episode_0025

“Ha, that brat wants to face me? Don’t make me laugh!!” Past, of course, protested. “I’ve listened to all your ridiculous stubbornness, and now you’re even afraid to face a first-year? Don’t you think that’s enough?” “……!!” At my annoyed provocation, Past swallowed. “Wait, wait!! What about my will?! I didn’t say a word about doing it?!” I ignored Arianna, who was flustered and hitting my back repeatedly. “This isn’t okay, that isn’t okay, what exactly are you trying to do?” “Now that I think about it, wasn’t it that guy? The noble who bullied using this ‘Hand Trap’.” “Truly the worst. Maybe the guy who bought up all the cards from the card shop was him too?” Among the students in line, annoyance and jeers poured out as if they couldn’t stand it. “Are you scared? Of ‘Hand Trap’. Aren’t you that confident in your own deck?” “Heh, fine. Bring it on!! I’ll accept it, you bastard!!” In the end, Past, unable to bear the jeers, accepted the duel with Arianna. It seems he has already forgotten that he was the one who picked a fight to duel in the first place. “Instead, if I win, hand over all those cards that shouldn’t exist!! Yes, even the [Ice Mirror] that I don’t know if it’s genuine or not!! Got it?!” “Okay. Got it.” Thinking there was no way I could lose, I calmly accepted Past’s proposal, and, “Yes, yes?! Wait, wait!! Isn’t something too heavy on the line for me to do?! Impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible!!!” Naturally, I grabbed the cheeks of Arianna, who was completely panicking and shaking her head vigorously, with both hands. They were very soft and squishy. “I’m not confident!! My, my duel record is a complete mess!! It’s just barely over a 10% win rate!!” To Arianna, who was saying it was impossible while almost crying, I said, “You’ll win. The reason that guy tried so hard to stop you is all in your deck.” I declared with conviction. At my words, Arianna finally calmed down and swallowed. “……Since things have turned out this way, I will suspend sales for now. Please understand.” After stroking the head of the calmed Arianna, I announced the suspension of sales. Sighs erupted from the long line. “I can’t believe he even interfered with the selling and obstructed it. This is the worst.” “Terrible. Let him lose disgracefully.” “Ah, if I had just waited a little longer, it would have been my turn… Tch.” Naturally, it wasn’t me who incurred resentment from the students who gave up on buying and left, but Past, who interfered and obstructed the sale. “Whether you’re a visiting student or whatever, don’t even think about staying in this academy any longer. You too, and you too…!! Forgery of cards is a serious crime!! Those who bought them beforehand will all have to return them!!” Past pointed his fingers wildly at the students who resented him and yelled. His behavior was so pathetic, I didn’t even feel like saying anything. “Let’s do it at the Central Plaza after lunch break tomorrow. You don’t have any complaints about this, do you?” “Okay. Good! I’ll crush you in front of everyone!” I just informed him of the duel time. I didn’t want to deal with him anymore. Past, who had been ranting and puffing for a while, turned around abruptly and left, and the professor also sighed deeply with a troubled expression, then bowed his head apologetically and left. “…Are you okay? Can Arianna really win?” Elfelt, who had been frozen by the sudden turn of events, asked with a worried expression. “Dueling with high rarity cards on the line is prohibited by school rules, so taking [Ice Mirror Marius] will be impossible, but if it’s a low rarity card…” “It’s fine. She won’t lose.” I said flatly. “Arianna. Don’t think about sleeping early tonight.” Then, I placed my hand on the shoulder of Arianna, who had calmed down from panic but was still trembling with tension, and said. “Yes, yes…? Yes? Oh, tonight, yes?!” “It’s duel special training all night.” Special training continues until the duel tomorrow. If she does it right, she definitely won’t lose, but I don’t know if she can do it right yet. “…Yes!! Please take care of me!” Arianna, who had been looking at me with a surprised expression, seemed to steel her resolve, clenched her fists with both hands, and shouted. As expected of the best rookie, she was full of motivation. “……” Elfelt was looking at me and Arianna with a very complicated expression. With an expression that showed he wanted to join in, but couldn’t interfere in this kind of situation no matter what, so he was holding back. “Elfelt, join us too. The more duel opponents, the better.” “Ah, well, I guess it can’t be helped!! I’ll do my best to help!!” When I suggested it, thinking it wouldn’t do to leave him out, he accepted with enthusiasm. Tonight seems like it will be a truly fun night. * I opened my eyes. ‘Hmm. Did I fall asleep at some point…?’ I remember alternating between dueling Arianna with Knight all night, but I couldn’t recall how it ended. ‘Here is… On the bed?! No way?!’ Realizing I was on the bed and looking beside me in surprise, “Kuu…” Arianna was sleeping curled up like a cat. There were no other people. I felt relieved, but also a little disappointed at the same time. ‘Where is Knight, ah.’ When I leaned out to check beside the bed, I saw Knight sleeping leaning against the bed. ‘…If he sleeps like that for two consecutive days, it’ll be bad for his health.’ I got down from the bed and gazed at Knight’s side profile as he slept with his arms crossed. Black hair and black eyes. Just by his appearance, he resembled someone from the Eastern Continent. ‘People from the Eastern Continent are hard to guess the age of.’ Although I suggested he enroll, judging by his attitude and atmosphere, he doesn’t really seem like a student’s age. At least early 20s, maybe? He doesn’t seem like he’s in his teens at all. ‘A strange and amazing person.’ At first, I thought he was a thug, a barbarian who just tried to look at other people’s decks as he pleased. But that wasn’t the case. Knight was simply a kind and gentle person to a degree I had never seen before. He was a very strange duelist who genuinely wished for others to become stronger. Seeing him sell ‘Hand Trap’ for a price almost like free today, I even felt reverence. ‘What kind of life would one have to live to become that kind of person.’ Something felt off about just calling him a good person. Mom often said. There are no people in the world who are just bright. The brighter someone is, the more extreme darkness lies behind them. What kind of darkness does Knight hold inside? I was curious. ‘Anyway, I don’t remember getting onto the bed myself, so I guess someone put me there…’ I imagined myself being carried and placed onto the bed. My face instantly became hot. ‘I can’t be the only one embarrassed. If he sleeps like this, his back will hurt.’ I took a deep breath and lifted Knight into my arms. “Huh?” “Ah.” And I made eye contact with Knight, who had woken up immediately, and, “Kyaaaak!!” “Woaaah?!” I just threw him onto the bed. Knight bounced off the bed with the recoil and fell onto the floor with a thud. Arianna also jumped up with a start but didn’t fall off and went back to sleep without waking up. “What? What is it…? Were you trying to throw me out the window?” “I, I was trying to put you on the bed, I’m sorry…” I apologized with my head bowed to Knight, who stood up supporting himself on the bed, flustered. My face was hot in a different sense than just now. I’m making too much of a spectacle of myself these days. “Good thing you weren’t trying to throw me out the window. Good morning.” “As if I would do such a thing. Go, good morning.” And a stiflingly awkward atmosphere lingered. “I didn’t intend to stay the night. I’m sorry. Thank you for putting me on the bed.” “Well, you worked hard. It was fun. It’s been a while since I’ve dueled all night like this.” Once I apologized and expressed my thanks, Knight waved his hand as if to say not to worry and smiled. His reaction was so good-natured that I felt even more flustered. And it became quiet again. Knight looked out the window at the scenery without speaking. “…How did you live before coming here, Knight?” I couldn’t help but ask, looking at his side profile. “I lived by working, dueling, working again, and dueling. And then, somehow, I ended up like this.” Knight replied with a hearty laugh. His attitude seemed to suggest he didn’t really want to talk about it. But, “Family or… Did you have a lover?” I pressed on. Because I felt that if I missed this moment, I wouldn’t have the courage to ask again. “……” Knight fell silent. “If I had something like that, I would have done things other than dueling.” And he said, as if sighing, while getting up from his seat. “I’m going to wash up and go eat first. You take care of Arianna, wash up, and eat. After that, let’s practice more in preparation.” “Ah, yes. Go ahead.” And he took out a towel from the drawer and left the room. I was left alone with Arianna. Why did I ask something like that? The thought that I might have hurt him made me feel stifled. ‘But… I wanted to know… Haaah…’ What I learned was the fact of their absence. I couldn’t bring myself to ask how they became absent. To calm my heart, which was surging hot and swirling, I brushed the fluffy hair of Arianna, who was still sleeping soundly, with my hand. * 1:40 PM, when lunch break ends. All students and professors, except for a small number with other matters, focused on the Central Plaza where Arianna and Past’s duel was scheduled to take place. Arianna, amidst everyone’s attention, “Ugh, uwaaa, uwaaa, huaaaaaa…” Was trembling like a fawn abandoned by its parents. It seemed she would collapse at any moment. “Is that kid doing it, not the visiting student or the prefect?” “Is she okay? She seems to be trembling a lot.” “You know what? They say the three kids who used to bully her vanished last night.” “What?! Wow, that’s really scary… Is she actually from an amazing noble family?” Seeing such an Arianna, the spectators also murmured loudly. At the murmuring, Arianna became even more intimidated and shrank back. “I, I-I-I-I, maybe it’s still impossible for me to do this!! I don’t think I can do it!!” “It’s okay. You can do it. You worked so hard.” I stroked the head of Arianna, who was clinging to me as if she couldn’t bear it anymore, and encouraged her. “Yeah. You even beat me a few times yesterday, Arianna, don’t act like that.” Elfelt also encouraged her with his arms crossed, saying there was nothing to be afraid of. “Bu, but Sir Elfelt’s was his old deck that he hadn’t modified…” “That’s the same for your opponent.” I said flatly to Arianna, who considered her victory insignificant. “Past’s deck is no different from an outdated Goblin [Legacy] deck. You cannot lose. You will absolutely not lose.” “Goblin, the opponent is a Goblin, the opponent is a Goblin… Yes!! I’ll try somehow!!” It seems she took it in a slightly different meaning than intended, but she managed to regain her spirit. Well, she won well against Goblins, so if it works as mind control, that’s a good thing. “Hmph. You showed up, didn’t run away.” Past appeared from the opposite side. Today too, his hair was slicked back heavily with oil. “Let me tell you, coaching is absolutely forbidden. Just shut up and watch.” “You’re the one who shouldn’t pull any weird tricks.” “Ha! How could I cheat on a duel field? I’m always fair and square!!” At Past’s brazen declaration, after he had pulled all sorts of manipulations outside of the duel, the bustling atmosphere of the Central Plaza cooled down. The atmosphere was even more hostile than when I dueled yesterday. “…Um, Knight!!” “Yeah. Why?” Astonished, I looked at Arianna. Her face looked like she had made some kind of resolve. “Well, that… If I win, if I win!!” Arianna took a deep breath, and, “Let’s walk around the school just the two of us tomorrow!!” Exhaled and shouted. I thought that was something that could be done anytime just by saying so, but, “Okay. Got it.” I accepted it. If that gives her motivation, it’s a good thing. “…That’s nice. Well, I also have a lot to do. I also have to recruit new members for ‘Judgment’.” Elfelt also seemed a bit displeased, but he nodded and, “Win, Arianna.” “If you just do as we practiced, you can definitely win.” Cheered for Arianna simultaneously with me. “Yes!! I will definitely win!!”