[After speaking, the pair of siblings also disappeared.]
[In the corner stood Dr. Ratio and a finely dressed young man. Ratio had his arms crossed, staring coldly at him: "What makes you feel like you can win, you damned gambler?"]
[The young man casually played with a chip in his palm: "Three [chips] are enough. All, or nothing at all."]
——
Kakegurui.
In the classroom of Hyakkaou Private Academy, the curtains were half-drawn, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in. Yumeko Jabami leaned lazily in her seat, her fingertips idly twirling a lock of hair. She had little interest in the open battles and secret schemes of the big shots on the Celestial Screen, until—
"Gambler?"
Dr. Ratio's almost gritted-teeth remark reached her ears. Yumeko trembled as if shocked. She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze landing on the man opposite the professor.
The man was nonchalantly spinning a green chip between his fingertips, a faint smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. His movements were casual, and his tone was light, as if the company's massive business was nothing more than a simple after-dinner gamble in his eyes.
Yumeko's breathing gradually became light and slow, her pupils slightly contracting.
"Interesting…" she murmured softly, the corners of her mouth beginning to rise uncontrollably.
"From the voice, he must be the Aventurine that Topaz mentioned — the P45 company executive in charge of Penacony." Ryota Suzui frowned. "The company actually sent a gambler to negotiate business? Isn't that too unreliable?"
"Smack!"
Midari Ikishima raised her hand and gave him a hard flick on the forehead.
"That's why you're so rigid." She crossed her legs, twirling a pen between her fingers. "Are you questioning Diamond's judgment at P47? Or doubting the capabilities of a P45? Didn't you hear Aventurine? Conventional methods definitely won't work when dealing with the Family. Undoubtedly… this 'damned gambler' is the trump card the company sent."
Yumeko did not respond to their conversation.
Her gaze was tightly locked onto Aventurine… especially those eyes, beautiful and indifferent like peacock feathers. Without a doubt, he was a seasoned gambler. If eyes could speak, she would definitely have a lot in common with him.
Gradually, Yumeko's fingers began to tremble, her breathing became rapid, and the arc of her smile grew more exaggerated—
"Ah…"
She suddenly covered her face, her eyes peeking through the gaps between her fingers flashing with a pathological gleam.
"Amazing!" Her voice carried uncontrollable excitement. "Right now, immediately, I really want to gamble with him…"
Ryota was startled by her sudden change and subconsciously stepped back half a pace: "J-Jabami-san?"
Midari, however, sighed as if she had seen it all before and pressed down on Yumeko's shoulder: "Hey, calm down. No matter how much you crave it, he won't hear you. And even if he did, with that desperate, lustful look of yours… are you sure you won't scare him?"
——
[Stelle continued forward. Ahead was a cute little girl with twin tails and an elegant lady wearing a veil.]
["Memokeeper… do you think you can leave safely?"]
["I'm sorry. My desired dance partner… I already have someone in mind." The lady smiled slightly.]
[After speaking, the two also disappeared. Acheron was waiting for her up ahead. The large door ahead suddenly extended, transforming from a single door into a long, narrow corridor. Stelle followed her to the end, but as soon as she pushed open the door, a bellhop suddenly appeared from behind it and respectfully bowed to her.]
["Welcome to the Dreamscape Hotel. May you have an unforgettable vacation experience! If you need to check in, please proceed straight to the hotel front desk…"]
[The little boy's sudden appearance nearly made Stelle fail to catch her breath, but fortunately, after saying that sentence, the little boy also disappeared.]
[Acheron said indifferently behind her: "Leave this place. Wake up as you usually do, forget this chance encounter, and return to where you came from."]
["But before we part, I have one request."]
["Hm?" Stelle turned around to look at her.]
["It may sound strange to you, even rude, but I want to know… have we met somewhere before?"]
["…What do you mean?" Stelle looked at her in confusion.]
[Acheron closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, there was a bit more gentleness and warmth in her gaze: "You remind me of an old friend. In my hazy memories, she stood shoulder to shoulder with me… Just like this bizarre dream, so close yet untouchable."]
["May I ask you a few more questions? I… often forget things, so rather than memory, I am more accustomed to using [feeling] to capture things. Whether the answer is correct or not doesn't matter. What matters is your reaction right now."]
["When you woke up in the guest room, you mentioned several names. Are they your companions? Family? Enemies? It seems you have already formed unbreakable connections with many people and many things…"]
[Acheron's gaze sharpened as she asked in a deep voice: "May I ask, would you feel fear at losing such connections?"]
——
One Piece.
"Hahahahaha!"
Blackbeard gulped down a large mouthful of rum, the liquid dripping down his beard. "This little Galaxy Ranger girl looks really creepy!"
Laffitte elegantly wiped his cane sword and narrowed his eyes: "If I remember correctly, Galaxy Rangers have a pretty good reputation in the universe. They always follow their inner 'justice.' But this Acheron…" He paused, his voice like a snake flicking its tongue, "there isn't a shred of righteousness in her eyes."
"No, there's nothing at all." Kuzan adjusted his glasses and suddenly added.
There was no emotion in that woman's calm eyes. However, that made her even more terrifying. He had once looked directly into Acheron's eyes — they were very beautiful, but besides beauty, there was nothing else. It was an empty, void gaze. The terror was similar to the feeling of being sucked in when staring at a crystal-clear lake.
"Monster…" Kuzan muttered in a low voice. As a force that also followed [The Hunt], the people from the Xianzhou Alliance felt completely different from her. Although separated by the Celestial Screen, he couldn't directly sense her with Observation Haki, but he could still roughly read some emotions.
But this woman was like a black hole constantly caving inward… This was the first time he had seen such an anomaly on the Celestial Screen.
Can someone like her even be a Galaxy Ranger?
…Or are all Galaxy Rangers freaks like her?