The chapter opens with a soliloquy in which the narrator laments the fact that he has been unable to steal anything from his opponent, but that one of them has been able to pull ahead in the game. He laments that his opponent has gone for the speed of the game and has created cards twice as many times as his opponent. He feels that his rhythm is interrupted by his opponent's creation of cards, and that he gives his opponent too much room to breathe. He decides to attack his opponent with one of his own cards, hoping that he will be able to win the match. He wonders if his opponent is gambling on the cards that are on his side, and he wonders if he has gone after them like he was mining for them. He also wonders if the other player is also gambling on his cards, but he does not want to lose the match to himself, either. He sighs and wonders if they have come this far, and now it is up to fate to decide the outcome. The narrator wonders why he cannot have two bodies in the match, since he has the "se" card and the "tsuki" card.