The Pachinko Pro Group that Really Existed

At 9 a.m., there was a group of about 20 people in the parking lot of a pachinko parlor.

"All right, everyone, gather around! Let's go over today's plan!"

"Yes!"

"Those who drew numbers 30 and below will play Dai Kai Monogatari; the rest of you, play the machines that had fewer jackpots yesterday and the day before."

"Understood."

(Well, I guess I'll just play as instructed today, too...)

And then, six hours later...

"Good work, everyone. Here's your pay for today."

"Oh, thank you very much! Good work, everyone!"

My name is Kousuke Hayakawa, 38 years old. I am currently a member of a pachinko pro group. My job is to play pachinko every day as instructed.

To outsiders, I may just look like a guy who plays pachinko all the time, but this is my lifestyle, so there's nothing I can do about it.

"That's it for today. I'll contact you about tomorrow's schedule later. For now, let's call it a day."

"Understood."

It has been about three months since I joined this pachinko pro group. I used to play pachinko as a hobby, and while I didn't win that often, the company I was working for suddenly started struggling financially and began offering early retirement packages.

Thinking that I didn't have a future with this company anymore, I decided to retire.

Invited by Yonesuke-san

After that, I went to play pachinko for a while, and during that time, a man I knew named Yonesuke-san approached me.

"Hey, Hayakawa-chan, I heard you quit your job. If that's the case, why don't you come work for us?"

"Huh? Yonesuke-san, do you run a company?"

"No, it's not a company, but I'm actually part of a pachinko pro group, and we're looking for new members right now..."

"A pachinko pro group? But I don't win that often."

"That's okay, as long as you follow instructions. That's all we ask."

"So, it doesn't matter if I don't win?"

"Yeah, just play the machines we tell you to. That's all."

"Oh, I think I can do that..."

"Great."

"Will I get paid?"

"Of course. We pay daily wages."

"Oh, I see... Well, I haven't found another job yet, so maybe I could do this in the meantime. Okay, I'll give it a shot. Thank you!"

"Great, then please come by tomorrow..."

"Okay, will do."

For now, I didn't have a job, and the idea of getting paid to play pachinko, which was just a hobby, sounded appealing. Plus, the fact that I didn't have to win was a big plus.

And so, I joined the pachinko pro group, and so far, I've been doing well without any problems.

My seniors teach me how to win, and all I have to do is follow their instructions.

Still, 6,000 JPY for six hours of play... That's 1,000 JPY an hour.

This daily wage is a bit disappointing... I have some savings, but they're slowly dwindling.

Initially, I thought of this job as a temporary solution until I found another job, but as someone without any particular qualifications, finding a new job has proven challenging.

As expected, even after three months, I'm still struggling. I've gone on over ten job interviews, but to no avail.

So, for now, I had no choice but to continue working for the pachinko pro group.

Three Months Later...

I am punctual and always follow instructions.

My dedication has been recognized, and I received a raise starting this month.

Incredibly, I now earn 12,000 JPY for six hours of play, which equates to an hourly wage of 2,000 JPY—twice as much as before.

With this increase, I no longer need to dip into my savings, which is a relief.

As long as I don't indulge in luxuries, I can maintain a decent standard of living.

Apparently, there are executives in the group who earn around 1 million JPY per month, and I hope to work hard and become one of them someday.

Well, for now, I'll just continue to work diligently as instructed... I'm sure they'll give me another raise eventually.

For now, my goal is to earn 500,000 JPY.

The Next Day

As usual, I woke up early and headed to the pachinko parlor, but before that, I stopped by a 24-hour diner near my house to fill my stomach.

You see, if you don't eat a proper meal beforehand, you can't take a break to eat while playing pachinko.

Once you sit down at a machine, you need to keep playing without stopping to maximize the number of spins.

After finishing my meal, I arrived at the pachinko parlor with some time to spare.

"Hayakawa-kun, today, you'll be playing Hana no Keiji. Here's some cash in advance, and this is your membership card."

"Thank you very much."

"Here's 30,000 JPY for now, and your membership card."

"Understood."

When I first joined the group, I always had to present my ID during these exchanges. Otherwise, they wouldn't give me the funds to play because some people would run away with the money.

That makes sense, right? After all, among those who want to join a pachinko pro group, there are many incomprehensible individuals.

So, they didn't trust people that easily.

In that regard, I feel like I've earned their trust. You see, I no longer need to present my ID; they stopped asking for it about a month ago.

"Also, Hayakawa-kun, I want you to look after a new recruit today."

"Huh? A new recruit?"

"Yeah, come over here for a second."

"Nice to meet you... My name is Suzuki."

"Hayakawa-kun, this young man is 22 years old and doesn't know much yet, so I want you to teach him the ropes."

"Understood. When did he join?"

"Today..."

"I see..."

And so, I became responsible for guiding this new recruit, Suzuki-kun.

"Well, let's get started..."

The machine I'm playing is known to be a high-payout setting, so I don't have to think too much. I just need to keep playing.

(It's a bit boring... I wonder how Suzuki-kun, the new recruit, is doing. Maybe I'll go and check on him.)

"Hey, Suzuki-kun, how's it going? Are you getting the hang of it?"

"Oh, Hayakawa-san. Yes, slowly but surely, I'm getting used to it."

"That's good. Also, your pace is a bit slow, so try to speed it up a little."

"O-okay..."

"Yeah..."

Well, that's about it... I don't think I need to say anything else...

I returned to my machine and resumed playing.

After a while, I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hayakawa-san, how's it going?"

I turned around to see the group leader standing there.

"Yeah, it's going well."

"That's good to hear."

(I think that guy earns around 1 million JPY a month... He looks so serious. I mean, it's just pachinko; you don't have to make that face. He should just relax and enjoy it.)

After Closing

Suzuki-kun looked dejected.

"Hayakawa-san, I'm sorry. I lost..."

"It's fine, it's fine. You played the machine as instructed, so don't worry about it."

"Okay..."

Apparently, Suzuki-kun's machine didn't pay out in the end. It's just one of those things when our predictions don't pan out.

According to the group leader, it was supposed to be a 60% chance of winning.

On the other hand, I had a big win. I accumulated a large number of pachinko balls.

Then, we were paid our daily wages in turn.

"Here you go, Suzuki-kun. This is your pay for today."

"Oh, thank you very much. I'm sorry for losing."

"Don't worry about it. Next time, try to find ways to win more. We'll teach you, so don't worry."

"O-okay..."

"Hayakawa-san, thank you for winning today. Here's your pay for today."

"Thank you."

The amount I received was the usual 12,000 JPY. I had won about 100,000 JPY worth of pachinko balls, but the payout remained the same... It's a bit disappointing.

(Sigh... I'm starting to lose motivation...)

Just then, as if sensing my gloomy mood, the group's chairman, who happened to be at the parlor, called out to me.

"Hayakawa-san..."

"Yes?"

"Do you have some time after this?"

"Oh, yes, I do."

The chairman then took me to an izakaya (Japanese pub).

Upon arriving at the izakaya...

"Is something bothering you? You seemed down earlier."

"Well, actually..."

I honestly shared my thoughts with the chairman.

"I see... So, you're losing motivation, huh?"

"Yes, I'm almost 40 years old now, and I'm wondering if I should continue being part of this group."

"That's understandable... Pachinko pros aren't exactly well-regarded by society, and there's no guarantee for the future. I can understand your concerns."

"But I'm a bit surprised to hear those words from you, Chairman."

"Well, it's the truth..."

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why did you start this pachinko pro group in the first place?"

"Well, to be honest, I was a university exam failure, and I struggled to find a job. On top of that, I got hooked on pachinko and lost a lot of money. I had no money, no education, and no job. I was at rock bottom."

"Huh? Even the chairman had a losing streak at pachinko?"

"Of course. In the beginning, I lost a lot, too. Pachinko machines are designed so that the house always has an advantage if you just play normally."

"So, how did you turn things around?"

"Well, back then, I was desperate, so I studied very hard. I collected data every day and thought about strategies... Of course, I was also job hunting during that time, but no one would hire me... I thought I was a misfit in society."

"I see..."

"But I still wanted money, so I focused all my efforts on studying pachinko. Slowly but surely, I started winning, and my monthly earnings reached 500,000 JPY. I was making more money than my peers who had graduated from college and entered the workforce."

"That's impressive."

"Yes, and that's when I realized that even a misfit like me could earn money by diligently pursuing and researching one thing."

"...I see."

"Well, some people might say that pachinko isn't exactly a respectable pursuit... But for me, it was the first time I felt confident about something in my life."

"I understand now. And then, you formed this group to expand your profits, right?"

"Of course, that's part of it... But the main reason was that I wanted to help people like me—misfits in society. I wanted to give them confidence."

"I see... So that was your reason."

"Yes, pachinko doesn't require any particular qualifications, right?"

"Yes..."

"Anyone can do it, regardless of their lack of skills or experience, as long as they put in the effort, right?"

"That's true. Even someone like me, who has no qualifications and struggled to find a new job, can succeed in this field."

(Come to think of it, the chairman values me, even though I'm like this... I tend to forget to be grateful, which is pathetic... I used to look down on pachinko a bit, thinking it was just a silly hobby, and I didn't take it seriously... From now on, I need to think for myself, come up with ideas, and study hard. When I think about it, it's the same with my previous company. I blamed the company and my boss for my lack of results without taking responsibility for my own actions.)

"Chairman, I will rededicate myself and work hard to contribute to this group! Thank you for everything."

"I understand. I'm counting on you."

Six Months Later

Since that day, I have studied a lot. I not only searched online but also sought out various pro strategies and put them into practice, leading to my growth.

And six months later...

I had been promoted to group leader.

"Suzuki-kun, how's it going?"

"Oh, Hayakawa-san, the machine is paying out well, and things are going smoothly so far."

"That's good. Keep it up. Also, pay attention to what's happening around you."

"Understood."

"I'll go back to my machine. Let me know if anything comes up."

"Okay..."

My current income is 700,000 JPY per month. With a little more effort, I think I can reach the 1 million JPY mark.

For now, I plan to continue working hard and maintaining this pace.

However, I don't intend to stay with this pachinko pro group forever. Someday, I want to form my own group, just like the chairman.

For now, I'll do my best in the environment I've been given and give it my all.