Cherish Life, Stay Away from Gambling

Although Minoru Mineta somewhat disappointed, the group eventually arrived at the casino.

Just like when Jilan used Joseph's identity, they needed to have their Quirk tested to enter the casino. They were stopped at the door and, after the waiter explained the cheating issue, they were taken to a small room for testing one by one.

The boarding pass wasn't required for entry, especially since there were staff members Minoru Mineta who didn't have boarding passes. Last night, the waiter temporarily kept Jilan's boarding pass to prevent the magnetic strip from interfering with the screening. But today, since they were coming in a group, they didn't need him to keep it temporarily. So, Jilan handed the card to Ibara Shiozaki and went into the room.

The person testing Jilan happened to be the same waiter who had served him the previous night. Looking at the testing screen, he scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Strange, he and that old man have the same Quirk type and the same body part covered."

"What happened?" Jilan asked.

"Sorry, it's nothing." He smiled apologetically. "I just saw a similar Quirk in another guest to yours and was a little curious."

"Oh, that's interesting. Could you tell me who this gentleman is? I'd like to meet him," Jilan said, feigning curiosity.

The waiter bowed to Jilan and said, "I'm sorry, but according to the rules we cannot disclose the guest's name to you. However, if he comes again, I will definitely ask him for his opinion, and if he also wishes to see you, I will certainly inform you."

Jilan smiled and said, "No need. Fate can't be forced. Maybe we'll just meet naturally?"

Since each person was tested individually, Jilan had no idea what had happened in the room. She could only see that Ueno, Tsukimi Machi, and Kaminari had wristbands on their wrists that tested the activation of their Quirk when they came out of the room.

Ueno looked unhappy, and her orange twin tails, which reflected her mood, hung silently behind her without any reaction.

"What? Someone as rigorous and serious about science as me would never cheat!" Ueno complained, then beamed again as she looked at the initial chips the waiter brought her. "But if there's a reward, I wouldn't mind doing this kind of test."

"No way, they actually gave everyone who entered a $100 reward. If they didn't gamble, wouldn't they be losing a fortune?" Minoru Mineta asked doubtfully.

"Perhaps the casino assumes that everyone who comes in will choose to gamble?" Kaminari replied, using his usual way of thinking.

"Maybe not," Nakiri said, toying with the chips in his hand. "What if that person's only option is gambling?"

Ueno shouted, "What do you mean, you stinky woman? Stop playing riddles!"

"Alright, since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you some knowledge that simply doesn't exist in your foolish little head." Nakiri shrugged and walked to the counter, saying to the lady behind it, "Hello, could you please exchange some chips worth a thousand US dollars for me?"

"Of course." The receptionist took Nakiri's boarding pass, swiped $1,000 from it, and handed her a small box containing 40 chips.

"Thank you." Nakiri returned, tossed the box to Ueno, and took only one chip from it. "Here, this is a reward for you."

"What a waste, throwing away $1,000 like that!" Ueno complained, but he wouldn't let go of the box.

"Do you see anything different?" Nakiri held out the chips distributed by the casino and the ones she had just exchanged in her left and right hands, letting everyone observe them.

Hisako hesitated and said, "Erina, the casino distributes a yellowish-brown color, but the ones we exchange are green?"

"That's exactly it." Erina smiled and explained, "If I'm not mistaken, the chips the casino gives us are just casino chips; they can't be exchanged for cash or used anywhere else. It's a common promotional tactic used by casinos to get people who don't want to gamble to enjoy the thrill of gambling, and then make them addicted."

Ueno snorted and said smugly, "Hmph, my willpower is excellent; I won't get addicted to gambling!"

"That's not necessarily true," Jilan said calmly. "People say there are three things you shouldn't get involved with: pornography, gambling, and drugs. Let's put pornography aside for now, since it doesn't do much harm besides damaging your health. Grape are still alive and kicking, aren't they?"

"What I'm looking at isn't pornography, it's art!"

Ignoring Minoru Mineta's rebuttal, Jilan continued, "But gambling is different from drugs. It creates a dependency, and once you're addicted, it's very difficult to break free. In the end, they end up with broken families and ruined fortunes."

Ueno retorted, unconvinced, "Then why are so many gamblers able to quit so easily?"

"A little gambling is harmless, but excessive gambling is harmful. Haven't you heard that saying?" Nakiri up where Jilan left off. "Many people think they have strong self-control and can clearly separate life from entertainment, but they overestimate their self-control. If it weren't for the country's explicit prohibition, when casinos are as common as arcades and internet cafes near your home, could you resist the temptation? Just one night can give you a hundred times the wealth of a job, and just one syringe can give you extreme pleasure. What reason do you have to refuse them?"

Ueno was speechless after being rebuked, but she still stubbornly said, "Everyone else is like that, but I'm not. I have an iron will!"

"Then I'll wait and see." Nakiri smiled mysteriously. "I hope you don't come crying to me."

Ueno confidently flashed his fangs and shouted, "Who's afraid of who!"

Ueno ventured into the deeper district alone, while Mineta and Kaminari quickly lost all their chips at the slot machine and then sat down on a sofa, drinking the free beverages and discussing the bunny girls passing by. Jilan, Nakiri, and the others borrowed a deck of cards and played a card game on the sofa.

"Waaah, I'm so sorry, I was wrong, I'm an idiot, I'm guilty, I shouldn't have gambled," Ueno cried, clinging to Nakiri's leg in a broken state.

Nakiri sighed, pulled out a pair of Aces from his deck and tossed them away, saying slowly, "Now you know how weak your willpower is?"

Ueno initially used that $1,000 to dominate the game, even multiplying the money several times over. However, she still couldn't control herself and, in a moment of impulsiveness, gambled away all her money while betting with a smiling Hong Kong man. If the man hadn't taken her young age into consideration and not held it against her, she would now be burdened with a debt of $50,000.

"I'll never talk back to you again. I'll listen to you. I'll help you follow whoever you want." Listening to Ueno's tearful confession, Nakiri glanced at Jilan somewhat awkwardly, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Yoshiran's expression was normal.

"So, so, lend me another $5,000, no, $500!" Ueno. "Back then, Chan Do-chai was able to win 37 million with 20 dollars, and I, Ueno... why are you covering my mouth, Jilan?!"

Jilan silently withdrew her hand. "Don't exploit washed-up streamers."

In the end, Ueno still didn't get the money from Nakiri.