Back to normal baby
__________
"Shizune, let's go."
"Lady Tsunade…"
Shizune's silent heart was filled with warmth.
She knew that her Tsunade-sama still wanted to keep playing, but in order to prevent her from gambling away the last remnants of her late mother's keepsake, she abandoned her own plan to continue.
And so…
Shizune made a decision.
"Lady Tsunade, I still have 20,000 ryō here…"
"This is supposed to cover our meals and accommodations for the time being…"
Tsunade's eyes lit up, her previous frustration vanishing completely as she snatched the money from Shizune's hand.
"Got it!"
Shizune was stunned.
She had fully intended to give Tsunade some money,
But… she had only planned to give her 10,000 ryō—just enough to curb her gambling urges. The remaining 10,000 ryō… if spent wisely, could last them a while.
Yet with all 20,000 ryō now in Tsunade's possession…
Tsunade might win some money,
But knowing her luck… she was bound to lose it all.
Which meant—
For the foreseeable future, they were penniless.
No money for food, no money for lodging…
They were going to be homeless!
With a fresh principal of 20,000 ryō, Tsunade immediately placed 10,000 ryō on the "small" side of the gambling table.
"Open!"
"Four, five, six! Straight! Big win!"
Konoha's legendary Sucker Princess, Tsunade-hime… had lost another 10,000 ryō!
Staring at the dice, Tsunade gritted her teeth.
She hadn't won a single round today!
She had bet on "small" multiple times in a row, but every time the result was "big"—even a rare triple match (leopard roll)!
She refused to believe her luck could be this bad.
There has to be a small roll soon… right?
Tsunade reached for her last 10,000 ryō, ready to place it all on "small" again.
But before she could, a young voice spoke from behind her.
"Bet on 'big.' This one will be big."
Tsunade turned, frowning as she saw a boy standing beside her. He was small in stature, clearly too young to be gambling, but there was something odd about him. Without hesitation, he placed 100,000 ryō on "big."
Tsunade hesitated.
And yet, for some reason… her hand, as if possessed by unseen forces, placed her final 10,000 ryō on "big."
"Place your bets! No more changes!" the casino staff called, waving their hand over the dice cup.
A sigh escaped from the boy—Kazuki.
To be honest, he hadn't told Tsunade to bet on "big" out of kindness. It wasn't because she was the legendary Princess of Konoha, nor because he wanted to cozy up to her.
It was just that… the scene of Tsunade and Shizune earlier had been too pitiful to watch.
The dice rolled and landed.
Each die had a unique weight, and as they settled, their sound told Kazuki everything.
Three, five, five—big!
But—
Just as the dice stopped, the casino staff made a swift, barely perceptible hand movement.
Kazuki's sharp senses picked it up instantly.
Though the staff loudly announced, "Bets are final!" the faint sound of shifting dice told him otherwise.
The dice had changed.
Two, two, two—leopard, small!
Of course, a casino wouldn't let itself lose too much.
At this particular table, there was significantly more money bet on "big" than "small." Even with Kazuki's 100,000 ryō added to the "big" pool, the total amount still paled in comparison to the "small" side.
With the odds favoring the house… the casino had no intention of playing fair.
The casino owner made steady profits, but he would secretly manipulate the dice, ensuring that high bets would lose. However, against all odds, this time he was losing money...
Tsunade-hime's gambling luck was truly infamous.
Kazuki glanced at Tsunade with a complicated expression.
In this situation, there was no other explanation—Tsunade's gambling luck was simply that bad. It was so terrible that it felt supernatural.
"Hey, kid, why are you looking at me like that?"
Tsunade was no ordinary woman. Even when drinking or gambling, she maintained a sharp sense of awareness. The moment she felt a gaze on her, she instinctively became alert.
Turning around, she saw it was the young man who had told her to bet big.
The instant Tsunade became cautious, she subconsciously categorized Kazuki as someone who could be a threat.
And this man...
He was looking at her with an unusual expression.
"Big sister, your gambling luck... is unbelievably bad."
"Huh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise.
At that moment, Kazuki made a subtle movement.
The gaming table trembled ever so slightly.
"Open!"
"Three... five, five—big!"
The casino staff who revealed the dice froze.
Strange.
He was certain that he had tampered with the dice to ensure a low roll.
So how had it still landed on big?
Was there something wrong with the mechanism?
The moment of doubt quickly passed, and the casino worker regained his composure, announcing the results as usual.
"Winner, winner!"
"Shizune, I won!"
Tsunade nearly jumped up in excitement upon seeing the results.
"I'm on a winning streak! Shizune, I have to win back everything I lost today!"
Despite her excitement, her winnings only brought her total funds back to 20,000 ryō.
Still, Tsunade was thrilled, and her wariness toward Kazuki faded.
After all, she had won simply by following this young man's advice.
"Do you want to keep winning?"
"If you listen to me, I can make sure you do."
As the casino staff busily distributed the winnings, Kazuki spoke quietly to Tsunade.
"Listen to you, and I'll keep winning?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.
"Kid, you talk big."
Kazuki merely smiled, standing calmly without responding further.
The casino staff worked quickly, and soon, the next round began.
Clack, clack—
The dice rattled inside the cup.
Moments later, they landed.
"Place your bets! Final bets!"
The casino worker was sweating now.
For ten rounds in a row, the house had been losing. This was bad.
Even if the casino had to take a loss, they couldn't afford to let this go on, or rumors would spread.
As soon as the call was made, he noticed that most gamblers had placed their bets on small, assuming the house would adjust for its losses.
His heart sank.
Especially when he saw that the big pool had very few bets placed this time.
At that moment, Kazuki pushed forward a bet of 200,000 ryō—on small.
Then, he leaned in toward Tsunade, who was hesitating, and whispered,
"Bet on double twos. A triple—two, two, two."
Tsunade hesitated.
She wanted to question the young man, but the round was about to close.
Screw it.
Gritting her teeth, Tsunade threw 10,000 ryō onto "double twos, triple."
Anyway, she had just won 10,000 ryō following his advice.
If she lost this round, at least she wouldn't owe the kid anything.
Meanwhile, the casino staffer, who had rigged the dice, twitched at the sight of someone betting on an exact triple—especially one so precise.
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