And the next day.

".........
....

　Amu and I are standing side by side in the school where food stalls are lined up.

Uh ... what's the efa say?
''Amu-chan, I'm sorry, but I had to take care of something I couldn't miss...''
....
Hey, hey, hey, lighten up!

　Amu says in a panic.

'It's okay!　I'm sure it's nothing. Huh, that's kind of an unnecessary thing to say...

　Amu presses his temples.

'Shit. If it bothers you so much, why don't you ask him directly next time?
Uh....

　I balk.

"That's a bit of a guilt trip, but I don't want to be tied up in a bind...
You're such a pain in the ass. Maybe Yifa won't mind you asking her some questions.
Really?
He might be rather pleased.
Why?
Because ... haha. Oh well.

　And Amu takes my hand.

"Come on, let's go. Didn't I tell you we were going to enjoy the school festival today?　Just forget about it for now. Do you understand?
Oh, yeah I get it.


****


　Then I just sort of enjoyed the festival.

"I'll take care of it today, so you can buy whatever you want.
Just let me buy you a drink. We had some extra money.
Yeah, me too. You have nothing to be ashamed of.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, I did.

　Although there was a struggle like that.
　There were many stalls that served interesting sights and unusual food, and after a while I forgot that I had been worried about it.

　Maybe I'll talk to Yifa directly next time and ask her about it.
　Looking back, I think that's how I developed a good relationship with my students.

''Oh, Mr. Lamploog. And you, Amu.
Dr. Cullen?

　When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw Dr. Karen at the back of a stall selling trinkets.
　He was wearing a black robe and a hood, and when you look at him in this way, he definitely looks like a dark-attribute magician.

　Karen-sensei said smilingly.

"Are you two on a date?
Yeah, something like that.........
No, it's not.

　Amu, who has blushed slightly, hurriedly denies it.
　I ask her while holding my side where I was poked.

Are you on duty at the store?
'Yes. I'm opening a stall for the club I advise.

　I look at the assortment.
　The small items sold seem to be amulets made of cloth.

Huh. Is it an enchanted magic club?
No, we're a craft club.
Oh, you're...

　The gutter.

'What do you think, one. Maybe it's because it's often a good luck charm, especially among adventurers.
Hmmm...

　Amu looks at the assortment with some interest.

　The teacher has been watching him for a while, but suddenly he turns to me as if he remembers something.

Mr. Lamprog. You know....you're not going to make Yifa do anything weird, are you?
What?
'I don't think that's true, since you two were so close...'

　I asked the doctor, confused.

"Excuse me, sir, I don't see what you're talking about.
'Actually... today I saw Yifa-san walking with some boys in a section of the abandoned research building. I don't know if you know this, but there were some suspicious apothecaries and alchemists in that area, as well as some women who seemed to be taking customers on the streets at night, who were also setting up shop...

　The doctor continues.

'I've heard that more than half of the street prostitutes are slaves who are made by their masters to do their day job on the side. I hope I'm wrong about the doctor....

　Amu and I looked at each other.

　And then I asked the teacher back.

When did that happen?


****


　The blocks lined with abandoned research buildings are still much less crowded than the main street.

I'm going to look over there.
Oh, yeah.

　I watch Amu run by the side and search all of the shikigami's vision.
　I've done this many times before, but I can't see Yifa. If I can't find him from a bird's eye view, then he's probably in the shadows of a blind spot, or in a building.

　I turn all the extra crows into rats, and also add the human gadgets I pulled out of phase and release them into the lined buildings.
　Let's see if we can find them now.........

'Yifa what are you thinking about?'

　I don't think he's really imitating a street prostitute, but it's possible that he's involved in something out of the ordinary.

　Stalls could be seen on the side of the road, with rugs spread out here and there.
　What should I do? Should I ask someone if they've seen a blonde schoolgirl...?

What are you in such a hurry for?　Dear Seika.

　Yuki says above his head.

''Wasn't that girl raised to be Seika-sama's collaborator?
...yes.
Then let it go.

　Yuki says.

''With a power as strong as that girl's, she shouldn't be in any danger to herself. Even if you get into some danger by playing with fire, it's your own fault. In fact, if Seika-sama were to forgive her later with a forgiving heart, she would feel guilty and become a more obedient pawn.

　Yuki has a point.
　But.

Fool, it's not that simple. Of course I'm worried. It's too late for that, you know, after you got burned up playing with fire.
....

　After a few moments of silence, Yuki gave a small smile on top of her head.

''Hmph.''
What the f*ck?
No. It's just like you, Seika. Come to think of it, Seika didn't take his students too seriously in his previous life, did she?
Really?
That's right. You were often chastised by the older disciples for being a bit worried if your apprentice was a bit under the weather, and would buy him anything he asked for.

　Hmmm, I think that happened....

''It's because you don't expect or trust anyone, and yet you're only willing to give. After all, cunning, Seika-sama, is a cunning thing.......
'No, it doesn't really matter right now,'

　I need to find Eyfa.

Hello, little boy!

　Suddenly, I was approached by an old man who was opening a stall.
　He turns around and smiles at me, saying, "Would you like to see it?

He smiled at me and said, "Wouldn't you like to see it?

　I approach the stall, feeling shady.

　The rugs were lined with minerals.
　It looks like an alchemist's shop, or rather a metallurgist's shop.

　Hmmm?　Could this shade be ashlar?　That's unusual. A bit of sunshine and UV light will make this clearer but...

I shouldn't be doing this right now. Um, Mister Store. Did you see a schoolgirl with dull blonde hair around here a while ago?

　The old man is silent with a smirk on his face.
　Hey, say something.........

'Seika!　Did you find it?

　Amu comes running in from across the street.
　By the looks of it, it looks like Amu hasn't found him either.

'No, it's not...'
What are you selling here, oil?　Grandpa, give me one of these.

　I said, and Amu took the mineral from my hand.
　He offered me a little more than my asking price, and Amu continued, "I don't want the change.

I don't need the change. Hey, have you seen a fluffy blonde girl around here?
Oh, well, then I saw you and some of the boys go into that building over there.

　I was speechless as the old man smiled at me and answered immediately.
　........Oh, come to think of it, the manner of dealing with peddlers was like this in my previous life as well.
　It's been so long ago that I've been traveling that I've forgotten about it.

I'm sorry, Amu. I...
It's just,

　The old man continued, "I saw it a long time ago.

I have seen it so long ago that I don't even know what is going on in there. Hohohohoho.
....
Thanks. Come on. Let's go, Seika.
Oh, yeah.

　I hurriedly follow Amu as he quickly runs away.

　Eventually I arrived at the abandoned research building that old man told me to go to, and I stopped.

　I was wondering what to do when Amu tried to enter the building without any hesitation.

"Oh, hey,
What? You're scared of her, aren't you?
Because....
'We're going to find Yifa, aren't we?　Come quickly.

　Amu pulls me in and I step into the research building.
　A long corridor. There are many rooms on the left and right side of the corridor.

　In the room at the far end of the corridor, there is some kind of human presence.
　I can hear the noise and the faint clinking sound.
　If Yifa was here, this was the place.

'Seika.'
....
Hey, Seika.
What?
This....

　What Amu was pointing at was a small notice pinned to the corner of the door.

"Probability Event Research Club, Presentation Room

What's this?

　I think it's a secret word for gambling house...

　Amu and I pushed open the door in silence.
　Immediately, a clamor flashed in our ears.

　The sound of the dice being rolled.
　The sound of coins being released.
　The sound of liquor cups being slammed on the table.
　The shouts and laughter of customers.

　The same noise of the gambling hall that I heard in the back of the tavern one day.
　Or rather, it was the hidden gambling den of the example, here!

Yifa?

　Amu muttered next to me.
　When I looked out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar catty blonde at the table in the back.
　A number of male students are standing near it, as if to solidify their surroundings.........................That outfit, is it really those a**h*les from the school knights?

　When Yifa notices us, she gets up from her seat as if surprised.

'What? Amu?　And you, Seika?　Why are you here...

Yifa, what are you doing here...

　When I was about to approach Yifa, the knights of the school interrupted me.

"Hey, hey, hey. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. No matter how much you like it, master, we can't let you get in our way.
'This is just her game, you know. You're going to have to watch.
Yes, yes, yes! Stand down!

　I understand.

　Oh, I see.
　It's not uncommon for a man to seduce a woman in distress, get her in debt, and then hold her captive in his arms, even in a previous life.

　If one were to live cunningly, one should be able to control the situation.

　It doesn't suit my nature.

　I wanted to find the strength to put down the unreasonable by force.

Hey, you guys.

　I open the door to the human race that I've been ignoring.

"Apologize to me and my chivalry in hell.
The call...

I'm sorry, Seika-kun!　Just give me a few more minutes!

　I closed the door at Yifa's voice and hurriedly closed it. A huge, hairy spider's legs retracted, revealing only the tips of its legs.
　Let's see.........

'........aren't you being forced to do this?
No, no. It's just that I've been putting my money where my mouth is.
Are these all Yifa's chips?

　Amu, who had come nearby, asks.
　Yifa nods.

'Yes,'
What, is this all of it?

　There was a significant amount of chips on the table.
　I haven't given Yifa my share of the prize that I redeemed, so I guess I earned this myself....

　The game here seems to be 'man or dragon'.
　Apparently it's the last card in the deck, and all that's left to do is flip it.
　And all the chips have been put on the betting line.

'You mean, you're betting on a draw?
Uh-huh.
Yifa, are you crazy?　Draws don't happen very often.

　Even Amu, who said it was one in two, win or lose, looks worried.
　The odds are one in thirty-six, although the draw is ten times the wager if it hits.

''It's okay,''

　But Yifa stared at the bills on the table with confident eyes.

''Because these are both water sevens.

　The dealer flips through the cards on the table with a slightly trembling hand.
　The "Human" card is the seven of water.
　And the "dragon" card is also a water seven.
　It's a draw.

　Immediately, the crowd erupted in cheers.
　The academy knights are hugging each other and rejoicing, and the guests watching from the edge are also clapping and whistling.
　Everyone was praising Yifa with their mouths.
　Yifa was embarrassed to receive such praise.

　Amu and I were looking at the scene without knowing why.