Cards

Choyo-machi, inside Hyakumonogatari Hall.

The Hyakumonogatari Hall was exceptionally lively, with countless yokai and humans of all kinds gathered, whispering and discussing various things. In the hall's grand hall and private rooms, numerous tables were set up, each occupied by a pair of yokai or humans engaged in a card battle.

Upon the sturdy tables, countless small Secret Lore Yokai manifested within the cards, battling each other according to specific rules. The lifelike scenes greatly enhanced the game, though occasionally, accidents would occur, such as a fire-based Demonic Arts Secret Lore card accidentally scorching a player's clothes.

Miketsu, disguised as a small yokai, walked through the hall, observing everything with great interest. She hadn't initially realized that Ao Andon had such a talent for game design; she had only proposed a concept, and Ao Andon had actually turned it into a full-fledged game! And its popularity seemed quite good.

Seeing the scene of so many people playing cards, Miketsu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement and wanted to try it herself. In her opinion, she had come up with the game's concept, and she had played similar card games in her previous life. Surely she would be much better than these newcomers who had only recently been introduced to the game in this world. Although the Miketsu of the past enjoyed card games, her card skills were poor, and her luck wasn't great, so she was often defeated. Now was the perfect chance to get her revenge.

With that thought, Miketsu eagerly went to the counter and bought several packs of cards. After quickly understanding the rules, she opened them on the spot and began. Looking at the rarest and best card she had drawn, Slippery Nura, Miketsu pondered for a moment. She ultimately assembled an assassin-style, direct damage deck focused on bypassing shikigami to reduce life points. Afterward, she found a table and began her first match against a human noble.

Then she lost terribly...

“Ahhh… how could this be? Didn't they say these guys were all supposed to be novices, easy to deal with? What is this situation?!”

Facing such a result, Miketsu couldn't help but think frantically. Although she hadn't used special abilities like causality vision for a better game experience, she shouldn't have lost so badly against mere novices.

On the other side, the Heian-kyo noble who had defeated Miketsu leisurely fanned himself, saying, “Hehe, you seem to be a novice. While you have some tactics, they're outdated. Your playstyle was quite popular a few days ago, but recently, the Hall Master made some adjustments to the card effects for balance. After those cards were nerfed, not many people play them anymore.”

“This, this even has version updates that buff and nerf cards…”

“From your appearance, you seem quite skilled and proficient at this game. But if I'm not mistaken, this game hasn't been out for very long, has it? Are there already so many different tactics?” Miketsu asked the noble, somewhat confused. The other party responded as if it were obvious.

“It hasn't been long, but this game is interesting enough that many people like me play day and night without stopping. As a result, various tactics have been thoroughly developed.”

Upon hearing this, Miketsu's mouth twitched. She had forgotten that in this era, entertainment options were scarce, and Heian-kyo had a large number of nobles who spent their days idle. In the past, they enjoyed refined pursuits like tea ceremonies, waka poetry, incense ceremonies, and board games… Now that a new game had finally arrived, they naturally got deeply engrossed. Of course, Choyo-machi also had many idle yokai.

The people of Heian-kyo are truly relentless. I can't compete with that, time to go…

Seeing that the game already had a certain barrier to entry, Miketsu, who only wanted a taste, decided not to continue playing. She left the battle table and wandered around Hyakumonogatari Hall. It was then that she noticed a considerable number of people and yokai gathered on the second floor, far more than on the first. They seemed to be watching something.

Miketsu curiously ascended the stairs. As soon as she stepped onto the second floor, a frog yokai, waiting at the stairwell, wearing a bamboo hat, sporting a beard, holding dice, and standing on a porcelain jar, spoke to her.

“Care to place a bet, miss? This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!”

“A bet?” Miketsu asked the yokai with a puzzled expression. As the leader of Choyo-machi, she knew what this yokai was up to. It was Kawa-chan, who had long haunted Choyo-machi, setting up gambling dens and enticing people to bet. Due to multiple instances of malicious manipulation, Slippery Nura had brought people to punish and fine him many times. In recent years, he had settled down, but his nature was hard to change. He had changed his method from directly setting up gambling dens to continuing to open betting in places with disputes and competitions.

“That’s right~ A bet! This is the most elite card player showdown in Choyo-machi, even all of Heian-kyo! Don’t miss it, hurry, hurry and place your bets! The rewards are generous if you win!”

And you lose everything if you lose, right? she silently grumbled to herself. Then, ignoring Kawa-chan, she pushed through the crowd to the front. She wanted to see who these so-called “elite card players” were. As soon as she squeezed into the front row, she immediately froze.

Atop a large, long table, two familiar petite figures sat on opposite sides, facing each other in tense confrontation.

One had pink hair, a fox mask tilted on her head, and a calm, expressionless face. The other had black hair and white clothes, with a faint smile on her face. They were Qin Xin and Menreiki!

These children… they actually enjoy playing this?

Seeing the two girls battling before her, Miketsu's mouth twitched in surprise. However, the match seemed to have just entered its climax.

“Then… with this, my summoning conditions are met. Come forth, my strongest trump card… Great Onmyoji—Asakura Hao…” Though her voice was calm, it still revealed a hint of barely concealed excitement. Qin Xin played a card, summoning an Onmyoji in white robes and an eboshi, wielding a spirit spear, onto the table. Seeing this, Miketsu's mouth twitched even harder.

“Oh my~ As expected of Xin-chan, to summon Lord Hao so quickly. But with this, my summoning conditions are also met. Please make your entrance… Lord Owl, the yokai general of Heian-kyo…” Menreiki smiled as she placed her card on the table. Amidst a tangible black demonic wind, a Great Demonic Owl, wielding a giant blade and clad in black robes, appeared on the table, confronting the Onmyoji. Seeing this scene, Miketsu's mouth twitched even more violently.

What in the world is all this?!

The moment Asakura Hao and Owl appeared, the atmosphere among the onlookers immediately grew heated. Everyone whispered excitedly, discussing among themselves.

“Ohh! They've finally appeared… the showdown between the strongest cards! This is truly a rare sight…”

“Asakura Hao, the Onmyoji… Owl, the Yokai. Which side will win?”

“Hmph… Asakura Hao and Owl are, in the end, just cards of mortals. The truly powerful one should be the Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami, hidden in the Hall Master's hands and never before seen. That is the card of a deity…”

Amidst the many discussions, Miketsu couldn't help but cover her forehead, thinking, This trend seems to be heading in a strange direction… Perhaps I shouldn't get involved in the future.