"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), Monday, 10:50 am -
The students sat in groups of two or three in their chairs.
On the first day of school, where they looked to have papers on their tables, that needed to be filled out.
Despite the fact that the majority of the students were from the first year, some of them were new and were causing issues, such as our Hero and his classmate Ogura, also known as Alpha.
They were both laying their heads on the table, nearly squished together, because they were uninterested in the task they were assigned.
While sleeping, it looked like they were bored.
The drowsy bubbles continued to float through the air, while others appeared to be in perfect functioning order. Sure, some of them were irritated or angry about it, but at least they were awake.
Nina's classmate companion, on the other hand, looked to be Ayuka, and the two appeared to be getting along swimmingly. "Uh..." Nina was nervous after raising the paper.
"What's going on? Is there a problem?" Nina felt uncomfortably perplexed when Ayuka raised her head to exchange glances.
"T-There are some issues about the Dueling System's regulations... I'm a little confused." Nina did her hardest to hide her lack of unique skills, despite the fact that she had none.
"But, all you need for Dueling are the basic rules. Have you ever dueled before?" Nina was embarrassed, her cheeks reddening as she turned her gaze to the side.
"Of course..." Giggles could be heard. "I-I just don't know how to put them together in the right order..."
Then Ayuka grinned and lifted her finger. "Of course, that's understandable. Allow me to help!"
"Wait, what?" Nina was ultimately persuaded to continue the project.
"Yeah, of course! Why do you believe we were paired up on this project? That's silly; it's so that we may cooperate! Anyway, have a look at my solutions; I'm confident you'll understand them the next time these topics come up."
To assist Nina, Ayuka passed the paper across the table. "T-Thank you!"
"It's no trouble. Let's get back to work now."
Shin, their instructor, had been standing motionless for the past few hours, pacing around the classroom, checking on them and giving them notes.
That is until he discovered the sleeping couple.
"... dueling... damn..." Tim began speaking in his sleep, while Shin began quietly. "Have you two, by chance, figured out the ultimate solution to the 15th question?" There was no reaction.
"... why in the world did you bring a bear?" They continued to converse until Shin exhaled.
"Go to the principal after class!" Shin shouted for the first time, and Alpha and Tim sprang out of their seats, leaning back on them, and flew back, hitting their backs on the ground.
Every other student was forced to either become silent or get to work right away.
"What the hell were you thinking, man?" Right away, Alpha yelled, tugging her hair and protesting. "You didn't have to startle me like that! Just a little pat would've done the trick!" Tim shouted.
"You've been so preoccupied with your dreams... Don't forget about it now. After class, go straight to the principal's office."
"What for?! We didn't do anything except sleep!" They screamed in unison.
"There you'll find answers... Now get back to work; you only have 10 minutes to do it..." Shin eventually walked away, giving Tim and Alpha the opportunity to adjust their chairs.
"How come you didn't wake me up?!" Alpha exclaimed, her finger pointing towards Tim. "Isn't my responsibility to ask you that? With how tiny a girl you are, you were definitely dreaming of teddy bears!"
"I'm going to make you swallow those words! I'm sure you dreamed about candy and shit, jackass!"
"If that's the case, it's certainly preferable to sleeping with teddy bears!"
"Jerk, who said I had them?! Candy eater, I'd rather chop them openly than cope with their plushness!"
"Candies are consumed by almost everyone! But I'm not the type of person who stuffs his lips with them!"
"Yeah? I bet!"
"Give it a shot!"
"That's enough! You both put your feet on the table first, and now you're simply shouting across the classroom!" Takanori's companion, Codey, yelled.
"One-eyed Demon, keep your mouth shut!" They both raged and grumbled.
"It was your goddamn fault that this happened! None of this would have happened if you hadn't gone berserk! You're a goddamned loser!"
"Alright, that's a little too far!" Tim screamed and pointed at him.
"It's true, I mean. Your rampage made headlines throughout the world. I'm amazed you weren't arrested and brought to a jail..." Takanori declared as he leaned back in his chair.
"If it weren't for me, the one-eyed Demon would keep going until he'd destroyed everything!"
"You still threw me in a psychiatric facility! I had to spend the night there!"
"Someone is afraid of being alone for one night? Waiting for the therapy... How adorable." After irritating Codey, Alpha claimed. "It isn't frightening! It was lonely, for the love of God!"
"What? Oh, that's right... I forgot how much you adore following me around like a stray animal..."
The majority of the class laughed as a result. "I'm going to force you to taste your words!" Codey screamed angrily. "I believe you should be the one to take care of it. After all, your razor-sharp teeth are capable of piercing flesh. So I'm sure you'll find it simpler to get through those words."
"Damn it!"
"That's all right! Let's get this party started! I'm ready to set fire to each of you!" When the flames started to burn on Okamoto's head, he screamed. "We understand... You're sweltering... Calm down for the sake of your own sanity..." Kiyoshi, who was bored and had his arm resting on his chin, claimed.
"Shut up, red-haired protagonist looking shit!"
"At the very least, I have hair..."
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you! For the love of God, I have hair! Look, I'll show you something more detailed!" Okamoto cocked his head forward, revealing only the tiniest sliver of his hairline.
"Hold the phone, baby! Are you attempting to set fire to me? Hey there, dude! That's a stretch! I know you want a haircut, and I'll gladly deliver one to you."
"Shut up!!!"
"Both of you are ready for the first year of kindergarten..." A boy claimed to be calm and patient. "Shigeru, who told you to get involved?"
"... I'm simply putting it out there..." Shigeru continued to type the answers as he talked.
"I'm the man if you want to fight me!" Kiyoshi was still unimpressed as Okamoto's hair began to flame.
"You still haven't grown any hair..."
"How many times do I have to say it?!"
"All right, that's enough!! The bell is about to ring, so finish your job." Shin gave the command, and the bell rang just as he said. "Tim, Alpha. Remember to pay a visit to the principal."
"Yeah, whatever..." When Tim turned to face Alpha, everyone gathered up their bags. "So... what do you suppose he'll do?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tim sighed as they both departed the classroom. "The principal?"
"Probably nothing. He'll most likely just assign us extra work for the day..."
"... I'll be honest, unamusement is on my mind right now..."
"Shut up..."
"The beautiful assassin and protector. I need you to fulfill a request for me!" Jupiter, also known as Junya, talked.
"Charge my phone," Junya froze as Tim handed him the phone.
Junya finally sighed and began charging the phone with his own power. "Why do I feel like I'm being exploited for the most insignificant things?"
"Um... so Ayuka..." Nina and Ayuka proceeded to walk along the corridor during their lunch break. "Whatcha need?"
"Is it feasible for you to take me around after class? I'm still getting used to it, and many other kids are still familiar with me. So, because I've met you a little more... and you seem like a good girl, I figured you could handle it."
"Yeah, of course! When you're with me, you won't be stressed. If you ever want advice or anything, please don't hesitate to approach me. We'll go together, and I'll show you what I'm talking about!"
"Oh, you're serious? T-Thanks once more!"
"Of course!"
- Enrokonai City (Dueling Academy), Monday, 11:30 am -
The cafeteria was packed with kids, and most of them were seated at tables, eating.
"I'm hoping it's not something crappy to eat..." Koto expressed his displeasure by speaking. "What's the deal now?" Following Koto, a girl wondered, clutching the stray.
"I'm a vegetarian... I just don't eat meat..." As a result, Kikyo, the girl who was following him, seemed unimpressed.
"Brutal..."
"What exactly do you mean by "brutal"? If necessary, it is rational for a human to be a vegetarian!"
"Oh, yes, I'm well aware... But, Pakimokotoko, you're losing out on the most important meal of the day!" Everyone looked perplexed as Kikyo took the plate and displayed it.
"What the hell is 'Pakimokotoko' meant to mean? Is there such a thing as a word?" Ryouhei was the first to ask, followed by Ayumu.
Kikyo walked to the side as sweat dripped down her brow. "Isn't it 'Pakimokotoko'?" Wiggling question marks climbed to the top of her cranium.
"Are you referring to 'Pakimoto'?" Ryouhei commented as he sipped his regular beverage.
"Didn't I just say something like that? So, what's the matter with 'Pakimokotoko'?"
"Now that I think about it, you most certainly did." Ryouhei walked aside, lying to her face. "Hah, I knew I was on to something!"
"What the hell is a 'Pakimoto'?" Looking around at everyone who knew, Iva pondered. "It's a typical Enrokonai City dish made with grilled beef and a unique sauce available exclusively at the shop... If you want to learn more about 'Pakimoto,' go online or look at the wall sign. It will inform you." Ryouhei included.
"To me, that sounds like trash..." Slurping on his straw, Elliot laughed.
"So it is true..."
Everyone was perplexed as they stared at Codey.
"Something nastier than you can be discovered!" After roasting Elliot, Codey burst out laughing, surrounded by his classmates.
Elliot silently replaced the straw in his mouth without saying anything more. Iva said, "I kind of feel guilty...", but she still laughed. "... I see how it is ..." Elliot sat behind the table, ignoring everyone.
"I'm perplexed... are all of your students like this?" Nina inquired her stray in her arms.
"Before being moved to this Academy, I didn't have high expectations... But, in the end, it seems that I was correct... chaos reigned supreme at the Academy." Ayuka was nice once more as she poured orange juice into both cups.
"Let's take a break here and rest." Both of the two females sat down in the corner, and the cafeteria looked to be normal until someone emerged from behind the bushes, wearing a black hoodie and clutching a camera.
He took a shot of Ayuka and Nina after zooming in on them with it.
The light flashed in the glass, and Ayuka stopped, turning her eyes to the side, just as she was about to bite into the meat. But there was nothing unusual about it when she did so...
On the surface, everything looked to be in order.
"Is there a problem, Ayuka?" Nina became anxious after a few seconds of quiet.
"... I have the impression that we, or at least one of us, are being watched..."
Nina was terrified and worried when she heard those remarks.
To be continued...