Unexpected it may be, I came to the monster racetrack, and after paying the entrance fee with Alice, we went inside.
From what I’ve heard, it’s just like horse racing back on Earth, but the details may be different in many ways.
[Even so, that’s a terrific crowd they have here~~]
[Wham, omnom…… Fuehh?]
[No, it’s nothing.]
It was very crowded inside and there were a huge number of people in the circular hall.
I spoke my thoughts after being surprised seeing such a scene, but Alice had both of her hands full of food and she’s chewing some of it like a squirrel.
By the way, you just bought those foods from the stall with my money I paid you the day before yesterday……. so, what happened to that extra income of yours?
[Speaking of which, I don’t really know the rules.]
[Omff? Gulp. It’s easy. First, the 10 monsters that are participating in the race would go around the course to show their face. Then, you buy a ticket by predicting which one will win at that time. If you win, you get to redeem your prize.]
[Fumu.]
Alice prompted me to take a look at the course, and I saw that there are really various monsters here, some of them looking like large dogs, and some like crocodiles.
Hmmm, even if I look at them, I have no idea how fast they are…… No matter how I think about it, crocodiles would be pretty slow, but if they’re here in a race, are they fast enough to compete with the others?
[Speaking of which, you said we’ll play a game but…… What about the rules?]
[Ahh~ that’s right. Then, let’s just say that our total budget is 1000R, but we’re free to bet how much we want. There are ten races that will be happening from now on, so whoever makes the most money in the end wins.]
[Alright.]
1000R…… I’ve never gambled before, so I don’t know how much is average, but it should be about 100,000 yen…… If she spends 100,000 yen each time she goes here, she’d certainly become broke in no time.
I decided I’ll go with that for the meantime, and moved with Alice to the place where we buy tickets.
I don’t know much about horse racing, but I’ve heard of something like a “trifecta” before.
However, it seems that the only way to buy tickets for this monster race is to predict the first place or the first and second place at the same time.
To be honest, I still have no idea what I should do, so I just decided to go with my gut feeling and buy a single winner for #7.
My budget is 1000R for 10 races, so I bet 100R for this round and met up with Alice…… Alice glances at my ticket before she smirks.
[Kaito-san bet for the Funny Rabbit huh…… Fufufu, that’s very amateurish of you.]
[Unnn?]
[Funny Rabbits are indeed monsters famous for their agility, but they don’t run properly except when they’re aiming at its prey. So, look……they’re not very popular either, right?]
[Heehhh……]
I looked in the direction Alice pointed and saw a large wooden sign with the order of popularity handwritten on it.
The Funny Rabbit I bet on was third from the bottom…… and are those numbers beside it the multiplier if it wins? It had an approximate added on the header, so I guess those numbers are just rough estimates huh?
[Incidentally, I bet for the most popular Grapple Wolf and the second most popular Wind Jaguar for 50R each in first place and second place. Fufufu, I’m going for a secured win.]
[That’s very mature of you, using a plan like that against an amateur……]
[Hahaha, the society is entirely about the winners! I will be getting that fancy dinner!]
I don’t know much about monsters to begin with, so I don’t think I can match with her, but Alice seems to be having fun, so I guess I’ll just let it slide……
In fact, if Alice wins big with this, it will make her life easier from now on…… In which case, I’ll have to be even more strict and careful with her gambling than she is now……
Just as I sat down at a suitable seat with Alice, it looked like the race would start soon.
By the way, Alice is wearing her usual opera mask, which would normally be quite suspicious but…… there are red-skinned ogres and some other beings normally walking around in the hall, so it doesn’t seem to be a problem at all.
“Now, the race will start soon! Introducing the most popular, Grapple Wolf, the second most popular, Wind Jaguar, and the third most popular, the Black Leo!”
[Unnn? What’s that voice?]
[He’s using Amplification Magic to give live commentary of the race.]
[I see.]
It seems there’s something like loudspeakers here in this work that can give live updates on the race.
As an amateur, I’m grateful for the fact that there will be live commentaries, and I’m starting to get excited about it.
And then, the participating monsters began lining up at the starting point…… and the one I bet on was that 2-meter long rabbit.
Hmmm…… At any rate, most of the monsters are larger than common animals, and it’s quite impressive seeing them lined up like this.
Incidentally, I’ve heard that in the monster race, the monsters would sometimes fight each other, which can lead to really unexpected results.
While I was thinking about this, a sound like a fanfare rang out, and the fence in front of the monsters disappeared, signifying the start of the race.
“Now, the race has finally started! The first one that leaped out was…… Whoa, this is! Funny Rabbit! It’s the Funny Rabbit!”
[Wha!?]
A huge rabbit jumped out of the starting group, and began to quickly pull away from the rest of the group.
“It’s fast! The Funny Rabbit’s speed isn’t funny at all! This is quite an unexpected turn of events, the seldom-motivated Funny Rabbit dash! Could this be that once-in-a-century event!?”
[Eh? W- Wait, this is……]
Looking at the Funny Rabbit, who is widening the gap with the others, Alice started panicking.
I mean, was it really that rare for it to get motivated that it was seriously getting called as a once in a century event…… It seems that rabbit is just like Fate-san.
“The Funny Rabbit is overwhelmingly fast! It has already pulled away from the rest of the group!”
[N- No way……]
“And now, with half a lap ahead of the others, it reached the goal! In first place is the Funny Rabbit! It’s the Funny Rabbit!!!”
[Eeehhhhh!?]
And thus, in the end, with an overwhelming lead, the Funny Rabbit won.
I never thought I’d get it right……While Alice just looked at it with her mouth opened wide. As a self-proclaimed beauty, I don’t think that’s something you should do……
[I- I- It’s that beginner’s luck thing, right…… H- How frightening. With that win, you could get around 50-times your bet……]
[50 times…… 5000R!?]
It seems that the Funny Rabbit really wasn’t popular, and the multiplier for its win is 50-times.
Doesn’t this mean I win the game already? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s just beginner’s luck……
[Ahahaha! Kaito-san, what are you thinking when you bet on that!? Isn’t that Tyrant Turtle, you know, a slow turtle!?]
[……No, I’m not really sure who to bet on, so I just randomly bet on someone.]
[Moreover, you bet 500R… Ahaha, isn’t that quite a waste~~?]
In the second race, Alice was laughing her head off when she saw the ticket I bought.
I bought my ticket at random again, and it seems that the Tyrant Turtle I bought was the least popular by far.
I thought it was fast enough since it’s participating in a race, but it seems it’s really slow.
[However, it seems that what happened last round really was a beginner’s luck. I guess this is the starting point of my great comeback.]
[Yeah, yeah.]
Even so, Alice has been really filled with tension since a while ago.
It’s interesting to watch her smug smile turn into a flustered one.
Thereupon, we moved to our seats again and the second race started…… and immediately afterwards, things took an unbelievable turn.
The Tyrant Turtle…… The giant tortoise-shaped monster bit the neck of the horse-shaped monster running beside it as soon as the race started, pulling it down to the ground.
“Whoa! The Tyrant Turtle attacks! The Grave Horse has fallen prey to its fangs!!!”
I see, when they said there would be fights between monsters, this is what they mean huh……
However, the situation shifted to something even more unbelievable.
There were many bloodthirsty monsters in this race, and when the other monsters saw the Grave Horse had been defeated, they turned to the Tyrant Turtle and began attacking it.
“This is… A brawl has begun!?”
[A- Awawa…… This is bad, this is really bad……]
[It’s bad?]
The crowd around us erupted in excitement and began cheering loudly at the battle between the monsters that suddenly began, but for some reason, Alice was panicking and looked kinda pale.
When I asked her what’s up with her, Alice still looked pale when she turned to me.
[Well, that Tyrant Turtle, their legs are incredibly slow but…… its fighting power……]
“The Tyrant Turtle is strong! It began knocking down the other monsters and began to leisurely proceed through the course! This is a really unexpected result!!!”
[Awawawa……]
When I heard the live commentary, I looked at the course and saw that the Tyrant Turtle moving along the course with a slow gait, while the other monsters had fallen, looking as if they’re literally mowed down.
It was literally running by itself on the race, and after a while, the Tyrant Turtle won the race.
[……That’s a…… lie……]
Alice’s face looked pure white as she hung her head down, as if she just burned out…… Arehh? Did I win again?
The Tyrant Turtle’s victory had a tremendous amount of multiplier in its name, and when I redeemed it…… I was given a platinum coin that was one size larger than the rest of the currencies I had been given.
Could this be a white gold coin? That means…… This is 100,000R!? I earned 200times my bet!?
10 million yen…… Is it really okay to get it this easily? How should I say this…… This clearly isn’t something I could gather, so I’m feeling dwarved instead of being happy.
Where should I use this amount of money…… Hmmm. Should I buy something in return to her that I’m usually indebted to?
[Umm…… Kaito-san.]
[Unnn?]
[……You hit it right again huh?]
[I’m also surprised……]
[What a monster…… you are……]
Four races have now been completed, and unbelievably, I’ve won four times in a row.
I feel like I’ve been very lucky today. Incidentally, Alice lost all of her races.
My money has also frighteningly increased…… and I’m beginning to feel like something outrageous is going to happen.
However, I don’t know if Alice still has her eye on reversal, as even though she’s quite stunned, she doesn’t seem to have given up.
[……The game’s still not decided yet……]
[Unnn?]
[In the next race! I’ll get to the lead in one fell swoop!!!]
[……I- I see……]
It seems that the next race is the largest race, and the amount of money betting there is going to jump up.
However, I wonder why…… It’s just that I can’t see a future where Alice wins……
Dear Mom, Dad—— I tried out joining the monster race, and I don’t know if it’s beginner’s luck or not, but how should I say this—– I guess today’s my lucky day.
<Author’s Notes>
Alice has been completely beaten down…… that kinda sounds wrong. It kinda sounds like a young girl (142 cm) is being tormented.
T/N: 2/11
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