With the loud bustling atmosphere of the casino, Sayaka wishes she had bought earplugs and even harder that she didn’t come. Everywhere she looks, there are drunks, menaces, and losers who lost their dignity. Casinos are rigged in favor of the house. Even after all these years, Sayaka cannot fathom why anyone would risk so much money on a slim chance percentage when they should have done their math instead.

Drinking, smoking, and gambling, a combination of all the things Sayaka loathed, and yet she found herself at the centerpiece time and again. So perhaps she should keep better company.

The casino is fancy as always; nothing less can hold the Momobami name. She discreetly looks over to her right from her peripherals at the roulette. From the angles and the force of the ball, it’s most likely to land on red. Once the ball slows down and trips over the last metal edges, Sayaka instantly knows it will land on Red 32. With a little clack, the metal ball rolls to a stop exactly where Sayaka calculated. Not a prediction if she knows how to use factors to her knowledge.

She finds herself at the bar, signaling a glass of water at the bartender. He fetches it from the fancy filter and hands her a tall glass. She raises the glass up to the lights, the sparkles dancing across the surface with bubbles aplenty in the glass.

Sayaka spots white hair, blue eyes, and a swaying gait that allows her to glide through the room with no trouble at all. Her heart stops for five heartbeats in a crushing manner where the blood cells don’t connect to her brain. This carbon copy doesn’t have the curls or braids; she doesn’t have the sharp intent ready to slice through a person’s thoughts nor a gaze like ice. No, this is not her.

Sayaka sips her glass of water, holding the sigh that wants to come out of her lips. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sayaka saw Ririka making her way over. Sayaka shudders at the last school festival she hosted and planned for before retiring her title. 

“Hello,” The former Vice President says as a polite greeting. 

Sayaka takes a breath through her nose and lets it out slowly again. Forcing her heart rate to come back down. Then, polite as always and never one to forget her manners, Sayaka says, “Hello,” back. And then, when Sayaka remembers what she read in the reports, she tells Ririka, “Congratulations on your success with the Momobami estate.” 

“It’s actually thanks to Mary.” 

Sayaka hums and dips her head. “I am sorry I have not done more to help.” Then she sucks in a breath and meets her eyes, “How is she doing.” Ririka has a good poker face, but even questions about her sister, she can’t hide the reaction it draws from her.

“She sends cards from all around the world, looking for thrills that will satisfy her curiosity after her tenure at Hyakkaou.”

Sayaka says nothing in response, sipping the water from her cup. It tastes sour from the lemon on the side. The silence stretches between them, with only the music filling the void. 

It seems like Sayaka should excuse herself before Ririka spoke up. “Are you happy?”

Sayaka glances down at her reflection in the water. Then, finally, she opens her mouth, and the words can’t find their way out.

“Holy shit, Yumeko! Could you for once in your life not bet an entire goddamn apartment’s worth of chips for one goddamn game?” Another familiar voice says across the table. In unison, Ririka and Sayaka’s heads turn towards the commotion.

It takes Sayaka a moment and a flicker of red in the corner of her eyes to find Yumeko. She’s swaying side to side with a glass of wine. But, from the shade of the blush on her cheeks, it’s not from the drink but the fact that she’s in a prime position to gamble. This woman is both the bane and balm of Sayaka’s existence, how utterly unhinged it is that Yumeko plays that sort of duality in her life. 

What are the odds of that?

1 in a billion, Sayaka’s rational side provides

Sayaka fights with herself to not roll her eyes. The muscles are already taut with tension. This woman will be the death of her. Well, it’s not like she didn’t know what she was signing up for when she was coming here. Sayaka breaths out slowly. Letting the tension melt off. It is not worth the public dispute of making a scene. But Sayaka doesn’t get to make that choice.

“My, my. There’s no fun if I can’t bet my entire life on a gamble,” Yumeko giggles, her cheeks flushed.

Mary pulls on Yumeko’s cheeks. “I am never gambling away with you again!”

“That’s what you always say, but you always come back when the thrill is too hot to resist.” 

“Ugh, shut up! and pick a color and a number for all I care. If you’re daring, choose a number.” Yumeko giggled deliciously, tilting her head back to drink some more wine. Sayaka would always find Yumeko the center of a party. She shook her head briefly until she remembered that Ririka was watching her and aborted the movement.

“Then Red 51!” Yumeko bets happily, throwing her chips into the center of the table with no care in the world. Each chip is worth more than 10 million yen.

Again, Sayaka watches the ball bounce from the black end. Factoring in momentum and velocity, Sayaka concludes the ball will land on Red 51. The number Yumeko predicted.

Ririka and Sayaka walk their way over to the table. Mary, of course, plays it risky and bet everything on Red 21. And she got the color but not the number.

 Yumeko sees Sayaka and happily exclaims, “Sayaka! I won!” 

Sayaka feels the corner of her lips curling into a smile in spite of herself. Then, with a sigh, she holds Yumeko’s face away with one hand while balancing the water. 

“Drink,” she orders, giving Yumeko her own cup. “She is never gambling again within the next 18 months with you again.” She uses the same voice tone of her council days as she addresses Mary.

“How dare you-?!”

“Your odds of winning against Yumeko are practically nil Saotome. So I don’t understand why you subject yourself to the disappointment.

“Because I will fucking win!” Ririka holds Mary back from biting Sayaka’s head off.

Yumeko, who watched their movements more than the glass, tilts the water too far and gets the water on her dress and cleavage. Instantly the heat of eyes are on them, specifically Yumeko’s breasts. The whispers and gazes make Sayaka’s anger crawl to the top like a boiling tea kettle.

Her hand snatches her taser from its spot on a holster on her belt, and she presses the trigger, glaring down the men that dare give them undesired attention. 

The men sweat, and another swears, saying how they get weapons through the metal detectors and trained guards.

Yumeko clings to Sayaka’s arm, bringing Sayaka back to the situation at hand. Yumeko with a wet dress. She slips Sayaka’s arm in between her breasts, and Sayaka wills herself not to look down. A heavy blush centers in her cheeks.

On the other side, Mary is struggling to stand, so Ririka just lets her go.

“I think we should call it a night,” Ririka suggests, gusting around with her eyes at the attention of this half of the room on them.

Sayaka’s hair is going to grey before she reaches thirty. She sighs. “Agreed. Apologies for the trouble.”

She takes her jacket off to over Yumeko’s front, tying it around her shoulders like a cape. Yumeko smiles, grabs Sayaka’s waist and leans up to whisper hotly against Sayaka’s ear, “My prince.”

Sayaka’s flush grows more profound, and she growls, “Yumeko, let’s go.”

Yumeko aims a heart aching pout at her. “One more time, please,” she begs, and like a fool, Sayaka’s fallen for this ploy more than once.

She debates the pros and cons in her head. If she refuses, Yumeko’s pout will deepen, and she’ll ignore Sayaka, and Sayaka can’t bring herself to do that again. Her heart aches at the thought. Finally, she breathes out through her nose and says firmly. “Just one more, you understand?”

Yumeko smiles, and in the dim light of the casino, Yumeko’s eyes flare in a brilliant crimson, kissing Sayaka despite the attention of the others. Sayaka starts to feel dizzy from the embarrassment.

The murmurs of people and Saotome yelling at Yumeko, and she says something along the lines of “shameless as usual.” Sayaka burns holes into the chips staring resolutely at each intricate detail on the design, avoiding looking at Ririka beside her. Ririka awkwardly pats her shoulder sympathetically, and Yumeko and Mary join the fray again at this new table.

The intense devotion Yumeko has to the field of gambling, and nothing else is fascinating to watch. It makes something burn bright inside Sayaka. Yumeko turns her head and meets Sayaka’s eyes across the table. She smiles, and Sayaka knows it is a smile meant only for her.

It is undeniable that Yumeko is talented, no, mastered gambling like no other. It switches something primal inside Sayaka, watching her win like that day each time and all over again.

Mary insists on playing again despite losing so much money. Some people never learn from their mistakes.

But she’s unsteady in her seat. And needs Ririka to help her out of it and stand aside in Ririka’s arms.Sayaka ignores Saotome and places her hand around Yumeko’s waist this time, walking towards the entrance's tall doors, towering twice as Sayaka is tall.

The people parted ways for her due to her stern expression. A butler recognizes them beside the gate and immediately calls for their limo. Yumeko relaxes her head on Sayaka’s muscular shoulder, leaning more of her weight against Sayaka’s reliable strength. “Thank you,” she says with fondness.

Sayaka smiles despite herself. “Let’s go home.”

***

The light of the sun brushes the countertop by the window above the sink. The sizzling bubbles pop on the skillet as Sayaka pours a healthy amount of pancake mix and batter onto the surface. The eggs shells were placed on the side, and Sayaka smiles, methodologically measuring the round circumference of the pancake. Of course, nothing is ever a perfect circle, but Sayaka does her best to make it. She should have gotten one of those frying pans and been practical about it, but right now, this is more than enough.

The bacon had been taken out of the fridge while they were lined symmetrically on the tabletop.

Sayaka will cook them later once she finishes her pancake. Distracted by her thoughts, she almost didn’t sense when a familiar figure hugs her from behind, placing her chin on Sayaka’s shoulders. “Morning” in a hot breathy mixture against Sayaka’s neck. Her large-bosomed chest pressed tight against Sayaka’s back.

Sayaka flicks the stove off because once Yumeko’s here, there’s no distracting her until she gets what she wants, and Yumeko always wants her.

The pancakes had been finished. Mostly finished. So at least she has good timing. She tries to turn around, but Yumeko is quicker, kissing a mark on Sayaka’s neck that has yet to fade, fresh as it was made. “Good morning,” Yumeko smiles into the kiss against her flesh, and images of last night flood her mind. 

The carnal whispers, the heat of the night, the way Yumeko took control away from Sayaka, and how Sayaka relished giving up control as it all too often happens.

Sayaka clears her throat and steps to the side, bringing the plates full of hot steaming pancakes over to the dining table small enough for a family. Sayaka appreciates practicality while Yumeko isn’t picky every much over much aside from gambling.

Yumeko’s an awful influence. She is wearing last night’s lingerie robe parted open at the top and meant to seduce. The heat travels from the back of Sayaka’s neck to her cheeks again. Sayaka shakes her head to clear the thoughts out. She won’t fall for Yumeko's game of dare, at least not now.

“Is something wrong?,” Yumeko says, pretends parading innocently. Sayaka clears her throat again and tells a lie that hurts her physically so, “No, nothing’s wrong,” and gestures for her to sit down. 

Yumeko thankfully does so without complaint and cuts into her pancake. It’s shaped perfectly, and Sayaka melts at the smile Yumeko throws her way, always appreciating everything Sayaka does for her no matter how small it is.

Sayaka takes her own seat and watches Yumeko eat with a hand on her chin. She gobbles everything in sight and moans at the sweet, tangy taste of the organic maple syrup.

I’m happy, Sayaka thinks, a soft smile curling at the edge of her mouth. 

“I’m glad,” Yumeko responds gently, and Sayaka must have said those words aloud. Yumeko places her utensils down and puts her hand on the table palm side up, and Sayaka intertwines their fingers. Sayaka feels something pressed against her lips, and Yumeko has set a strawberry against her lips with her other hand. 

Sayaka moves across the table to drag Yumeko into a kiss. 

***

Yumeko’s all dressed up for the date tonight in a fancy eye-catching dress. It’s more playful than not.

“Are you ready to go?” Sayaka asks, offering her arm like a gentleman.

“Yes, I am.” Yumeko’s eyes does a once over Sayaka’s crisp-tailed outfit. “I knew you would. You look dashing in that gray suit,” she praises, and of course, Sayaka would. 

“It’s one of the gifts you keep giving me,” Sayaka tells her, leading them outside towards the limo. Throughout the 45 minute journey, Yumeko had not loosened her hold on Sayaka’s arm and asking where are they going, preferring to let her cling to her instead. Sayaka didn’t budge. She could handle that much with no issue at all.

At the massive gate where Sayaka had planned for tonight’s date, the driver opened the door on Sayaka’s side, allowing the both of them to step outside. A manager stands at the gate of their destination, opening the tall door to the zoo Sayaka had reserved. “Everything is as you’ve requested, Igarashi-sama.”

“Thank you.” Sayaka nods, leading Yumeko into the zoo, and she’s already mapped out the place and a trail for where she wants to go. Yumeko, as always, is easily excitable and gawks at all the different displays, excited like a child.

Sayaka coughs into her hand and gives various statistics and facts on each of the animals, including a few trivia that she thought Yumeko would like. Once she started, she could not stop. Every exhibit a new fact she doubted Yumeko would know the answer to, but it was fun. 

From Yumeko’s starry-eyed expression, she’s hooked onto every word Sayaka says. As they come to a stop in front of the giraffe cages, she mentions how easily giraffes could go for days without a sip of water or that they’re the tallest mammals in the world.

 “But you probably knew all of that, didn’t you?”

Yumeko giggles and doesn’t give an answer but smiles brightly instead. “Is there an aquarium here?”

Sayaka doesn’t necessarily flinch, but the widening of her eyes is a tell tale sign. She looks directly at Yumeko’s eyes. She says, “I didn’t choose an aquarium for tonight because I have another place in mind,” then leads her to a glass cage of pandas.

 Two in visible sight while the rest were hiding in the modest rows of bamboos. Yumeko's expression changes, and Sayaka wonders if she already knows what’s coming. Sayaka thumbs the item in her pocket again, just to check for the 478th time that she bought it. 

“Do you remember the first gift you ever gave me, Yumeko?” Sayaka says, filling the silence between them.

“A plush toy that I threw away then.”

With Yumeko’s complete attention, Sayaka drops to one knee and takes the box out of her pocket, warm from the heat of her body. 

“It’s my turn now, Jabami Yumeko,” Sayaka starts, “would you marry me?”

From this angle, at this position, Sayaka cannot see Yumeko’s eyes with the way her bangs are covering them. Yes, Sayaka hates gambling. Yes, she doesn’t have a hint at what Yumeko’s thinking. What unpredictable answer the unpredictable woman in front of her will give.

Sayaka never gambled with Yumeko, and Yumeko never asked her to in all those years. Now she finally did. She placed the entirety of her metaphorical stash of chips all into the center of life’s biggest gamble with her own life on the line. 

Sayaka’s heartbeat spikes as the clouds covering the moon reveal its light, Yumeko’s irises flashing a full shade of crimson.

“Yes! I do,” Yumeko says or rather moans as their lips meet. Sayaka’s heart keeps thumping loudly, covering up the distant voice whispers in her mind. Right now she doesn’t know if she’s won or lost her life gamble or not, but the time will be the judge of that.