Let's play cards! In a fantasy world of swords and magic

In You Ling's memory, various forms of Kuriboh were the signature monsters of the protagonists in Yu-Gi-Oh!

Although Kuriboh monsters seemed to have "weakness" written all over their faces, the phrase "relying on Kuriboh in desperate situations" wasn't just a joke.

Even if it was a weak monster, it was a weak monster that could save your life—a weak monster with an effect.

For Aisha's breakthrough summon, both You Ling and Teacher Erin could give it full marks. Winning the "Most Improved" award was well-deserved.

"Getting full marks in this way feels… complicated."

After transforming the Kuriboh in her arms into a card and adding it to her deck, Aisha's summon marked the end of the morning's summoning class.

Finally lighting the cigarette she had been longing for, Teacher Erin didn't rush back to the faculty office after class. Instead, she approached Aisha.

"Secondhand smoke is bad for you, Teacher. Please stay away."

For every step Teacher Erin took forward, Aisha took a step back.

"Stop dodging. I just want to say one thing."

Teacher Erin tilted her head, took a puff of her cigarette, and then reluctantly removed it from her mouth.

"I noticed during class that you've already gotten familiar with Luka Slint. That makes things easier. You can just take her back to your dorm."

"Huh? Take her back to the dorm? What do you mean?"

Aisha's ahoge split into three question marks as she tilted her head in confusion.

At this moment, Luka was already surrounded by her classmates, unable to break free.

Out of enthusiasm for the beautiful transfer student, everyone was chattering away, bombarding Luka with questions, almost as if they wanted to dig through her family history.

"Aisha, you've been living alone in your dorm because your student number is the last one. Now that Luka's here, we can just assign her to your room."

"Wait a minute!" Ilin raised an objection. "Shouldn't I be Aisha's roommate?"

"If you say that, Rose might cry, Ilin," Teacher Erin corrected.

Rose Dale was Ilin's actual roommate. A quiet girl who didn't stand out much, her dueling skills and grades were about average.

As a roommate, ever since You Ling arrived, Rose had often been left alone in the dorm at night.

Now, even her official roommate title was about to be stripped away by Ilin.

"Sorry, please don't tell Rose."

Realizing she had misspoken, Ilin stuck out her tongue in apology.

Ilin actually had a good impression of her roommate, having lived together for half a year.

But because of You Ling, Ilin had barely returned to the dorm recently, leaving her with a sense of guilt for neglecting Rose.

I swear I'm not seeing some guy outside! I'm just protecting Aisha!

"Anyway, Luka is in your care now, Aisha. The Slint family is a well-known noble family in the empire. Building a good relationship with her will definitely be beneficial."

The plight of the Carlos family was common knowledge at Fusion Academy.

At a time like this, forming connections with people from other countries could be another way out.

Of course, as a teacher, Erin hoped that students could live more purely within the academy, free from the political intrigues of the nobility.

But given the social hierarchy, most students were from noble families, making it impossible to remain completely detached.

"So, I'm supposed to take care of Luka?"

Aisha's gaze shifted to Luka, who was surrounded by a crowd of students.

Just then, Luka also looked in Aisha's direction.

After their eyes met, Luka immediately put on a pitiful expression, silently pleading for rescue.

"Alright."

Aisha nodded in agreement and then squeezed through the crowd. Using the excuse of taking Luka back to the dorm, she rescued the "stranded" girl.

"Phew! Saved." Luka let out a long sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Everyone was so enthusiastic. If it weren't for Aisha, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Aisha smiled in return. "It's rare for Fusion Academy to have a transfer student. Everyone must be really curious about you, Luka."

"I get it, I get it. Just like how I'm curious about you, Aisha."

Holding onto Aisha's arm, Luka clung to her.

"What surprised me the most was finding out we're roommates. I'm starting to believe this is fate!"

With her angelic face and pure smile, Luka instantly transformed from a transfer student into a little sister-type character, making Aisha's heart flutter.

No, no, I can't betray Mr. You Ling!

Aisha shook her head vigorously, trying to stay clear-headed.

Mr. You Ling said that women would only slow down my card-playing speed.

"I'm just an ordinary person. There's not much to know about me."

"That's not true."

Luka gently narrowed her eyes, her sapphire-blue gaze subtly shifting to the Millennium Puzzle hanging from Aisha's chest.

"I want to know the secret behind your strength, Aisha. How did you defeat Kevin Seto, the grade's number one? What's your dueling style like?"

This was Luka's 100%, truer than pearls, genuine curiosity.

After seeing Aisha's weak summon and the class's excitement over Kuriboh, Luka became even more curious about what kind of duelist Aisha Yuna Carlos really was.

Her intense curiosity even made Luka regret impulsively killing Dekur that night.

The barrier master, Megan, didn't know the details of Aisha's duel this time., and Dekur, the only witness who knew about Aisha, could no longer speak.

"I think you'll find out during tomorrow's practical test, Luka. It's not a very flashy style, and it might disappoint you."

Aisha's lack of confidence stemmed from You Ling's change in training strategy.

Although You Ling could easily take over Aisha's duels, out of respect for the Pharaoh's advice, he decided that, at least for the academy's practical tests, it would be better to let Aisha fight on her own.

"Tomorrow's the practical test? Huh, that's different from XYZ Academy."

At XYZ Academy, practical dueling classes were held from Monday to Wednesday.

Three days of dueling each week far exceeded Fusion Academy's once-a-week schedule.

"So, Aisha, do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?"

"The kind of fate that draws two people together because of a certain trait."

Luka smiled mysteriously.

As the Pharaoh had said, the holders of the Millennium Items were destined to be drawn to each other.

Before school ended on Thursday afternoon, as per tradition, the matchups for Friday's practical test were announced.

Bound by the intersecting fates of their Millennium Items, Aisha and Luka stood together on the duel field just one day after meeting.