A Genius? A Cheater! / Liar. ...

"You agreed?"

"Did I have any other choice?" Julie retorted. "After that, I went with her to constantly provoke other students, coercing and tempting them into Card Gambling Duels with me. Then we split the decks we took fifty-fifty."

"After that, we quickly scraped together ten million, but the Dragon of Demise listed on the Black Market had long since been bought." Julie stroked the face of the Dragon of Demise card. "But the next day, Dragon of Demise appeared in my mailbox."

"It turned out that the council had already approved of what our Crimson Lotus Society was doing. The council encouraged us, and Dragon of Demise was the reward they gave me. They actually encouraged this kind of card gambling!" At that point, Julie laughed for some reason.

"I always thought I was doing bad things, that I was a selfish, self-serving petty person, but... the council told me my actions were right!" Julie's laughter grew louder and louder, until she even began coughing harshly. Yet she still could not stop herself from laughing.

"My actions were actually right... Hahaha! I was right!"

"I was right!"

There was an illustration here. It can be viewed after updating to the latest version.

Genius? Cheat User!

"This was a world where dueling reigned supreme."

Ai had told him that from the very beginning, but hearing Julie's confession for real still shocked Hara Shichi.

"But hadn't you considered that you might lose?" Hara Shichi asked after thinking for a long time.

Of course, he would not stupidly judge whether Julie's actions were right or wrong. He was a newcomer who understood nothing, so he should not spout nonsense.

"I was prepared for it!" Julie said coldly.

Hara Shichi said nothing, merely lowering his gaze to the girl's long dress once again.

"Were you really prepared?"

"This... this was an accident! I thought that if I sealed off your Xyz Summon, victory would be guaranteed." A trace of color immediately returned to Julie's frost-cold face. "Besides, you were the one who came and provoked me out of nowhere!"

"I only asked you to play cards. I never mentioned any weird wager." Hara Shichi sighed. "Besides, doesn't this prove that you weren't prepared at all?"

"If this continued, you would fall sooner or later," Hara Shichi warned.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Julie turned her head away, but soon added softly, "I never planned to keep doing this anyway."

"That day, I saw your Dark Duel." Julie seemed uneasy as she continued. "After I returned to the dorm, I had a dream. In that dream, I was that man in the black robe. I hunted other people's souls, stole their decks, and then... was killed by an even stronger duelist!"

"I understood that if I kept going like this, that dream would become my future." Julie lowered her head. "As for today's wager, I was just provoked by you and wanted revenge."

"Sorry." As she spoke, Julie bent at the waist and bowed to Hara Shichi.

"It's fine. I didn't lose anyway." Hara Shichi waved it off.

"You... You really are annoying!" Julie gritted her silver teeth, clenched her soft little fist, and punched Hara Shichi in the stomach.

Smack!

A fair, slender hand blocked the punch.

"Do not harm my lord." Ghost Ogre had appeared in front of Hara Shichi at some unknown point, her little face stern.

Hara Shichi twitched the corner of his mouth. "Look, if you have a problem with me, you can say it directly. You can also duel me. Could you stop getting physical?"

"..."

It was over. She could not beat him in a duel, could not argue him down, and now she could not beat him up either. The anger Julie had just worked up felt as though a bucket of cold water had been thrown over it, extinguishing it completely.

"But is it really okay for you to let Ghost Ogre appear so openly in the academy?" Julie asked. "Her rarity is no less than that Tiramisu of the Tiara card of yours. It might even be greater."

"I was already being watched anyway. What difference did one more rare card or one less rare card make?" Hara Shichi said calmly. "If I guessed right, your target was my entire deck."

"Wrong. Not 'your,' but 'their.' I've already decided not to do this anymore." Julie shook her head. "Of course, I won't apologize or make amends for what I did before. That would be meaningless. I didn't stop because I felt guilty either. I stopped to keep myself from falling any further."

"After all, I'm a selfish, self-serving petty person."

"Most people I've met who like to put themselves down probably do so because they want to deny themselves, complain to others, and then gain recognition through others arguing against them, ultimately achieving self-affirmation." Hara Shichi looked at Julie seriously.

"Do you need me to praise you now? My wording might not be very elegant, but it should be enough to give you some validation and confidence."

Julie's little face first turned stunned, then visibly darkened. "No, you should just go die!"

"My lord, I think that in this situation, you should simply praise her," Ghost Ogre earnestly offered her opinion.

"You're right. That was my oversight." Hara Shichi expressed his sincere apology.

"Could you do it again?" Ghost Ogre asked Julie seriously. "The thing just now..."

Ghost Ogre thought for a moment, then tilted her head up slightly. Her adorable little face showed fifty percent self-mockery, thirty percent sorrow, and twenty percent amusement. "After all, I'm a selfish, self-serving petty person."

Hara Shichi could not help bursting into laughter.

Julie could not laugh. All she felt was overwhelming malice, her hands and feet turning ice-cold in the summer heat.

"I can't take this anymore!" Julie threw out those words, then quickened her pace toward her dorm building.

But after only a few steps, she seemed to remember something and turned back.

"So you still wanted to hear it?" Hara Shichi cleared his throat twice. "Julie, don't belittle yourself. Although you lost to me twice, your dueling skills are still among the best in the entire academy. Although you once stole other students' decks, it's good that you've returned from the wrong path. And setting all that aside, you're a pretty young girl yourself. At least your legs are very white..."

"Shut up! Who wanted to hear that?!" Julie raised her fist again, but after noticing Ghost Ogre beside Hara Shichi, she helplessly lowered it.

"I came to tell you that the next person who'll come looking for trouble is Nero Arisa!" Julie said coldly. "It's frustrating to admit, but she really is better than me at dueling. But if it's you, you should know her, right?"

"Who? Never heard of her." Hara Shichi looked puzzled.

"You don't know? That's the famous dueling family, the Arisa Family! The current Duel King is an Arisa!" Julie looked at Hara Shichi as though he were a freak. "You're from a dueling family too. How could you not have heard of them?"

"I'm not from some dueling family. I'm just an ordinary person." Hara Shichi spread his hands.

"Liar! Then why do you have such a rare and powerful Xyz Monster like Tiramisu of the Tiara, and Forbidden Chalice? That card is also a priceless rarity on the Black Market! And although Marincess is weak, its card art is cute, so it's expensive too..." Julie kept listing the rare cards Hara Shichi had used, only to be interrupted before she could finish.

"I printed them all." Hara Shichi said it as though it were only natural. "Isn't it common sense for duelists to print cards?"

Ai had printed them, but Ai was his cheat, so that meant he had printed them himself.

Perfect. The logic checked out.

"...Printed? Hehe... printed..." Julie looked dazed. Thinking back to the cards she had printed, Mezuki was probably the most useful one... Hehe. So geniuses really did exist...

Then she suddenly raised her fist and swung it at Hara Shichi. "You monster that defies all natural law, take this!"

Smack!

Ghost Ogre caught it.

Lying.

"This will be the final blow! I use Rikka Princess to attack directly!"

Inside the training room, Yukikaze commanded her ace with a shout.

"Ah, my LP has been reduced to zero." The girl opposite Yukikaze stuck out her tongue, then put away her Duel Disk and slumped into a nearby chair, stretching lazily. "Yukikaze, you're too strong. I couldn't put up any resistance at all."

"You're exaggerating." Yukikaze scratched her cheek shyly as she looked at the black-haired girl before her. The girl's name was Wada Mina, one of the few friends Yukikaze had in class.

"No, no, you really are strong, Yukikaze. You summoned a monster with such high attack power in an instant. Unlike me, who gets beaten up by Aoshi every day." At that point, Mina seemed to recall something. She narrowed her eyes and said viciously, "He never even goes easy on me. That damn bastard!"

"Haha, Aoshi is just that kind of person." Yukikaze took two bottles of water she had prepared in advance from her bag, handed one to Mina, and sat beside her.

"Oh? Is it really okay for me to drink this?" Mina looked teasingly at Yukikaze, shaking the bottle in her hand as the clear liquid swayed inside. "This wasn't prepared for me, was it? It was for Hara Shichi, right?"

"Hara Shichi said he wasn't feeling well and asked the teacher for leave this afternoon," Yukikaze said softly. She had actually wanted to ask for leave too, but she was too embarrassed to lie to the teacher, so she had come to class obediently.

"I see! I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to practice with me. It turns out Hara Shichi wasn't here, so you had no choice but to make do with me!" Mina pretended to be angry.

"No, that's not it, I..."

"Not listening, not listening! Take my Dragon Claw!"

"Ah! Mina, stop... That tickles... Hahaha... haha..."

Just as the two girls were playing around, crisp footsteps sounded out. Mina reacted first, hastily stopping and turning around. "Teacher, we've been practicing properly. We were just taking a short break... Huh?"

The petite figure walking toward them was not their instructor for the afternoon, but a girl with short black hair. No, calling her an oversized Porcelain Doll would have been more accurate.

After all, if she were not a Porcelain Doll, how could one explain her delicate skin, seemingly without a single pore? If she were not a Porcelain Doll, how could one explain her crystal-clear eyes that radiated coldness? If she were not a Porcelain Doll, how could one explain her expressionless yet angelically exquisite face?

The two girls stared at this figure who seemed like a projection cast upon the mortal world by a god, too astonished to speak for a moment.

"Are you from the middle school division?" Yukikaze recovered first. She smiled gently and greeted the girl. "Hello, my name is Yukikaze. Can you tell me your name?"

"Your surname?" The little girl's rosy lips parted slightly.

"Huh? My surname? It's Shiraha. Shiraha Yukikaze." Yukikaze did not understand why the girl had asked for her surname. She had heard that people in some places addressed new acquaintances by surname until they grew close enough to use given names. Was this cute little girl the same way?

After hearing the answer, the little girl nodded in satisfaction before slowly saying, "Nero Arisa."

"Arisa? Is there something you need from us?" Yukikaze asked with concern.

"Wait, you said your name is Nero Arisa?" Mina stood up and reached out an arm, shielding Yukikaze behind her. Her previously gentle expression instantly turned cold. "You're not in our class, are you? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find Hara Shichi." Nero glanced at Mina, a hint of confusion flashing through her clear eyes. Who was this woman? Nero clearly had not been speaking to her, so why was she rudely interrupting the conversation between Nero and Yukikaze?

However, Nero understood that not everyone had received family upbringing like she had from childhood, so she patiently answered anyway.

"Are you really here to find Hara Shichi, or are you here for the Xyz Monster cards in his hand? Could you be a little clearer?" Mina asked sharply.

"Is there a difference?" Nero asked in confusion. Hara Shichi had Xyz Monster cards in his hand. Looking for Hara Shichi and looking for the Xyz Monster cards in his hand both meant looking for Hara Shichi, did they not?

"Wait, wait!" Yukikaze was completely confused. Holding her head, she asked helplessly, "What are you talking about? I don't understand at all."

"Listen, Yukikaze. The person standing before us isn't some cute junior. She's in the same first-year class as us—the legendary youngest daughter of the Arisa Family, Nero Arisa." Mina watched Nero warily. "Don't let her appearance fool you. Since the semester began, she hasn't attended a single class, never participates in any academy activities, and ignores every teacher's advice. She even joined that notorious Crimson Lotus Society recently!"

The Crimson Lotus Society? The club that constantly challenged other students to Card Gambling Duels? Rumor had it that in order to obtain the powerful cards held by other students, they used every kind of coercion, temptation, provocation, and harassment. This girl was actually connected to such a terrifying club?

Yukikaze found it difficult to believe, but Mina would never lie to her. So she asked hopefully, "Are you trying to obtain the Xyz Monster cards in Hara Shichi's hand through a card wager?"

"Yes. I have already prepared the stake." As Nero spoke, she drew a card from the card case at her waist and displayed it between her fingers.

A Level Four Synchro Monster—Herald of the Rainbow Light.

"Tch, I knew it." Mina said with disgust. "It's class time. Go back to your own training room, or I'll call the teacher."

"That was indeed what I was preparing to do." Nero put away the card and glanced around at the students dueling in the training room. "Based on my observations, Hara Shichi does not seem to be in the training room. There is no point in me remaining here."

As she spoke, she stepped forward, her black eyes staring emptily at Yukikaze. "So, Yukikaze, can you tell me where Hara Shichi went? Last time, I saw you eating together in the cafeteria. You must be good friends, right? Then you should know where he went."

"I... I don't know." Yukikaze lied. She was clearly a girl who would blush, panic, and stumble over her words whenever she lied, yet she lied without hesitation this time.

"Lying."

Nero pointed at the girl's evasive eyes.

Yukikaze, Charge!

Yukikaze had not expected her lie to be exposed so quickly, much less for the other party to call her out without hesitation. For a moment, she stood there in a daze, unsure what to do.

Fortunately, Mina stepped in at that moment. She stood between Nero and Yukikaze. Mina was tall to begin with, and standing between them, she was like a solid wall. Especially from petite Nero's perspective, she seemed like an insurmountable barrier.

"That's enough. You aren't welcome here." Mina drove her away.

Nero did not care for that. She did not need anyone's welcome. Still, this girl had repeatedly inserted herself into Nero's conversations for no reason, which irritated her somewhat.

"I wasn't talking to you. Didn't your parents teach you that interrupting other people's conversations is rude?" Nero frowned slightly, then spoke to Yukikaze behind Mina. "Yukikaze, do you intend to hide behind your friend and act like a coward?"

"Even if you don't tell me, I won't give up looking for him," Nero continued. "But I don't want to waste too much time."

"..."

"How about this? Duel me." Nero proposed. "If I win, you tell me where Hara Shichi is."

"But if you lose, you can't keep bothering Hara Shichi," Yukikaze suddenly said.

"I cannot lose." Nero said it as though it were obvious. "But if that is your request, I can agree."

"Fine. I accept your duel." Yukikaze rose from her chair.

"Yukikaze?" Mina looked at Yukikaze worriedly. This opponent was no ordinary duelist. She was Nero Arisa!

"It's okay." Yukikaze smiled. "Didn't you say I was strong? You need to trust me more."

But... your opponent is even stronger.

The words caught in Mina's throat. In Yukikaze's azure eyes, she saw an unwavering determination.

So she would not try to stop her.

"Good luck. You have to win," Mina said with a smile.