "I'm getting fired up now!"

"Not as fired up as I am, Yukihira! We'll see who can make the best appetizer!" said Takumi.

"Bro, you should focus on meeting the requirements of the challenge!" said Isami.

"If you have any further questions, please see your assigned Captain. With that being said," said Erina, pausing for dramatic effect before clapping her hands twice, "it's time to reveal the teams and your assigned locations."

Several staff members, responding to Erina's signal, wheeled out a large whiteboard covered with a sheet and set it up behind her.

"Thus concludes my speech. Best of luck, everyone," said Erina. She casually waved a hand while walking off-stage, and the staff members removed the sheet. Pandemonium broke out as students rushed the stage.

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"Oho man, I called it!" said Soma, who'd waited for the crowd to die down before checking the board. It was virtually the same for the rest of the council members and second-year students; the crème de la crème wouldn't lose this challenge on account of their nerves.

"Tssk, figures. Wait a minute...Aldini, too?" said Etsuya Eizan, looking at the board in disbelief.

"This is finally our chance to have a head-to-head battle, Yukihira. We can settle our score from training camp!" said Takumi, raring to go.

"You twerps better focus on helping your team, and not just yourselves. Otherwise it's my ass on the line here!" said Eizan, grabbing them each by the shirt collar.

"Yes, Senpai!" said Soma and Takumi, together.

"Interesting. I hadn't considered the possibility of a first-year student passing their own challenges and then disregarding their teammates. That would make for a viable strategy," said Nene Kinokuni, nodding wisely.

"Umm...Nene-senpai? I promise to help everyone else, too!" said Megumi, a member of Nene's team.

"Very good, Tadokoro. You'll be an acceptable underling for this challenge," said Nene, though Megumi was only one spot below her in the Council rankings. "And that Marui boy as well. He showed promise in the fall selection."

"Thanks?" said Megumi, unsure what to make of that statement.

"Hey, no fair! You get Tadokoro, AND you have two characters with glasses on your team!" said Terunori Kuga, the current 3rd  seat. "But what's this...I get to show Miyoko-chan the wonders of Szechuan cooking? Not bad."

"You may be my captain, but I still get to decide on the appetizers I serve. I'll tell you right now; they won't be Szechuan," said Miyoko Hojo.

"Call me captain again, Miyoko-chan. For a second there, it was almost like you joined the Chinese Cuisine RS."

"No."

"Damn it! There's way too much friggin irony going around here!" roared Ikumi Mito, finally glancing at the board herself. She was assigned to Kanichi Konishi, who was already her captain at the Don RS, though everyone knew Ikumi was running the show.

"Nikumi! I'm so glad to have you on the team," said Konishi, in tears.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?! And stay cool; you gotta make sure most of the team passes or you'll be expelled!"

"Oh, right...I'm doomed. Nikumi, you've gotta carry the team! Just like you do every day at Don RS," said Konichi, somewhat in denial over his predicament.

"Yeah, yeah," said Ikumi. "We'll figure something out."

"It's been awhile since I've been this excited about an event. Too bad Waldy won't be there to enjoy it," said Soma.

"Soma-kun...he gets to have fun and not worry about the challenges. He'll probably enjoy it more than any of us," said Megumi.

"Hmm. Do you really believe that, though?" said Soma.

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Torrey sat on one of the benches just outside the venue, watching his fellow students rushing around to complete their frantic, last minute preparations. This area of campus had been used for the Uptown area during the Moon Banquet Festival, which was the only other time that Torrey had been here. A lot of the buildings had been converted into temporary gambling halls, while the kitchens had remained available for students to use. Guests would be staying overnight on-campus or at the nearby Totsuki Resort.

"See ya' at 5, Kohai," Rindo said after the opening speech. "We can just meet out front of Hall A. You don't gotta pick me up or anything fancy like that."

Torrey had sat with the third-years rather than the first-years during the speech. He felt uncomfortable being around them, given his excusal from the event. Now it seemed more like an unfair privilege, rather than a punishment like he'd initially thought.

Erina's decision to exclude Torrey was a popular topic of conversation amongst the students, but Torrey had been the center of attention at Totsuki since he arrived here. These conversations were simply a means for the students to distract themselves from the pressures of the event, so for Torrey it actually seemed like he was out of the spotlight for once. He started to enjoy himself, simply observing things from the outside.

Wow, these guests sure look ritzy, he thought.

There were women adorned with glittering jewels and revealing dresses, clutching designer purses that Torrey wouldn't have been able to identify if his life depended on it. The men wore tuxedoes tailored to perfect fits, and loafers that were probably handcrafted in Italy. Some of the guests looked to be no older than him; some of them had graying hairs or no hair at all.

In fact, Torrey knew for a fact that some of the guests were no older than him, once he noticed a number of them were wearing the same school uniform. A red blazer with black trim lining the cuffs and collar, and gold buttons for adornment. Underneath was a white shirt and black tie. The guys wore grey-black pants that appeared to be checkered, while the girls wore skirts with the same pattern. A trio of them were heading in his direction.

"Look, look! Suzui-san! Isn't this exciting?" said one of the girls, taking notice of the décor.

Totsuki was a classy establishment, and much of the décor had already been here, such as the well-trimmed shrubbery and the classically styled fountains that lined either side of the cobblestone walkway. New additions to the scenery included neon signs directing guests to the venue, famous mascots posing for pictures (Vegas-style), and billboards advertising the games that would be featured at the various gambling halls.

The girl who spoke had long, raven hair that shone like silk, with hime-style bangs framing her delicate features. Big burgundy eyes sparkled as they took in the surroundings. Not to mention, her curves would have put some of the Totsuki girls to shame.

"Ha, gambling's always exciting for you, Yumeko-san," said the boy she was speaking to. Unlike her, he was rather plain, with messy brown hair and eyes that matched. "But they definitely went above and beyond for us."

"They're just whoring out for our money," said the third member of the group, another attractive girl with long blonde twintails. Her eyes were of a dark yellow, and they gave off an air of suspicion. She wore little makeup, which accentuated her natural beauty.

"Bwahahaha!" Torrey laughed, unable to contain his amusement. This girl hadn't even stepped foot inside the building, and she'd already determined the main purpose of this event and summed it up with an appropriate analogy.

The trio stopped in their tracks, looking at Torrey with widened eyes. They clearly hadn't noticed him sitting on the bench until now.

"Ah! You must be a student here. Sorry, I didn't mean to..." started the blonde.

"Don't be sorry; what you said is true," said Torrey.

"Hmm...in that case, I stand by what I said," said the blonde, crossing her arms. She was unable to meet Torrey's eyes, however; clearly embarrassed.

"Mary-san! You should be more polite to our hosts. Hi, I'm Yumeko!" said the raven-haired girl, energetically approaching Torrey for a handshake.

"I'm Torrey," he said, returning the shake.

Months of experience as a harem protagonist did little to prepare Torrey for this encounter. Girls had been fighting over him since his first day, but he could tell right away that Yumeko was unlike any of the others. She was completely transparent, and didn't seem to have any ulterior motives.

"And this is Mary-san, and Suzui-san!" said Yumeko, proudly gesturing to each of her friends in turn.

"It's nice to meet you all," said Torrey. "So...is everyone at your school rich?" he asked, cursing himself in his head afterward. Really? That's the best you could come up with?

Now it was Yumeko's turn to bust out laughing.

"Hahaha, not everyone! Mary-san's actually rather poor, and..." started Yumeko, before being interrupted by a solid punch to the arm from Mary.

"Don't just go around telling that to strangers!" she said.

"Tehehe, it's nothing to be ashamed of, Mary-san. You worked hard to earn your scholarship. Plus, we aren't housepets anymore. That was so embarrassing..." said Yumeko, though her expression said otherwise. It almost looked like the face that someone at Totsuki would make after eating something delicious.

"Huh? What's a housepet?" Torrey asked.

"Students are ranked in terms of their financial donations to the school. If you fall into the bottom 100, you're considered a housepet and you basically have to do whatever the other students tell you," said Mary, speaking from experience.

"It's like being a pet, but more extreme!" said Yumeko, cheerfully. "Fetching them drinks, being their chair, wearing a leash..."

"Wow. Just...wow," said Torrey, incredulous.

"Gambling is everything at Hyakkaou," said Mary, rather seriously.

"Just like cooking for us, I guess. Hey, becoming a housepet...that'd make a pretty interesting wager for a Shokugeki!" said Torrey, but the confused faces of the Hyakkou students reminded him that his school's culture could be considered pretty weird, too. Yumeko recovered quickly though.

"Ooh...a wager you say? Tell me more about these Shokugekis!" she said, helping herself to the spot next to Torrey on the bench.

"She's so predictable," said Mary, to Suzui-san.