HA1 1.2 - Placing a Bet
While holding each other's hands, Hide and Aizawa entered Tohru Ramen. It was a traditional ramen shop located near Sakura Shopping District. The shop was not big and located in a small alley. However, it was very popular among people who shopped at Sakura Shopping District. One of the reasons was that, from generation to generation the owner had never used instant spices.
As soon as the two got a seat, Hide poured a glass of cold water for Aizawa and himself. Then, the two checked the menu. They had to check it as it had been almost two years since their last visit.
Fortunately, the menu remained the same. It consisted of soy sauce ramen, thick soup ramen, curry ramen, seafood ramen, and curry rice. It was a bit strange that a ramen shop also provided a rice-based menu, but the owner had no hesitation in including the curry rice because many customers asked for it. According to them, the curry soup served by Tohru Ramen would go very well with a bowl of warm white rice.
Aizawa without hesitation chose chicken curry rice, a 600 Ren worth menu. Hide was not surprised by her choice. Whenever Emily took both of them to Tohru Ramen, Aizawa would always choose curry rice.
As soon as their chicken curry rice arrived, Aizawa repeatedly swallowed hard while looking at her favorite menu. But she did not immediately eat it and looked at Hide for a while, as if waiting for permission from him.
Noticing Aizawa's gaze, Hide immediately smiled gently. "Have a nice meal."
"Mhm."
Perhaps because she was very nervous, Aizawa only answered with a small nod, then placed a small spoon of curry rice in her mouth. Until her third spoon, Aizawa enjoyed her curry rice carefully, but after that, she was drowned by the deliciousness of Tohru Ramen curry rice and continued to eat it heartily.
Hide secretly realized that Aizawa was very nervous when he was near her, and this made his chest feel very tight.
Life just didn't go according to his expectations. He was often ridiculed for growing up without a mother. Then, his father's love which was previously devoted only to him, suddenly had to be shared with his stepmother. Then, it once again had to be shared with her half-sister, and finally sadness made his father stop paying attention to his own life and his two children.
'How can I view the situation around me so narrowly?' A deep regret gripped Hide's heart.
Even though he lived his life more positively and optimistically, it may still not have flowed as he had hoped for, but for Aizawa it would make her life a little more colorful and she would grow better.
Seeing Aizawa eating heartily, Hide's regret and bitterness immediately soared to the sky. But at the same time, he got the feeling that in this life seeing Aizawa eat heartily would be a source of happiness for him.
"Do you like it?"
"Mhm."
Aizawa spontaneously nodded, but the joy on her face suddenly dimmed when she remembered Hide was nearby. Aizawa was really worried she would do something that would irritate Hide.
However, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Hide smiling at her. Moreover, Hide then gently wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin.
"We'll eat here at least once a week then.”
"Mhm."
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Aizawa nodded without hesitation. In her heart, she felt something was odd because his big brother was so different today. But she was also happy because he would take her to Tohru Ramen at least once a week, as in this small ramen shop she had lot of fond memories with her mother.
At the same time Hide hardened his determination.
'I will pay ten times as much for the sadness you experienced in your previous life.'
---
As usual, Hide and Aizawa had a calm afternoon. Once dinner was over, Hide asked Aizawa to help him do the dish. This made Aizawa dumbfounded. It was natural because Hide had always refused her every time she wanted to help him.
"Make sure you dry it completely."
"Mhm."
Aizawa gave a small nod while her little hands did their best to dry the spoon Hide had just rinsed.
"Aizawa, in a few days Big Bro will transfer you to a boarding school. So you have to pack some of your clothes."
"Boarding school?"
"Yes, you will study and live at the school. Big Bro will visit you once a week, and on weekends Big Bro will take you home."
Aizawa stared at Hide while her eyes filled with tears. She finally found the reason why Hide was so different today.
For Aizawa, school was not a happy place. It only gave her sadness. So Aizawa instinctively would avoid it, and because she didn't know Hide's true intentions, the image where she had to stay at school for several days made her tears flow profusely.
"Big Bro, Aizawa won't be fussy. Don't leave Aizawa at boarding school."
Hide was instantly lost of words, while Aizawa's tears flowed like a waterfall.
'At school, she has no friends. At home, she has no parents to rely on. She only had a stupid half-brother who hated her and ended up leaving her.'
Hide's heart crumpled as he imagined the lonely and gloomy life that Aizawa had to go through in his previous life.
"Big Bro will never leave you, no matter what."
Hide immediately hugged Aizawa tightly before carrying her into living room. The two then watched TV in silence.
Hide remembered very well that in school, Aizawa was shunned by other kids and even received bullying. So he put the plan to transfer Aizawa to boarding school as one of his top priorities.
'I have to find a way to persuade Aizawa without making her cry.'
---
The night had reached its peak, but Nichiko's atmosphere was far from quiet. It was known that the capital city of Nikko was never sleeping.
With casual steps Hide entered Beauty & The Beast, the largest fitness center in Nichiko which also manages a betting exchange for sports events, both domestic and international.
As soon as Hide arrived in front of the betting counter, an attractive young woman immediately smiled at him. The woman was about 168 cm tall with a well-tuned and perfect body line.
The name tag on her chest was 'Hanna Kitagawa', and with a cheerful tone she asked, "First time or have you put a bet before?"
While handing out his student card Hide answered, "First time, I want to make a bet on the Friday match between Nakamura Ocean and Yuko Mountain."
Hanna nodded slightly before reaching for a 10" tablet hanging on her right thigh. "Nakamura Ocean vs Yuko Mountain, the rate is 0.85 : 2.1 for Nakamura Ocean win, the minimum betting amount is 3,000 Ren, and the cancellation limit is 24 hours before the match with a 20% penalty.
If you bet on Nakamura Ocean, the winning money is 0.85 times the stake. If you bet on Yuko Mountain, it's 2.1 times the stake."
Hide handed over an envelope as he said, "500 thousand Ren for Yuko Mountain."
Hanna did not immediately receive the envelope. Instead, she bent her body in front of Hide and whispered, "Your stakes are not small. I have to work very hard to get 400 thousand Ren a month, so you better think about it again.
After all, if you need extra pocket money, working part-time at a convenience store is a much better option than betting."
Hide casually said, "It's not my money, and my dad will beat me up if I come home without the betting slip."
Hanna pondered for a while before saying, "I heard rumors that Yuko Mountain's main striker has a knee injury and won't be playing next Friday. Tell your father about it. If he persists and doesn't cancel the bet, then at least he's prepared for the worst outcome."
"Thanks for the advice. I'll tell him."
Hanna smiled slightly before processing the betting slip for Hide. A moment later, Hide was already on his way back to his house.
This wasn't the first time he'd left Aizawa at home alone at night. But now, he was no longer the idiot from his previous life. He wasted no time getting home as quickly as possible.
As he fastened his pace, Hide recalled Hanna's advice. But from his previous life, he already knew that Yuko Mountain's main striker was indeed suffering from a knee injury. In a few days, the news would spread until the bet rate had drastically changed in Nakamura Ocean's favor.
However, many people didn't know that in the next Friday match, a young Yuko Mountain player would make an impact by stabbing Nakamura Ocean's goal post three times.
The young player who was known to always play solidly never had any intention to hide his skills, but in every previous match he only had a minimal role. That’s why, only his potential was recognized and not his real ability.
'This bet will be an opportunity to see if I can make some changes in my new life, or I have to go down the same route,' Hide muttered before taking a deep breath.
*****