Playing Cards

Nighttime in Tokyo, above Ukiyoe-cho.

On the massive Treasure Ship of the Nura Clan, Miketsu, currently in her role as Owl and meeting with her former subordinates, was rendered speechless. She had never expected Slippery Nura to suddenly pull such a move—actually instigating his former leader to challenge Inari for the sake of a girlfriend.

Tamamura was also speaking urgently, and hearing his words, Nura Rihyon replied solemnly.

"I'm not crazy, Tamamura. I simply understand the Commander's pain. To the Commander, if that pain can be smoothed over forever, what does a trivial matter like challenging Inari count for?"

Nura Rihyon's expression was exceptionally serious. After responding to Tamamura, he immediately turned back to Miketsu.

"Commander, when it is time to act, act! To prevent a tragedy from repeating, it is better to make up your mind early! Ask Fushimi Inaba if she is willing to become a yokai for you. If she is, then all is well. If not... you can only use force, even at the cost of offending Inari. As long as the Commander makes the decision, we will absolutely assist with all our might!"

Nura Rihyon spoke loudly, while Tamamura, hearing this, began to grow a bit anxious.

"We... don't go bringing me along without asking, Slippery Nura! I don't support this ghost of a suggestion! This is too dangerous, Commander. Don't listen to this guy; it's simply too risky. It's really not worth doing this for a woman!"

Tamamura spoke directly in a persuasive tone toward Miketsu, his attitude very sincere. However, Nura Rihyon didn't pay him much mind, continuing to look at Miketsu with a serious gaze.

"Commander, for the sake of the future, it's about time you made a decision."

Hearing Nura Rihyon's words, Miketsu took a deep breath, then forced down the urge to roast him, keeping the words bottled inside.

'Decision? What damn decision am I supposed to make?! From whose perspective do I decide? Is it Owl? Or Fushimi Inaba? Or Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami? They're all me! How do I decide? Do I go kidnap myself and then divine-punish myself?'

After finishing her internal rant, Miketsu felt it was better not to let them meddle in this matter further, so she spoke in a stern voice.

"Enough... let us end it here today. I must leave. Remember, do not interfere in my business without permission!"

After warning Nura Rihyon and Tamamura, Miketsu turned her body. Arriving at the edge of the Treasure Ship, she leaped off, disappearing into the darkness.

"Heh, see? The Commander got a bit angry. How could that suggestion of yours be reliable? He won't agree..." Taking a sip of sake from his gourd, the stout Tamamura spoke to Nura Rihyon with a hint of schadenfreude.

Nura Rihyon, however, smiled slightly.

"But he didn't deny it either, Tamamura. Compared to you, I still understand the Commander better. I'll bet the Commander took my words to heart just now. A Commander who has been hurt by parting once will not let this opportunity go."

Nura Rihyon spoke slowly, placing his hands behind his back as he gazed into the distance. Tamamura's expression turned a bit suspicious.

"Really?"

"Of course. So, let's wait and see. The Commander not making a decision immediately is surely because he's going to communicate with that Fushimi Inaba—to ask her if she's willing to be transformed into a yokai. If she isn't... he will eventually take action, even if that act means pointing a blade at Inari. When that time comes, we will do everything in our power to help the Commander. Heh, if the Commander makes the decision, I don't believe you won't join in."

Nura Rihyon looked at Tamamura as he spoke. Hearing these words, Tamamura directly took a swig of sake and snorted coldly.

The weather was clear and bright, with brilliant sunlight blanketing the campus in the morning. During the break between classes, the classroom was a noisy scene of chatter. Most students didn't go out to play in the hallways but gathered in the classroom in groups of two or three, intensely discussing the large-scale abnormal phenomena that had appeared in Tokyo recently.

The unrest sparked an unusually high level of discussion. Various conjectures and conspiracy theories abounded, with terms like 'aliens' or 'kaiju' frequently popping up, making the debate even more heated.

Outside that busy field of discussion, Miketsu sat in her seat, looking at the playground outside the window. Her mind was on the words Nura Rihyon and Tamamura had spoken during their gathering last night.

'That guy Slippery Nura... actually thought ahead to that level. His imagination is as rich as ever. I hope my warning can really keep him in check. Otherwise, if he goes rogue and conducts some private operation against Fushimi Inaba, the mess would be...'

Miketsu thought this way. As before, Nura Rihyon was a very reliable subordinate to Owl, yet in some aspects, he was extremely troublesome.

'I should find a way to help them recover from their old injuries later. Hopefully, they can be a bit more honest during this time.'

Miketsu was thinking this when a pained and familiar voice came from behind her.

"Ahhh... it hurts so much, ahhh, the agony..."

At this moment, on the desk behind Miketsu, a girl with short chestnut hair was slumped over a pile of colorful cards, many of which had fallen to the floor.

'This... what is this? Is she possessed?'

Seeing Hayakawa Rin in such a state, Miketsu was slightly startled. Thinking the girl had suddenly caught a disease or been hit by a hex, she prepared to touch her to use causality reversal to clarify the truth. Just then, after a couple of twitches, Hayakawa Rin suddenly spoke.

"White Dragon... my White Dragon..."

'White Dragon? What on earth?'

Hearing Hayakawa Rin's words, Miketsu felt a fog in her mind, and her movements hesitated for a moment. Then, Hayakawa Rin slowly lifted her head. She looked at Miketsu with a dazed expression and spoke weakly.

"I lost... sob... the White Dragon is gone. My White Dragon is gone..."

Hearing these words and looking at the desk full of cards, Miketsu's lips twitched slightly. She had a rough idea of what had happened.

"...You lost a card game?" Miketsu asked bluntly. Hayakawa Rin was momentarily stunned, then spoke again.

"Huh? How did you know?"

'Isn't it obvious?' Miketsu complained inwardly. She turned her chair around to face Hayakawa Rin.

Then, it was time for a preliminary understanding of the situation. After asking Hayakawa Rin a few random questions, Miketsu had a general grasp of the matter.

"So, these are the 'Trading Sorcery Cards' that have been very popular lately?" Picking up a 'Dark Magician' from the table, Miketsu asked Hayakawa Rin, who nodded seriously.

"Mm... they're very popular among students and in society. It's adapted from a manga, and the popularity is huge. Everyone's playing it."

"And then you became obsessed and bought a heap of cards with several months' worth of food money?" Miketsu continued her questioning, and Hayakawa Rin gave another weak nod.

"...More or less. It wasn't 'several' months... just... just three months of living expenses! My luck is great; I pulled many rare and powerful cards! It was a real steal!" Hayakawa Rin's voice went from weak to strong, ending with her fist clenched. Miketsu couldn't help but squint at her before speaking flatly.

"Right, right... you made a profit, you made a profit. The business owners are crying at their losses. You really are a little genius at calculating."

"Hehehe~ Inaba, you don't have to praise me like that. Although I know I'm pretty great, it's still a bit embarrassing to be complimented like this." Hearing Miketsu's words, Hayakawa Rin scratched her head, looking rather bashful. Then, when she looked back at Miketsu, she found the other girl shaking her head with her hand to her forehead, and she asked in confusion.

"Eh? Inaba, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

"No, it's nothing that needs the nurse's office. Let's continue. You built a deck, made a wager on a card battle with someone, and ended up losing a rare card?"

"...That's about it. Although that White Dragon card isn't inherently rare, the card art is uncommon! A card with such rare art has collector value!" Hayakawa Rin said loudly. Miketsu continued while inspecting the cards on the table.

"But unfortunately, you lost it?"

"...I couldn't help it. The opponent was way too strong. He's the overlord of the upperclassmen and the one who dominates this school. His deck and skills are both extremely strong. I originally had confidence in my own strength and wanted to challenge him... but who knew... my White Dragon... waah..."

As she spoke, Hayakawa Rin slumped again, starting to sob on her chair. Looking at her, Miketsu sighed while filtering through the cards on the desk and continued.

"Judging by your look, you really want to get that card back?"

"Mm... but a duelist must win it back through a duel. I'm not strong enough to beat him," Hayakawa Rin said sadly. Hearing her words, Miketsu smiled slightly and spoke again.

"In that case, how about I win the card back for you? See, I've already built the deck."

Miketsu said with a smile, shaking a stack of cards in her hand. Seeing this, Hayakawa Rin was astonished.

"You—you'll win it back for me? But Inaba, don't you not know how to play this game?"

"Didn't you just explain the rules to me?"

"But you only understand the rules! You can't face a veteran like that, let alone such a powerful and ruthless character. This game isn't just about luck..."

"I know that. I just want to go see for myself. It's fine~" Miketsu continued lightheartedly. Hearing her, Hayakawa Rin was momentarily stunned before thinking it over and speaking again.

"Wait, what if you lose? What if you lose all my cards too?"

"Then just give another card as a wager. Anyway, the most precious card in your deck has already been won. You don't care about losing one more, do you?" Miketsu continued to smile. Hayakawa Rin was speechless for a moment, then could only quietly agree.

"O-Okay..."

At a windless noon, on the rooftop of the school building, a group of people was gathered. They were a bunch of upperclassmen boys and two girls.

"I didn't expect you'd still dare to challenge me. You've got some courage, Junior Hayakawa. Didn't I say before? You need to go back and improve your technique and deck strength first!"

Among the boys, a tall one with yellow hair styled into spikes with gel laughed. Following his words, the boys around him snickered and started jeering.

"Haha, Hayakawa, besides that rare White Dragon, you don't seem to have any other cards worth wagering, right? If you lose this time, why don't you become Matsuzo-ge's girlfriend and let him teach you how to play?"

Hearing the jeers, Hayakawa Rin clenched her fists and spoke loudly.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves! This... this time I brought help. Inaba! He's the one who won my card!"

She pointed at the boy named Matsuzo, then spoke to Miketsu beside her.

"What an even prettier junior. I didn't know our school's lower years had such a beauty. Matsuzo-ge, let her be your babe! Gwah!"

Looking at Miketsu beside Hayakawa Rin, the boy next to Matsuzo continued to jeer, but he was unexpectedly punched in the face by Matsuzo and knocked to the ground, leaving the surrounding boys in shock.

"Hmph. Duels aren't for doing things like that. Our wagers are only cards; I have no interest in other things."

As Matsuzo spoke sternly, he turned his gaze toward Miketsu.

"Junior, I've dueled many people in this school, but I've never seen you."

"That's normal. I only learned this game today. The deck I'm using is Rin's. This is my first battle; it's normal you haven't seen me."

Looking at Matsuzo, Miketsu spoke with a smile. Hearing this, Matsuzo was surprised.

"A beginner? Are you kidding? I won't duel a beginner; there's no profit in it."

"Is that so? As long as the wager is sufficient, there's no reason not to accept, right?"

Miketsu looked at Matsuzo and continued. Matsuzo was stunned, then said, "True. If the wager is enough, I can accept the duel. But you just said your deck is Hayakawa's? I don't think there are any cards left in her deck worth collecting."

Hearing Matsuzo's words, Miketsu thought for a moment and then replied.

"Then how about wagering all of Rin's cards?"

"What?!"

Hearing Miketsu's words, Hayakawa Rin was rooted to the spot in shock, while Matsuzo burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Fine, you've got guts! Although all of Hayakawa's cards might be useless to me, I'll play one game with you just for that boldness!"

"Good."

With both sides agreeing, they stood across from each other, ready to duel. After both sides brought out their decks and exchanged them for shuffling, Matsuzo, having taken back his own deck, spoke with a smile.

"Heh. Don't worry. Since you're a beginner, Junior, I'll go easy on you. At least you'll have a basic game experience."

"Is that so? Then thank you."

Miketsu also took back her deck as she spoke.

Then, both sides stood apart and tossed a coin to decide the order. Matsuzo flipped a coin and caught it in his hand. He looked at Miketsu and said, "Then, Junior, you call it."

"Really? Then I'll choose heads."

Matsuzo opened his hand; the coin was indeed heads. Seeing this, Miketsu continued.

"I guessed right, so I'll go first."

"Fine, go ahead," Matsuzo said with a smile, drawing five cards from his deck. He looked confidently at Miketsu, seeing that she had also just filled her hand to five cards.

"Play your cards," Matsuzo said, thinking about how he would instruct the newcomer while playing.

Hearing Matsuzo, Miketsu smiled slightly. Then, after glancing at her hand, she slammed all five cards onto the field at once.

"I release the fivefold seals that imprison infinite power! I hereby summon the great power cloistered in ancient times. Descend... Exodia! Bring the victory of this duel directly to me!"