Chapter 27: Mr. Lucky, I Want to Play a Game with You

Bringing the three disruptive brothers back home—who had remained quiet only because they were threatened—Hayato casually kicked off his shoes at the entryway and swapped them for slippers, heading toward the kitchen.

Because last night had been rushed, he had only managed to cobble together some instant noodles to get by. Today, he had returned home much earlier than usual, so he could finally sit down to a proper dinner.

Ever since he had transmigrated, Hayato hadn't really eaten a proper meal. It wasn't that he had gone hungry, but rather that he had always treated things like breakfast toast and eggs or the fried noodles sold at school as mere snacks. When it came to eating, the focus really had to be on actual rice.

However, before Hayato had even taken a few steps away from the freshly closed front door, the sound of the doorbell ringing echoed from behind him.

*Could someone be looking for my mother?* Unsure, Hayato turned around. Instead of opening the door immediately, he pressed his eye against the peephole to see who was outside.

Pressing his forehead against the door, Hayato peered out, only to see an empty front yard. This left him feeling slightly annoyed—was some mischievous kid playing a prank?

But then, the sound of the glass door leading to the courtyard being pushed open came from behind him.

"Hey, kid. Stand right there and don't move."

Turning his head, Hayato saw a strange man walking into the house from the courtyard. The mud clinging to the man's ill-fitting shoes made a mess of the floor, yet the man seemed completely unbothered, even going so far as to scuff his feet against the tatami in the living room.

Although the man's movements always appeared lazy and listless, Hayato didn't move an inch. Instead, he stood obediently in place, simply watching as the man pulled the curtains shut.

The reason was simple—the man was pointing a handgun directly at Hayato.

"I assume you're that escaped convict from the newspapers? Sigh, I really am unlucky." With a heavy sigh, Hayato raised his hands to show he posed no threat, while his eyes scanned his surroundings.

Being held at gunpoint was not fun at all. He had to find a way to save himself without alerting the convict.

Hearing Hayato's sigh, a smile spread across Lucky's face. "Hahaha! A brat like you, at your age, must be obsessed with video games every single day, right? Hmph, how unproductive. If you have time for games, you'd be better off studying astrology."

*Wait, what?* Hayato's face instantly froze in a look of pure confusion. Had he just been called "unproductive" by an escaped convict? Besides, was studying astrology considered a "productive" occupation? He played cards, but who knows, maybe he could save the world one day.

"May I ask why you've come to my house, Mr. Convict?" After a quick search, Hayato found something that might be useful. To increase his chances of success, he decided to use "talk therapy" to stall for time.

"Kid, I really don't like that title. It's bad luck. My name is Lucky—'Lucky'!" The convict scanned the house, swung his arm to sweep all the decorations off the kotatsu table onto the floor, and sat down on it casually, his gun still aimed at Hayato. "If you want to blame someone, blame your bad luck. I'm here to rob you. Now, hand over all the money hidden in this house!"

"Don't try any tricks. If I see you attempt to move out of my sight, I'll shoot. If you pull out anything that doesn't look like money, I'll shoot. And if you even dare to approach the phone, I'll shoot."

With a dark smile, Lucky gestured the gun toward the side. "Go on, get the money. Oh, and I want something to eat and drink. I'm starving."

"Understood, Mr. Lucky." Hayato immediately walked toward the kitchen obediently. Lucky stood up from the living room, keeping his gun tracking Hayato's movements while maintaining a constant distance.

Lucky was extremely cautious; he maintained a "gun-speed" distance of about seven paces from Hayato—a distance so safe that even Ip Man likely couldn't disarm him. However, Hayato truly had no intention of attacking.

Soon, a bowl of instant noodles was placed on the living room table. After adding hot water, Hayato explained to the wary Lucky, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Lucky, but my parents won't be home for quite a while, so there isn't much food in the house. This is all there is. I assume you wouldn't want me to call for takeout, right?"

"I told you, if you go near the phone, I'll shoot. But you really are unlucky, kid—parents away, and then I come knocking on your door." A sinister grin appeared on Lucky's face. "Fine, instant noodles will do. It's been a long time since I've had them. Now, where's the money?"

"Actually, I don't have any savings at home. Since the adults aren't around, you can understand, right, Mr. Lucky? However, my mother did leave me a bank card before she left." Taking a few steps back and watching Lucky pull out a chair to sit at the table, Hayato remained calm, explaining unhurriedly, "If I go to the bank to withdraw the money now, you probably won't allow it. So, I'll have to trouble you to go and withdraw it yourself later."

"What a pain." Lucky scratched his head in annoyance. "Then where's the card? Hand it over, along with the PIN."

This time, Hayato did not obey immediately. Under Lucky's guarded gaze, he pulled out the chair opposite him, sat down, took out the bank card, and placed it next to the bowl of noodles before speaking calmly, "It'll be a while before the noodles are ready to eat. Besides, this card contains my living expenses for over a month. I'd be really unwilling to lose it just like that."

Despite his words, Lucky couldn't see any sign of "unwillingness" in Hayato.

"So, Mr. Lucky. While we wait for the noodles, why don't we play a game?" Hayato pulled out a deck of cards and placed them on the table. "Duel Monsters. If you win, I'll tell you the PIN immediately. And even if you lose, I'll tell you before you leave."

"After all, Mr. Lucky, you have a gun."

Looking at Hayato's calm smile, Lucky found it quite amusing. He reached into his prison jumpsuit and actually pulled out a deck of his own. "Hahaha! Kid, you've picked the right person. In the entire prison, no one can beat me at Duel Monsters!"

***

The protagonist has started a duel with a killer. I can directly spoil the ending: the protagonist wins.

So, do you want to guess how the protagonist survives against a killer who has a gun and might fly into a rage if he loses? I've planted some foreshadowing earlier!

(Hinting for some comments and interaction!)

(End of Chapter)