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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 3 Chapter 2.5

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“TRANSLATOR:Foxsunes/EDITOR TheNix”

｢I see.｣

｢Contrary to that the horse game I’m playing teaches many things. What do you think they are?｣

How would I know? Hmmm, how about…..

｢Oh, this is a game in which you can raise your own horse and put it in the race……you can study how horses become strong?｣

｢That’s a one way to look at it. You can use the medals and train your horse. It’ll make the horse stronger and raise its probability of winning the race.｣

｢So if my thinking is right, is it whether you can win races in the game or not?｣

｢50 points.｣

｢I can’t think of anything other than this.｣

｢The answer is around the horse race game.｣

｢You mean, the other people who are playing the game?｣

｢Correct answer. I feel like we have something we can truly learn from there.｣ Ikusaba-san continued. 

｢This horse race is on an imaginary racecourse. Like the real horse race you can buy betting tickets using the medals and get a cash reward. On top of that many players put their horse in the race and compete together.｣

He pointed at a seat a bit away from us while talking. 

｢Foe an example, that fatass sitting over there. He has spent quite a lot of money on this game so his horse is strong. So, winning a race that his horse is in is quite difficult.｣

He added, ｢But it’s a game so there is no absolute.｣ He continued further.

｢The buck-toothed guy sitting two seats away from him is the same. He is better than the fatass. He has stood victorious in all the big races and is planning to win the small ones. He is after completing all the races.｣

｢I see how it is.｣

｢But it  means that the chances of my horse winning a race rises if their horses aren’t in it.｣

｢So, what you mean to say is that you can raise the probability of winning just by observing other players?｣

｢Yeah, that’s it. It’s important to see the cause and effect, like how the situation changes with what each person decides to do. To know how you can get the maximum benefit in the given situation is important.｣

｢It’s pretty complicated even though you just seem to be playing a game.｣

I wouldn’t be so serious about a game. 

｢People who think of it as a complicated and useless thing will lose. Their world and the world of people who are thinking more deeply are completely different. Yama-kun, which one do you prefer? To win or to lose?｣

｢I like winning, obviously.｣

｢Same here. Everyone wants to win, so who do you think will win if people who want to win compete against each other?｣

｢…..The one who’s strong?｣

｢What’s strength?｣

｢Physical strength?｣

｢That’s one of many. The mind, information and luck. There are many forms of strength. But I think that there is a pattern to people who end up winning.｣

｢What’s that?｣

｢It’s that they don’t compromise. It’s a drag so I won’t do it, there is no reason to pursue it that much, it’s better to do something else, or it’s just a game. People who think like that are definitely going to lose.｣

This guy is speaking a lot about the horse race game. 

｢I understand what you are saying but isn’t this just a virtual game? It’s a bit of a far cry if you are comparing competition between people in the real world with this.｣

｢That’s a narrow minded view. You need to remember that you are competing against people even if it is a game and even if you are bound by the rules of the game.｣

｢But you are playing a horse race game so, isn’t your opponent the computer?｣

｢No, I’m not competing against the virtual game before my eyes, I’m competing against the people.｣

｢You mean the players around you?｣

｢Them too but there’s also a far bigger opponent.｣

｢There is a bookmaker on other side of the game running the machines.｣

｢A bookmaker?｣

｢The owner of this game center. If we think about the long term outcome, the customers are bound to lose in games like this. The bets in which you lose or gain medals isn’t fair. You know why? Do you think an arcade can be run without any cost? You need money to buy this machine. Money is needed to run it and pay the electricity bill. Money is needed to hire the employees. What I’m trying to say is that money is needed to keep this arcade running. So the owner needs profit to keep this place running, so who’s going to bring the profit? It’s the customers who come here to play. It’s the owner’s job to think of the most efficient way to get money from them. Payback, machine discount…..haven’t heard of those. Like I said before, the arcade wouldn’t make money if the customers won’t lose and it’ll cause the arcade to shut down. So, I think that there is a reason behind what the owner is doing.｣

｢I see, I understood what you mean but…..what are you learning from all this then?｣

It became really confusing around the middle of his explanation and I urged him to answer quickly, Ikusaba-san nihilistically laughed and answered.

｢If I had to say it in a single word then『The people 』. ｣

It was my first time seeing a person studying other people in an arcade. The race just ended as we were talking. 

｢Well then, I’ll be going back now.｣

Ikusaba-san stood up from his seat. 

｢So, what was the result of the race?｣

I’m curious about how much he has accomplished after talking that much. 

｢Aah, I lost around ten thousand yen.｣

｢…..What? You lost that much on the medals!｣

Woah…this guy, how to put it….

｢Be honest, tell me what you are thinking just now Yama-kun.｣

｢I thought you were lame for losing that much after such a big talk. Come to think about it, were you lying from the beginning? That’s what I thought.｣

I told him honestly and Ikusaba-san started laughing as if it was fun. 

｢It’s a good thing that you are honest. And that’s what you learnt today. Don’t forget it.｣

He seemed satisfied and Ikusaba Hiiyo patted me on shoulder. I talked with him because I wanted to know what kind of a person he was. I came to the conclusion that I can’t understand him. This guy definitely is an idiot. 

｢Oh, so you were here Yama-senpai!｣

I looked back after hearing that voice and saw Yun-chan coming towards me along with Tetsu-kun. She had a huge teddy beard in her arms. Seems like Tetsu-kun got it for her. Yun-chan looked happy but she suddenly stopped when she got near me and started shaking. 

｢What’s wrong, Yun-chan?｣

｢It.. it’s nothing!｣

Yun-chan was trembling and looking at Ikusaba-san next to me while hiding behind Tetsu-kun. Ikusaba-san was also looking at Yun-chan. He stared at her for a few seconds and smiled. 

｢Oh, hello there.｣

｢Goo.. good.. good afternoon!｣

She’s definitely trembling, and Tetsu-kun isn’t someone to stay silent in a situation like this. 

｢Do you have anything to do with Yun?｣

Tetsu-kun glared at Ikusaba-san intensely. But Ikusaba-san didn’t seem to be bothered by it. 

｢Nothing, I just thought that she was cute.｣

He didn’t seem to care about Tetsu-kun and on top of that he started talking to Yun-chan who seemed anxious. 

｢You, what’s your name?｣

｢It…it’s Yo.. Yoshino Saki.｣

｢I see, so it was as I thought.｣

｢Wh.. Who are, you?｣

｢Me? I’m Ikusaba Hiiyo.｣

｢He.. hello, nice to meet you.｣

｢…..Ah, yes. It’s a pleasure meeting you. Quite admirable of you that you can greet people properly.｣

Ikusaba-san extended his hand to pat her head and his hand got grabbed by Tetsu-kun. 

｢Don’t be so mad, Mr. boyfriend. I just asked her name. A dude who is so uptight isn’t attractive to women you know.｣

｢I…I’m not her boyfr…｣

Ikusaba-san looked at his uniform and laughed at Tetsu-kun who was baffled. 

｢If she is so important then protect her properly. Or else she’ll be abducted by something scary sooner or later.｣

Ikusaba-san laughed boldly  and left after saying, ｢Goodbye, kohai.｣

I couldn’t understand him even in the end. 

｢Yun, are you fine?｣

Yun-chan nodded while holding on to Tetsu-kun tightly.

｢What happened to you Yun-chan?｣

Her reactions didn’t seem normal at all. I couldn’t hold myself back and asked Tetsu-kun. 

｢She is a bit androphobic. She becomes scared when men she doesn’t know look at her.｣

 

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