The next morning, Yūma opened his eyes and faced the wall. His head didn't hurt, however, his memories were hazy. He couldn't recall every detail from yesterday's duel. Yet, the thing that clearly stuck in his mind was this: he lost.

But he wasn't sad. A quiet satisfaction settled over him. He had expected this and was genuinely pleased with his performance. He hadn't realized he could wound Yuna so much.

He stood up, rubbing his eyes before they went wide. He saw Riko sitting on the chair, facing his bed. Her eyes were closed. Apparently, she was asleep.

He got out of bed, walked to the window, and noticed sunlight shining through the glass. Then, he approached Riko, bowed until his face was level with hers, and gazed at her closed eyes.

"How is she sleeping like that? Is she a superhuman?" he muttered in disbelief.

And why is she here? He wondered. Has she been here all night?

Thinking her position looked uncomfortable, he moved toward the chair, deciding to lift her onto the bed. As soon as he touched her, she opened her eyes. It turned out that she was pretty sensitive while asleep.

Riko blinked rapidly, rubbed her eyes, and turned toward the source of the touch. Yūma crouched nearby with a slight smile on his face.

"Sorry... I didn't want to wake you up. I wanted to put you on the bed," he said softly.

"What?" she murmured, still half-asleep and barely aware of her surroundings. She rubbed her eyes again.

"Oh!" she yelled and got up from the chair.

"Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," she began to bow.

Yūma laughed a little. "Why are you apologizing? Better tell me why you slept on the chair and not in your room?"

"Well... I was worried about you," Riko admitted, her voice trembling faintly. "So I decided to stay, even though I knew I probably shouldn't. I must have fallen asleep waiting," she faltered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Worried about me? But why?"

"Well..." She hesitated. "You knew you were at a disadvantage. I could've stopped you, but I didn't," she continued, her fingers twisting nervously.

"Then you fell unconscious and slept for almost a day, so it's really my fault," she whispered.

Yūma sighed, softening his expression. "Don't worry. It's not your fault. It was my decision whether I should fight or not.

"But…" Her words cut off as Yūma interrupted.

"And I don't think you could possibly find a way to stop me. After all, we've known each other for less than a week," he continued.

"Well... that's true," Riko responded, lowering her head.

Silence fell. "I'll go then."

"Thanks for your worries," he said with a faint smile before she left the room.

"Sure," she quietly closed the door behind her.

Yūma returned to his bed, crossed his legs, and spoke, "Was she really worried because she thought it was her fault?"

"She's more considerate of me than the others. It's not the first time she's worried about me. Is it just her nature or maybe..." he jumped out of the bed.

"Wait. Does she have a crush on me? I hope not. What would I say?" He paused.

"Nah, impossible. We've only known each other for less than a week. Love doesn't happen that fast. Right?"

He was interrupted by a knock. Annoyed and reluctant, he dragged himself to the door and opened it to find the guild receptionist standing there. She wore a slight, silly smile, as if she knew how much her unexpected visit would irritate him.

"Good day, Mr. Sazanami,"

"Good day, Ms..." he hesitated, unsure of her name. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked.

"Oh. It's Sophie Boucher," she responded.

"So, Ms. Boucher. How can I help you?"

"Master sent me to you with instructions." She reached into her pocket and took out a small pouch, the kind that typically contained about twenty coins.

"And he asked me to give you this." She handed the pouch toward Yūma. "Oh. And there is a note he wanted you to read."

He didn't understand what was happening or why she was sent, but he took everything she handed him. "Thank you."

She nodded a little and went on her way.

"Say hello to Anna. She helped me a lot last time," he called after her as a parting word.

He locked the door and walked up to the table. With curiosity, he unfolded a note to find beautiful handwriting.

You won. There were other messages below, but he didn't care about them at that moment. He reminded himself of something he had forgotten.

He looked at the pouch, at the note, then at the pouch again.

"Isn't it too small?" he wondered aloud, opening the bag to find a large amount of gold coins. There were too many of them for such a bag. "What kind of pouch is that?"

It was a magic bag that could contain a large number of different items. But he didn't really think about that at that moment.

He thought for a second, his heart pounding, then shouted, "Yes!" He raised his hands above in joy, a laugh bursting out as the realization hit him. "I'm rich!" he started to jump around the room, overwhelmed with happiness and relief. It's a good thing no one saw him in that moment. He would die in embarrassment.

He calmed down and told. "It worked. My plan ended as I had expected."

All of this had started the evening before the duel day. To understand how it unfolded, let's return to the day when they first came to register in the guild.

During the argument between him and Yuna, he noticed a stand with different names on a wall behind the reception counter. It had the title 'Bettors of the Month.'

After Paul Legrand mentioned the duel, he realized that duels were held on a regular basis. People love competition, and betting makes it even more interesting.

Yūma dislikes gambling because it's an uncontrollable risk. The outcome is entirely uncertain and cannot be calculated logically. It's a chance-based decision.

In Yūma's eyes, a bet is considered gambling when the result is unknown and unpredictable. If there is a possibility to measure the chances and calculate the outcome, then it's basically math wearing a disguise. In that case, bets are controllable risks.

It's like betting on a football match when the leader faces the lowest-ranked team. You know who's favoured to win based on statistics and players' abilities. Upsets could happen, of course, when the leader underestimated the outsider, but even then, the choice remained a probability-based decision and not a blind gamble.

He considered betting on their duel. As he told Riko, Yuna had a better chance of winning. Her ability suited close-range fights, and he didn't expect the arena's sand, which aided him during her invisibility. At the time, he was almost certain he'd lose.

But Yūma didn't have enough money to think about a big jackpot. Then he paid attention to the list and discovered who had won the most money. Paul Legrand. And the sum was furious, beyond Yūma's reach. Almost a thousand gold coins won by only one man. He decided to use that information.

The next day, right after leaving the Magic Crystal, Yūma made his way to the guild to meet Paul. He scheduled the meeting for the evening and, after waiting a short while, the appointed time arrived. Upon entering Paul's office, Yūma found him writing with a quill.

"Good day, Mr. Legrand. Do you remember me?" he asked respectfully.

Paul raised his face and responded. "Oh. You're that kid who has a duel tomorrow."

"That's right, Yūma Sazanami," he introduced himself, giving a polite nod. He approached the chair and sat down.

"So, what brings you here tonight?" Paul asked, his tone firm.

"Well... I wanted to talk about tomorrow's duel." Yūma replied.

"If you're here to cancel, that won't happen. Bets are placed; can't disappoint the crowd or refund their losses," Paul said, barely glancing up as he continued writing.

"Of course not, I'm not that type of person," Yūma responded with a grin.

"About the bets," he continued calmly, "it seems like you really like them. I saw your name at the top of the best bettors list."

"Of course I do. No competition would be boring with betting. It adds excitement. You know, it makes the game more enthusiastic," he put down his quill and leaned back on his chair.

"That's true," Yūma agreed.

"You also like it?" Paul asked, his tone curious.

"Yeah… I love a gamble," Yūma laughed faintly. "Especially blind risk. Winning like that gives pure excitement."

"Once, I bet my family's monthly income on the chance of winning against a nobleman in my hometown."

The idea behind Yūma's act is to make Paul believe that he is a worthy opponent to play with. Crazy enough to make such absurd bets.

"That's why I came with a proposition to you. Let's play the game. You and me." Yūma leaned forward a little, a wide smile on his face.