Mikuni explains the purpose of Starling Guild, to win by small margins in order to avoid affecting reality, to Kimimaro, though his attempt to put it into practice fails due to Msyu rushing in. Hearing from the taxi driver that even those with small losses may have their future affected, Kimimaro grows concerned about whether his loss has affected any of his friends or family, though it appears to only affect his test results. Meanwhile, Kimimaro grows concerned about the Basho Pharmaceutical corporation, which could affect thousands of people if it rendered bankrupt through Deals. Kimimaro later learns Basho Pharmaceuticals was bought by a company secretly controlled by Mikuni, in order to reduce its effects on reality. Mikuni later explains to Kimimaro that he is trying to maintain a balance between reality and the Financial District, since ridding one of the other would cause chaos. Kimimaro decides to join the Guild and start controlling his Deals.