This happened way too fast, Kimihito thought as he made his way to the casino—despite his bewilderment at being put in this situation. He’d been directed to an address inside the Tokyo area, a shopping district where the sky was crowded out by neon signs. He’d never heard of a casino around here. Hope the girls are all right at home. He’d arrived back from his meeting with Polt, made dinner for them, and then rushed back out. Since he couldn’t tell them about the casino, he lied that he’d needed to run an errand.
Miia had seen him off with a smile. “See you later, Darling! I’ve got this under control. Ooh, I feel like a newlywed seeing her husband off. Bye!!” Her tail waved as she spoke. At least she’d been in a good mood.
“Is this the place?” he asked himself aloud. He stood at a large building right in the center of the district. There were no signs to indicate what kind of business it was, and the windows were closed and covered, preventing anyone from seeing inside.
He double-checked the address before entering. The doorway was large and dark, like the entrance to an ancient, ruined castle, while the door itself had gold-plated handles. Two tall men in suits stood at attention, one bearded and one clean-shaven.
Intimidated by the scene, Kimihito took a moment to speak. “E-excuse me—”
The bearded man glared at him.
“Polt-san invited me to—”
“Ah. Kurusu-sama. We’ve been waiting.” His attitude swiftly changed at the mention of Polt’s name. Tension gone, he and the clean-shaven man both gave polite bows. “Welcome to Kobold Casino. Have a good time.”
“Who are you, by the by?” Kimihito asked.
“Normally? Polt’s translator when she’s traveling abroad. Today, though, I’m acting as security.”
“That sounds difficult.”
“Of course not. Anything for Polt,” he said with a little chuckle. He must have been a competent man for Polt to take him overseas with her.
Kimihito bowed to the translator and continued past.
“Welcome to the Kobold Casino!”
A chorus of voices greeted him. A gaggle of kobold girls in bunny outfits surrounded the entrance. Unlike standard bunny outfits, however, they didn’t come with fake ears or tails—the girls’ own doglike ears and swishy canine tails poked over their headbands and out of their playsuits. I guess that makes them dog girls, then? Kimihito’s head was spinning already.
“Kimihito! Glad you could make it!” Polt jumped out from the crowd. She was also in the bunny-dog-girl costume. Her fur stuck proudly through her fishnet tights, and Kimihito couldn’t help wondering what the texture would feel like if he stroked it.
“This place is great,” he said.
“Heh heh heh. Before you is the pinnacle of Kobold Industries technology. I’ve assembled the most beautiful girls from the company to assist here tonight. They’re our receptionists, so this is kind of outside their expertise, but they’re taking it in stride.” She nodded as she spoke, as if trying to reassure herself—she still had her reservations about the casino project. “How about the decor, though, Kimihito? Any suggestions?”
“Hmm.” He checked around. This was his first time in a casino, so he wasn’t sure whether the bright neon or the loud jukeboxes were part and parcel with it. There were no other customers yet, but the kobold girls bustled about, preparing the venue for them. There were slot machines, roulette, and card tables—all the games you’d expect—and a few of the kobolds were playing them with serious expressions. They must have been administrators testing them before opening. “It’s definitely got a casino feel,” he said.
“Yes!! We went to a bunch overseas for reference. Start playing whenever you like. Our employees are trained as dealers, too,” she said.
“That’s amazing, it’s just…” Where would he even start?
“Oh! Duh, of course! We haven’t given you your welcome drink.”
“D-drink…?” A free drink just to welcome him in was suspiciously generous.
“Hey! You! Bring him a drink, please!” Polt said to a girl passing by.
As the girl stopped, Kimihito was surprised to see she didn’t have any doggy ears or a doggy tail. Instead, she had massive wings and scales. “Yes, ma’am! It’ll be just a mo—ah, you!!” she shouted and pointed at Kimihito.
“D-Draco?!” He knew this woman! She was an androgynous type who often played a handsome man in public, though that wasn’t possible in the bunny girl outfit, which put her modest figure on display. Her outfit featured an open back, which allowed her wings—often restricted beneath her clothes—to spread out. Draco was the dragonet who’d once attempted to pick up Miia. “What’re you doing here? Is this another punishment for leaving without permission?”
“No!” She flared her wings, and the force broke against Kimihito like a strong gust of wind. She waved her arms to match. “I heard you’d be coming so I asked for permission to meet you, human! I even wore this ridiculous outfit!”
“Me?”
“I assumed that, if you were here, Miia would be, too! Ahh, my beautiful Miia—imagine a night doing whatever we desire in the hedonistic halls of this casino!” Draco was, as usual, lost in a fantasy right out of a romance movie.
“Um. Miia’s not coming.”
“Huh?”
“This was a solo invitation,” he explained.
“Grrrrrggghhh!!” Draco snarled and tore at her hair.
Despite proclaiming her species, the dragonet, as the greatest of all liminals, she spent most of her time sneaking out to pick up other scaly liminal girls. It was safe to say she had some issues. Luckily, those escapist tendencies also made her easy to manipulate, as Polt had demonstrated with this particular gambit.
“Damn that dog woman! She tricked me! If I hadn’t thought Miia was coming I never would’ve agreed to work at this stupid casino!”
“But I didn’t say Miia was coming,” Polt said, “I just said Kimihito was. You’re the one who misinterpreted.” There was a smug little sparkle in her eyes. If Draco wanted to jump to conclusions, was it so wrong for Polt to take advantage? She didn’t lie…
Backed into a logical corner, Draco ground her teeth in impotent rage. “Ugh…you…okay! So I screwed up.”
“As long as you understand that, we’re all good,” Polt said with a smirk.
“I don’t want to do anything…but I guess I gave my word. Ugh, I’ll keep working.” She brushed a hand through her hair. When she wasn’t throwing fits and causing scenes, Draco was an attractive girl with slit pupils and a strong physique. With her sense of daring and her draconic features, she could easily set someone’s heart aflutter. Add to that her showy little bunny outfit…
Kimihito let his eyes drift.
Remembering the original order, Draco slipped out back but soon returned with a drink for him. “Here. It’s not a casino without a bit of boozing.”
“Oh. Uh. Sure.”
“Don’t worry, human, it’s just a weak cocktail. Welcome to Kobold Casino.” She handed over the drink and gave a proper bow.
Kimihito couldn’t help thinking her vibe matched the casino perfectly. If she could avoid making moves on the customers, she’d do great here. He sipped the cocktail and was pleased to discover it was weak, as promised.
“Well, Kimihito, don’t you think it’s time to try a game?” Polt led him to the nearest table and passed him a pile of chips. They were various colors and had the Kobold Casino logo painted on them. A larger pile awaited in the center of the table. “For now, you’ve got the equivalent of about a million yen. Use it at your leisure.”
“A million?!”
“Of course! For the moment it doesn’t mean anything. When we’re open, there’ll be a change counter to cash it back into money, but for today, they’re just bits of plastic.”
Still, he felt a cold sweat seeping from his skin. Just bits of plastic, not real money, not his money—but it felt too close to a working casino as he stared at the pile before him.
“Well, what’ll you play?” Polt asked.
“The slot machines are a bore,” said Draco, “I’d suggest cards instead. Not that I get to deal anymore.”
“Draco lost too much.”
“Don’t tell him that!”
He could easily imagine her getting overconfident and betting it all on bad odds. “I guess I could try a card game,” he said.
“Gotcha! How about poker? I’ve got a first-class dealer you can play against!” Polt smiled brightly and took him to the table.
Poker… Can I remember the rules? Kimihito pondered. He remembered some of the rules, but he didn’t have any real-world experience, which he figured he’d need to win in a casino. He was hoping the dealer would give him a break until they reached the table to see…
“Let’s begin,” said the woman across from him. Her fingertips, already set on the cards, were covered in something like tree bark. She kept a calm expression as she regarded him. “It’s been a while, human.”
“Kii?” he gasped.
“How are Papi and Suu?” she asked. This was someone he knew very well: the dryad, Kii.