I Got Rich Through My Gambling System

The two strolled along the busy street. The sun was slowly descending in the sky, fading into the clouds. After an hour of walking, they found themselves walking on a street filled with restaurants and cheap food stalls.

Like earlier, Anika was just following Leonard. The two of them walked side by side. She had no idea where they're heading. All she knew was that they're looking for someone who is working in a restaurant.

[Ding!]

[Candidate Radius Tracker Activated!]

Leonard hastily slowed down when he saw that notification.

'Oh? That's still there?' He murmured

He thought that it was only a 1 time use.

Just like then, an invisible compass flickered faintly in his vision.

"What's with that smile?" Anika looked up at him suspiciously.

"Nothing," Leonard said quickly, hiding his amusement. "We're just making progress."

[Candidate 2 detected.]

[Distance: 2 km.]

With that, Leonard's smile even widened. The two of them walked more with Leonard's lead. After a few minutes, the system gave another update to Leonard.

[Distance:50 m]

Leonard quickly looked around when he noticed that. That's when he saw that they were just in front of a modest food stall. They were already at the far side so there were only a few people around.

The smell of soup and freshly steamed buns filled the air. Behind the counter stood a young woman carefully ladling a stew into a bowl for a customer.

Leonard's gaze stayed on the woman for a moment before he pointed subtly.

"That's who we're looking for, Anika."

Anika turned toward the stall and blinked. That's when she saw the person that Leonard was pointing at.

The woman had light brown hair tied loosely behind her neck, a few strands brushing her fair cheeks. Her brown eyes moved quickly, scanning orders while her hands worked on their own.

"We're looking for her?" Anika asked slowly, her expression unreadable.

Leonard nodded. "Yeah. That's Maren."

Anika crossed her arms, frowning slightly.

"Why are we looking for a woman?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended, though she tried to sound casual.

"Because she might be the employee we've been looking for." Leonard raised a brow, glancing at her in mild confusion.

"Employee?" Anika repeated. When she realized this, she pressed her lips together. "Oh."

Leonard caught the brief pout on her face but chose to ignore it, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Just trust me on this one, alright?"

"Fine. But you better explain later." Anika looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I will," Leonard said, amused by her reaction.

With that, he straightened his posture and began walking toward the stall. The woman behind it, Maren, looked up as the next customer approached.

Leonard's steps slowed slightly as he approached, already preparing his most polite smile.

'Alright, let's see what kind of person you are, Candidate Number Two.'

The two of them found a small table near the entrance of the stall. Leonard and Anika sat down quietly, blending in with the few other customers who had stopped by for dinner.

Leonard leaned slightly on the table, his eyes fixed on the woman behind the counter. She was still busy serving bowls of soup and taking coins from customers.

Anika watched him watch her.

"…You know," she started, lowering her voice, "you could just go talk to her."

"Talk to her?" Leonard blinked and turned to her.

"Yeah," she said. "I mean, we already found her. Why not go introduce yourself instead of just… staring?"

"Because she doesn't know me." He smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand.

Anika blinked. "Wait, but you know her?"

"I do," Leonard admitted casually. "But she doesn't know me."

"That doesn't make sense at all." Anika frowned, puzzled.

"It will." Leonard just chuckled. "But, for now, just eat."

"Fine. You're weird." She sighed in defeat.

"Most successful people are." He smiled, though his gaze drifted back to Maren.

Soon enough, Maren came over to take their order.

Up close, Leonard could see the faint traces of exhaustion on her face, the small calluses on her fingers, and how she tried to maintain a smile for every customer.

"What will you two be having, Sir? Miss?" she asked. Her voice was polite but soft-spoken.

"We'll take two bowls of stew and a plate of buns," Leonard said with a small nod.

"Alright, please wait a moment," Maren replied, bowing slightly before heading back to the counter.

When she left, Anika leaned forward.

"She looks… normal." She didn't know what Leonard saw in her.

"She is," Leonard said, watching her carefully. "That's the point."

A few minutes later, Maren returned with a tray in hand. The food looked simple but comforting. The steam rose gently as she set the bowls down.

"Here you g—"

Before she could place it down, her foot slipped accidentally.

The tray tilted, and one of the bowls flew straight off, spilling the steaming stew all over the table and the ground beside Leonard's seat. The sound of bowl breaking echoed through the quiet stall.

"Oh no—!" Maren gasped, eyes wide as she froze for a second before quickly kneeling down. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…"

Leonard blinked. He was about to reassure her that it was fine, but before he could say a word—

"Maren!" a man's harsh voice sounded from behind the counter.

The restaurant owner stormed over, his face was red and twisted with anger. "You idiot! How many bowls of stew are you planning to destroy this week?!"

"I—It was an accident…"

"Accident?!" he cut her off immediately. "That's what you said the last three times! What's wrong with you, huh? Do you have water instead of brains?"

Maren lowered her head, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, sir…"

The man scoffed, slamming a hand against the counter. "Sorry, don't pay for wasted food!"

Leonard's jaw tightened. His calm expression darkened slightly as he watched the scene unfold.

Anika glanced at him, uneasy.

"…Leonard?"