Another set of cards were dealt.
'Oh... I've got a pretty good one. Three threes. Not bad.'
Following the change, Ruford glanced upon his hand, confident in his victory.
'I guess I'll just-'
"Fold."
Suddenly, with the turn order having switched, the words of a girl ran through the man's mind, at which he did a double take, looking at the girl as if she were mad.
'She folded again? And without even witnessing anyone else's bets?'
"Er... raise 200."
Having been stunned from the strange turn of events, the man looked at the woman as if she had gone mad.
'Is she really so stupid? She can't bluff at all. She won't win anything that way. If you just wait around for a good hand, all you'll end up doing is wasting your time and being chipped away.'
"Call."
"Raise 100."
"Raise 50."
The betting continued, at which Ruford found it to be his turn once more.
"Raise 50."
"Call."
"Call."
"Call."
The other competitors seemed to have agreed upon a value, at which Ruford would only need to check to complete the round - yet right now the current round was the last thing on his mind.
'So she's really just waiting around for a good hand.'
Taking a deep breath, the man spoke up.
"Raise 200."
"Call."
"Call."
"Fold."
"Raise 500."
"Call."
"Fold."
"Raise 4000."
"Fold."
And with another series of raises, he won without so much as having to display his cards.
'She's stupid. Absolutely stupid. Agh... thinking about it won't do any good. She isn't someone even worth considering if her level of play is that low.'
Oddly enough, a drop of sweat slid down Ruford's forehead.
'Am I sweating?'
"Ahem... will we be heading onto the next round?"
Once more the dealer spoke up, at which the white haired girl nodded, and the others agreed.
"Sir. Will you be participating in the next round?"
And suddenly, Ruford found the attention on him - for he was the only one who hadn't confirmed his participation.
"Ah... yeah. Go ahead and deal."
"Very well."
With these words, the man slid each participant yet another hand following a few shuffles, at which the girl gazed upon her hand.
Looking upon it, the woman smiled to herself - her expression so easily readable that Ruford failed to even recognize the woman who held such an intense poker face just moments before.
"Raise 10,000."
And with an idiotic move, she raised insanely before anyone else could even react.
'She... raised?'
Ruford was at a loss, looking at the woman as she pulled an immense number of chips from her purse, placing them upon the table.
'She had that much in there?'
"Sir. Your response?"
Suddenly, the dealer spoke up to him as Ruford found himself distracted.
The other guests seemed ready to fold before the game had even begun.
'Tch... so this is the game you're playing, girl? You think you've got a good hand, eh?'
However, at that moment, the man used every muscle in his body to hide a grin.
'How unfortunate it is for you.'
And with this, he slammed a ridiculous number of chips on the table.
'I've got a four of a kind of aces - there are barely any hands that you could possibly make to beat me.'
"Raise 40,000."
----
"Fold."
"Fold."
"Fold."
The other three had immediately dropped out of the rankings, leaving just Eclaire and Ruford at the table.
"Raise 200,000."
However the woman's next move was enough to make Ruford's stomach churn.
'Wha... 200,000?'
Could she have a straight flush?
It was the only possible combination that she could have to defeat him in this circumstance.
A royal flush was impossible since he held all the aces, but a straight flush would still obtain her victory.
"C... call."
Even so, that was almost impossible.
No, it was impossible.
The chances of that were slim. Insanely slim. Ridiculously slim.
It was such a small chance that he didn't even need to consider it.
'The chance of me even getting this set of cards was almost impossible... so the chance that she would have something better at the same time is negligible! It's nothing! Next to zero!'
Telling himself these things, the man watched closely as the woman grinned with excitement at seeing the man's call, clearly celebrating in her mind at the fact that the man had called.
"Raise 200,000!"
And without a moment's hesitation, she dumped the entire purse on the table.
At this point, a crowd of people had gathered - all of them bearing witness to the spectacle that was taking place.
"Hey... come look at this."
"An insane gamble is going on right now."
"410,000 Sin! That's the current bet!"
"Holy shit!!!"
Sweat beamed down the forehead of Ruford, who gazed upon the woman's fortune that she had completely thrown away as if it were nothing.
As if it weren't even her own to keep.
'This is... madness.'
He felt himself becoming dizzy. A migraine overcame him, and the scene around him became wavy.
'This is... insanity. This woman... she... she is...'
And as he gazed into her eyes, he realized something.
She held not an ounce of fear.
'A monster.'
"C...."
She had to be bluffing.
"C..."
She had to!
"Fold."
"Yay!"
And the moment he said these words, the woman celebrated in such a manner - at which his heart shattered.
'Yay?'
His eyes covered in veins, he looked up to the woman with horror at her mundane yet fearless celebration.
'What the hell do you mean yay?'
And at that moment, the woman threw down her deck of cards - face up for all to see.
"It looks like I won, even with this!"
At that moment, Ruford began to shiver uncontrollably - sweat and tears dripping down his body as he realized his mistake.
'I... underestimated her.'
"Thanks! It took me quite a few tries, but you thought I would just keep on trying until I got something good - right?"
The girl was a fool.
An absolute buffoon.
Someone who had taken such an immense risk with such a large value on the line as if it were nothing.
And yet... would that not make the one who lost to her an even bigger fool?
"If you keep on trying, then eventually you'll succeed. You just have to wait for the right opportunity."
With these words, the woman gathered her chips, heading off as the crowd seemed to part for her.
'Who... is that woman?'
----
'That was... terrifying.'
Everything in her being was horrified.
The vast amount of pressure that she had experienced was far greater than Eclaire had ever endured.
'Over 400,000 Sin... I could have lost it all.'
But if there was anything in the world that Eclaire could do better than anyone else - it was appearing as if she was calm.
Even if, in reality, she was being torn apart from the inside.
'But... it was exactly that insanity that allowed me to win.'
Indeed - it was nothing short of madness.
However the blatant amount of confidence with which the girl entered such madness was shakening to even that pompous man.
She had pressed him to make an immense bet, and even after he had given in and done so, she pressed him further without hesitation.
It was something that no normal person should have been capable of.
'I would have been locked away for my entire life... I didn't even listen to orders... but... I felt like it was the way to win.'
Eclaire had been told to fold.
After she had accumulated a large sum of money, she was supposed to go to the poker tables and fold a number of times, then show off her immense earnings.
After she had gathered the attention of all with how much money she displayed, she was supposed to immediately give up and leave the casino - leaving the people baffled, and her opponents upset.
After all, who wouldn't want to tear such a large sum from her?
With such a display, Eclaire would have been approached by an employee of the casino who wanted to snatch such a sum from her, and it would have been likely that she would be taken to the man in control.
'But... that probably won't happen now.'
As Eclaire left, she was doing so not as someone whose skill was unknown, but as a celebrity who had completely outsmarted an opponent.
Her camouflage as a naive rich girl had been lost - she was no longer an easy target.
'Did I mess up? I guess I'll just have to give these earnings to the police... maybe they'll accept it and let me go?'
As she headed to the front to cash out, the woman let out a quiet sigh.
'I guess I did mess up, didn't I? Now this place is going to continue deceiving people.'
Looking around her, Eclaire felt a tinge of pity as she gazed upon the gamblers.
There were so many junkies - those who had lost themselves in the belief that they could win big, sacrificing everything in order to do so.
All the while, numerous rich men and women were merely playing with these people, taking everything they had without question.
The dealers were no different.
Everyone in this place was here for one reason - to ruin another person in order to take everything they had for themselves.
'How sad.'
As she reached the desk, a woman smiled as she greeted Eclaire.
"Good evening! I see you've won quite a bit. You'll be leaving for the day then?"
"Yeah. I guess so."
Somewhat in deep thought, Eclaire looked down as she placed her bag of chips on the counter.
"Quite a battle, wasn't it?"
Suddenly however, the voice of a man called out from behind her.
Eclaire recognized this man, turning around to see the dealer standing there.
"Hm? Aren't you supposed to be at the poker table? Did you follow me here just to say that?"
Raising an eyebrow at the man's out of character appearance, Eclaire's thoughts immediately turned to the man.
"Ah... that table isn't exactly mine. I took over for a brief moment, that was all."
Motioning over to the table, Eclaire gazed across the casino to witness a different dealer having taken the man's place.
"You see, I come to the casino every once in a while to... inspect things."
Placing his hands in his pockets, the man approached Eclaire, now standing right beside her as she checked out.
"Have her winnings doubled."
"Yes, Sir!"
The receptionist immediately bowed to the man, rushing back to collect the money for Eclaire.
"Hey. What did you just do?"
However Eclaire couldn't just accept something like that so easily.
"Who are you? Why is that woman bowing to you?"
At the girl's sudden questions, the man paused for a moment, then with a nod, he closed his eyes as he spoke.
"Ah... forgive me. I suppose I didn't introduce myself."
And with a grand grin, the man opened his eyes as he gazed upon the woman, taking the pose of a gentleman as he held his hand to his heart.
"My name is Evan Stirling - and I happen to be the owner of this establishment."
----
Evan Stirling.
The owner of this casino - the very man that Eclaire had come to this place to investigate, was standing right before her.
'I had expected him to be standing on some upper floor, watching us through a one way mirror or viewing us on cameras in an office... yet...'
Here he was.
The very man stood right in front of her, emanating power from his very person as he smiled in a manner that was completely unreadable.
"Ah... I do apologize if I've startled you. I don't ever mean to do so, yet people always seem to be shocked the moment I bring up who I am."
With a slight chuckle, the man thinned his eyes as he glared around the casino with nostalgia.
"I suppose the person they see in me must be someone quite outstanding."
Waving it off, the man's gaze seemed to become unfocused as he stared into the distance.
"I wish I could meet the person that they see as well someday."
Eclaire was silenced as the man monologued, unsure what to do.
'This is the man I was sent here to investigate... he's right here.'
"Ah... but enough about me. I'm sure you must be bored to death hearing my own gripes. I'm more interested in you."
Yet suddenly, the man changed the topic, and with this shift Eclaire's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me?"
Had she been found out?
Why would this man approach her of his own accord?
She was just about to give up and leave - yet for whatever reason he had taken action instead.
He didn't appear to be going after her as a result of the money she had earned. If that were the case, he would never have doubled her earnings on a whim.
"You've piqued my interest. To be perfectly honest... I can't find many people like you around. Would you be willing to come along with me to have a discussion?"
And with this question, Eclaire immediately realized the man's goal.
'He... wants to take me somewhere.'
But why?
Why did he want to speak with her?
"Why can't you just say it here?"
"I am quite an introvert, you know. I'm not the type of person who is very flashy, unlike my little brother. I personally prefer to speak with people one on one."
As he turned away, the man began to walk off.
"Of course, I won't force anyone to come with me. I myself can understand your suspicions. Of course, nobody would go with a strange man that they had just met without even understanding their intentions."
"I'll come."
However without a moment's hesitation, Eclaire spoke up.
This was her chance.
Even if it was miniscule, she now had an opportunity to speak with the very person in charge of this entire operation - and to witness him for herself.
Even if it was temporary, as an investigator - this was her role.
"But can I collect my money first?"
And as soon as she posed this question, the man let out a laugh.
"Hahaha! Ah... of course, where ARE my manners? You would be a fool to leave without such a thing."
----
Eclaire was taken to the back of the casino - a place where only employees and preselected guests were able to go.
As the two walked down the hall, everything became oddly quiet - a far different atmosphere from the bustling casino that Eclaire had spent most of the night in.
"Quite a bit of noise in that place. Wouldn't you agree?"
The man walked in front of her, yet still tried to make small talk even as he avoided turning back to face the woman.
"Er... I suppose.", Eclaire mumbled.
She had been equipped with a hidden microphone, as well as a pair of contact lenses that recorded everything she saw.
Right now, it was her goal to find out anything she could about this man and his illegal activities.
As such, small talk wasn't her worst option.
"You own the place, yet you don't like the noise?"
"Haha... an interesting way to put it. But yes. I myself am not exactly a big fan of what I have created. Yet I also view my creation as... a necessary existence."
The man stopped to pause at Eclaire's comment, responding in such a manner.
"Eclaire. Do you know why I was so interested in you, and singled you out to speak with?"
"I... don't remember telling you my name."
At Eclaire's sudden question, the man took a deep breath, closing his eyes before responding.
"I see."
"What... do you mean 'I see'? What are you supposed to see? I'm the one who's asking you how you got my name-"
"Eclaire. You stepped foot into my casino, correct?"
Turning around, the man faced the woman directly, glaring directly into her eyes with a smile as he brought his face ever so close to hers.
"Did you think that I wouldn't know everything that happens in my own territory?"
He knew.
He knew everything.
Who she was.
Why she was here.
Even the fact that she was recording him as they spoke.
"How..."
"How? You're really underestimating me, Eclaire. Don't get me wrong, however."
Turning around, the man continued walking as he motioned for Eclaire to follow.
"I have nothing to hide."
----
Eclaire continued to follow the man, reluctant in her movements.
She had been found out - yet for whatever reason, he decided not to confiscate the camera or microphone.
Rather, he strode forward with bold confidence.
"Eclaire. Do you know why I wanted to speak with you?"
"It's because... you knew why I was here, right?"
"Wrong. I couldn't care less about who sent you."
Shaking his head 'no', the man seemed slightly disappointed as he spoke.
"It was because your method interested me."
"My... method?"
Eclaire tilted her head at the man's words, unable to understand what he meant.
At some point, they came to a particular room that the man entered, motioning for Eclaire to follow him.
The two went inside, revealing a lounge with a large sofa set and drinks and snacks that had already been prepared.
A couple of women who were dressed very much in the manner that one would expect from a casino seemed to be awaiting this man, who took a seat promptly as he motioned for Eclaire to do so as well, at which she did.
"I'll have a cocktail. Anything for you?"
"I'll have... water."
One woman bowed promptly, quickly leaving the room to prepare the drinks.
"You seem to have noticed something very simple - yet something very fundamental to victory in the casino. Do you know what that is?"
Eclaire remained silent as the man questioned her, allowing him instead to continue.
"You've realized that humans are controlled by their experiences."
Looking upwards, the man sat back in his seat as he gazed to the ceiling above.
"Humans are not born knowing anything. Yet as we grow up, we learn from our experiences. It is only by experiencing something that we even learn anything to be true. So let me ask you. Why is it that we believe anything to be true?"
Holding up his hand, the man gazed upon it, revealing a watch.
"My watch tells me that the time is 12:09 PM. Yet why is it that I would trust this watch to accurately portray the time? Or even further, how do I know that time itself even exists?"
At the man's strange questions, Eclaire could only listen, cocking her head as she failed to comprehend him.
"I don't. Everything I have ever experienced, everything I have ever conceived - it could all be a massive lie. The very nature and laws of this universe could all be false, and I wouldn't even know it. But why is it then, that we still act according to what we know to be true?"
"Why?", Eclaire asked.
"It's because we have always experienced those truths. In my experience, the sun has risen in the morning and set in the evening. This has happened thousands of times throughout my life, and I'm sure it's happened almost as many in yours. So why then, would I believe even for a moment that the concept of time doesn't exist?"
With a slight chuckle, the man laughed off such a notion.
"That would be foolish. Yet this is true for any human. When we experience the same thing over and over again, we take it to be true. We instill into our minds the truth of certain facts, merely because we have experienced them a certain number of times. And this is, of course, logical. Yet sometimes... this logic can become flawed."
Taking a deep breath, the man laid back as he spoke with a sigh.
"When people have experienced the same thing enough times, sometimes they will refuse to believe something right in front of them if it challenges their idea of truth."
"What does this have to do with me?"
Pressing the man, who seemed to have rambled off on a tangent, the man sat up with a grin.
"It has everything to do with you. You folded, time and time again. Of course, in his mind, you were merely giving up the moment you received a bad hand without any thought. This was the only logical conclusion in his mind. And so, when you folded time and time again, he eventually clung to this conclusion."
Leaning forward, the man focused his gaze upon the woman as she sat up in her seat.
"With the idea firmly planted in his mind, he was unable to cling to any true logic. He likely knew well how unlikely it was for you to have a hand better than his, but there was one thing that caused him to fold."
Lowering his tone, the man spoke with a sinister smile.
"In his mind, you were someone who would never dare to fight a losing battle."
As he spoke these words, the woman who had left to get drinks entered, placing them on the table as Evan leaned forward to grab the drink.
"This truth, that his mind had come up with and seen reinforced, didn't allow for any other possibility. He himself had used a similar tactic to you, yet he believed completely that you wouldn't dare to use such a tactic. And that is exactly... what is necessary in this world."
Taking a sip of his cocktail, the man swirled it around as he continued.
"In order to outsmart your opponents, you only ever need them to believe a single lie - but you need them to believe completely in that one lie. From that single lie, a series of false logic will result - and everything that they could possibly try and deduce will be incorrect."
Raising a finger, the man thinned his eyes as he spoke with confidence.
"That... is the art of being one step ahead."