The Man Called Demon Lord in Another World Has Returned! - chapter 23

Chapter 23: Horse Racing 1

Apparently, you have to be at least 20 years old to legally buy horse racing tickets. So what to do? Enter Mr. Morimoto.

After making Akiyama realize he’s just a U-15 player on the way home from school, I parted with Murata at our usual station and headed to the familiar Morimoto Industries.

I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and entered the old man’s room. The guys cleared a path for me as I walked through. How admirable. Must be the result of the president’s training. Some seemed to be glaring at me, but when I turned to look at them, they averted their eyes. Spineless. If the old man, who’s no stranger to me, asks me to train his employees, I’ll take good care of it.

“Excuse me!”

“What? You’re here again. What is it this time? I don’t have any more money to give you.”

“I’d take it if you were offering, but that’s not it. Boss, are you free this Sunday? Want to go to the races with me? I’ll help you make some money.”

“What? You got some inside information?”

“Nah, I’m under 20, so I can’t buy tickets. If you buy them for me, I’ll pay you a commission. I’ve got 4.5 million yen from the previous compensation and medicine money, so we could make quite a big bet. Want in?”

“I was planning to show my face at the next race anyway, so I’ll buy your tickets.”

“Thanks, boss. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you a commission if we win.”

“Alright, I’ll be around the paddock area on the day. Take this, it has my mobile number.”

I received the old man’s business card, memorizing everything written on it at a glance. Still, I’ll register it in my smartphone when I get home.

“By the way, about that medicine from before, would you sell me some if I asked?”

“Sure. Anytime, any amount.”

“Well, one of our guys who’s started a family and had a kid, it’s sad for the child to have a parent missing a pinky. I thought I’d give him the expensive medicine as a baby gift, but I’ve already used up what I bought from you before.”

“If that’s the case, here you go. I’ll give it to you for free.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got plenty.”

I took out one Potion (Medium) from my item bag and handed it to the old man.

At school, I just place the textbook on my desk during class and gaze out the window. At first, teachers seemed like they were about to scold me for always looking outside, but I’d sense it coming and turn towards them just before they could. Plus, I’d answer accurately when questioned, so teachers stopped trying to scold me for looking out the window. The only other notable thing was a small vocabulary and kanji test midway through. Naturally, I got a perfect score.

And so, a week passed, and it was Sunday, the day I promised to meet the old man.

It was my first time at a racecourse. I was surprised by how much larger it was than I expected. The green turf was beautiful too.

He said he’d wait at the paddock, but where is that? Should I just follow the flow of people?

It was somewhat crowded and hard to walk, but I managed to find the paddock.

This place is packed. And there are so many balding middle-aged men. It would be suspicious to use my smartphone in a place like this, so I decided to “Search” for the old man. Found him. He was dressed quite nicely, perhaps trying to look like a gentleman. He could almost pass for a wealthy uncle. Well, maybe not quite.

There’s a certain air about him that immediately tells those in the know that he’s not an ordinary citizen. A kind of refinement? oozes from his body.

“Oh, you finally made it.”

“Morning, boss. So what are you doing here?”

“Looks like it’s your first time at the races. The horses running in the next race are here to appeal to the customers. People check the coat color, shine, and body condition with their own eyes to see if a horse looks promising. Oh, it’s time. We should buy the tickets soon.”

“Which horse are you planning to bet on, boss?”

“I’ll go for a quinella with 2 and 4.”

“Aren’t you betting on which horse will come in first?”

“You really are a complete amateur. A quinella with 2 and 4 means you win if horses number 2 and 4 come in first and second in either order. What you’re talking about is called a win bet.”

“In that case, I’ll give you 2 million yen. Could you buy a win ticket for 500,000 yen on number 2?”

“Are you sure about betting 500,000 on a single win ticket? Right now, the odds for number 2 are 6.5 to 1. If the odds stay the same and you win, that’s 3.25 million. If you win, that is. There’s such a thing as beginner’s luck, so you might win, but don’t count on it too much. Well, let’s go buy the tickets.”

We approached what looked like a ticket vending machine. Apparently, they’re officially called automatic ticket machines.

“Let’s buy your ticket first. A win bet on number 2, right? I’ll mark this card… then insert the money… and take the ticket. Here’s your ticket, a 500,000 yen win bet on number 2.”

“For me, a quinella on 2 and 4… I’ll start with 100,000 yen.”

“What’s the matter, boss? Not confident?”

“Well, it’s the first race, so I’m just testing the waters. The race is about to start. Let’s head to the front of the stands.”

“Your horse is number 2, so the jockey will be wearing a black cap. Number 4 is blue.”

“They’ve really thought it through to make it easy to distinguish from afar, huh?”

“I suppose so.”

In reality, it’s easier to watch the giant screen set up in front, but that’s beside the point.