There were people with real luck when I was living in Japan.

  It’s about those people who are ridiculously lucky when it es to draws—like the ones who only ever pull "great fortune" on shrine omikuji.

  You know, the type who wins the lets selected in their favorite idol’s raffle, or always has clear skies on important days.

  "Is this what they call the gap in luck?"

  "Ahahaha, you’re so lively. Nel, you’re always lucky, aren’t you?"

  And in this world too—no, in this world, the differen real luck bees even more apparent.

  "Ehem!"

  "I don’t know, I feel like I should be proud of doing something amazing, but I ’t bring myself to praise you holy."

  "It ’t be helped, yeah, it really ’t be helped."

  While averting my eyes from Nel’s still-developing chest, what she funts are numerous golden mochi.

  A total of nine.

  Even though the drop rate should be incredibly low, her drop rate is an astonishing 90%.

  We were cheg the dropped items in the safe area before the boss room, and of course, Nel was leading by a ndslide.

  In sed pce, Amina had one.

  I had zero.

  This is depressing. This result is holy depressing.

  Even though Amina’s soft, fluffy feathers e, the fact that my heart, as a seasoned pyer, is crushed by Nel’s materialistisor is overwhelming.

  But I ’t stay like this forever.

  With my hands on the ground and my head hanging low, I mao pull myself together thanks to Amina’s sotion.

  "Alright, it’s finally time for the boss fight, but holy, it’s not much different in strength from a regur Kagami Mochi."

  Amina, who’s patting my head encingly, is temporarily ignored.

  Girls grow faster than boys, so Amina is still taller than me.

  Retly, Nel’s height has also started to increase, and she’s beginning to give off the vibe of an older sister.

  Since my body hadn’t been properly nourished before ing to this world, my growth potential is unknown. The current situation is that I’ll have to work hard to ensure I grow taller iure.

  But I don’t mind, so I’ll just leave it as it is.

  "The only difference is that, like the Golden Mochi, it’s so shiny it’s hard to look at."

  We’re about to face the boss, but if we fight as usual, the battle itself shouldn’t be a problem.

  "So if we fight as usual, there shouldn’t be any issues."

  I say this firmly, but since Amina is still patting my head, it doesn’t quite have the impact I’d like.

  "However, there’s something we o do before the boss fight."

  There’s only ohing to keep in mind when fighting the Golden Kagami Mochi.

  "We’re going to use this, right?"

  "Exactly."

  The golden mochi we’ve collected along the way.

  We’re going to use them.

  Nel grabs one of the mochi id out on the floor and holds it up proudly.

  "We’ve got nine in total, so let’s use the maximum number here."

  "Okay! I want to use one!"

  "Ah, that’s not fair! I want to use ooo!!"

  "We’ll use one each, so Nel and Amina each use one."

  Usiems is always exg, I guess.

  Amina also grabs a golden mochi, moving her hand away from my head.

  I toss the remaining golden mochi into my leather pouch so I don’t fet them.

  "Ready!"

  Rest time is over. It’s about time we head back, or things will get bad.

  I lead the two of them to the front of the boss room, but...

  "The door is also gold."

  "Gulp."

  "Nel."

  "Hah! I’m not drooling or anything!!"

  Even if the design is simple, if it’s made of gold, it naturally looks luxurious.

  Everything on the way here has been golden, so much so that I think Nel’s eyes might turn into gold s. Her eye color has ged so much.

  For a moment, Nel looks at the hinges of the door, w if she break them, but Amina, exasperated, calls out to her.

  "Nel, really. Anyway, Liberta, how do we use this?"

  "Press the golden mochi against the door. That should do it."

  "Against the door?"

  Since using the item is more important, Amina asks, and I expin how to use it.

  "Ah, don’t open the door yet. If you open it, using the item will be pointless."

  In the game era, the treasure chest t is determi two points: when the door is opened and when the boss monster is defeated.

  The former has aremely low probability, while the tter has a moderate probability.

  The golden mochi affects the former probability, increasing the number of treasure chests.

  "Okay, ah, it disappeared."

  Following my instrus, Amina presses the golden mochi against the door, and it’s absorbed into the door, disappearing.

  "Eh! How did that happen?"

  "I don’t kher. It’s just the mystery of the dungeon."

  Amina touches the door curiously, but there’s no mochi stuck to it—just the sensation of gold against her hand.

  Even if I’m asked to expin the logic, I don’t know.

  I just know that items left in the dungeon disappear over time and are used under certain ditions.

  "Really? Is it really being used?"

  "It should be."

  With no special effects, just the simple sight of the mochi being absorbed into the door, Nel looks at the door with suspi.

  We FBO pyers think of golden mochi and other items as the dungeon’s favorite treats, and we’ve taken to calling them s.

  We’re essentially asking for an equivalent exge: give us more treasure chests iurn for these treats.

  "Hmm."

  Perhaps due to her mert nature, Nel, who was eager to use the mochi earlier, is now a bit skeptical about using them.

  "Hey!"

  But after a moment of hesitation, she presses the golden mochi against the door with determination.

  "If the treasure chests don’t increase, I won’t five you!!"

  She points at the door and decres as if it hear her.

  Amina and I ’t help but exge a wry smile at her attitude.

  "Alright! Let’s go!!"

  "Yeah."

  "Okay."

  Expeg a return on the golden mochi we’ve used, Nel, full of determination, pces her hand on the door.

  The golden door, which should be heavier than wood, opens smoothly and lightly, and after we enter, it closes with a heavy thud, shut by Nel’s hand.

  And in the ter sits a golden object.

  "That’s the boss."

  "It’s really golden."

  The Golden Kagami Mochi.

  Except for the slightly e-tinted gold of the top mochi, it’s exactly the same as the regur one.

  "Here it es!"

  "Okay!"

  "Let’s go!"

  And as soon as we ehe battle with the Golden Kagami Mochi begins.

  "Eh, it’s weak."

  "It’s all about appearances, huh?"

  "I told you, it’s just a bit more health."

  The result is a plete victory.

  It was almost too easy.

  I take down the rgest mochi at the bottom, causing the upper mochi to tumble.

  Nel seizes the opportunity to take out the top and tower, while Amina finishes off the seochi from the top.

  Finally, the three of us simultaneously attack the third-tier mochi, and the battle ends in an instant.

  With our on power and all the experience we’ve gained from fighting regur Kagami Mochi, the battle ends with a sense of anticlimax.

  Nel looks dissatisfied, as if to say it was too easy.

  Amis out a big sigh, feeling like she wasted her nervousness.

  It’s only natural to get your hopes up when you see a new monster.

  "Alright, it’s time for the long-awaited treasure chest moment."

  "Yeah! Hey, Amina! Isn’t this amazing?"

  "Yeah! Five golden treasure chests appeared!!"

  Their attitudes suggest they’re pletely unsatisfied, but after the boss is defeated, a beautiful light fills the area, and five new goldes appear in the ter of the golden pza.

  It’s a sight I’ve seen many times, but it’s always breathtaking.

  Even after years of pying, this is a se that never fails to excite.

  "Alright, Nel gets three, and Amiwo."

  "Okay!"

  But I don’t let the excitemeo me and make the mistake of opening them myself.

  It’s best to let Nel, with her real luck, open all of them, but seeing Amina fidgeting with excitement, I decide to let Nel open a few more.

  I walk after the two as they rush toward the golden treasure chests.

  "On the t of three!"

  Before I even t, they start opening the chests together.

  "Ah, I got just one mochi."

  Amina got the minimum guarantee of one golden mochi.

  She mutters disappointedly, but even that one mochi is worth 10,000 zeni if sold.

  If sold between pyers, it could go for at least five times, or eveimes that amount.

  She probably doesn’t know that, so she thinks it’s a dud and is casually tossing it like a ball.

  "And Nel... Nel?"

  As for Nel, she’s had her head stu the treasure chest and hasn’t e out yet.

  Amina, who had been sounding disappointed, now calls out to Nel with .

  "Fu, fufufufufufu."

  A muffled but audible ugh es from ihe chest.

  With a sudden movement, Nel pulls her head out of the chest.

  "Look at this!!"

  She proudly shows off the tents of the chest.

  "What!?"

  I ’t help but shudder at what Nel reveals.

  "hat’s amazing!!"

  In her small hand is a golden key.

  Is the 5% probability barrier meanio Nel!?

  Amina praises Nel sincerely, g her hands.

  "With this, we go another round!!"

  "Ah, yeah."

  At this point, I’ve just accepted that Nel’s real luck is just... Nel.

  "Ah, and this also came out."

  She hands me the guaranteed golden mochi, and I silently accept it.

  Then, I ’t help but wiven her real luck, is this really the end? I g the remaining three golden treasure chests.

  "Alright, let’s go to the one!!"

  "Ooh!!!"

  Nel, full of enthusiasm, rolls up her sleeves and heads for the golde, with Amina following suit, pumped up.

  I don’t know why.

  Even though something good is bound to happen, I ’t shake this bad feeling, this unease in my chest.

  "Another one came out!!"

  "Eh, I only got a golden mochi..."

  Yeah, what even is probability?

  In her hands shiwo golden keys.

  e to think of it, a gambling-addicted friend oold me.

  Probability doesn’t apply to those who are already lucky.

  Is this enlighte?

  I may not have luck, but Nel has it.

  Yeah, that’s fine.

  "gratutions."

  "Why are you g with such a gentle face?"

  "Ah, Nel wouldn’t uand. But I think I get how Liberta feels."

  This is a good thing. My pride is nothing pared to the fact that we got what we wanted.

  I accept Amina’s sympathetic gaze and Nel’s fused expression.

  "Don’t worry about it. Look, we don’t have much time left, so let’s ope chest."

  "Y-yeah."

  I mustn’t be jealous.

  This is all because of my ck of luck, so I ’t resent Nel.

  I tell myself this, trying to erase my ugly feelings, and the result is this calm expression.

  Even though we’re about the same age physically, being jealous of a girl who’s mentally much younger means I’ve failed as an adult.

  I’ve learo separate things like this while living, no, while pying FBO.

  I’ve experienced all sorts of unfairness.

  I’ve lost t of how many times I’ve lost in drop item petitions.

  So I watel with gentle eyes.

  As she reaches out to ope golde.

  "Kyaa!? What!?"

  "Eh? The chest suddenly glowed."

  "Wait, no way!? A promotion!?"

  The momeouched it, the golde emitted a rainbow light.

  This effect is unmistakable.

  It’s a promotion.

  A rare event where a treasure chest upgrades to a higher rank.

  This should only happen with silver chests her.

  The probability of a promotion is 0.1%.

  And it happens at this moment!?

  "Li-Liberta, this is..."

  "A rainbow chest."

  Nel points at the chest, now glowing with rainbow light and transformed from gold to ptinum.

  Amina stares at it in a daze, just gazing at the chest.

  "...It got promoted."

  "Promoted?"

  "Silver her chests sometimes upgrade to a higher tier. We call that a promotion. When that happens, the tents of the chest are reset and re-rolled. Probably, from that chest..."

  I don’t say that anything could e out.

  The rainbow chest in the Golden Mochi Dungeon.

  The minimum guarantee is a Skill Upgrade Orb.

  But of course, other items drop too.

  "For us, it’s a chest that drop some really valuable items."

  Even with two golden keys already, things are already crazy, but now we get to open a rainbow chest too.

  If, by ce, *that* item drops from this rainbow chest, it’ll be beyond incredible.

  "Sh-should I open it?"

  "......"

  I nod, filled with anticipation.

  Perhaps sensing my words, Amina also nods in agreement.

  "Ah, I’ll open it."

  I don’t know what will e out. All I know is that my heart is pounding loudly.