“What’s your wager?” - Hinako's segment for Project Fanojo.

A woman sits back in her chair and begins flipping a coin in her hand. It flies up and comes back down. Her smile fades as the coin lands on its backside.

Woman: “Another dreadful ending.”

Looking up from her coin, she notices prying eyes watching her. However, she doesn’t know if they are here by choice or being forced to do so. 

Woman: “A captive audience? How interesting.”

She flips the coin once again. It whirs in the air before descending into her hand. Front.

Woman: “There’s no need to say anything back, not that I think you could.” *She nods.* “I know what you’re here for. It’s the same thing that detective wants. Something coveted by all. Information.” *She opens a fan to hide her reserved smile.* “I must say, I’m flattered. At the same time, wouldn’t anyone want to know more about a beautiful woman?”

She stops leaning in her chair and sits up.

Woman: “Glorious, isn’t it? To think, up until now, casinos weren’t a thing. My father and his father have been lobbying for laxer gambling laws for who knows how long. Even the Yakuza and their infinite wealth couldn’t sway laws for the longest time. We’ve mostly been focusing on our other ventures—the legal forms, if you will. Pachinko parlors, horse racing, sports betting.”

A refined hum escapes her. Just thinking about her previous exploits is enough to put her in a favorable mood.

Woman: “I designed every part to maximize the customer experience. While every other place would try and focus on profits, we aren’t every other place.” *She happily nods to herself.* “There is an art to chance. To luck, to probability. It’s something that skill could never replicate. Why do you think people are so drawn to gambling in the first place? They aren’t here to say they won something out of skill. If they were, well…” *She giggles.* “They’d have gone elsewhere. They’re here to say they beat the odds. That lady luck smiled upon them. There’s a rush and an excitement to gambling. That’s why it’s so addictive.”

She collapses her fan to reveal a confident smirk. 

Woman: “At any second I could be struck dead. At any second this chapter could end. There are limitless possibilities out there. In fact, our lives were built on those possibilities. By pure chance, we are the way we are. I could’ve been the daughter of a dentist instead. One of my grandfather’s rivals could’ve had him killed before he had my father, removing my existence entirely. But none of those things happened. I’m very much alive. Though, it seems my father’s luck ran out. What is it that they say? The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”

A long sigh escapes her as her expression sours. She shakes her head and recomposes herself. 

Woman: “But it doesn’t take such extreme choices to change the course of our lives. Each choice you make affects how the rest of your life will continue. What you eat for breakfast could affect your mood for the rest of the day. Perhaps you decide to take a shortcut at work. Either it works out in your favor or it doesn’t. Maybe you chose not to check in with your friend that day. Possibly, after many signs, you still choose to ignore them. Perhaps the weather forecast said there was a low chance of rain. You'd surely feel great if it rained that day and you brought an umbrella. The opposite is also true. You’d feel terrible if it still rained despite the low chance and you didn’t bring an umbrella.”

A seemingly deranged smile forms across the woman’s face. An uncomfortable joy has replaced her once peaceful visage.

Woman: “Ultimately, it all returns to one basic idea. Gambling. The idea that we’ve beaten the universe at its own game. That despite any outside forces, we’ve prevailed against life itself. Gambling is a primal form of entertainment. Naturally, it brings with it primal emotions. Elation. Excitement. Suspense. Triumph. Heartbreak. It’s all there. Think about it. Every day we gamble. Depending on what you wear, perhaps someone will notice you. Maybe you ate the wrong thing for lunch and now you’re sick. By making decisions you’re gambling. Existing as you do is gambling. To gamble is to be human.”

She takes a moment to collect herself before continuing. 

Woman: “How about we have some fun? And, of course, what’s a fun time without a little wager? A little gamble of our own.” *She holds up her 1000 yen coin.* “Let’s flip a coin. I’ll call the front side. You get the bottom side. If it lands on its bottom, I’ll spare you some information. If it lands on its front, then that’s just too bad.” 

She places the coin between her index and thumb.

Woman: “I would say good luck, but I hate losing.”

She flicks the coin into the air. It's only in the air for a brief moment, but that’s all the time fate needs to decide. Bottom side up.

Woman: “Oh…” 

An understanding nod soon replaces her short gasp. 

Woman: “Congratulations. Luck is on your side. This time.”

She puts the coin away and goes back to leaning in her chair.

Woman: “I’m sure woman is getting on your nerves. Let’s start with introductions. You can call me Hinako Fukuhara. That is my name, after all. There are a few ways you could interpret my name. You choose the spelling that goes sun or sunlight and child. I am a child born from the sun, after all. Perhaps you’d rather choose your own definition. If so, then there’s some help. You could define the characters to spell out empress or goddess, beautiful or peaceful, and child. By name alone, you should know I’m a big deal.” *She smirks.* “That’s without mentioning my superior family name. Fukuhara. Blessed plain. Field of fortune. Indeed, the Fukuhara’s have always been lucky. We were simply born lucky.”

But her mind wanders to a place it shouldn’t have.

Hinako: “Expect that one mistake. Some advice, not everyone is equal in the eyes of Lady Luck. Some people are just naturally luckier than others. It’s not their fault, they were simply born that way. Because of this, some people are able to pull off risky gambles and win it all. And others shouldn’t have showed up to the table that day. I wonder, dear reader, which category do you fall under?”

She grabs her phone and checks the time.

Hinako: “Well, I’d love to chat longer, but I have a few… Things to manage. We’ll be seeing each other around.”

She gets out of her chair and leaves the room.

And there it is! I was planning on releasing this before Hinako's release, but I was kinda busy that day. Funny story, Hinako's gamble at the end of the chapter wasn't a joke or scripted. I flipped a coin to decide if I was going to write past that point. I usually see heads as a good thing, so when I flipped the coin and it landed tails, I thought I was supposed to end the chapter there. It took a full minute for me to realize that heads meant I wasn't going to write more. So yeah, the chapter would've ended sooner if it landed heads.

Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this segment of Project Fanojo. I'm deciding whose segment I'm going to publish next. Perhaps I'll leave that up to chance as well. I've also started work on the solo Shiori chapter, so look forward to that. Anyhow, that's it. See ya.