Duelists Never Surrender!

"Oh, I get it."

Then, he slowly walked out of the alley.

"Did I just overhear something I shouldn't have?"

A clear, cold voice rang out. Nero spun around sharply. A familiar figure was standing outside the alley, looking at her with a complex expression.

"It doesn't matter, it's nothing worth hiding," Nero said calmly, looking at the person who had appeared. "More importantly, why are you here? Are you trying to sell me your deck?"

Hara Shichi looked at the girl before him and shook his head. "No, I've come to invite you."

"Invite me?" Nero's long eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Invite me to what?"

"I want to invite you to join me in dealing with the Crimson Lotus Society," Hara Shichi stated his purpose. "You don't seem like someone who lacks rare cards. Why would you stay in a club that primarily focuses on gambling cards?"

"Didn't you just gamble your own deck against me?" Nero asked, confused.

Hara Shichi paused for a moment, then said with a sigh, "Honestly, when I first came to this academy, I heard rumors about a club causing trouble by gambling cards and thought it was quite amusing."

"If you don't agree to gamble cards, then what's the problem?"

"No matter how persistent they are, or how they try to coerce or tempt you, if you don't agree, they can't just snatch them, right?"

"But recently, I've come to understand why Duelists agree to such absurd card-gambling duels."

The image of a certain girl flashed through Hara Shichi's mind. He said with a serious expression, "Because sometimes, you can't back down."

"As a Duelist, no, or rather, as a friend, or in any other capacity, when you encounter something you want to protect, you can't, and absolutely will not, back down."

"So, will you help me fight the Crimson Lotus Society? If you agree, I can return your deck to you." Hara Shichi took out Nero's deck and offered it to her.

Nero lowered her head and was silent for a moment before pushing Hara Shichi's hand away. She said calmly:

"No, I refuse."

Chapter 45: The Omniscient and Omnipotent Ai

"I say, A-Qi, you're not a straight man, are you?"

In the quiet dormitory late at night, Ai said.

"By what standard are you defining that? And does that even exist? Such a bizarre standard?"

To be honest, this was the second time Hara Shichi had heard the word "straight man" from a woman. The last time a girl called him a straight man was probably... in high school?

Wait, he was still in high school now, wasn't he?

However, based on his age, Hara Shichi should be in his third year of high school.

"Thinking about it this way, it feels like I've gained two years of time."

In reality, that wasn't the case.

Time did not flow backward because of transmigration.

"Standard? I'm not sure of the specific criteria, but you went on and on about some strange things in front of a girl, and then you reached out and said that if she wanted her deck back, she should quickly join me. That kind of arrogant and rude behavior, of course, it's natural to be rejected."

"If you're seeking help from others, you should properly say, 'Please help me,' shouldn't you?" Ai poked Hara Shichi's forehead.

"Didn't I say that?" Hara Shichi looked shocked.

"No, all I saw was a villain holding a deck, trying to threaten a little girl." Ai leaned her entire body over, like someone suspended in a culture medium that Hara Shichi had read about in a certain light novel. Even the light blue long dress wrapped around her delicate body didn't flip over, defying the laws of physics.

"But I like this kind of A-Qi too, you know. You have that bad-boy vibe. Maybe that little girl's heart was pounding at the time."

Ai was, of course, teasing. It was evident from her face, which she was trying to hide a smile behind.

"Alright, laugh if you want to," Hara Shichi rolled his eyes impatiently.

"The problem now is how to gather five people," Hara Shichi tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"That's not right... it's not five." Ai held out five fair and tender fingers to Hara Shichi, then bent down her thumb, thought for a moment, and then bent down her index finger: "It's three. You, one, Yukikaze, one, and we still need three."

"Yukikaze? I'm not sure I want to..."

"Are you going to hide something so important from a friend?" Ai interrupted Hara Shichi.

"No, I wasn't planning to hide it, but if we succeed, it's fine. If we fail... I'll definitely be targeted by those guys." There's no such thing as a 100% certainty in the world. No Duelist can win all the time.

So, he had to prepare for failure in advance.

"So, Yukikaze can just cheer for us from the audience, right?" Hara Shichi said uncertainly.

"Wouldn't that be pitiful?" Ai said in a deep voice.

"Pitiful?"

"She'll definitely feel guilty that she can't help, won't she? That feeling of powerlessness, just watching from the audience... watching a few Duelists you found somewhere fight alongside you. If she were an outsider, it would be fine, but she's also a Duelist, isn't she?"

"..."

"Ai."

Hara Shichi was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Hm?"

"You're actually such a thoughtful person?"

"Huh? Who do you think I am? I'm a god," Ai said, arrogantly lifting her chin. "Besides, from my observation, Yukikaze isn't weak. She's at least capable of putting up a fight."

"Hmm, so that means we're still short three," Hara Shichi nodded.

"Add Julie to the mix, and we're only short two," Ai bent another finger.

"Julie? Do you think she'll agree?" Hara Shichi acknowledged Julie's strength, but unlike Nero, he didn't have anything to offer Julie in return for her cooperation.

"Idiot, if you approach her with the right attitude, she'll definitely agree," Ai finally couldn't help but show her disdain for her partner.

"Why?"

"You should go then."

"..."

"So that's how it is."

The next day, Hara Shichi recounted everything that had happened the previous day to Yukikaze, omitting Ai's involvement, of course.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Yukikaze, but he instinctively felt it was better not to tell anyone about Ai.

"Hmm, so that's how it is... Wait? Huh?!" Yukikaze's expression was calm at first, but her small face quickly became flustered.

"Classmate Hara Shichi wants to defeat the Crimson Lotus Society?!"

"A five-on-five kill match?"

"And you want my help?!"

Yukikaze was completely bewildered. After patting her slightly puffed-up chest a few times, she regained her composure and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down, classmate Hara Shichi?"

"No problem, Yukikaze, didn't you almost beat that classmate Nero?" Hara Shichi encouraged her.

"But classmate Nero is a first-year student. The Crimson Lotus Society will probably send third-year students, right?" Yukikaze said timidly.

"It's okay, I believe you can win."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Do you really believe I can win?"

"I really believe you can win."

"Are you really not just looking for someone to fill a spot?" Yukikaze looked at Hara Shichi with teary eyes.

Hara Shichi looked at the girl before him, and a sense of guilt welled up inside him.

Did he really believe Yukikaze could win?

"I..." Hara Shichi was about to answer when a forefinger gently pressed against his lips.

"Alright, you don't need to say it. Of course, I'll help you." Yukikaze, who had looked so pitiful just moments ago, now had a beaming smile on her face. It had to be said, girls were truly strange and inscrutable creatures.

"But if we lose, you're not allowed to get angry at me, okay?" Yukikaze winked playfully.

"How could I possibly do something like that?" Hara Shichi shrugged.

"Okay, okay... Next, we're going to invite senior Julie, right? We should leave right away, without delay." Yukikaze said, not giving Hara Shichi a chance to react. She gently turned and walked forward, leaving only a faint, pleasant scent in the air.

"What were you about to say?" Ai couldn't help but ask.

"I was going to say I believe Yukikaze will win," Hara Shichi replied.

"Seriously?" Ai tilted her head.

"Why wouldn't I be serious?" Hara Shichi retorted.

"I see..." Ai looked at the departing Yukikaze and murmured.

Ai was a god, an omniscient and omnipotent god.

That's why she could see it.

The girl had hesitated for a moment. She was afraid to hear the answer.

Whether it was the cruel truth or a well-intentioned lie, she probably couldn't accept either.

But even so.

Even so, she had responded to Hara Shichi's request.

Because she wanted to help, because she couldn't stand by and do nothing.

But was it right to have such an unconfident girl, such a timid yet brave girl, face such powerful opponents?

If they lost, how much pressure would her delicate shoulders have to bear?

Ai didn't know.

The concept of an omniscient and omnipotent god was a falsehood.

It was a fabrication created by humans.

Chapter 46: A powerful duelist must be able to defeat Duel Spirits.

The Duelist Academy seems to offer preferential treatment to honor students.

No, or rather, any school would probably give preferential treatment to their top students.

When the teacher saw that the students requesting leave were Hara Shichi and Yukikaze, who had recently become quite famous in the class, they didn't even ask for a reason and waved their hand, approving the leave slip.

He even took a card from his wallet and pressed it into Hara Shichi's hand.

This made Yukikaze blush for a long time.

However, what Hara Shichi didn't expect was that when they found Julie, she was sitting in a corner of the library, flipping through an unknown book.

"This isn't some unknown book; it's the Record of Duel Spirits compiled by the famous Duel King xxx. It contains the habitats, taming methods, and effects of various Duel Spirits," Julie said grumpily.

"Who is xxx? And are you planning to go out into the wild to tame Duel Spirits?" Hara Shichi quipped.

"I heard it's a dialect from that Duel King's hometown. Since it wasn't formally written down, he created this unique script himself," Julie said, looking at Hara Shichi out of the corner of her eye. "If I can't bet cards, I can only obtain powerful cards by taming Duel Spirits."

"Card printing?" Hara Shichi suggested.

"Heh, do you think everyone is like you?" Julie sneered.

"Then... how about exchanging academic credits at the academy's shop?" Yukikaze tried to interject.

"You mean spending precious academic credits to get a bunch of card packs that won't yield anything?" Julie scoffed.

Within the school, you could exchange academic credits for cards.

However, it wasn't a direct sale of specific cards, but rather... selling card packs.

Although they would draw some patterns on the card packs to indicate the general theme of the cards inside... what you actually got depended entirely on your luck.

Simply put, it was a case of feast or famine.

"Huh? I think it's fine. I even pulled a card like Book of Moon."