Win

"The first mark is right in the middle. Are you serious, bro?"

"You're crazy."

"Yeah, or rather that wages are way too high."

There were many similar comments that he was going too far, but that didn't matter.

"My entire savings for this trip will disappear," Kiryu admitted.

"Wow, how pitiful, and yet he's betting it on this. Maybe the girl is good? "

Sensing the shift in the audience's mood, he saw her cheeks turn red.

Kiryu had to stop himself from chuckling. She truly is cute, even though she has a cold, beauty appearance. He has always found everything Terashima Lila does cute and endearing.

He lied a bit; he would still have two thousand yen left. Rather Lila seemed surprised how much money other regions carry with him. It is better to prepare, especially during these times; people carry different currencies around with them. After all, there is not much use for money in the present world.

It is better to use different currencies than using the standard.

Kiryu saw Lila hesitate. The target is slightly further away than he thought, but he would not retract his bet even then.

"What's wrong little girl?"

"If you're going to stop, you should stop now."

"Lila, just relax."

'Kiryu is watching; she grips the bow. That's right. Kiryu has helped me out this entire time and sacrificed so much time to help me practice. Even though he has a lot going on, I can't show him my bad side anymore.'

Kiryu paused when he heard her thoughts, this girl- she still can't suppress her thoughts when she is excited. He did help her practice a few times, but most of it was her hard work. Moreover, he had hidden intentions when he trained with her. He wanted to spend some time with her, even if it was only little.

She trained so hard even though she was pregnant back then.

Lila raises the bow and pulls back the string in one motion. Bam.

His eyes widened; it wasn't on the ground like usual. But right in the center. 'Even though I knew she would do it, this surprised me too. She actually did it.' The crowd, too, seemed to be stunned. For a moment, nobody spoke, and silence fills the entire area.

"No way."

"Was that an illusion?"

Kiryu watched, amused, as some people started to pinch each other's cheeks. It seemed Lila was still shocked since she stood there for a moment before she turned to him,

He smiled. "Did you all see that? It was no illusion. My girl is amazing."

"Why do you sound so proud?"

'Ah, Kiryu is smiling brightly. It's been a while since I have seen that. Recently whenever Kiryu laughs, it is with a hint of sadness. I wish he could always be like that. I have to try harder.'

Kiryu felt proud, but when he heard her thoughts, he immediately mumbled, 'stupid.' She doesn't have to pay so much attention to him. It is enough, Lila; she has done more than enough. It is more than enough, Kiryu recalled his conversation with Haruka.

Despite Haruka's flaws as a person, he is the only one he can entrust Lila with. If it is Haruka, he can continue making Lila smile.

Kiryu leaves her to collect the money. Although both of them had hoods on, he still did not want to risk many people seeing her. Some recognized Lila earlier, but these guys didn't. He doesn't want to risk it right now.

When the owner repeated the amount they won, even Kiryu had to admit how impressed he was.

He blinks at the heavy amount of money in the bag placed in her hands. To think that they earned so much from a game like this. Lila only brought him out here to cheer him up, but they made this much money.

Neither of them have any need for this money, though. Maybe they can donate to that poor village they passed by earlier. He turned to Lila, who nodded; it seems even now they have similar thoughts. Kiryu passed her the bag, and Lila put the money in her bag when someone trips on her cloak, causing it to slip off.

"Oh, I am sorry, miss----" That person paused when he got a good look at Lila.

"Woah, is that Terashima Lila?"

"You must be joking, right?"

"I didn't think idols were interested in archery."

There is s nothing wrong with that. But she's pretty sure the media will blow it out of proportion once they find out. Right even now, those people still do their jobs. He can already see the headlines, 'Terashima Lila fooling around during these peril times.'

Kiryu reemerges from behind her and grabs hold of her hand.

"Alright, this is where we split. Can you run now?"

"Yes."

After a few minutes, he found a quiet clearing, and they stopped running.

"With this much, maybe we should stay longer." Kiryu jokes.

Of course, it was just a joke; neither of them could leave the assembly for long. If Lila does, then Haruka's position will worsen again. As for him, he would rather avoid causing further problems for his mother.

"Actually, Kiryu, I want to use that money to help the villagers we passed by. There are enough, right? I understand that this isn't enough. What's needed to properly help those poor villages is manpower to cultivate the worn-out land's rich fertile soil. That's going to take more money. But if there is something I can do, even if it is just a little, I want to."

They truly do have the same mindset when it comes to this stuff.

There is plenty to last them for a good few months. I thought you'd say that anyway. So I'll send these to the office when we get back. I also think the same." Kiryu added.

Even if the world returns to normal in the next few months, they can still use this money.

Just a few months. If they don't move quickly, then those people will go hungry again.

"It's not enough. What I am doing still isn't enough. Unlike Mother and Onee-chan, I have not helped anybody properly."

Kiryu extended his hand out and pinched her cheeks.

"Kiryu---wha-"

He did not put that much force in it, yet it must hurt due to her scars.

"Your hands are like this from practicing too much; they look pink, so you've probably gripped the bow for long periods. Your face is covered in scars too, which you've done a great job hiding. But if you move a lot, the effect wears off and becomes visible. No doubt your body is aching from standing for a long time. Let's see. .what else now?"