"A deal with no downside…"
Tamamo Cross looked deeply shaken.
The terms Suro had offered were incredibly tempting.
Three million yen. If she agreed to sign with him, she'd receive that money immediately.
It wasn't enough to truly save her alma mater, but it was more than enough to buy some breathing room.
At the very least, it would give Tamamo Cross more chances to race and earn prize money.
Damn it…
If you looked at it that way, wasn't saying yes the only sensible choice?
"Why?!"
Tamamo Cross narrowed her eyes and locked onto Suro with a hard stare.
"Why pick me to invest in? What do you even stand to gain by investing in me?"
Yes—she needed an explanation.
She wasn't stupid. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
This man called Suro had shown up with his goal written all over his face. He'd even investigated her background…
Which meant his target was obviously her.
So Tamamo Cross needed to know why.
She didn't believe she was worth the trouble of someone going this far to invest in her…
And yet this guy had appeared in front of her at the exact moment she needed money most.
It was hard not to suspect ulterior motives.
Hearing her question, Suro understood immediately.
Yeah—if he were in Tamamo Cross's position, he wouldn't accept an offer from some strange man who suddenly appeared claiming he wanted to invest, either.
But if he gave her a reason convincing enough, then the investment might not fail.
Suro curled his lips into a smile and said,
"Of course. Just like you guessed, my purpose isn't pure."
"After all, what I plan to spend on you won't stop at a mere three million yen."
"So once you agree, we'll sign an agreement first…"
"What I want in return is half of your future winnings."
"I'm not investing in you. I'm investing in your future."
"…"
Tamamo Cross fell silent.
She hadn't expected him to say something like that…
Investing in her future…?
Did this guy really believe she would definitely win someday?
To be honest, if Tamamo Cross were in Suro's position, she would never choose a horse girl like herself to invest in…
Just getting through her debut alone had taken her forever…
But once Suro clearly stated that what he wanted was her prize money, the wariness in her heart eased instead.
Compared to a deal where the other party wanted "nothing," a straightforward money-for-money transaction felt far safer.
The first kind left you owing a favor.
The second was just business.
In that case…
"Alright. I'll do it!"
Tamamo Cross held out her hand.
Suro smiled and clasped the girl's hand.
The contract was sealed!
From today on, you were his vice general of losing money!
—
After signing with Tamamo Cross, Suro generously transferred the full three million yen to her right away.
Then, in high spirits, he headed back to Kasamatsu.
For Suro, the biggest reason to sign Tamamo Cross was one thing: Nishikino Academy.
If a school had declared bankruptcy and you wanted to revive it, you needed an enormous amount of money.
This wasn't a hole you could patch with a few million yen.
To rebuild a school, you'd need tens of millions, at minimum.
If Tamamo Cross truly intended to shoulder the burden of reviving the academy all by herself, the expenses would be a money-devouring beast.
Which meant: once Suro signed Tamamo Cross, as long as his "lose money KPI" didn't surpass the ten-million range, it wouldn't be much pressure for him at all.
Just look—he'd already burned three million yen the moment he signed her. How much more would he have to invest later?
He didn't even dare imagine it.
Absolutely glorious.
A simple trip to Tokyo and he gained this much—what could be more cost-effective than that?
This month's losing-money KPI was only eight million yen, and signing one horse girl had already knocked out three million.
Perfect. Just perfect.
As long as Tamamo Cross didn't win races later on, his investment would be a real, tangible loss.
"Tens of millions in losses… that's just beautiful~"
I'm absolutely flying right now! (He drilled a finger into his temple.)
Just as he got back to Kasamatsu, Kitahara contacted him.
"Suro-san, tomorrow is Oguri's debut race. Please do come watch."
"Oguri's debut…"
Thinking about it, Kitahara had told him last month that he planned to have Oguri debut this month.
By the calendar, it was about time.
Well, it's just a debut race—how much money could that possibly make…
Suro shrugged, figuring he'd just drop by tomorrow when he had time.
That careless mood lasted right up until he got itchy fingers and searched the debut race prize money on his phone…
"H-Huh??"
"Eight hundred thousand yen??"
Suro stared at the number on the screen, dumbstruck.
He'd assumed that even if you won a debut race, you'd earn, what, maybe a few tens of thousands at most.
What do you mean first place in a debut race pays 800,000 yen?!
Are you kidding me?!
After all, the contract he had with Oguri Cap was basically the same as the one he'd signed with Tamamo Cross.
As long as Oguri won, Suro would receive half of her winnings.
But even half was 400,000 yen!
Oh no! My KPI!
"This is bad!"
Suro immediately ran to the team's activity room inside the academy and found Kitahara.
"Kitahara! Show me the opponent list for Oguri's debut race!"
"Huh? O-okay…"
Suro burst through the door so urgently that Kitahara nearly jumped—then, oddly, felt touched.
He'd only informed Suro-san that Oguri would be racing her debut, and Suro-san had rushed over this fast to check on things…
Suro-san really cares about Oguri…
"Suro-san, here's the entry list for Oguri's debut…"
Suro snatched the list from Kitahara's hands and demanded,
"Kitahara, is there anyone in here I need to watch out for in particular…?"
"Someone worth paying special attention to…" Kitahara thought for a moment. "You mean Fujimasa March, right?"
"Fujimasa March?"
Hearing that unexpected name, Suro blinked, surprised. He lowered his head—and sure enough, there it was on the list: Fujimasa March.
Ohhh!
Thank goodness—it's Lady March! We're saved!
Kasamatsu Tracen's strongest rising star—Lady Fujimasa March!
If it's you, you'll be able to stop Oguri Cap, right?!
"HAHAHA…"
"HAHAHAAA—!"
"We… we won…!!"
Inside the activity room, Suro erupted into manic laughter, leaving Kitahara staring at him like he'd lost his mind.
What a lunatic.
-------
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