The steel-armored barrel of the revolver pressed cold against his temple. Kairi's index finger rested lightly on the trigger guard, his breathing so still that the rapid pounding in his chest was clearly audible.
All around him, the air in the VIP room was thick with the stench of blood and malice. On the expensive Persian rug below, Ginji was pinned firmly to the floor by two burly bodyguards. Face pressed into the coarse wool fibers, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Ginji strained his neck, bloodshot eyes bulging as he roared in desperation: "Stop it, Kairi! You've gone mad! Put the gun down!!"
Ginji's shouts were swallowed by the ticking of the second hand on the mechanical watch in Kairi's hand.
Tick... Tock...
Time seemed to warp, dragged back by an invisible hand. The scene shattered, rewinding exactly ten minutes—to the moment Kurosawa arrogantly threw the flash drive onto the table.
Ten minutes earlier.
Kurosawa took the bait. Kairi played his role to perfection—a young master blinded by greed, lips curving into a haughty smirk as he agreed to the wager involving the flash drive containing the Mikage Corporation's data.
But just as the dealer was about to deal the cards, an abrupt variable intervened.
"Hold it." Kurosawa raised his hand. Narrowing his eyes, his blade-sharp gaze pinned down Ginji. "You, the servant. Step back at least three meters from your young master. And from this second on, touching him is strictly forbidden."
Kairi's brows furrowed slightly. Kurosawa took a slow drag of his cigar, exhaling thick white smoke, his razor-cold tone exposing his deduction: "I've noticed something all along: every time this hound touches you, you make reckless bets and somehow win every single round. My casino doesn't ban lucky players, but I am particularly allergic to supernatural tricks that defy common sense."
Hearing this, both Kairi and Ginji widened their eyes at Kurosawa's sharp observation.
Their ability to borrow "luck points" via Ginji's power was completely neutralized. Kairi and Ginji exchanged glances. Realizing their sole advantage was gone, Kairi stood up immediately, stating coldly: "If you're going to be this paranoid, I don't care to play anymore."
The moment he turned his back, a squad of black-suited bodyguards swarmed forward, blocking every exit. Tapping his finger on the table, Kurosawa growled: "Once a bet is accepted, no one walks out that door before the cards are turned."
Knowing logic wouldn't work, Ginji acted instantly. Seeing a bodyguard reach out to grab Kairi's shoulder, he roared and lunged forward with an uppercut to carve a way out. But the opponents were too numerous and professional. In just two breaths, two giant bodyguards tackled and pinned Ginji to the floor. During the violent struggle, the disguise mask on Ginji's face snapped its strap and rolled across the red carpet.
Kurosawa leaned forward. Spotting the true face of the man on the floor, his facial muscles froze before erupting into a chilling laugh: "Oho... So that's how it is. Isn't this Ginji 'The Golden Touch'? The man banned from 90% of Japan's underground casinos—serving a greenhorn kid? Now I understand why 'Young Master' here enjoyed such absurd luck."
Standing surrounded, Kairi remembered Yume's warnings from the previous loop. Ginji had been relentlessly hunted by underground forces. As it turned out, his luck manipulation had ruined countless casino tycoons, making him a major thorn in the side of the underworld.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Kairi shot back instantly, tone razor-sharp. "He was merely patting my shoulder to reassure me. We didn't touch the cards, hide cards, or carry any electronic devices."
Ginji chimed in: "And if you accuse me of cheating, how do you explain that miniature camera hidden in the ceiling corner pointing straight at the players' hands?"
Kurosawa's expression shifted. Kairi stepped forward, projecting the intimidating aura of someone born above all: "Touch me and see what happens. If I die or disappear here today without a legitimate reason, the family backing me will flatten this trashy casino of yours overnight."
Silence enveloped the room. Kurosawa was genuinely hesitant. He recalled how effortlessly this kid had thrown two billion Yen onto the table without batting an eye. Killing him recklessly meant inviting his own demise, but letting the camera secret leak would destroy his casino's reputation. Moreover, the prize known as "Ginji" lay right at his feet.
"Fine," Kurosawa leaned back in his chair, a sinister smile gracing his face. "We renegotiate."
If Kurosawa wins: Ginji loses his life here (so Kurosawa can make a name in the underworld), Kairi forfeits all assets and must keep his mouth shut about everything here.
If Kairi wins: Both leave alive, but they forfeit all winnings on the table and seal their lips about the camera system forever.
"Damn it! How is that fair, you bastard?!" Ginji yelled and cursed, only to take a punch to the jaw that drew blood.
Kairi looked down at Ginji, then met Kurosawa's gaze, coldly imposing an additional condition: "Not enough. If I win, I get all the Mikage data on that flash drive."
Kurosawa burst into amused laughter. He tossed the deck of cards aside. "Agreed. But since I don't trust your hound's 'Golden Touch', we won't play cards. Today's game will be Russian Roulette. And we play by my rules—gambling with psychology and blood."
He snapped his fingers. A bodyguard placed a 6-chamber revolver and a box of gleaming brass bullets onto the table.
MODIFIED RUSSIAN ROULETTE RULES:
Phase 1 (Number Selection): Both players secretly write down a number from 1 to 6 on paper.
Phase 2 (Turn Order): The player with the HIGHER number goes first. The player with the LOWER number goes second. (Sole exception: If the numbers chosen are 1 and 6, Player 1 MUST go first).
Phase 3 (Pulling the Trigger): Let the first player's number be A, and the second player's number be B.
First player: Loads B bullets into the 6-chamber cylinder. Spins the cylinder A times, aiming at their own head and pulling the trigger after each spin stops.
Second player: If the first player survives, the second player must load A bullets, spin the cylinder B times, and pull the trigger after each spin similarly.
If the first player dies, the second player wins. If the second player dies, the first player wins. If the second player survives, the second player wins. Either side can forfeit at any time. If both write the same number, restart from Phase 1.
Kairi furrowed his brow, his brain processing at maximum analytical speed.
Obviously, in all scenarios, going second was advantageous. First, rule out 3, 4, and 5. Those were foolish choices. Picking them handed one's life to the opponent: easy to be forced first, and forced to endure a terrifying number of trigger pulls. This table was essentially a deadly Rock-Paper-Scissors between 1, 2, and 6.
If I write 1: The safest choice. 1 guarantees going second in most cases and crushingly wins if he picks 2. But... it's also the deepest trap. If Kurosawa reads my caution and writes 6, the exception rule triggers. I (Number 1) am forced to go first, load 6 bullets into the cylinder, and pull the trigger once. Death rate: 100%.
Would Kurosawa dare write 6? Writing 6 is suicide unless I pick 1. Suppose I anticipate him and pick 2: he goes first, loads 2 bullets, and pulls the trigger 6 times! His survival rate is under 9%.
How would a cunning old fox reason? He'd think: I'll choose 2 to hunt his 6. To counter my 2, he'd be forced to choose 1.
Kairi's eyes met Kurosawa's subtle smirk. He was waiting for Kairi to fall into the trap. If Kurosawa thinks I'll pick 1 out of fear, he'll lock in 6 to send me to the grave. But if he fears I'll use 2 to crush 6, he'll retreat to 1. If he picks 1... I MUST write 6 to end this game in the first turn.
Kairi let out a breath. This was a psychological loop without an optimal answer.
He stood up, requesting Kurosawa's permission to go to the restroom for a final thought. Kurosawa nodded casually, waving his bodyguards to open a path, throwing out a threat: "Try any tricks, and both of you will be minced before you even step outside."
The restroom door clicked shut. Facing the bright mirror, Kairi's mind was as calm as a still lake.
In truth, he wasn't trembling at all. Both he and Ginji were Time Breakers. Even if a bullet pierced his skull without triggering the Appropriation mechanism, the worst-case scenario was merely jumping to another loop. The people outside knew nothing about Time Breakers, so there was no real cause for alarm.
Kairi's pupils flared with an unusual light. Closing his eyes, he activated The Catalyth's ability, shaping a single outcome into reality: "Everyone escapes safely with the necessary data."
Space vibrated subtly. When Kairi opened his eyes, an object and a slip of paper appeared in his hand. After reading the contents, his lips twitched into a smirk, and he stowed everything in his pocket.
Kairi walked back out with his head held high and sat down. Picking up the pen, he wrote down a number decisively and flipped the paper face down.
Opposite him, Kurosawa calculated his final play. You're thinking I'll deduce this: deprived of Ginji's luck, you'll take the safe route. You won't pick 6 due to high risk. 1 is safest despite the risk of meeting 6, so you'll loop around to 2, and I'd pick 1. From that mess, you'd confidently write 6 to send me to hell, right brat? Your decisive composure betrayed you. So I'll choose a number safe enough for myself, with just enough trigger pulls to shatter your skull when you hold 6. If I'm backed into a corner, I'll simply surrender—after all, I lose nothing, but you lose everything.
"Flip the cards." Kurosawa tapped the table.
Two papers flipped over. Kurosawa: 3. Kairi: 4.
Kurosawa froze for a tenth of a second. Number 4? This kid is insane! Though unexpected, the result was perfect. 4 was greater than 3. Kairi was forced to go first. By the rules: Kairi loads 3 bullets, pulls the trigger 4 times. Hit rate: 50%. 4 consecutive trigger pulls. His current survival rate was a mere 6.25%.
The bodyguards drew their guns in unison, racking the slides with a crisp metallic click and aiming at their heads to prevent resistance. Kurosawa leaned back, mockingly suggesting Kairi leave his last words, while Ginji screamed desperately for him to surrender.
Kairi ignored them. Calmly picking up 3 brass bullets, he pushed them one by one into the cylinder. With a flick of his wrist, the cylinder spun rapidly, emitting a spine-chilling clack-clack-clack. Kairi pressed the muzzle to his temple. But his eyes remained open, pinned tightly onto the mechanical watch on his wrist.
Just then, Yume's voice chimed through the miniature earpiece, pacing the timing. Kairi's wrist snapped violently, centrifugal force forcing the cylinder to stop dead. Taking a deep breath, his index finger pulled the trigger hard.
Click. Empty chamber. Kurosawa smirked. Getting lucky once on a 50-50 chance was nothing special.
He began telling Kairi: "Young Master should give up instead of wasting his life. Just because you survived this time doesn't mean you will next time."
Yet to the utter shock of everyone present, Kairi didn't stop. He flicked the cylinder again. Eyes locked on the watch. Wrist snap. Trigger pull. Click. Second time.
Flick cylinder. Wrist snap. Trigger pull. Click. Third time.
Flick cylinder. Wrist snap. Trigger pull. Click. Fourth time.
The room fell into deathly silence. Ginji's jaw dropped, staring at Kairi as if looking at an alien creature. Without his help, how on earth did he survive a 6% fatality rate?
Kairi casually lowered his arm. Picking up the 4th bullet from the table, he clicked it into the chamber, then slid the revolver across to the other side. "Your turn." Kairi smiled, his eyes emotionless. "4 bullets. 3 trigger pulls. Be my guest."
Kurosawa's face turned pale as a corpse. He lunged forward, slamming the table and roaring: "Cheater!! You swapped the bullets! This gun is rigged!"
"Your gun. Your bullets. Your men pointing guns at my head this whole time—how could I pull off a trick?" Kairi stood up, pressing both hands against the table. "If you don't believe it, point it at your own head and test if it fires."
Kurosawa stared at the gun, cold sweat drenching his forehead. He knew full well the gun was fine. But loading 4 bullets into a 6-chamber cylinder meant a 66.6% chance of firing per pull. Pulling it 3 times? Suicide. His psychological line collapsed; Kurosawa slammed the gun down onto the table and raised both hands in surrender.
Ginji was immediately released. Gritting his teeth, Kurosawa conceded with a jerk of his chin: "Three minutes! You have three minutes to look at that flash drive before getting the hell out!"
Kairi quickly plugged the flash drive into his laptop. Brows furrowed as they skimmed through folders: it contained only minor bribery scraps and records of money laundering fronts long raided by the police. Kurosawa sneered from a corner, knowing full well the drive was protected by two complex layers of encryption—what showed was mere cover.
Feigning disappointment, Kairi pulled the drive, tossed it back to Kurosawa, and left the casino with Ginji under guard escort.
Reaching the main lobby, they found Yume backing against the wall, her shoulders trembling with fear. Blocking her path was a tall man in a bright yellow suit, his face concealed by a lion head mask.
Kairi strode forward, stepping in between to shield Yume.
Yume huddled against Kairi's chest, clutching his shirt with a terrified look, repeatedly urging him to leave quickly.
"She's with me. Who are you to touch her?" Kairi growled.
The lion-masked man paused. Tilting his head, he shot a sharp, hostile glare toward Kairi. But quickly, the malice receded. Smiling politely, he said, "My apologies, she resembles someone I know. Perhaps I mistook her," before thrusting his hands into his pockets and walking away. Kairi and the others rushed out the door and sped away in their car.
Screeching tires cut through the night air. Only now did Yume exhale, her voice panicked: "Kairi, we must leave this place immediately! That masked man earlier... he's a Time Breaker!"
"A few minutes ago, when he walked into the lobby, I felt the lake of causality fluctuate violently."
"Right after, he noticed me, repeatedly pressing to ask where we had met before."
"I tried telling him never, but he kept pushing and asking for my true identity. Then he wanted me to take off my mask to see my real face."
"If you two hadn't come down in time, my identity would have been exposed!"
Yume then asked the two about what happened in the VIP room.
Ginji clicked his tongue, recounting the narrow escape. He patted Kairi's shoulder, still stunned: "How on earth did you survive four gunshots? Don't tell me you learned to see through steel?"
Kairi didn't answer, silently pulling out a four-folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossing it to them. Written on it was a single line generated by his ability: "Choose 4. Let the cylinder spin freely for 6 – 4 – 4 – 3 seconds respectively before pulling the trigger."
Yume and Ginji stood frozen. Only now did they grasp the sheer terror of The Catalyth. He didn't rely on luck; he relied on an absolute, perfect trajectory to slip through death's narrow gap.
Kairi added: "Good thing I wore a watch. If I had miscounted by a single tick when you gave the signal, I'd be visiting my ancestors by now."
Realizing Kairi almost died because of her signal, Yume panicked: "I'm so sorry! I sensed the Time Breaker and tried to warn you, but I didn't know..."
Seeing Yume feeling guilty, Kairi reassured her gently: "It's fine. You did it for everyone's safety, so don't blame yourself. I won't hold it against you."
Ginji sighed in regret. "Still, almost dying for nothing useful... Those files from the USB were completely worthless."
Kairi smirked with confidence. From his sleeve, he slowly pulled out a gleaming metallic flash drive. "Who said we got nothing?" Swirling the drive around, he said, "My ability created an exact replica. When I pretended it failed and threw it back to Kurosawa, I swapped them."
Yume asked, "Didn't you read all the data inside already? Why steal it back?"
Ginji nodded in agreement.
Kairi enlightened them: "This is a security flash drive with two-layer encryption—I recognized it immediately. What we saw was just the decoy cover layer. To read the encrypted data underneath, we need to take it home to crack the security."
Ginji and Yume cheered in delight, leaping to hug Kairi. Laughter broke the night's tense quiet.
At the same time, in the casino VIP room.
The lion-masked man stood with hands behind his back, staring at a laptop screen plugged with the empty flash drive. Kurosawa cowered to the side, sweating profusely, explaining frantically: "I... I swear to you! I was framed! They..."
Bang!
Before Kurosawa could finish, a bullet hole drilled deep into his forehead. The old fox collapsed into a pool of blood.
The killer slowly stowed the suppressed pistol into his coat, casually removing the lion mask to reveal his true face—Itsuki. He was personally taking over the business leads from the former Mikage Corporation while erasing his own tracks.
His face was cold and emotionless. Wiping a faint speck of blood from the back of his hand with a handkerchief, he commanded a trembling subordinate in the corner: "Destroy this place. Erase all traces."
The subordinate bowed deeply. Before leaving, Itsuki paused and asked: "Has my alliance invitation been sent to the Church?"
"Y-Yes, sir..." The subordinate swallowed hard. "But... our messenger hasn't returned yet."
Itsuki looked out the window and thought: They are closing in.