Ch.74Midterms of Doom (4)

And so, caught up in the atmosphere, I found myself agreeing to a mindless shadow duel.

If I lost, I wouldn’t be sealed in a card… but I would become something like a ‘slave’ to that little brat Madoka.

“B-Big bro!! Is this really okay?!! It’s too dangerous!!”

Hoeta, who was actually going to be dueling, seemed incredibly flustered.

“I believe in you, Hoeta. If you win, that’s all that matters.”

I said to Hoeta.

“But… I’m not that good at dueling…”

Hoeta suddenly lost his confidence.

“I haven’t lived that long, but… I want to teach you something most precious to a man.”

I said with a smile.

“Something most precious…?”

Hoeta looked at me.

“A man must know how to trust. To calmly risk your life for that trust—that’s the measure of a man.”

I stated firmly.

You can’t achieve anything by just sitting in your room doubting everything. That was the lesson I’d learned in my short life.

“To trust…”

Hoeta murmured those words.

“Trust yourself, trust your deck!! And trust me who trusts you!!!”

I immediately delivered a passionate line.

Honestly, I really wanted to say that line.

“Big bro…”

Somehow, Hoeta looked at me with moved eyes. Plus, he even started calling me “big bro” as a bonus.

“This guy… he’s really good at persuading people with cool-sounding words, isn’t he?”

Umi laughed as if she couldn’t believe it.

That’s when it happened.

“Woooah!! It’s the Sword Master!!!!”

“It’s the hero!! The hero!!!”

“Kyeeeek!!!! So cool!!!!”

Suddenly, the kids who had been watching surrounded me.

“Please!!! Save our school from Madoka!!!”

The kids suddenly said something incomprehensible.

“What are you talking about…”

“Our school is a bit unique, big bro.”

At that moment, Hoeta went into explanation mode.

“The queen of our school is basically… Kujo Madoka. She’s the daughter of Konami Corporation, our school’s financial backer, so even the teachers can’t touch her. Because of that, Madoka is the law and justice of this school.”

Hoeta explained.

“………”

What an incredibly exaggerated setting.

“Look at that hell…”

Hoeta looked toward the cafeteria near the first floor.

“Uwahaha! You lost the duel!!! I’ll be taking the special pudding that only comes out on Wednesdays!!!”

“Damn it!!!!!”

A hellish scene was unfolding where the special Wednesday lunch item was being stolen based on duel results.

“That’s hell… it can’t be…!!”

I immediately clutched my head.

Wednesday lunches usually have something delicious. Some students even came to school just looking forward to Wednesday’s lunch.

And that special meal… was being stolen based solely on the outcome of a duel. These were heartless bastards.

“Madoka… is a girl obsessed with dueling. All order in this school is determined by duel results. Rankings are decided that way, and those with low rankings can’t assert anything.”

Hoeta said in a bitter tone.

“Uwahaha!! You’re ranked 120th and talking back? I’m going to research my deck, so you just focus on cleaning duty!!! My turn will probably never come!!!”

“Damn it!!!!!”

Cleaning duty assignments were being determined by duel results.

Cleaning duty… often meant getting home late and missing anime broadcasts. If you hurried home and turned on the TV, you’d only see the dry message “See you next time” along with the ending song. Then you’d blankly watch insurance commercials before turning off the TV. It was truly an evil practice.

“This can’t be possible!!!!!! Kyeeeeeeeek!!!!!!”

I immediately let out a scream from the shock of witnessing this dystopia.

“Oh my… Shota. Acting up again. Come here. Hush. Want to snuggle in mama’s bosom?”

Eri immediately offered her chest compassionately.

I buried my face right into Eri’s chocolate-scented cleavage.

“Kyeeek…..”

That somewhat lessened my shock.

“Mmmmm….”

Soon, I began sucking on Eri’s breasts. Ah… so healing.

“Really… our Shota is such a spoiled child.”

Eri stroked my head with affection. That helped ease my shock a bit more.

“Phew…..”

My mind cleared again.

“Revival!!!”

I was immediately revived. My mental damage was completely healed.

“How dare you display such affection openly!! Shameless!!! Horny monkey!!!”

Perhaps not being immune to such sights, Madoka stuttered and shouted loudly.

Anyway, if what they said was true… Madoka was the reincarnation of Kai×Seto. A person obsessed with dueling.

“Someone… needs to defeat Madoka…”

“Save our school…”

The kids’ gazes all turned toward Hoeta at once.

Then, the kids all took out card packs.

And they each handed a card to Hoeta.

“Hoeta!! This is my deck’s ace!! Use it when you fight Madoka!!”

“This is a rare card!! Please!!! The future of our school depends on you!!!”

“Hoeta!! Good luck!!!!”

Cards containing the kids’ hearts were passed along one by one. Hoeta instantly became something like a revolutionary fighter.

“Everyone……”

Hoeta looked at his friends with tears welling in his eyes.

Then, Hoeta looked at me.

“Big bro… I want to modify my Orc Harem deck. I really want to include these cards!”

Hoeta exclaimed.

That’s right. Hoeta now seemed determined to change his deck.

“Hmph. I see…”

This kid. He’s finally understood a man’s passion.

“Alright. Let’s build it. The ultimate rogue deck.”

I declared.

“Yeah!!! Thank you!! Big bro!!”

Hoeta threw himself into my arms. This kid, he’s surprisingly affectionate.

——-

At that moment, four kids arrived around Madoka.

“Ugeeeek!!! It’s the Four Heavenly Kings!!!!”

“T-The Four Heavenly Kings all together!!!”

These kids… they have good reactions.

“Those guys are the Oubashi Four Heavenly Kings… the top 5 duelists in our school’s ranking!!”

Hoeta began explaining.

“There really is everything here…”

“They’re Madoka’s henchmen!! Her closest aides who received expensive decks worth 50,000 yen directly from Madoka!!!”

Hoeta shouted.

50,000 yen… Right. In Korean won, that’s about 500,000 won. An incredibly high price from an elementary schooler’s perspective.

“Trash combining with trash is still trash.”

A boy with glasses said while pushing up his glasses. Hey… do you use an insect deck by any chance? I feel like I’ve seen someone similar before.

“Nothing will change. You’ll be dealt with at our level.”

A sturdy kid with a square jawline said. This is prejudice, but… he seemed like the type to use a dinosaur deck.

“Ufufufu. This will be fun. Please do resist. I’ll enjoy it.”

A boy with a roll-bun hairstyle said. Roll-bun hair… it can be charming on girls, but on boys… it’s rather off-putting. His eyes were naturally large, but he was deliberately narrowing them to maintain a squinty-eyed concept. He seemed to be working hard on his image.

“Uwahaha!! Something interesting has come up after a long time!!!”

A boy with red hair slicked back shouted in an aggressive tone. I was certain about this one. He definitely seemed like the type to use a fire deck.

“Ugh… the Four Heavenly Kings!! Madoka’s dogs!!”

“Get lost!!”

“Those guys… they’re the ones who stole my pudding!!!”

The students immediately hurled insults.

“Anyway, to face me, you’ll have to make it to the finals… can you do it?”

Madoka smiled smugly.

“I’ll try… big bro and everyone are giving me strength!!”

Hoeta clenched his fist while delivering a line straight out of a boys’ manga.

And so, the shadow duel was decided.

“If you lose… are you prepared to become my slave? Loser big brother.”

Madoka said while twirling her roll-bun hair.

“You should be the one buying ointment. Your butt’s going to turn blue.”

I retorted.

“Hmm~ You’re saying you won’t lose to a loser?”

Madoka seemed fixated on the word “loser,” repeatedly saying it.

“Let’s go! Everyone!!”

The high schoolers’ part was over. I led my group away from the scene.

——-

After the high schoolers left, Madoka remained at the scene.

‘Really… I brought them as bodyguards because they were supposed to be strong… but they’re all such losers.’

Madoka clicked her tongue.

The two bodyguards assigned by her father were special forces members who had even completed mercenary careers—combat elites.

Yet they were lying there, turned into bloody messes from a single sword strike.

Moreover… the bulletproof vests hidden under their suits were torn apart.

‘I don’t know much about this… but do bulletproof vests tear that easily?’

Madoka felt a slight fear at that point. It was hard to believe that a bamboo sword could produce such destructive power. A scene straight out of a manga had unfolded before her eyes.

“Hmph. He is strong.”

Madoka admitted that.

“He’d make a good slave and bodyguard.”

Madoka murmured while running her hand through her hair.

Thump! Thump!

At that moment, Madoka realized her body was different from usual.

Somehow… Madoka’s heart was beating rapidly. It happened mainly when she thought about Shota.

‘Am I… feeling fear because of that loser’s scary side? Me?’

Madoka thought that briefly, but the emotion was somewhat different.

Her heart was beating fast, and her whole body felt tingly. It wasn’t fear. It was strangely pleasant.

He was one of the few people who had ever shown hostility toward her. Moreover, he had momentarily subdued Madoka with overwhelming strength. Such an experience was a first for her.

“Come to think of it… I didn’t even get that loser’s name.”

Madoka unconsciously murmured. She didn’t know his name. Madoka felt strangely uncomfortable about that.

‘Plus… there were those girlfriend-like women around him…’

They were all incredibly pretty. And it was obvious they all liked that loser.

‘Is that… the charm of an adult?’

Then, Madoka touched her chest, which was as flat as the Manchurian plains.

‘I-I’ll grow bigger when I become an adult… and if that loser becomes my slave, the ownership rights transfer to me! He’ll be mine anyway!’

Madoka quickly shook off her inferiority complex.

“Well, I can ask his name later when I make him my slave. I’ll ask him all sorts of other things too.”

Madoka tried to speak haughtily before leaving.

“Lo~~ser. Hehehe.”

Madoka savored the word “loser.” Somehow… just saying that word now made her want to laugh.

———

At that time, back to Shota’s perspective.

I headed straight to the dojo. Gonzaemon had insisted I come.

“Ooooh!!!! Only two months left until the Toshin Cup!!!”

Gonzaemon shouted loudly to his gathered disciples.

“Ooooooh!!!! The Toshin Cup!!”

“Awesome!!!!”

“Defeat!!! Saito Kana!!!”

The disciples caught the mood and cheered loudly.

“Good!! Now!!! I need to select five members including my top disciple Shota… who wants to participate!!!!”

Gonzaemon raised his finger.

“…………”

And the crowd went dead silent. Not a single person who wanted to participate? I was surprised by that.