Chapter 31: I'll Take Responsibility for You
"Dammit, that bastard was using fake cards!"
Eva: "Please don't use such vulgar language with a beautiful girl's voice, Amano Rei."
After dodging police patrols all morning and finally confirming they'd completely shaken off the search, Amano gradually began to relax.
With ten minutes remaining until the Hacker Invasion skill expired, Amano found himself with nothing better to do than examine his "spoils of war"—the cards he'd looted from Lutz's corpse.
One quick inspection was all it took to shock him.
None of these cards had Eva security numbers in the bottom right corner.
They were completely fake—counterfeit cards that couldn't be used in regulation duels. They only worked in underground matches or Dark Games like tonight's.
Though to be fair, not all of them were fakes.
Most of the counterfeits were concentrated in the Gate Guardian series and related cards. A small portion of the standalone Spell and Trap cards actually had Eva serial numbers.
Like the Polymerization Amano had won tonight, and this Foolish Burial card in the deck.
"Actually, I already knew most of Lutz's cards were counterfeits," Finesse's voice echoed in Amano's mind.
"You knew and didn't stop me? I looked pretty pathetic crawling around picking up cards—and that was your own body, by the way!"
Even as Amano pretended to complain, he casually and not-at-all-suspiciously slipped the Foolish Burial card into his own body's pants pocket.
←Heart guilty as charged~
Finesse: "Because I need those fake cards."
Amano: "Need fake cards?"
Finesse: "Anyone controlled by the Puppeteer has already sold their soul to a demon in pursuit of that dark power. Even fake cards leave transaction records. Through the Wein Family's intelligence network, I can trace clues about the Puppeteer."
Amano: "You still haven't given up, have you?"
You nearly died tonight, you know.
Next time, if he wasn't beside this delusional young lady playing superhero, the situation would be just as dangerous.
"I won't give up!"
Even as just a voice echoing in Amano's mind, Finesse's obsession came through loud and clear.
"Amano, I know you have many questions for me, including about this outfit I wear."
"Actually, I'm not the type to judge other people's hobbies."
"This isn't my hobby—it's a promise I made to my mother."
Finesse launched into her backstory unprompted, and most of it matched what Amano had already guessed.
Terror Attack. Mother murdered. To hunt down the true culprit, Finesse endured gossip and ridicule, returning to the Wein Family as an illegitimate daughter, secretly using the family's resources to investigate and track down the Puppeteer.
"Amano, I've been completely honest with you!"
Honest in every sense of the word. Beyond the smooth, bare honesty of that mental space, this experience hidden in Finesse's heart was a secret she'd never shared with anyone.
So this is the positive feedback loop from 86 affection points?
According to the system's explanation:
Affection between 80-90 points was already very close to romantic love—confession success rates during this period should be quite high.
But as Amano understood it, human emotions were far too complex to be accurately expressed by a single number.
His relationship with Finesse wasn't romantic.
It was more like allies who'd survived life-and-death battles together and shared each other's secrets, forging an unbreakable bond.
Of course, that was just Amano's understanding.
As for how the young miss herself felt about it, only she knew.
Finesse: "I've been completely honest with you! So, can you tell me?"
Amano: "Tell you what?"
Finesse: "Why do you have the same ability as the Puppeteer?"
Fair question. After all, his soul was still inside the girl's body right now. No normal person could avoid being curious about something like that.
But regarding the system...
Even Amano could tell the system was definitely hiding from something, concealing its true nature.
Even though he and Finesse now shared the experience of inhabiting the same body—
He still didn't plan to tell her about the system.
Amano: "Sorry, Finesse. I can't explain the specific reason. All I can tell you is this was my first time doing it. Before this, I'd never even attempted using this ability."
That kind of half-assed answer definitely wouldn't satisfy her, right?
Finesse: "Your first time... then I believe you, Amano."
Wait, she actually bought that?
And unless Amano was imagining things, from the very beginning, Finesse had seemed particularly concerned about this being his "first time."
Was "first time" really that important to the young miss?
Finesse: "Amano, even though you won't tell me the specific reason, may I take it upon myself to consider this ability as our trump card for fighting the Puppeteer together going forward?"
Amano: "Our trump card for fighting the Puppeteer together... wait, I'm included in this?"
I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider who reached out to help because you were about to die. I never said I'd help you fight the boss.
But Finesse's next explanation made it impossible for Amano to stay uninvolved.
Finesse: "Amano, the Puppeteer has probably already marked you as a target. It happened during the duel."
(Lutz: "Don't tell me, you...")
Amano had actually sensed this already. When he became Finesse's guardian spirit, the Puppeteer—as a Stand user with the same ability—had already seen through his true identity.
Finesse: "District 32 isn't safe for you anymore. Your family, your friends—they might all get caught up in this because of you."
This was a psychopathic terrorist who'd caused a Terror Attack killing hundreds. There was no telling what he might do.
Amano never expected his act of heroism would bring trouble to his family and friends.
But there was no helping it. Even if he could choose again, he wouldn't choose to abandon someone to die.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Amano suddenly felt his consciousness blur.
[Hacker Invasion Duration Ended]
When consciousness returned to his own body and Amano opened his eyes again, he saw Finesse before him, her hero costume gone.
Finesse reached down and pulled the half-sitting Amano up from where he'd been leaning against the wall.
Under the rising sun, Finesse's silver eyes gazed at Amano before her, pale red hair sweeping across her delicate features, highlighting the girl's gentle smile.
"I'll take responsibility for you, Amano."
If Amano remembered correctly, this was the second time Finesse had held his hand.
But compared to the cool touch of the girl's slender fingertips the first time, this time there was a noticeable warmth.
"T-take responsibility?"
Honestly, staring directly at Finesse's unfairly cute face while hearing words like that—it was really hard not to let your imagination run wild.
"I'll take you away from District 32, away from the Tower's lower levels. Your sister will come too, of course."
"Shio too? But if we leave District 32, where would we even go?"
Amano had always thought his life was pretty miserable. As a transmigrator, eighteen years of nothing but poverty.
The only thing he had to show for himself was probably the laughable title of "Ten-Time Champion of the District New Year's Poker Tournament."
He'd lived in Eden Tower for eighteen years. Forget leaving the lower levels—he could count on one hand the number of times he'd even left District 32.
"There's a suitable place."
Finesse had always thought her own luck was terrible. Eighteen years of nothing but failure.
The only thing she had to show for herself was probably the pathetic title of "Wein Family Illegitimate Daughter."
The one time she'd won a bet was in the slum district sunset, witnessing a boy's duel and choosing to gamble her hopes on him.
That evening's sunset, this morning's sunrise.
The two beams of light shining on them seemed to merge into a trajectory where time itself crossed over, simultaneously changing both their fates.
"Let's go together—to Duel Academy."