"Ah… I'm finally done." Yui Mizuno smiled satisfied after she finished cleaning the blackboard. It is normal for schools to have their students clean up their own classrooms when classes are done, to teach them the importance of keeping them clean, responsibility, and probably other things that aren't quite of the older Mizuno's interest.
No, more importantly, she was more preoccupied with the situation regarding her classmate, Eri Asami. The last message she received from Midori told her that Eri was not being bullied into handing money over, but instead, she was involved in a gamble of some sort.
Yui's brow furrowed deeply at the thought, nibbing at the joints of her fingers.
"She must have her reasons… but she's still doing something stupid."
There's no running from gambling. In Yui's mind, gambling seriously is something only those who can discard everything else can afford to do.
If your only way to live is to win at cards. Or by the roll of the dice.
Whether you win or lose, you will sink deeper into a sea of deceit, lies and raging battles. It sounds like an exciting world, but only when seen from afar.
But then again… to wage one's life in a game is no different from the shadow games that Yui Mizuno herself has been taking part in. Perhaps because she found that aspect similar between her and Eri, she couldn't bring herself to hate her for doing what she did.
"But it's not the same, right? That blue-haired kid is willingly participating in it, and you were forced to play in those wicked games of darkness."
"Yeah, but…!" In her self-absorbed state, Yui didn't realize the gruesome monster that had crept up to her. Placing its sharpened paws on her shoulder, only then did the girl feel the weight of the ambient, the scorching-hot breath of the lizard-like chimera that peered at the girl from above her head.
"Sheesh, why is it always in the classroom?"
The orange light rays that entered through the windows vanished as if the sun suddenly was not in sight anymore, and beyond the classroom only shades of deep purple could be seen. Yui Mizuno gulped hard without moving from the spot she was standing at, for once again, she was standing amidst the unnatural stage of a game of darkness.
A deep darkness that betrayed the naturality of everyday life. Yui knew that another cruel deathmatch was about to occur.
"You people all like doing things the same way." Yui said dryly, her expression not betraying any emotion. "Why always at school?"
It was the third time that this dark world opened itself to the girl. Unlike the first few times, the girl kept her composure and looked around, even when stuck in her place, to look for today's enemy.
Her eyes darted to every corner of the classroom; the windows that now appeared locked into place, the tightly shut door…
"You must think this is a prank, right, little girl?" From behind the hissing chimera a girl wearing the same uniform as Yui stepped into her sight. From the blue ribbon on her, Yui could make her out to be a third year.
The dark-haired girl's brown eyes gazed into Yui's green ones, and then disgust crept up into the newcomer girl's expression. However, Yui didn't grace her taunt with a response of any kind.
"...You're a boring one. You can look stoic all you want as my Dark Chimera sinks its teeth into…!"
"Hak!" Yui yelled, interrupting the dark-haired girl as she was raising her voice.
In an instant, the lizard-like creature crashed down into the floor, hissing furiously and tussling with itself in order to get up, as if it had suddenly gotten heavier. When the surprised third-year looked closer, she could make out a glowing circle of sorts right below the creature.
She tugged her green scarf closer to her face, lost for what was occurring at the moment.
"Good grief." A new voice caught the third year's attention, this one clearly belonging to a male. Next to Yui, stood a shadowy figure that appeared made of some sort of miasma, the silhouette of what looked to be a well built man.
"You were taking too long, Hak."
"I don't remember allowing you to give me orders." He said.
"But you still came to my help regardless." The girl sneered at the spirit.
"Hey, what's this about?" The dark-haired girl looked bemused at the figure and at the second-year girl. "You… You have one of them too?"
"I bet you're rather annoyed, missie. Considering how you wanted to be done with your school duties as soon as possible to head up to that gossipy matter of yours." Yui's fists clenched impatiently at the spirit's irksome remark.
The girl turned to face him, now that she could move freely from her spot. "It's true. But, I'm sure Midori will work something out if it's needed. Ultimately, if Eri isn't in any trouble, then there should be no need for us to step in."
"Huh… you seem to trust that sluggish blonde a lot."
"She may not look like it, but she's quite smart."
Hak snorted as he bought his hand closer to his face, as if he was hiding the bit of her face where his mouth would be. "You say that 'she may not look like it'? Aren't you rude, missie?"
Yui impassively turned her attention back to the girl and the chimera monster. "However, this is more important. Hey, you." She said as she called to the bewildered third year. "Why are you with that monster?"
A simple question. However, it was not what the third-year girl was expecting. "What is that thing?" Or, "What is happening?" was more around what the girl was expecting. However, Yui's attitude seemed unnaturally calm, to the point of it being eerie.
"What, you seem awfully familiar with this sort of thing. What an offensive girl." The third-year directed her harsh words towards Yui as she scowled. "This monster has accompanied me for a while, and now I can't get rid of it." She admitted.
"You can't because it won't go away?" Yui asked.
Her question was met with a malicious smirk from the girl. "I can't because he's too useful of a tool." Yui raised an eyebrow with bemusement. "I'm sure you heard the news. It occurred in the neighborhood so you must know about it; a man was killed by what appeared to be a large beast, given the injuries found on him, at least."
Biting marks, claws, bones broken so badly that it wouldn't be impossible to think that a bear must've stomped on him. It was a rather strange occurrence, but it was certainly covered in most local newspapers, given the sheer dubiety of the situation.
"He was a loan shark. He kept extorting money off my family with insane interest rates. It was painful to get home and watch my parents dread the payment deadlines." The girl's voice became lower and lower as she talked, her lips trembling as the words formed and left her mouth. She folded her arms, hugging herself as if she was cold. "And then… I had this monster kill him."
Like a flash of lightning, Yui was struck by shock by the words that left the girl's mouth.
To actually kill someone. Willingly.
"Let's not lose any more time, missie." Hak's words snapped Yui back to reality from the shock. "I've got your back, so get this duel started. We won't be getting away anytime soon if we don't."
"Duel?" The dark-haired girl asked. Yui looked up at her and stared at her surprised face.
"Indeed. You may not know it, but in this place, a game of darkness is about to start. You two are the participants of this deathmatch. A battle in which your lives could be at stake." Hak explained to the girl, who appeared bewildered at this development. "Now that your beast is tied down by my magic, you have no other choice if you want to leave."
"So we're deciding this with a card game?" Her brown eyes glanced at Yui, who was standing close to the man's figure. "You're a coward, you know that? Fine, I know how to play, and I like to think that I'm pretty good. I'm game!"
Now that I think about it, it is my first time being on this side… the side of being the one who is experienced with this sort of deathmatch.
…
The two girls sat across from each other at the teacher's desk. Their decks were shuffled and placed on the two-player playmat that was on the desk.
"My name is Nagisa. I'm sure you can tell, but I'm a third year. What's your name?"
"Yui."
No other word left Yui's mouth. The girl's green gaze was downcast, focused only on the playing field. It was difficult to read her expression.
Nagisa thought of Yui as a shrewd coward. She'd been frozen in place, she required someone else's help to get away, and now is just doing as she was told. As if she herself had no will to move on her own.
"Well, the kid seems used to this by now. But, today she's acting strange, I wonder if she's thinking about something…" Hak thought about Yui's state during the previous games. It wasn't uncommon for the girl to appear calm no matter the predicament, even if she got a bit flustered when things happened or changed too suddenly. "You have an extraordinary game sense, and the nerves necessary to grab any advantage… but what is this I feel now?"
"I'll take the first turn, alright?"
Yui nodded as Nagisa asked.
"Then, let's start. My turn." Nagisa's hand picked a card from her deck. She glanced at every card in her hand and decided to call a monster. "I summon now, Water Element in attack position!"
As the card was placed on the table, a translucent child-like figure with blue hair appeared behind the girl. it floated in the air as particles of water surrounded it. The little spirit hugged its own legs as it floated, wearing a calm expression with its closed eyes.
The monster being summoned earned a bemused look from Nagisa. The third year's expression then changed to an elated one, but she calmed herself to continue playing.
"At the same time, I equip it with this card. Heart of Clear Water." Though there was no change to the figure itself, the water around her glimmered brightly as the new card entered play. "With this card, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. For now, that's the end of my turn."
Yui's expression did not change as she dryly drew her next card. "My turn. I summon Tiger Axe in attack position." Behind her, a muscular-looking beast-warrior appeared swinging its axe wildly. As soon as it calmed down, it looked threateningly at the peaceful-looking Water Element. "Battle."
With the simple command, Tiger Axe dashed towards the enemy monster and swung at the little child-like spirit. However, the steel of the axe was repelled as the glittering particles of water shielded the little creature. The beastman growled as he leaped back behind Yui.
"I told you. My equip spell prevents my monster from being destroyed."
"Your Life Points are not protected from damage, though."
Certainly, Nagisa's Life Points had taken a hit of 400, the difference between the monster's ATK points of 1300 and 900. However, she was more than content with taking that bit of damage to keep her monster safe.
"Turn end."
"My turn then, draw! It looks like this will be rather easy, huh, missie? I sacrifice Water Element to summon the 1900 ATK monster, Turtle Bird! Sail at high speeds, my monster!"
Now, the reason for protecting a weak monster surfaced. "It was preparation for a larger summon, huh…" Yui mused to herself.
A heavy-looking turtle with large wings protruding from its arms leaped into the air, above the two girls. It had the beastman below set on its sights, and lost no time diving hard at it. Even though the Tiger Axe was clearly not interested in dying, and attempted to fend it off by swinging its axe, the steel gave away and shattered, leaving behind a beastman that was crushed under the weight of the enemy monster.
Once it was defeated, the body of the beastman faded away.
However, Yui Mizuno did not wince or worry about her monster's destruction.
Now, the score was Nagisa's 3600 Life Points to Yui's 3400. It appeared close, but the girl was outmatched as she was the one facing a powerful monster rather quickly.
"Hahaha. It looks like you're cornered already, aren't you? Isn't it a good time to surrender now?" Maliciously grinning to herself, Nagisa threw the brown-haired girl a pitiful look.
"Is your turn over?"
However, the girl she identified as a coward didn't appear pained at the development of the match. Nagisa nodded and passed the turn.
"Draw. I set a monster face-down." From behind the shadows that covered the classroom, a new presence could be felt.
"As expected, you can only defend now."
"And another one. I equip your Turtle Bird with the Paralyzing Potion card!"
From the shadows, a bottle of green acid was thrown at the flying turtle. As soon as it came into contact with it, the bottle broke and its contents soaked the turtle, which quickly fell to the ground as it appeared to have difficulty moving.
"As long as this card is equipped with it, your monster won't be attacking. That is the end of my turn."
"Rats!" Nagisa cursed. Now, all the effort she went through to summon her powerful monster had been for naught. "My turn! I set a monster and pass as well."
Looking at her own hand, she didn't have any monsters that were remarkably powerful. She'd rather not risk attacking into a monster with high defense power.
"Draw. I sacrifice my face-down monster to summon the Monstrous Bird!" In a flash of light that came from the shadows, Yui's monster left the field and the large bird rose as high as possible, with its unnaturally large wings whipping out a strong air current.
"Tsk. Its ATK is 2000, now I'm the one who is outmatched."
"Plus, two more cards: I will play two copies of Gust Fan and equip them to Monstrous Bird!" Yui called out as she slapped two cards on the playmat, right behind her monster.
With Gust Fan, a monster of the Wind attribute has its ATK increased by 400, but its DEF decreased by 200.
"Oho, not bad, kid. But, this isn't like the usual you…" Hak mused to himself as he looked at the game from Yui's side.
"It has 2800 ATK now?!" Nagisa yelped in surprise. However, Yui wasn't patient enough to let it sink in for the girl, and by pointing towards the turtle that was stuck to the ground, the gigantic bird dove and ripped its shell and body apart with its claws at high speeds. The Turtle Bird was annihilated in an instant, and Nagisa took 900 points of damage.
Now, her Life was at 2700 versus Yui's 3400.
And now, it was her turn to be on the defensive.
Nagisa put out another defensive monster in face-down position, so she'd have two blockers on the next turn. If nothing else, that would allow her to protect her Life Points.
Following that, Yui's Monstrous Bird ripped one of them apart. She didn't summon any other monsters, as her hand was growing rather small, now being at only 3 cards.
The next round wasn't much different. Nagisa drew, set another defender, and then Yui proceeded to rip it apart as well with her Bird's powered up attack strength. This time, she set a face-down monster after attacking as well.
"My turn! Good, here's my out… I summon Takriminos in attack mode!" The monster that appeared behind Nagisa is a bipedal sea serpent clad in green scales. It dragged its feet as it hissed at the giant bird that is currently flying above it. "Don't look too confident now, missie. I'm dragging you to the ground with this card! I play Block Attack! Now, Monstrous Bird is forcefully changed to defense mode! And one last card, the field Spell, Umi!"
The wooden planks of the classroom shifted away and turned into deep blue water, at the same time as the walls faded away and the ceiling above the girls disappeared from sight to reveal the bright blue sky, betraying the current time of the day.
"With this field spell, my Sea Serpents gain a bonus of 200 ATK and DEF. Takriminos now has 1700 ATK in total." Nagisa stated her monster's stats.
"The air is salty…" The table in which the two girls were sitting remained in a small cluster of sand, and when Yui glanced to the side, she noticed that it, alongside a similar cluster where the dark chimera remained stuck by Hak's magic, were the only solid places amongst the endless body of water.
"And for good measure, I equip my monster with the Spell Card, Steel Shell, which will increase its ATK by an additional 400, up to a total of 2100!"
In an instant, Takriminos leaped from within the depths and lashed violently against the Monstrous Bird. The winged beast, focused on lashing back, struggled as it could against the empowered creature.
"My Monstrous Bird has a defense of 1900 originally, however, each copy of Gust Fan equipped to it decreased its DEF by 200." Yui continued, accepting the result of this exchange.
"That's right, so, it's 2100 ATK versus 1500 DEF. Looks like I win this battle."
In an instant, the giant bird sank into the sea and shards of light rose from it. Takriminos remained hidden within the deep blue of the sea, prepared to attack again if needed.
Yui placed the three cards in her graveyard; her monster card, as well as the two equips it had attached to it.
Now, the field contained Yui's face-down monster, and opposing it was Takriminos, empowered by the Umi field spell. No other cards were on the field. Life Points were still 2700 versus 3400.
"Hehe, from here on out, this will be my game. This is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket." The third year ran her hand through her hair, sneering at Yui. "You can't just assume everything will continue to go your way, Missie."
"You're too quick to gloat, and you do it too much." Nagisa's eyes shot open as the younger girl spoke. "Those who are too quick to show off their victories will never last long."
"So annoying. However, what can you do to turn this situation around?"
"My turn. I activate Soul Exchange."
In one swift motion, Yui placed the card on the table. As she did so, a swirl of wind surrounded a spot in the sea behind Nagisa, which forced the Takriminos that was hiding below it to reveal itself and growl in panic.
"No way!" Nagisa cried out, her fist slamming on the table.
"I sacrifice your Takriminos and my face-down monster to summon my key card. Appear, Level 7 monster, Seiyaryu!"
A flash of light appeared suddenly in the sky, and with it, a gust of wind slowly caressed the surface of the water, creating ripples that trembled as if reckoning the strength of the dragon that soared from the light.
A roar was unleashed from the dragon of pale pink scales, as it flapped its wings and stared down towards the place where the two girls were sitting, ready to bare its mythical fire at its master's enemy.
"A Level 7, with 2500 ATK…"
"Because of Soul Exchange's effect, I can't declare an attack this turn. I place one card face-down and end my turn." At this moment, Yui Mizuno is down to only one card in her hand, however, Nagisa did not feel relief at such a circumstance.
Because, just before this play, the third year spent more than a couple cards in order to get rid of the Monstrous Bird and now, as a result of that, the only card left in her hand is a copy of Flying Fish, which is a weak monster that won't be able to turn the situation around.
"I guess that's the match." Hak said, "It was fast this time."
Nagisa merely stared at the card in her hand. She knew there was no chance for a comeback.
"This is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket, right?" Yui mimicked Nagisa's tone of voice as she spoke, further irritating the panicking third year. "Now the tables have turned. Your hand is down to 1 card right now, I don't see you turning it around right now."
"What? You know, telling me to give up makes you sound like the bad guy, right?"
"It would if I was talking to a normal human."
"I guess that makes me a weird human?"
"You're just not human. Period."
"...That's offensive, missie. Is it because I said I killed that loan shark with my creature earlier?"
Yui's brow furrowed. "Yeah. You weren't being sweet-talked by that creature, nor were you cornered with no other option. You chose to have him disappear at the hands of your monster."
"Well, aren't you meddlesome?"
"Please surrender. I'm sure my spirit over here will do something about your creature, so just forget about all this and move on." Yui glanced at the other small isle next to them, where the chimera-like creature was still stuck to the ground by Hak's magic, hissing as he realized who's glance fell upon it.
"Is this your way of redeeming me?" Yui flinched at Nagisa's wicked smirk for the first time. "I don't want any of it. There's nothing left for me… I'm fully aware of what it would mean to be attacked by your monster. But, that is fine."
"No it is not!" Yui yelled out, getting up from her seat. "You…"
"I… what about me?" Nagisa asked grimly. "You're mad, aren't you? If that's the case, then don't hold back!"
In an instant, Nagisa leaped from her seat and grabbed Yui by the collar. Surprised, the second-year fell on her back and struggled with her senior's grip, who was now on top of her as the two grappled above the sand.
"Don't be stupid, if my card… if my dragon attacks you, nothing will be left…!"
"So what?! You're saying I deserve your pity?! I'm going to win this dumb game, whatever it takes, I'm going to feed you to my monster, and then I'll continue to do as I please. I'm sick of laying low…!" As Nagisa refused Yui's offer to reach a peaceful conclusion, she tightened her grip on her neck.
"Ah…!" Yui tried to free herself from Nagisa's grip to catch a bit of air, but as it bore no fruit, she held on to some of the sand that was below the two and threw it into her aggressor's eyes.
"Ouch! Curse you!" However, Yui's lungs were not filled with air as she had expected. When the girl was just about to have her consciousness fade away, suddenly, the weight on top of her was gone, and her eyes were assaulted by a scream coming from Nagisa.
The waves that had remained calm until then now raged with vigor. And, from below the surface of the sea, long arms that were colored in a sweltering, grim tone of blue and green, were stretching and holding onto the shoulders of the third-year girl.
"Interfering with a game of darkness is unforgivable." In what would be her last moments, Hak explained to the frightened girl as he folded his arms. "It's one thing if you faint as a result of the game, but the gates of darkness will open and drag down anyone who doesn't respect the results of the game. This includes forcefully altering them yourself outside of the game's mechanics."
"You stupid ghost! Stop your crude jokes and let me go!" Nagisa thrashed as she could, but her resistance was only met with a greater number of squalid hands holding on to her. The girl held on to the clump of sand with her fingers as well as she could, but the harder she struggled, the harder she was pulled.
"I can't stop it anymore. This is the mechanism of darkness." Hak then turned to face Yui, and was surprised to see her dash towards the dark-haired girl and stretch her hand towards her.
"Take my hand!" She instructed.
Nagisa's eyes opened up, and a hopeful gasp escaped her mouth. However, before she could take the hand of the girl she was scragging at just a moment ago, her own grip on the sand gave up and she was dragged to the sea.
A huge splash of water was raised as all the hands disappeared into the depths, and although Yui tried to go after them, she stopped as she came to the end of the small isle where she was standing.
Her green eyes were wide open in horror, and no other sound came out of her mouth. Her lips were trembling, and her hand was still caressing the spot where she was being choked. Those moments felt like long hours to her, but in truth, as soon as half a minute had passed, the salty air couldn't be felt in her nostrils anymore, the refreshing wind was replaced by the humid ambient of the afternoon in Tokyo, where she lived.
The early morning light was replaced by the orange hue of the sun that entered through the windows of the classroom.
The chimera-like creature resting next to Yui was not moving anymore. Its eyes were closed, and starting with its bright silver claws, its body started to turn into dust.
"Why did you want to save her? You were clearly mad at how selfish she was. Frankly, I think she wasn't right in the head." Hak asked.
Yui didn't respond immediately. "I… I don't know. I didn't know anything about her. Sure, she was saying all those things, but what if there was more to it? What if she only wanted to act like she wanted to harm others, to feed them to her monster, but in truth…"
"Your ideas are meandering, girl. There's no use dwelling in such suppositions." Hak bluntly interrupted Yui. The girl stared at her hands in silence for a couple seconds before turning to the used-to-be sorcerer and answered.
"If we had talked, they wouldn't have remained as suppositions."
"She was not willing to speak." The sorcerer rested his head in his hands and heaved a sigh. "Look. if it helps you, I think she was too far gone already."
"What do you mean?"
"Not everyone can handle the powers of darkness the same way. If your mind can't handle it, then you will end up unhinged, and at some point, nothing will be left of you, like that girl."
As Hak pointed out, Nagisa was nowhere to be seen. Her cards still remained at the table, but there was no trace that anything remained of the third-year girl.
"In any case, you're far too optimistic, kid…"
There was more that Hak wanted to say, but Yui leaned on the wall of the classroom behind her and allowed herself to slip by it, until she softly hit the ground.
"She's not coming back, right?"
"No. That Nagisa girl was swallowed by the darkness. She's effectively dead."
It's true. Yui had been angry at the third-year girl.
She was different from Mamoru, and different from Kubo as well. She was more than willing to hurt somebody just because she felt like it. She admitted to killing someone too, and showed no remorse for it.
She was the first person that she met that acted in such a bloodthirsty way. She was more like Dunn than a human. Someone so uninterested in human life could not be left to roam free, and more importantly, to Yui, it wasn't feasible that someone like that could be a human. In her eyes, she appeared more like a true monster.
Maybe it's because, as the game progressed, Yui realized one thing about herself.
She couldn't bring herself to deal the final blow to her opponent.
From early on, Yui figured out how the match would play out. She read her opponent's hand perfectly, and waited for the perfect chance to make the most of it. That is why she waited until her opponent toppled her Monstrous Bird to finally play Seiyaryu by Soul Exchange's effect. She knew it would decide the game.
But, as that plan formed in her mind, she felt uneasy.
How could she kill someone? How could she bring harm to others in such a way?
The reality of a life and death battle wasn't as simple as it seemed, even though the girl has already had plenty of experience with them.
But certainly, she didn't wish for Nagisa to meet such an end.
"People deserve to be heard out, Hak." Yui said after a long silence.
"How unusual for you to call me by my name." Hak mused to himself, then faced the girl. "But, I think those are nothing but cute words. Even if you take the time to hear people out, what you end up hearing might not be all that pretty, kid."
When people think of listening to others' genuine thoughts, or the reasons behind their acts, one generally would expect to hear something that they can feel empathy to. A reason that could string one's heart.
"The truth is, some people are just genuinely ugly. You might regret hearing them out if you do." Hak continued.
"Whether I regret it or not… Is my decision."
However, even when staring into the ugliness of a less-than-pretty reason, some people do not shy away.
"Haha! You sometimes say cool things, kid." Hak laughed heartily. Sometimes, he was glad that he stuck with this girl. It's not like he had any other choice, but being close to her in these moments, he always found himself appreciating her disposition.
Kids, no matter how talented, tend to be rough around the edges. They can sometimes be very skillful, and still ignore important things that only come with experience. They would get lost at times.
Yui Mizuno, however, never got lost. Not regarding her victory, or her own resolve.
…
The girl brooded over her adversary's disappearance for longer than she acknowledged. She remained sitting in the classroom, pondering over the duel she just experienced and how she should move forward with it, however, the constant beeping of her phone broke her out of her thoughts.
Senpai, operation aborted. I'll accompany Harunon all the way to your house, then I'll head home on my own. I would make another commander-type of joke, but it would be too easy and I'm not up for it.
Though, I think I just did it anyway.
Shogun! I'm on thee command!
Just kidding~
Are we going to do anything about Eririn? I think we can try to talk it out with her tomorrow. What do you think?
As she quickly checked all of Midori's messages in the now barely lit classroom, she took in the information regarding Eri's gambling situation. Both Midori and Haruka had already left the gambling parlor, leaving behind Yui's classmate, who now appeared hooked on gambling.
Let's talk about it tomorrow. Was Yui's curt reply.
"Ahhh, what a day. Let's just go home, Hak." She sighed heavily as she got up.
"We're not going to meet up with your friend and your sister?"
"They're already on their way home."
"Got it."
One last time, Yui glanced back at the now empty classroom, as the last rays of the sun dimly lit it up.
I'm sorry. Were Yui's thoughts before she finally closed the door.
…
"Another game." The blue-haired girl demanded.
Her opponent, a young man who appeared to be in their late 20s, shook his head and picked up his cards. "I can't. I didn't come here to bet this much money."
Without saying anything else, he left the table.
Eri Asami had continued to gamble throughout that night. She went from parlor to parlor, as long as it allowed people to play Duel Monsters in it, and continued to win for as long as her opponent's pockets allowed.
The girl was on the lookout for someone with deep enough pockets.
Her game wasn't just about staying afloat, or to be able to afford things she would need in her daily life anymore.
"Dude, that girl completely busted you out, haha." Another man patted Eri's previous opponent in the back as he laughed. "I didn't know middle school kids could be that ruthless. I wonder what she needs all that money for?"
"She's not after the money. I think that girl… just wanted to beat me as badly as possible." Eri's previous opponent gulped hard as his thoughts left his mouth.
To win crushingly in a battle with high stakes is now Eri's goal. It is not about the money anymore, as the bets are just a means to an end.
"It's not enough. It's not enough." She mumbled under her breath.
I've always lost out at everything. Where is someone I can beat… I can break as hard as possible?
"...you betrayed everyone who helped you out!"
Haruka's words replayed in Eri's mind. Before, the girl may have paid heed to them, and thought back on the methods the girl had chosen.
Now, they were no more than white noise, but for some reason, they kept coming back to her mind.
"I see… Mizuno."
An idea quite literally popped inside of Eri's mind. Like a flash of inspiration. The girl did not know of it, as she had never experienced it, or had seen or heard about it.
A way to ensure a high stakes match would happen, and a way to get rid of the words that were bothering her since earlier that day.
"A game of darkness."
…
Dinner had been rather uneventful for the two Mizuno sisters. They sat down as usual and prepared the leftover food from yesterday, but not a single word was exchanged by the two of them.
Yui's head was still spinning around the events that transcurred in the classroom earlier, though she tried to move on, she found it difficult to process that now someone else was gone because of her.
On the other hand, Haruka pondered about her blue-haired upperclasswoman's attitude towards the game. It felt like just a single moment, but she could've sworn she saw a demonic grin forming on the girl's face, which up to that moment, had only appeared gently to Haruka.
Which one was the real Miss Asami?
I think this can't remain like this. I have to talk it out once more… I hope she'll listen to me.
But even then, what can I tell her that will make her change her mind on the matter? Can I even say anything meaningful to her when I do not know her all that well?
"Thanks for the food." Yui said curtly as she picked up her plate and glass and left the kitchen table.
"Ah, I'm done too, sis." Haruka got up as well and went after her.
"Sure. Pass me the dishes, I'll clean them."
"Thank you."
"..."
"..."
"You're acting a little stiff right now, Haru. Is the thing with Eri still on your mind?" Yui asked to her younger sibling. Naturally, Haruka did not know about the events that occurred to Yui earlier today, so Yui attempted to make some conversation to keep her mind away from them.
"Yeah." Haruka nodded.
"Are you mad at her?"
"Yeah…" Haruka's voice lowered. "But I still want to talk things out with her. I more or less can figure out her motives, but I'm still angry that she lied to everyone about it."
Yui pondered her answer for a second before continuing. "Well, if she'd said the truth, whatever it was, people probably wouldn't have lent her anything. You know… it might not be a pleasant thing to hear, so what will you do if she tells you?"
"I will still be mad." Yui stared at Haruka, mildly surprised at her answer. "It won't change what I think, and I don't know if I'd give her a second chance anyway, but…"
"But…?"
"Even if none of us likes it, I will still give her a piece of my mind. I think that's all it is."
"..."
"..."
Yui smiled warmly. "I see. Thank you."
"Huh?" Haruka folded her arms, slightly confused. "Where did that come from, sis? What're you thanking me for?"
"Just felt like saying it. Don't mind it too much."
Haruka accepted Yui's answer, as it was clear that she didn't feel like sharing whatever was in her mind, as usual.
The rest of the night proceeded normally, now with the younger Mizuno feeling slightly calmer. Before changing into her pajamas to sleep, she headed to the bathroom to wash her face. As she then dried her face, she could hear her cell phone ringing from her room.
"Hello?" She asked once she picked it up.
"I'm on the ceiling, Mizuno. Come see me, and bring your cards."
Haruka's sleepiness wore off at that moment, and then asked back as she clenched her hand close to her chest. "W-who is this?"
"I said to come! Don't make me repeat myself."
The voice on the other side of the phone was clearly a girl's.
"Stop it! Why should I do that?"
"If you don't, then a certain ghoul will drag you here. You can come calmly, or come crying. You pick."
"What do you mean…" As Haruka started to feel angrier rather than scared, she happened to see at least 9 red eyes shining in the darkness, beyond her window. The view of the city was now entirely obscured.
"That's what I mean. Don't think about screaming, by the way."
The younger Mizuno breathed irregularly in panic. "I'm… I… I am coming, just a sec."
Jarring. That's the feeling that overwhelmed her as Haruka carefully took out her deckbox from one of her drawers, and without making so much as a noise, headed for the ceiling of the building where she lived alongside her sister.
All the while, the creature's eyes, if that was what they were, were following her all around her room.
If this was some sort of optical illusion, it was far too realistic.
Expecting to find it locked as was usual, the lock instead appeared to be broken.
At the ceiling, in amidst the windy night, there stood a single blue-haired girl wearing the same school uniform as Haruka and Yui. She was standing, staring at the city lights that shone brightly from afar.
"What's the meaning of this, Asami?" Haruka inquired to Eri as she walked up to her. "How did you even get in here?"
"I didn't come here to talk, Mizuno. Let's duel."
In an instant, a dark-green creature with countless glimmering eyes appeared from the edge of the building, easily towering over the two girls. Haruka fell on her behind due to the surprise, but in an instant, it clapped together its claws and the windy air of the night stopped.
The dark sky where few stars could be seen disappeared, as if it was covered by thick purple clouds. Though the wind had stopped, the ambient felt colder.
"I don't get it. Are we really… playing Duel Monsters?" Haruka asked.
As the ambient grew heavier, the girl was enveloped with worry just like her surrounding were enveloped in thick mist. A drop of sweat ran across her face, and though she tried to control her breathing, her hands would still shake slightly with nervousness.
Haruka was certainly impacted, however, reality dawned on her as she looked past the place where Eri had been standing.
The view of the city was no longer in sight.