Chapter 14: Mahjong's Mind
The casino hall reeked of cheap cologne and desperation, its air a cloying haze that clung to Kirito's skin. The neon J♦ pulsed overhead, its yellow glare casting a jaundiced glow on the burgundy tables, their worn surfaces scratched and sticky. Kirito's sweat stung his eyes, his fingers gripping a table's edge, his heart racing unevenly. His phone vibrated against his thigh, a low hum that felt like a warning.
"J of Diamonds. The System's got a bad feeling, and so do I," he thought, a cold knot tightening in his stomach.
[SYSTEM: HOST STATUS.]
[STRENGTH: 5. AGILITY: 7. STAMINA: 6. SYSTEM POINTS (SP): 505.]
The game, a rapid-fire Mahjong variant, was a clear test for Arisu, designed to crush her under intellectual pressure and social manipulation. She sat at the table, her charcoal-smudged hands resting lightly on the polished wood, her eyes locked in a distant, analytical focus, undeterred by the crowd's murmurs. Across from her sat the Dealer, a man with hard angles and cynical shadows carved into his face. His grimy fingers shuffled ivory tiles with a sharp, hypnotic clatter, his sly grin a silent taunt as he leaned forward.
"Jack of Diamonds, little man," the Dealer purred, his voice like gravel scraped over glass. "Outsmart the house, you live. Fail, and the Mahjong dragon eats."
Arisu's tiles flew with terrifying speed, her movements precise, but the Dealer's plays were impossibly perfect, each tile a calculated trap. Kirito's pulse spiked, his mind racing.
"He's rigging the shuffles. Patterns are too clean. Arisu needs to be three steps ahead," he thought.
[SYSTEM: QUERY: INITIATE 'PUZZLE OVERCLOCK' (COST: 50 SP)? TARGET: ARISU. SKILL: TEMPORARY DEDUCTION BOOST (+30%).]
"Make her see the pattern. Now," Kirito commanded.
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE OVERCLOCK ACTIVE. DEDUCTION BOOST APPLIED. TOTAL SP: 455.]
Kirito leaned in, his hand brushing Arisu's shoulder, his voice a quiet anchor. "You got this, Arisu. Trust your gut. See what's real, not what they're selling."
The boost hit, Arisu's eyes sharpening as her mind raced past the Dealer's sleight of hand. But the Dealer slammed a tile down, his grin widening, the move rigging the sequence to zero out Arisu's points. Kirito's panic flared, his hand twitching toward his phone.
[SYSTEM: OVERCLOCK FAILURE IMMINENT. HOST PANICKING. ERROR: 'BRAIN FREEZE, CHARMER?' -5 SP FOR REDUNDANT EXPLOIT. USE YOUR HEAD, HERO.]
"Roasting me now? Fine, human brain it is," Kirito thought, the System's jab snapping him out of his spiral.
Kuina stood guard with Usagi, her cigarette's smoke curling, her hands tightening as she caught Arisu's frantic focus. Arisu's head snapped up, her voice cutting through the clatter. "The dust! The tiles are weighted with ash! You're not shuffling—you're tilting the table!"
Her logic shattered the rig. She slammed her final tile, a perfect move that turned the Dealer's trap against him, forcing a fold with a hand too weak to compete. Kuina and Usagi erupted in cheers, Kuina rushing forward, her guard dropping, Usagi's sharp breath easing into relief. The neon J♦ flickered, then shattered, their visas extended once more.
[SYSTEM: J♦ VICTORY REGISTERED. SP GAIN: +100 SP. TOTAL: 550.]
They fled the hall, the sandy shore's abrasive grit replacing the polished floors. The stars dimmed under the ash, the waves' rhythm soothing their ears. Arisu clutched her sketchpad, not drawing, just staring at the sky, her face pale but resolute.
Kirito slumped beside her, his voice stripped of bravado. "You were brilliant, Arisu."
"I was terrified," she admitted, her voice soft. "But the pattern was there. He got greedy. They always do. They think they're fate, but they're predictable."
Usagi stepped away, her gaze on the dark ocean, her voice tight. "Hatter's going to lose it when he hears we beat his Jack. His wrath'll be massive."
Kuina nodded, her cigarette's glow a nervous pinpoint. "He's just a loudmouth with too many goons."
Arisu's voice hardened, her rant a spark of defiance. "We're not just winning games; we're breaking their whole system. No more of their rules. We exploit their flaws."
Kuina clapped Kirito and Arisu on the shoulders, her grin warm. "That's my girl. And my… complicated charmer. We're unstoppable, yeah?"
The dawn's glow warmed their faces in the hotel room, the neon's hum faint but persistent. Kirito traced an escape route on the wall, his phone's glow projecting paths through the Beach's ruins.
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE INITIATED. COST: 0 SP. OBJECTIVE: MAP CULT RETALIATION PARAMETERS.]
"He'll send everyone," Arisu said, her voice edged with fear. "A mass attack to crush morale, not a game."
Usagi nodded grimly, her scar catching the light. "We need to move fast."
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE COMPLETE. RETALIATION VECTOR: HIGH. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE ESCAPE.]
Kirito's quip cut through the tension, his grin tight. "Let Hatter throw his tantrum. We'll outplay him and ghost this place. Phase Two's on."
Their footsteps echoed, the neon's pulse a fading threat as they prepared to flee, the Beach's chaos a shadow they'd soon leave behind.
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