Side Story: Ichika and the Bar's Slots

Thirty DP per day, or thirty copper coins. That was the daily wage for employees at the [Dancing Doll's Pavilion]. Food and lodging were free. In other words, these wages were basically pocket money to spend however they wanted.

Considering that one night cost fifty copper coins without meals, and you got treatment equal to or better than the [Dancing Doll's Pavilion]'s standards, it was a very good job.

"Alright, today I'll definitely win! And eat a mountain of curry bread!"

That day, Ichika headed to the bar all pumped up. In her hand were today's wages, thirty copper coins. For Ichika who never kept money overnight, this was her entire fortune.

Her goal was the bar's slot machines.

"Heeey, is my beloved Slot-chan available～?!"

"Oh, Ichika-san. Welcome, your usual seat is open."

"Thanks! Now then, today I'll wiiin…!"

Welcomed by the bar's master, Wozuma, she headed to the second slot machine from the back. The three machines in the back could take one to three copper coins per play, and depending on how many coins you put in, the winning lines increased: "center row only," "add top and bottom rows," "add diagonal rows."

The second seat from the back had become Ichika's designated spot, and as her work hours neared their end, Wozuma would quietly reserve it for her.

Ichika put in three copper coins with a clink clink clink, and pulled the slot lever. The drum spun with a whirrrr and…

"All my spirit…! Haaaah!"

Bam! Bash! Bang!

She pressed the buttons with force, but the symbols came up completely mismatched… A loss.

"Kuh! Nine more tries… haaaah!"

She put in more money and pulled the lever again… Another loss.

But Ichika didn't give up. She had enough wages left for eight more tries.

"Heh… but I don't look back! Full steam ahead!"

"Oh, Ichika huh. Still at it as always."

"Mm? What is it, Gozoh? Don't talk to me, you'll break my concentration."

"Gahaha! Why not? So, how's it going, think you'll hit today?"

"Nn? Let's see… I can do it, I just feel it!"

While saying that, Ichika got another loss.

"No good, huh."

"Dummy, look closely! See, here, the right one slipped down a bit, right? That's the sign for the next one to hit!"

"Really? I mean, there's something like that?"

"Yep, here we gooo… now!"

And Ichika got another loss.

Gozoh's gaze pierced her. But Ichika grinned.

"… Heh, don't rush, Gozoh. This is the flow for a jackpot."

"Jackpot?"

"When there's a loss after that slip, the pattern says… nine times out of ten, a jackpot comes within five tries!"

"Heh, then hurry up and spin it."

"Hmph, just watch!"

Ka-chunk, click click click. Ka-chunk, click click click. Ka-chunk, click click click.

She got three more losses.

"Two more left, huh?"

"I-it's not something to get impatient about, y'know?"

Ka-chunk, click click click… Another loss.

"G-gunununu…!"

"Alright, if you win the next one, I'll treat you to karaage."

"You said it?! Just watch! Here we gooo!"

Ka-chunk… click, click…

"O-ooh! Look, look! Two [7]'s lined up in the center!"

"Oh, nice. So what's the last one?"

"All my spirit…! All my spirit…! Now!"

Click. A [7] appeared, shifted one position over… A loss.

"Guaaaaaah?! Dammit!"

"Ga ha ha ha! I knew it."

"Gunununu, damn it…"

Ka-chunk, click click click… Ichika pressed the buttons half-heartedly.

… Cherry symbols lined up, and ding! The slot machine's bell rang. The signal for a win.

"Oooh, Gozoh, I won! Karaage!"

"You won nine huh, good for you. Being one try late would've been rough, I'll give you just one."

"Ooh, thanks～"

A nine-coin win was three times the bet — a relatively common win for the slot machine. It appeared about two out of ten times.

Gozoh brought a single karaage stabbed with a toothpick to Ichika's mouth as she remained glued to the slot machine. Chomp, nom nom. She savored that one piece of karaage while continuing to spin the slots.

… In the end, that day too, she lost her entire fortune to the slots.

"Kuh, today was a bad day! Time to head back～… haaah…"

"Aye, good work～"

Ichika left the bar dejected.

… Immediately after, at the second slot machine from the back — the one Ichika had just been sitting at — a scramble broke out.

"Hey, move it. You're in the way."

"Fool, you used it yesterday, today's my turn!"

"Oi oi, what do you think I've been waiting here for? Move! Today I'll win!"

The machine Ichika lost at has a fifty percent better chance of winning.

Somehow, that rumor had spread among the bar's regulars.

"Aah, they're so lively, all of them."

"Mm? Roppu, you're not going to try?"

Gozoh returned to the table where his partner Roppu was sitting and took a swig of his drink.

"Don't be ridiculous, Gozoh. I don't believe that rumor."

"Heh? Why not?"

"Because the origin of that rumor… it was Kehma-san's doing, right? The first one was something like — since Ichika lost, the next person will win, wasn't it?"

"It was more like — since Ichika lost, the wins are saved up, I think? Well, something like that."

Before anyone knew it, the story had snowballed from "the next person wins" to "wins come easy" to "there was actually someone who won" to "I won!" until it settled into the current "fifty percent better odds."

In reality, the seat Ichika used was popular, so it got spun until someone won.

If you spin it enough times, you'll eventually win. The more spins, the more wins there'll be. It really was a seat that won a lot.

… It also lost a lot, but the species known as gamblers had a strong tendency to ignore inconvenient facts.

And so, combined with the rumor, the slot machine remained incredibly popular.

"… Well, gamblers love their superstitions."

"Even more so when they're adventurers, I suppose?"

Ah, come to think of it, both are pretty similar, Gozoh shrugged.

"Booyah! I won!"

"Hurry up and switch out!"

"Kukukuku, that's why I can't stop playing slots."

And so tonight again, the bar continued its noisy night.