Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse

Rein watched in horror as Steve held her clone's hand, one knee on the ground, pleading with Kaze with a serious gaze.

However, something horrifying happened a moment later. Her clone's head cranked to the left to look her straight in the eyes as if to say [what should I do, you fool!?].

It occurred to her that she could hear them if she listened, but she hadn't!

Rein panicked, wondering how she should respond to his proposal!

-

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’[45 seconds ago | Kat's Casino]â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

"Rein, I'm a really shitty human being." Steve Chung said, one knee on the ground, "I'm up 12,000 Skye and will regret ditching this streak, but I'll regret not spending time with you just as much!

So will you please sit with me until my streak is over, so I can buy you--literally anything you want?"

-

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’[45 seconds later | Kat's Casino]â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

While the Asian asked [Rein] to stay with him for one betting round, [Kiera] thought he was proposing to her! As a result, she took a deep breath and shook her head.

[Rein] turned back to the degenerate gambler with a merciless expression. "Let me get this straight--you want me to sit with you as you win a ton of money."

"Correct." Steve nodded shamelessly.

"And you want me to keep sitting with you until you lose money." She clarified.

"Right." He smiled pathetically.

"And once you've lost all your money, you will buy me [literally anything] I want?" Rein asked mockingly.

The room exploded in laughter, making Kiera close her eyes and cringe in despair. She wished she had never shown up, so she could just get a report!

"Not exactly." Steve said, scratching his cheek, "It's not like I'd bet everything."

"Hmmm?" Rein hummed, "That wasn't you screaming [all-in!] a dozen times like a broken record?"

More laughter erupted from the gamblers, watching the roast session play out.

"So you were listening to me again?" He asked charmingly.

"I was." She said, moving from a smirk to a murderous expression.

Steve quivered at her crazed expression, feeling overwhelming pressure. "I... well, that was me, yes... but you see, Rein, I need to keep some for you."

"You mean you went all-in a dozen times, risking not having any money for me, but now will because I'm standing in front of you?" Rein mused.

A harmony of [ooooohhhh] sounds came out, the atmosphere multiplying.

"I want it all, Rein." Steve said with a hopeless smile, "I want a lot of money, thrill, to spend time with you, and not get murdered simultaneously. Is that too much to ask for?"

Kiera watched with a cringing expression until she noticed Sage's expression burrowing into her soul. She immediately thought back to the words she hadn't heard long before.

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

"You're working for him, so you will do the same, got it? So play your role and don't look at men because I sure as fuck won't do that, got it?"

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

Realizing that she was threatening the entire operation, she summoned the Kiera Snow 101 crash course she got a few minutes before entering and turned to the redhead.

"Is there a reason you're giving me lust eyes, reddy?" Kiera asked haughtily, turning to the woman with a savage expression, "Because only one person gets to do that, and it sure as hell ain't you."

Sage's eyes widened in confusion. While the pink-haired woman's mannerisms seemed off, they were distinctive enough that it was hard to imagine Rein could play the role.

It was hard for the redhead to justify an interconnected web of people working together to pull off a clandestine operation.

At most, she imagined there could be a three-way shift with Rein being part of it, as the more people that knew, the worse it would be.

Since she didn't take honest Rein to lie or talk like Kiera to save her life, she ruled that out.

Sage smiled relaxedly and took a drink. "No, I was just confused to see you taking an interest in another--"

"Did just say you just imply that I was looking at another man romantically?" Kiera asked with a murderous gaze, "I didn't take you for someone who gets off on late-night torture sessions, but I guess you never know, do you?"

The redhead's smile disappeared, hearing the distinctive words from the fiery teen. In her mind, there was no way that Kaze or anyone else could truly imitate Kiera--she was too unique.

Her words then were far too authentic to fake. She was certain of it.

"I kid, I kid." Sage smiled.

"No, you weren't." Kiera scoffed, stomping over to Rein, still getting a pathetic proposal and holding up the games.

She was grateful that the slang riddler forced her to memorize a dozen sentences to say to Sage if they made eye contact or spoke.

At the time, she felt it was annoying. However, she changed her mind in an instant, and she was truly grateful.

As she walked up, she could finally hear the chaos unfolding.

"Come on, little lady!" A man grinned shamelessly, "Just join us for a bit!"

"It's a lot of fun!" Another said.

"I'll even buy you in for a round." A brunette grinned, "What do you say?"

"I'm not sure who you three are, so he's one point above all of you." Rein said, pointing to each and then to the begging Asian man, "So I'd rather if he kept your money--permanently."

All the gamblers frowned, realizing she understood the issue. If he didn't stay, they couldn't earn their money back--that's why they were putting up with the farce playing out!

The atmosphere cooled in an instant, with gamblers feeling their highs coming down and feeling like addicts going through withdrawals.

"Hey, Blush Pixie, if you're gonna propose, get it over with." Kiera snapped, grabbing Rein's shoulder.

When she arrived, everyone shuttered, and their bloodlust dissipated.

"I-It's the Princess."

"Shhhhh!"

"Who's this?"

"SsHhHhHHhHhhHh!

Steve Chung's eyes turned dark when he saw Kiera, hearing the toll bells ringing and feeling himself dragged into the void of monotony and normal dopamine levels.

It was over for him.

Rein turned to Kiera with an unenthusiastic expression. "Can you not make it sound like this man's shameless attempt to buy me a drink later involves marriage?"

"Wooooooooow, so that's what's going on here?" Kiera asked in bewilderment, "Mr. Desperate is jonesing for a pity snack before he's even balls deep in the red? That's pretty pathetic."

The Asian felt a poison arrow pierce through his heart, hearing the scathing rebuke that the real Kiera had prepared for her.

She felt satisfaction knowing she got to use it and that the crash course paid off.

-

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

"Booooooor~ring." Kiera scoffed in the private room, "I can't believe you just want the minutes on getting him out of the room.

You don't at least want to force feed [debt magnet] some [pwnage pie]?"

"If you're offering, then hell yeah, I do." Rein laughed, "If you're okay with me using your appearance, make it lethal."

[Kaze] smiled deviously, amused by the situation. "Coo, coo, coo. Let's start stacking ammo.

If he's broke when you see him, you're going to call that phenomenon [balls deep in the red].

If he asks for money, you'll call that a pity snack and him Mr. Desperate.

Addiction references get the word jonesing.

...

If he offers you his body for money, tell him you find his pity farming top-class and inspiring--so inspiring that it's turned you lesbian.

That should be enough for a two-minute conversation."

[Keira's] eyes were watery, blinking like a half-lobotomized lab rat. She listened to the slang riddler slam together random words for eighty different scenarios without a deep breath. "Okay...."

"You got this, girl." Kaze said with a charming smile, "Now ruffle up your hair slightly. I refuse to let someone think he took me into a backroom to verbally abuse me, so we'll default to satisfying sex."

"This is so creepy." The pink-haired teen sighed, ruffling her hair, "Wait, satisfying sex? Does that mean you two have had sex?"

"O-Of course." Kaze replied, blushing bright red to the tip of his ears, "Sex is obvious, right? Why do you think I've lost my virginity only recently?"

Kiera burst into uncontrollable giggles. "Hearing Kaze defend his sex life and talk of virginity is the funniest thing I've ever seen."

"If you speak a word to anyone!" He snapped.

"You'll rake out my intestines and use them as a bungee cord." She smiled sassily, walking out the door.

When she did, she was surrounded by dozens of people seeing the Princess walk out of a private room with the Emperor.

While Rein was Kiera, she didn't feel like Kiera! So she immediately blushed and hid behind Kaze, who was equally nervous but prepared.

"You're doing great." He whispered, "That's exactly what I would've done too."

â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’â"€â"ˆâ"€â•’

-

"Either way, Kazey's waiting for debt-nugget here, so we must leave." Kiera said, shocking everyone, "You've had your cute moment--that's all you get."

Steve's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-Wait, the Emperor wants me?"

"Yes." She replied, turning to Rein, "You should know that, but little miss blushy here came early for you and is putting up with your hopeless ass.

So get your shit together; you two can be cute on the way."

He glanced at Rein, who gave him a wry smile and nodded.

"O-One more bet?" Steve asked, closing his eyes in ultimate shame, "This is the most glorious moment of my life."