Beginner's Luck (3)
Clunk—
After checking the message on the screen, I pulled the lever—which had popped up with a clunk—with a heart full of joy, dreaming of a golden future.
※ Jjang Kke Po ※
※ Pull the lever to win loads of coins!
And then...
※ Super Cool Tip ※
Coin Rewards
..
500
100
☞ 1
10
50
..
To you~
You’ve won 1 coin~
You really are out of luck.
Please try again~
Listening to the machine’s thunderous roar, I could see the mind-boggling result on the screen.
Swoosh-
A black circle appeared and vanished on the joystick, and in its place lay a single golden coin.
..
...
....
H
Heh heh
Hahaha
Ha...
‘You bloody bastard! Are you having a laugh? One reward? Wow... you’re really getting my blood pressure up, aren’t you? Right then, let’s see this through to the end!’
I wonder how long I kept at it...
Large amounts of coins rarely came out, and eventually, there were only about ten coins left on my joystick.
My hands were shaking like a patient with Parkinson’s as I reached for the tenth coin to slot it into the slot...
Suddenly, a slogan from a poster I’d seen in the army popped into my head.
Was the end of gambling a miserable fate...?
“Ha—is this the end of gambling?”
Sighing at this profound realisation about gambling, I turned my head and noticed Merlin, who had somehow dozed off to my left.
As I watched him with a smile, I turned my head to the right... and saw Cheonma, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the machine’s buttons.
“Huh? Why?”
“...”
As if reading my gaze, Cheonma looked back at me and asked.
My... what a pure, childlike look in her eyes...
Her eyes are full of expectation...
Sigh... Well then, shall I bring this to a close?
“Cheonma... there aren’t many chances left now. Hehe... You saw that, didn’t you? This is the extent of my ability. Gambling... it’s really useless, isn’t it?”
‘...’
Lady Cheon, who had been watching me sigh with a self-deprecating smile, seemed to be thinking about something as she bit her lip slightly for a moment.
I waited, watching Lady Cheon as she pondered for a moment, and when she released her lips, I assumed she had finished thinking and asked.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘...’
‘...Hmm?’
“... Um... er, could I perhaps have a go?”
‘Eh? You yourself, Lord Cheonma?’
‘Yeah... would that be difficult?’
‘No. There aren’t many chances anyway. Give it a go. Who knows? You might just hit the jackpot! Hehehe...’
I gave a silly grin, grabbed Lord Cheonma’s hand, and led him to the button.
‘...E-excuse me! Y-your hand!’
‘I’m counting on you, Lord Cheonma! Oh, I hope you get that beginner’s luck~’
‘Beginner’s... what?’
‘Beginner’s luck~’
‘What’s that?’
‘It’s a thing. I’ll explain later... just go on and have a go.’
‘Right..!’
With a bright, childlike smile on his face, Cheonma-nim seemed thrilled; his shoulders bobbing up and down, he picked up a coin from the joystick and carefully placed it into the slot.
Didi didi-didi!
Ta-da!
※ Punch, Crack, Pop ※
Beep—
10
9
...
2
1
!
Scissors!
Paper!
Stone!
‘It’s Scissors now!’
Thud!
※ Rock, Paper, Scissors ※
Me: Scissors VS Rock, Paper, Scissors: Rock
LOSE WIN
I lost~
A mechanical voice announced the result: ‘Cheonma has lost,’ ringing in our ears.
Shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver, s
Before we knew it, Lord Cheonma’s shoulders, which had been heaving, were now trembling violently as he glared at the screen with eyes brimming with rage.
“... Lord Cheonma... that...”
“... N.o. one... has ever said they lost to me... nor has anyone ever admitted it... but... you of all people... a strange creature that isn’t even human, how dare you? Me? Haa—!”
Thud!
Lady Cheonma swatted away my hand as I tried to soothe her, keeping her gaze fixed on the screen as she picked up another coin and dropped it into the slot.
And so...
Before I knew it, she had reached nine losses out of ten games.
Heh-
Heh-
Filled with rage, Lord Cheonma was fuming, perhaps trying to vent his anger whilst maintaining his composure; he was fiddling with his last coin, staring it intently.
Realising this couldn’t go on, I raised my hand and grabbed Lord Cheonma’s hand, which was fiddling with the coin.
‘...!?’
‘...Um... Lord Cheonma.’
‘...Why?’
“... This time, let’s put the coin in together and press the button together.”
“...”
After a moment’s silence, gazing at the coin, the Heavenly Maiden lifted her head and looked at me.
“...”
“... Alright.”
Oh...
Is she...
Agreeing to this?
Gambling... changes people...
I held the coin together with the Heavenly Maiden and inserted it into the slot.
Didi didi didi!
Ta-da!
※ Jjang Kke Ppo ※
Beep—
10
9
...
2
1
!
Rock!
Paper!
Scissors!
“Now!”
“Now!”
Thud!
With one mind, Cheonma-nim and I pressed our fists simultaneously and watched the screen with bated breath.
※ Rock, Paper, Scissors ※
Me: Rock VS Rock, Paper, Scissors: Scissors
WIN LOSE
!!!!!!!!!!!
We won!
The final coin brought victory to us, who had pressed the button in perfect unison with Cheonma-nim.
Cheonma and I looked at each other and smiled.
I’ve finally secured a win for Cheonma...
10 games, 9 losses, 1 win...
It was a brilliant match