"Yunagi Minamoto?"
When Raku heard that name, his eyebrow naturally lifted.
Why did that name sound so much like a protagonist's name? A "Yu"-generation name, after all. And if this guy also had some kind of seafood-like hairstyle, that would make it even more ridiculous.
Regardless, he had no spare energy to worry about whether someone else was the protagonist. Right now, the most important thing was the pile of red and green cards in his hands.
After returning home, Raku tossed his school bag onto the sofa and went straight into his bedroom.
The curtains were drawn shut, and the room was lit only by the warm yellow glow of a desk lamp.
He took out the underhanded Deck he had just built and placed it on the worn dark blue desk mat.
Shuffle.
Cut.
Shuffle again.
He performed the sequence smoothly and naturally, without any flashy tricks; just the most solid method for thoroughly randomizing the order of the cards.
"Opening five cards."
Raku drew five cards from the top of the Deck and spread them across the desk.
[Bad Reaction to Simochi], [Gift Card], [Trap Trick], [Jar of Greed], [One Day of Peace].
Perfect.
A starting hand like this could already disgust the opponent to death on the first turn.
If he went first, he could Set [Bad Reaction to Simochi] and [Gift Card], and even use [Trap Trick] to fetch another Trap. As long as the opponent finished their Standby Phase before they even drew a card, 3000 Life Points would already be gone.
If he went second, [One Day of Peace] was practically a get-out-of-death-free card, and it also helped him cycle his Deck.
"One more time."
He gathered the cards and shuffled again.
This time, the opening hand was slightly worse—entirely red Trap Cards, lacking that crucial touch of pink.
[The Paths of Destiny], [Heavy Slump], [Jar of Greed], [Jar of Greed], [Transaction Rollback].
"A bit bricky, but still playable."
Raku pulled the two [Jar of Greed] aside and glanced at them.
This was the weakness of a full Trap strategy. Without monsters to smooth things out, if he failed to draw the core cards, he could only rely on simple draw effects like this to filter through the Deck.
However, considering that most people in this world were still using Normal Monsters to beat each other down, as long as he could stall for a turn or two and stick [Bad Reaction to Simochi] onto the field, he would already be halfway to victory.
He ran the consistency test more than a dozen times.
Aside from a few extremely bricked hands—such as opening with multiple [Heavy Slump], which required the opponent to have many cards in hand—the overall flow was unexpectedly smooth.
Even without a single Monster Card, the Deck possessed a strangely resilient life of its own.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening came from the entrance, followed by that familiar voice that always seemed full of energy.
"Prison bro! I'm back!"
Raku's hands froze for a moment. He quickly gathered the cards on the desk into a stack, stuffed them into the dark blue card case, pushed the case into the deepest part of the drawer, closed it, and locked it.
The entire sequence was so fast it looked like he was hiding criminal evidence.
"Coming."
He walked out of the bedroom just in time to see Rikka kicking off her dusty black loafers and slipping into pink rabbit slippers.
"Big brother skipped school again today, didn't he?"
Rikka took off that absurdly oversized windbreaker and casually hung it on the rack, then darted into the kitchen like a cat, peeking curiously into the pot.
Noodles were boiling inside. Steam rose upward, carrying the aroma of scallions and eggs.
"Hey, hey, what do you mean 'skipped school'? I took leave with my own ability."
Raku sprinkled the chopped scallions into the pot and stirred it twice with chopsticks. "Didn't you hear? I was feeling unwell. That's a legitimate reason."
"You look as strong as an ox."
Rikka stuck out her tongue and took two bowls from the cabinet, placing them on the table.
"Then tomorrow is the weekend. Are you planning to go to Duel Park and find some duelists to duel?"
Raku lowered the heat and began serving the noodles.
"Would other people actually agree?"
He was still uncertain about the common sense of this world.
In his original world, if you randomly stopped a stranger in a park and said, "Let's play cards," you would probably be treated like a lunatic or a salesman. But this was a world where dueling stood above everything. A place called "Duel Park"...
"As long as your eyes meet, they'll agree."
Rikka accepted the bowl of noodles and smiled so brightly that her eyes curved into crescents.
"It's the rule among duelists. Everyone understands it."
"What a sloppy rule."
Raku couldn't help but complain as he sat down across from her with his bowl.
Anyhow, that worked out well. If everyone treated duels so casually, then he wouldn't hold back either.
"Everyone is very passionate," Rikka said. "Prison bro, you too. You have to carry that strong, invincible, unbeatable feeling if you want a chance to enter Duel Academy."
Rikka slurped up a big mouthful of noodles, set down her chopsticks, suddenly stood up, and spun around in the small dining room.
Even though the clothes she wore at home weren't as flashy as the windbreaker, they still fluttered as she moved. The silver ahoge on top of her head bounced happily.
"As long as Blue-Eyes is in your heart, everywhere is a dueling arena!"
She struck an exaggerated pose with her right hand raised high, as if she were holding the legendary white dragon.
"Do you really like Blue-Eyes White Dragon that much? Why is it always 'strong, invincible, unbeatable' or 'crushed to pieces, shattered to jade, thunderous applause'?"
Raku bit into the fried egg he had picked up with his chopsticks. The soft yolk flowed out, tasting just right.
"If you're a Dragon Tamer, how could you not admire the white dragon?"
Rikka sat back down, resting her cheeks in her hands. In her blue eyes shone something called admiration.
"It's the peak of power, the symbol of pride.
"After the college entrance exam, if I enter Duel Academy and manage to get into Obelisk Blue, I might even have the chance to see the current Chairman Kaiba.
"If I could see her summon Blue-Eyes with my own eyes… wow, just thinking about it makes me want to faint."
"Dreams are beautiful."
Raku swallowed the last bite of noodles and put down his chopsticks.
"But before that, you should wash that windbreaker. I saw earlier that the hem had already turned black."
"Hey! Those are battle medals!"
Rikka jumped up again, rushed over, and picked up the windbreaker, carefully inspecting the hem while muttering to herself.
"Oh no, oh no, this is the key prop for imitating the chairman. It can't be dirty!"
Sunlight filtered through the dense camphor tree leaves in the park, scattering countless shifting patches of light across the red rubber flooring.
Raku bit into the last soup dumpling, the broth sloshing around inside the plastic bag. He glanced at Rikka beside him, who was puffing out her cheeks while chewing. The hem of that black long windbreaker slapped against her ankles with every step, like it was keeping rhythm for this otherwise boring walk.
What used to be a morning Taekwondo training ground was now a scene full of fiery activity.
Dozens of students in uniform blue training outfits stood in formation. Each of them had a heavy Duel Disk fastened to their left arm.
"My turn, draw!"
Dozens of voices merged, loud enough to send a flock of sparrows fluttering off the trees.
A burly man with a buzz cut walked between the rows with his hands behind his back. He stopped in front of a student whose movement had been slightly slow, his booming voice nearly bursting the boy's eardrums.
"No spirit! Again! That movement was too weak! Do you think you can earn the response of Cyber Dragon with that kind of presence?! They will only think you're a coward!"
"Yes! My turn, draw!!!"
The student jolted as if struck by electricity, his arm snapping upward as the motion of drawing a card created a faint gust of wind.
Raku stopped walking.
He watched the synchronized, mechanical movements of the group. When they drew a card, their toes pressed against the ground, their waist twisted with force, and the power traveled up their spine to their fingertips.
This wasn't playing cards at all… this was sword training.
"That's better." The instructor nodded, his tone easing before immediately roaring again. "But Cyber Dragon still didn't answer your hand! That means your will isn't strong enough! Again!"
Raku stared at the metallic sheen of the heavy Duel Disks under the sunlight.
In this world, it seemed even drawing a card required physical strength. This kind of repeated high‑intensity movement was said to train a duelist's "response," but in reality, it was squeezing their stamina dry.
"So, prison bro, have you found an opponent yet?"
Rikka swallowed the last bite in her mouth and crumpled the empty plastic bag into a ball. Her blue eyes shone brightly beneath the shade of the trees.
"The kind where your eyes meet."
"Not yet."
Raku instinctively touched the strap of his shoulder bag.
That entirely red underworld Deck rested inside it. Without a single Monster Card, the whole Deck looked noticeably thinner than most people's.
"By the way, I still don't know what Deck you run, big brother."
Rikka tilted her head and stared at his pocket. The ahoge on top of her head swayed as her tone carried a teasing curiosity.
"With your personality, you probably built something cool, right? Maybe a powerful Dragon Deck, or something full of heroic justice like HERO monsters?"
"Good guess."
Raku tossed the empty dumpling bag into the recycling bin beside the path and tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"If I could pull those cards, I definitely would. Unfortunately, my Deck will make your jaw drop."
More than just jaw‑dropping, it would probably shatter her worldview.
He could already imagine the expression on Rikka's face when she saw a field full of Trap Cards with not a single monster in sight. She would probably suspect her brother had suffered some kind of mental breakdown at school… or simply abandoned his dignity as a duelist altogether.
"Then big brother… want to raid their dojo?"
Rikka suddenly tugged on his sleeve. She lowered her voice and shot a glance toward the roaring Cyber‑Style instructor.
"Want to try dueling these Cyber Dragon players? They look really punchable. They're always shouting about willpower and spirit. If you win, that's real willpower, right?"
"Dueling is fine. Raiding their dojo isn't."
Raku looked toward the instructor who was currently yelling at the students.
Every movement the man made carried a kind of unstoppable ferocity. Schools that turned card games into martial arts usually had a strange sense of pride.
"Let's ask the instructor after they finish training."
At that moment, the training session seemed to be ending. The instructor blew the whistle hanging from his neck, the sharp sound cutting through the park's calm.
"Everyone! Dismissed! Rest for ten minutes, then we begin practice duels!"
The instructor turned around, and his eyes met Raku's.
His sharp gaze swept over Raku's somewhat lazy outfit before settling on the indented Duel Disk case at his side. His thick, short eyebrows looked like two pieces of charcoal.
"You two."
The instructor stepped forward, his leather shoes thudding heavily against the rubber ground.
"You've been watching for quite a while. Do you have some advice for Cyber Style, or are you just passing by to ask for an autograph?"
"Advice would be too much."
Raku stepped forward with a relaxed smile, as if he couldn't feel the oppressive aura coming from the man at all.
"I've admired Cyber Style for a long time. I just want to broaden my horizons."
"Oh?"
The instructor snorted and folded his arms across his chest. After examining Raku for a moment, he let out a low laugh.
"High school students these days are getting braver and braver. But if you want to duel my students, you need a little 'resolve.' The iron hooves of Cyber Style never stop just because the opponent is a beginner."
Raku reached toward his shoulder bag.
When his fingers touched the cold plastic surface of the card case, a subtle flicker of excitement passed through his eyes.
"My resolve is ready."
"In that case, show your Duel Disk."
The instructor waved toward the formation behind him.
"Masaru, step forward! Let this young man see what true 'Cyber will' looks like."
A steady‑looking teenager strode out. His eyes were focused, and the Duel Disk on his arm unfolded instantly with his movement, a streak of blue light tracing a bright arc through the air.
Raku stood where he was and slowly unfolded his own Duel Disk.
The Cyber‑Style trainees gathered around them, forming a circle. Rikka stood right at the front, her fists clenched, looking even more nervous than Raku.
"Prison bro, you can do it! Show them some color with your 'cool' Deck!"
Listening to his sister's cheering, Raku could only sigh inwardly.
Even if the cool cards were… Trap Cards.
"Star City Municipal Second Duel High School, third year. Raku. Please take care of me."
"Cyber‑Style Dojo, Endo Masaru. I'll let you go first. Come on!"
...
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