Author's Preface
"No way..." Yuki muttered in shock.
Across the sprawling, chaotic casino floor, on the open balcony of the upper level to Yuki's left, a familiar figure stood out from the crowd.
He was wearing the standard casino uniform—a crisp white long-sleeve shirt tucked into black trousers, paired with a neat red tie. It was the exact outfit every waiter in the building wore, yet this particular waiter was drawing stares from nearly every woman in the room.
It was P.
He was navigating his way down the wide carpeted staircase from the upper floor, carrying a tray of wine glasses in his left hand. But he didn't hold the tray with the refined, balanced posture of a professional waiter... Instead, he carried it casually, like someone who had just picked up a dirty plate off a kitchen counter and was looking for a spot to drop it off.
STEP. STEP.
"He works here...?" Yuki gasped softly.
She turned her head back for a brief second to check on Hanabi and Arthur chatting at their table, then snapped her gaze back to P.
A mischievous, wicked grin slowly spread across her face.
Yes... That’s right. Come on down... Yuki thought, her mind racing. I'm going to make sure you stay far away from Hanabi for good. I'll shatter his feelings into pieces.
STEP. STEP.
Resentment... P thought, his gaze subtly narrowing as he scanned the main floor below.
TAK. TAK.
Yuki immediately scurried over to an open table, sat down, and quickly smoothed out her dress and hair.
"Wai...ter! Over here, please!" Yuki called out politely.
She pulled out a small white silk handkerchief with her right hand, waving it in the air to catch his attention while calling out again.
P didn't even flinch.
"Waiter... Waiter!" she repeated, raising her voice slightly.
To Yuki, it seemed like P had deliberately turned a blind eye—and a deaf ear—to her existence.
STEP. STEP.
CLACK.
"Here you go," P said nonchalantly, casually dropping two glasses of wine onto a nearby table reserved for a couple.
His back remained completely turned to Yuki.
"Waiter! Waiter!" Yuki shouted, her composure cracking.
"Yes, Ma'am!" a young waiter standing to her right answered instantly.
"Not you, twerp," Yuki snapped, shooting him a glare.
At the table P had just served, the man and woman looked up at him with bewildered eyes, their expressions screaming 'who is this guy?' But within seconds, the mature woman's eyes shifted into a gaze of deep appreciation.
Her male partner noticed her staring intently at P's back as he walked away and cleared his throat loudly.
"What are you doing...?" the man asked, annoyed.
"Oh—nothing!" she replied instantly, looking away.
P strolled casually toward another occupied table.
CLACK.
He placed a single glass of wine in front of a lone man sitting at the table. The man stared up at P, completely dumbfounded, as P turned on his heel and walked away without saying a single word.
That is IT, Yuki snapped internally.
"Hey! P!" she yelled across the aisle.
STEP.
P stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head slowly to the right, his side-eye sweeping across the crowded floor.
His eyes locked onto Yuki, who was sitting there with a distinctly fake, impolite smile, waving her hand at him.
What does this woman want now? P thought, turning his body toward her.
She gestured impatiently for him to come over.
«P's INTERNAL MONOLOGUE:
Women...! You never truly know what they're plotting.
Let's see what she wants... P thought, cutting a path through the bustling crowd.»
STEP.
STEP.
STEP.
"Hey P, how are you doing?" Yuki asked smoothly, reaching out and sliding a glass of wine directly off his tray.
P watched her quietly as she raised the glass to her lips and took a sip.
"I am fine. What is it that you want?" P asked, his voice entirely flat.
"Haa... What do I want? You really get straight to the point, don't you?" Yuki remarked with a small laugh before taking another drink.
P looked down at her in complete silence.
"Hanabi has been looking for you..." Yuki said casually.
"Ha-nabi...?" P repeated.
"Yeah. She wanted to introduce you to someone... special," Yuki said, a sly smile gracing her lips as she tipped her glass toward him.
"Someone special... Hmmm. Well, I'm right in the middle of a shift, so I don't have time for that," P stated plainly.
His eyes locked onto hers with a sudden, dark intensity. "At least she's alive... for now."
Yuki's eyes locked back onto his, her expression hardening instantly. "What—are you planning to kill her?"
"...Strange woman," P muttered, turning his back on her and walking away.
"Who are you calling strange?!" Yuki barked, her temper flaring.
She shoved herself out of her chair, stomping after him through the crowd.
"Hey! I said, who are you calling strange?!" Yuki shouted, trailing right behind his shoulder.
STEP. STEP.
P ignored her completely, continuing his stride.
"Hey! I'm talk—" Yuki started, but P abruptly stopped and spun around.
"Shut up and listen," P said coldly, his voice dropping into a deep, commanding register that cut her off instantly. "I do not know what I did to offend you, but whatever it is... I am sorry. However, you are taking this entirely too far. Whatever petty motive you have behind your actions, I advise you to stop right now."
"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do...?" Yuki sneered, crossing her arms. "You're just a waiter."
P's eyes darkened, turning almost void-like.
"Even waiters in this life are important," P said slowly, stepping closer. "They can serve you the finest wine... but they can also serve you the finest poison, whether knowingly or not."
Yuki froze, her hands dropping quietly to her sides as she met his gaze.
"Stop holding your head up so high," P said calmly, his tone devoid of any anger, leaving only cold truth. "Your reckless actions—which you foolishly believe are always right—might land you in a far worse situation someday. People could get seriously hurt."
He turned on his heel to leave.
STEP.
"Stop pestering me, and drop the arrogance," P added over his shoulder. "Or you will regret it."
"........"
Yuki remained standing frozen in the middle of the crowded casino, her jaw clenched in silent, fuming quiet.
MEANWHILE — AT HANABI'S TABLE
"I heard you manage a spa... May I stop by sometime?" Arthur asked gently, offering a warm, flawless smile.
"...Su-sure, you can," Hanabi replied, her posture rigid and unsettled.
"Your friend already gave me the address, actually," Arthur added smoothly.
PFFT!
Hanabi's eyes widened in sheer horror. She barely managed to stop herself from spraying her wine right back into the glass.
That girl...! Hanabi screamed internally.
"So, where do you live?" Arthur asked, leaning forward slightly.
Hanabi set her wine glass down with her left hand, using the moment to sidestep the question. "I thought we just met...?"
"O-oh... I am so sorry," Arthur said quickly, placing his left hand over his chest in an apologetic gesture. "I completely forgot myself. It's just... you bear such a striking resemblance to someone I used to know. Looking at your face brought back a flood of familiar feelings."
He looked at her with striking blue eyes. "Could you ever forgive me...?"
"Sure..." Hanabi said awkwardly.
"Oh, thank you. Forgive me for asking, but... do you have a boyfriend?" Arthur inquired politely.
"No," Hanabi replied simply.
"Really? That is quite surprising..." Arthur remarked. "Aren't you far too beautiful for men all around the world not to be fighting and dying for your hand in marriage?"
"Uhh—men fighting and dying over me? Oh, that would be terrifying," Hanabi chuckled dryly. "I actually just turn most of them down."
"...You must be very perceptive, then," Arthur noted, his smile tightening slightly. "How do you—"
"Oh—could you excuse me for a moment? I need to use the restroom," Hanabi interrupted, sliding out of her seat while grabbing her purse from the table.
"Oh—of course! I'll be right here waiting," Arthur said warmly.
For a brief second, Arthur watched her with bright, charming blue eyes. But the exact moment Hanabi turned her back to head toward the stairs, his facial expression completely died, replaced by a cold, predatory stare.
Now's my chance... he thought.
TAK. TAK.
Hanabi walked briskly toward the carpeted staircase leading up to the second floor.
Up above, a pair of eyes caught her movement.
There she is... P thought.
He was standing on the far left side of the upper balcony, holding his empty metal tray as he looked down at her.
Hanabi climbed the steps in a composed yet hurried rush. But from P's perspective, watching her ascend the staircase in her tailored black dress, the view was undeniably striking.
"...Damn," P muttered under his breath, his eyes lingering on her for a beat.
I should probably go over and say hi... P considered.
But I need to hit the bathroom first, he decided, turning his head away.
He cast one last glance back toward the staircase just in time to see Hanabi's phone slip out of an unzipped pocket in her purse, tumbling backward off the edge of her bag.
CLACK...!
CLACK...!
The phone bounced down the carpeted stairs, landing near the bottom step.
"Hey! Hanabi!" P shouted over the noise of the casino, but she had already disappeared into the busy crowd on the second floor.
"Dammit," P grunted, immediately striding toward the staircase.
MURMUR MURMUR...
"HAHA! JACKPOT!" a customer cheered nearby.
STEP.
STEP.
STEP.
A tall man with long yellow hair—Arthur—bent down near the base of the stairs. He picked up Hanabi's phone and began to straighten his posture.
"Hey! Yo!" a sharp male voice barked from above.
Arthur paused, raising his head to offer a polite explanation to whoever was calling out. But as his eyes locked onto the man coming down the steps, his entire body went still.
"Put the phone down," P commanded coldly, stepping onto the landing.
Arthur's eyes narrowed into slit-like daggers.
"MONKEY..." Arthur sneered.
P blinked, stopping mid-step.
"What the...?" P muttered, utterly baffled.
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