Changing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  What can I say about the hall, which we were taken to by a man with an expressionless face? It was large, two-tiered, and the walls and floor were tiled with dark blue marble. Everything else except the poker tables and the chairs next to them, ranging from chandeliers to decorative columns, was transparent. Some things were made out of crystal, and other things, like the columns, were an imitation. In the center of the hall, there were six oval tables each seating ten.

  The guests evenly dispersed throughout the room, chatting and occasionally picking up glasses from the trays brought by waitresses in short skirts. In general, I didn't see anything new.

  'What are you going to do when the game starts?'

  'Oh,' Aniko answered, gazing at something and giving a slight smile. 'Trust me, I'll find something to do.' Sure she would. For some people, this event was entertainment, and for others, work. Okay, maybe not work exactly, but I could hardly call it a downtime.

  'Okay, let's go exchange money for chips.'

  'My brother said that the game is not your incentive for today,' Aniko said, as we walked to the checkout. 'But he did not specify the true purpose of your coming here.'

  'Couldn't you just ask me?' I smirked in response. 'We, peasants, are illiterate and unintelligent people and prefer straight-forward questions. What if I don't understand you? What are you going to do then?'

  'Then I'll ask. Straight and narrow.' This time, the girl snorted.

  'Quite an unpleasant situation for me, don't you think?' The girl lifted her eyebrow in surprise. 'Any direct question from you would expose me as an idiot,' I finished, smiling. She seemed a little embarrassed by what I had said.

  'I didn't mean anything like that.'

  'I hope not,' I sighed sadly.

  'Enough, Shinji-san. I officially declare that I don't think you're an idiot.'

  'What a pleasure to hear that from a beautiful girl.'

  In response, she only snorted softly. Even austere Aniko could be nice and cute. The right approach matters.

  'I came for the auction that starts right after the game. And yes,' I noticed the girl's slightly raised eyebrows, 'I'm willing to spend ten million on this.'

  'Hm. So you're giving up before you’ve even started?'

  'Of course not! I'm just stating the facts.'

  Another pretty girl stood at the cash register. I handed my credit card to her and, after various procedures, I got it back together with a plastic card, on one side of which my name was written, and on the other side there was a picture of a Joker.

  'Just choose a place at the table, Sakurai-san, and put the card next to it. You will be given your chips before the game starts.' That's good. Carrying them around the hall before the game won't be nice.

  Aniko went to the bar, and I went to choose a spot. I decided to sit at the corner table so that I could see all the others. It was odd that no one had taken it yet. There were already two cards on the table, so I put mine in an empty spot and went to get a juice. Rydon's sister was talking to some woman of about thirty-five years old.

  'Shinji, let me introduce Ishikawa Mihiko, the wife of the head of the Ishikawa clan.' I already heard this name somewhere on the TV recently, I think.

  'Shinji Sakurai, ma'am. It's nice to meet a woman of such beauty,' I bowed.

  'Shinji Sakurai. A familiar name,' she smiled at the response. I started racking my brains because there was no way we could have known each other.

  'Unlikely, ma'am, I am an insignificant person for someone of your status.' Ishikawa, Ishikawa, where had I heard that name?

  'But Kisho-san, my husband, has heard a thing or two about you.'

  'Ishikawa Kisho?' There we go. Why oh why? Although this was better than it could have been.

  'Yes, I'm sorry that the reason was so reprehensible.'

  'We all make mistakes.' That's not fair. It wasn't my fault. 'Not only you.' Oh, I see. She admits that I was right but is hinting that the conflict could have been solved more peacefully.

  'Next time, I'll try to resolve things in a more peaceful manner.'

  'I hope,' still smiling, the woman shook her head, 'that there won’t be a next time.'

  'Me too.'

  After saying goodbye to us, Mihiko left, and Aniko, having taken a sip from her glass, stood and looked in the hall. Either she was not curious at all, or she had a wildly strict upbringing. She could at least ask allusively, so let's start the countdown.

  'It's an interesting situation,' she said on the seventh second. 'Would it be too excessive...'

  'Keep it simple,' I interrupted. Yes, it was a bit rude, but everything had its place. Even etiquette. I was not against it, but I needed a good relationship with the Okhayashi family, which I could start... continue to build through the eldest daughter of the head of the clan. Natural, free communication on her part would be an indispensable attribute.

  'What happened between you and Ishikawa?' the girl sighed heavily.

  'I was rude to their daughter on the first day of school.'

  'Oh. Hm. Lucky you, that it was Ishikawa. Her father is a man of honor. Many would not even have bothered figuring out what happened first.'

  'Your school is too dangerous.'

  'Our school. Don't forget, the children of influential people go there.'

  That is, these ‘many’ people wouldn't bother trying to figure out what happened in my case. A peasant like me could be dealt with without any investigation into what happened. There was one ‘but’ though.

  'So all of them live next door to the head of the Koyama clan? Amazing.'

  'Khm. Yes. I admit, I expressed myself inaccurately. But Ishikawa Kisho really is a man of honor.'

  'Kenta-san said the same.'

  'Kenta Koyama-san is a wise man.'

  Sure, sure. You wouldn't talk badly of him in my presence. I'm grumbling. I must be nervous. The tournament was about to start. I'm not just taking part in it, I'll have to communicate with people from higher levels of the society, or at least society in this country.

  Finally. Approaching the railing on the second tier of the hall, Prince Oama clapped his hands a couple of times to draw attention. There he had another table for VIPs.

  'Ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to greet all those gathered today at my party. I am glad to see the fans of the greatest card game in the world, the game, rightfully called the queen of card games. I hope everyone here will remember that money is only a means, and not the goal of the game. Let it be the indicator of the best player tonight. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen, let the strongest player win. I declare our small tournament open.'

  After this short speech, which did not impress me, the people in the hall began to move. The men started taking their seats, and the ladies took the seats next to the tables of their partners, at some distance from them. I went to my table and, sitting down, I began to examine my opponents.

  I didn't know any of them personally, but given my origin and the number of Japanese aristocracies, that was quite normal. The clothes of these stately men could be divided into two types: a classic three-piece suit or a classic man's kimono. Among those sitting at our table, a pair of men stood out more than the others. One of them was an elderly aristocrat who flaunted his belly. With the general dominance of martial arts, especially in an aristocratic environment, his heavy physique screamed out. He was dressed, in a kimono, by the way. The second, a sturdy middle-aged man, stood out with his Navy uniform and straight, (rather than tapered, like in the army) epaulets that had three red lines on a yellow background and three stars.

  The rest were not that noteworthy. One had a decent scar on his chin, another, long bangs that fell over his right eye, but that was generally a popular Japanese hairstyle. Another person in a kimono was sitting with a fan. Another one of my rivals had dark sunglasses hanging from the pocket of his jacket. The man in the blue suit had a chunky gold ring on his finger, while the other's suit was completely white. There was nothing special about the last one: a black, three-piece s
uit and a perfectly ordinary hairstyle. The only thing that drew any attention was a white kerchief in his jacket pocket. Having looked around, I made sure: yes, only he had one. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that the dealer was a spectacular twenty-five-year-old girl. She had pink hair, which she rocked really well, green eyes, a vest that didn't cover her belly and emphasized her DD-sized breasts, a mini-skirt, meant to be worn by a girl with legs like hers. Yes, I would take her into my harem without a moment’s thought and judging by the looks of the surrounding men, I was not the only one.

  'Ho-Ho, Soga-San,' a man with a fan uttered. 'Once again, you and I are at the same table.'

  'For the third time in a row,' the heavy guy nodded a couple of times in response. 'It must be fate. I hope today our little dispute will be resolved, Ishikawa-san.' Was it really fate? I was sitting at the same table with the father of the green-haired witch.

  'I hope so, Soga-san, I hope so.' Was the heavy man from the Soga clan by any chance? However, it was a stupid question. 'I see we have a new addition today,' he said, looking at me. 'Could you introduce yourself, young man?'

  'Sakurai, Ishikawa-san. Shinji Sakurai.'

  'Shinji Sakurai. That's a familiar name.' Husband and wife live the same life. 'Ho-ho-ho. Things are gonna be even more interesting than I thought.'

  'Shall we start the game?' the navy guy asked.

  'Of course, of course. Let's start.'

  The first dealing gave me a six and a ten. I did not understand much about poker, but, my cards were garbage. I wasn't going to fold without seeing the first three open cards... What are they called? Ah, who cares. The betting started. The starting bet was ten thousand. In the first round, I had to discard last, so before my turn came, I watched the other players and their stakes with interest.

  'Ten.'

  'Call.'

  'Call.'

  'Call.'

  'Hm. 'Call.'

  'Raise. Thirty more.'

  'Call.'

  'Raise to 100.'

  'Fold.' Not with my cards.

  To be honest, I didn't get a single word in. I knew I had to either put 100,000 or fold my cards. I could also raise above 100,000. I didn't want to fold without seeing the first cards, but 100,000? Who cares?

  'Same,' I said carefully.

  Ishikawa must have noticed my insecurity and spoke up:

  'It's called 'call,' young man,' he grinned kindly. 'This is the first trading round.'

  'Thank you,' I replied, still uncertain.

  Smiles were appearing on other faces now, not just Ishikawa’s. As a result, when the first three cards were finally revealed, the bets rose to two hundred and twenty thousand. I wasn’t folding and the pot had nearly two million by now. By the way, I almost forgot. Of all the players at our table, I was the only person with the 'pathetic' ten million, the rest had from twenty to fifty million’s worth in chips.

  There was a ten, a two, and a five on the table. Neither fish, flesh, nor fowl.

  'Oh, great flop.' What? Oh yeah, it's called a flop— the first three cards. 'I’m thinking to raise it to... another twenty.'

  'Call.'

  And there it went on. I folded after the fifth card, losing only 290,000 as a result. The maximum bet was 350,000, and the whole pot was 3,100,000 This sum was snatched by the man with the chunky ring. He had two fives and two queens. I had an intense outburst of hatred for class inequality when I thought about what I could do with that kind of money. Perhaps, it was envy.

  In the next hour, I mostly folded, periodically losing some 'insignificant sum of money,' calling, and raising when I had reasonable cards. It turned out that, losing 50-60,000 five times, I took a pot with 300-500,000. Once I felt frisky and having very good cards, I lost 1,500,000. As a result, in an hour of playing the game, I had 8,800. Meanwhile, some tables were already vacant.

  So what do we have here? Two jacks! Awesome. My turn.

  'Call.'

  The first round ended at 50,000 and 500,000 in the pot. The flop on the table revealed two fours and a queen. Two pairs. It wasn't the greatest, but it was better than nothing.

  In the second round, the first two players checked—that is, they left the bet as is, without increasing it. The next player raised it by twenty, and the man with the handkerchief brought the rate up to 50. It was my turn now.

  'Fifty and a hundred more on top.' Why not? My chances aren't that bad.

  The chubby Soga was next:

  'Hm. 'Call.'

  'Call,' The White Suit moved.

  Rubbing his dark sunglasses with his hand, the next player folded his cards. Behind him sat Ishikawa.

  'Right. Hm. Okay, let it be ca... No, raise.

  One hundred on top.' That's too bad. I could wait a little longer, but I think they're going to start raising. I know better now.

  'Two hundred and fifty,' said the man who was one-eyed, due to his bangs.

  'Three hundred.' You should be sailing the seas, man.

  'Call,' the Ring wanted to show off again.

  'Call.'

  'Four hundred.' That sucks. Stick your handkerchief you know where.

  'Call.' That was me. Let's hope they are all bluffing.

  'Five hundred.' Bastards. That belly must be a stash of money in disguise.

  'Call.' Great.

  This round ended at 550,000 and the pot was almost five and a half million. The next round, a jack was laid on the table. Three plus two—Full House! That's who took my 1,500,000 while I had a Straight in my hands. That actually surprised me as I thought a Straight was valued higher.

  In the third round, Soga, White Suit, Ishikawa, and Ring folded, and there were five people left in the game. The bet was raised by another 600,000, and I couldn't wait to see the fifth card. What if it's another jack? No, that never happens. An ace. Too bad. Oh well.

  And there it was, the fourth round. I learned that it's called a river. Eight and a half million in the pool, and we started the first bet. 'One hundred, three hundred, five hundred,' that was me. Call, call, call... 'Two million!' Bastard, what kind of cards does he have? Who cares, I'm in.

  'That's it. Betting it all. Or whatever it's called.'

  'All-in, young man.'

  'Thank you, Ishikawa-san.'

  'You're welcome, bud.'

  The three of them folded, and there I was against the man that looked like a CIA agent with his white handkerchief.

  'Call. Adding 770,000.'

  'It's showdown time, gentlemen.'

  We exposed our cards at the same time. My opponent had a four and a queen. Full House. Three fours, two queens. Yes! Yes, yes, yes! His fours against my jacks! Twenty-five million! Geez. Twenty-three million, three hundred and fifty. The guy had about nine and a half million left, and I finally ceased to be the poorest one at the table.

  'Congratulations, young man,' the man said through gritted teeth. He was just unlucky, that's all.

  'Thanks...'

  'Heh, Tsugaru Aoto.'

  'Thank you, Tsugaru-san. You scared me to death at the end. I thought it was time for me to hit the bar.'

  'That's what I thought too.'

  Two hours later, I learned the names of all the people sitting at our table and said goodbye to two of them. The first one to leave was Tsugaru Aoto and the second was Oe Kee, the man with bangs covering half his face. Another, Yasuo Chesuje, the man with the golden ring, was almost taken out, leaving him with a measly seven million. I took part too, and made 5,050,000 on it. I didn't understand how that happened, but the pot was split into three parts, two of which were divided between the sailor and Soga. The rest of the tables by that time had lost three or four people, so in that sense, we were leading. I couldn't say that I liked it. It was better to be one of six than one of eight but I was glad I was still there.

  Meanwhile, Aniko was cruising among the crowd of women, chatting here and there, but mostly stood in my field of view. For support, that is. I waved to the waitress and ordered another juice and a couple of brownies,
and then looked at my current hand. A two and a six. Some garbage the second time in a row.

  'Fold,' I tapped my finger on the table.

  To hell with it. I threw away 400,000 last time. I'll wait until the next hand.

  These bastards just weren't letting me play anymore. First, they figured out that I only play with good cards and began to fold. In turn, I figured them out and started to bluff, which made me some money. They realized that I was bluffing, and the game was more even after that. That's when I started getting really lucky with the cards I was dealt. I started believing in Rookie's luck. Having evened out with the other players at the table, I managed to lose almost a third of my money, snatched by Soga and Ishikawa. What sucked though was the fact that my opponents seemed to feel it when I had bad cards. They could obviously read me, but I had no idea how they did it. It definitely was not down to my facial expression. I would never have believed that all these people were professional 'people readers.' I was confident that I could delude regular aristocrats because in my world after I quit my job, I took part in many important meetings. Back then, I was able to do it without 'body control,' which, it turns out doesn’t work when playing poker. They figured me out by a certain move that I was making unconsciously.

  It was getting late. All the other tables around us had 2-3 people left, and we had a total of 5. Frankly speaking, I was getting tired of the game by now. Several hours of sitting clearly did not improve my mood. Others have taken breaks, but only my opponents were glued to their seats. I wanted to ask to take a break, but my pride and lack of comprehension stopped me from doing so. Did it mean anything that our table was following different rules? If they were continuing to play, then that meant that was how it was supposed to be. After all, was I any weaker than the others? From a physical point of view, I didn't care how long I had to sit for.

  Aniko now was sitting with the ladies and conversing with two women and a man. Remarkably, she sat in such a way that I could see her without turning my head. She didn't look tired. But would the eldest daughter of the head of the ancient and influential clan show her fatigue? I wanted to smoke.