Chapter 33: After the Duel

“…Whew.”

Having finished the match, I let out a breath.

“That was amazing! Absolutely splendid!”

Hashimoto-san, clearly still hyped up, leapt at me.

My head was buried in her ample chest, overwhelmed by its softness and volume. The sweet scent of her perfume swirled around me as everything bounced and jiggled with each dizzying shake, making it hard to breathe… wait, I can’t breathe…

“H-Hashimoto-san… c-can’t… breathe…”

“Oh dear, my apologies.”

Noticing my struggle, Hashimoto-san quickly let go of my head.

That chest… it’s deadly in more ways than one. I nearly got sent straight to heaven. That softness…

As I was savoring the afterglow, Alicia’s voice suddenly came through.

“…Ikuto-san, could we talk later?”

…Ugh. That was totally beyond my control, Alicia-san.

As I cursed the unfairness of the world, a now-composed Hashimoto-san spoke up.

“My deepest apologies for losing my composure. I’ve hardly ever won unless Souta-san’s Soil of the Earth card didn’t show up in his hand, so I just got a bit carried away…”

I thought it during the match too, but seriously, what the hell is Souta doing bullying a beginner like that… And still, Hashimoto-san kept on playing under those conditions. That’s impressive in its own right.

“…Um, Kisaragi-san, I have a request. It’s because I saw how skilled you are at WISo…”

Hashimoto-san turned to me with a serious expression.

“Would you be willing to teach me how to play WISo?”

Come to think of it, she said she wanted to get stronger—that’s why she played against Souta.

I don’t know why exactly, but something about her straightforward earnestness makes me want to respond. Knowing Souta, that match was probably his own awkward way of seriously facing her.

“I can speak with my butler to have you hired as a tutor and paid an hourly wage. I’ll also have the necessary cards prepared for you.”

“…You don’t need to go that far. If you’re okay with me, I’d be happy to teach you. But in return, would you be my friend?”

“…Yes! I’d be delighted, Kisaragi-san!”

“You can call me Alice. I’ll call you Suzuka-senpai… Also, do you mind if I drop the formal speech?”

“No problem at all, Alice-san! …I speak this way with everyone, so please don’t feel awkward about it.”

Just as I became friends with Suzuka-senpai, Souta chimed in.

“…You know, I’m technically your senpai too. What’s with the difference in treatment?”

“I just can’t bring myself to respect someone like you, Souta, who mercilessly crushes beginners with a control deck…”

“Ugh… well, whatever. More importantly, Alice, you did pretty well back there.”

“…Looks like I managed to meet your expectations.”

“You went above and beyond… Wait, don’t tell me—you learned WISo from Ikuto?”

“…Uh, um… why would you think that?”

“Your vibe when playing, your style—it was all so similar. And that little ritual where you knock on the top of your deck when it matters most… I seriously thought you were Ikuto’s clone.”

Because I am him. Not that I can say that.

“Souta’s right—Ikuto-nii-san is my Wiso master.”

And just like that, a weird new backstory got added to Alice.

“Alice-san, are you… part of Kisaragi Ikuto-san’s family…?”

Suzuka-senpai, who said that, seemed to have gone pale for some reason.

Does Suzuka-senpai know about Ikuto? I mean, they were classmates, so it wouldn’t be strange if she did.

At the very least, I don’t remember anything about Suzuka-senpai—or rather, just Suzuka in my head now, since we were classmates.

“Yes. I’m his stepsister.”

“…I see. I’m sorry… I…”

That was all Suzuka said before lowering her face and falling silent.

As I wondered what to do, Souta stepped in to cover.

“Alice, can you teach her Wiso after school tomorrow? Suzuka, let’s talk then, okay?”

“I’m fine with that.”

“So am I… Thank you, Souta-san…”

And with that, the group broke up for the day.

When I got home and told Yuna what had happened, she predictably gave me a tired look and said, “Alice… what on earth are you doing?”

Then, at dinner, Alicia casually spilled the fact that I had my face buried in Suzuka’s chest and was making a dumb expression—right in front of Mom and Yuna. I honestly wanted to disappear.

…Maybe I’ll head to the library during lunch tomorrow. Just because.