도박사 잭 II/3권

제3회 니케와 레너드

영화가 끝난 후, 잭과 할은 근처 찻집에 와있었다.

라고는 해도, 편하게 앉아있는 모양은 아니었다. 할은 화를 내며 잭에게 사게한 파르페를 맹열한 기세로 입에 가져간다──이것으로 세 잔째.

「말도 안돼…… 처음보는 영화인데 졸다니…… （우걱우걱우걱우걱……！）」

「어, 어이, 할. 적당히 먹는 편이……」

「뭐？ 불만있어？」

할이 날카로운 눈초리로 잭을 노려본다. 이렇게 되면 잭은 항복할 수 밖에 없다. 얌전히 이 폭풍이 지나가길 바랄뿐……

이런 태도가 할에겐 더욱 마음에 안들 뿐이다.

「여전히 둔하네──잭.」

갑자기 근처에 있던 여성이 두 사람에게 말을 건다.

「누구야, 갑자기──아……」 할은 놀란 나머지 말을 잃었다.

가슴이 크게 파인 새빨간 드레스 위로 보이는 글래머러스한 몸매. 쿨하면서도 어딘가 사랑스러움이 묻어나는 얼굴. 그 얼굴을 감싸는 웨이브가 살짝 들어간 윤기 있는 플라티나 블론드. 나이대는 20대 후반, 젊지만 어른인 듯한 여성. 지금 할에게는──아니, 장래에도 생기기 힘들 법한 마성적이라 할 수 있는 매력으로 가득차 있다.

그리고 할이 놀라는 것도 무리가 아니다── 그녀는 방금 두 사람이 본 영화 『사랑의 솔레이유』에서 여주인공을 연기한 배우였다.

「나는 니케, 직업은── 여배우라고 하면 될까.」

「만나서 반가워 할. 그리고 오래간만이네 잭♥」

「니케……」 잭은 왜인지 난처한 듯 보였다.

「잭, 이 사람이랑 아는 사이야？」

「그래…… 옛날에 조금.」 눈을 내리며 대답하는 잭.

「후후, 매정하네.」

「과연…… 이 아가씨가 킹의 딸인가.」 니케에 이어 옷차림이 좋은 슈트의 남자가 다가온다.

「만나서 반갑군, 할. 나는 레너드.」

「잭──너와는 7년만인가.」

「레너드 씨…… 오래간만입니다.」

잭이“씨”를 붙이며 부르는 이 남자, 레너드는 잭보다 5살정도 연상으로 30대 후반── 예전에 함께 킹에게 사사받은 갬블러의 선배와 같은 존재다. 하지만 지금은 정치가라는 입장에 있어 신진기예의 젊은 의원이라고 신문을 떠들썩하게 만드는──여러 얼굴을 가진 수완가다.

──가볍게 인사를 나눈 것뿐이지만 니케와 레너드의 존재감은 압도적이었다. 몇 명이 니케를 알아보고 주변이 떠들썩 해진다.

「후우, 이래서 이 일이 싫다니까.」

「후후, 이런 걸 좋아하는 거잖아.」

「일단 장소를 옮기지── 괜찮겠지, 잭？」

「네, 괜찮습니다.」

레너드의, 갑작스러운 제안에 잭은 마른 웃음을 띠며 대답했다.

Chapter 3 - Nike and Leonard

After the credits rolled, the two of them made their way to a nearby cafe.

The coffee shop had a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, but the mood between them was anything but.

Halle was furiously stuffing herself full of parfait (which Jack had been forced to buy her, of course), while he could only sit by and watch in horrified fascination.

It was her third.

'I cannot BELIEVE you! Your first time going to see a movie and you fall asleep?!' she said around mouthfuls of cream and fruit.

Jack tried to sidestep her outrage and instead gestured to the remains of the dessert. 'You all done there? Had enough?'

'I'll decide when I've had enough!' she snapped, glaring over the rim of the glass.

He raised his hands in surrender. Jack knew from experience that there was nothing he could do when she was in a mood like this. Anything he said would just make it worse, and weathering the storm was the best he could hope for.

Of course, Halle knew exactly what he was trying to do, and that just made her angrier. Her glare grew more pointed.

'I see you haven't gotten any better at understanding women's hearts, Jack,' said a female voice at Jack's elbow. He started. How long she had been there, he didn't know.

Halle opened her mouth to say something, but when she beheld the owner of the voice nothing came out.

It was a woman in her late twenties. She had delicate, youthful features and yet exuded the allure of a much more mature woman. Her hair was wavy and platinum blond, and she wore a glamorous red dress that was open at the front, displaying her generous bosom to its best advantage.

It was a level of seductiveness Halle knew she would never be able to achieve.

What had stolen her breath wasn't the woman's attractiveness, however. It was the fact that she was the very actress who had played the heroine in the movie they had just watched.

'Hello there,' the woman purred. 'The name's Nike. I'm...an actress, I suppose. It's nice to meet you, Halle. And nice to see you again, Jack.♥'

Jack squirmed under her dazzling smile.

'Do you know her?' Halle asked him.

'Yeah...' Jack said, not meeting her gaze. 'We go back a while.'

The woman's eyes twinkled. 'Such a cold-hearted man... You could be a LITTLE happier to see me after all this time, you know.'

'So she's King's daughter, then, huh?'

Jack and Halle turned to see a man in an expensive suit approaching their table. He seemed to be with Nike.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Halle,' the man continued. 'My name is Leonard.' Then he addressed Jack.

'It's been seven years, I believe? Good to see you again, too, Jack.'

'Hey, Leonard.'

Jack's reply was casual, but the tone conveyed great respect, as if addressing a superior. The power balance between the two of them was immediately clear to Halle from that alone.

Leonard was a man in his late thirties, roughly five years Jack's senior. They had both learned together under King, but being the younger of the two, Jack had come to treat the other man deferentially, much like he had his former teacher.

Unlike Jack, however, Leonard had given up the gambling life and moved on to playing a new 'game.' Now he was an up-and-coming politician, regularly featured on the front pages of newspapers and well known to the people of Calvard.

An actress and a politician... The two of them certainly stood out. Several other customers seemed to realize who they were, and before long, all eyes in the room were on them.

Nike sighed. 'Ugh... This is why I hate this job sometimes.'

'Haha. You know you love the attention,' Leonard replied with a grin. 'It does, however, make this place a bit difficult to talk in... Mind coming with us, Jack?'

Knowing full well he couldn't possibly refuse, Jack shrugged and stood up from his seat.