But the first column is cherries. According to the most basic payout rules, if you hit a cherry, you get double the chips back.
"Splash..." The coin dispenser at the bottom of the slot machine jingled as it spat out two identical silver tokens.
The woman's eyes lit up as she looked at the two coins that had rolled out, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.
She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, sat up straight, adjusted the bag strap that had slipped down to her shoulder, and readjusted her posture.
Draco sat beside him, taking in the whole scene.
He only won a coin, so why was he so... relieved? He shook his head, finding it quite amusing.
After a brief pause, the woman picked up another coin.
This time, her movements seemed slightly more determined than before, and with a clink, the coin went into the slot.
Press the button and pull down the lever.
"Click click click--"
The familiar spinning sound rang out again.
Perhaps because of her small victory just now, the tension in the woman's eyes seemed to have faded a bit, replaced by anticipation.
The pattern slows down again... First column: oranges; Second column: more oranges; Third column: watermelons.
The first and second columns both contain oranges. According to the rules, matching two identical patterns results in a payout of double the chips.
"Splash..."
This time, the coin dispenser dispensed three coins.
After seeing the pattern clearly, the woman's fingers trembled slightly.
A hint of joy appeared in his eyes.
Draco observed her reaction.
She won two coins and is so happy, yet she doesn't dare show it? This woman's thoughts and actions are even more interesting to him than the slot machine itself.
[Third time]
Two strokes of good luck in a row gave the woman a little courage.
Then, she took a deep breath, her chest heaving.
Then she slowly exhaled, her shoulders relaxed, and her posture changed from tense to relaxed.
She reached out again and picked up the third coin.
"Bite."
The coin fell.
A new cycle is about to begin.
The pattern on the screen, after a breathtakingly slow rotation, finally froze, and the third result was revealed.
Two watermelons and one cherry.
The first and second columns are the same, so the return is doubled again.
"Splash..." The coin dispenser ejected three coins.
This time,
The woman's reaction was more overt than before.
Because of the series of victories, the coldness that kept strangers at bay had quietly melted away a bit.
But she remained restrained.
There was no sound of celebration.
I just thought silently:
Today... it seems like luck is really on their side.
Winning three times in a row... isn't that a good omen?
This thought made her feel more at ease than winning money.
Money is a small matter, but luck is a big matter.
Luck is on their side, meaning the husband will also have good luck at the gambling table, and the trip will be safe and smooth.
Draco found it even more interesting.
He rested one elbow on the slot machine table, his palm supporting his chin, leaning to one side in a lazy posture, but his gaze never left her.
From the first time I won the lottery until now,
I've already watched three rounds of women's videos.
He had long since abandoned the slot machine; the screen was still showing the results of the previous round where he hadn't won.
The fourth time, the woman hesitated for a moment.
Reason told her to stop while she was ahead.
She'd won three times already; even the best luck runs out eventually. Now it was time to stop, take the coins to her husband, and happily say, "Look, I won some for you too." How wonderful!
But another voice inside me said: Try again.
Just this once, just once!
Perhaps the series of good fortunes gave her confidence.
She pushed the other coins to the corner of the tray, leaving only this one, as if making a solemn decision.
"Ding." The coin landed.
Repeat the previous steps.
"Click click click click--" The slot machine made an even louder spinning sound, as if the machine itself sensed her expectations.
One wheel slowed down.
Orange, lemon, cherry, watermelon, seven, BAR -- the pattern slows down frame by frame.
The second wheel also began to slow down.
The third wheel was still spinning rapidly.
The first wheel stopped, Cherry.
The second wheel stopped too, also from the cherry.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
The third column, in its final struggle, began to turn...
It was as if they were deliberately torturing her nerves...
Finally, with a "click," it came to a complete stop.
The third one is a cherry!
Three cherries, lined up neatly in a row.
An animated effect exploded on the screen.
Colorful light effects spread outwards from the three cherries, and the music playing from the slot machine was no longer the short, brief chimes, but a complete and cheerful melody.
This means—five times the compensation!
"Splash splash splash--!!!"
The slot machine seemed to have opened a floodgate, spewing out a large number of silver coins from its coin dispenser, making a crisp and pleasant clinking sound.
The woman was startled, her eyes widening instantly!
A bright smile appeared on his lips!
Her cheeks flushed with excitement!
We won! We really won! And it was five times the bet!
Her first reaction wasn't to count the chips, or to celebrate her luck, but to turn around immediately.
Go find the person she has been waiting for and worrying about.
Her husband!
I want to share this good news with him right away!
She wanted to see her husband's brow unfurrowed because of this good fortune.
The urge to share this joy was so strong.
So she turned her head sharply, her face still beaming with that radiant smile, ready to share this unexpected joy with the only person she wanted to share it with at that moment.
However.
Then what she saw was not her husband's face.
It's Draco's face.
The face of a strange young man.
moment.
All movements froze.
The open lips froze on the sound of the word "I".
The upturned corners of her mouth froze.
The joy in his eyes turned into astonishment.
She suddenly remembered--
There was a stranger sitting next to me the whole time.
That person I was previously wary of.
How could she have forgotten that? How could she be smiling so happily in front of a strange man?
The smile on her face froze instantly, the radiance vanished quickly, and a thin blush rapidly spread across her cheeks.
She immediately averted her gaze in a panic...
I felt awkward and embarrassed.
She wished she could turn back immediately, bury herself in the slot machine screen, and pretend that what had just happened had never occurred.
This innocent and adorable awkward reaction startled Draco for a moment, but then he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
However, he didn't use teasing words to break up her embarrassment as he had before, nor did he take the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her again.
He simply offered his congratulations, saying, "Congratulations, you're really lucky."
This simple congratulation didn't make the woman feel any better; instead, it made her even more embarrassed.
She nodded even more frantically, uttered a mumbled "thank you," and then quickly and awkwardly turned around.
The movement was so fast, it was like fleeing a crime scene.