Riku watched a leaf drift lazily by his head. Leisurely. Careless. Free.
How do you manage it, he thought, grabbing hold of the leaf before it passed him.
Reality came back to him as he remembered the small crowd forming around his crudely made stall, made from abandoned crates around the buildings. Riku grabbed hold of the deck of cards and giving a smile towards the next participant as he walked over.
“Morning,” Riku said with an innocent smile, shuffling the cards in his hands, “Do you want to give the game a go?”
The small crowd watched this new challenger; strong build, but lacking in size. The man gave a firm nod, staring at the cards as they shuffled in Riku’s hand.
“Got a name?” Riku asked,
“Haruo” Haruo replied
“Well goodman Haruo,” Riku said, flicking three cards down onto the stall, “50 yen.”
Haruo held the yen out for Haruo to grab, casually flicking it down the sleeve of his stylish dark blue robe, out of sight. He’d just purchased this robe yesterday, having admired the simple stitching with such soft colours into the fine simplicity that it formed across his torso. The clothing also importantly made him stand out just that bit more.
Riku flipped the three face down cards over, showing a small face hand painted on them.
“Goodman Haruo, if you can pick this card, I’ll double your yen,” Riku explained with a smile, his finger placed on the demon face, “Lose and the yen is mine. Simple.”
With those instructions, Riku flipped the card backdown and went to shuffle the remainder of his deck once more before placing it on the table beside the cards.
“Ready?”
Haruo gave the nod and Riku went about sliding the three cards on the counter, beginning slowly before suddenly moving the cards at a rapid pace, almost seeming to throw the cards at some points as he moved them. The action beginning to make his wrist wrappings, that he had quietly loosened while shuffling the deck, droop down.
As he shuffled the three cards on the counter, he began to use his pinkie finger to catch the underside of the cards, flicking them slightly into the air as he moved them, giving a small spectacle that seemed to gather more people to the stall. It was at this moment that he flicked the card he’d hidden in his robe out, catching it out of the air as it quickly went beneath the correct card mid-air, which he then placed on the table again to hide, the action disguised in his hand movements.
As the spectacle stopped and the crowd watched Riku settle the cards in front of the Haruo, he noticed the short man having a small bead of sweat from the pressure.
“It’s the one on the right.” Haruo said after a few tense moments.
With a smile, Riku raised up the card to the right, the symbol staring at Haruo and the crowd behind him.
“I’m sorry goodman Haruo,” Riku said, gripping the two stacked cards along the rim to hide his deceit, “Want to give it another try?”
With a defeated shake of his head, Haruo moved to leave. In return, Riku moved to collect the cards, sandwiching the false card between two of the proper ones, to hide his action of sliding it back into his robe.
“Wait!” One of the people in the crowd shouted, “Which was the real card?”
This question had Haruo stop in his tracks and spin around, as the crowd began to murmur. In response, Riku hesitated in his collection of his cards. Giving an innocent smile as he raised up the three cards, the false front already removed.
“It was the one in the middle,” Riku said, with a wide smile, “It’s easy to lose track of it.”
With the satisfaction of the crowd in check, Riku shuffled all the cards back into his deck before making a small display with the cards.
“Who wants to give it a shot next?” Riku asked with a smile, flicking the cards between his fingers in challenge.
How do you manage it, he thought, grabbing hold of the leaf before it passed him.
Reality came back to him as he remembered the small crowd forming around his crudely made stall, made from abandoned crates around the buildings. Riku grabbed hold of the deck of cards and giving a smile towards the next participant as he walked over.
“Morning,” Riku said with an innocent smile, shuffling the cards in his hands, “Do you want to give the game a go?”
The small crowd watched this new challenger; strong build, but lacking in size. The man gave a firm nod, staring at the cards as they shuffled in Riku’s hand.
“Got a name?” Riku asked,
“Haruo” Haruo replied
“Well goodman Haruo,” Riku said, flicking three cards down onto the stall, “50 yen.”
Haruo held the yen out for Haruo to grab, casually flicking it down the sleeve of his stylish dark blue robe, out of sight. He’d just purchased this robe yesterday, having admired the simple stitching with such soft colours into the fine simplicity that it formed across his torso. The clothing also importantly made him stand out just that bit more.
Riku flipped the three face down cards over, showing a small face hand painted on them.
“Goodman Haruo, if you can pick this card, I’ll double your yen,” Riku explained with a smile, his finger placed on the demon face, “Lose and the yen is mine. Simple.”
With those instructions, Riku flipped the card backdown and went to shuffle the remainder of his deck once more before placing it on the table beside the cards.
“Ready?”
Haruo gave the nod and Riku went about sliding the three cards on the counter, beginning slowly before suddenly moving the cards at a rapid pace, almost seeming to throw the cards at some points as he moved them. The action beginning to make his wrist wrappings, that he had quietly loosened while shuffling the deck, droop down.
As he shuffled the three cards on the counter, he began to use his pinkie finger to catch the underside of the cards, flicking them slightly into the air as he moved them, giving a small spectacle that seemed to gather more people to the stall. It was at this moment that he flicked the card he’d hidden in his robe out, catching it out of the air as it quickly went beneath the correct card mid-air, which he then placed on the table again to hide, the action disguised in his hand movements.
As the spectacle stopped and the crowd watched Riku settle the cards in front of the Haruo, he noticed the short man having a small bead of sweat from the pressure.
“It’s the one on the right.” Haruo said after a few tense moments.
With a smile, Riku raised up the card to the right, the symbol staring at Haruo and the crowd behind him.
“I’m sorry goodman Haruo,” Riku said, gripping the two stacked cards along the rim to hide his deceit, “Want to give it another try?”
With a defeated shake of his head, Haruo moved to leave. In return, Riku moved to collect the cards, sandwiching the false card between two of the proper ones, to hide his action of sliding it back into his robe.
“Wait!” One of the people in the crowd shouted, “Which was the real card?”
This question had Haruo stop in his tracks and spin around, as the crowd began to murmur. In response, Riku hesitated in his collection of his cards. Giving an innocent smile as he raised up the three cards, the false front already removed.
“It was the one in the middle,” Riku said, with a wide smile, “It’s easy to lose track of it.”
With the satisfaction of the crowd in check, Riku shuffled all the cards back into his deck before making a small display with the cards.
“Who wants to give it a shot next?” Riku asked with a smile, flicking the cards between his fingers in challenge.