Me and Yukimura entered the Drachma Gym, a small building located north to the dormitories. Since it was close by, it took us only ten minutes by walk to get there.

"The good thing about this place is no one barely visits it. Everyone prefers going to the Neutral Gym in the malls since it has more equipment, but this place has pretty much everything you need."

Yukimura guided me through the reception so I could set up a gym membership. These days, there are less front desk workers since everything could be done digitally.

I could register my account and sign in and out of the building on my phone, so having a person here to take records was unnecessary.

"Best of all, this place is free since it's technically on campus. You have to pay membership for the gym in the neutral zone, and I'm broke as hell, so I barely go there."

"How many points are you on right now?"

"I'm barely scraping 13,000. You?"

"149,840."

"Tch, lucky bastard."

Yukimura sighed and guided me into the actual facilities.

"Here we are. There's dumbbells over there, pull-up frame over there, treadmills over there, a stationary bike there, and some training mats there."

Yukimura gave a very brief but concise overview about everything that was inside this gym. As I looked around, I noticed that there were two other people currently working out in here. I recognised one of them.

It was Shinomiya Mai, from 2nd Year E Class. She was currently running on the treadmill. We met briefly at the pool, but didn't really talk to each other.

The other person was a man lifting weights with his hood up. I couldn't help but think he was sweating buckets underneath that hoodie. It had a cool design though, with red and white stripes going across the hood.

"You can bring your own equipment here if you want, like barbells, skipping ropes, yoga balls, that kind of stuff, but I think this place has pretty much anything you need for training. You can also do a couple of laps around the building to clock a 10km run."

"I see... what do you recommend I start out with first?"

"Depends on what you want to work out. If it's muscle training, then the dumbbells. If it's stamina training, then the treadmill. Alternatively, just do whatever you fancy. I hate skipping leg day, so I always do an hour on the bike every day at minimum."

"Ah. Thanks."

"No prob. The changing rooms are over there, so feel free to get into your sportswear and knock yourself out."

I nodded and started making my way over there.

"Before you go, are you gonna be good on your own, or do you want me to stay and help you?"

"Uh... I think I'll be fine by myself."

"Aight. If you need any help, just talk to Shinomiya, that girl over there. She's a regular at this place."

Shinomiya was an athletic type of person, huh? That explains a lot. I remember her being very good at swimming when we had the races. If I remember correctly, she came fourth overall.

"Great. Once again, thanks for the help."

"Any time. Can't wait to see hench Takanori in a couple of months!"

Yukimura laughed as he waved goodbye to me.

"I doubt I'm going to become that muscular..."

I entered the changing room. To my surprise, it was a communal changing room, rather than separate stalls. Even worse, this room wasn't separated by gender - it was mixed, just like at the pool.

Seriously, what's up with Drachma Red facilities lacking gender division? I felt bad for the girls since their privacy was intruded on the most... any old pervert could easily rummage through their stuff in they left it here unprotected.

I assume it was Shinomiya's stuff that was discreetly tucked away in a corner, since it was well hidden from everything else. Meanwhile, the other guy's stuff was haphazardly hung on the wall and thrown on the bench without much thought.

I made some space for myself between the two of them and swiftly changed into my sports jersey.

I exited the changing room and scratched my cheek. I know Yukimura gave some recommendations on where to start, but I felt so out of place here, I didn't want to start anything at all...

The guy who was lifting weights had stopped and walked past me, nudging me in the shoulder as he went to the changing rooms.

"Talk about giving the cold shoulder..."

That guy didn't even apologise for bumping into me. How rude...

"Whatever... I guess I'll start on the treadmills."

I shrugged it off and went over to the treadmills, where Shinomiya was.

Getting onto one, I started fiddling with the buttons, trying to turn it on.

"...this shouldn't be that hard, surely?"

I muttered to myself as the treadmill wasn't turning on.

Was this thing faulty or something? Knowing my luck, it probably was.

Although, since we're Drachma Red, I wouldn't put it past the school to skimp out on us and buy faulty equipment for a laugh.

It didn't help that this treadmill looked second hand, so it was probably dirt cheap to get.

I sighed, about to get off and lift weights instead. However, just before I did, Shinomiya turned to me.

"Do you need any help?"

"Oh, uh... this treadmill's not turning on."

Shinomiya stopped her treadmill before examining mine.

"Ah, I know what the problem is."

She reached over and took out an orange key plugged into the screen.

"The safety key was plugged in. Now that it's out, it should turn on now."

I tried starting the treadmill again. This time, it worked.

"There we go."

"Oh... um, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Shinomiya smiled and went back to running on her treadmill. I also cranked up the speed and started to run.

After seeing her up close, I have to admit... Shinomiya looked very pretty in her sportswear. I didn't notice it before, since I was standing faraway, but the combination of a purple sports bra and hot pink compression shorts really suited her.

Though, for some reason... she reminded me of someone. I couldn't quite put my finger on who though.

"I've never seen you around here before."

To my surprise, Shinomiya struck up a conversation with me. I didn't expect it, since I thought she would've put on headphones to listen to music whilst working out.

"It's my first time here."

"Makes sense. You're Takanori-san, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Shinomiya-senpai?"

"Yep! We met briefly at the pool, if you remember."

"I do, only because I won the swimming race that Himeji-san put on."

"I was really surprised by that! Such a plain looking guy having so much core strength."

Even her sweet, mature voice reminded me of someone. Seriously, who was it?

"It's not that impressive. I was exhausted by the end of it."

"Could've fooled me. You looked full of energy still."

"Maybe your memory is bad."

"I don't think so. Maybe you're just good at lying to yourself?"

Ah, she got me... I should really stop trying to tease other people, it never works out in my favour.

"Ouch."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Say, do you train regularly?"

"Not yet, but I want to though."

"That's good! Though, if you visit this gym regularly, you might see my face a lot. Hope you don't mind."

I looked at her face, before my eyes were drawn in to her large breasts. As she ran, her sports bra struggled to contain them as they hypnotically bounced up and down.

Even her sexy body reminded me of someone... ah, who was it? The more I think, the more I forget. It was really frustrating.

"Not at all. If anything, it'd be nice to have a familiar face around here. I thought about asking Yukimura-san if he would be my gym buddy, but... considering he focuses on his legs and I just want to do a general workout, I don't think it'd be a good idea."

"How about Katsumi-san, from your class? I know she comes here regularly."

"She already has a gym buddy. I think it's Shibata-san from 1-C? I could be wrong though."

"Ah. Come to think of it, a Megiddo Blue student did come here awhile ago..."

"It was probably him then."

Though, knowing that people from other nations could visit here probably meant that Katsumi went to the Megiddo Gym, since she'd have access to it through Shibata.

"Hmm. If you want, I don't mind being your gym buddy."

"Eh...? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it sounds like fun! Suzui-kun said I should try expanding my horizons and talk to the underclassmen."

"Is that so? You do know about the rumours about me, right?"

"That you're a momcon?"

"The other one."

At this point, I'm unfazed whenever that topic comes up.

"Oh... you mean the one about you hitting women?"

"Yeah... for the record, I never hit Shimizu-san."

"Don't worry, I didn't believe them even when they first came out."

"That's a relief..."

"I'm close friends with Shimizu-san's older brother, Itsuki-kun, and he cleared it up for me."

"Ah, you're both in 2-E right?"

"Yep. We're in the same friend group."

Out of everyone I met in that class, Shinomiya was the calmest and gentlest so far. She was more my pace compared to everyone else.

Himeji was too eccentric, Nibiiro gave me the wrong vibes, Jouji tried converting me to Christianity once, Asukai was a monkey brain delinquent, and the skinheads Masaoka and Miura were even thicker monkey brain delinquents.

They really are a lively bunch...

"If you don't mind... that'd be nice."

"Great! I'll show you my schedule after this. I've still got another 3km to run."

"Sure..."

For some reason, I felt embarrassed making her my gym buddy. We barely knew each other, so it felt like I rushed into this without much consideration.

Despite that, we were getting along really well. There was something welcoming about Shinomiya's presence that made it feel easier to be with her.

Once again, this also reminded me of someone... wait, was it auntie? Both were blonde and had warm personalities. Though, auntie lacked in the chest department compared to Shinomiya.

I snuck a quick glance at Shinomiya's bouncing breasts again.

Yeah, no. On second thought, it wasn't auntie. It was someone else. Someone with blonde hair, a warm personality, and bigger breasts.

"Who could it be...?"

"Hm? Did you say something, Takanori-san?"

"Eh... nothing."

After finishing her workout, Shinomiya got off the treadmill. I followed suit, plugging in the safety key to stop it.

As I did, the treadmill came to a sudden halt, making me fall backwards as I was unprepared to get off it yet.

"...ah."

Accepting my fate, I sighed as my body was spat out by the machine.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact.

However, just as I thought I was about to land on the hard carpet floor, I landed on something else instead.

"Ugh..."

I groaned, feeling the energy sap out of my body.

I wasn't expecting to feel so tired after using the treadmill.... I guess I overestimated my body's limit.

However, thanks to whatever I fell on, most of the impact was absorbed and I felt fine.

While I would've gotten up, it was actually quite comfy to lay down like this after working out.

I could feel myself start to cool down on its supple and tender surface.

Curious as to what it was, I used my hands to squeeze it a couple of times.

Immediately, my hands were enveloped in an elasticity and softness that was out of this world.

As I squished it some more, I could feel how bouncy and tender it was.

There was an incredible volume behind it, so I tried sinking my fingers even deeper.

As I did, it jiggled under my palm like milk pudding.

However, when I tried to grope it harder, its springy texture interfered with me and pushed my hand back.

So there was a limit to how much I could push down, huh? How interesting.

Whatever it was, it felt like an indescribable paradise.

Not even a mere memory foam pillow could compare to this.

"Um... Takanori-san?"

I came back to my senses immediately as I heard Shinomiya call my out name.

I lifted my head slightly and opened my weary eyes.

Coming into full view was Shinomiya's blushing face.

"...ah?"

I suddenly realised what I landed on.

It was Shinomiya.

My eyes widened as I got up, flustered by what had happened.

"U-uh, S-Shinomiya-senpai!"

As my hands fumbled around, they pressed deeper into what they were holding onto.

"A-ahn!"

I panicked as Shinomiya made a cute moaning noise due to my sudden movements.

Looking down at my hands, I retracted them instantly after seeing what I had been groping this entire time.

...it was Shinomiya's breasts...

"U-uh..."

What the hell do you even say in this situation? I was completely lost for words!

"Takanori-san... I understand you're a teenage boy, but please... show some restraint."

Shinomiya sighed as she sat up with a bashful look on her face.

"I... I-I'm not usually like this... p-promise...?"

I managed to barely squeak out from my deep embarrassment. Shinomiya laughed both lightly and awkwardly.

"It's alright, it's alright. Could you please get off me? You're surprisingly heavy."

I was so paralysed with shame, I didn't even realise I was sitting on top of Shinomiya still.

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry! It will never happen again!"

I bowed deeply multiple times while apologising.

"I said it was fine... relax. I know it's an accident."

"But I... I-I did something unforgivable, s-so..."

"Ahh, let's not talk about that!"

Shinomiya laughed awkwardly before helping me up.

"I'm not mad at you or anything... I'm just a bit embarrassed, that's all. This kind of silly mistake doesn't really bother me."

"Still... I feel bad for doing it to you, so aggressively too..."

"Hey, what did I say?"

"Don't talk about it...?"

"That, and it's alright."

Shinomiya gently smiled.

"Really...?"

"Really. Don't stress over it."

"Eh... uh... umm..."

Easier said than done! I'm now one step closer to becoming like Mitsuba, damn it! There's no way I wouldn't stress over it!

How is Shinomiya taking this so well...? She's acting so calm and mature about it... yet here I am, babbling like a baby out of panic.

Nothing like this had ever happened in my life before, so I didn't know how to handle it at all.

Even now, my head feels like a jumbled mess of regret and longing.

"If it makes you feel better, let's just agree to forget this ever happened. Okay?"

"O-okay..."

Too kind... Shinomiya was seriously too kind.

If I did this to any other girl, I'd be crucified, hanged, and labelled as the school pervert. No one would ever come near me again and I'd be expelled for sexual harassment.

However, since it was Shinomiya, a sweet and compassionate person, she didn't mind brushing this incident under the rug. I can't thank her enough, both for this, and for being patient enough to deal with my mess.

"Thank you..."

I quietly mumbled as she guided me to the changing rooms.

Once inside, I waited for Shinomiya to get her schedule out of her bag.

"Huh... that's weird."

"What is it?"

"My journal containing the schedule... it doesn't seem to be in my bag? But I was sure I brought it with me today though..."

"Maybe you left it at home?"

"Maybe... but I usually keep it in my bag. Let me check my jacket, I might have misplaced it there."

I felt a strange urge to check my stuff, so I quickly rifled through my bag to see if everything was still there. Thankfully, I wasn't missing anything, unlike Shinomiya.

"That's weird. It's not there either."

She looked stumped at what had happened to her journal, but I could probably guess what happened.

"Do you think... someone stole it?"

"...well, that possibility was on my mind."

Shinomiya mildly scratched her cheek.

"However, I don't see why anyone would do that though. If they were gonna steal something, why would they take my journal? I only jot notes down in that book. Wouldn't it better to steal something more... well, valuable?"

"True. It's basically worthless to anyone except you."

"Yeah."

Shinomiya sighed and sat down on one of the benches.

"If someone really did take it, then the obvious culprit would be that other guy in the gym."

"The one wearing a black hoodie?"

"Yeah. His stuff is still here, so he should still be at the gym."

"I don't want to confront him though... it would be bad if we started accusing people of thievery."

"True. The more logical reason is you probably forgot it."

"Mhm. But it's fine though. If we exchange numbers, I can send you a pic of it when I get back home."

"Ah, sure."

I took out my phone and exchanged numbers with Shinomiya. She was the sixth girl added to my contact list, after Yukina, Suzune, Ichinose, Yogen, and Kurosaki.

"Let's take a break, shall we?"

"Sounds good. I'm beat after all that running..."

"There's a nice park nearby that we can chill at. You want to go there?"

"Please, anything to get me out of this stuffy changing room..."

"Understandable."

Shinomiya giggled as she got up.

"Let's go, shall we?"

"...you're not going to bring your stuff with you?"

"We'll be returning here soon, so I don't see the point."

"Oh..."

"Hm? Is something the matter?"

"I was just wondering something... but never mind."

I brushed it off, since it seemed so unlikely to happen.

"I don't mind. What is it?"

"Well, since we're taking a break... I was wondering if you wanted to play a game of Vanguard? But then I figured you probably didn't have your deck on you, so..."

"On the contrary. I bring my deck with me everywhere."

Shinomiya smiled and took out a sky blue deck box from her bag.

"Oh... same here."

I mimicked her actions and showed her my claret red deck box.

"That sounds like a lovely idea. There's some fight tables at the park, so this will be perfect!"

Me and Shinomiya headed to the park and set up our cards outside.

Come to think of it, I fought Itteki here before. Compared to how gloomy it looked during the night time back then, the park seemed lively and scenic during the day time right now. A little bit of lighting made a world of difference.

Since this was a public space, I was hoping that I wouldn't run into any of classmates here... or else I'm going to have to explain to them why I'm with a senpai and why I'm wearing sportswear.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's do it."

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

The TTS enveloped us.

"Promising Knight, David!"

"Stardust Trumpeter!"

The system randomly decided I would go first.

"Stand and draw! I ride Apocalypse Bat from the Ride Deck! David's skill, I draw a card! Bat's skill, I move David back! I call Nemain and rest her to superior call Lluails! Turn end!"

Yuuto:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
Ritual: 1
OXO
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. I discard a card and ride, Charging Jewel Knight, Morvidus!"

Shinomiya used Jewel Knight, huh? When I saw her use that deck, I was once again hit with that same feeling of familiarity that's been bugging me ever since I first met her.

"Trumpeter's skill, I draw a card and get a Quick Shield ticket! Next I call Lunar Crescent Knight, Felax, and with a boost from him, Morvidus will attack your vanguard! (8000 > 16000)"

Annoyingly, since she called a rear-guard to turn off Blaster Dark's skill, I needed to take this attack so I could have the damage to retire it.

"No guard!"

"Drive check! (Flash Shield, Iseult) Draw trigger. All effects to Morvidus and I draw! (16000 > 26000)"

"Damage check! (Strict Order Knight, Lluails)"

"Turn end!"

Yuuto:
Hand: 5
Damage: 1
Ritual: 1
OXO
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
OXO
OXO

"Stand and draw! Glorification is only fitting for those in the light. Arise from the abyss, and ride! Blaster Dark! Dark's skill, I counterblast to make you retire a rear-guard!"

"I retire Felax."

"Dark's other skill! Since you have no rear-guards, I discard a card to get drive +1! I move David up and rest Nemain to superior call another Lluails! Blaster Dark attacks! (10000) Crossing Diablo!"

"I activate my Heal Guardian, Innocent Ray Dragon! (8000 > 23000)"

My eyes widened as Shinomiya put down a grade 3 heal trigger on the guardian circle.

Unlike regular heal triggers, which had 20k shield, these Heal Guardians had only 15k shield.

In exchange, they had two skills that I didn't know anything about.

"What the...?"

"You look surprised. Is this your first time seeing them?"

Shinomiya smiled, asking me politely after noticing that I was bewildered by what she just did.

"Yeah... I've never seen anything like this before."

"Let me explain then. When I guard with Innocent Ray, if I haven't ridden a grade 3 unit this fight, I can either give my vanguard +10k power until end of turn, or make one of your units lose -2 critical until end of battle."

What a powerful guardian effect... no wonder it was only 15k shield. Being able to make my units lose critical would be extremely detrimental as I used Force II.

She could simply shut down Claret by reducing his critical to zero, forcing me to drive check multiple critical triggers to offset the loss.

"What about the other effect?"

"Ah, this one works on rear-guard. When I call Innocent Ray, if I have zero cards in my damage zone, I put the top card of my deck into damage zone."

Jeez, it was also a way to play around damage deny too. What didn't these Heal Guardians do?

You could even search them out with the generic grade 3 searcher all clans have access to. It was nuts.

"In this case, I'll be giving my vanguard +10k power! (23000 > 33000)"

It was a smart move, since it made my attack a no pass.

"Twin Drive!! (Death Feather Eagle) Critical trigger! All effects to David! (6000 > 16000/1 > 2) (Perennial Knight, Rimmon) Boosted by Lluails, David attacks! (16000 > 21000/2)"

"Espogal guards! (18000 > 23000)"

"Turn end..."

Damn, I didn't deal any damage this turn. What am I going to do next turn then? Force II is going to be less effective if she's not at high damage.

In the first place, should I even go Force II? She could shut it down with a single Heal Guardian. There's no way she'd drop one this early if she didn't have another in hand. Otherwise, she would've saved it for when I rode Claret.

In that case, should I go Force I? But if I do that, I lose the pressure that comes from swinging twice with Force II... damn it, what do I do? What's the correct play here? I've never found myself in this situation before...

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
Ritual: 2
XXO
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw. I discard a card and ride, Gigantech Pulveriser!"

What? Did Shinomiya really just ride a 12k vanilla?

"Morvidus' skill, when a unit is placed on top of her, I draw a card! Now Gigantech will attack David! (12000)"

And instead of aiming at my vanguard, she was trying to take out my rear-guard. Damage deny, huh? So this was Shinomiya's aim from the start.

She wanted to deny me from using Claret's skill on turn 3, and she did this all by simply calling Felax.

Since she knew I was going to use Dark's skill, she forced me into a position into where I had to retire him. In order to do that, I had to take one of her attacks to get the damage necessary for the cost.

By doing so, she made me use a counterblast in the early game, setting the foundation of her damage deny. She knew she could safely do this because Claret was a rush deck, meaning it was likely that I'd have some kind of front row for her to attack into.

I also assume she was working under the assumption I also ran Heal Guardians, because if I did run any, by forcing me to take a damage, it would shut off me calling a H Guard to get a face-up damage.

And that was the important part here. It didn't matter how much damage I had. The only important thing was to ensure I had no face-up damage so I couldn't use Claret's skill on turn 3. This would bring my deck to a grinding halt when it came to speed.

"David retires."

"Drive check! (Knight of Going Alone, Harald) Turn end."

I got chills after realising how Shinomiya has been subtly manipulating the game state in her favour this entire time. What a dangerous opponent...

However, that makes me wonder... how did she know so much about my deck?

I've only used it against three people, none of whom had a connection to Shinomiya. It doesn't make sense as to why she knew my deck so well. Was she an instinctively good player? Or was she just more experienced due to being a 2nd Year?

Whatever it was, it kept me on my feet. The surprises just kept coming while I was fighting her. I had no idea what to expect next.

Yuuto:
Hand: 6
Damage: 1
Ritual: 2
OXO
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 7
Damage: 0
OXO
OOO

"Stand and draw! Only the strong have the right to wield this sword! A true dictator overcomes adversity with strength, and strength alone! I ride my avatar, Claret Sword Dragon!"

This was the decisive moment. Do I continue like I've always recklessly done, and pick Force II? Or should I try and adapt the way I play due to how controlling Shinomiya was of this match?

"Is everything okay?"

"...huh?"

"The face you're making right now... it looks like you're in a lot of agony."

"Oh... sorry."

I didn't even realise I was thinking so hard over this decision. What has Shinomiya done to my brain...?

"Hey, it's fine. You can relax, we're just playing a game."

"Even so... this isn't an easy choice."

"If you're having difficulty choosing, then just go with your gut."

"...huh?"

For such a calculated player, Shinomiya offered some very spiritual advice.

"I'm being serious! If you overthink it, you'll stop seeing the forest from the trees. We're having a casual game, so just focus on having fun."

"Our definitions of fun must be really different, then..."

It was kind of hard to have fun if you couldn't even do anything. I guess Shinomiya enjoyed controlling the opponent's actions by playing in a way that would restrict them.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

"Ah... nothing."

Seeing my dismissive behaviour, Shinomiya frowned.

"Are you not having fun, Takanori-san?"

"...I am, I am."

"That sounds like a lie."

"Well... I am having fun. I'm playing Vanguard."

Except, I really wasn't playing it since I couldn't do anything.

"Why do you play Vanguard, then?"

"To win."

Shinomiya raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I see... that's why you look so frustrated."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean...?"

Could she see something I couldn't?

"As a senpai, can I offer you some advice?"

"Um... go for it."

"You don't have to win every game, Takanori-san. It's okay to lose."

When she said those words, I didn't know what to say.

It was drilled into my head that I had to win in Vanguard, and yet...

Here was Shinomiya, telling me it was alright to lose.

"What kind of advice is that...?"

"Advice to help you pick which Gift you're going into."

At first, I couldn't see the value in what Shinomiya was saying.

But now, I was relying on her words to comfort myself.

"I'm sorry Shinomiya-senpai... but I simply can't follow that kind of advice."

"And that's okay too, Takanori-san."

Shinomiya smiled.

"Imaginary Gift... Force II! To the vanguard circle! (13000/1 > 2)"

In the end, this was the decision I came to. A choice made from close analysis, rather than gut feeling, like she wanted me to.

I came to this conclusion after realising that Force I is what Shinomiya wanted me to choose. She was sitting at zero damage, meaning I had a lot of damage to deal if I wanted to catch up.

That's why Force II was better, since I wanted to try and close the gap between zero and four damage as soon as possible. Going Force I would keep my attack at one critical, meaning she had more leeway to take damage and live.

This would give her an extra turn or two to set up and amass Force markers to blitz me with the multi-attack Jewel Knight was very capable of. There was also less urgency with Force I, whereas Force II would have applied more pressure.

"Claret Sword's skill! I scry three and put two grade 1s in drop zone, giving him +20k! (13000 > 33000/2) Nemain's skill, I rest her and call another Lluails! I also call Blue Espada Dragon! Blue Espada's skill, I mill three cards! All three of my Lluails' skill, they get +15k! (5000 > 20000) (5000 > 20000) (5000 > 20000) Claret Sword Dragon leads the assault! (33000/2) Septimum Eraser!"

"Innocent Ray Dragon, Heal Guardian! (12000 > 27000) Your vanguard loses 2 critical! (33000/2 > 0)"

Called it. Guess I'll have to pull a critical trigger.

"Twin Drive!! (Mage of Entwined Roots, Awalgin, Abyssal Owl) Nothing..."

Getting nothing stung, but it wasn't the end of the world.

"Boosted by Lluails, Espada attacks! (8000 > 28000)"

"No guard! (Flogal) Critical trigger! All effects to vanguard! (12000 > 22000)"

"Boosted by Lluails, Lluails attacks! (20000 > 40000)"

"No guard! (Laurel Knight, Sicilus)"

"Turn end!"

Yuuto:
Hand: 7
Damage: 1
Ritual: 6
XXX
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
OXO
OOO

OST: Flame & Destiny

"Stand and draw. Together with your friends, leads us to a shining future filled with light! Reach the dazzling final climax, my avatar! I discard a card and ride, Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei!"

My eyes widened.

I looked up at Shinomiya...

"Pendent of lambent light, cut open the darkness and shine a path to the future with the power of friendship! Exceed through fate, my avatar! I ride, Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei!"

...and saw mom instead.

So this is who Shinomiya reminded me of...

She had blonde hair, just like mom. She had blue eyes, just like mom. She was kind, just like mom. She was busty, just like mom. She used Jewel Knights, just like mom.

Everything about Shinomiya... was exactly like mom.

My entire body felt warm and fuzzy as a rush of bittersweet happiness overwhelmed me.

My heart started to beat incredibly fast as another unknown emotion struck through my chest like an arrow.

What is this feeling...?

Why am I feeling it...?

I don't understand it at all...

The only thing I understood was how much I wanted Shinomiya in this moment...

And how much I wanted mom.

"Imaginary Gift: Force I! To the left front row rear-guard circle! I call Absolute Blade Knight, Livarot and use his skill to counterblast and superior call Explode Jewel Knight, Laile from my deck! (10000 > 20000)"

I didn't notice before, but she even sounded like mom...

I gulped, covering my inguinal region. This isn't good...

"Then, I call Lunar Crescent Knight, Felax, Knight of Going Alone, Harald, and Charging Jewel Knight, Morvidus! Morvidus' skill, I counterblast and put a normal unit from my drop zone to the bottom of my deck to soulcharge 1 and give Laile +5k! (20000 > 25000)"

Why was I becoming like this just from looking at her...? I feel like such an embarrassed mess right now.

"Boosted by Harald, Livarot attacks! (10000 > 18000)"

"A-Awalgin guards! (13000 > 23000)"

Ah, I'm so nervous... I don't want to fight her anymore when she reminds me of my mom... this isn't fair!

"Boosted by Morvidus, Laile attacks! (25000 > 33000) Laile's skill, I put two normal units from my drop zone to the bottom of my deck to soulcharge 1 and give her +5k! (33000 > 38000)"

"No guard! (Cherishing Knight, Branwen)"

I couldn't even concentrate properly... whenever I try making eye contact with her, I become flustered and nearly drop all my cards on the table... I must look like such an idiot right now.

"Boosted by Felax, Ashlei attacks! (13000 > 21000) Felax's skill, I soulblast and bounce Livarot back to my hand to give him +5k! (21000 > 26000) Melodic Holy Saver!"

Even their attack names were similar... mom's attack name was "Holy Saver Blade"... I remember that one well since she used to beat me with it all the time we played.

"Belial Owl, guard...! (13000 > 43000) Two to pass!"

I was so young back then... I wonder what she thought every time she won.

"Twin Drive!! First check! (Flogal) Critical trigger! All effects to Ashlei! (26000 > 36000/1 > 2)"

I wonder... if she had fun.

"Second check! (Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei) Nothing."

Claret barely dodged Ashlei's rapier as she thrusted it forward.

"Ashlei's skill! I soulblast two to superior call two grade 2 or less "Jewel Knight" from my deck! I call Laile and Morvidus over themselves! (10000 > 20000)"

Did you have fun, mom...?

"Laile's skill, when she's called over, that unit gets +10k! (20000 > 30000) Morvidus' skill, when she's called over, I draw a card! Harald's skill, when a grade 2 is called other from hand, I put him into soul to give it +15k! (30000 > 45000)"

Because I always did...

"Boosted by Morvidus, Laile attacks! (45000 > 53000) Laile's skill, once more! (53000 > 58000)"

Everyday with you was the best.

"No guard! (Skull Witch, Nemain)"

That's why... please, don't go...

"That's all from me. Turn end!"

Shinomiya was ruthless... damn, I have my work cut out for me.

Yuuto:
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
Ritual: 7
XXX
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
XXO
XXO

"Stand and draw."

Could I really do this...?

Doubts started to pile up in my head after I realised how skilled Shinomiya was at Vanguard. Even more doubts started to appear when I realised she reminded me of my mom.

I looked at the second copy of Claret Sword in my hand.

"Are you thinking hard again?"

Once again, Shinomiya noticed me wavering. I nodded.

"What is it about this time?"

"It's... it's nothing. It's stupid."

The more Shinomiya tried to console me, the worse my feelings got.

"I have a funny feeling that this isn't about the fight."

"Am I that obvious...?"

"I wonder... kidding. You know, if you're not enjoying the fight, we can just end it here."

When Shinomiya brought that up that proposition to me, I vehemently denied it.

"...no way. I want to continue. I want to see this through to the very end!"

There was no way I could leave a cardfight unfinished. If I did that, all I'd have is regret. Shinomiya smiled.

"That's more like it. I wondered where this fire you had earlier disappeared to."

"...me too, honestly."

I raised my head and looked at Shinomiya in the eyes properly.

"Thanks... for giving me that push."

I raised my Claret Sword high in the air and swung down.

"On this bloodstained stage of the world, a demonstration of might will overrule all the opposition! Slaughter the competition and pulverise the weaklings into dust! Persona ride my avatar, Claret Sword Dragon!"

"Imaginary Gift: Force II! To the left rear-guard circle! (20000/1 > 2) Claret's skill! I scry three and mill three grade 1s! Claret gets +30k! (13000 > 43000/2) Boosted by Nemain, Claret Sword attacks! (43000 > 48000/2) Septimum Eraser!"

Without wasting any time, I went into battle. There was no reason for me to overextend and call over my weaker units for stronger columns. I was running low on hand already, so I should conserve where I can.

"No guard!"

Shinomiya bravely took the attack head on.

"Twin Drive!! (Blue Espada Dragon, Grim Revenger) Critical trigger! Power to Lluails, critical to vanguard! (20000 > 30000/2) (48000/2 > 3)"

Claret Sword violently slashed through Ashlei, spewing blood everywhere.

"Damage checks! (Knight of Going Alone, Harald, Flash Shield, Iseult) Draw trigger! Power to vanguard and draw! (13000 > 23000) (Explode Jewel Knight, Laile)"

"Claret Sword Dragon's skill! I counterblast and bind seven grade 1s from my drop zone to restand the vanguard with drive -1! (43000/3/2d > 1d) Skill, activate!"

My visor began glowing claret red.

"Third Fist! When a card is bound, my vanguard gets drive +1! (43000/3/1d > 2d) Claret Sword attacks! (43000/3/2d) Nihil Bloodriver!"

"Iseult, perfect guard!"

"Twin Drive!! (Dead Armour Dragon, Dark Heart Trumpeter) Critical trigger! All effects to Espada! (8000 > 18000/1 > 2) Boosted by Lluails, Espada attacks! (18000 > 38000/2)"

"Flogal and Livarot guards! (43000)"

"Boosted by Lluails..."

As I rampaged forth, my hand hesitated to move on the final attack.

Just as I was about to swing with Lluails and go in for the kill, I stopped.

The weight of this fight finally caught up to me.

I looked up at Shinomiya, and lowered my head.

I guess I can't do it after all...

If I went through with this, I'd never forgive myself.

There would be nothing but guilt left in my heart if I did this against her.

There was no way I could hurt mom.

"...turn end."

It felt wrong, but at the same time, I knew it was the right decision.

I just wanted mom to be happy.

"Are you sure...?"

Shinomiya raised her eyebrows at my strange play.

That's why, please don't cry anymore mom.

"Yeah. I pass turn."

Shinomiya nodded.

"Alright."

I'll be a good boy from now on.

I promise...

Yuuto:
Hand: 9
Damage: 3
Ritual: 3
XXX
XXX

Shinomiya:
Hand: 3
Damage: 5
XXO
XXO

"Stand and draw. Fulfil your ambition and wishes underneath the crystal blue moon, ruler of precious gemstones! Dazzle and shine in the final climax, my avatar! I persona ride, Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei!"

"Imaginary Gift: Force I! To the right front row rear-guard circle! Ashlei's skill, when a unit is placed on top of her, I counterblast to give it +1 critical! (13000/1 > 2) Skill, activate!"

Shinomiya's visor began glowing holy white.

"Evangeline Arc! I soulcharge one and superior call a "Jewel Knight" from my deck! I call Pure Heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei to rear-guard! (13000 > 23000)"

So this is the power of a 2nd Year's Fighter's Skill... amazing. Instead of doing one basic function, it was able to do two basic functions at the same time.

"Morvidus' skill, I counterblast and put a normal unit to the bottom of my deck to soulcharge one and give Ashlei +5k! (23000 > 28000) Finally, I call Espogal!"

Her formation was beginning to scare me. With two Ashlei on the field, Shinomiya could make up to six attacks this turn.

"Going solo, my rear-guard Ashlei attacks first! (28000)"

"No guard! (Mage of Entwined Roots, Awalgin)"

Ashlei stabbed through Claret's abdomen with her rapier. This blow felt deeper than any of the ones I received previously.

"Ashlei's skill! I soulblast two to call a "Jewel Knight" from deck to rear-guard! I call Explode Jewel Knight, Laile over Ashlei! (10000 > 20000) Ashlei's skill, when a unit is called over her, I counterblast to give it +1 critical! (20000/1 > 2) Espogal's skill, when a rear-guard is called by an ability, he gets +3k and Boost! (9000 > 12000)"

Through a successive combination of chaining skills, Shinomiya was slowly ramping up the power of her attacks one by one.

"Boosted by Morvidus, Laile attacks! (20000 > 28000) Laile's skill, I put two normal units to the bottom of my deck to soulcharge 1 and give her +5k! (28000 > 33000)"

"No guard! (Cherishing Knight, Branwen)"

"Next, Laile attacks! (20000/2) The same skill, once more! (20000 > 25000/2)"

"Grim Revenger guards! (28000)"

"Boosted by Felax, Ashlei attacks! (13000 > 21000/2) Felax's skill! I soulblast and bounce Morvidus to hand to give him +5k! (21000 > 26000/2) Go, Melodic Holy Saver!"

"Trumpeter, Nemain, and Abyssal Owl guard! (48000) No pass!"

"Twin Drive!! (Knight of Going Alone, Harald, Flash Shield, Iseult) Draw trigger! Power to Espogal, and I draw a card! (12000 > 22000) Ashlei's skill! I soulblast two and superior call two grade 2 or less "Jewel Knight" from my deck! I call two Laile over both Laile! (10000 > 20000) (10000 > 20000) Laile's skill, when she's called over, that unit gets +10k! (20000 > 30000) (20000 > 30000) Espogal's skill, he gets +3k for each card called! (22000 > 28000)"

With only five cards left in hand, this final assault was going to be tricky to guard...

"The solo Laile attacks! (30000) Her skill, soulcharge 1 and get +5k! (30000 > 35000)"

"Abyss Healer and Dead Armour guard! (43000)"

"Boosted by Espogal, my other Laile attacks! (30000 > 58000) Her skill, soulcharge 1 and get +5k! (58000 > 63000)"

I looked at the remaining three cards in my hand. It was Claret Sword, Blue Espada, and Rimmon.

Altogether, their total shield value would only equal 20k. It wasn't nearly enough to stop Shinomiya's final attack, regardless of whether or not she pulled a trigger.

If I had Belial Owl, or any other triggers in hand, there was a chance I could survive this. However, I was unlucky and didn't draw into any, despite my aggressive filtering of the deck.

I sighed.

"No guard. (Claret Sword Dragon) You got me, Shinomiya-senpai. Good game."

Even though I lost, I had fun.

Is that what Shinomiya's advice meant earlier, I wonder?

"Good game, Takanori-san. You played very well!"

"Thanks, but you played much better than me. I couldn't hold a handle to your early game strategies."

"I only did that because I was afraid of your deck going full turbo and slamming me in the face."

"You knew a surprising amount about my deck, actually. How did you find out about it?"

"Oh... don't worry about that!"

For some reason, Shinomiya stiffened up slightly before laughing it off.

"Are you hiding something from me, senpai...?"

"Anyways! Let's head back now. We've spent far too long playing."

Ignoring my question, Shinomiya pushed me to return to the gym. I became even more curious as to why she was trying to dodge the question in the first place... I guess it doesn't matter in the end.

It's not like my style of playing Claret was revolutionary or anything. I borrowed a list from Taiga and tweaked it to my preference, so it was really bog standard aside from the one grade 2 gimmick.

She probably just knew what to do in this matchup after practicing it a bunch of times. Not sure why she would practice against Claret, but... I guess it paid off while fighting me?

A part of me feels like I'm reaching really hard here trying to justify Shinomiya's strange behaviour back then...

In any case, after that fight, I couldn't look at her straight in the eyes anymore.

However, whenever I tried moving my gaze down, all I could see was her milky skin dotted with small beads of sweat. I gulped, looking away even more.

This is so dangerous...

We returned to the gym and did a training circuit together. What surprised me the most was seeing Shinomiya manage to benchpress 5kg... despite how delicate she looked, she was really strong.

"That'll be me done for the day..."

Shinomiya panted as she wiped the sweat off her face with a towel.

"Same... I'm beat..."

I slumped forward on the bicycle machine, chugging a bottle of water to rehydrate.

"For your first time working out, you kept up the pace really well. Maybe you're a natural born athlete?" Shinomiya joked.

"Maybe in a parallel universe. But man, I feel rusty... my back is all stiff."

I got off the bike and stretched my body, feeling my spine click.

"The muscle pain afterwards is the worst, but you get used to it."

"I'm looking forward to it..."

It seems even the guy in the black hoodie was finishing up now, as he went inside the changing rooms to grab his stuff. Me and Shinomiya did the same before leaving the facility.

"Thanks for today, Shinomiya-senpai. It was super fun."

"Don't mention it. I had a lot of fun too!"

Seeing Shinomiya's dazzling smile this close... I wanted it all for myself.

Waiting outside for Shinomiya was Nibiiro, Asukai, Jouji, Sanou, Masaoka, and Miura. What's such a large group doing out here?

"Hey, Mai! Woah, who's the kid with you?"

I don't know how to feel being called a kid by Sanou when she was only a year older than me.

"Nozomi, don't tell me you forgot already... this is Takanori-san. We met him at the pool."

"I don't remember him at all..."

"I sometimes question whether you have less brain cells than Itsuki-kun, Masaoka-kun, and Miura-kun combined sometimes..."

"That's insultin', missy." Masaoka said.

"Yea, obviously we have less brain cells!" Miura said.

"Damn straight! If we have three brain cells, then Nozomi's got four!" Asukai proudly exclaimed.

None of these things were good though...

"You dumbass, four is an unlucky number! I'm gonna kill you for giving me that many brain cells!"

Sanou then proceeded to get Asukai into a choke lock while laughing.

"Gaaaaah! Let go of me, Nozomi! And stop laughing!"

Huh... I thought he was some kind of delinquent, but Asukai went down faster against Sanou than I did against Yukimura.

"Banchou, we'll help ya!" Masaoka said.

"Unhand him, thot!" Miura said.

"Ah? Sure you want me to?"

"Course I do! If you don't, I'm gonna slap ya!"

"In that case, suit yourself!"

Sanou grinned and tossed Asukai at the two skinheads, making them crash into a bush.

"And here we see the monkey brains in their natural habitats."

Jouji snickered and took a picture of them.

"Owwwww! Heyyyyyyy! I'm not some kinda zoo animal, Jouji!"

"You guys coulda fooled me." Nibiiro laughed, joining in with Jouji's teasing.

However, that was short lived as they started running away from Asukai, Masaoka, and Miura, who started chasing them in revenge.

"And you somehow got away scot-free..." Shinomiya laughed awkwardly.

"It's my special tactic called staying quiet." Sanou stuck out her tongue.

I tried to keep a low profile, but instead I became infamous among the 1st Years for various reasons.

"Are you guys going somewhere after this?"

"Hmm, I suppose you could say that."

"It's more like we're picking Mai up."

"If it's just that, then I don't think such a large group would be necessary..."

Shinomiya and Sanou exchanged glances.

"Should we tell him, Mai?"

"I think we should. The more people aware, the better."

"Alright. Basically, we're trying to protect Mai from her stalker."

"...I'm sorry?"

"Yes... you heard that right. I have a stalker, Takanori-san."

"No way..."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew that someone was being stalked in 2-E thanks to Jouji and Shimizu, but to think it was Shinomiya... the nerve of that stalker.

"Wait... if that's the case, then the stalker has to be that guy in the black hoodie! There was no one else here except us and him!"

"Takanori-san, what did I say about making accusations like that? It's the second time today too..."

Shinomiya sighed while gently chiding me.

"Sorry... I just wanted to help."

"You sure have quite an interesting kouhai on your hands." Sanou laughed.

"He means well, but he's too quick on the jump. I don't think that person was the stalker. During that gym session, I didn't feel any eyes on me except yours... if that made sense?"

In other words, Shinomiya didn't feel like she was being watched by her stalker.

"How about right now?"

"Nope. It would be hard for them to stalk me when I'm surrounded by my friends."

Makes sense. That way, there would be more people to keep an eye on Shinomiya's surroundings and potentially spot her stalker.

"No wonder so many people were waiting for you. I hope you can catch that bastard soon."

"Thank you. Please stay safe on your way home back."

"I will. Thanks for today, mo— S-Shinomiya-senpai!"

Before she could respond, I took off running, completely embarrassed by the fact I nearly called her mom.

"I'm such an idiot..."

I think... I might be in love.