“The number decides the effect,” Hisagi explained.

“Huh? Boost gives you more points too?” Yuki crossed her arms with a scowl. “Why?”

“Because you’re getting a boost.” Esha raised a brow, eyes twinkling. “Balance.”

“Hmph. No one asked for that.” Yuki scoffed and turned her head away. “Tch.”

Esha smirked. “Then just hope the result isn’t five.”

“So only 2 and 3 are useful.”

Ren gave her a sideways glance.

Esha shrugged. “Sometimes, other numbers help more than you think.”

“Yeah, but everything except 2 and 3 are a gamble.” Yuki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms tighter. “The rest aren’t reliable.”

Esha folded her arms. “That’s the point of the game, isn’t it?”

Yui's voice echoed from inside Yuki’s head, – “Hey idiot, just talk like you know her.”

– ‘How can I? I don’t know her.’

– “Idiot, I know her. She’s the same age as me.” Yui huffed with mock drama. “We played together sometimes in tournaments!”

– ‘I’ll try… but what’s with the stupid effects?’

– “Hey, based on the regular dice, you’ll know.”

“Hisagi, give the list.” Esha spoke with calm steel in her tone. “I’ll explain the instructor’s dice rules.”

“The more negative squares you land on…” She looked at the paper with a smug smirk. “...the more IP increases for us.”

“Huh?! What? There are 20 negative squares?!” Yuki’s voice pitched up, brows leaping. “First… what’s the importance of IP?!”

“If we get 30 IP, we get the chance to roll our dice.” Esha nudged Yui with a playful elbow tap, folding her arms with a smug flick. “Be calm.”

“So, the effects of the roll are... um…” She tilted her head with a sly grin, hiding the list behind her back. “Wait—let’s play. If you know the effects, what’s the fun?”

“Just say it!” Yuki snapped, eyes narrowing in disbelief. “We’re supposed to play without even knowing the effects? I’m suspicious now!”

Esha only smiled wider, wearing fake innocence like perfume.

“Esha-san, please just say.” Ren leaned forward, voice calm but firm. “Then at least we’ll be aware of IP’s importance.”

She held back a laugh, waving the paper casually. “What’s the use? The dice number is all luck anyway, right?”

– “Just snatch that list from her. She won’t mind if I do it.”

Yuki lunged forward to reach for the paper.

“Hey! I’ll say!” Esha jumped back with a mock gasp, holding the paper above her head. “Wait—idiot!”

Little Hina watched with wide eyes, glancing at each person like she was watching a live drama unfold.

She grinned brightly. “Here, Disciple is against Master… and Maa, you’re against Yui aunty!”

“But it’s two versus two as one versus one—not one versus one.” Esha laughed softly, shaking her head at Hina’s mix-up.

“Well, listen. Yui.” She raised the list with a teasing flick. “The effects…”

“One. Steal. We will take ten points from you.”

“Huh? What’s that?!” Yuki snapped, eyes flying wide. “We need 200! And if you get a 1 on every turn, ten points will decrease?!”

Esha waved her hand like a calming child. “Hey, hey—we don’t roll every turn. Only when we reach 30 IP.”

Yuki crossed her arms, clearly not satisfied. “If we get all negative, you’ll definitely get 30 IP easily. Increase your trigger to at least 50!”

“Hey, Yui—be reasonable.” Esha’s eyes widened playfully as she grinned. “If you roll a 3 on your special dice, we lose 5 IP—remember?”

Yuki didn’t back down. “Still... first say—if we start at zero and land on a negative square, does our score go below zero or stay at zero?”

Esha shrugged coolly. “Of course it goes negative.”

“Tch.” Yuki gritted her teeth, voice low. “Then it’ll take even longer to reach 200.”

“Listen fully.” Esha smiled like she was sipping tea during a storm. “Second one—Force. It moves the piece back to the nearest negative tile.”

Yuki opened her mouth, fire ready to spill—

“Yui, listen to everything first, then ask.” Esha cut in quickly, barely holding back a laugh.

Yuki turned away with a dramatic “hmph” and then, – ‘Who is this lady? She’s doing it on purpose, saying it in that teasing tone…’

– “Hey. I already said—she’s saying to me, not you.”

Esha continued, “3 - Increase 10 IP.

4 - Reverse: flip the square value of the regular dice result.

5 - Cancel the Drain effect.

6 - Effect Override: We can block everything… if it’s a positive outcome.”

“So… other than the fourth one, all the rest are advantages to you.” Yuki narrowed her eyes, voice rising. “And the sixth—it’s basically…”

Before she could finish, Ren calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. “Calm yourself. After we play, we’ll understand. If we get all positive, they can’t do anything—even if they want.”

He glanced at Hisagi. “Am I right, Hisagi?”

“R-right, Master…” He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Then Maa, I’m not on your side anymore!” Hina grinned brightly, jumping a little. “I don’t get to roll every turn—so I’ll go on Niisan’s side!”

“Who asked you?” Yuki snapped, glaring at her. “Go to that side! We’ll roll our dice!”

Hina pouted and clung to Yui’s side, whining dramatically. “Please! Just let me roll one! Yui aunty, I’ll roll, roll, roll!”

Ren smiled faintly. “Okay, okay. You roll each dice. Don’t fight.”

“Alright then. Get ready.” Esha straightened with a half-smirk, voice turning sharp. “You need 200 points. All pairs will finish fast and reach Section A before you even get close.”

****

Sakura turned to Rina with a soft frown. “Rina-san, isn’t this unfair? If we get a –10… You’ll reach 30 IP too easily.”

“Hey, just play.” Kazuma grinned, stretching his arm lazily. “What, you’re scared?”

He stepped forward with confident ease. “We just need to roll quickly and finish this.”

He leaned over the large bowl and gave the dice a smooth spin. Both dice spun fast, clattering with soft echoes against the curved glass.

The regular dice—R dice—came to a stop. A solid 3.

The special dice—S dice—was still spinning.

“Aw… starting with –3.” Sakura frowned, her tone falling flat.

He kept his eyes on the bowl. “Wait...”

The S dice finally stopped. It faced 6.

He snapped his fingers. “See? Simple. The effect is Swap... and +3.”

He glanced over at Rina, eyes twinkling with playful challenge.

“You still need 97.” Rina smiled faintly, her voice steady. “At some point, a negative square will come. And 3 might show on your S dice.”

****

Meanwhile, across the room—

“That’s it. Ready?” Kazuki asked, arms folded as he watched calmly. A little sternness tinged his tone.

“This isn’t a katana fight—and don’t even think about stopping time and trying to change the dice. In my range, that trick doesn’t work.”

“Why would I even do that?” Arata scoffed and shrugged. “It’s just a simple game.”

“Don’t act cool. I still haven’t forgotten that moment.”

Airi stepped forward and rolled both dice into the bowl. They leaned slightly forward, watching.

The S dice stopped first. It showed a 1 (Freeze)

Airi groaned. “Damn…”

The R dice stopped next. A 5.

They glanced at each other. Tension sat between the sigh and silence.

“Uff. Well… it’s good.” Arata brushed his hair back with a slow breath. “1 on the special dice means we can’t move the piece.”

“If we had moved the piece…” He pointed at the square just ahead. “We’d have hit a negative score.”

****

Yuki slammed her hands on the table. “Damn! Hey—give that, you little—!”

Esha burst into laughter beside her, nearly tipping

“Yui aunty, it just came like that!” Hina pouted, clutching the dice like it had betrayed her. “I didn’t do anything!”

“I know!” Yuki growled, pointing at her. “But your hand might be unlucky—we’re at -28 now!”

Hisagi blinked, surprised. “Master… just two more and we get to roll. I didn’t think your score would drop this low in just two rolls…”

“Well, it’s okay.” Ren remained calm and unbothered. “No need to worry—it’s part of the game.”

Yuki snapped again, holding her palm out. “Give me the dice.”

Hina clutched it tighter. “Please! Just this once! I’ll roll!”

“Fine. Last chance.” Yuki narrowed her eyes like a hawk. “If this is also negative, I’m rolling both dice.”

Hina rolled the S dice. It tumbled, spun—and landed on 1 (Freeze)

Yuki sighed and picked up the R dice. Then she rolled.

It spun fast… then dropped to 2.

“Um… 2 means -2, right?” Hina’s face lit up like a puppy. “See? My roll stopped the negative!”

“Hee… you didn’t reduce it.” Yuki scoffed, folding her arms. “You just didn’t add more.”

****

Meanwhile…

Nivan rolled both dice into the bowl. They clacked, dashed across the glass, crashed into each other—then stopped.

Both showed a 3 (Drain)

“Yeah!” Meena cheered, moving their piece to a +10 square tile. “Now we’re at 25!”

Mira raised a brow, folding her arms. “How lucky are you? In just three turns, you’re already at 25?”

“Master, I think you might not even get a turn if this keeps going.” Meena grinned up at her, clearly enjoying it.

Mira rolled her eyes. “Hmph. Just roll.”

****

Back at Ren’s table—

“Yui, I think you’ve got the worst luck.” Esha covered her mouth, laughing. “-49! And we already have +10~!”

“Damn! All the dice are against us!” Yuki clenched her fists, voice nearly cracking. “This idiot stupid S dice is the real culprit!”

Ren exhaled softly, eyes scanning the room. ‘Now we need more than 200,’ he thought. ‘I think everyone else is scoring positive… And they just need 100.’

Kazuma’s voice echoed in his mind from earlier. [“Think about the situation.”]

‘...Still,’ He thought, ‘it’s just the start. No need to panic.’

Yuki grabbed both dice and rolled them fast. They clashed midair and slammed against the bowl walls.

R dice: 2.

S dice: 5 (Boost)

“Shit!” she hissed, pushing the piece forward. It landed on a -2 square in the third row.

“Hey, one point decrease!” Esha leaned in with a teasing smile. “Why not be happy? -48 now. And we’re just 13 IP!”

Yui’s voice chuckled inside Yuki’s mind. – “Hey… your luck is really bad. Want me to take control~?”

– ‘No! Just 13?! Her way of talking is getting on my nerves!’

– ‘I’ll show her what I do!’ She slammed both dice again.

The dice spun wildly.

Still spinning… Still spinning…

“Damn, stop on 6 and 4!” she muttered.

They hit the sides—bounced hard.

R dice: 6.

“Yeah!” Yuki jumped up, eyes gleaming. “Now just 4—we can reduce it a lot!”

The S dice rolled… and settled on 1.

Yuki stared at the dice, frozen. Then she grabbed it, fuming. “This stupid dice—!!”

She almost threw it across the room.

“Hey… it’s just a game.” Ren placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We have time.”

Then his voice entered silently—through the mind voice. – ‘Yui, take control.’

Esha glanced at Yuki, eyes narrowing. ‘She’s acting… differently. Or… was it just my imagination?’

– ‘We already decided!’ Yuki spun around, eyes blazing. ‘I’ll roll the whole time, go, idiot!’

****

Toshi rolled the dice into the spinning bowl. It clattered wildly around the edge… then stopped cleanly on a 6 (Effect override)

He smirked, folding his arms. “Spin yours. I’ll override any effect.”

“Hmph. We’re not afraid of you, Master.” Ayesha huffed, flicking her hair back.

She rolled both dice quickly.

The R dice stopped at 3…

The S dice landed on 4 (Gamble)

Ayesha blinked. “Huh?”

She glanced sharply at Toshi.

“What? Move the piece.” Toshi tilted his head, voice casual.

Ayesha pointed at him. “Don’t you override now, Master?”

“Why should I?” Toshi gave a lazy shrug. “I’ll get 10 IP. Besides, it’s a negative.”

“Please, Master!” Ayesha stepped forward, voice softening. “You can override negative effects too, right?”

“Hey, why would Master do that?” Rayan asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Ayesha moved the piece to the third-row tile—minus 5.

She let out a frustrated breath. “Hmph. Now we’re at 23.”

Rayan looked up at Toshi. “Master, what if we complete 40 squares and still don’t reach 100?”

“Then you lose.” Toshi chuckled, barely holding back laughter. “And you’ll have to start again from zero.”

“Huh?! Master!” Rayan’s jaw dropped. “There are only 15 squares left—how?!”

Toshi turned away, one hand covering his mouth.

Ayesha narrowed her eyes. “He was clearly teasing.”

She jabbed his shoulder. “You! You’re just messing with us now!”

“Hey—I just wanted to see his reaction!” Toshi laughed out loud, completely unbothered.

****

Meanwhile—

Himari smacked Roy lightly on the head. “You idiot!”

“Neesan, I won’t play if you keep doing this…” Roy groaned, scratching his head. “I’ll tell Mom! I’m the instructor, okay? The dice result’s not even in my hands!”

“Say it!” She waved her hand in a mocking tone. “What will Mom do, huh?”

“Hey, why’d you hit him?” Yuta glanced over, frowning in confusion. “We’re at +30. We just got a minus this turn.”

“We’ve always been like this,” she huffed, brushing her hair back confidently. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

She turned to Roy again, leaning closer. “Say it, Roy. That’s right, right?”

Roy hesitated. “Um…”

“‘Um’ what?” Himari narrowed her eyes. “Say! Wait—don’t tell me you feel uncomfortable?”

Roy sighed. “No… but you hit too hard…”

He looked across the room toward Haruki, who was focused on Jin and Mei’s roll. “Master!” he called out.

Haruki turned his head slightly. “What?”

“I’ll come to that table.” Roy stepped forward with a dramatic frown. “Take this, Master—Neesan’s not listening to me!”

“Hey—just stay here.” Himari rolled her eyes and stepped in front of him. “I won't hit you! If you say only right, I’ll know?! Don’t complain.”

Roy blinked. “Really?”

“Really, idiot.” Himari smiled faintly and ruffled his hair.

****

“You only play…” Yuki sighed, dropping the dice into Ren’s hands. “I really think my hand’s just unlucky.”

“Don’t feel bad, Yui aunty…” Hina rested her chin on her palms, smiling sweetly. “I’m here for you too!”

“Don’t act.” Yuki shot her a sharp glare. “We’re at -82. It’s the worst. And they’re gaining IP… +14 now. What is even going on?!”

Esha leaned over from her seat, trying to hide a grin. “Hey, we’re not laughing. Just roll and gain 18 more and you’ll hit 100.”

Yuki turned to her slowly. “...Again mocking me, huh?”

“What can I do?” Esha chuckled without apology. “Did you get a single positive result without any negative-cancelling effect? You might just reach 200 now.”

Yuki let out a deep sigh, slumping slightly. “Mock all you want. I’m just an unlucky fellow today.”

“Hey, roll the dice.” She pointed at Ren with tired eyes. “Maybe your hand is lucky.”

Esha glanced at Yui thoughtfully. ‘Maybe… she’s really feeling it now.’

Ren rolled both dice calmly.

R Dice: 4

S Dice: 3 (Drain)

Yuki watched the result… then smacked her forehead. “Even your hand isn’t working!”

Yuki groaned and moved the piece forward, landing in the fourth row—minus 8.

Esha peeked over. “Well… now it’s minus 90. And IP? +17~”

“Esha-san, if the next turn is more than 2…” Ren looked at her, voice steady but low. “What happens then?”

“You’ll just move backward.” Esha shrugged casually. “Without even reaching the last squares.”

Ren folded his arms, gaze darkening. ‘If this continues… it’s going to take forever to reach 200.’