The Story Of a Pachinko Pro Who was Banned From All Pachinko Parlors

"Alright, today feels good too!"

I just hit the jackpot on the pachinko machine I'm playing!

Then, a man with a bad appearance sitting next to me started talking to me in a familiar way.

"Hmm? You're using a different technique, brother. Teach me too~"

"Ah, no... I'm leaving soon... sorry..."

I'm in trouble if it gets out that I'm using a different technique than everyone else.

(Sigh... it's become difficult to play here... I guess I'll stop playing in this area...)

When I got home, I started watching pachinko-related video sites.

But it's not for entertainment, it's part of my job.

I never skip my research.

(Hmm, no, that's not right. For that new machine, you shouldn't aim for the pin there, but rather the one further ahead...)

My name is Koosuke Kitamura, a 48-year-old single man. I've been making a living as a pachinko pro for about 20 years now, and these days I earn around 600,000 JPY a month.

But it hasn't always been smooth sailing.

Because if you win too much, you'll be banned from the pachinko parlor. The more you win as a pro, the more the parlor keeps an eye on you.

By the way, the number of stores that have banned me so far is more than 30. The confiscated saved balls amount to about 1,000,000 JPY.

From now on, I have to be as inconspicuous as possible...

To begin with, the reason I became a pachinko pro is...

Why I Became a Pachinko Pro

After graduating from university, I was able to get a job at a major company as a new graduate.

But reality was harsh...

"Hey, Kitamura! Explain it to me again!"

"Well, at first, the customer wasn't angry... but then suddenly... Oh, I mean last week..."

"No, I still don't really understand what you're saying..."

I tended to get nervous and shrink when talking to people, so I wasn't very good at communicating.

"I'm sorry..."

"You're a college graduate, right!? You're smart, so why are you so useless!?"

I couldn't fit in at the company, so I looked for a way to live on my own without relying on an organization.

And that's how I ended up with pachinko.

I've always loved pachinko and had a good sense for it. So when I started taking it seriously, I was able to make a stable income in just a few months.

But even though I became a pro safely, there were many stores that regulated professional play.

Professional play is a big disadvantage for the parlor, and if other customers see that I'm always winning, they may think the parlor is favoring me and it can lead to trouble.

"I'm sorry, but this is a problem for us... We can't have you winning this much... I'm sorry, but we'd like to ask you to refrain from coming to our parlor."

"I understand..."

And so, I was banned from playing at various parlors and had a lot of my saved balls confiscated.

However, there was one parlor that I had been going to for a long time, called "Fever Time".

To the Pachinko Parlor in the Morning

At Fever Time, I'm already well-known to the staff.

"Welcome."

"Good afternoon."

"Oh, good morning!"

This parlor was relatively tolerant of pachinko pros like me.

Thanks to that, I've been able to earn a living here.

When I enter the parlor, I instantly assess the pins...

(This machine is sweet...)

I not only check if the pins are closed, but also carefully confirm the arrangement of the pins on the right side.

Because depending on how the pins on the right are arranged, there is a high possibility that the number of turns will be unexpected.

If the number of turns is unexpected, it is more likely to result in an amazing number.

(Alright, I'll play on this machine today.)

"Hmm?"

"Hello."

"Oh, good afternoon!"

When I sat down, I saw a man in his 70s whom I often see lately sitting next to me.

"Oh! There you are~!"

(This old man always looks so happy... He's the type who enjoys the performance more than winning or losing... But strangely, when I'm next to him, I feel excited too. Pachinko seems to be a pure hobby for the old man, and he doesn't seem to be a pro like me.)

"Look, brother! I hit the jackpot!"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

(I wish I could play as happily as him... For me now, pachinko is more of a job than entertainment... Because of that, I sometimes get frustrated, but I need to learn from this old man so I don't forget my original love for the game...)

"Brother, have you heard? Apparently, the manager of this parlor has changed recently."

"Huh? Really? I didn't know that."

While having such a casual conversation, I steadily did my job as a pro.

First of all, it's no good to just shoot the balls. You have to stop the balls at a certain timing, pay attention to the number of reserves, and shoot them little by little. If a ball that should have gone in doesn't, you'll lose about 50 JPY... You might think that wasting a few balls is no big deal, but they add up over time.

Over the course of a year, it can amount to a loss of several hundred thousand yen.

I always adjust my shooting style and aim for the balls to enter the attacker at the same time. If they enter at the same time, one extra ball will be awarded, so more balls will come out.

"Alright, this is good!"

This is my style: using techniques like stopping the balls and twisting the balls to reduce waste as much as possible and aiming for over-awards.

"You're still amazing, brother. You're really something."

"Huh? Well, if you play this machine with a proper strategy, you can definitely win."

"Most people know that, but they can't do it. You're really reliable..."

At that moment, my machine entered a fever mode!

"Yes, I did it!"

"Nice, nice, it feels good to watch."

"Thank you! I also enjoy playing pachinko more when I'm with the old man. We have good chemistry!"

I loved pachinko so much that I didn't want to play just for the money. I wanted to simply enjoy it and increase my winnings... That was my ideal.

Getting Banned

It was then...

(Hmm... The staff are walking around behind me a lot today...)

Since a while ago, the staff had been frequently walking back and forth behind me.

When I casually observed them, they seemed to be talking on their headsets.

They kept glancing at me.

(Don't tell me... I've felt this unpleasant atmosphere many times in the past...)

The word "banned" flashed through my mind...

(N, no... It's probably just my imagination... This parlor has always been fine until now...)

Then, at that moment!

"Excuse me, sir, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Huh? Y, yes..."

The one who called out to me was the new manager of this parlor.

"Thank you for always using our parlor. However, we are having some trouble with the way you play, so..."

"Huh? But until now..."

"Until now is until now. We have also reconsidered our policy on this matter."

Apparently, with the change in management, the parlor's rules had also changed.

"I'm sorry, but could you please leave the parlor immediately?"

"Y, yes..."

"Please refrain from coming to our parlor in the future. Also, I'm sorry, but we will have to confiscate all your saved balls."

His tone was gentle, but in this situation, no amount of arguing would change the outcome. It's smarter to just accept it while the parlor is still being reasonable.

Also, I've been relying on this parlor for a long time, so I didn't want to cause them any more trouble.

"Here's your card..."

All the saved balls I had accumulated until now were now gone.

"Thank you. By the way, do you also have a card for our group's other parlors?"

"Y, yes..."

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to take those too..."

"I understand..."

I had finally been banned from the only parlor in my area that I hadn't been banned from.

(Sigh... There's nowhere left to go... I guess I'll have to move...)

Conclusion

And so, Kitamura-san was finally banned from the last parlor and had no more places to play pachinko in his area.

He was left with only two choices: to move to a new place or to find a proper job.