Could it be that tongues are just naturally red? / Can't you duel without a Duel Disk? Dueling was never meant to be so inconvenient!

Yukikaze looked at Nero's petite figure on the duel field.

"If I, someone who can't perform an Xyz Summon, used the cards you printed for me to perform one with your help..."

"Then this duel would be far too unfair to Nero."

"Are you serious? You don't want to Xyz Summon because of that?" Ai's face darkened as she raised her delicate little fist, wanting to punch Yukikaze.

"Mm." Yukikaze nodded seriously.

"Is there water in your brain?!"

Is There Any Chance Tongues Are Supposed to Be Red?

Ai had always considered herself a very tolerant goddess.

Even when that bad woman had tricked her out of the authority in her hands, she had not cursed even once.

But today, she truly could not hold it in anymore.

She pointed at Nero, who looked like a doll across from them.

"Your opponent is Nero.Arisa. She comes from a prestigious family, started learning dueling at the age of three, and her family arranged for Professional Duelists to train with her from the age of five. Her family has practically poured resources into her. The powerful deck she uses now was prepared by her family, and I guarantee you won't find a second one like it on the market."

"And you, Yukikaze, are an ordinary duelist. Your talent is decent, or you wouldn't have gotten into this academy, but it definitely isn't exceptional. You don't come from a dueling family either, and you've probably never even seen many rare cards. The two Xyz Monsters in your hand now were only obtained after you risked your life to win a Dark Duel and earned a little goodwill from the Duel Spirits. I merely gave you a tiny push."

"And someone like you is actually seeking fairness for your opponent?" Ai irritably poked Yukikaze's forehead. "Have you ever considered that Nero.Arisa herself is an utterly unfair existence to many people?"

"But that's outside the duel." Yukikaze remained unmoved. Her small lips parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth as she refused to yield. "As a duelist, once a duel begins, you must follow its rules and duel fairly and justly. Otherwise, the Goddess of Duels will despise you."

I am the Goddess of Duels!

Still... Yukikaze's words were not without reason.

Rather, as the Goddess of Duels, Ai should have been standing firmly behind Yukikaze at a time like this, affirming her viewpoint.

"Have I really been becoming more and more human lately...?" Ai muttered involuntarily.

Not only could her body materialize, but even her thoughts were slowly changing in a more human direction... Wait, what had she been like at the very beginning?

Forget it. No point thinking about that.

"Barely acceptable, that answer." Ai looked at the resolute Yukikaze, and more than half the anger in her heart dissipated. "But if that's the case, then there's no suspense in this duel. See you next time if there's a chance."

As she spoke, Ai's figure began to fade before Yukikaze's eyes.

"Huh? No suspense?!" Yukikaze scratched her cheek. "I think it can still be salvaged..."

"No, no, you're definitely done for this round. I said so." Ai waved her hand and vanished completely.

"I see... Sorry for disappointing you, but thank you for your help." Yukikaze lowered her gaze.

"Mm."

The moment Ai left Yukikaze's side, she returned to Hara Shichi.

"It failed? That flash of light reached all the way over here. I thought it worked." Seeing Ai look utterly exhausted in both body and mind, Hara Shichi asked curiously.

"The Card Printing succeeded, but something went wrong afterward." Ai rolled her eyes irritably. "Yukikaze looks soft and delicate, but she's stubborn to the core."

"She said that helping her perform an Xyz Summon would be unfair to Nero."

"She made me so mad I spat blood." As she said this, Ai deliberately opened her little mouth and stuck out her pink tongue. "See? My tongue was stained red with blood."

"Is there any chance tongues are supposed to be red?" Hara Shichi deadpanned.

"Hmph. Anyway, she made me mad." Ai folded her arms.

"I see." Hara Shichi nodded and looked at Yukikaze standing ahead. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"You... think Yukikaze was right too?" Ai looked at Hara Shichi with a complicated expression.

"Would someone who uses cheats say something like that?" Hara Shichi had enough self-awareness. "What I mean is, it's a good thing that Yukikaze has her own principles and beliefs."

"I thought you'd start shouting about 'fairness' too."

"Who looks for 'fairness' in a duel...?"

On the duel field, Nero was slightly stunned to see Yukikaze end her turn just like that. However, she did not hesitate for long before calmly extending her hand. "My turn. Draw."

Yukikaze watched Nero nervously. She currently had Iron Chopsticks with 2600 ATK and Snow Lotus with 2600 DEF on her field. If her opponent had not drawn Thunder Emperor or Preparation of the Rites, then she still had some hope of struggling.

After all, Hime Peacock had 100 less ATK than Snow Lotus, at 2500.

Then she saw Nero gently flip over the Set Card she had placed last turn.

"I activate the Trap Card—Emergency Ritual Art."

"If there is no Ritual Monster on your field, you can activate this by banishing 1 Ritual Spell Card from your hand or Graveyard. This card's effect becomes the same as the Ritual Summon effect when that Ritual Spell Card was activated."

"I banish Ritual of Descension from my Graveyard, and Tribute Amanoiwato and the Soul Bird Token on my field to Ritual Summon... Soul Bird Deity - Hiko Peacock."

Soul Bird Deity - Hiko Peacock, wielding a longsword, appeared on the duel field. A trace of sharpness showed in his handsome face, as though he was ready at any moment to eliminate Nero's enemies before him.

Seeing Hiko Peacock suddenly appear on her opponent's field, Yukikaze felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Only then did she remember that, during the first turn, Nero had activated the Ritual Spell Card "Ritual of Descension" from her hand. That meant Nero had possessed a Ritual Monster at the time.

And if she had been holding Hime Peacock back then, there would have been no need for her to use Preparation of the Rites to search for a second Hime Peacock.

Which meant... Hiko Peacock had been in Nero's hand from the very beginning!

"Looks like it really is over." A bitter smile appeared on Yukikaze's little face, yet for some reason, seeing this made her feel a sense of relief.

Because if Hiko Peacock had been in Nero's hand from the start, then Yukikaze would have had no way of defeating Nero whether she performed an Xyz Summon or not.

Nero merely needed to Ritual Summon during Yukikaze's turn and bounce away the monsters on Yukikaze's field.

Sorry, Hua Quan. I asked for your help on my own, but I couldn't even summon you.

It's okay. Hua Quan replied quickly. We still have plenty of time ahead of us. Keep doing your best!

Mm.

"I activate the effect of Soul Bird Deity - Hiko Peacock, returning the two monsters on your field to your hand." Nero commanded.

Hiko Peacock drew his longsword and lightly swung it at the two girls on Yukikaze's field. Sword energy like wind blades appeared in the air and pierced through their bodies.

"Will you surrender?" Nero suddenly asked as she looked at Yukikaze's now-empty field.

Taking Hiko Peacock's attack head-on like this would hurt badly.

"Attack directly." Yukikaze smiled faintly.

"Then I enter the Battle Phase. Hiko Peacock attacks directly."

"Bang!"

The powerful sword energy sent Yukikaze flying. Fortunately, Hara Shichi had been prepared and caught her from behind.

Yukikaze: 600 LP → 0 LP.

win: Nero!

Is It Impossible to Duel Without a Duel Disk? Duels Aren't Such Inconvenient Things!

Inside the Game Club room, Hara Shichi, Julie, Sera, and Yukikaze sat around a table, discussing something.

"No, I disagree!"

"Nero.Arisa can join our team for the tournament, but she can't take a single step into our clubroom!"

Sera was the first to voice her opinion.

In her eyes, Nero was merely a warm body to fill out their roster. More importantly, she had previously belonged to the opposing camp.

How could someone like that be allowed into her sacred and inviolable clubroom?!

"Think about it. What if she's a spy sent by the Crimson Lotus Society? She could lurk around us and steal intelligence, then betray us during the tournament and catch us completely off guard..."

"Ahem." Julie coughed lightly beside her and casually glanced at Sera. "I used to be part of the Crimson Lotus Society too. Do you think I'm a 'spy' as well?"

"Th-That's different. Still not allowed." Sera lightly tapped the table. "Look, this table is a square with four sides, right?"

"Yeah. So what?" Hara Shichi responded.

"How are five people supposed to sit around a four-sided table?"

Sera's reason sounded utterly unreasonable.

And it truly was utterly unreasonable.

"You're small. You can sit next to me." Julie quickly offered a solution.

"What?! I'm the dignified president of the Game Club, and I have to give up my spot for a newcomer?!" Sera bristled.

"Don't you usually sit on the bed and play games? When have you ever sat at the table?" Hara Shichi pointed at the somewhat messy bed nearby. She could not even be bothered to fold her blanket.

"No. I just can't accept a stranger entering the clubroom." Sera was unusually stubborn about the room.

"As long as we slowly get to know Nero, everyone can soon become friends." Yukikaze could not help speaking up.

"Why should I be friends with her?" Sera said indifferently.

"If we win, we'll be teammates on the same team in the future, and we'll have to compete together in the National Higher Academy Tournament." Julie's gaze was set farther ahead. "We'll probably be spending quite a while together then. Since that's the case, it would be better to build a good relationship from now on."

"Well... we can talk about that later. And getting along doesn't mean we have to let her into this clubroom." Sera remained somewhat resistant.

"What does Hara Shichi think?" Yukikaze looked at him expectantly.

"That's true. Hara Shichi, you're the captain, so you should be the one deciding something like this." Julie turned to him as well.

"Junior, you understand how I feel, right?" Sera looked at Hara Shichi pitifully.

Pretending not to see Sera's hinting, Hara Shichi said seriously, "We're all on the same team. It would indeed be inappropriate to exclude Nero just because she joined later. But Sera's words aren't entirely unreasonable either, so..."

"So?" Sera blinked frantically.

"So let me think about it some more."

"Tch!" Sera fiercely kicked Hara Shichi. "You might as well have said nothing."

"We really can't jump to conclusions carelessly." Julie actually agreed with Hara Shichi. "But if this drags on too long, then the matter will lose its meaning."

"Mm. I'll decide as soon as possible."

"Then that's it for today. Let's go, let's go."

"Wait!" Just as everyone rose, Sera suddenly slapped the table.

"You really are that resistant to Nero..." Yukikaze looked at Sera's serious little face in surprise.

"No." Sera shook her head. "When you leave, pay attention to the door."

"What about the door?" Hara Shichi asked curiously.

"It's almost dinner time. The cafeteria staff might leave my dinner outside the door. If you see it, remember to bring it in for me." Sera said solemnly. "You know my condition. I must not be exposed to sunlight..."

"I refuse." Hara Shichi and Julie spoke in unison.

Yukikaze sighed in relief and said helplessly, "I can help, but if you keep being this lazy, you won't be able to live on your own in the future."

"Hmph. Once I become a Professional Duelist, I can pay a maid to take care of me." Sera said disdainfully.

At night, in the central district.

Hara Shichi greeted the Masked Girl, who had arrived before him. "Good evening."

"Mm, good evening." Crimson Lotus glanced back at Hara Shichi, unsurprised.

"A student named Nero joined us today." Hara Shichi came to Crimson Lotus's side.

"Congratulations. That means your group is complete now, right?" Crimson Lotus said the words, but there was not a trace of fluctuation in her tone.

"Does this have anything to do with you?" Hara Shichi asked bluntly.

Crimson Lotus's body stiffened slightly before she laughed softly. "Why would you say that? Because of what I said yesterday, that 'someone more suitable than me would join'?"

"Because I invited her before." Hara Shichi explained. "I told her that if she joined my team, I would return the deck I won from her in a wager."

"Then she refused."