How did I get myself into this mess? Daniel wondered, turning a gold coin in his hand. Though Nobutoshi had given him ample payment for his trouble so far, it was little comfort to him as he approached the casino. It was cleverly disguised as an ordinary bar. There were two intimidating bouncers outside the door. Daniel took a deep breath and headed towards them.

The bouncers stopped him at the door. “ID?”

Though he knew they didn’t think he was under 21, Daniel complied without comment, handing over his driver’s license.

“You here for a drink?” one asked while the other scrutinized his license, possibly memorizing information.

Daniel slowly removed the gold coin from his pocket. It had kanji characters on one side and a picture of a phoenix on the other. “Actually, I was looking for some action. I was told this was the place to go.”

The bouncers looked at each other, then back at Daniel. He could tell they weren’t quite buying it.

“And—I have a message. For your boss.”