Kenji sat at the poker table, watching as the dealer shuffled the deck with practiced efficiency. Five other players occupied the remaining seats, and he took a moment to assess his competition.
To his left sat a man dressed in expensive clothing—silk shirt, gold rings on multiple fingers, and a chain around his neck that probably cost more than most commoners earned in a year. A large pile of coins sat in front of him, glinting in the dim light of the gambling den.
How has this guy not gotten robbed in this place? Kenji wondered with genuine curiosity. Must have connections. Or bodyguards. Or both.
Looking to his right, he spotted a woman with brown hair and a pointed witch's hat leaning casually back in her chair, looking completely at ease despite the shady atmosphere. Beside her sat a large bald man with a thick scar running through his lip, his arms crossed as he studied the table with intense focus.
On the noble's right side sat two men in matching uniforms who were clearly trying to look casual and failing miserably. Guards, definitely. Their eyes constantly scanned the room, and their hands never strayed far from weapons concealed under their jackets.
Weird crowd here, Kenji thought as the dealer began distributing cards around the table.
He waited until everyone had their cards before lifting the corners of his own hand just enough to see them. A Queen of Hearts and a Queen of Diamonds stared back at him.
His expression didn't change at all.
Looking up, he made eye contact with the dealer—a middle-aged woman with calculating eyes and nimble fingers.
"You're big blind," she said flatly. "Throw in your two silver."
Kenji nodded, tossing two silver coins into the center of the pot with a soft clink. The sound seemed to echo in the sudden quiet as the other players considered their hands.
The witch called without hesitation, sliding her coins forward. The noble paused for dramatic effect before calling as well, his lips curling into what he probably thought was a charming smile. The bald man folded immediately. The two guards exchanged glances before both folding as well.
The dealer burned a card and then revealed the river: a Ten of Diamonds, a Three of Spades, and a Queen of Spades.
Kenji maintained his bored expression while internally celebrating. Three of a kind on the flop. Not bad at all.
The witch checked with a small gesture. The noble leaned forward, his eyes gleaming as he looked directly at Kenji with obvious condescension.
"I'll bet three silver," he said, his tone suggesting he expected everyone to fold immediately before his obvious superiority.
Kenji barely glanced at him. "Call. All in."
The witch clicked her tongue in annoyance and folded, tossing her cards down with more force than necessary.
Now heads-up with the noble, Kenji smiled lazily and looked at the man. "So you want to show cards now or after the flop, old man? I'm good either way."
The noble's face darkened. "Mind your manners, boy," he said in a harsh tone. "And show your cards."
Kenji looked around at their surroundings with a raised eyebrow—the illegal gambling den in the literal black market underneath the capital—and then back at the noble. "Yeah, this is definitely the place I should 'mind my manners.'"
He chuckled, and the witch beside him joined in with her own laugh. The two guards frowned disapprovingly.
Kenji flipped his cards face-up, revealing his two Queens. His smirk widened as the noble frowned and showed his own hand—a pair of Jacks.
"Well, you've got a chance," Kenji said generously.
The dealer burned another card and revealed the flop: a Two of Clubs and a Jack of Hearts.
The noble's frown deepened as he realized he'd been outdrawn. Three Queens beat three Jacks.
Kenji pulled his winnings toward him with a satisfied smile. "Well, can't win 'em all, can you?" He punctuated this with a wink that made the noble's face turn an interesting shade of red.
_____
Thirty minutes later, the scene at the table had changed dramatically.
Kenji now had a huge pile of coins stacked in front of him, and three very angry men glaring at him from across the table. His smile was wide and unapologetic.
The witch and the bald man were smart, he mused. They left after losing three hands to me. But apparently that noble pride just won't let this guy leave. He glanced at the fuming aristocrat. Eh, who cares. More money for me.
But boy, am I glad for my grimoire. My luck's insane right now, haha.
His admiration for his growing fortune was interrupted by the noble slamming his fist on the table hard enough to make the coins jump.
"Don't you see this boy is cheating?" the noble shouted at the dealer and the security guards stationed around the room. "I demand he return—"
A loud thud reverberated through the space as a large sack of coins was dropped onto the table with enough force to rattle everyone's chips.
"Oi, oi, quit all that yapping and suck it up," a deep, rough voice cut through the noble's tirade. "Dealer, count me in."
This was followed by a much quieter sound of a much smaller bag hitting the table accompanied by a younger, more enthusiastic voice: "Yes! Time to triple my paycheck like a man! Let's do this, Captain!"
Kenji looked over and felt his eyebrows rise.
A large, muscular man wearing a tank top and a black Magic Knight cloak around his neck stood at the edge of the table. His presence alone seemed to make the air heavier. Captain Yami Sukehiro of the Black Bulls, in the flesh.
Beside him stood a smaller boy about Kenji's age with wild black hair sporting two distinctive grey streaks running through it. He wore small black-tinted glasses and the same black cloak as his captain. Magna Swing.
Well, what are the odds, Kenji thought, fighting back a grin.
Yami laughed loudly, banging his fist on the table. "That's the spirit, kid! Hahaha!" He slapped Magna on the back hard enough to make the younger boy stumble forward.
The noble, who'd been rudely cut off mid-rant, turned red with rage. "Just who do you think you—"
"Didn't I tell you to quit yapping?"
Yami's voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone. A dense dark purple aura erupted around him, his mana flooding the immediate area and making the air thick and difficult to breathe. The pressure was immense—like trying to breathe underwater.
The noble's face went pale, all his bluster evaporating in an instant as he stared fearfully at the Black Bulls captain. He turned his head toward Kenji, gave him a fierce look promising future retribution, then scurried off with his two guards following close behind.
As soon as they were gone, Yami released the pressure and turned to the dealer with a large grin. "Deal me in, boss."
Magna looked at Yami with stars in his eyes. "That was so manly, Captain!" He grinned widely before pumping his fist. "Yosh! Let's do this! Time to hit it big!"
Kenji leaned back in his chair with a smile, saying nothing as the dealer distributed cards to the three of them.
The first hand played out quickly. Kenji won.
The second hand followed the same pattern. Kenji won again.
Both Yami and Magna furrowed their brows, beginning to pay closer attention.
On the third hand, Kenji won yet again.
Yami turned toward him with a visible tick mark on his forehead, scrutinizing Kenji with newfound intensity. He squinted his eyes, studying the young man's face carefully.
"Hey," Yami said slowly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "Don't I know you?"
Kenji turned to face him, meeting his gaze calmly. "Huh. Oh yeah, maybe. Who knows? Surprised you recognize me though."
Snap.
His appearance shifted instantly—black hair bleeding to white, average features sharpening and becoming more distinctive, plain clothes transforming into his signature white suit with the pink interior and orange-tinted glasses. The transformation was complete in less than a second.
"You might recognize me from the Knights exam," Kenji said with a slight smirk.
Magna's eyes widened, and he pointed at Kenji with obvious recognition. "It's you! The one Luck's been looking for for the past two months!"
Kenji's eyes widened in alarm, a sense of impending doom washing over him. He groaned audibly. Oh god, that's going to be a headache in the future.
Yami squinted his eyes further, clearly trying to place where he'd seen this face before. Then his expression cleared, and he suddenly slapped his knee hard enough to make coins jump on the table.
"Hahaha! I got it!" he laughed. "You're the one that made fun of that silver princess's hair! Hahaha! Oh man, is he still pissed about that! Hahaha!"
Kenji couldn't help but laugh along with him. "Haha, I didn't even mean to, you know. It just slipped out. I mean, how could it not with a guy having hair like that? Hahaha!"
Yami laughed even harder, tears forming in his eyes. "Haha, I bet you were spot on about him doing his hair like that every morning! Hahaha! The guy's been in a bad mood since then! Pfff!"
They laughed together for a moment, the tension from the previous game completely dissipating.
"Say, boy wonder," Yami said, wiping tears from his eyes, "what was your name again?"
"Kenji."
Yami nodded. "Any last name with that?"
Kenji paused, thinking. He hadn't really been asked this question since arriving in this world. After a moment's consideration, he decided to just use his name from his previous life. "Nakamura."
Yami's laughter stopped. He squinted his eyes, studying Kenji's face more carefully. "Nakamura, huh." There was a pause as he seemed to be thinking something over. "That's not a Clover Kingdom name, is it?"
Kenji gave a moment of pause as well before shrugging. "Nope. Probably not."
Yami nodded without judgment, though his expression remained thoughtful. "So where you from originally?"
Kenji shrugged again, giving the same story he'd told Father Orsi all those years ago. "Who knows. Showed up at a church in the forsaken realm when I was six with no memory, so your guess is as good as mine." He said it in a completely unbothered tone, as if discussing the weather.
Yami went quiet at that, clearly thinking about something.
Magna, however, seized on a different part of Kenji's statement. "So you're from the forsaken realm too, huh! What part? I'm from Rayaka!"
"I'm from Hage Village. Not too far away."
Magna laughed. "Haha, that's way out there, huh? You must've had it rough."
Kenji just shrugged. "Wasn't that bad really. Had a good family, and the people there are good folks."
Magna was quiet for a second before suddenly standing up and pointing at Kenji dramatically. "Ha! I know you! You're that boy people wouldn't shut up about, aren't you! What did they call you again..." He scrunched up his face, trying to remember. "The Guardian of Hage? Or the Hope of Hage Village or something?"
Kenji chuckled and nodded. "Yup, that would be me. Haha."
Magna laughed and patted his shoulder enthusiastically. "Well damn, man! The old man wouldn't shut up about you. Even told me to be more like you a couple times. It's what caused me to wanna be a knight—seeing how people saw you. Haha! It's great to meet you, man! To think we took the exams at the same time!"
Kenji smiled genuinely. "Haha, well, not sure what to say to that, but nice to meet you too, man."
The dealer cleared her throat and dealt them their new cards, causing the conversation to pause as everyone looked at their hands.
Kenji finally got a bad hand after his incredible streak. He sighed internally. Well, that's the extent of my four-leaf's luck, huh?
He folded without hesitation.
The hand played out between Yami and Magna, with the captain ultimately taking the pot. Throughout the entire exchange, Yami had been silent, his eyes occasionally flicking back to Kenji as if trying to solve a puzzle.
After collecting his winnings from beating Magna, Yami leaned back in his chair and took a long drag from his cigarette. He'd been thinking about what Kenji had said—the convenient amnesia, the name that didn't fit the kingdom, and most tellingly, his former appearance that resembled the people from the Land of the Sun in Hino Country.
"Say, boy wonder," Yami finally said, blowing out a stream of smoke. "I like you. Why don't you come join my squad?"
Kenji was genuinely shocked for a second, his expression showing his surprise before he could school it back to neutrality.
Yami continued, his smile taking on a slightly mischievous quality. "I mean, I won't even talk about how you tied those two guys up in that alley earlier."
Kenji looked at him with confusion. "Huh? You saw that?"
Yami's smile widened into a grin. "Yup. Not quite knightly behavior there, huh?"
Kenji looked at him weirdly, his head tilting slightly. "Are you trying to blackmail me with that right now?"
Yami just shrugged like it was no big deal.
Kenji suddenly burst out laughing, the sound genuine and full of amusement.
Yami frowned. "Oi, what's wrong with you?"
Still laughing, Kenji managed to say, "Haha, that was me doing my duty on shift! Those two were spies infiltrating the capital! Hahaha!"
Yami got dark lines on his forehead.
Kenji continued, wiping tears from his eyes, "As for joining your squad—it's tempting, honestly. Seems like fun. But I can't leave Captain Dorothy now. Haha, she would drag me back kicking and screaming or lock me up in that world of hers."
Yami just shrugged it off, accepting the rejection with surprising ease. But then his expression turned serious as he focused on something Kenji had said earlier. "What was that about those spies you mentioned?"
Kenji smirked and responded, "Well, I followed this shady guy here from the capital and overheard him talking to the owner of a stand about a shipment to the front lines. They even used code words and everything—was honestly hilarious." He chuckled at the memory. "Was gonna drop them off to my superior in the Peacocks here in the capital after I finished up here."
Yami nodded, deeming it no big deal.
Magna's eyes lit up. "How manly!" Then he looked around confused. "But where are they?"
Kenji smirked and reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulling out the piece of paper. He unfolded it and showed them the two men drawn on it like cartoon villains in a wanted poster style, both unconscious and looking like they were taking mugshots. Underneath each image were the labels "Diamond Kingdom Spy" and "Accomplice" written in neat handwriting.
Yami and Magna stared at the paper, then at Kenji, then back at the paper.
"It's part of my magic," Kenji explained. "They're trapped here until I release them." He didn't mention the other ways to escape—ways these two definitely couldn't accomplish.
Yami, seeing nothing to worry about, looked at the drawing again before bursting into loud laughter at their ridiculous design. Magna joined in, pointing at the exaggerated expressions on the drawn faces.
Kenji waited for their laughter to die down before leaning forward with a dangerous smirk. "You know what? I gotta get outta here anyway, so let's make this the last hand."
He pointed at his large stack of chips in front of him. "Let's make it interesting. I'll put all this down, and if you win the next hand, it's all yours."
This immediately gained Yami's full attention. He leaned forward, his expression shifting to something predatory.
"But," Kenji continued, "if you lose, you owe me a favor. How's that sound?"
Yami didn't even hesitate for a second before agreeing with a dangerous smirk. "Don't go crying when all your money's mine, kid."
Kenji's smirk matched his. "We'll see about that."
The dealer, sensing the tension at the table, waited until both men nodded before dealing the cards to them. Magna sat this one out, choosing to watch what was clearly about to become an interesting showdown.
"Since we're both technically all in," Kenji said, "let's just show our hands."
He deliberately didn't even think of using his magic to cheat or change the cards in front of Yami. This was going to be pure luck—or in his case, the luck of a four-leaf grimoire.
Yami nodded, his expression more serious than Kenji had ever seen him—maybe even more serious than in the anime. "Deal."
They both turned their cards face-up simultaneously.
Yami smiled broadly as he revealed his hand: a Ten and Jack of Hearts. A strong starting position.
Kenji turned his cards over to reveal a Two and Three of Clubs. Objectively terrible cards.
Yami laughed confidently. The dealer burned a card and revealed the river: a Jack of Clubs, a Ten of Clubs, and a Six of Spades.
Seeing the flop, Yami laughed even louder. "Get ready to pay up, kid!" He had two pair—Jacks and Tens. There was almost no way Kenji could win this.
Kenji remained outwardly calm, but internally he was sweating. Come on, four-leaf. Don't fail me now.
The next card came up: an Ace of Hearts.
Kenji frowned. That didn't help him at all. Yami eyed his stack of money greedily, already planning what he'd spend it on.
The final card was about to be revealed. The tension at the table was palpable. Even other gamblers nearby had stopped to watch.
The dealer flipped the last card: a Nine of Clubs. Flush beats two pair.
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed what had happened.
Magna slammed the table in frustration. "Damn it! So close!" He'd been rooting for his captain.
Yami exhaled a large puff of smoke and deflated back into his chair, staring at the board in disbelief.
Kenji smirked and began collecting his money—all of it, including Yami's contribution. "Four-leaf for the win," he muttered under his breath.
As he was gathering his winnings, he noticed a group of people gathering behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the noble from earlier at the head of a group of about ten rough-looking men, all of them heading in his direction with purpose.
Time to go.
Snap.
All of the money on the table suddenly disappeared, teleporting directly into the lining of the inside of his jacket. He grabbed the paper with the two spies and tucked it back into his pocket.
Yami and Magna looked up at him in confusion, but seeing the noble and his small army approaching, Yami chuckled lowly.
Kenji stood up from the table. "Well, it's been fun, guys. Captain, please don't forget that favor. Haha, don't worry, won't be anything crazy. Magna, nice seeing you again. See you soon."
He nodded his head, then glanced at the noble and his men walking toward him with clear hostile intent. He smirked and gave them a fake salute before flicking a coin high into the air.
Snap.
The coin exploded mid-air into a shower of playing cards that rained down around Kenji, covering him from view like a curtain.
When the last card fluttered to the ground, Kenji was nowhere to be seen.
The noble and his men arrived at an empty table, finding only Yami and Magna still sitting there. The Black Bulls captain took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke directly into the noble's face.
"Looks like you just missed him," Yami said with a dangerous smile. "What a shame."
The noble took one look at Yami's expression and decided that whatever revenge he'd been planning wasn't worth it. He turned and left quickly, his hired muscle following uncertainly behind.
Magna looked at where Kenji had been sitting and laughed. "Man, that guy's something else, Captain!"
Yami nodded slowly, still thinking about their conversation. "Yeah," he said quietly. "He definitely is."
He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. "Come on, kid. Let's get out of here before I lose any more money."
As they headed toward the exit, Yami's mind was still working through the puzzle that was Kenji Nakamura.
Interesting kid, Yami thought.