“Rejoice!
The vast majority of this land is now mine.
I stand on the threshold of absolute victory!” Kaisoku was radiant, gesturing across the board as though this little square world contained the full spectrum of human triumph.
And Toujou Kaisoku—strategist supreme, mastermind from afar—had seized her winning position.
She was flat broke, true, but she was certain her Stone Sentinel Maze was complete.
No one could escape this encirclement.
“But you’re completely out of cash—can you even survive one more lap?” Kita was witnessing the legendary all-in strat for the first time.
Sure, Monopoly was fundamentally a real estate tycoon simulator, but going all-in on your very first lap to buy every property in sight was… rare.
“What if you land on someone else’s tile?
Can you even pay?”
“Going all-in is a form of wisdom.” Kaisoku was brimming with confidence.
“Besides—almost every tile on this board is mine now.
What are the odds I’d be that unlucky?”
“Really?
But none of them are high-value properties.” Diamond glanced over.
Kaisoku’s blitz had indeed burned through her entire bankroll, but she’d laid an excellent foundation.
In another lap, her income would snowball.
By pushing her margin of error to zero, she’d maximized her win rate.
This strategy was death-and-rebirth incarnate.
The ultimate comeback play!
Toujou Kaisoku, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, was simultaneously teetering on the brink of victory!
This was her way of winning!
“Sure, I didn’t luck into the premium tiles.
But this is more than enough.
Come, Kitasan Black—donate your blood to my war machine!” On Kita’s turn, Kaisoku had already done the math.
Out of the tiles ahead of Kita, only one remained unclaimed—meaning the only escape was rolling a six.
Just one number out of six.
The odds were in the Maze’s favor!
“Behold the grandmaster’s ultimate formation: the Stone Sentinel Maze!
Break through it—if you dare!
Who can stop me?
WHO CAN STOP ME?!” Kaisoku had the victory formula in hand.
A one-in-six chance of slipping through her net?
Not happening.
“Kita!
Accept your fate as my blood bag!”
Kita tossed the die casually.
As it tumbled, Kaisoku’s confidence crumbled in real time—and the result:
“A six!
Perfect—I can slip right past~” Kita cheerfully moved her piece to the one safe tile.
The Gate of Life in the Stone Sentinel Maze—the single exit—and she’d waltzed right through, dodging blood-bag duty entirely.
Kaisoku was momentarily struck speechless.
“Th-that’s fine!
Dia!
Your turn!
You’ve got the most money right now, so coughing up a little shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Kaisoku immediately locked eyes onto Diamond—currently the wealthiest player on the board—with desperate intensity.
“Just a tiny bit!
Just enough for me to start recovering funds!
Please!”
“Hmm~ What should I do~” Diamond picked up the die with a grin.
“If you don’t collect from me this turn, you go bankrupt, you know.
You don’t want to be eliminated now, do you?”
“…Grr—what are your demands?!” Kaisoku’s expression twisted with righteous indignation.
“And there’s no guarantee I’ll land on your tile anyway!”
“Well~ I’m not a monster.” Diamond’s smile was magnanimous.
“I could lend you two hundred thousand upfront—all you’d have to do is repay four hundred thousand after one lap.”
“…Gah—a full doubling?!” Kaisoku’s brow furrowed.
“You capitalist!
Squeezing my future value through predatory lending!”
“Or you could put up property as collateral~ How about this—whatever tile I land on next, you hand it over to me?” Diamond’s smile had evolved into something genuinely terrifying in Kaisoku’s eyes.
“You… there’s a move like that?!”
“…This is still Monopoly, right?
Why does it feel like you and I are playing completely different games, Dia?” Kita blinked.
The rules definitely didn’t include lending money.
And this interest rate straddled the line between “loan” and “loan sharking.”
“Damn it…” Kaisoku stared at her measly two thousand in remaining funds, tears in her eyes, and nodded.
“It’s just four hundred thousand!
I can pay it back!
I’ve got land!
Land means income!
Income means a comeback!”
“Oh my~ That tile has a hotel on it.
How lovely.” Diamond landed squarely on the collateralized property.
After paying the toll plus the two hundred thousand loan, she beamed.
“And if you can’t pay back next lap, that’s fine too—just settle up the lap after for eight hundred thousand~”
“This… this is actual loan sharking…” Kaisoku’s forehead was beading with sweat.
The two hundred thousand loan was burning a hole in her hand. Find the original chapter at g.com.
All three of them were just playing a board game, yet somehow it had devolved into this cesspool of money and greed?!
“Now Kaisoku owes me two hundred thousand~ Hehe.” Diamond, sitting atop the board’s largest fortune, naturally didn’t care about such a modest expenditure.
But for Kaisoku—who’d gone full do-or-die—it was catastrophic.
“By the way, Kaisoku—still no word from Tōdai?” Kita, who’d been listening quietly, asked.
“Didn’t you say results would take three or four days?
And they haven’t contacted you?”
“I have no idea… nothing so far.” Kaisoku sighed.
“But today’s technically only day three.
Maybe I’ll hear something today.
Pass or fail, they should at least notify me, right?”
“Even if you didn’t get in, you could still come to Tracen Academy with us, couldn’t you?” Diamond smiled.
“Just try again in three years.
This was early admission—it shouldn’t affect your chances at the regular exam.”
“That’s the plan, but obviously getting in now would be ideal.” Kaisoku sighed again.
“Here’s hoping everything works out.”
“I’m sure you passed, Kaisoku~ You worked so hard, after all.” Kita was a born optimist.
Kaisoku occasionally envied that about her.
She herself had already fully braced for rejection—not out of a lack of confidence, but because she had to prepare for that outcome.
If she wasn’t ready when the blow came, her composure would shatter.
“This is exactly why you’ve been dragging Kaisoku out to play every day, isn’t it, Kita?” Diamond said with a knowing smile.
“Well—yeah, partly.
But mostly I just want to hang out with Kaisoku.” Kita scratched her head, sheepish.
In front of her childhood friend, her little schemes were transparent.
“Win or lose, Kaisoku’s already a school legend.
People have started giving her a nickname.”
“What is it?” Kaisoku asked, curious.
“Tokyo U Kaisoku.” Kita said it with a straight face.
“…”
“…”
Both Diamond and Kaisoku fell silent.
That’s just swapping one character.
How is that even a nickname?
But Kita quickly elaborated.
“Well, the main nickname is actually ‘the Tokyo U girl’—or ‘the Tokyo U Umamusume.’ ‘Tokyo U Kaisoku’ is like the full version.
Most people just call you ‘the Tokyo U girl.'”
“I haven’t even gotten in yet and they’re already calling me that?
Isn’t that a bit prematu—” Kaisoku was exasperated.
Rumors really did grow legs and sprint.
“Whatever.
It’s not the worst nickname.”
Knock knock knock.
A rhythmic rapping at the dorm room door.
Kaisoku stood without thinking, walked over, and opened it.
And standing on the other side was someone who nearly stopped her heart.
“Hello there—Toujou Kaisoku.”
“…G-good afternoon, Symboli Rudolf-senpai… and Maruzensky-senpai.” Seeing these two instantly dredged up memories of the vehicular-hellscape ride Maruzensky had subjected her to.
She’d ridden roller coasters and drop towers before, but that soul-ejecting highway experience had left genuine, deep-seated trauma.
“May we come in?
Unless it’s a bad time?” Rudolf smiled.
“I also brought your letter.”
She held up an envelope.
Kaisoku’s throat went dry.
Given Rudolf’s demeanor, she had a very bad feeling about this.
There’s no way I actually failed, right?
Otherwise, why would Rudolf—who’d lose the bet—look so happy?
“Of course, please come in…”
The two entered.
Diamond and Kita immediately read the room, made their excuses, and slipped out, leaving Kaisoku alone with the two seniors.
Kaisoku nervously pulled up chairs for them and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
“So… how did it go?”
“Honestly, you’ve already exceeded my expectations.
I heard about what happened—studying until you ended up in the hospital, saying some remarkable things in front of the Tōdai professor.
All of it surprised me, and all of it shows you’re an umamusume with real nerve.
You might seem timid in front of me, but I suspect that’s just a front.
On the actual track, you’d be fearless.” Rudolf made no effort to hide her admiration.
“I have high hopes for you, and I look forward to seeing you compete.
“…So—I failed, then.” Kaisoku drew a shaky breath and fought to hold back her tears.
Her eyes glistened, but stubbornly refused to overflow.
She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Rudolf.
Even if it hurt, she’d hold it together until Rudolf left, and then let it all out properly.
She kept her spine straight.
“I lost?”
“…Hm?
What makes you think that?” Kaisoku’s reaction puzzled Rudolf.
But one look at the girl’s face made the situation clear—she’d gotten the wrong idea.
Rudolf quickly corrected course.
The seal on this letter hasn’t been broken.
I came specifically so I could watch you open it yourself.”
So you’re here to gloat in person?
Rudolf really is a rotten personality.
Everything Rudolf had just said practically spelled it out—if Kaisoku had gotten into Tōdai, why would Rudolf be talking about seeing her on the racetrack?
If that wasn’t rubbing it in, what was?
Still—losers couldn’t complain.
And she trusted that the Tōdai professor wouldn’t have tanked her score just to do Rudolf a favor.
This had to be a genuine gap in ability.
But… Symboli Rudolf.
I’m remembering this.
Kaisoku took the envelope.
Deep breath.
Even with defeat all but certain, she had to face it head-on.
Her hands trembled as she tore it open, unfolded the letter inside—and her vision nearly blurred with tears.
She stubbornly swiped her sleeve across her eyes and began reading through reddened, defiant eyes.
The opening was all boilerplate.
She skimmed through it fast, until—
—Based on the results of both the written examination and the interview, I have determined that Miss Toujou Kaisoku… possesses the qualities befitting a student of the University of Tokyo.
By the authority vested in me as President of the University of Tokyo, Miss Toujou Kaisoku is hereby granted admission under a special enrollment quota.
The university’s seal was affixed at the bottom, giving the document full legal force.
Kaisoku’s mind went blank.
She hadn’t misread it, had she?
She… she… she passed?!?!
From grief to disbelief to euphoria—her expression cycled through so many states it nearly cramped.
But none of that mattered anymore.
She’d won.
She’d actually won the bet.
Leaped the dragon gate.
That was all that counted.
A middle schooler, admitted to Tōdai on early enrollment.
The feat alone was remarkable.
So remarkable it made her question reality—she’d actually done it?!
The unlucky version of herself—the girl for whom nothing ever went right—had actually succeeded?!
Tears fell again onto the envelope before her, but this time they weren’t tears of sorrow.
They were tears of joy.
And her transformation drew a gentle smile from Rudolf, who’d known the outcome all along.
“Congratulations, Toujou Kaisoku.
You proved yourself—and won our wager.”
“N-no… it was just luck.” Kaisoku was over the moon, but still had enough presence of mind to maintain her manners in front of Rudolf.
“So… I’m very sorry, but I won’t be going to Tracen Academy after all.
Once I finish my middle school coursework, I’ll head straight to Tōdai.”
“…Oh?
Is that so?” Rudolf smiled.
“Why not read the rest?
There’s more after that line.”
“Huh?” Kaisoku blinked.
Sure enough, a second line followed—she’d assumed it was more boilerplate like the opening and had instinctively skipped it.
But when she actually read it—
Additionally, Miss Toujou Kaisoku is hereby granted Exchange Student status with Tracen Academy.
Furthermore, with Miss Toujou Kaisoku’s consent, she shall represent the University of Tokyo as a participant in the Twinkle Series… in the capacity of promotional ambassador for the university…
Kaisoku’s expression froze.
She looked up in utter disbelief at Rudolf’s grin—a grin that now seemed positively diabolical.
Inside her head, ten thousand stampeding alpacas thundered past.
She’d never imagined—never even considered—that there was a move like this.
Damn it!
Rudolf!
You played me!
Lose the bet?
Go to Tracen Academy.
Win the bet?
Represent Tōdai in the Twinkle Series.
Different schools, same result—no matter the outcome, Toujou Kaisoku was going to end up on a racetrack.
The moment Kaisoku realized she’d been outmaneuvered, she glared at Rudolf through gritted teeth.
“So this is why the Student Council President was looking forward to my performance?”
“Of course—though looking forward to you was entirely genuine.” Rudolf’s smile was brilliant.
She’d won no matter what.
Her only goal had ever been getting Kaisoku onto the track.
“The Tōdai president had high praise for you, by the way.
Though one comment I should probably pass along—his assessment was: ‘Mature, certainly—and skilled.
But just a touch short on street smarts.
Youth, eh.'”
“I—” Kaisoku bit down hard on her tongue, barely suppressing a torrent of colorful language.
“Thank you SO MUCH!”
The update schedule will be one chapter per day.
If I’m free on weekends, I will do a mass release for everyone.