"I'll survive!" "You have an affinity for clubs." "You won in poker with them." "Stay." "I'll hit." "Player busts." "What should I have done?" "The first order of business is to learn that." "I'm doing nothing but losing." "It's according to plan." "Don't worry." "You'll win." "I'll back you up." "I'll display the basic strategy." "Ten-value cards are the most common type in this game." "his probability of busting is 43%." "and wait for your opponent to self-destruct." "Stay." "Double down." "That man is amazing." "He isn't winning." "He's being allowed to win." "It's dealer manipulation." "Manipulation?" "Right." "Watch closely." "All the players are going to start leaving one at a time." "Starting with that man." "but look at how much money he's losing." "That's what manipulation is." "Throw off all the players' decisions and make them take actions they'd never take otherwise." "did I?" "one has to pay the price." "His losing was inevitable." "He was manipulated into losing his entire bankroll for the sake of momentary victories." "I didn't see it at all." "you can avoid the manipulation." "as well." "I want to believe in you two." "Is that a bad thing?" "I'm a tool." "I can only prove my usefulness by having you use me." "You're giving me more things I can do by myself even when you aren't around." "I want to use you." "I'll never betray you again." "I found myself a fine partner." "Even money." "it's a tie and there's no payout if the dealer also gets 21." "and is meant to prevent that." "But the payout is a measly 1 to 1." "It's the option to throw away your hard-earned victory." "It's not something that you should choose right now." "I'll begin a running count." "Blackjack!" "That's amazing!" "everyone." "This dealer is making some kind of pattern with the cards." "You think he's manipulating the card order?" "I can sense it." "He's doing something." "All right." "I'll read the cards with calculations and the scent of our opponents." "You read them with your senses." "This is the true count." "I'll log every card and spot the right time to go all in." "we'll manipulate the dealer." "Give him a taste of your mystique." "Cross your legs." "Look to the side so your cards are to the left of your field of view." "they turn to the left." "they look down and to the right." "you can read someone's mind." "He was reading me like that?" "That's right." "And we'll use that against him." "they're like birds!" "it's so sharp and pointy!" "It seems really soft for some reason." "hit me." "So I'll stay." "Hit me for sure." "you're one of those people with a gift for talking to the cards." "calling me away?" "You called him?" "sir." "Ashley?" "Chief?" "Special Consultant?" "Which of these high rollers making lots of money has your panties in a twist?" "This flashy guy with the girl." "they're uncle and niece." "He's trying to insert ten-value cards into the portion not used in the game." "How many?" "32." "he's set aside the ten-value cards from two decks." "The nerve of this guy..." "Hang on." "He hasn't put them all in." "Gotcha." "Owner?" "Ashley!" "Wipe out their luck your way!" "sir?" "They're trying to completely waste my time." "I'm doing anything and everything I can to escape time's curse." "Don't you understand?" "!" "sir." "I'm in the middle of some incredibly important business." "got it?" "!" "Oeufcocque." "Go in with the Doctor." "Do it." "You'll never beat me if you don't bet a lot." "challenge accepted!" "Split." "Split." "Split." "Split." "Split." "We're within spitting distance now." "Boiled?" "!" "Searching for them." "What's wrong?" "It's them!" "They're here right now!" "Just as I thought..." "What?" "Answer me." "Is whatever is involved in your business deal there with you?" "{}" "This is where my first Show was." "It all began here." "I'll prove that you made the best choice." "That's my usefulness." "I wanted to use you." "That's all I wanted." "Oeufcocque." "Bell Wing?" "Go for it." "Bet it all." "Stay." "Stay." "When the remaining cards are two sevens and more than four eights ...the odds of the player winning are 100%." "That's the magic of sevens and eights." "Because the dealer stuck in all the tens at the very end ...I was able to predict the remaining cards." "The dealer brought this defeat down on himself." "It'll be too hard to carry all these chips around." "Let's just have them give us something bigger instead." "please." "sir." "it'll convince the Association." "If she has a system that can net a million-dollar chip ...you can bet there will be copycats." "So if the Association decides to adopt my countermeasure ...it'll mean a big payday for us." "you and I won't have to work for that nutjob anymore." "I thought you liked this place." "That was before I found out that the owner was a rabid dog who went around burning fifteen year old girls to death." "It's beyond me why the Association still lets that man have a job." "I see." "So that's why she's here." "You standing in her way is a test given to her by the Holy Spirit." "You've given up being a spinner and are a prophet now?" "Have a little faith." "I'm thankful that I've been led to this place." "how much do you know about those two?" "Just the girl's name." "Rune-Balot." "What a sad name." "Found it." "The storage medium that Shell's memories are recorded on." "This is the first." "you're fired." "I signed a letter of reference for you." "Leave before the owner spots you." "but we have rules here." "I'm going to swap this for a fresh shoe." "Is that all right?" "Of course." "you had your sights set on a big target here." "Bell Wing..." "This is Ashley Harvest." "Our industry's idea of hired muscle." "I'm here to observe how well you can stand up to him." "This man's luck never runs counterclockwise." "He has no weak spots." "I suggest you remember that." "I will." "This table is now reserved for you two." "A little thank-you for getting the cheat in the poker room and a talented dealer fired." "isn't it?" "don't you think?" "I've never heard of a dealer like you..." "Here's hoping that looks aren't deceiving." "We have a draw." "Stay." "Hit." "Stay." "We have a draw." "Sixteen draws in a row." "You don't see that every day..." "A sign that your luck is an even match for the casino's." "indeed." "What is this man after?" "I don't know." "What's he thinking?" "What's this scent I'm smelling?" "What should I do?" "we'll hold him off using the optimal strategies." "It's not as if my card counting is being blocked." "We have a draw." "He precisely ordered over 300 cards while shuffling." "His skill is hard to believe." "Every single hand ends in a draw..." "You two have magnificent luck." "Or perhaps there is some third party who is giving you your luck?" "Perhaps it's time for a change in strategy." "Hit." "Hit." "Hit me." "Player busts." "Hit." "What should I do?" "Stick with the optimal strategy." "Let the Doctor handle the frontal assault." "Stay." "We have a draw." "huh?" "Hit." "Hit." "Hit." "Hit me." "I assume?" "Stay." "We have a draw." "That's some countermeasure." "Who else besides you could possibly do that?" "It's simply a matter of practice." "For someone who shot down every ball I threw ...you're putting on a boring show." "right?" "So why are you holding back for?" "Restraint is like a pile of shit." "the stink distracts you." "too." "You're you." "You don't need to hold back for anyone." "Hit me." "Stay." "player draws." "One can lose his luck over the slightest thing." "No one can laugh at someone who's been abandoned by luck." "and my bad luck to you." "Feel free to rejoin the fight whenever you like." "Stay." "Player loses." "Stay." "I made a mistake." "I'm sorry." "Stop it." "He's manipulating you." "He's trying to implant a sense of defeat in you." "But if I had done as you taught me and not asked for that hit earlier ...I would have had blackjack." "You didn't make a mistake." "It's my own fault for not being able to read this man." "miss." "can you?" "How did you" "Bingo." "you're speaking with your left hand." "Oeufcocque..." "I'm sorry." "It's all right." "Stay calm." "He isn't allowed to touch a guest's clothing." "They don't have any means of separating us." "Stay." "Player loses." "I have a question for you." "What is it?" "It's just a little icebreaker." "don't you agree?" "Let's say that you're driving down a long road in your car." "But the engine breaks down." "Around you is nothing but desert." "What do you do?" "I wait for help to arrive." "So you would hitchhike." "What would you do if you came across someone who needed help?" "I help them." "I see." "Both are 50% answers." "You're average." "There are other answers?" "Did you stop to consider that it could be a carjacker pretending to be a hitchhiker?" "You're saying that I should never help anyone?" "I mean that your attitude changes depending on which side of the situation you're on." "you won't go looking for help." "you're prepared to be killed by that person." "What would a 100% answer be?" "you kill him." "That person is prey." "that person is also prey." "This is a place where we can legally steal from others." "That is what gambling is." "What is a sweet young lady like you doing in such a place?" "Were you born mute?" "Or did you lose your voice because of someone?" "perhaps?" "Stay calm." "I can't read his intentions." "Don't make any hasty moves." "This man is testing me." "To see whether or not I'll play his game." "Stop what you're doing." "Please trust me." "I do." "That's why I'm asking you to please trust me." "Balot!" "Do I look like I'm that easy to kill?" "You're a formidable opponent." "We probably wouldn't find anything even if we searched your body." "There might not have been anything to begin with." "you took off your gloves of your own accord." "Neither I nor the casino forced you to do so." "No." "I mean that you don't run or hide." "Hit." "Stay." "Player loses." "do you read me?" "I still seem to be able to transmit." "What are you up to?" "I'm sorry." "I just thought that I had to do it." "I have a favor to ask." "Do you mind?" "If it's in my power." "Add the numbers to my senses." "Not the count?" "That's too narrow." "something besides the numbers." "I want to know what it is." "Understood." "I'll have the numbers reflect your visualization as best I can." "Manipulate them however you like." "Thank you." "Partner." "Player busts." "Player busts." "Player busts." "They're like birds flying..." "Excuse me?" "So hit me." "Player busts." "so I want to round it off." "Hit." "It's incredibly pointy." "hit me." "It's getting pointier and pointier." "Hit." "Hit." "Hit." "Stay." "A draw..." "So it would seem." "Do you know why I am looking forward to this next card?" "you lose." "Especially if it's a spade." "All that card plucking would be for nothing." "You saw through my shuffle?" "No." "But the cards have been in your favor this whole time." "But now I have allies of my own." "it seems." "I don't need to win much." "I want to bet on clubs." "They're going to be on my side." "Understood." "Hit." "Hit." "Stay." "You won!" "Congratulations." "Next hand." "Hit." "Hit." "Stay." "She did it!" "Did you see that?" "Say what you like about this girl ...but she knows what it means to endure." "Bell Wing..." "And here I thought that you were on MY side." "It's no fun if the game is over quickly." "There's just one thing that I want you to remember." "That thing I blurted out and tried to teach you even if you already knew it." "About being ladylike?" "Right." "Be the person you ought to be." "Be who you're meant to be." "you'll never be able to talk to the cards." "you'll never be able to beat this man." "Right?" "Right." "That's better." "You're far more beautiful now than before." "Bell Wing." "I should have asked someone else..." "It's hard to believe..." "You're beginning to understand luck." "and you've done it in a mere hour." "You're humble." "Such people take coincidence and turn it into the inevitable." "Inevitability that will allow them to survive." "Have you ever thought about luck?" "I used to think a lot about how bad mine was." "There's more to that hitchhiking story I was telling earlier." "May I continue?" "Of course." "I had an older brother." "Two brothers against the world." "He meant the world to me." "he picked up a hitchhiker in his car and was killed by him." "and was left out in the blazing sun." "He was ravaged by dehydration and respiratory distress ...and eventually died in the dark when his strength gave out." "my father and I went to where my brother had been found." "I climbed into the trunk my brother had died in and had my father close it." "I wanted to know what my brother had felt." "It was terrifying in there." "I heard my father's voice." "Pull the latch." "There's a latch inside." "I found the latch." "And I survived in my brother's place." "If only my brother had known about that latch." "If only he had had someone to tell him it was there." "If only he had been lucky enough to save himself." "my brother wouldn't have died." "It's the people without those three who lose first." "I don't know which of the three you have." "But you've been spared because you do." "You mustn't forget that." "I won't." "Player wins." "Player wins." "Player wins." "Balot..." "Sometimes it's more painful to win than it is to lose." "the greater the weight you have to carry." "Hit." "Stay." "Draw." "Next hand." "Hit." "Hit." "Stay." "Player loses." "No one will laugh at you if you decide to quit now." "Next hand." "Double down." "triple sevens pay out 1.5 to 1." "Tactics and strategy are the key to victory." "Tactics are the individual decisions." "What's the first?" "Stay." "Don't take a card." "Next?" "Hit." "Take another card." "Third." "Double down." "Take one last extra card and double your bet." "And the fourth?" "Split." "When you have matching cards ...set out more chips and play them as separate wagers." "And surrender." "Pay half your bet and fold your hand." "Strategy is the accumulation of these five tactics." "victory is assured." "Even money." "Even money?" "But you're sure to win." "you're going to throw away a double payout and maximum victory?" "We're talking four million dollars." "You're really going to walk away from that payout?" "Yes." "I didn't think you had it in you." "I saw courage." "And humility." "I saw someone achieve total victory with my own two eyes." "I once died the same way your brother did." "But I had people who rescued me from the locked car." "To think that my cards were defeated..." "I can't see the cards." "The cards don't matter anymore." "This is your victory." "Your perfect victory." "would you tell me what you hope to find in those chips?" "I think I made a deal with someone." "I wanted to be able to do this on my own." "You're like a mermaid." "I just remembered a story about a mermaid who gave her up voice to receive magic legs that let her walk on land." "I bet that she was just as brave as you." "The owner?" "I'd hoped to continue the cool act a while longer." "Bell Wing." "please." "You've been head over heels for this girl for a dozen hands now." "Please call the owner." "I want to return these chips to him." "were you?" "young lady." "I just hope that the spell on you lasts for a long time." "He's here." "Cleanwill John October." "as well as the father of his fiancee." "Take those back." "You little whore that was born in a garbage dump..." "Take only the yolk." "Don't touch the shell or the white." "But if you do" "Return them at once." "A wise choice!" "I gave you everything!" "I'll keep spinning the wheel somewhere." "stop by and see me." "I will." "You sure you didn't forget anything?" "I smell murderous intent!" "Crap!" "Boiled?" "!" "use me!" "Forget!" "This is as her primary physician!" "Balot's already at her limit!" "Oeufcocque!" "Balot!" "Balot..." "Rune-Balot..." "Thank goodness..." "She's stabilized." "Abnormal skin fiber growth?" "The data says something's wrong." "it's perfectly normal." "We've got some hard work ahead of us." "we have to pore over the memories of a homicidal maniac." "Let's just pray that it's for the best." "We'll use Shell's memories to establish the process that led to his crimes." "You and Oeufcocque should be able to do it in a day." "But are you really sure you want to do this?" "I want to know." "I want to know why me." "it'll be enough." "Doctor." "Right." "let's scramble some eggs." "I don't want to go back to my father." "I'll make you beautiful." "We need to establish context." "There's no meaning." "Let's go back to the entrance." "Trouble will be knocking on your door soon." "This deal is for me alone." "You had misgivings about what you were given..." "A blue diamond." "That's my solution." "Keep it up." "Shell's motive for committing murder is becoming clearer." "There's nowhere that I want to go back to..." "Why...?" "Why me?" "Why am I so afraid of her?" "!" "Hold yourself together." "That isn't your fear." "I can't possibly know why that is." "I've already forgotten everything." "There's nowhere that I want to go back to..." "I'll remember you." "There's something that I want you to hear." "no matter" "I was raped by my father." "Balot!" "Doctor!" "Damn..." "Balot is stronger than I expected." "I'll make you beautiful!" "I'll make you into something beautiful!" "This is wrong..." "He didn't kill the first girl." "We'll have to send her all the way back to the very end." "The first person he killed was..." "I had a processing specialist turn my dead mother's ashes into a diamond." "We've reached the emotional trauma." "Why..." "Why me?" "stop!" "Mother!" "23 hours." "That's how much time has passed since you laid down in there." "Get some rest." "You won't have any bad dreams." "Oeufcocque is right there with you." "Good morning." "The trial date's been set." "I was a fool." "If only I'd told you more of what you needed to know..." "Please." "Help me become a new person one more time." "I'll erase everything." "Sexual molestation by the mother." "Shell killed his mother." "making it look like an accident." "it left him unable to keep his emotions in check ...and that became the root of his homicidal urges." "Shell started to think what he was doing made perfect sense." "and sacrificed them." "I think it was after Shell's lover died." "A girl that Shell truly loved." "It seemed to come as a real shock when he learned that they had identical pasts." "That the two of them had chosen someone so similar." "Shell didn't kill that girl." "huh?" "this will cast doubt on the usefulness of October Corp." "the loss of his memory turned Shell into a bloodthirsty killer." "Do you think Shell will stop killing if he gets his memories back?" "It's possible." "But he would probably refuse." "He didn't fight like you did." "He simply sought out victims." "You two saved me." "Thank you." "I suppose that closes your case." "It's from the public prosecutor." "A request for negotiations." "The name on it is October Corp's representative director." "What does that mean?" "He's the man who was next to Shell at the casino." "He's requested negotiations and information disclosure." "They're scared that we might exploit your case to expose their criminal activity." "Exploit?" "it means that the chips you won give us that kind of leverage." "What's this?" "It says that the lead negotiator for the case is Boiled." "Impossible." "Boiled would be working two contracts." "Where's Shell?" "Out on bail." "but I have a bad feeling about this." "Balot." "Forget it." "Do you want us to take the lead and burn her even more?" "What are you talking about?" "Shell and his memories are the only material we have." "October Corp might want to eliminate Shell." "We have to protect him." "I'm not sure I follow you." "Does that mean that I need to protect Shell?" "It does." "Forget it." "She's closed her own case." "Her case belongs to her." "She chose this." "Her Life Support Program has been extended indefinitely." "so" "Don't try to manipulate her!" "Oeufcocque." "I want to learn to be able to use you properly." "What lies ahead won't necessarily be good for you." "but this is what I chose." "teach me how you close cases." "too." "Understood." "Let's go." "Let's go close our case." "I don't like the smell of this." "Damn!" "It's Shell's fiancee." "I still smell Shell's murderous intent on her." "This must be part of some rite to become a new person." "I smell murderous intent!" "cut me some slack!" "Call your employer." "nicely done." "Well... sir." "That was a fascinating game you played at the casino." "Mr. Cleanwill." "Hardly." "You have no proof that I gave them their orders." "you should agree to the negotiations." "same as you." "Come again?" "Shell-Septinos did undeserved damage to our casino and even demanded that I share my assets." "What a convenient excuse." "Sharing family assets is only natural where marriages are concerned." "right." "I'm amazed that some other man would want that girl..." "I'll make you beautiful..." "We even have an excellent case worker." "You children of 09 should fight this out amongst yourselves." "That bastard!" "Is he going to let Shell be killed by Boiled?" "Balot!" "What are you doing?" "You'll be arrested for hacking into a public system!" "Stop it!" "Follow proper procedure!" "Don't lose control!" "Balot!" "Please!" "Let me kill this man!" "And Shell!" "Let me kill them all!" "I can die afterwards for all I care!" "Balot?" "Are you angry?" "Or are you sad?" "That girl was also like me." "Like all the other girls Shell killed." "The same?" "You mean her father" "Please..." "I don't care if I die!" "Please!" "Let me kill them!" "I can smell your soul." "it's you." "I give myself over to you." "To think you were in the same hotel..." "This sort of hobby is frowned upon." "This is pretty blatantly illegal." "This is private property!" "Then let's leave it to the police to sort everything out." "Let's go." "There's still something that we need to do." "and left her to her fate." "This would cost Shell his right to a case worker ...and he could contract Boiled with no conflict of interest." "This guy is way more burnt than we are." "I don't care what his reasons were!" "That was his own daughter!" "he hasn't been eliminated yet." "We still have time to take him into protective custody." "though?" "I'm sure that he won't kill anyone else." "Boiled?" "!" "I've gotten an offer from October Corp." "Who gives a damn about October Corp?" "I can become a new person again now." "and I would've been killed by that woman." "Boiled." "case workers are in your area." "the tables will be turned." "What are you talking about?" "someone who would never betray me." "I don't want to die." "But you killed me anyway." "Boiled?" "!" "Oeufcocque?" "Boiled!" "Boiled." "You and I were created to bring as much nothingness into the world as possible." "too." "What good will come of killing Shell?" "What will come of killing everyone?" "Creating things isn't my job." "Boiled!" "Are you trying to kill me?" "!" "Mr. Shell." "I think that we could have been more than client and patron." "but the situation has changed." "Boiled... the case worker assigned to you." "I'm taking you into protective" "I didn't want to die." "and the Life Support Program will apply to you." "Where are you?" "!" "Somewhere close." "then?" "What's the point of that now?" "This is your final chance." "Shut up!" "I'm gonna show those idiots who sent this woman after me how business is done!" "Oeufcocque." "My life is being threatened." "I'm returning what you lost." "No matter how rotten the egg it might come back to life." "low-altitude flight paths have been shut down!" "Boiled's behind this!" "He hired a ton of aerial survey choppers and packed the airspace with them!" "but it's taking time." "We fell into his trap." "How do we handle this?" "Defense and retreat are our only options." "he'll be eliminated." "I'll try to protect him." "How long will it take for you to get here?" "one hour." "Have some faith in me." "I do." "I won't run away." "I WANT you to run away." "I'm begging you." "I will." "Once I'm done." "okay?" "What do you have in mind?" "Shell." "You're going for a direct confrontation?" "There were lots of people I wanted to be loved by." "But you're the only one I ever wanted to love." "either." "Because the man who's coming used to be your friend." "I'll try to find a way." "We won't kill." "We won't be killed." "We won't let him kill." "That's going to be difficult." "But it's worth making the attempt." "I've found myself a fine partner." "You've heard about my methods?" "Boiled!" "Twee and the others were happy to find someone like himself in you." "So am I." "I'm going to seal away those powers of yours." "It's a weapon that uses EM waves to trigger pain in the skin!" "Turn off the pain!" "Snark your own body!" "I don't want to die..." "It'll take more than that to stop me." "He's using his pseudogravity as a makeshift leg..." "W...a...rm..." "Let's see you stop the nothingness that is me." "Oeufcocque." "Boiled!" "Oeufcocque?" "!" "Oeufcocque..." "Your case is now concluded." "well..." "The way this wrapped up hit us pretty hard." "Would you mind staying with Oeufcocque?" "too." "Boiled said that?" "Would it be okay if I went for a drive for a bit?" "There's something else that I need to tell Oeufcocque." "Boiled said something else to you?" "Now I can finally sleep." "too." "We made it so he'd never have to sleep again." "There's a lot of work to do." "So we ought to save the grieving for later." "Would you mind holding me?" "Oeufcocque?" "I want to be held a little more..." "By you." "Oeufcocque." "just a little bit."