On the first day of the casino's operation, everyone left satisfied.
Hanatemari Kazura and Togakushi Yukimi had been busy all afternoon and could finally relax, coming over to the Cooking Room.
Ayanokoji and Meari were waiting there.
This was something they had discussed earlier: letting Togakushi Yukimi be the ostensible operator of this casino, with Hanatemari Kazura assisting her.
There were still three days until the tribute payment deadline. Hanatemari was still livestock, so it wasn't suitable for her to greet guests, and her personality wasn't quite right either.
Saotome Meari was not suitable to show her face because she had decided to participate in the Dou Di Zhu Competition a few days later. Otherwise, if she really got incredibly lucky and won the championship, it would be hard to explain if she were discovered to be a staff member of the casino.
As for Ayanokoji… he had originally wanted to help, but Meari and the others refused. They said that as the boss, he only needed to strategize and plan; there was no need for him to personally step in.
"Kazura, you two really worked hard today." Meari quickly handed a cup of water to Hanatemari.
"It's nothing, we're not very tired." Hanatemari smiled and shook her head.
The casino in the Chemistry Preparation Room was much larger than the previous one, capable of accommodating sixty to seventy guests. However, this casino didn't need a Dealer; it simply provided a platform for players to freely team up and play Landlord.
Although there were only two staff members, their work was simple: they just needed to introduce the rules at the entrance and then distribute vouchers, much like an internet cafe manager at the counter, requiring little effort.
"How many people signed up for the competition today?" Ayanokoji also poured a cup of water for Togakushi Yukimi and asked.
Togakushi Yukimi was responsible for greeting guests, and Hanatemari Kazura, in addition to distributing vouchers, was also tasked with recording participants.
It was written on the large blackboard in the Chemistry Preparation Room that if one wished to sign up for the competition, they needed to register at the counter, with registration closing on Friday.
"Ayanokoji, only twenty people signed up today…" Hanatemari looked up worriedly: "Is that a bit too few?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wanted to hold a large-scale competition, and twenty participants would be too shabby.
Ayanokoji wasn't worried: "It's only the first day. They are just observing today; more people will definitely come in the next few days."
"That's right, many people inquired with me today but didn't sign up; they seemed to still be hesitating." Togakushi Yukimi nodded, sighing: "Ayanokoji, this promotional method you used is truly effective. The casino was full in just one hour."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka used the newspaper club's promotional channels to spread a rumor—that anyone who came to this casino would receive ten thousand yen for free.
Togakushi Yukimi had no idea beforehand that this promotional tactic would be so effective.
This casino could seat a total of twenty-four tables, accommodating seventy-two people. In just half an hour, the casino was already full.
Ayanokoji had posted a notice at the casino entrance stating that once the casino seats were full, no more people would be allowed in. Otherwise, the area behind the seats would surely be packed with people too.
"After all, it's ten thousand yen for free, so people are bound to be tempted."
Meari deliberately teased Ayanokoji: "But when they arrived here, they realized that it wasn't cash being given away, but vouchers, and it was a cumulative gift…"
Hanatemari Kazura worried: "By the way, won't playing these word games really get us scolded? What if word gets out that we're deceiving people…?"
The promised ten thousand yen turned into one thousand yen vouchers, which made the thin-skinned Hanatemari Kazura feel extremely ashamed. She didn't dare face the customers while sitting behind the counter today, fearing that someone would scold her.
"What, did anyone call you a liar today?" Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow.
"No, they didn't…" Hanatemari quickly shook her head.
"Since they didn't, don't worry about it."
Ayanokoji didn't care at all: "I didn't lie to anyone. I said I'd give money, and I did. Besides, even if someone curses a few times, so what? Our goal has been achieved, and this casino's reputation has been established."
He was just playing a word game, changing "login to get" to "cumulative login reward."
The game operators he used to play with always did this when promoting: they'd add up all the rewards to create the illusion of abundant rewards.
His four-day cumulative login event was already quite good. One should know that some game operators would include rewards that could only be obtained after long periods of online play in their promotions.
If he were even more shameless, he could completely implement a system where vouchers could only be used after two hours of playtime, or after completing ten matches, and so on.
He could even use Pinduoduo's promotional method—requiring several new users to be brought to the casino to claim money, or needing others' help to "bargain" for money…
However, Ayanokoji wasn't that shameless.
If he did that, the casino's reputation would be ruined before the competition even began, which would be completely counterproductive.
The news that you could get money just by showing up didn't come from him anyway. At most, they just mistakenly believed a rumor. What did that have to do with him?
He had never officially released any announcement stating that you could get money just by showing up.
After all, he was genuinely giving money, not refusing to.
Because of this, although the customers who came today only received a one-thousand-yen voucher, which was different from the rumored ten thousand yen for just showing up.
But at least the total amount was correct. Although some people complained a few times, they all accepted it, and no one had any objections.
"Today, one hundred people used the coupons, and we spent one hundred thousand yen."
Togakushi Yukimi handed the bill to Ayanokoji, still feeling a bit pained.
"This is just the first day's expense. Subsequent expenses will be even greater, Ayanokoji, is this money really worth it?"
The idea of giving out vouchers was proposed by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. He disregarded the opposition from her and Meari, making this decision against their strong objections.
Although they were strongly against it, after all, the money and the casino belonged to Ayanokoji, so they could only reluctantly accept it.
Although Togakushi Yukimi had obtained a huge sum of one million, she was used to being frugal. Ayanokoji's lavish spending seemed completely unwarranted in her eyes.
Was it really necessary to promote the game Landlord to this extent?
"Of course, it's worth it. There's no gain without pain. Trust me, once these few days of investment are over, after the Dou Di Zhu Competition, the money we can earn will definitely exceed your imagination."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was very confident about this.
This Landlord competition was just the beginning. After this, the value of this game would become apparent.
"Fine, as long as you're happy…" Meari sighed.
She didn't believe Ayanokoji could make money from this. In her opinion, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had the mindset of a young master who hadn't entered society, believing that he could make money just by promoting the game.
But how could making money be so simple?
Of course, she knew that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was not short on money, and he wouldn't feel bad even if all these investments went down the drain.
But she cared! Every time she saw someone exchange a voucher for cash, she felt a pang of heartache.
Meari couldn't stop Ayanokoji from squandering money, so she could only try her best to minimize his losses.
She was determined to win the two million yen first prize in this competition!
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