Chapter 40

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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I don't know the rules of roulette very well, but I'll try to explain them anyway.

Roulette has 38 slots in total, including numbers 1 to 36 in red and black, and green slots for 0 and 00. The ball lands in one of these slots. If the ball lands in the same slot you bet on, you win a payout.

For example, if you bet on red, you have a 9/19 chance of winning, and your chips double. If the ball lands on black or green, you lose your chips.

If you bet on a specific number, you get 36 times your bet if the ball lands on that number.

In other words, if you continue playing normally, the house is designed to always win. Moreover, professional dealers can control where the ball lands by adjusting the force with which they throw it, making it even harder for players to win.

That's how the rules work, I think.

The roulette wheel spun, and the ball began to move around the spinning board—just as Haru moved.

He placed chips... but not on red or black, or even or odd.

He placed them on five numbers at once: 13, 36, 24, 3, and 15.

"That's it," the dealer announced, meaning no more chips could be moved.

Why those numbers?

When I looked closely at the roulette wheel, I realized they formed a cluster.

The numbers on the roulette wheel are arranged randomly.

And 13, 36, 24, 3, and 15 were adjacent on the board.

So, Haru predicted the ball would land near 24, and it did, landing slightly off but on 3.

"Wow, that's the seventh time in a row," Haru said.

"Can you really predict the ball's movement!? The wheel is spinning too!"

"No way, even the winged race, known for their excellent dynamic vision, can't do that."

The audience's murmurs didn't stop.

What, seven consecutive wins?

Even with five bets, the payout is 36 times, so effectively 7 times, and he did it seven times in a row.

"...Haru"

"Master, I'm embarrassed. I couldn't predict the ball's movement accurately and had to place bets on five numbers."

...It was embarrassing.

"...By the way, how many medals do we have now?"

"Technically, we didn't use all the medals, and the roulette limit was one red chip, so we have about 12 black medals. We also have a few green medals."

"...I see, well done."

I patted Haru's head, thinking he might have gone a bit overboard.

If he kept this up, he'd be mistaken for a gambler, and even now, he's already a pretty good one.

"What about the result of your slot machine, Master?"

"You figured out I was playing the slot machine?"

"Your scent was coming from the slot corner."

...Haru's nose is as sharp as ever today.

"I have about 13 yellow medals."

"To increase your medals to that extent on a slot machine that relies solely on luck, you're truly remarkable, Master."

...No, no, being called "remarkable" in this context just sounds sarcastic.

Anyway, we can apparently use the medals for meals, so let's have lunch a bit early.

Just as I thought that,

"Wow, that was an impressive roulette game just now."

A man with a plastered smile approached, waving his hand.

"I'm the face of this casino, Golsa."

Oh no, did they mistake us for gamblers?

But we haven't done anything wrong.

I was just playing the slot machine, and Haru was just (sort of) predicting the ball's movement in roulette.

But, noticing my caution, the man shook his head.

"No, no, I'd like to invite you two to the VIP lounge on the second floor. Normally, only those who have earned 10 black medals can go there, but after seeing the skills of the white wolf girl, I'd like to challenge you to a game with me."

"I'll pass."

I cut him off with those words.

"May I ask why?"

"We're just amateurs who came to the casino today. I don't think we can beat the owner of this place."

"No, no, I'm just the nominal manager—"

What kind of nominal manager is that? I can clearly see it.

[Gambler: Level 39]

I don't know how one becomes a gambler, but it's clear this guy is a pro. Who knows what skills he has.

I wouldn't even notice if he cheated.

Still, it's scary to be mistaken for a gambler. I might get stabbed from behind.

"...Golsa, rather than that, can I ask you something? Can you exchange these medals for items using your authority?"

I said this with a smirk.

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"Haru, sorry, I reduced our profits significantly."

"No, I also went a bit overboard."

In the end, we were left with 3 red medals, a few white medals, and 100,000 cents.

In the casino owner's office.

We were having a meal here.

I was eating tender meat, and Haru was eating tough meat.

I was offered wine, but of course, I refused. I wouldn't let Haru drink it.

"Golsa, I'm sorry for making you run back and forth and even treating us to lunch."

"No, it's no trouble at all. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Yes, I'm glad too."

We exchanged 12 black medals for items with a 100% exchange rate.

We cashed these items at the (actually connected) exchange counter next to the casino.

We got 1,200,000 cents, which is 120 gold coins, equivalent to 120 million yen, and exchanged it for medals.

We got 90 red medals.

We immediately exchanged these for items and cashed them.

We repeated this process, leaving us with 3 red medals and a few white medals.

For the casino, this just increases the tax they have to pay to the government, but since it's a state-run casino, they can get support (more in legal terms than financial) based on the tax amount, so it's better than just giving away items.

The casino accepted my offer for that reason.

So, why did I do this?

The answer is simple.

To significantly increase the level of a commoner.

My current commoner level is 72.

To summarize the events in between:

[Ichinoshou's level increased]

[Commoner Skill: Cheer obtained]

[Occupation: Magic Scribe unlocked]

[Occupation: Apprentice Spellcaster unlocked]

[Commoner Skill: Cheer upgraded to Cheer II]

Cheer is a skill that boosts the stats of allies, but the user can't use magic while it's active.

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Occupation: Magic Scribe [Commoner Level 50]

Consume MP to create magical documents.

These documents have special powers.

Special Experience Condition: Create contract documents.

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Occupation: Apprentice Spellcaster [Commoner Level 60]

Learn basic healing magic.

An occupation with high magic defense.

Special Experience Condition: Use healing magic.

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Magic Scribe is an interesting occupation. According to Haru, it's like a notary in this world.

It's also a well-paying job.

Apprentice Spellcaster is a specialist in healing magic.

It's like a healer, such as a white mage or a priest.

In this world, low-level potions are relatively cheap, but effective healing magic is rare, and the cost of treatment is very high.

"Still, it's really 100 out of 100... I didn't know there was such a loophole in roulette."

Using a small backup roulette wheel in the office, I had Haru try it out, and she hit all five numbers perfectly.

"No, I'm still not that good. I need to place five bets. If I had the skills of the person who taught me this method, I could hit a single number with just the dealer's wrist and finger movements."

"That's terrifying. I don't want to face someone like that... Haru, would you like to try one more time?"

"Yes."

Golsa threw the ball.

Haru predicted five numbers, but the ball suddenly bounced and landed on 00, opposite to Haru's prediction.

"It seems I won this time. Gambling is fun because you never know what will happen."

"...It was interesting to see that. Thank you."

Haru thanked him.

This was both a thank you and a warning from Golsa.

If you try to make money through gambling, you might lose it all at any moment.

And this warning is also a thank you from Golsa.

I thanked him for the meal and left the office.

"Then, let's exchange the medals for items and go to the dungeon. Haru, what do you want to exchange for?"

"No, it's your money, Master. Please use it as you see fit. I'm fine with just this scarf you gave me."

"...I knew you'd say that, Haru..."

I can't use the money in my account because it was earned by Milli.

It's the same logic.

This money was earned by Haru, so I think Haru should use it.

But if I leave it like this, Haru won't use it.

So, the answer is simple.

I stared at the item exchange counter's list of items,

"Excuse me, I'd like this."

I pointed to an item in the catalog and handed over the 3 red medals.

The receptionist brought the item.

A brooch adorned with a green gem.

The Wind Brooch not only provides resistance to wind-based attacks but also increases speed.

"...Haru, I'm counting on you from now on."

I attached the brooch to Haru's chest.

Even as I said it, I felt a bit self-loathing for using Haru's earned money to buy her a gift.

But when I saw Haru's happy face—no, her tail moving under her skirt—such self-loathing didn't matter.

That's how I felt.

"Thank you, Master... I will do my best to meet your expectations, even if it costs me my life."

That's why, Haru always says such grand things.