A man was arrested for breaking a pachinko machine

This is a story about Masaya and Tomoki, my classmates from school.

Masaya had come to a pachinko parlor for the first time a year ago, brought by his friend Tomoki. He had no idea then that this would be the start of his downfall.

"I can't believe how loud it is in here! I've never been to a pachinko parlor before," Masaya exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough," Tomoki assured him, enthusiastically explaining the appeal of pachinko. "And if you hit the jackpot, you'll forget all about the noise!"

"Is that so?" Masaya was skeptical.

"Absolutely," Tomoki continued, clearly enamored with the game. "This place is the ultimate playground; once you're hooked, there's no going back."

"Hmm, interesting," Masaya said, intrigued.

"Come on, give this machine a try. It's my personal favorite," Tomoki urged.

"Uh, okay..." Masaya hesitated but decided to give it a shot, investing just 1,000 JPY.

Suddenly, he hit the jackpot. "Oh my god, Tomoki, is this...?" Masaya couldn't hide his excitement.

"Yes, that's a jackpot! I can't believe you hit it on your first try with just 1,000 JPY, Masaya! You're incredible!" Tomoki exclaimed in amazement.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Masaya said modestly, though he was thrilled on the inside.

"This is more than just beginner's luck!" Tomoki was astonished by Masaya's natural talent.

"Hehehe, pachinko is so much fun!" Masaya was already getting hooked.

How Pachinko Derailed His Life

Masaya's first experience with pachinko was a huge success, and he couldn't get that thrilling feeling out of his head. From that day on, his life slowly started to spiral out of control. He became less focused on work and spent all his free time in pachinko parlors.

"I want to relive that exhilarating feeling! Pachinko has me in its grip, and I'm holding it responsible for giving me my fix," Masaya thought as he sank deeper into his addiction.

He wanted to turn his losses into profits, but luck seemed to have abandoned him after that first win. He spent all his salary and savings on pachinko, and his wallet was always empty.

"It's not enough to win a little here and there. I need to win big in the long run. I have to hit the jackpot every day to be satisfied," Masaya thought, already under the control of his addiction.

The emotional rollercoaster of wins and losses was part of the allure of pachinko for Masaya. He was now a full-blown addict, and the excitement of winning gave him a euphoric high.

"I can't imagine life without pachinko. Just you wait, I'll make a fortune with my talent one day," Masaya thought, oblivious to the dangerous path he was treading.

This went on for two years, and soon he couldn't even afford his monthly expenses, having depleted his savings. Desperate, Masaya resorted to cash advances on his credit card.

One day, he ran into Tomoki, whom he hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey, how have you been?" "Long time no see!" "How are things lately?" "Not bad." "Actually, I quit my job and became a professional pachinko player." "What? You quit your job, Tomoki?" "Yeah, I make a living solely from pachinko now. I earn more than I did as a salaryman, and I'm happy with my decision." Tomoki explained his new life with enthusiasm.

"Wow..." Masaya listened with mixed feelings, impressed by Tomoki's apparent success in making a living from pachinko alone. This fueled his own misguided ambitions.

Masaya Also Decides to Become a Professional Pachinko Player

(I might as well spend my time improving at pachinko instead of working diligently.) Masaya's mind was made up; pachinko had become his top priority, surpassing his dedication to his job.

And so, Masaya submitted his resignation to his company.

Determined to recoup his losses, he threw himself into the world of pachinko, studying the ins and outs of the game. He learned to identify high-payout machines, distinguish tight machines, analyze data, and more.

He became adept at assessing the state of the pins and the entry rate, avoiding busy days like payday, and calculating operating rates by reverse-engineering event days. Pachinko consumed all his time and energy.

Yet, despite his efforts, he continued to lose...

Desperate to find a surefire way to win, Masaya knew he was staring at a future of endless losses and ruin.

"My strategy is to target slot machines and practice 'hJPYa behavior.' I'll let others play the machines that don't hit the jackpot, and I'll only play the ones with a high probability of winning. That way, I'll increase my win rate," he reasoned.

(Come on, hurry up and finish so I can play. This machine is mine.) Masaya impatiently waited for his turn, eyeing the machine someone else was playing.

Just then, an employee spoke up. "Sir, we do not allow hJPYa behavior in our establishment. As a result, we must ask you to leave and inform you that you are no longer welcome here." "W-what?!?" Masaya was stunned. "You're causing a disturbance to our other customers, so please leave!" "But I'm a customer too!" "The reasons for the ban are clearly stated. They include not holding a place in line, not performing 'stop-hitting' or single-hitting,' and so on..." "That's unfair! I'm just trying to win!" "Rules are rules. We ask that you leave to prevent any issues with other customers." "Damn it!"

And just like that, Masaya was banned from his favorite pachinko parlor. He was devastated. "This is the worst. I was supposed to make a profit today, and now I'm banned?" After this latest loss, Masaya was left with only 5,000 JPY to his name, not even enough to pay his rent.

(I have no choice but to borrow money from a consumer finance company...) Without thinking twice, Masaya headed straight to a consumer finance company.

He borrowed 500,000 JPY, unsure of how he would repay it but knowing he had no other option. "With this 500,000 JPY, I've got my hands on a small fortune for the first time. There's no turning back now. I'll show them as a professional pachinko player and make even more!"

On his way home, Masaya couldn't resist the urge to try and increase the 500,000 JPY at another pachinko parlor.

He found a new place and played until closing, but by the end of the night, his 500,000 JPY had dwindled to 300,000 JPY.

(It's fine. I just need to win 200,000 JPY tomorrow.) Masaya was still in denial about the reality of his situation.

Another Loss the Next Day

The next day, Masaya decided that the parlor he had lost at the previous day wasn't lucky for him, so he set out to find a new "lucky parlor." He spent time and money visiting various pachinko parlors in the area until he found one that felt right.

He knew that finding his "lucky parlor" was crucial to improving his win rate. It was a tedious process, but he felt he had no other choice.

He entered one such parlor and started playing, but all he hit were single jackpots with no consecutive wins, and before he knew it, he had spent 100,000 JPY. "How could this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen." Masaya was dejected.

A Streak of Losses

After being banned from his usual parlor, Masaya started playing at various other locations. There were days when he won, but most of the time, he lost.

(I can't afford to lose anymore...) Masaya continued to play, praying for a turnaround.

But luck wasn't on his side. The money he had borrowed from the consumer finance company was gone, so he borrowed 300,000 JPY from another consumer finance company and continued to play.

The next day, he was up 8,000 JPY, but the day after that, he was down 150,000 JPY. His 300,000 JPY was slowly but surely dwindling.

Eventually, he ran out of options for borrowing money, and in a desperate move, he turned to a loan shark.

(There's no turning back now...) Masaya knew he had crossed a point of no return.

He borrowed 200,000 JPY from the loan shark, determined to turn this last resort into a winning streak. He knew he was out of second chances, but he believed he could keep winning.

Arrested for Property Damage

(Even if I've been losing in the long run, my short-term win rate is good. I will definitely win this time.) The moment he borrowed the money, Masaya's thoughts turned to pachinko, pushing aside concerns about his daily life.

He decided to play on his favorite machine, and two hours later... "I've already lost 50,000 JPY. This doesn't make sense. I should be winning by now." Masaya's anger surfaced. "Fine, I'll just bet it all then."

Two hours later, as the parlor was about to close, Masaya's wallet was empty. He flew into a rage. "This is ridiculous!""SMASH!" Masaya punched the machine in anger. "How dare a stupid pachinko machine get the better of me! I'll destroy it!" "Hey, customer, stop that!" "SMASH! SMASH!" Masaya ignored the employee's pleas and continued to vandalize the machine.

"Sir, please stop!" The employee tried to intervene, but Masaya wouldn't listen.

The police were called, and Masaya was arrested for property damage. He was taken to the police station, accused of punching and breaking the pachinko machine.

Conclusion

Pachinko can be enjoyable, but it's important to maintain a healthy balance. Don't neglect your work or gamble more money than you can afford to lose. Always plan and gamble within your means. Remember, gambling has its ups and downs—you win some, and you lose some.