The morning came quickly, yet Ciel did not awaken from his slumber even then. Instead he remained deep within his rest until the hour struck five. By the time his green eyes emerged from the veil of his eyelids, the sunlight emitted from high above had already ceased and the night was already upon them again.

Ciel’s first action was to examine his face, ensuring one final time that no remnant effects of that fierce rotting power remained. Luckily his skin was smooth and filled with vitality, indicating that nothing unbecoming had occurred as he slept.

With that settled, his eyes then wandered to the rest of his body.

No… Changes?

Ciel’s body had remained the same, suffering no further spurts of growth. As he was now his body was that which he possessed when he was 17 or 18 years old, but just why was that so? His guess prior was that his body would revert back to its future state, reflecting the true age of his soul, however that hypothesis now appeared to be mistaken.

Ciel spent many more minutes pondering just what exactly was occurring to his body. However, throughout human history he was certain that none had ever managed to traverse against the river of time’s current and arrive in the past. It was only natural that unexpected complications and odd reactions would sprout forth.

In the end, like so many unanswerable questions which plagued him, Ciel was forced to look past it for now. Of course, he would remain wary of any disadvantageous developments which might still reveal themselves but for now that was all which he could do.

Having decided such, Ciel then stepped out of the bedroom. There a familiar sight of Rin’s charred body silently sitting greeted him. His gaze did not linger. He indifferently looked past her and watched the time displayed upon the bottom left counter of the monitor.

‘5:13 PM’

I slept quite a bit…

He thought. Ciel had a lot which he hoped to do upon this night, but before anything else he needed a shower. Yesterday he had been so battered by his encounter with that dreadful monster that after Rin had healed him, he carelessly threw himself unto his bed.

He did so with skin still covered with his dried blood, along with wearing what remained of his recently bought clothes. Ciel spared himself another glance upon entering the bathroom, His shirt had been discarded with the night prior, while his pants remained torn within many areas. On his right side, its color even seemed to fade away, that had been where the rotten hand was hidden.

Ciel could not help but make a sudden comment.

“Perhaps I should consider the cost for Living Clothes as a necessary expense.”

Ciel quickly undressed himself before proceeding with his showering. Around ten minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom, changed into his remaining set of clothing, then without further loitering he began walking towards the door. However, before he exited, he suddenly stopped and turned towards the crawled up vampire.

“Yesterday I bought some clothing for you. Try them out if you want.”

He said indifferently, then stepped out of the room.

Rin did not react, she merely kept her crimson eyes fixed upon the holographic monitor. A comedy of sorts was playing yet Rin’s eyes were distant, her mind lost in thought.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

****

Ciel had a single goal when stepping out of The Hazard Hotel, the acquisition of food. Too many matters obstructed him from such a simple need, however his body was now demanding its sustenance. As such he spent the first two hours walking idly by.

Now that he was properly cleaned and dressed, the dirty looks from before were nowhere to be found. He used that to his advantage, bumping into people carelessly and snatching away their wallets before they even realized it.

Such a thing was a mastered talent back when he lived upon these very streets. Today, with the accumulated experiences of his previous life the act of thievery had become simpler than inhaling a breath.

When he was done making the rounds, Ciel’s wealth had risen to 500 credit bills. That was more than sufficient enough and he stopped by a restaurant before ordering a simple meal. Before he knew it, more than three hours had passed. The night was well into its depths.

Alright then, no more delays.

He thought. Ciel had already left the restaurant a few minutes prior, his cold eyes were now set upon a towering building adorned by countless lights. Upon it was a sign which read:

‘Royal Casino’

This was one of the largest casinos within the southern outskirt’s Rich Valley Area. Unknown to many however, this was also one of the main headquarters of the Red Tiger Gang. From what he knew, even the gang’s seldom seen boss would occasionally appear within it.

If Ciel wanted to come into contact with a Red Tiger Gang member of considerable rank, then this was the place. Ciel did not linger, he walked towards the entrance. Upon arriving there, two beautiful women dressed in red and black greeted him. They then opened the large doors for him as they spoke in unison;

“Welcome to The Royal Casino! May you prosper within its walls and may your riches soar to the sky!”

Ciel simply nodded, then stepped forth inside.

When he entered, Ciel was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer overload of visual traffic before him. The Royal Casino was truly grand in scale. Just its main hall alone was multiple stories tall. Upon its roof, beautiful chandeliers shined down with incandescent lights.

At the same time, holographic figures of dragons, birds, dinosaurs, planes, and many more constantly appeared within its skies, performed an elaborate act, then disappeared only to be replaced by yet another creature which would begin its own turn in the spotlight.

To his immediate corner, Ciel saw hundreds of slot machines lined up with each one being in use. The machines were tall and lean with a wide screen, however, as if mandatory, its display was quite theatrical. It would mix both holographic and touch screen technologies.

When the symbols spun, it remained within the screen, however upon the results they would pop out as holographic projections, often accompanied by other effects such as fireworks and a mini-air show whenever a person won.

Additionally, from their sides, holographic ads would occasionally appear. Each aiming to encourage the player to dive deeper into the casino’s embrace. Beyond the slot machines, Ciel saw a vast expanse of different gambling games, each hosting their unique theatrical flair to them.

Furthermore, the casino itself was utterly stacked with individuals from all sides of life. Some were from the outskirts, however a greater number were merely visitors from the district city who traveled here to indulge themselves in the outskirts' infamous casinos. Naturally, there were also a plethora of wealthy men which came with the goal of conducting their shady activities.

Staring upon it all, Ciel realized that he had never actually entered a casino before, much less such a large one. Back then even after he had been accepted as a Red Tiger Gang member, his territory of work was not The Rich Valley Area but was on the edge of The Red Tiger Gang’s influence, within the outskirt’s central region.

As such, having this as his first impression of casinos, Ciel found them to be rather flashy. He was certain his old self would not have liked being within such a place.

“Hello there, care for a complimentary drink sir?”

Snapping Ciel out of his silent pondering was the sweet voice of a woman in a tightly fitting black and red dress. She wore a radiant smile as she spoke, her right hand lifting a tray filled with cups which she handled with great familiarity. Beyond that, her entire demeanor exuded an alluring charisma.

Yet another flower huh…

Understanding her purpose, Ciel promptly rejected her offer with an apologetic smile.

“Ah thank you but I’d rather drink only after my luck has favored me.”

The beautiful woman did not react negatively to Ciel’s answer, merely nodding.

“Then may lady luck smile upon you today Sir. Please indulge yourself without shame.”

With that, the woman left his side before stopping in front of another individual and repeating the same question she had asked Ciel prior. Ciel did not remain rooted any longer either. He began entering the casino’s depths.

First things first, I should blend in.

With that, Ciel decided to approach a wide poker table after a few minutes of wandering and was soon registered as a player for its next game.