"A card from your grandmother... giving me something this precious, are you sure..."
Aisha stared blankly at the [Crowned by the World Chalice] card in her hands. With 2100 Defense, and more importantly, its status as a tradable card, it was already invaluable.
Overwhelmed, Aisha began to feel hesitant.
She was about to decline when Miles's voice rang out in her mind.
"Don't refuse, Aisha. We need this card."
"Mr. Miles?"
"The most important thing right now is winning tomorrow's Duel and staying at Fusion Academy. There's a saying: 'Do whatever it takes.' Even if it boosts our odds by 0.1%, we should be grateful and take it."
And [Crowned by the World Chalice] wasn't just a 0.1% improvement—in Aisha's janky deck, it was a game-changer.
Understanding Miles's intent, Aisha nodded solemnly.
"Thank you so much, Irena-senpai! I'll treasure it with all my heart!"
She bowed deeply to the upperclassman who had shown her such care.
"Hehe, no need to be so formal. You're making me shy."
Despite her words, Irena smiled warmly. Aisha Yuna Carlos might be a noble from a fallen house, but she was a rare kind of soul with sincere manners.
As her 'fee' for gifting the card, Irena vigorously ruffled Aisha's soft white hair and endearingly twitching ahoge.
"Good luck, Aisha. I hope I'll still see you around the academy after tomorrow."
"Mhm! I'm going to win, senpai! See you tomorrow!"
After parting with Irena, Aisha returned to her dorm alone, as usual. Night had fully fallen.
By academy rules, student dorms housed two students per room. The headmaster had personally mandated this, and not even noble status could override it.
Even so, Aisha was the sole exception.
There was no dramatic backstory or political reason. It was just that the number of female students was odd, and Aisha happened to be the last in the registration order.
For half a semester, she'd gotten used to spending her nights alone after curfew.
She'd read a bit, fiddle with her magic console, take a bath, then go to bed.
Living alone had its perks—no one disturbed her.
But it could get lonely.
Yet tonight, something was different.
"Mr. Miles? Are you there?"
"I'm here."
Though she looked alone in her room, Aisha now had someone to talk to. Holding the Millennium Puzzle, a soft blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Umm, Mr. Miles... It's getting late, so I think I'll go to sleep."
"Rest well. Good sleep is important for a Duelist."
"But before that, I... I want to take a bath."
Sitting at her desk, Aisha nervously scraped her bare foot against the floor, hesitant to bring up her real concern.
She had tried putting the Millennium Puzzle aside, but even without holding it, Miles could still communicate with her. As long as their souls were bound, they could share thoughts.
Which meant that even if she was completely naked in the bath... Miles was still technically with her.
"I won't peek. That's a basic courtesy toward my host," Miles assured.
"I trust you, Mr. Miles... but still..."
She had already experienced Soul Vision—what Miles saw in his soul-state was identical to what she saw—Shared perspective.
It wasn't a matter of intent. If Aisha could see it, Miles could, too.
Then, her clever little brain came up with a brilliant idea.
…
"Do you really need to bathe blindfolded? Isn't that too dangerous?"
"It's fine, Mr. Miles!"
Wearing her lavender sleeping blindfold, Aisha finally gathered the courage to undress.
Now clad in only her eye mask, she gingerly pushed open the bathroom door.
"I know my room's layout like the back of my hand. Even if I can't see, I can feel my way just fine—ow, that hurt!"
She bumped her shin against the tub immediately.
"No problem. Just a little accident. If I'm careful from here... Ahh, so slippery!"
Thud!
Crash!
Bam!
Clang!
One mishap after another echoed through the bathroom like a comedy act.
"Ow ow ow!"
Rubbing her poor bruised butt, Aisha's eye mask slipped off from all the thrashing.
"Well, thanks for the show," Miles muttered helplessly.
As the mask slid off and Aisha's eyes opened, the full image beamed into both her and Miles's shared vision.
"Waaah! It's all ruined!"
…
After that awkward "first night" between a girl and the soul sharing her body, the next day finally arrived: a turning point for both of them.
Friday was practical test day for first-years at Fusion Academy. Saturday for second-years. Sunday for third-years.
Duels were held one after another in the arena under teacher supervision, from morning until nearly sundown.
However, this week's first-year test had drawn unusually high attention, with upperclassmen coming just to spectate. Despite being a routine weekly event, the arena buzzed as if a major tournament were about to begin.
Everyone knew exactly why.
"Waaah, I don't wanna let Little Ai go!" Irene cried, hugging Aisha's head tightly.
"I can't believe so many people came to watch your dropout Duel! How cruel!"
"It's not a dropout Duel! I might win!" Aisha protested.
"Yeah, yeah, I know~ You're super capable, Little Ai," Irene sniffled, then suddenly sounded a little sour. "After all, you got Irena-senpai to back you. How impressive."
The duel between Aisha and Kevin had gained traction largely due to Irena's bold declaration the night before in the restaurant. Fusion Academy only had about a hundred students total; That kind of explosive news spread across campus in a single night.
The undefeated top first-year, Kevin Seth... versus the bottom-ranked Aisha Yuna Carlos, on the brink of expulsion.
Even if Irena's claim seemed far-fetched, the weakest vs. strongest matchup was too juicy to ignore.