“So let me get this straight.”
One of the newcomers folded his arms, narrowed his eyes, and stroked his chin like a seasoned detective piecing together the final clues of a particularly troublesome case.
“You only came here because Sendou wanted to?
That’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
Katsumi answered without the slightest hesitation, his reply calm and immediate as he met their gazes without flinching.
The four boys had naturally gathered near the entrance, drifting into conversation while Aika remained at the table, quietly exploring the cards spread before her.
Having immersed herself in the lesson, she paid little attention to the discussion taking place a few metres away.
The other newcomer briefly glanced in her direction before nudging his companion.
“I don’t think he’s lying,” he muttered, lowering his voice.
“Just look at her.
She seems completely focused on learning Vanguard.”
Sure enough, Aika remained oblivious to everything around her as she carefully examined the Royal Paladin cards, occasionally comparing them with the notes Katsumi had written for her.
Every so often, she softly repeated a rule under her breath before giving a small nod, as though committing it to memory.
The first boy looked between Katsumi and Aika before scratching his cheek.
“…Huh.”
“See?” his friend continued.
“Does she look like someone who was dragged here against her will?”
Katsumi merely adjusted his glasses.
“I told you.”
“Then isn’t that perfect?”
Izaki, who had been watching the exchange with growing amusement, finally spoke up, a grin spreading across his face.
“If Morikawa’s here, we’ve finally got enough members to participate in the tournament.”
“Hmm…”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
The other two nodded in agreement.
“What tournament?”
Unlike them, Katsumi looked genuinely confused.
He hadn’t heard anything about a tournament being held.
Izaki blinked.
“…You seriously don’t know?”
Katsumi shook his head.
Izaki sighed before beginning his explanation.
“The four neighbouring middle schools hold a friendly tournament every year.”
He grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly wrote down the names.
Seiran Middle School.
Hitsue Middle School.
Miyaji Academy Middle School.
Sakuragaoka Middle School.
Katsumi recognised each of them.
Seiran was Hitsue’s long-standing rival.
Miyaji Academy was the prestigious private school known for producing exceptional students.
Sakuragaoka, meanwhile, had earned a reputation for having an unusually passionate student body, especially when cardfighting was involved.
“Since the National Championship is held later in the year,” Izaki continued, “the schools use this tournament as preparation.
Students with good academic records are allowed to represent their schools as part of the Vanguard club.”
That explanation immediately made something click inside Katsumi’s mind.
“Our school doesn’t actually have a Vanguard club, does it?”
“Eh…
heh…”
Izaki scratched the back of his head and offered an awkward smile.
The answer was obvious.
So that’s it, Katsumi thought, his expression settling somewhere between resignation and sympathy.
They need both my grades and my cardfighting skills if they want to participate. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
He also remembered Izaki’s less-than-stellar academic record.
That explains quite a lot.
‘Are we fighting someone?’
Blue suddenly spoke up.
‘No.
Not right now.’
‘Okay…’
As abruptly as he had appeared, Blue’s voice vanished once more, seemingly drifting into another deep sleep as though the conversation had never happened.
Clap.
Clap.
“Alright, guys!
Since we’ve reached this point, let me explain how the tournament works…
and a little bit of its history.”
Izaki brought his hands together, the sharp sound of the clap drawing everyone’s attention.
Katsumi and the other two boys turned toward him, while even Aika looked up from the table where she sat, absentmindedly twirling Epona between her fingers as she listened.
Izaki picked up a sheet of paper from the counter before sketching a simple tournament bracket with quick, practiced strokes.
“The tournament is usually fought in teams of three,” he explained, tapping the top of the bracket with his pen.
“Each school sends one team, and every member fights once.”
He continued drawing arrows leading downward.
“The winning team advances immediately…”
“…but the losing teams aren’t eliminated just yet,” one of the boys interrupted, pointing at the lower half of the diagram.
“They fight each other in a consolation bracket, and whoever comes out on top earns another chance to challenge the undefeated team in the finals.”
“So even if you lose once, you still have a shot at winning the whole thing,” the Nova Grappler player added with a grin.
Katsumi studied the hastily drawn bracket before giving a small nod.
The format was straightforward enough, rewarding consistency while still allowing room for a comeback.
After a brief pause, another question surfaced in his mind.
“What about Hitsue’s previous performances?”
He looked up from the paper.
“Have we ever won one?”
The question itself was innocent.
The silence that followed was not.
The lively mood around the group noticeably faltered as the three boys exchanged awkward glances, each silently hoping someone else would answer first.
“…Well…”
Izaki rubbed the back of his neck, his confident smile shrinking into an embarrassed one.
“We’ve…
never actually won the tournament.”
“…”
“But!” he quickly added, raising a finger as though trying to salvage the conversation.
“We made it to the finals two years ago.”
“Then we lost.”
“…”
“…Thanks for ruining the moment,” Izaki muttered, shooting his companion an exasperated look.
“What?
You were going to say it eventually.”
“I was going to build suspense.”
“There wasn’t much suspense to begin with.”
The exchange earned a quiet chuckle from Shin behind the counter, while Katsumi simply adjusted his glasses, finally understanding why the three of them had looked so relieved upon seeing him walk through Card Capital’s doors.
The realization quietly settled in Katsumi’s mind.
They’re not just looking for another teammate.
They’re looking for someone who can finally help Hitsue win.
He remained silent for a moment before looking back at Izaki.
“But I still have one question.”
His voice was calm, though noticeably more serious than before.
“Hm?”
Izaki tilted his head.
“Why me?”
Katsumi adjusted his glasses.
“As far as you know, I could just be someone who started playing yesterday.
You’ve never actually seen me cardfight, so why would you ask me to join your team?”
The three boys exchanged glances before smiling.
“It wasn’t exactly a random decision.”
Izaki answered first.
“We’ve been watching you.”
“…Watching me?”
“Not in a creepy way,” another boy quickly added, waving his hands.
“Well…
maybe a little.”
“We’ve seen you around school ever since you transferred.”
“And every time someone brought up Vanguard, you always seemed to know what they were talking about.”
The Nova Grappler player folded his arms.
“You’ve corrected card rulings a couple of times without even touching a deck.”
“You also recognized cards most people wouldn’t.”
“And…”
Izaki pointed toward the table where Aika was still studying.
“…the way you explained the game to her just now.”
Katsumi glanced over.
“You didn’t stop to think once,” Izaki continued.
“You explained the game without any mistake or hesitation as if it was known in the back of your hand.”
“You even answered questions before she finished asking them,” another added.
“That’s not something a complete beginner does.”
Izaki scratched his cheek.
“We figured that even if you aren’t some amazing cardfighter…”
“…you’re definitely experienced.”
Silence settled over the group for a moment.
“And if your guess is wrong?”
Katsumi asked.
Izaki laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
“Then we lose.”
His answer came so naturally that Katsumi almost raised an eyebrow.
“But if we’re right…”
A confident grin spread across Izaki’s face.
“…then maybe Hitsue finally has a chance.”
Katsumi looked at the tournament bracket lying on the counter before letting out a quiet breath.
A friendly inter-school tournament.
A chance to see how this world’s Vanguard compared to the one he knew.
It certainly wasn’t the worst way to begin.
Katsumi shifted his attention towards Aika, who was busy shuffling through the cards.
“Alrighty then,” Katsumi pulled out his deck and put it on the table.
“Let’s Cardfight.”