도박사 잭 II/6권

제6화 여자끼리

「어서 오세……앗, 니케 씨！？」

「후후, 정말로 이런 허름한 주점에서 일하고 있었구나. 실례 좀 할게.」

니케가 익숙하다는 듯이 카운터로 발길을 옮긴다. 건달들은 니케가 발산하는 매력에 침을 삼키며 그녀의 행동 하나 하나를 지켜봤다.

「오랜만이네, 마스터. 그런데 여기 사람들 조금 조용해졌네？」

「하하, 그래 보이나？ 그렇다면 할덕분이지.」

온화한 미소로 답하는 마스터.

「아, 마스터도 아는 사이였구나.」

「이거 혹시나 해서…… 물어보는 건데…… 니케 씨는 잭의……」

「그래, 전 애인이었어.」

「…………！」

니케의 직구에 말문이 막힌 할. 그럴 거라고는 생각했었지만 바로 인정할 줄은 생각을 못했기 때문에 허를 찔렸다.

「후후, 놀라는 할도 귀엽네♥」

「저기 혹시 생각있으면 여배우 해보지 않을래？」

「할이라면 분명 스타가 될 수 있을 거야.」

「아하하…… 하지만 나, 그런 성격도 아니니까.」

할은 이상하게 니케에게 눌리고 있는 것 같았다. 아무리해도 자기 페이스를 찾을 수 없었다. 잭에 대해서 물어보고 싶은 것이 많았지만……

그리고, 니케는 그런 할의 생각도 간파한다.

「후후, 좋아. 할의 마음에 걸리는 게 있다면 무엇이든 알려줄게.」

「하지만 무료로는 안돼, 갬블을 하자.」

「──단, 내가 이긴다면 반대로 내 질문에 답해줘야 해.」

할은 니케의 진심을 알 수 없었지만 갬블이라는 말을 듣고 도망치지 않는 건 아버지를 닮았다. 할은 기분 좋게 받아들였다.

──종목은 할이 자신 있는 것으로 좋다고 하여 카드 게임, 그것도 블랙잭으로 결정되었다.

약관 15세에 천재 갬블러의 자질을 훌륭하게 개화시킨 할. 할을 천재로 보이게 하는 것은 지금까지의 거듭된 피나는 노력도 그렇지만…… 그 진가는 잭도 킹도 가지고 있지 않았던“기억력”에 있었다. 그것이 그녀만의 무기였다. 나온 카드를 보고 나머지 카드를 예측하는 “카드 카운팅”이라는 기술. 이것을 살릴 수 있는 블랙잭은 할에 있어서 대단히 궁합이 좋은 게임이다.

그리고 시작되는 승부──

할은 니케의 카드 집는 법을 보고 “익숙하지 않다”라고 생각했다.

하지만 몇 번인가 승부를 계속한 결과── 최종적으로 칩의 수로 진 것은 할.

「설마“바꿔치기”를 할 수 있다니……」

「후후, 증거가 없으면 사기라고 할 수 없지？」

할은 절대 방심하지 않았다. 하지만 상대의 역량을 잘못 보고 있었다. 경험이라는 것도 있었을 것이다. 니케는 일부러“못하는”척을 해서 할의 경계를 푸는 것에 성공한 것이다.

「후후…… 난 여배우라고.」 그렇게 말하고 니케는 뻔뻔스럽게 웃었다.

Chapter 6 - Women

'Welcome to our... Nike?!' Halle gaped at the woman.

'I can't believe you're really working in a run-down place like this now,' Nike replied with a laugh.

She sauntered over to the counter and claimed one of the seats in front of it with the ease of a regular.

Silence permeated the bar, booze forgotten as all eyes drank in the sight of her.

'Good to see you again,' she said to the owner. 'I'm kind of surprised, though. Your customers seem more... well behaved these days.'

The owner laughed. 'Really? We've got Halle to thank for that, then.'

'You know the owner here? Then...um... Were you and Jack, I mean...'

Nike flashed a smile at her. 'He's a former lover of mine, yes.'

Halle was stunned into silence by the response. It wasn't as though she hadn't thought it to be the case; she just hadn't expected Nike to admit the truth so freely.

Nike giggled at the expression on her face. 'That look of surprise is really cute, too... Maybe you should try becoming an actress yourself. I definitely think you've got the potential.'

'Really?' Halle gave a nervous laugh. 'I'm pretty sure I'm not cut out for it...' Her usual confidence deflated under the playful gaze of the older woman. She might have no problem bullying Jack, but Nike was another matter.

She hesitated. Deep down, Halle had a lot that she wanted to ask about Jack and Nike's relationship with one another, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.

As if reading her thoughts, Nike's perfect smile widened.

'I don't mind answering your questions,' she began, 'but it's no fun if I just tell you everything, so why don't we make a little wager? If you win, I'll tell you what you want to know...but if I win, I've got something I want to ask YOU.'

Exactly what someone like Nike would have to ask someone like her, Halle couldn't fathom, but she wasn't the type to back down from a challenge when it came to gambling. She took after her father in that regard.

They decided on cards--a game of blackjack. Nike seemed unconcerned when Halle confessed she was rather good at it.

Despite being a mere fifteen years of age, Halle was nothing short of a genius when it came to gambling. Part of it was due to the incredible amount of effort and dedication she had poured into acquiring her skills, but it was also thanks to her exceptional memory. Her powers of recollection were so great that not even her father nor Jack could compare. That, more than anything, was her greatest weapon.

It also allowed her to be an expert at card counting, an ability that let users almost predict the cards in the next hand by remembering all previous cards used in the game. Blackjack in particular gave card counters a significant advantage, making it a game that Halle had always been especially skilled at.

The game began.

Watching Nike, Halle quickly came to the conclusion that Nike wasn't used to playing blackjack at all. By the end, however, Nike had somehow accumulated more chips than Halle and was clearly the victor.

Halle leaned back in her chair, impressed. '...I can't believe you managed to cheat.'

'Heh. If you can't prove it was cheating, it's not cheating.'

Halle hadn't intended to let her guard down against Nike; she had just misjudged her skill level. The older woman had made use of her own years of experience and acting talents to feign inexperience. It had been a ploy designed to mask her skills and fool Halle into complacency, and Halle had fallen for it utterly.

Nike winked at her. 'I AM an actress by profession, after all.'