A Loli’s Space Odyssey

“Ojou-sama, did you rest well? Where’s Alisha?”

“Aah, Misha. Yes. I had quite a pleasant sleep but it seems Alisha is a deep sleeper. I couldn’t wake her up so I decided to let her sleep longer.”

Apparently by the time I finished my nap, we were just about to dock on Jewel Resort. Why am I here again? Because apparently there is someone on this planet that knows about my planet, Eleanor. But I really don’t like this planet. Many of my guild mates were ruined by this place. It gives you a taste of victory. However when you get hooked, it’s like a drug and you can’t stop. You end up losing more than you win until you go broke.

Leaving the planet aside… how am I supposed to find a single person in here? I mean it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

 

“Where to start?”

“Ojou-sama, the person I extracted information from said that this individual is a serious gambler. So maybe it’s best to start with the largest casino?” (Lisa)

“I guess it’s a good lead. Besides, we might run into some drunk people who might give us more information. Now then, which one of you do I bring with me?”

All of them tilted their heads at the same time.

“Question: aren’t we all going to increase our chances of success?” (Shiro)

“No. Yuri, Mio, Misha I want you 3 to handle the groceries. Our food and water provisions have to be restocked.”

“Understood.” (x3)

“As for the rest, I can just take all of you. Someone has to look after the ship. I don’t trust leaving it unsupervised. I know it’s not the best call, but trust me. You never know when someone who’s in debt might try stealing a piece of the ship to pay it off. This place is dangerous.”

“Statement: ojou-sama is amazing as always.” (Shiro)

"In that case, how about we arm wrestle to see who gets to go with ojou-sama?"(Lisa)

 

"Only a gorilla such as yourself would say something like that." (Molly)

 

"Proposal: Chess."(Shiro)

 

"Huh? That would take too long. And besides, Shiro, you're a walking calculator. That's way too big of an unfair advantage." (Lisa)

 

"Shall we try rock-paper-scissors?" (Rose)

 

"Girls, that's enough. This is getting us nowhere. This time we need to be more stealthy. Charm and elegance is better suited for our search mission. So that means… Stella, you're the best fit. Will you come with me?"

 

"That goes without saying." (Stella)

 

The other girls did look a bit disappointed, but they didn't retort. My word is law for them after all.

 

"You all received your instructions. So now… let this mission commence!"

 

"Yes!" (unison)

 

------

 

"Exchange of 10 thousand Sol for chips is now complete. Best of luck, ladies!"

 

After our docking was finished, me and Stella didn't bother too much with exploring the streets. Honestly it's all a bit too flashy for my taste. Don't get me wrong, it is impressive, but I am an art modeler as well. I always found this planet to be overkill in terms of flashiness.

 

So we headed straight for the Grand Casino. It acts as a hotel, huge casino and is also the home of the planet's ruler. Gambling is at every corner here, so I sacrificed some Sol and bought some chips. The clerk girl seemed very nice, but it's obvious this place is a death trap.

 

After all, the casino will gladly give you chips on credit. But if you end up not being able to pay it back… it's prison planet for you. In the game you were basically stuck there and couldn't teleport to another region until you pay your dues, but although players gambled, because of this drawback hardly anyone will take credit.

 

"Where shall we start, ojou-sama?"

 

"I honestly don't know. Maybe try winning to attract some attention?"

 

"Which game shall we try?"

 

"The slot machines are no good. The roulette table is rigged. Same for the craps table. Magnetic dice. They might be able to fool all these people, but they won't fool my eyes. I can see through them."

 

"As expected, ojou-sama."

 

We looked around for a bit until eventually I saw the blackjack table. The game of blackjack is simple. You start off with 2 cards and add them up together. Everyone would try to get to 21 or at least be higher than the dealer. It's up to you if you ask for another card or not. If you go beyond 21 it's an automatic loss.

 

An automatic card shuffler would make sure the dealer isn't cheating. 

 

"That's the table for us."

 

At first people threw me weird gazez. Probably because I am a loli. A gambling loli isn't something that you see. If you were a parent, you definitely won't teach your kid how to gamble.

 

The game started however, and I made small bets. I let the game drag on to learn the flow. Stella was tilting her head as if not understanding. After all, there were moments where I lost on purpose.

 

But after a certain moment came up…

 

"Everyone make your bets."

 

I slapped 5000 Sol worth of chips. It was apparently a big amount and the other people at the table thought I was crazy. The cards were displayed. I had the 8 of clubs and the 10 of hearts. So 18 in total. The dealer had 15. 

 

"Hit me."

 

"Err. Miss are you sure? You want a card at this point?" (Dealer)

 

"Yeah. I want a card. A 3 preferably. So hit me."

 

The dealer, although confused, handed over a card… and what do you know? It was the 3 of diamonds. 

 

"B… blackjack!?" (Dealer)

 

My chips ended up being doubled. How did I win in a game that should be luck based and complete rng? No I wasn't using X-ray vision or anything like that. It's a trick called card counting. Card counters do not need unusual mental abilities; they do not track or memorize specific cards. Instead, card counters assign a point score to each card that estimates the value of that card. They track the sum of these values with a "running count".

 

Card counters are advantage players who try to overcome the casino house edge by keeping a running count of high and low valued cards dealt. They generally bet more when they have an advantage and less when the dealer has an advantage. They also change playing decisions based on the composition of the deck.

 

It's simple actually if you know the trick to it and have a little practice. Back on earth one of my part time job colleagues was a seasonal blackjack player and explained the gimmick to me.

 

Regardless, I took my chips and left the table. It's not good to stay for too long at one table. Stella followed suit and we kept moving until…

 

*Clap**Clap*

 

"My, oh, my. I saw you had some crazy luck with your cards, lady. Care to try a little more strategic game?" (???)