It was the evening.

Inside the cottage, everyone was gathered in the kitchen, awaiting to see what Lucina-sensei and Kazuraba had cooked us for dinner.

Considering how salty Kazuraba's onigiri was, I wasn't very excited for it, but everyone else was brimming with excitement because of how fragrant the air smelled.

"Alright! Thanks for waiting, everyone!"

Lucina-sensei brought over to the circular dinner table a large metal pot. Being the oldest here, she sat the head of the table, before taking the lid off and filling the room with the unmistakable scent of curry.

Going clockwise from her, sitting at the table was Akitani, Kuyou, Momoka, Iori, Busujima, me, Kurosaki, and Kazuraba. I was glad to be as far away from Kuyou as possible, especially since Kurosaki was next to me.

"Woah, that looks amazing!" Iori said.

"I'm starving, I can't wait..." Momoka said.

"Here, I'll ladle it out for everyone."

Kazuraba took charge and began divvying up portions of curry for everyone. As she was about to pour some out for Kuyou, he stopped her.

"Ah, you can save me last. I'll have whatever's leftover."

"Oh, how thoughtful of you... are you sure?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. Let everyone else have their share first."

Kazuraba smiled and obliged, moving over to give curry to Momoka.

"That was strangely nice to him..."

I muttered to myself. Maybe he was wary about the food's taste because he knew Kazuraba was involved? I was going to ask for a smaller portion for the same reason... but since when the hell did he get to taste her cooking?

"Here you go Takamine-san, one extra large portion of curry for you. Since you're a growing boy and everything."

While distracted by Kuyou's strange behaviour, I was caught off guard when Kazuraba gave me a huge portion of curry on my plate of rice.

"W-wait, Kazuraba-senpai, I—"

Before I could even tell her that I didn't want that much, she had already moved on to serving Kurosaki. I stared at the curry, dreading the thought of how salty it was going to be.

"Yuuma-chan, how much do you want?"

"Umm... o-only a little bit, please..."

Kazuraba nodded and gave her a smaller portion. Ah damn it, I wish we could trade plates... that looks so much more appealing right now...

"I'm guessing you're not good with spicy foods?"

Kurosaki nodded.

"Y-yeah... I think I got it from my dad, since my mom likes it..."

"What is he, British?"

Kurosaki laughed, before clapping her hands together.

"Itadakimasu."

She began digging in. Well, considering it was already on my plate, I suppose I should do the same. Not like I can do anything about it now.

"Itadakimasu!"

I began shovelling rice and curry into my mouth. To my surprise— it wasn't salty at all! It was perfectly seasoned, with just the right spice. I guess Lucina-sensei must've handled this bit, and Kazuraba probably chopped up the meat and potatoes.

Ah, now I was kind of glad Kazuraba hooked me up with a big plate... I was pretty damn hungry after all that swimming. Kurosaki and I had a great time at the beach today, it was really fun!

"Oh right. I went out scouting today to see what our competition's like."

Commanding everyone's attention, Kuyou brought up a topic we'd all be interested in.

"What'd you find out?" Momoka said.

"A couple of things, mainly on Jinrai. Alba seems to be keeping their cards close to their chest, since there was no one outside. They must've been all preparing inside their cottage."

"Just like us then, huh?" Iori said.

"I mean it makes sense, it keeps away prying eyes." Momoka said.

"If anything, it makes it more suspicious that Jinrai's openly training in the beach area."

I disagreed with Kuyou. It could just be as simple as they were training outside because the weather's nice. I mean, it'd be a waste not to soak up the sun when you're in a resort like this.

"Perhaps. But I don't think everything has to have a secondary motive or hidden reason."

Thankfully, Akitani agreed with me, since he spoke up about his scepticism towards this.

"Well, yeah. But I managed to get pretty close to them, and they didn't seem to be bothered. Hell, I even got to see what decks they were testing."

I cast my mind back to when Hazuki ended up on our side of the beach. Even though it was weird she had wandered over here, I wasn't perturbed by her appearance, so maybe the Jinrai guys felt the same way?

"Oh... I know what you're getting at now."

When Momoka said that, Kuyou smirked.

"I don't get it."

Busujima flat out said what was on my mind too. Was there something I was missing? Why was he acting like this is a huge deal?

"It's a trap. They were expecting scouts, since they sent one out too. Right, Takamine-san, Kazuraba-senpai?"

Kuyou flicked his chin over to me. I raised an eyebrow but Kazuraba laughed.

"Oh, do you mean when Hazuki-san came into the cottage?"

"Huh? A Jinrai student was inside here?!"

Iori was shocked to hear this, especially since neither me or Kazuraba told anyone about helping Touka return to her side. Likewise, Kurosaki and Momoka were surprised too.

"Yeah. I noticed the commotion downstairs and watched from the staircase."

"Gosh, how ominous! You should've joined us if you were there then."

"I'd rather not give away any unnecessary details to the enemy. Besides, I was only standing by in case she tried pulling anything funny. Thankfully, Takamine-san did a good job keeping her in check."

For some reason, it bugged me that Kuyou thought I had the same intentions as him. I only wanted to help Touka, not treat her like she was a spy trying to steal our trade secrets.

"Even if she did come inside, we should be fine since we were training inside a room upstairs. I don't believe anyone from outside our school came near the room we were using."

"Yeah, Touka-san was only downstairs. She never went upstairs."

"Oh? Did you just call her by her first name?"

Crap. Kuyou noticed the fact I called Touka by her given name, implying we had a closer connection than we actually did. I didn't want this to cause any misunderstandings, so I quickly replied.

"Yeah, because she gave me permission to do it...?"

"Don't tell me you're secretly working for Jinrai or something, ku ku."

I knew he would bring up this possibility. Hell, anyone would think this, especially since I had never showed signs of knowing Touka from elsewhere.

"No, I only met her today. She just let me use her first name, and I let her use mine. It's not that deep, seriously."

"Hey, no need to get defensive. If you had a deep connection with Hazuki, I would've leveraged it to our advantage. I'm not accusing you of being a traitor or anything."

"You literally just did."

"As a joke. Relax, we're all friends here."

"Sure... but what did you mean earlier about them expecting scouts?"

Sensing that Kuyou was trying to flip the situation to make me look seem the unreasonable one, I steered the conversation to another direction before he could take advantage of it.

"Oh, that's simple. They wanted to spread misinformation."

"Me when I lie on the internet." Kazuraba said.

"By playing out in the open, they were giving a false impression to any scouts trying to see what they were on. This can work in two ways. Either they play the wrong decks on purpose - which would give them the element of surprise, make us expect something that wasn't ever going to happen, and to throw us off what they're planning to use - or to rotate between decks and give us a pool that we're forced to guess from which they'll use. Either way, it's more effective than just withholding all the information like Alba's doing, since we actually have to waste our time playing their little guessing game."

If it's a waste of time, then why participate in this? We'll know what deck everyone's using by the first day of the circuit anyways... I get wanting to prepare and know what our competitors are using, but this was too much, even for me.

"In that case, what did you find out?" Iori said.

"Outside, only four of them were training: it was Manyuda, Haruno, Hayase, and of course, their leader, Etou. Etou was fighting Haruno, Hayase was fighting Manyuda. Hazuki's accounted for because of her little adventure over to our side, but I have nothing on where Shiramichi was. It's pretty weird, since she's their lowest ranked fighter."

"She might've been inside training with their mentor, like Momo-san and I."

"Probably, I agree that's most likely the case. The decks they were using were... certainly interesting. Manyuda was playing Lianorn, Hayase was playing Eugene, Haruno was playing Arkhite, and Etou was playing Bastion."

"Those sound like some free games, I can't lie..." Momoka said.

"And what, Hayase was Category King? Getting that far with Eugene is crazy!" Iori burst into laughter.

"That one's definitely a fake deck. But what's the point of testing into Eugene though?"

"Maybe someone on Alba's on Eugene, so they're preparing for that match up."

"Oh yeah, didn't Alba have a Category Zero? That's probably the Eugene user, right?"

"I think so. It would make sense, considering his Category."

"Ku ku. I mean, if we want to speculate about it that way, that means someone on Alba is also using either Bastion or Arkhite." Kuyou said.

"It's probably Arkhite, since it's the better deck out of the two."

As Kuyou, Iori, and Momoka discussed the possibilities, Kurosaki rose from the table with her empty plate.

"Thank you for the delicious meal."

She bowed to Lucina-sensei and Kazuraba before putting her dishes into the sink and heading back to her room. I didn't care much for tournament talk when Kuyou's the one leading the conversation, so I quickly finished my food and left the table too.

I headed to my room first, grabbing some sparklers I had brought with me. Then, I headed over to the girl's side, where I meekly approached Kurosaki's room and knocked on the door.

"Kurosaki-san? It's me."

Hearing my voice, she opened the door a little, peeking her head out.

"T-Takamine-san? What are you doing here...? The other girls will get mad at you for coming over..."

"Eh, let them. Do you wanna play with these sparklers outside?"

Kurosaki's eyes lit up as I showed her the packet of sparklers in my hand. She nodded.

"I-I'd love to!"

"Great, let's go!"

We headed back outside, where the night sky was out and full of glittering stars. Our bare feet pressing against the warm sand, we walked towards the shoreline and crouched down, igniting our sparklers.

As they crackled with a golden light, we hung the sticks from our fingertips upside down, watching it burn up. Kurosaki gasped, smiling as she watched hers fizzle away. I did the same, admiring the fireworks that were in the palm of our hands.

"Umm... Takamine-san..."

"Hm?"

Kurosaki gazed towards me, hugging her knees while her sparkler continued to burn up.

"Umm... c-can I tell you... something?"

"What is it?"

"I... um, you know... originally, I was going to... d-do as they suggested... and, well... drop out."

Of course. It was only natural for Kurosaki to feel this way since she wouldn't be able to handle entering the digital world. It didn't help that basically everyone around her was telling to do the same, even if they didn't directly say it.

"But... b-but... deep down, I-I... I wanna take the Tri-deity Circuit seriously! S-since I know... both mommy and daddy will be watching it just for me!"

As she admitted that, her face started turning bright red. My eyebrows raised in surprise, but I grinned.

Even though she thought it was a silly reason, especially since it was so different from everyone else that was competing, I thought it was a good one.

After all, it was more than enough to give Kurosaki the wings she needed to fly.

And that was the best kind of reason to fight, in my opinion.

"How serious do you want to take it?"

Kurosaki raised her head, narrowing her eyebrows with a determined glint in her usually gentle eyes.

"...I want to win."

Watching the last of my sparkler go out, I tossed the stick to the floor and stood, extending my hand towards Kurosaki.

"Then let's make it happen! If your weakness is feeling sick while in the digital world, we'll just have to conquer it, right?"

She grabbed my hand and stood, her sparkler still burning strong in her other hand.

"Y-yeah! But I wonder if I can even do that within a week..."

"Being realistic... you probably can't conquer it that quickly."

Kurosaki's expression deflated, a self-deprecating smile appearing on her lips as her eyes shifted away.

"Yeah, I thought so..."

I squeezed her hand gently, causing her to look at me in the eyes.

"But it doesn't mean we can't do anything about it. We'll try everything and anything to help increase your stamina while inside the digital world. As long as you can endure playing for a game, then you can win."

After all, that was what led to Kurosaki's downfall against Iori. She had the advantage during that game, but due to her nausea, she wasn't able it close it out.

If she could of held on a little bit longer, there was a real chance Kurosaki would've seriously beaten Iori. No... after fighting her today, I was certain of it.

She would've won, despite what her rank says.

"Umm... does that mean Takamine-san has a plan in mind...?"

To be honest, I didn't at first. But the more I thought about it, the more obvious the solution became.

"...huh, yeah. Yeah, I do."

I let go of Kurosaki's hand and grinned, slamming my fists together.

"Alright, let's spend the rest of our time at this resort at building your tolerance to the digital world!"

"O-okay! I-I'll put my trust in you... Takamine-san."

"I'll do my best not to disappoint, but no promises."

The last of Kurosaki's sparkler went out, and she dropped the stick to the floor.

"Thank you... for everything."

I smiled.

"What are you talking about? You don't have to thank me for anything."

"Ah, but... b-but..."

Kurosaki looked like she wanted to say more of what was on her mind, but bit her lip and looked away. I guess she wasn't yet quite comfortable with explaining herself, so I didn't want to pressure her anymore than this.

"Whatever reasons you have to thank me aren't that important. What's matters most is you're having fun now, right?"

"Yeah... y-yeah, I am. I'm having lots of fun right now..."

She turned away from me, closing her eyes. It looked like she was about to cry...

"Right? And we'll keep having fun together! I swear on it!"

"T-Takamine-san..."

Kurosaki sniffled, peeking at me over her shoulder. Tears were in her eyes.

"Kurosaki-san..."

"S-sorry... but towards someone as kind and caring as you... call I can say is thank you. I don't think... or I guess, I don't know... if you can understand just how much this all means to me... even though it's such a small gesture, it means the world to me."

My heart was trapped in my throat.

Even though she barely knew anything about me, she was completely right.

I won't ever understand how any of her pain feels.

I looked up to the night sky dotted with stars.

It's always been like this my entire life.

Because I was born into this world blessed with everything, I've never had to struggle in my entire life.

It was a privilege, but it left me feeling empty when I saw other people fight against their fate.

I couldn't relate to them at all.

In comparison, Kurosaki has gone through so many countless numbers of hardships, I can't even begin to imagine the deep effect it's had on her.

Knowing that... being aware of that... realising just how much of a privileged brat I am...

I had dedicated my life towards doing everything I can to be a good person to others.

Since that's the only thing I can offer.

Otherwise, I'd be no better than people like Kuyou, who mercilessly grind down others to feel superior.

...it pisses me off.

Because in them, I can see a little bit of myself.

A person who can only sympathise, but never empathise.

Because that pain... will never be experienced by me.

So as much as I try to understand it, I won't ever grasp it firsthand.

All I can do is try to imagine it.

While it would be easy to lament on this weakness...

I'm not completely powerless to do anything in this situation.

There's still something I can do to help her.

"I don't want to make any empty promises or anything..."

I wanted to make Kurosaki feel better, even if it's just for a little bit.

"But I'll stay by your side no matter what."

I was capable of that much.

"If you need me, just reach out. I'd be more than happy to spend time with you."

I'm sure of it.

Kurosaki wiped away her tears and smiled.

"T-that's more than enough... thank you."

She hugged me, resting her head on my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her body, hugging her back.

Illuminated under the moonlight, her smile looked more genuine than usual.

***

It was finally time.

The first day of the Tri-deity Circuit was here.

And now it was up to us to determine which school - and by extension, which region of Japan - was the best.

Would it be Alba, who represented Amaterasu?

Would it be Jinrai, who represented Tsukuyomi?

Or would it be GEN, who represented Susanoo?

Everything rode on the line of these eighteen fighters, including me.

In the run up to today, Kurosaki and I had spent all our time trying to limit her nausea in the digital world through various methods.

We had improved it to the point she could stay in there for at least five minutes without feeling sick, a huge leap from where she was before.

Strangely enough, one of the methods that helped control her nausea was wearing sunglasses over her Desire Specs. We weren't sure why it helped, but since it did, Kurosaki tried out the pair of claret sunglasses she carried around on her for some reason.

"I-I never wear these in front of others, so I'm embarrassed to show you..."

"The more concerning part is why don't you wear sunglasses in front of others..."

When we were hanging out on the beach, she didn't wear them at all despite how bright the sun was.

"I-I have my reasons..."

Kurosaki pouted before turning away, taking her sunglasses from her bag and putting it on. She turned around to me, showing how she looked like with them on.

"W-what do you think...?"

"Woah..."

I was caught off guard by how well they suited her. It was like wearing sunglasses ran in her family or something.

"D-do they look good on me...?"

"Are you kidding me? They look great! You seriously rock that style, Kurosaki-san!"

"A-ah?! T-thank you... it means a lot..."

Kurosaki smiled a little before returning to her nervous self.

"Umm... b-but what if people think I'm weird for wearing them inside...?"

Was that seriously her main concern?

"Easy, just ignore them. If anything, with how good you look with them on, people will think you're cool."

"R-really...? I-I feel like they'd make fun out of me for wearing them when you shouldn't be though..."

"Nah, if you own it, then it becomes cool."

"B-but I can't own it..."

"You're totally owning it! You look great with those on, don't worry!"

Kurosaki pulled up a camera tab and checked herself with it. She then took off her sunglasses and shook her head, appearing traumatised.

"I-I'm only wearing these during fights."

We'll have to work on her confidence after this is all over, huh...

Anyways, back to the present.

As we were walking down the tunnel to be introduced to the thousands of people watching us in the stadium, as well as the millions worldwide who were tuning into the broadcast, I tilted my head over to Kurosaki.

"Nervous?"

"E-e-extremely..."

Throughout this entire morning, Kurosaki couldn't stop shaking and she kept spluttering through her words. Her stutter was even worse than usual and she couldn't form sentences without mixing up words or structure... it was strangely endearing to see.

"You'll be fine. Take deep breaths and try to enjoy yourself."

"E-e-easy you for s-say..."

Well, she was right about that. Playing in front of an audience was something I was no stranger to. I made my stream debut when I was 15, so I was used to playing under the watchful eyes of an audience.

"I'm just saying what I wish someone told me the first time I went on stream... seriously, after awhile, you'll forget people are watching and start finding it fun."

"I-I h-hope so..."

Kurosaki put her hands together, continuing to stare at her feet as we walked.

"It's our turn next. You might wanna look up, so the camera gets a good shot of your face."

She nodded, raising her head against her will.

As we walked out of the tunnel, the announcer screamed our names and a flurry of lights and cameras were directed onto us.

Kuyou revelled in the fame, waving at everyone in the stadium with his signature smirk. Iori was also greeting the cameras with double peace signs. Momoka and Busujima had no reaction, remaining serious in their expressions.

I waved lightly at everyone and the cameras, keeping a neutral smile on my face. Meanwhile, poor Kurosaki...

She had already crumbled to the pressure and was hiding behind me, her hands covering her bright red face. I'm seriously worried for when she goes on stage...

We were the last to exit the tunnels, so both Alba and Jinrai were present in the stadium grounds. Everyone we had met a week ago was present, but what I was more interested in was the one person we didn't get to meet.

Alba's Category Zero, Agon Ikuto.

I looked over to Alba's side, checking to see if there were any new faces.

Sure enough, there was one.

Standing right at the back of their group was a boy I'd never seen before.

He was taller and larger than everyone else on Alba's team, appearing more like an athlete than a cardfighter. He had silver hair and ice blue eyes. A piercingly cold expression remained on his lips.

So that was Agon, huh?

As my eyes wandered over to Jinrai's side, I accidentally locked eyes with Touka. Our gazes had accidentally met each other while we were looking around the stadium. Even though I tried looking away quickly, she giggled and waved at me.

"What exactly is the relationship between you two...?"

Momoka, noticing the small interaction we had, asked me that.

"I swear we're just strangers... I don't know her beyond the interaction we had on our first day here."

"Ehhhh, is that so?"

With a sarcastic reply, it didn't seem like she believed me.

"Well, let me offer you some unsolicited advice. Anyone who acts that friendly towards you is either carrying a helluva lot of baggage... or they spell huge trouble to deal with. That woman is giving me the latter."

"What makes you think that?"

"...call it a fellow woman's instinct. For some reason or another, Hazuki's targeting you. I can just feel it."

"Noted... I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Momoka-san."

Momoka shrugged. Even though she was standoffish towards me, she could genuinely be really kind at times too.

"It's nothing. Personally, I'm just hoping I won't lose in the first round... Akitani-senpai's training was hell, but I think I've improved because of it."

"I'm sure you have. Best of luck to you in your matches!"

"Yeah, you too."

***

There was some time to kill before they announce who's fighting in the first round, so I spent that time running around the stadium to try and find Agon so I could talk to him.

I asked if Kurosaki wanted to come with me, since she was a Category Zero like him, but she passed, choosing to stay cooped up in our school's team room where she was having her nerves comforted by Kazuraba.

During my search around the stadium, however...

"Ah, Minoru-san! What a coincidence to run into you here, hehe."

"Huh...? Wait, Touka-san?"

Standing in front of me was Hazuki Touka, one of the representatives for Jinrai. After seeing her in a swimsuit, it was a little surprising seeing her in her casual clothes. She had almost like a goth aesthetic to her, with how black everything was.

"Hehehe, yup! In the flesh."

Despite her edgy aesthetic, Touka's expression was all sunshines and rainbows... her smile was really cute.

"I'm guessing you couldn't sit still in your team's room?"

"Nope, I'm just trying to find someone."

"Oh? Yet another coincidence, same here! But I thought the scout for GEN was Kuyou-san."

"Ah... don't get the wrong idea, I'm not trying to scout anyone. I just wanted to get to know Agon-san, that's all."

"Eh?! No way, you're trying to find Agon-san too?! That's three coincidences in a row now!"

"I'm starting to think it's less of a coincidence and more like we just had the same goal in mind..."

Judging by the fact she suspected I was some kind of scout, it seemed Kuyou's theory that Touka was Jinrai's scout might have been right. Since Agon was the one person neither of our schools had seen yet, no information about him at all was available.

"Hmm... in that case, why don't we team up?"

Touka clapped her hands together. I raised an eyebrow, cautious because she was from a rivalling school, but then remembered what she said during the first meeting we had. Touka wanted to make friends with everyone from the other schools.

"Well, I guess two people trying to find him are better than one... sure, why not."

"Yay! Let's exchange contact details then, and when one of us finds him, we can call the other about it!"

"Good idea. Here's my number."

I sent my number over to Touka. She sent me her number back.

"I'll go check the upper floor, you go check the lower floor. That sound good?"

"Works for me."

The cafeteria was in the lower floor, so I was going to head there first.

***

Damn, this place was big.

That was my first thought as I arrived at the cafeteria, taken back by how large it was. I had expected this, since this was inside a famous stadium after all, but I wasn't expecting it to be a straight up a food court...

In any other circumstance, finding Agon here would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. However, pinpointing him in this sea of people would be incredibly easy for one reason.

The colour of his hair.

It was silver, making him stand out like a sore thumb. However, that wasn't the bit I was most confused by.

Earlier, when I was looking at him... I don't know how, but I could just tell from a glance that it wasn't dyed. It was his natural hair colour. Unless my eyes deceived me, it should've been impossible for him to have that.

I thought of the possibility he was albino, but his eye colour wasn't red, ruling that out. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much, but my gut instinct was screaming at me something didn't add up here.

Of course, I still wanted to meet Agon to see if I could become friends with him in the hopes that he and Kurosaki could get along due to their similar circumstances, but now my own curiosity had been piqued too.

"...found him."

Sitting in the corner of the cafeteria by himself was the man himself. I quickly sent Touka a text and went over to approach him.

"Hey!"

I casually greeted him, waving my hand. Agon lifted his head, glancing in my direction.

"I'm Takamine Minoru, a representative of GEN Academy and one of the competitors of the Tri-deity Circuit."

He blinked before putting down his chopsticks and stretching a hand out to me. I shook it.

"It's nice to meet you, Takamine-san. I'm Agon Ikuto, a representative of Alba Academy. Likewise, I'm also participating in the event. I apologise for not being present when our schools had that video call."

He had surprisingly big hands. I took a seat across from him.

"No worries, at least we've met each other now. Actually, your leader, Jouraku... during that conference, he wasn't even planning to say your name to us because of your Category. He only ended up telling us because Jinrai's leader Etou pushed him to."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Do you mind if I eat while we talk?"

From how nonchalant his response was, it seemed like it was a typical thing he had put up with his entire life.

"Uh... yeah, that's fine."

Agon picked up his chopsticks and continued slurping down his ramen.

"Eating before the match starts, huh?"

"I can't fight without a full stomach."

"Right? My favourite pre-match food is actually drinking some choccy milk!"

"Technically, that's a drink."

Agon slurped more noodles.

"Eh, it's basically the same thing, isn't it?"

"Not really."

Yeesh, what a stickler.

"What about you, Agon-san? What's your favourite food to have before a match?"

He pointed at the bowl before him before taking another big slurp. This was slowly turning to be a disaster...

I was trying to make some light conversation before bringing up the topics I actually wanted to talk about, but with how limited Agon's responses were, it was hard to carry any sort of dialogue on.

In a way, it made him even harder to talk to than Kurosaki. Even though she was always stuttering, she was at least able to say what was on her mind once comfortable. Meanwhile, with Agon... he's giving me nothing to work with here.

I can't even determine what his personality is like from those words and actions alone. He seems like a good guy, but that instinct in my gut kept telling me to get away from him...

"Minoru-san, there you are!"

Cutting through the silence was Touka, who was running over to Agon and I.

"Hey, Touka-san. Glad you could find me..."

"You really need to be more detailed in your messages... if it wasn't for Agon-san's silver hair standing out, I would've totally missed you!"

There was my in. Whether or not Touka had realised it, she had helped me a great deal here to move the conversation forward.

"Sorry... but you're right, Agon-san's hair really does stand out. Why dye it such a gaudy colour?"

Agon picked up the bowl and drank the broth, dropping it on the table once it had been completely emptied. Touka sat next to me.

"It's my natural hair colour."

So that's how it is...

"Wow! Your hair is naturally silver?! That's amazing!"

Considering Touka's hair was purple, I guess she was into this sort of thing.

"It just means my genes are messed up."

"Uwa, how dry..."

Boldly, Touka declared the thing that had been on my mind this entire time. Agon's lack of response.

"Oh. I should have introduced myself—"

"No need! I already know who you are. You probably don't know who I am though, right? Hehe."

Touka giggled, sticking out her tongue. Agon looked at her and shook his head.

"I do. You're Hazuki Touka."

"Woah... I guess you've studied up on your fellow competitors."

"Wait... does that mean you knew who I was too before I approached you?"

Agon nodded both to Touka's statement and my question, before standing.

"Now, if you will excuse me."

"Eh? W-wait, I just sat down though!"

"Sorry. Alba's holding a team meeting. I have to return to the team room."

"Oh... I understand... good luck on the competition, Agon-san!"

"Good luck."

I also threw one in too. Agon waved goodbye to us.

"Good luck to both of you too. See you."

"...did you glean any notable information on him, Minoru-san?"

"He likes sentences that say a lot without saying anything."

"Ah. A professional yapper. Must be a Dragon Empire player then."

"That was a quick conclusion to reach..."

"You either live long enough to become Shiranui or end up as Eugene."

Touka sighed, smiling at me.

"Well, thanks anyways. Even though it was only for a few seconds, I feel like I got a better grasp of Agon's character."

"Yeah, same here... he doesn't seem all that intimidating, despite that serious face on him."

"He's probably just on guard because of people from rivalling schools suddenly talking to him."

"Yeah, that would make sense..."

"By the way, Minoru-san."

"Hm?"

"Is your dad's name by any chance... Tsubasa?"

When those innocent words left Touka's mouth, I nearly jumped out of my seat.

"Huh... yeah...? Why are you asking— wait, how do you even know?"

Touka giggled, putting a hand over her mouth.

"No way... now this is a real coincidence!"

"What do you mean?"

"Your father... Takamine Tsubasa... and my mother... Hazuki Hase... they competed in the very first MF Tournament together!"

When Touka brought that up, I nearly jumped out of my seat again, but this time it was because I wasn't expecting mommy's tournament series to be brought up in this conversation either. 

"Huh? Huh?!"

To think Touka was the daughter of one of the very first competitors in mommy's tournament... talk about a weird twist of fate.

"Right?! What's the chances of that? Gosh, now I feel a sort of kindred spirit with you, Minoru-san..."

"Hey, our parents just competed in the same tournament once, it's not that big of a deal..."

"No, no, think about it! It's like we were destined to end up fighting each other someday through the connection our parents had! It's a generational showdown!"

The only generational showdown I wanted was with Grunkle Stan.

"Ahh, I really hope we get to face off against each other for real, I'd hate for you to get knocked out before I am..."

"Hey, aren't you underestimating me?"

Touka giggled before closing one eye and doing a peace sign.

"I'm not! It's just... I'm that confident in myself."

Crap. The dark tone she used at the end was hotter than I was expecting. She was giving serious goth girlfriend vibes...

"Then I can't wait to meet you on the battlefield."

At that moment, a pop up appeared in front of both of us.

<You are fighting next>
Opponent: Hazuki Touka

Touka peeked at me past her pop up. I did the same.

"This has to be fate..."

Somehow, we also both said the same thing.

"Well, I guess I won't have to wait very long to fight you."

"I won't be going easy, so give it your all too!"

"Naturally. Good luck out there anyways."

"You too! May the best fighter win this destined generational showdown!"

We parted ways, with me heading towards the GEN Academy tunnel to make my debut.

To think Touka of all people would be my round one opponent... are we sure the organisers aren't secretly eavesdropping on us?

Time to show everyone what we've got, Sagitta.

***

In the middle of the stadium for all to see, me and Touka stood opposite from each other in the digital world while flying cameras peered down on us, broadcasting our fight to the entire world.

A blue card each descended in front of us, with me grasping at mine and Touka tapping hers with a smile. A burst of special effects ignited the cards, realising our decks.

A purple crest of a clock face appeared over Touka's deck, while a sangria crest of bird wings appeared over my deck.

The system decided I would go first.

"Good luck and have fun, Minoru-san!"

"You too, Touka-san. May the best player win!"

"Stand up, (the!) Vanguard!"

"Absolute Zero, Rix!"

"Gear Quetzal of Sweeping Distance!"

"Oh wow, Minoru-san uses Lyrical? I would've never expected it!"

"That's what everyone says... at first glance, everyone thinks I use Keter for some reason. I much prefer animals to knights."

"It must be because you look so knightly."

Touka stuck out her tongue and giggled.

"I can't tell if that's meant to be a compliment or an insult..."

"Considering it makes people think you use Ket, probably an insult? But to the nation, since Ket sucks."

"True, imagine having your identity be shieldless cards."

"Brandt Gate standing in the corner menacingly be like."

"Well, at least they have Eldobreath. Checking Amartinoa turn 1 with no rear-guards out is a bad time."

"Just call grade 1s turn 1, easy! You need more rear-guards for the doggo procs."

"I suppose... but also, why run Amartinoa when Idosfaro exists?"

"True and based, a blue oT enjoyer!"

"At this point, who doesn't use that guy? Don't answer Brandt Gate. Or Lyrical, for that matter."

To my surprise, I was enjoying this small talk more than I was expecting. It was refreshing to have an opponent who was willing to engage in friendly conversation for once, even as silly as this, since most of my opponents at high level events are usually cold and standoffish like Momoka or arrogant and egotistical like Kuyou.

"Dragon Empire and Stoicheia still use their oTs from time to time."

"Fair enough. I think it's just Ket and Dark States who hate their oT."

"Ehehehe... guilty, as charged."

"At least you're honest about it. Stand and draw! I discard to ride Absolute Zero, Claio! I set the Energy Generator! Kraali's skill, when she's discarded, she goes to soul! Then, Claio's skill, I scry 7 and add Arkha to my hand! Turn end!"

Minoru:
Hand: 6
Damage: 0
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Touka:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! I discard to ride Steam Maiden, Tiglatt! Tiglatt's skill, I reveal my Liael=Odium from Ride Deck to put a Destined Timepiece into my order zone!"

Touka's deck was Odium, huh? I was a little surprised, but I suppose it suited her. It was a scary deck to be up against, especially since it's finisher was incredibly potent, but getting to that extra turn was the hardest part.

I'll just have to hope that Touka whiffs one of her Distorted Bane orders to buy myself an extra turn and win off the back of out grinding her in advantage.

"The Destined Timepiece prevents me from riding grade 3s other than my Liael=Odium, but it allows me to have regress gauges! I draw off the starter and set the Energy Generator with 3 energy preloaded on it! I call Opener of Heart, Philya and boost Tiglatt with it to attack! (8000 > 16000) Philya's skill, since you have one or less rear-guards, she gets +5k! (16000 > 23000)"

"I see you're making good use of Dark States own doggo. No guard!"

"It's a Shenryi clone after all, so you just know we're going to abuse it with Forwd, hehe. Drive check! (Almanac Colossus)"

"If you somehow managed to find space for him in Odium, I'd be impressed. Damage check! (A Little Demonic Method, Valefr)"

"You'll just have to wait and see, right? Philya goes to soul and I draw! Turn end, hehe."

Minoru:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Touka:
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
Energy: 3
OXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! I discard to ride Absolute Zero, Kashua! Arkha's skill, when she's discarded, I energycharge 1! I call Light of the Flower Garden Judge Maiden, Rryinea! Rryinea's skill, I counterblast, scry 5, and add Kashua to hand! Kashua attacks! (10000)"

"No guard!"

"Drive check! (Fluffy Lady, Godelieve) Critical trigger! I'll give power to Rryinea, and critical to..."

I paused, looking over at her field.

"Her as well! (10000 > 20000/1 > 2)"

"Oh? That's an interesting decision you've made here. Damage check! (Avarice Wrester)"

"Well, I don't think it's the most interesting choice I could've made..."

"What could be more interesting than passing on a free two damage to the opponent?"

"This. Turn end!"

Hearing that, the crowd began mumbling amongst each other seeing my strange play. Touka raised her eyebrows before she giggled.

"Oh my... no wonder you're Category King, what a ruthless way of playing."

"Sorry to damage deny you, but I've gotta win this game some way or the other."

While I could've swung with Rryinea and try to push Touka to three damage, which would be good in most situations, since I was against Odium, I decided to hold back.

This was because the strength of Odium's turn 2 depended on how much open counterblast they had available. At minimum, they wanted two damage for best results, as that would allow them to use both the skills of Anachronous Dragon and Almanac Colossus.

Therefore, by keeping her at one damage, Touka would be forced to choose to use only one of them, greatly decreasing the pressure of her early game. I might have been on a timer, but I didn't need her to explode on me early while on it.

"Hehe, not at all~. I expected this might happen here, which is why I've thoroughly prepared for it."

Minoru:
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
Energy: 4
XXO
OOO

Touka:
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
Energy: 3
OXO
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! I discard to ride Life Cessation Colossus! Tizkar's skill, since she was discarded for Ride Deck, I energyblast 3 to draw 1! Life Cessation's skill, I put Anachronous from my hand as a regress gauge and draw 2! I call two Illusory Lantern Demonic Lady, Forcalor, an Opener of Heart, Philya, and an Avarice Wrester!"

There were a lot of generics being thrown about right now. If Touka called a Gungnram or Bifrons as well, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Both of Forcalor's skills, when she's called from hand, I energycharge 1! Wrester's skill, since I haven't played an order this turn, I discard to mill from my deck a Distorted Bane! Then, he allows me to play it from my drop this turn, but since Bane's a grade 3, I won't be able to. Then, I enter battle! Anachronous' skill! At the beginning of my battle phase, I counterblast to put a card from my drop as a regress gauge and call him out! I put Distorted Bane! Bane's skill, when it enters as a regress gauge, I draw and give my vanguard +10k! (10000 > 20000) Boosted by Forcalor, Life Cessation attacks! (20000 > 28000)"

Damn... even though I limited her options by choking her, that full field on turn 2 basically made it not matter. I figured cutting her off from Almanac would slow down her advantage engine, but considering she's cycled through four cards through draws alone this turn - and will go through another three by the end of the battle phase - she was probably overflowing with pieces right now.

"No guard!"

In any case, that attack was way too big to guard with just a trigger, so I just chose to eat it.

"Drive check! (Steam Scara, Mal-Nigal) Heal trigger! Power to Anachronous and I heal one! (13000 > 23000)"

"Damage check! (Absolute Zero, Sagitta)"

"Forcalor's skill, at the end of the battle she boosted, since I energyblasted 3 this turn, I retire her to draw! Boosted by Philya, Wrester attacks! (8000 > 16000) Philya's skill! (16000 > 21000)"

"Godelieve guards! (25000)"

"Philya goes to soul and I draw! Boosted by Forcalor, Anachronous! (23000 > 31000)"

"No guard! (Sigh of Relief, Fabiola) Alright, I got a heal of my own! All to vanguard! (10000 > 20000)"

"Forcalor's skill, retire to draw! That's all from me, Minoru-san. Turn end!"

Minoru:
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
Energy: 4
XXO
OOO

Touka:
Hand: 9
Damage: 0
Energy: 3
XXX
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! Become enraptured under the sweet starlight and dance to your death as you listen to the feathered diva's rising melody! Return to origin... I ride my avatar, Absolute Zero, Sagitta!"

As my circuits lit up crystal blue, snow began falling on both of us while our surroundings transformed into a night sky bathed in starlight.

"Kashua's skill, she and Claio are called from my soul! Sagitta's skill, I energyblast 4 to give her +10k and drive +1! (13000 > 23000/2d > 3d) I call Felina and Valefr! Felina's skill, I soulblast to set Only My Stage! Valefr's skill, I soulcharge then counterblast to draw! Now let's take flight! Stage gives Felina boost, and Felina gets +5k since she was chosen by Stage! (10000 > 15000) Kashua attacks! Her skill, she gets +5k! (15000)"

"Now you're showing me that extra! No guard! (Steam Gunner, Tizkar)"

"Kashua retires and I draw! Boosted by Claio, Sagitta attacks! (23000 > 31000/3d) Arkha's skill, she revives from drop! Frozen Wing Frenzy!"

"No guard!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Light of the Flower Garden Judge Maiden, Rryinea, Sky-coloured Tranquility Judge Maiden, Arkha, Soapy Splash, Riviena) No triggers."

"Damage check! (Ridicule Disrupter)"

"Arkha attacks! Her skill, she gets +10k! (20000)"

"No guard! (Anachronous Dragon)"

"Sagitta's skill, I discard to attack with Rryinea boosted by Felina! (10000 > 25000) Arkha's skill, energycharge 1! Sagitta's other skill, counterblast to draw!"

"Natalia guards! She gets +5k shield! (30000)"

"Turn end!"

Minoru:
Hand: 9
Damage: 2
Energy: 4
XXX
XXX

Touka:
Hand: 8
Damage: 4
Energy: 3
XXX
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! The silent hands of the ticking clock that can never be turned back shall fall doomed to the hollow maiden thirsting to reclaim all that has been lost! I ride my avatar, Destined One of Time, Liael=Odium!"

Our surroundings changed yet again as Touka's circuits began glowing dark purple, changing the scenery to the cosmic insides of the Destined Timepiece she had set on turn 1.

"To start things off, I play the order Distorted Bane! I set it as a regress gauge, draw 1, and give my vanguard +10k! (13000 > 23000) I move Wrester back and call two Almanac Colossus! Since I have a regress gauge, I use both of their skills, counterblasting to draw and soulcharge! Liael=Odium's CONT, all my front row rear-guards get +5k for each of my regressed Distorted Banes! I have two, so they're all getting +10k! (13000 > 23000) (10000 > 20000) Anachronous attacks! His skill, since I have a Liael vanguard, he gets +5k! (23000 > 28000)"

"Intercept with Arkha! Guard with Misa! (30000)"

"Liael=Odium attacks! (23000) Her skill, I soulblast to turn Anachronous into a regress gauge and give her Triple Drive! (23000/2d > 3d) Luxuria Regressor!"

"No guard!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Opener of Heart, Philya, Distorted Bane, Swanky Enthraller) Critical trigger! Power to Almanac, critical to vanguard! (20000 > 30000) (23000/1 > 2/3d)"

"Now that's a drive check you don't want to see... damage checks! (Astesice, Misa) Critical trigger! All to Sagitta! (13000 > 23000) (Surreptitious Prayer Judge Maiden, Kraali)"

"Hehe, looks like I'll be stealing the game next turn. Boosted by Wrester, Almanac attacks! (30000 > 38000)"

"Rryinea intercepts, Fabiola guards! (43000)"

"And this is where I would pay for Sagitta's skill... if I had a third attack, that is!"

Touka smiled, sticking out her tongue.

"Yeah... this is probably the worst match up to have gotten for me."

"Mhm! My deck only attacks three times at most, so I'll never have to pay for Sagitta's floodgate, hehe~. It's almost like I'm a natural counter to you, Minoru-san."

Touka was right. Even on her Divine Skill turn, she only swings three times at most as well. This means she'll never have to discard to attack, effectively rendering Sagitta's defensive skill useless.

Minoru:
Hand: 7
Damage: 4
Energy: 4
OXO
XXX

Touka:
Hand: 11
Damage: 4
Energy: 6
OXX
XOX

It didn't help that Touka now had three regress gauges. Next turn, she would be able to activate her Divine Skill, meaning I'd either have to win this turn or farm as much defence as possible to tank her brutal assault.

Considering what kind of deck Sagitta is, there was no way I could win in this turn, especially since she had eleven cards in hand. It was clear I would have to perform the latter and just dig into my deck as much as possible to live.

I grit the back of my teeth, the corners of my lips turning upwards.

"We'll see about that, Touka-san."

Being under this sort of pressure is what I loved in a fight.

"Stand, draw, and charge! Become lost under the punishing moonlight and freeze to your death as you listen to the feathered diva's final judgment! Return to origin... Persona Ride my avatar, Absolute Zero, Sagitta!"

"(13000 > 23000) Sagitta's skill! I energyblast 4 to give her +10k and a drive! (23000 > 33000/2d > 3d) I move Valefr up (10000 > 20000) and call Kashua (10000 > 20000) and Felina! Felina's skill, soulblast to set Only My Stage from deck! Time to take flight! Both my Stages gives my two Felinas boost, and then they get +5k! (10000 > 15000) (10000 > 15000) Boosted by Felina, Kashua attacks! Kashua's skill, +5k! (20000 > 25000 > 40000)"

"No guard! (Avarice Wrester)"

It seems Touka took the fifth damage both to try and dig for a damage trigger and to block me from healing down to three, since that would put her above me in terms of damage.

"Kashua retires, I draw! Boosted by Claio, Sagitta attacks! (33000 > 41000/3d) Arkha's skill, she gets revived from drop! (10000 > 20000) Repent Wing Frenzy!"

"I play a Blitz Order! Elementaria Sanctitude, nullify it!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Snowskip, Palvi) Front trigger! My front row gets +10k! (20000 > 30000) (41000 > 51000) (20000 > 30000) (A Little Demonic Method, Valefr, Absolute Zero, Claio) Arkha attacks! (30000) Her skill, +10k! (30000 > 40000)"

"I guard with double Enthraller! (43000)"

"Sagitta's skill! I discard so I can attack! Arkha's skill, energycharge 1! Sagitta's other skill, counterblast to draw! Now, boosted by Felina, Valefr attacks! (30000 > 45000) Valefr's skill, since I have a card in my soul with the same name as my vanguard, she gets +5k! (45000 > 50000)"

"Clenn, Mal-Nigal, Philya, and Tizkar guards! (13000 > 28000 > 43000 > 48000 > 53000) Tizkar's skill, energyblast 3 to draw!"

"Turn end!"

Minoru:
Hand: 10
Damage: 4
Energy: 4
XXX
XXX

Touka:
Hand: 4
Damage: 5
Energy: 3
OXX
XOX

I wondered whether or not this much would be enough to withstand what was about to come...

"Stand, draw, and charge! The silent hands of the ticking clock that carelessly turn forward shall fall doomed to the sinful maiden who would sacrifice anything to reclaim all that has been lost! Persona Ride my avatar, Destined One of Time, Liael=Odium!"

"(13000 > 23000) (10000 > 20000) I call Almanac and play Distorted Bane! It becomes a regress gauge, I draw, and my vanguard gets +10k! (23000 > 33000) Almanac's skill, since I have 3 or more regress gauges, they get boost! Liael=Odium's skill, my front row rear-guards get +5k for each of my Banes! (20000 > 35000) Let's battle! Anachronous' skill, at the beginning of my battle phase, I counterblast to call him out from gauge zone (13000 > 23000 > 38000) and put a card from drop as my regress gauge! Boosted by Almanac, Anachronous attacks! (38000 > 48000) Anachronous' skill, he gets +5k, and since I have 3 or more regress gauges, I energyblast 2 to retire Valefr! (48000 > 53000)"

"No guard! (Fluffy Lady, Godelieve) Critical trigger! All to vanguard! (13000 > 23000)"

While this damage trigger would help me live through this turn, it would go away the moment she starts the second wave of her assault... damn, what a precarious position to be in.

"Boosted by Almanac, Liael=Odium attacks! (33000 > 43000) Her skill, I soulblast and Regress Anachronous to give her Triple Drive! (43000/2d > 3d)"

"Perfect guard, Elementaria Sanctitude! Skill, since your vanguard has Triple Drive, I don't need to discard for cost!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Illusory Lantern Demonic Lady, Forcalor, Anachronous Dragon, Connected Rampage, Clenn) Critical trigger! All onto Almanac! (35000 > 45000/1 > 2) Now, it's time for the hollow maiden to embrace her sin. Liael=Odium's Divine Skill! At the end of the battle she attacked, since I have 5 or more Regress Gauges, I discard 2 to gain an additional turn when my current one ends! And on top that, here is my Arcana!"

The purple circuits in Touka's body began lighting up, turning them a shiny lilac colour as they surged through her arms and legs, meeting at the centre point of her stomach in the shape of a heart, where a Roman numeral appeared through her clothing.

XI.

"Justice ability, activate."

"Castitas Progression! When I discard cards from my hand, I can choose cards from my soul up to the number of cards I discarded and put them to my hand! From my soul, I'll add Tizkar and Clenn! Boosted by Wrester, Almanac attacks! (45000 > 53000/2)"

"Palvi and Fabiola guard! (23000 > 43000 > 58000)"

"Turn end..."

Minoru:
Hand: 7
Damage: 5
Energy: 4
OXX
XXX

Touka:
Hand: 7
Damage: 5
Energy: 4
XXX
XXX

"...and now, rewind the clock of time! It's my turn once more, stand, draw, and charge! During this additional turn, Liael=Odium gets drive -1 (13000/2d > 1d) and my ride and main phase are skipped, so I immediately head into battle phase! Anachronous' skill, counterblast to call him out (13000 > 28000) (10000 > 25000) and gauge the Distorted Bane in my drop! Bane's skill, draw and give Liael=Odium +10k! (13000 > 23000/1d) And since there's another Bane, all my front row rear-guards will get another +5k! (13000 > 33000) (10000 > 30000) Boosted by Anachronous, Liael=Odium attacks! (23000 > 33000/1d) Her skill, I soulblast and gauge a card from hand to give her Triple Drive! (33000/1d > 2d)"

"Riviena, perfect guard!"

"Twin Drive!! (Avarice Wrester, Almanac Colossus) No triggers... shame."

I breathed a sigh of relief in my mind. Seems like I would just barely make it out alive thanks to the fact Touka didn't check any triggers.

"Boosted by Almanac, Anachronous attacks! (33000 > 43000) Anachronous' skill, he gets +5k (43000 > 48000) and I energyblast 2 to retire Arkha!"

"Riviena, perfect guard!"

It didn't feel good to drop a PG here, but I had no other choice since this attack was too big to guard normally...

"Boosted by Wrester, Almanac attacks! (30000 > 38000)"

"Godelieve and Misa guard! (43000)"

And with that, I was reduced to just one card left in hand. I gripped it tightly, feeling sweat start to form under the bangs on my forehead.

"Crap, that was a close call..."

"Oh my, what's this? Minoru-san actually survived through the Liael=Odium Divine Skill turn? Now that's surprising... usually they're dead by now."

Despite how gruesome those words were, there was a certain level of innocence in her voice that made it just sound creepy. I shivered.

"Heh... I was saving my sentinels for this moment, so don't feel too bad about it, Touka-san."

"Mmm, that's true. Plus, Minoru-san got that lucky damage trigger earlier, what a meanie."

She pouted, crossing her arms.

"Well, it can't be helped now. Turn end."

She then giggled, smiling. I scratched the back of my head. How troublesome... it looks like next turn will be my last to clinch this fight, otherwise I really am going to lose and be eliminated before everyone else.

Minoru:
Hand: 1
Damage: 5
Energy: 4
OXO
XXX

Touka:
Hand: 10
Damage: 5
Energy: 5
XXX
XXX

"Stand, draw, and charge! Become lost under the punishing moonlight and freeze to your death as you listen to the feathered diva's final judgment! Return to origin... Persona Ride my avatar, Absolute Zero, Sagitta!"

I winced, seeing that both my draw for turn and the draw on my Persona Ride yielded less than desirable attackers: Felina and Kraali. Looks like there was only one way to solve this...

"(13000 > 23000) Sagitta's skill! I energyblast 4 to give her +10k and a drive! (23000 > 33000/2d > 3d) Claio's skill, I discard to give her a skill that gives my front row rear-guards +5k! Kraali's skill, she goes to soul! Sagitta's skill, counterblast to draw!"

I closed my eyes and prayed for something good. The best targets would be Rryinea or Valefr to try and dig again for another attacker, but I'd even take Kashua or Sagitta. Hell, even finding my Regalis Piece now would work too.

Just, anything but a grade 1 or triggers, please...

I took the top card of my deck and opened one eye. And upon seeing what it was, I grinned.

"I call Rryinea (10000 > 20000 > 25000) and use her skill! Counterblast to scry 5 and add Kashua to hand, and I call her! (10000 > 20000 > 25000) Let's take flight! Beginning of battle, Felina both gain Boost and +5k! (10000 > 15000) (10000 > 15000) Boosted by Felina, Kashua attacks! (25000 > 40000) Kashua's skill, +5k! (40000 > 45000)"

"Clenn, Clenn, and Tizkar guards! (53000) Tizkar's skill, energyblast 3 to draw!"

"Kashua retires and I draw! Boosted by Claio, Sagitta attacks! (33000 > 41000/3d) Arkha's skill, revive from drop! (10000 > 20000 > 25000) Freeze under the rhapsody of her starlight... Repent Wing Frenzy!"

"Ridicule Disrupter perfect guards!"

"Triple Drive!!! (Absolute Zero, Sagitta, Snowskip, Palvi) Front trigger! My front row gets +10k! (25000 > 35000) (41000 > 51000) (25000 > 35000) (Radiance Caliburn) Arkha attacks! Her skill, +10k! (35000 > 45000)"

"Almanac intercepts! Natalia, Wrester, and Almanac guards! (13000 > 18000 > 38000 > 43000 > 48000)"

"Sagitta's skill, I discard to attack! Boosted by Felina, Rryinea attacks! Her skill, +5k! (35000 > 50000 > 55000)"

Touka winced seeing that number, counting the shield in her hand against my attack. Biting her bottom lip, she put on a brave face and reached out towards her deck.

"N... no guard!"

Like me, she shut her eyes and flipped the card over.

But unfortunately for her, and luckily for me, there wasn't a Heal trigger or overTrigger in sight.

She opened one eye, glancing at what she pulled, before deflating with a hearty sigh.

"(Destined One of Time, Liael=Odium) No trigger... you win."

"Alright!"

I cheered, screaming out as I had managed to scrape a win against Touka. She giggled seeing my reaction.

"Good game, Minoru-san! You were really cool blocking my double turn."

"Ah, good game to you too, Touka-san! What happened at the end there? I thought you'd be able to guard my attacks since your hand was so big."

She shook her head.

"Unfortunately, it was really fake. I had a Odium and Anachronous in hand, meaning realistically I only had 8 cards to defend with, and most of them were 5k shields. I burnt up all my triggers at the start there."

"Damn, that's some crummy luck..."

"What's more crummy is when you got that defensive... that totally saved your bacon, didn't it?"

She crossed her arms and flicked her head away from me, going "hmph" like she was some kind of tsundere.

"Eh... I don't think so, to be honest. I ended up discarding cards with high shield for my PGs, so there's a chance I could've guarded so I could have played them for free."

"I'm more impressed that you managed to get this far with Absolute Zero of all decks... if I were a Lyrical main, I'd much rather play Lisciafael or something."

I heard from mommy that one of her friends (some loser with blonde hair and sunglasses) ended up playing that deck specifically because Lisciafael shared the title of Supremacy with his favourite unit, some really old dragon named Claret Sword or whatever.

"Ha ha. Well, I've always been a Lyrical main ever since I started playing Vanguard. The cute, pastel aesthetic appealed to me more than the dragons and knights and stuff. My main deck used to be Herminia too... but eventually, I switched over to Sagitta."

In some ways, I feel like it was my own fate or destiny to meet her.

"Wow, I would've never imagined Minoru-san to be into that kind of stuff! You don't look like that type of boy at all— actually no, I can see you playing Herminia... hehe."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean...?"

Touka giggled, a light blush glowing on her face. I wanted to continue talking to her more, but we had to leave the stadium so the next set of fighters could come on stage.

"Oh, if you're free, let's talk some time later!"

"Yeah sure, I was thinking the same thing."

"Alright! See you soon, Minoru-san!"

"You too, Touka-san."

We waved goodbye and returned to our respective sides.