"Ah, um, well..."
Caught red-handed while secretly observing Aisha, Senior Irena, now face-to-face with her, quickly forced a smile to mask her embarrassment.
"Good afternoon, Aisha Yuna. Is there a book you're looking for? I can help you find it."
"Senior Irena!" Aisha quickly walked up to Senior Irena, her tone serious.
"Yes!" Irena felt a bit strange. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why did it feel like she was being scolded by Aisha, prompting her to respond so formally?
"Senior Irena, there's something I need to ask of you."
"Of course, Aisha. I'll do my best to help with whatever I can."
"I want to... borrow some spell points."
"Huh? Borrow spell points?"
Irena was shocked. Since she had entered her second year and taken on the role of librarian at Fusion Academy, she had never heard of any student borrowing spell points.
The reason was simple: the 10% daily interest rate was just too high.
If you couldn't pay it back in time, the interest would compound, making it even more terrifying.
Irena firmly believed that the academy's high-interest spell point loan system was just a warning to students to avoid getting involved in loans or other forms of超前消费 (premature consumption). Moreover, if someone like Aisha borrowed points and then got expelled or couldn't repay them, the academy would convert the points into money at an exaggerated rate—one that even most nobles couldn't handle.
Irena confirmed, "Are you sure you want to borrow spell points? It might lead to misfortune, Aisha."
"Mm-hmm!" Aisha nodded like a chick pecking at rice, her ahoge bobbing up and down to show her determination.
"Alright, I'll assess how many spell points you can borrow now."
Fusion Academy's rules stated that the librarian would evaluate a student's usual performance, conduct, and credibility to determine the exact amount they could borrow.
However, this assessment was highly subjective.
The impression the borrowing student left on the librarian was the most important factor.
If you weren't familiar with the librarian, they would simply look at your usual exam scores, duel win rate, and then, based on their mood, give you a number.
As for Aisha Yuna Carlos's impression in Senior Irena's mind...
To put it bluntly, no one could leave a better impression on Irena than Aisha.
Irena Cartel had volunteered to become the librarian at Fusion Academy after entering her second year because she loved reading.
After all, compared to joining some obscure duel club after class, Irena preferred staying in the quiet library to gain knowledge.
On her first day as a librarian, Irena, nervous due to her lack of experience, was instantly comforted by the first new student who walked into the library.
The adorable girl blinked her emerald-green eyes and softly called out, "Senior..." At that moment, Irena felt her heartstrings plucked.
It turned out that being a senior and being relied upon by a cute junior could be so fulfilling.
Although she later heard about Aisha Yuna Carlos's less-than-glorious achievements from others, Irena's opinion of the adorable girl never changed.
Perhaps it was because Aisha lacked talent in dueling, so she spent most of her free time studying in the library, giving Irena, the librarian, more opportunities to interact with her.
Aisha worked harder than anyone, was kinder than anyone... and most importantly, her smile was more heartwarming than anyone else's.
This was the assessment result given by Librarian Irena.
"Well, if it's for Aisha, I can agree to lend you 100 spell points."
"100 points?" Aisha's mouth opened slightly in disbelief. "Can I really borrow that much?"
You have to understand, Aisha had worked hard for an entire half-semester just to save up a pitiful 10 spell points. Now, Senior Irena was offering her a loan of 100 spell points. It almost felt like she had struck it rich overnight.
Of course, this 100-point loan would have to be paid back.
"That's right, 100 points," Irena confirmed. "I believe I've made the correct assessment. And I also believe that you, Aisha, have a legitimate reason for choosing to borrow from the library."
The news of Aisha Yuna Carlos's expulsion match against Kevin Seto had spread throughout Fusion Academy in just one afternoon, and naturally, it had reached Irena's ears.
Just like You Ling, Irena couldn't help but consider that this might be Aisha's last chance.
"Aisha, this is all I can do to help you," Irena silently wished her luck.
"Um, um, what should I do, Mr. You Ling? I can borrow a full 100 points!"
After learning about the loan amount, Aisha immediately communicated with You Ling inside the Millennium Puzzle through her thoughts.
"Do you even need to ask 'what should I do'?" You Ling replied directly. "Of course, go all in!"
"Go, go all in?" Aisha couldn't help but panic.
Borrowing 100 spell points meant a daily interest of 10 points. Just the interest on the first day would amount to all the credits Aisha had painstakingly accumulated over half a semester.
"If we go all in, what if we can't pay it back?"
"You're already on the verge of being expelled, and you're still worried about that? As long as we win tomorrow's duel, paying back 110 spell points shouldn't be a problem."
According to Fusion Academy's rules, students who win a practical test receive a base reward of 30 credits, which translates to 30 spell points. Additionally, based on the reward rules, the winner also gains corresponding credits from their opponent, depending on the opponent's strength.
For someone like Aisha, who had a 0% win rate, even if someone beat her, they'd probably only scrape a pitiful few credits. But Kevin Seto was different—he was a top-tier duelist who hadn't lost a single match since enrolling.
Defeating such an elite opponent would be like opening a treasure chest filled with riches accumulated by a dragon boss over many years. The spell points would pour out like gold coins from the chest.
"Burn your boats and fight with your back against the wall. Go all in, Aisha!"
"Alright, all in!" Inspired by You Ling, Aisha excitedly exclaimed.
"All in?" Irena was slightly taken aback.
"Uh, I mean, I want to borrow the full 100 spell points, Senior Irena."
"Understood. Please wait a moment, Aisha."
With slender fingers stirring mana, Irena, known as the Gray Witch, was not only skilled in duel monsters but also quite accomplished in magic.
Using her fingertip to inscribe complex incantations on the contract, Irena finally tapped a bit of mana onto Aisha's fair forehead.
"It's done, Aisha."
—Ding, Alipay payment received: 100 spell points.