Okonomiyaki

Ukyo looked at her cards once again. Seven-two off suit. Why on Earth did she stay in this deep with this shitty hand? She knew better than that! She’d been hosting this poker night at her restaurant for a couple of months now, and had thought she had gotten a good grasp on the game by now. The community cards were little help, a two a five and a queen. A pair of deuces was hardly something you should bet big on.

She looked around the table. The usual faces stared back at her, Hiroshi, Daisuke, Yuka and Sayuri from school. Ukyo had come up with the idea for the weekly gatherings as a way to get away from everything for a few hours. To this group, that meant that Ranma and Akane, though their friends, were not invited, nor were they brought up in conversation. All five of the teens felt they needed a break from the craziness that followed those two. It was actually very pleasant, being able to converse with someone about normal things like school, and gossip, and graduation.

“Two hundred yen,” Ukyo said as she raised the pot, hoping to bluff out her opponents. Sure gambling was technically illegal, but if it didn’t stop the pachinko parlors from doing business, she didn’t see why she couldn’t have a few friends over for a friendly card game. They never gambled much, and it wasn’t as if they had to worry about someone reneging on a bet. It was just for whatever extra spending money they had that week.

Ukyo had other worries though. Her landlord had told her that he might have to raise her rent soon since her insurance premiums were so high thanks to a certain pigtailed fiancé. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t be able to pay her rent, her restaurant made good enough business for that, but she’d have to give up on a few of her luxuries that she’d been getting used to lately, like that premium Japanese whiskey she was drinking, and the cigar she had smoking in the ashtray next to her stack of chips.

Both of the other girls were already out of the hand and were watching with interest. The boys were both still in, and were trying to get a feel for what Ukyo had in her hand. The girl in question took a drag off her cigar, and blew blue rings of smoke in an effort to look confident. It apparently didn’t work. “Call,” said Daisuke.

“Call,” echoed Hiroshi.

The next card was turned. Ukyo nearly had an aneurism trying to keep from smiling at the result. Another seven! Her hand just went from sucking a fat one, to being moderately good! She had to play this right though. She couldn’t let them fold! “five hundred.” It was risky, but she figured she could slow play them. She took another drag off of her cigar, now trying to fool them into thinking she was bluffing.

Hiroshi inhaled the smell of the smoke as it wafted over the table. “Hey Ukyo, think I could have one of your cigars?” he asked.

Ukyo just smiled at him. “Now why would I want to let you use one of my lucky charms?” she asked. “Besides, these are special. My dad used to smoke them, and I always liked the smell. They’re kinda pricey, but they’re worth it.”

Hiroshi just nodded and waited for his turn. Daisuke listened to the conversation with interest, before calling Ukyo’s bet. Hiroshi smiled back at the young woman across from him, and called as well.

Before The River could be revealed, the clock on the wall gonged the hour. 1:00 AM. “Oh shit! Is that the time?” asked Yuka. “I’m so going to get in trouble when I get home!” She stood and started counting out her chips so that she could collect her winnings.

Sayuri started to do the same. “Why don’t you guys count out the pot, leave it alone, then come back to it next week?” she suggested.

“No wait!” Ukyo said. “It’s the last card, we can finish the hand!”

Daisuke nodded in agreement. “You girls go on ahead, we’ll finish this ourselves.” The two girls shrugged, collected their money from the pot, and hurried out the door.

Ukyo smiled shark-like at her remaining guests. “Now where were we?” The River was dealt. A jack. She carefully watched the boys’ faces, trying to get a good read on them. There was no chance for a straight, and she doubted that either of them had a pocket pair that would give them three of a kind. Hiroshi always got a bit squirmy whenever that happened, and Daisuke would suddenly have an itchy scalp. It almost wasn’t fair really. They were almost as bad as Ranma was at poker. Well, maybe not that bad.

However this time around both of them had more chips than she did. She was about to push all in, but hesitated. If she was reading the boys right, they each had a high pair, perhaps the queen or the jack. If she was right, they weren’t about to call her for that much. She could get more money out of the hand if she continued to slow play them. “Eight hundred,” she said.

Daisuke looked Ukyo dead in the eyes. Then at his cards. Then at Hiroshi. “All in,” he declared, pushing his entire stack into the pot. It was well over five thousand yen.

Hiroshi whistled in awe. “Well buddy, I’m afraid I’m going to have to call you,” he said. “Looks like I have the same amount as you too.” He pushed his stack of chips into the middle of the table.

Ukyo nearly choked. Staring at her in the face was over ten thousand yen. She wouldn’t have to worry about buying her luxuries for a long time with that kind of money. Her mouth practically watered at the thought. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough to cover the bet, just over two thousand yen left. If she called, the pot would be significantly smaller, while the boys enjoyed a side pot. Unless… “Hey, how about I throw in some cigars as part of my call?” she asked. “They’re worth about a thousand each, so three would cover the bet.”

Hiroshi lit up at the suggestion, and was about to agree to the offer, when Daisuke turned her down. “I don’t smoke,” he said plainly.

Ukyo grumbled at this, trying to think of something else she could offer. Suddenly, an idea hit her. “Ok, how about this. If I win, I get all the money in the pot. If I lose, the winner gets the money, and I’ll go on a date with them. I’ll even guarantee a kiss, a real one, at the end of the night.”

That got both of the guys interests. “What about…” he motioned with his hand to stand in for the topic they weren’t supposed to talk about: Ranma.

Ukyo snorted. “I doubt he’d even notice,” she admitted grudgingly. Ukyo hated to admit it, but she was pretty sure she was going to lose the race to Akane. She’d seen the two of them sitting together during lunch for a while now, and Akane had even been making lunches for him. More worryingly, Ranma had been eating those lunches without fear.

She shook her head, trying to remove the thought before it could become implanted. Besides, she was sure to win this hand. “Well what do you say guys?”

The boys looked at each other. Daisuke nodded. So did Hiroshi. “Ok we’re in.”

Ukyo’s smile returned. “Alright boys, read ‘em and weep! Two pair!” She showed her cards and sat back in her chair, taking a long drag off her cigar.

Daisuke returned her smile. “Well you might have had me beaten, but then the jack came on the river.” He turned his cards over. Jack queen. Two pair.

Hiroshi suddenly burst out laughing. “I guess we’re both going to get that date then!” he exclaimed, before turning over his own cards. Jack queen. Two pair. Split pot.

Ukyo’s jaw dropped. Her cigar fell in her lap, and she quickly picked it up before it could burn a hole in her pants. She nearly cried as she watched the boys split their winnings between themselves. She knew she shouldn’t have played that hand! She angrily put out her cigar in the ashtray. “So which one of you gets the first date then?”

The boys looked at each other. “Well, there is that dance in two weeks,” said Hiroshi. “That can be my date. Dai can take you out before then if he wants.”

“Hey wait a minute! I wanted to invite her to the dance!” Daisuke argued.

Ukyo saw this as a way to get this all over with quickly. “Ok, how about we all go together then. You’ll take turns dancing with me, and at the end of the night, I’ll make sure you both get your kiss. Sound fair?”

The boys once again looked at each other, shrugged, and agreed to the arrangement. “Good,” said Ukyo. “Then take your ill gotten gains and get out of my restaurant.”