"Deception" (032)

"ENROKONAI CITY," a vast civilization teeming with Duelists vying for the top spot.

The 'Dueling Systems' itself are the most popular pastime in such a setting.

The Dueling Academy is recognized for producing the best Duelists, with newcomers rising through the ranks to become pros! People learn their essentials at this "School," which is filled by thousands of Duelists, but the most current activities are their training sessions, which are scheduled three times a week.

The Academy is made up of people of many races, with the bulk of them being Humans and a small number of them being Half-Demons. Dueling is a part of their traditional training sessions, often known as the 'War Race' or 'Five Versus Five.'

Despite the fact that the world appears to be in a state of chaos, the Dueling is mostly for entertainment, and no one is murdered. (Thanks to the 'Zero Watches' for casting Spiritual Shields.)

And the majority of Duelists are tasked with eliminating the top three Duelists!

- Number 3 on the leaderboard: whose title is "King" and whose true name is Tsuji Rokuro.

Then there's;

- Number 2 on the leaderboard: whose title is "Devil" and whose real name is Sakata Hisako!

And their top tier duelist, the legend himself and Number 1;

"Silver," whose real name is Takei Shigeo, managed to reach the highest ranking between both "King" and "Devil" for a massive amount of Battle Score.

Their championships are a sign of good luck, as none of them have ever lost to lower-tier ranks.

The three champions are known as the "Dueling Masters," and they battle with one another in order to maintain or lose their reign as champions.

- Enrokonai City (Dueling Academy), Friday, 3:10 pm -

Ayuka and Nina were walking out of the Academy, carrying their books and laughing.

"I know I've said it a million times... Nevertheless, thank you... If I told you I didn't have any talents, I didn't believe you'd still be my friend..."

"Come on, Nina! I'm not going to start despising you simply because you don't know how to fight or use powers. You're just like us, yet you're out of place."

"I suppose... T-I appreciate it, but... How did you pull that off? And what happened at the end of the War Race that caused you to pass out?"

"... I... um..." Ayuka muttered, attempting to conceal her identity. "... Okay, let's keep this between us."

"W-What? Sure, I know how to keep a secret!" Nina laughed at first but then got serious.

"... I'm sure it's hard to believe... but- " Just as she was ready to reveal her actual identity, they both heard cheering and turned to face the audience.

They noticed the Black Hooded kid, who was nonchalantly confronting Alpha while wielding a black sword.

Ayuka was surprised and remembered him from a few days ago.

"Ayuka, whoa... Take a look at him; he appears to be winning! I believed Alpha was never in danger of losing!" Ayuka saw the boy had a camera around his neck the instant Nina moved her finger forward.

"Hey, that's the man who snapped a picture of us!" The kid quickly spotted her after pointing it out, and while he had a chance to win and second, he knocked Alpha's sword away and jumped back, landing just in front of the line.

Instead of gaining ground, the youngster stepped out of the line, abandoning the Duel, and ran away.

"Huh?" After hearing Ayuka yell, Alpha looked bewildered. "I'm going after him!" Nina was shocked when she saw Ayuka running after the boy.

"Wait a minute, hang on!"

And Ayuka realized the boy was gone the minute she slipped behind the bushes. "Damn! He managed to get away again!"

After winning the Duel, Alpha's score rose. "What's the rush, anyway? What compelled him to escape in such cowardly manners?" Alpha inquired as she stowed the blade in its scabbard.

"I'm not sure... But, after linking with his Zero Watch, did you notice anything about his information?" Ayuka was perplexed and hopeful.

"... dunno... everything appears to be riddled with mystery... the only thing I managed to notice was his name..." Alpha explained, her tone solemn.

"Can you tell me what his name was?"

"Something along the lines of Yujiro or any such nonsense... He didn't have the last name at all."

"...damn it! He was right there, and if I had been a little faster and hadn't called him out, I could have grabbed him! Who is that guy, and why is he often wandering about the Academy?" Nina walked by and Ayuka sighed.

"What if he just collects information about us through photographing us? What if he's not there to disrupt our plans?" Nina inquired, but Ayuka politely declined.

"When the Duel begins and their Zero Watches link, they have two minutes to go through their data, thus it's hopeless..." Ayuka said, her displeasure visible on her face.

"I'm confident we'll catch him one of these days..." Nina made a claim and came up with an idea.

"Wait a minute, Alpha... Could you perhaps do us a favor?" Nina walked up to her and took a step in front of her. "... Why me...?" She inquired.

"Look, I had a brilliant idea! A few days ago, the man you just fought took a snapshot of us. He's presumably attempting to face more difficult opponents in order to improve his battle score... I got this idea: what if you invited him to Duel after midnight when virtually no one is awake...?"

"Why would I want to do that when I can't even get a good night's sleep?"

"Please, Alpha, pay attention to what I'm saying... If you ask him to a Duel in the hopes of getting a rematch, I'm confident he'll agree to fight you again... But he won't notice that Ayuka and I are hiding nearby... After all, tomorrow is Saturday, so you may sleep in as much as you like... Please, just this once, Alpha."

Alpha claimed after a long sigh. "Tsch... alright... if you really want to do it, I'll send it." She shifted her gaze to the side, irritated.

"Thank you sincerely! I'll keep my word! If we can get him down on the floor and unhood him, I'm sure he'll tell us everything! Is it something you can perform, Ayuka?"

"It shouldn't be too difficult for me to take down some guys... They are completely charmed with me the instant they see me. No worries, I've got you covered."

"Perfect! We'll be hiding behind the school's wall, Alpha... Allow him to dash for you when the moment is right, and Ayuka will tackle him. She's already one of the quickest Duelists."

"So... you're putting my rank at danger... that's entertaining..."

"Don't be afraid... We won't need to do that since we'll take him out before he can deliver the killing blow." Nina chuckled, thrilled and confident for the first time.

"... fine... Let's get this over with as soon as possible..."

- Enrokonai City, 3:15 pm -

Yujiro sat on the edge of the skyscraper's rooftop, his hood uncovered and his gaze fixed on the horizon.

He looked down at his Zero Watch as soon as he heard a ring.

"... a Duel Invitation...?" After reading the text, Yujiro swiped to the side and had to accept the Duel.

"... there's got to be some type of trick..." He drew his hood over his face and turned back into the distance, stood up, and began to jump across the rooftops.

- Enrokonai City (Legacy Consortium), Friday, 3:50 pm -

Tim sat on the couch, clutching his phone and a cup of hot coffee from the coffee maker.

"Tim... Do you know where the scissors are?" Codey was mystified as he searched the consortium for them.

"Nope... I don't use it very often, so how am I expected to know?" He examined over the back of the sofa. "Ugh... never mind..." Ayuka came in and undressed her jacket as Codey dashed up the stairs. She sighed and grabbed for her turtleneck sweater as she reflected in the mirror.

While she was turned away, her skin and the back of her bra were exposed. "What's the rush?" Tim looked at her, puzzled, as she stretched to put on the sweater.

"I have some late-night business to attend to." She turned back and requested after finally dressed and covered her chest to avoid being seen. "Do you mind if I borrow your duffle bag?"

"I suppose,"

"I suppose, but why do you need it," Tim asked, his mind blank with knowledge.

"...we could have the chance to reveal the identity of the kid we mentioned a few days ago. We've devised a strategy to take him down before dealing Alpha the final blow..."

Tim appeared to be perplexed. "... and how do you intend to do that...?" He shifted his weight and checked his phone. "... Nina came up with the plan for Alpha to appear as if she's going to lose, and as the guy tries to deliver the fatal blow, I'll leap in and tackle him, hoping to catch him off guard..."

"That isn't a bad strategy... But, excuse me, but why are you getting dressed so early?" While getting up and tossing the coffee cup into the garbage, he pondered.

He walked up to Ayuka, who was standing motionless with one leg lifted, changing into darker footwear. "W-What are you doing?"

"...my duffle bag..." Tim became unamused. "It's behind you, through the door..."

"Oh! Sorry!" When Tim grabbed for the duffel bag and pulled it out a few seconds later, Ayuka took a step to the side.

"Here... if it's possible, go grocery shopping... we're running out on them again..." Ayuka snatched up the duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Thank you... I'll give it my best..." She straightened her turtleneck and took a step towards the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot to say. Yujiro is his name!" When Tim grabbed for his chin, he called Ayuka. "... Yujiro... Hmm... that name reminds me of someone..."

"Do you recognize that name?" Ayuka pondered as she clutched the doorknob.

"Well, sort of, but I'm not sure who he is... He appears to be extremely 'famous' on the internet... but nothing is known about him... Anyway, just keep an eye on things, okay?"

Ayuka laughed and grinned. "You got it! I'm confident I'll be able to manage just one male... After all, I'm used to dealing with you." Tim blushed as a result of her words, so he gripped the back of his head and faded back.

"...sure... yeah..."

"I'll see you!" Ayuka chuckled when Codey yelled from the top of the floor as Ayuka raced through the door. "Stupid fools! What happened to my goddamn scissors?!" Tim was startled by his yell and slid, hitting the back of his head.

"What the heck is going on here, dude! You don't have to scream like a lunatic!" Tim was irritated. "Sorry... I'm just looking for my scissors,"

"I've already informed you! I have no idea where those scissors have gone!"

"... Have you looked in the drawer of your table?" While cooking the meal, Kylin inquired. "Screw you Hotaru! I've looked in all the right places! I'm not that stupid..." Codey walked inside the room and rummaged through the drawers until he found his scissors, at which point he shouted.

"... never mind, they're in here ..."

Kylin reached for the knife. "Thought so..."

- Enrokonai City (Dueling Academy), Saturday, 00:00 am -

Alpha was already standing there, her hands in her hoodie pockets, waiting.

Ayuka and Nina, on the other hand, had been hidden for some time, waiting for the right moment.

Yujiro eventually arrived, his gaze fixed on Alpha. "At the very least, you came... I assumed you'd be terrified..." While both of them pointed their wrists towards each other, Alpha claimed.

When both of them swiped their hands over the watch, the holographic panels in front of them, as well as a larger one on the side, exchanged data.

Alpha rotated it around so Ayuka and Nina could examine it as well.

Ayuka grabbed for it, her turtleneck concealing her mouth and her black hood covering the top of her head.

"Everything about his data is shrouded in mystery... We'll have to rely on tackling him down, I suppose..." Nina looked at her watch as Ayuka whispered.

"... It's unusual, to say the least... Let's hope he buys into our plan..." Nina asserted, and Ayuka nodded, covering her nose and mouth once more with her turtleneck.

As the fight began to take shape, Alpha and Yujiro swiped the displays away, finally waited for the countdown to begin.

To be continued...