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The Port Mafia wasn’t just rich because of killing people... well, kind of. But the truth is, the organization owned a bunch of different businesses in Yokohama and even in other countries. Probably the one that brought in the most money was "The Ace," a casino located in one of the fanciest parts of the city. It was owned by one of the mafia's executives. Sometimes the members of the Black Lizard would hang out there, especially when they didn’t have any missions. But more often than not, they ended up losing more money than they’d care to admit.
Tonight was one of those nights. The Black Lizard squad had decided to hit up the casino to kill some time. They’d been sitting at one of the blackjack tables for hours, and unfortunately for them, things weren’t going too well. In fact, they had lost all the money they’d brought with them.
“I’m done,” Tachihara groaned, leaning back in his chair and tossing his cards on the table. He looked annoyed, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration as he slouched further into his seat.
Higuchi, sitting next to him, didn’t say much, but the way her fingers tapped on the table gave away her nerves. It wasn’t like they could win any of the money back now. They were broke. Hirotsu, the oldest member of the group, was sitting straight in his chair, as calm as ever, though there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He was always the most collected one, even when things went south.
Just when the group was about to call it a night, Gin, the quietest of them all, pulled out her phone. Since she rarely spoke, she usually communicated by texting and having her phone read the messages out loud with a robotic voice. The text-to-speech system chimed in with Gin’s flat, mechanical tone: “I want to make a bet.”
Hirotsu glanced over at her. “We don’t have any more money, Gin,” he reminded her, his voice calm but firm, like a parent reminding a child they’ve already spent their allowance.
Gin’s phone spoke again. “Not a money bet. We should bet on something else, and whoever loses has to do a dare or something.”
Now that got their attention. They might’ve been out of cash, but a bet that didn’t involve money? That sounded like something they could get into.
“But what would we even bet on?” Higuchi asked, finally speaking up. She looked intrigued, her tapping fingers slowing down as she leaned forward, interested in the new proposal.
Gin’s response came immediately, her phone reading out in its usual monotone, “I bet that Tachihara is single.”
Tachihara, who had been about to take a sip of his drink, nearly choked. He sat up straight, eyes wide, looking at Gin as if she’d just accused him of murder. “What?! Why me?!”
Higuchi, ignoring his protests, chimed in, “Oh, I bet he has a partner.”
Tachihara spluttered, “What?! Why are we betting on my love life all of a sudden?”
Hirotsu, ever the composed one, simply nodded and added, “I’ll bet the same as Gin. I think he’s single.”
Tachihara threw his hands up in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?!”
But the group was already deep into it. A random bet had sparked, and now, none of them were backing down. The atmosphere shifted, the previous frustration of losing money replaced with a strange sense of excitement. After all, they couldn’t resist a good game, even if it was about something as silly as Tachihara’s love life.
"Fine, fine," Tachihara grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You wanna bet on my relationship status? Whatever. But I’m telling you, this is dumb.”
Higuchi grinned, leaning her elbow on the table and looking at him playfully. “So, are you single or not?”
Tachihara hesitated for a second, eyes darting to the side, and that pause was enough for the others to pounce.
“Aha! You’re totally single!” Higuchi said, her grin widening. “No hesitation means you're hiding something.”
Tachihara groaned, knowing he’d walked right into that one. “I’m not single, okay?” he muttered under his breath.
The table fell silent for a moment, everyone processing what he’d just said. Then Higuchi’s eyes lit up.
“Oh my god, you actually have a partner?!” she practically squealed, her excitement spilling over. “Who is it? How come we’ve never heard about this?”
Tachihara crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, trying to act cool despite the situation. “It’s none of your business.”
That, of course, only made them more curious.
“Oh, come on! You can’t just drop that bomb and not give us any details!” Higuchi pressed. Hirotsu remained calm, but even he seemed mildly interested, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
Gin, as usual, didn’t say anything, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, signaling her own quiet intrigue.
Tachihara sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Look, it’s not like I was hiding it, okay? It just... never came up.”
“Never came up?” Higuchi repeated, clearly not buying it. “You’ve been dating someone and it just never came up?”
Tachihara huffed, clearly uncomfortable with the interrogation but knowing there was no way out of it now. “Yeah, well... it’s not like it’s anyone you know.”
“I doubt that,” Hirotsu commented, his calm voice cutting through the noise. “In this city, and in our line of work, I’d be surprised if we didn’t know them.”
Tachihara fell silent again, his eyes darting around the table as if looking for a way to change the subject. But it was too late. They weren’t going to let this go.
“Come on, spill it,” Higuchi said, leaning closer. “Who’s the lucky person?”
After a long, drawn-out pause, Tachihara finally muttered, “It’s Tanizaki.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Higuchi’s mouth dropped open, Hirotsu’s eyebrow raised even higher than before, and Gin’s usually emotionless face showed the faintest hint of surprise.
“Tanizaki? From the Armed Detective Agency?!” Higuchi practically shouted, drawing the attention of a few nearby casino patrons. “Are you serious?”
Tachihara winced. “Keep your voice down, will you?”
Hirotsu, ever the calm presence, simply blinked and said, “That’s... unexpected.”
“Unexpected?!” Higuchi echoed, still processing the information. “That’s putting it lightly! How did that even happen? I mean, the Agency is basically our enemy!”
Tachihara crossed his arms, clearly uncomfortable but resigned to the fact that he wasn’t getting out of this conversation. “It’s complicated, okay? We met during a mission... things just happened.”
Higuchi’s mind raced, trying to picture how this could have possibly worked out. “Wait, so does anyone else know about this? Does the boss know?”
Tachihara shook his head. “No, and it’s going to stay that way, alright? This isn’t something I want getting out.”
The group sat there for a moment, absorbing the fact that one of their own was secretly dating someone from the Agency. It was unexpected, to say the least. But, in a strange way, it also made sense. Tachihara was known for keeping things close to the vest, and this was just another part of his life that he’d kept hidden. Still, it was a lot to take in.
“Well,” Higuchi finally said, breaking the silence, “I definitely didn’t see that coming. But hey, if it works for you, who am I to judge?”
Hirotsu nodded in agreement, though his expression was still unreadable. Gin simply stared, her expression as blank as ever.
Tachihara sighed again, clearly relieved that they weren’t pressing him any further. “Yeah, well... now you know. So can we drop it?”
Higuchi grinned. “Sure, sure. But don’t think we’re letting you off the hook that easily. We’re definitely going to need more details at some point.”
Tachihara groaned, knowing that this was far from over. But for now, at least, the bet was settled.
The group slowly shifted back to their previous conversations, though there was a newfound air of curiosity hanging over the table. The night at the casino wasn’t going the way they’d expected, but then again, nothing ever really did when you were part of the Port Mafia.
As the night wore on, the Black Lizard continued to chat, occasionally throwing glances at Tachihara, clearly still processing the bombshell he’d dropped on them.