The four of them finally arrived at Card Capital, the familiar storefront looking much as it always had, with its bright sign and wide windows catching the warm afternoon sunlight.
Katsumi slowed slightly as they approached, his gaze sweeping over the shopfront before settling on the glass door.
Behind him, Aichi and Emi were already peering through the windows with barely concealed excitement, while Aika walked between them, occasionally reminding the younger two not to rush ahead.
Katsumi adjusted the strap of his bag before reaching for the door.
The moment they stepped inside, the familiar bell chimed overhead.
“Yo.”
Katsumi gave the assistant manager behind the counter a casual greeting.
“Yo.”
The response came just as casually.
“Yo!”
Aichi and Emi followed almost immediately, their greetings overlapping as they entered.
Aika gave a small wave of her own.
“Hello.”
For a brief moment, everything settled back into the familiar rhythm of Card Capital, with the quiet rustle of cards, the occasional murmur of conversation, and the soft clatter of decks being shuffled filling the store.
Then, from somewhere near the counter…
“Meoww!”
The shop cat suddenly snarled, its ears twitching as it regarded the newcomers with what could only be described as feline disapproval.
Katsumi turned his head.
“…Nice to see you too.”
“Meow.”
Katsumi nodded solemnly.
“Good talk.”
‘Didn’t know you were fluent in Catanese.’
Blue’s voice suddenly chimed in through his mind.
Katsumi’s expression remained perfectly straight.
‘I am not.’
‘Then who taught you how to speak like that?’
Katsumi glanced toward the translucent dragon.
‘The serials on television?’
There was a brief silence.
‘None of your business!’
Blue immediately flew away, his translucent body disappearing deeper into the shop.
Katsumi watched him go.
“…Foolish reptile.”
He didn’t bother following.
Instead, his attention shifted toward the rest of the store.
Neither the manager nor the assistant manager was currently at the counter, leaving the cardfight tables largely unattended, which made things considerably easier for Katsumi.
He stepped farther inside, his eyes scanning the familiar rows of tables before settling on one that had already been cleared.
He pointed toward it.
“Aika, come here.”
Aika followed his gesture and approached the table.
“This one?”
“Yeah.”
Katsumi placed his bag beside the table before pulling out his deck case.
“Today isn’t about winning.”
Aika blinked.
“It’s not?”
“No.”
Katsumi placed the Tachikaze deck onto the table and looked directly at her.
“You’re going to learn how to recognize what your opponent is trying to accomplish before they actually do it.”
Aika’s expression immediately became more attentive.
Behind her, Aichi and Emi had already moved closer, clearly interested in what was about to happen.
Katsumi noticed them and raised a finger.
“You two can watch for now.”
Aichi nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay!”
Emi folded her arms and gave a mature little nod.
“We won’t interrupt.”
Katsumi raised an eyebrow.
“Good.”
He looked back toward Aika.
“But don’t just watch the attacks.
Watch the cards.”
Aika nodded.
Katsumi placed his deck on the table.
“Watch what she searches for, what she keeps in her hand, what she refuses to guard with, and most importantly…”
He tapped the table lightly.
“…watch what she doesn’t do.”
Aika’s eyes sharpened with concentration.
“What they don’t do?”
“Exactly.”
Katsumi smiled faintly.
“Sometimes, the most important information in a cardfight is the move your opponent deliberately avoided.”
Aichi listened intently from the side, while Emi leaned slightly forward, her earlier excitement replaced by genuine curiosity.
For once, even Blue had stopped making jokes.
The dragon hovered behind Katsumi, watching the table with a grin.
‘Now this looks interesting.’
Katsumi reached for his deck. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
And then, instead of drawing it toward himself, he reached into his bag once more and pulled out another deck case.
Aika looked at it curiously.
“What’s that?”
Katsumi placed the deck case in front of her.
“Use this one.”
He opened it and revealed a neatly prepared Royal Paladin deck before pulling a single card from the top.
Blaster Blade.
He held the card between his fingers for a moment before offering it to her.
“I have a feeling you’ll like it.”
He placed the card back on top of the deck and pushed the deck toward Aika.
“Hope you like it.”
He shuffled his deck and said.
“If you are ready, Let’s begin.”
“Final Turn!”
The declaration echoed through the narrow alley, bouncing between the weathered concrete walls as the two boys faced each other across the cardfight table, their fields littered with exhausted units and cards already sent to the drop zone after a long and brutal exchange.
The light-brown-haired boy tightened his grip around the final card in his hand, his eyes burning with confidence as he raised it above his Vanguard circle.
“I ride!”
He slammed the card down.
A surge of violet-black energy erupted across his side of the field, and from within the swirling darkness, a familiar spellcaster emerged, its long robes billowing as it raised its staff toward the sky.
“Dark Magician!”
The opposing boy’s eyes widened.
“What?!
Dark Magician?!”
The newly ridden Vanguard stood silently at the center of the battlefield, radiating an oppressive magical presence that seemed to make the air itself grow heavier.
The light-brown-haired boy grinned.
“Dark Magician’s skill!”
He reached toward his damage zone and flipped one card face-up.
“Counter-Blast one!”
The card glowed before disappearing beneath his hand, and immediately afterward, he reached toward the soul beneath his Vanguard.
“Soul-Blast one!”
A card was pulled from beneath Dark Magician and sent to the drop zone.
The spellcaster’s staff suddenly ignited with dark energy.
“For this battle, Dark Magician gains five thousand power!”
The numbers on the Vanguard rose.
11,000 → 16,000.
The boy’s grin widened.
“Now…
attack!”
He rested Dark Magician, turning the Vanguard sideways, while the unit behind it, Magician’s Robe, followed the attack formation.
The imaginary figure of Dark Magician raised its staff, violet-black energy gathering around its palm as the attack surged toward the opposing Vanguard.
“U-Urgh!”
The other boy’s expression tightened as he desperately searched his hand for a way to survive the incoming assault.
“I guard with Dragon Monk, Gojo!”
A defensive unit appeared before his Vanguard, spreading its wings as it intercepted the attack.
The light-brown-haired boy’s smile only grew.
“Haha!”
He reached toward the top of his deck.
“Drive Check!”
The first card was revealed.
A golden flash erupted across the battlefield.
“Critical Trigger!”
His opponent’s expression immediately stiffened.
The boy revealed the second card.
Another burst of light followed.
“Another Critical Trigger!”
Two critical triggers.
The light-brown-haired boy’s grin became almost feral.
“Perfect!”
He raised both cards.
“All the power and criticals go to Dark Magician!”
The two triggers vanished into the Vanguard’s aura, and the imaginary figure of Dark Magician suddenly expanded behind the card, its robes whipping violently as an enormous sphere of condensed darkness began forming between its hands.
The energy continued to grow.
Darker.
Denser.
Heavier.
Until the spellcaster finally thrust both hands forward.
“Dark Magic!”
The enormous sphere of darkness exploded across the battlefield like a miniature black sun, tearing through the air and surging directly toward the opposing Vanguard.
Dragon Knight, Nehalem.
The boy’s face went pale.
The attack struck.
The imaginary battlefield shook beneath the impact as the darkness swallowed Nehalem’s figure, scattering fragments of violet energy across the alley.
“D-Damage Check…”
His fingers trembled slightly as he reached toward the top of his deck.
One card.
No trigger.
Another.
Nothing.
The boy’s breathing became heavier.
The third card was revealed.
Still nothing.
Silence settled over the alley.
He slowly looked down at his damage zone.
Six cards.
His eyes widened.
“…Six damage.”
The fight was over.
For several seconds, neither boy moved.
Then the light-brown-haired boy slowly lowered his hand, his victorious expression illuminated by the fading remnants of Dark Magician’s black magic.
“That’s game.”
The defeated boy stared at his Vanguard.
There had been no miracle.
No final trigger.
No desperate escape.
Only six damage cards sitting in his damage zone.
The imaginary figure of Dark Magician stood behind its master, staff resting against the ground as the last traces of darkness dissolved into the night air.
The alley fell silent.
The final damage card slipped from the boy’s trembling fingers and landed on the table.
Six damage.
The fight was over.
For several seconds, neither player moved.
Then the light-brown-haired boy lowered his head.
His shoulders began to tremble.
A quiet sound escaped him.
“Heh…”
His opponent frowned.
“What?”
The boy slowly raised his head.
A strange light had appeared in his eyes, and his usual expression of excitement had been replaced by something far more unsettling.
The world around him seemed to lose its color as faint, fragmented images flashed through his mind.
Cards.
Moves.
Possibilities.
Countless branches of the fight unfolding simultaneously before collapsing into a single conclusion.
Psyqualia.
He could see it.
He could see the next battle.
He could see the Blue-Eyes deck.
He could see the dragon standing at the center of it all.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“Heh…”
This time, the chuckle was deeper.
Darker.
“You’re probably enjoying yourself right now.”
His opponent stared at him uneasily.
“Who are you talking about?”
The boy’s gaze shifted toward the cards in his hand.
“Blue-Eyes.”
He smiled.
Not happily.
With absolute certainty.
“You took everything from me.”
His eyes seemed to sharpen as another vision flashed through his mind, revealing a white dragon surrounded by brilliant blue light.
“But you made one mistake.”
He gathered his cards and slid them into his deck case.
“You left me something.”
His opponent swallowed.
“What?”
The boy looked up.
“My next target.”
His smile widened.
“Blue-Eyes…”
He chuckled again, the sound echoing between the narrow walls of the alley.
“I’m coming for revenge.”
The vision vanished.
The strange light in his eyes faded, leaving behind only a determined stare.
“This time…”
He turned away from the table.
“…I’ll be the one deciding how the fight ends.”
Author’s note:
How was it?