(Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm not very good at putting my feelings into words, but I really appreciated your comments and the warmth behind them. I truly wish you and everyone you care about good health, happiness, and all the best.)
Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the story)
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I'm betting I won't lose.
The moment Lakshmi said those words, Ryo finally understood what her earlier behavior had been about.
'An authority that uses gambling to calculate possible futures?'
The thought clicked into place.
Even if he wasn't exactly right, he was probably close.
In Little Garden, Authorities came in every imaginable form.
Aside from Two-Digits and a handful of exceptional Three-Digits, no one could claim to understand every Authority that existed.
Practically any concept in the world could, through one method or another, absorb other concepts and evolve into an Authority.
Add in the countless ways concepts could combine, and Ryo wouldn't even be surprised if someone someday awakened an Authority that made them stronger by eating dirt.
People had joked often enough that Zeus possessed an Authority that let him grow stronger every time he slept with someone.
Ridiculous? Sure. But in Little Garden, "ridiculous" and "impossible" were two very different things.
After a brief moment of thought, Ryo looked at Lakshmi, "...Shall we talk?"
If she'd really seen a possible future... then their relationship had changed.
A moment ago, she had been one of Ouroboros's leaders.
Now... Perhaps she was better described as a very unconventional angel investor.
Lakshmi blinked in surprise before smiling. "Interesting. You really do know how to focus on what's important. No wonder you've climbed this far in such a short time."
She chuckled, then turned toward the exit, "Come with me."
Ryo followed her, leaving the casino behind.
The remaining patrons exchanged knowing smiles.
Someone who struck it rich in the casino taking a handsome companion upstairs afterward wasn't unusual.
The only unusual part this time was that both of them happened to be absurdly attractive.
...
..
A short while later, they arrived at Lakshmi's suite.
"What would you like to drink?" She poured herself a glass of fruit wine and took a casual sip.
"Tea, please." Ryo smiled. "I don't drink. I'm afraid something might happen."
Lakshmi burst into laughter. "A little brat like you dares tease me? I'm old enough to be your great-grandmother."
Ryo sat down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. "Ambition has nothing to do with age."
Lakshmi rolled her eyes.
But instead of making tea, she walked to the window and drew the curtains shut, dimming the room.
Ryo glanced toward them.
"Anyone watching us isn't going to be fooled by something this simple."
He had sensed the surveillance the moment he'd entered.
There were quite a few observers.
Within half an hour, the fact that he'd entered Lakshmi's room would probably already be sitting somewhere in Thousand Eyes' intelligence network.
Lakshmi took another sip of fruit wine. "This isn't meant to fool professionals. It's for respectable people."
"And besides... It also sends a message to whoever's backing Ori. "
Ryo narrowed his eyes. "But I doubt the real figures behind the scenes would involve themselves personally."
"Yeah, they wouldn't." Lakshmi nodded.
"But you've just given them something worth involving themselves over." She let out a long sigh. "I still can't believe you actually dared put those people up for auction."
"Was Algol not worried she couldn't keep everyone under control?"
Among the captives Ryo had listed, four names stood above the rest: Vishnu. Brahma. Typhon. Indra.
When Lakshmi first received the intelligence report, she'd stared at it in stunned silence for quite a while.
The names involved were simply too important.
And the most ordinary one... was somehow Brahma.
Since when had one of the Trimurti become the least remarkable entry on a list? It was almost unbelievable.
Ryo, however, remained perfectly calm. "What exactly is there to worry about? Can any of them openly make a move?"
The truth behind Vishnu's situation was known only to a handful of his incarnations.
The people connected to that Spirit Rank were almost all members of Ouroboros.
Even if they wanted to act, it would have to stay in the shadows.
Indra and Brahma weren't much different. As members of the Heavenly Army's Twelve Devas, neither could openly throw their weight around.
Compared to those four, everyone else on the auction list was practically insignificant.
Ryo had chosen every captive with great care.
If he had really wanted to cause chaos... he would've auctioned off angels, fallen angels, or saints from Cross instead. That would've been explosive.
He might be greedy. But he wasn't stupid enough to sabotage himself.
Lakshmi narrowed her eyes. "So it really was your idea."
She knew Algol well.
They'd crossed paths several times over the years.
She had a pretty good understanding of the woman's personality.
Granted, thousands of years of imprisonment could change anyone. But after speaking with Ryo for only a few minutes... Lakshmi became certain. This plan had Ryo written all over it.
Only someone with his personality would think up such a wonderfully irritating scheme.
She couldn't help laughing. "Using a handful of Five-Digits to lure out those old monsters and fleece them for pocket money... You've got some nerve."
From Little Garden's perspective, Five-Digits weren't particularly valuable.
Ordinarily, selling one would fetch no more than a few fragments of Authority.
But the Five-Digits Ryo possessed were different.
Because of who they represented. Because of who they were connected to.
The final auction price would almost certainly be astronomical.
Selling them for complete Authorities wasn't impossible.
Shaking her head, Lakshmi said, "Once this is over, you'll definitely end up on certain people's watchlists. Though with Algol and Shiroyasha backing you, they're unlikely to come after you personally."
She looked him up and down. "Your own strength is impressive too. Honestly, I have no idea how you managed it. Your physical abilities rival those of Star Spirits at the same level. If I didn't know your background, I'd almost think you were Shiroyasha's child. I can't think of anyone else who could give birth to someone with a body like yours."
She paused before continuing, "But despite that... Your grasp of Authority is terrible. I can practically smell the concepts leaking off you just by standing here. No one capable of reaching a Four-Digit should have such poor control over an Authority."
"It practically advertises that your power came from an external source."
"The strange part is... My intuition says the opposite. It insists this strength is genuinely yours."
"That's what puzzled me."
She shrugged. "But never mind. I doubt you'd tell me anyway."
Ryo's expression turned a little odd.
'Now she is suspecting I'm Shiroyasha's child? Wasn't she the one who'd started the rumor that Shiroyasha and I had a child together in the first place? What the...'
As for his poor control over Authority, he understood that criticism. He simply hadn't spent enough time learning Little Garden's system.
His overwhelming physique, meanwhile, came from his Cosmo. Within Little Garden, it manifested outwardly. That was why it looked like borrowed power while actually being entirely his own.
Of course... Just as Lakshmi expected, he had no intention of explaining any of that.
She ignored his expression and continued. "Here's a piece of advice. Find yourself a proper teacher. Learn the fundamentals. And don't choose Shiroyasha."
As she spoke, Lakshmi withdrew a scroll of parchment bearing the emblem of the Auspicious Goddess and handed it to him.
"This is my marker. You'll come looking for me someday." Before Ryo could react, she stepped closer. Then lightly pressed a kiss against his forehead.
A tiny dot of vermilion remained where her lips had touched.
"...?"
Startled, Ryo instinctively stepped back, nearly striking out on reflex.
Lakshmi simply smiled. "I'll have someone notify you about the auction."
Then her smile became strangely teasing. "I hope the rest of your day is filled with good luck."
The next instant... She vanished into thin air.
Ryo frowned.
Looking down at the parchment in his hand, he quietly tucked it away before leaving the suite.
...
..
When he returned to his own room, he was still pondering Lakshmi's words as he opened the door.
Then he froze.
Kurousagi was kneeling neatly on the floor.
She had changed into an elegant, luxurious dress, her posture resembling that of a devoted wife waiting for her husband to return home.
She looked up shyly, "Welcome back, Master."
"So... Would you like dinner first..."
"...or a bath..."
"or... or..."
Her face turned scarlet.
The rest of the sentence refused to come out.
.
.
.