Published: February 1, 2026
Eleven’s eyes stared fixedly into Lizel’s.
That probing gaze, as if searching for the slightest tremor of emotion, met only Lizel’s calm smile, utterly unshaken.
Lizel continued to smile without even glancing at the long, slender fingers extended toward him, and Eleven clicked his tongue despite himself.
Whether the raised card was traced by a fingertip or flicked by a nail, Lizel showed not the slightest reaction, keeping an abnormal level of composure in a situation where everything could end with the movement of Eleven’s fingers.
“Come on, hurry up.”
Prompted, Eleven frowned and stole a sideward glance at Gill.
Having finished one round earlier, Gill was simply watching how things would play out without interfering.
If he’d help even a little, I could break that composure in front of me, Eleven thought inwardly, but he was also certain no such help would come. Because, if anything, Gill was on Lizel’s side.
If Eleven showed any suspicious behavior, Gill would immediately pin him down with a sharp, warning gaze.
Raking his still slightly damp hair, Eleven gave up with a sigh and pulled the card out of Lizel’s hand.
“Ah, man…”
“I’ll draw.”
“Hey, wai—…”
“I’m out.”
The card that had been face‑down this whole time was flipped with a dazzling smile.
Seeing the completed set of aces, Eleven recognized his defeat, let the Joker in his hand fall, and collapsed backward onto the bed.
Lizel picked up the Joker as it fluttered to the floor, then gathered the cards in his hands and began to shuffle.
“It’s ’cause Big Brother had to butt in!”
“You’re the one who tried to cheat, dumbass.”
“I wouldn’t have noticed it even if he did, so I appreciate the help.”
“If you can’t notice, that’s your problem. I should’ve won the moment it became a one‑on‑one with the leader…”
Utterly sulking, Eleven seemed genuinely mortified at losing a card game.
He’d experienced just about every kind of gambling, and not only was his skill impressive, his knack for cheating was superb.
He’d go to illegal gambling dens to rake in money, openly laugh at those who knew he was cheating but couldn’t figure out how, and he’d lost count of how many times he’d beaten senseless the ones who snapped and came at him.
He had good luck with the draw as well, and in the battle over beds, he’d honestly won an edge bed without cheating. This time, however, he’d been seen through.
Getting Gill—the only one who could spot his tricks—out of the game first had been the right call, but because Gill had still spoken up afterward, Eleven had tasted a rare defeat.
Judging that Eleven would be sulking and rolling around on the bed for a while, Lizel stopped shuffling the playing cards.
He dealt five cards in front of Gill on the bed they were using as a table, and Gill, realizing his intent, picked them up and checked his hand with a textbook poker face.
Lizel also drew five cards randomly from the top and placed the remaining deck between them, exactly in the middle.
Thinking it would be boring with nothing on the line, Lizel placed about twenty silver coins to the side. Gill sighed and produced the same amount. Even if they traded a large sum, it didn’t really mean much within the same party, so silver coins were enough.
Of course, to others, it wasn’t money one could lose so casually, but Lizel, who had chosen silver coins purely because they looked good, didn’t care.
“Go ahead.”
“Bet, five.”
“Raise, seven.”
“Draw, two.”
“Here. I’ll stay… hm?”
“Oh, me.”
Just as Lizel looked up from his cards at the sound of a knock, Eleven raised a hand to stop him and sat up from the bed.
It was rare for someone to visit your room while traveling, so Eleven headed to the door as a matter of course. Assuming it was probably the elites, Lizel watched, wondering if something had happened.
Watching Eleven open the door without a shred of caution, Lizel couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Gill and Eleven, who could tell who was on the other side.