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

"A card left by your grandmother? You're giving me something so precious? Isn't that..."

Aisha stared blankly at the [Witch of the Star Chalice] in her hand, which boasted 2100 defense points. Regardless of the card's strength, the fact that it was a tradable card alone made it incredibly valuable.

Overwhelmed by the gesture, Aisha felt a twinge of unease.

Just as she was about to refuse, You Ling's voice echoed in her mind.

"Don't refuse it, Aisha. We need the power of this card right now."

"Mr. You Ling?"

"The most critical issue at hand is winning tomorrow's duel and ensuring you stay at Fusion Academy. In situations like this, there's a saying: 'Leave no stone unturned.' Even a 0.1 increase in combat power should be accepted with gratitude."

Moreover, the [Witch of the Star Chalice] that Irena had given Aisha wasn't just a 0.1 boost to her deck full of weak monsters.

Nodding slightly, Aisha understood the intent behind You Ling's words and further confirmed her current predicament.

"Thank you so much, Senior Irena! I'll treasure it!"

Bowing deeply to the senior who had shown her such kindness, Aisha expressed her gratitude in the most heartfelt way she could think of.

"Hehe, why so formal? You're making me blush."

With a soft smile, Irena pretended to be embarrassed, but deep down, she couldn't help but admire Aisha Yuna Carlos. Despite being from a declining noble family, she was a rare, kind-hearted, and polite girl.

As a reward for giving her the card, Irena ruffled Aisha's soft white hair and the spirited ahoge on her head, thoroughly healing her own heart in the process.

"Good luck, Aisha. I hope to see you still at the academy after tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll definitely win, Senior. See you tomorrow!"

After bidding farewell to Senior Irena, the sky had already darkened, and Aisha returned to her dorm room alone, as usual.

According to Fusion Academy's rules, student dormitories were required to house two students per room. This rule, set by the academy's headmaster, couldn't be changed, no matter how influential your family was.

However, Aisha was the only student in the academy who had a room all to herself.

Of course, there was no complicated backstory or family conspiracy behind this.

It was simply because the number of female students was odd, and Aisha happened to be the last student in the enrollment list when rooms were assigned.

Over the past half-semester, Aisha had grown accustomed to being alone in her dorm room after curfew.

She would read a book, play with her magic console, take a bath, and then go to bed.

Living alone certainly had its perks—no roommate to disturb her.

The downside, however, was that she sometimes felt lonely.

But starting today, Aisha's solitary life would be different.

"Mr. You Ling, are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Though she appeared to be alone in her room, Aisha now had someone to talk to. Holding the Millennium Puzzle, a blush crept onto her cheeks.

"Um, Mr. You Ling. It's getting late, and I want to go to sleep."

"Alright, rest well. It's very important for a duelist."

"But before I sleep, I need to..." Sitting on the chair at her desk, Aisha's fair little toes awkwardly dug into the floor. "I want to take a bath."

After holding it in for a while, Aisha finally mustered the courage to voice her biggest concern.

Since You Ling had taken up residence in her soul, Aisha had tried putting the Millennium Puzzle aside.

But even when the Millennium Puzzle wasn't on her person, likely due to their soul-binding state, You Ling could still communicate with her without any issues.

In other words, even if she stripped naked to take a bath, You Ling would still be by her side.

"I won't peek. That's the most basic respect for my host," You Ling assured her.

"I believe you, Mr. You Ling. But even so..."

During the soul swap, Aisha had experienced what it was like to see through the eyes of a soul.

It was the same as what her physical body saw—vision sharing.

This wasn't a matter of whether You Ling wanted to peek or not. Whatever Aisha saw would be transmitted to You Ling with crystal-clear clarity, like a 4K high-definition screen.

And so, with a clever twist of her little brain, Aisha came up with a brilliant idea.

—

"Do you really need to take a bath blindfolded? Isn't that too dangerous?"

"It's fine, Mr. You Ling!"

Wearing the lavender sleep mask she usually wore at night, Aisha stood in front of the bathroom door, finally feeling somewhat at ease about undressing.

After quickly stripping down to nothing but the eye mask, 'Blind Monk' Aisha fumbled her way into the bathroom.

"I'm very familiar with the layout of this room. Even if I can't see, I can feel my way through... Ouch, that hurts!"

The first step into the bathroom, and Aisha's shin collided with the edge of the bathtub—a rough start.

"It's fine, just a small mishap. I just need to be more careful... Ah, it's so slippery!"

Whoosh—!

Bang—!

Thud—!

Clang—!

A series of small accidents unfolded, starting with Aisha slipping and triggering a chain reaction of noises in the bathroom.

"That hurt so much!"

Rubbing her bottom, which had made zero-distance contact with the bathroom floor, Aisha's eye mask slowly slipped off due to the intense impact, no longer able to shield her delicate emerald-green eyes.

"Well, this is... thanks for the treat," You Ling said helplessly.

As the eye mask slipped off, before Aisha could react, the scene was fully revealed to both her and You Ling's shared vision.

"QvQ Wuwuwu, I completely messed up."

...

After the awkward "first night" between the girl and the boy's souls, the second day finally arrived—a turning point they would face together.

Every Friday was the day for first-year practical tests at Fusion Academy, Saturdays for second-years, and Sundays for third-years.

According to the academy's arranged duel order, duels would take place one after another in the arena.

With over 20 one-on-one duels to be conducted, all under the supervision of several teachers, the weekly practical tests usually started in the morning and lasted until nearly sunset.

However, this week's first-year practical test had unusually attracted many upperclassmen who came to watch the spectacle.

Despite being just an ordinary weekly event, the atmosphere in the venue was as lively as if a major duel tournament was about to take place.

As for what everyone was here to see, it was clear to all.

"Wuwuwu, I really can't bear to part with Little Ai," Ilin said, tears streaming down her face as she hugged Aisha's head and ruffled her hair.

"Honestly, how could so many people come to watch Little Ai's expulsion duel? That's so mean!"

"What do you mean 'expulsion duel'? Stop crying, Lin. I might not lose!" Aisha argued.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Little Ai is quite capable too," Ilin said, her tone suddenly tinged with a hint of jealousy. "After all, you managed to get Senior Irena to back you up. That's really something."

The duel between Aisha and Kevin had attracted so many spectators largely due to Irena's remarks at the magic restaurant the previous night.

With only a little over 100 students at Fusion Duel Academy, such explosive news was enough to spread throughout the entire school in just one night.

The strongest first-year, Kevin, who maintained a 100% duel win rate, would lose to Aisha Yuna Carlos, the bottom-feeder on the verge of expulsion?

Regardless of how credible Irena's words were, this duel between the weakest and the strongest had successfully piqued everyone's curiosity.

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