“Hehehe…” Wicked laughter stirred a certain black-carpeted lobby, where gambling tables were left completely unoccupied, and where servers holding trays of drinks stood to the side with terror in their eyes.

The one who spoke was a blonde-haired Fox-woman. She occupied one side of the central gambling table. Murderous intent oozed from the woman as she held an open fan to her face, concealing her mouth as a server shakily placed a drink beside her.

The condensation made it as though that the drink was sweating profusely, the ice cubes tumbling as if striving to get away.

What she wore was a flowery green, short dress that terminated just after her knees, with tights that covered her skin. The insignia behind her back was of a thumb, clearly indicating that she was a part of the Golden Thumb. Her eyes were calculative, typical of those within the subsidiary.

“So the time has come.” Another voice spoke from the other end of the only occupied table in the entire floor as a small crowd of less than twelve gathered around them, holding back bated breaths.

This person was a dog-woman with brown hair, which was bundled into two giant balls. Her apparel was a blue, baroque-style dress, only with far less frills. The crest on her back was of the ring finger, meaning she was of the Golden Ring.

The poker machines ceased their cheery tones as the fairies within peered to watch the showdown of a lifetime. The two dueling figures were each armed with a deck of cards as a familiar bunny-eared Dealer watched on, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead.

“It all comes down to this now.” A voice spoke from the sidelines.

It came from a wolfwoman dressed in a beautiful, red blazer different from what many of the Golden Middle wore. The same offensive insignia could be found on her back as golden embroidery made it clear that she had a higher position within the subsidiary.

Her apparel was more suited for men, but it paired with her perfectly. Her usual messy hair was slicked to the side as cowlicks ran along the edge like the teeth of a sawblade.

“W-What’s going to happen to them?” A cat-girl whispered into the ear of a bee-woman as she stood on her toes. “I can easily just pull them aside if it gets too serious.”

The cat-girl was the one and only survivor of Serum S. She wore a maid-like outfit and was not assigned to a subsidiary, much like the Dealer Bunny.

“Have faith. Mister Secur-80 is watching closely.” An Insectid bee-girl assured, wearing a beautiful pink wedding suit with black roses printed all over.

Her giant tail wiggled behind her before the barbed tip pointed towards the towering, muscular man who watched on with just as much intrigue as the rest.

“There’s too much on the line. I’m afraid the loser won’t come out unscathed.” He ominously warned, holding a red card in between his fingers. It appeared like a protective cover for cards, when in truth it was an item that prevented cheating. All 52 cards of a given deck were bound to the sleeve, making swap outs or manipulation of the cards nearly impossible.

Additionally, it was able to dispel all illusions placed on a card, revealing precisely what it was to the one who held the card. Such an item was not required here, but the girls took the game of poker far too seriously to begin with.

Why? What could possibly be the reason for this? Even the Underboss of the Golden Middle had placed his bets on one of the competitors and was already in the deep red. That person being the Wolfwoman who immediately won on the first round.

Indeed. She won. This wasn’t a poker game where winner takes all. It was an elimination game where the last one standing was to endure cruel and unusual punishment.

That punishment was less dire than they made it out to be.

“The loser takes all.” The Fox-woman cackled.

“We’ll see about that.” The Dog-woman spoke haughtily as the cards in the center were revealed, with cards gliding across the table right into their hands.

“Uuugh. What’s with poker matches and cringe dialogue?” The bunny Dealer deflated, her ears drooping as she began waving a hand by her nose, as if to remove a bad odor. “Sana makes tasty food. Unbelievable that you turned it into a punishment game.”

“Rabbits are able to stomach crap cause it’s part of your diet.” The wolfwoman stated, harping on the fact that rabbits regularly ate their own facies.

“Is not! I’m not a Beastkin, you know! How rude!” The Bunny girl pouted; her ears pointed up like a pair of giant exclamation marks. “More for me if you can’t handle it. Hmph!”

“Considering the alternatives? Poena can whip up a mean meal in comparison. Problem is that it’s just too healthy.” The Wolfwoman said, watching as the Dog-woman revealed her cards.

“Flush. I told you. It’s over.” She sneered.

“Maybe it’s a you problem then.” The Bunny girl interrupted, ruining the Cat-girl’s moment. “Always complaining about food. What are you, like, a carnivore or something? Are you three years old? Are you mentally there? Are you picky? Hey, say something.”

“… You’re lucky you’re a Dealer protected by the Golden Index directly.” The Wolfwoman pinched between her eyes. “A flush. Not bad. But…”

“Hmhmhm. That’s it?” The Fox-woman eerily chuckled, suddenly shutting her fan. She spread her cards face down and began smacking the corners with the fan, flipping the cards over one by one.

The glimmer of light disappeared in the eyes of the cat-girl. Total despair consumed her as she witnessed four spades reveal themselves.

“Four of a kind. And I didn’t even need the middle cards. Do tell me how Sana’s cooking tastes. You’ll be savoring all our shares, hmhmhm~”

Her fabulously fluffy tail wiggled behind her like a giant fuzzy caterpillar, sticking out from a tiny gap on the backrest of the chair.

“Impossible…” The Cat-girl’s heart sank, her ears plopping defeatedly as she pushed herself from the table.

“Unbelievable.” Secur-80 uttered like he had just witnessed an impressive feat. The servers too were awed, whereas the others couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the woman.

The Dealer, however, couldn’t tell if they were playing along with this theatrical or were legitimately invested with this weird drama. Her face contorted as she folded her arms, realizing she was surrounded by idiots.

What she didn’t know however, was the extent of Sana’s assault. It was impossible to turn down a healer’s offer, so when she went around serving guests a mysterious black sludge…

… Well, let’s just say that there was a reason why Carpal Tower was empty tonight.

Even Secur-80 wouldn’t subject criminals to such a thing.

“Revy! Do the double slash! It’s unfair that I have to eat all of it!” The Dog-woman complained, calling out the name of the Cat-girl just as they felt a presence approach from the main entrance.

“I can’t do the double slash because you know how dangerous that is!” Revy called out.

“Then I’ll just have to eat these cards!” The Dog-woman shouted, munching on a few only to watch them spontaneously appear on the table. “… Mister Secur-80! How much for you to turn a blind eye!”

“Are you really going to stoop that low just for a card game?” The Bunny girl sighed, just as Secur-80 paused to consider his answer. “And don’t entertain it! No cheating on my floor!”

Funnily enough, the bunny girl had more authority over an Underboss when it came to the integrity of all games hosted within the Golden Index.

That being said, what the Dog-woman referred to was Revy’s newfound powers, which formed as a result of surviving Serum S.

Its name was Mirrored Blood.

This allowed for each attack to produce a second one in reverse, meaning a punch towards the front would result in one behind. It was a finicky power that she frankly had no idea how to use, and it had remained like that for some time out fear of accidentally hurting someone.

She was easily stronger than the Wolfwoman, but nowhere near as experienced in combat as her. This also explained why Revy was both clumsy and reserved. Being a maid hardly suited her as she was prone to breaking things.

However, the warmth of the Golden Index never made her feel down. But one could tell just how much she wanted to put herself to good use, seeing that everyone was trying so hard to achieve what were once just dreams to them.

And they all had one person to thank.

Just as that person came to mind –

“Hey~! Long time no see! Were you waiting for us!?”

– They manifested before them.

A powerful voice called out, surprising them all as they immediately turned their attention to the front gates.

And there she was, approaching them with the same kind smile that saved them on that fateful day.