Chapter Text
Divers. A small, one-story building located in Awashima Island. Reachable with a quick ferry ride, it’s a small card shop, much like any other card shop, but the seaside view makes it a novelty match spot for some Shadowverse players to play. Not many, considering that Uchiura is not a big town, but students from Uranohoshi High School often come by on weekday afternoons, making the shop a perfect arena to let off some steam after a day of studying.
That said, it’s Matsuura Kanan’s daily routine to be at the shop, considering it’s partly her home. Today is no different. Her rounds consist of checking the store’s stock, cleaning up tables, and manning the check. This cycles for a few hours. However, sometimes she’s dragged into matches against eager deck builders or some visitors looking for fun.
“Kanan-chan! I got a new deck! Let’s play!”
Right on cue, a mikan-haired girl, accompanied by two friends, entered the store. They were sporting Uranohoshi’s spring uniform, clearly came over straight after school’s over. The combination of orange, grey, and red hair made them slightly stand out, but it was somehow commonplace.
“Welcome,” Kanan replied, “But sorry, no can do, Chika.”
“Ehh? Just one match!” Chika pouted. Her hand is holding a case, presumably her newly crafted deck.
“Got some restocking to do,” she said as she arranged a few packs of cards on a shelf. “Why don’t you play with You or Riko-chan first?”
“She played us a bunch of times already at school,” You said. “Pretty sure she’s bored of us by now.”
“We played so much that I lost count,” Riko added. “I don’t think I want to see another Earth Sigil on the board.”
“Really now,” Kanan chuckled. “Guess I’ll go play a match. Let me finish this first and I’ll grab my deck.”
“Alright! We’ll wait at the match table, okay?” Chika nodded. The three girls then entered a separate room across the counter. A few tables were laid out, some already occupied with other players and spectators. They find a spot near the one large window looking out to the sea. Kanan followed along soon after leaving the check to a part-timer. Technically she’s also a part-timer, but it is her family’s shop, so she’s free to do whatever she wants. She took a seat across Chika and both start shuffling her deck. You and Riko watched closely above their shoulders. After both players had their decks ready on their right-hand side, Chika flipped a coin and it showed heads. Chika goes first.
“One match,” Kanan said as they draw three cards respectively.
“I know, I know!” Chika replied, sorting her hand. “I keep my hand.”
“Mulligan two,” Kanan reshuffled two of her cards and draw another pair.
“Alright!” You shouted. “Watanabe You, acting as unofficial judge, hereby declare…”
“Match begin!”
“I lose.”
“Woo!” Chika cheered. “How’s my dirt burn deck, Kanan-chan?”
“I can’t believe I got literally stoned,” Kanan sighed, dropping her held cards on the table. “That was really unlucky for me to get hit four times by one Orichalcum Golem.”
“Ahh, it happens sometimes,” You giggled. “She often gets more Clay Golems than dealing damage, though.”
“Like that one time I let her have four Earth Sigils,” Riko noted. “And all of them turned into Clay Golems.”
“You have to admit that my luck with dice rolls is hilarious,” Chika laughed. “Anyway, Kanan-chan, is it me or…”
Kanan was already shuffling her deck back to its case. “Yeah?”
“I feel like you used to be a lot stronger?”
“I dunno,” Kanan replied. “Maybe it’s you that has gotten stronger instead.”
Chika blushed at the off-hand praise. “Eheheh. Then do you think I have a chance at the Shizuoka Grand Prix this month?”
“Well,” Kanan smiled, pointing to a black-haired lady behind them. “Try asking the diamond-ranked player over there.”
“Hello,” she greeted. “I see you’ve just finished a match.”
“Dia-chan! Hi!” the mikan girl waved. “Wanna play me?”
“No.”
All of them immediately responded with a laugh except Chika. “Ehh, come on! You’d never want to play me at school!”
“I’ve made it a rule for myself not to play anyone at school,” Dia replied. “And I have a match appointment to attend today.”
“Aww,” Chika sulked. “At least look at my deck? I want to enter to grand prix this month.”
Dia sighed. “Fine, let me see that.”
Chika handed over her deck to her. Dia was distracted the mikan-patterned sleeve, but she resumed her scrying quickly. She spread out the forty cards on her hands, browsing them, sometimes stopping when she spots an interesting card. Whether she thought it’s clever or questionable couldn’t really be seen through her face.
“You’d at least want to have two copies of every legendary in this deck,” Dia said. “Better if you could have three.”
“I know, but those are really expensive!” Chika sighed. “Buying one of each already made me eat through two months worth of allowance.”
“Such is the price of competitive Shadowverse, Chika-san,” Dia reshuffled the deck before giving it back to the owner. “Judging purely by the deck contents, I’d say you could pass to the second preliminaries.”
“Really? How about Top 32?”
“That depends on you and your opponents,” Dia noted. “Participants will at least be gold-ranked and above, I think, and you’re…”
“A certified gold player!” Chika held out a peace sign. “I did my homework on small tournaments the past few weeks, and I got out of silver just in time!”
“As did we,” You added. “Riko-chan and I just hit gold last weekend.”
“Speaking of homework,” Riko added, “Have you done your school assignments, Chika-chan?”
The dirt dueler paused. No response.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Riko sighed. “Come on, You-chan, let’s take her home.”
You giggled. “Steady as she goes. Thanks for having us, Kanan-chan.”
“No problem,” she replied. “Are you two joining the grand prix too?
“If we pass the qualifiers, yeah,” You nodded. “But we need to get Chika-chan’s homework done first.”
The senior giggled. “Good luck,” she said as the second year group packed up and walked out the door. Kanan stretched her limbs and put away her thrown-together deck, readying up to man the check again. She, however, felt a pair of worried sight.
“You look like you have something to say,” she directed towards Dia.
“Not at all,” She responded. “Not now, at least.”
“Oh, I wonder,” Kanan softly smiled. “What about your plans for today?”
“Practice,” she said. “My sister and her friends should be here soon.”
“Onee-chan!” a soft voice called. An entourage of three first years followed at the source. “Kanan-chan, hello.”
“Ah, Ruby-chan, welcome,” Kanan greeted. “And Yoshiko-chan, and Maru-chan too.”
“Good afternoon,” Hanamaru replied. “We’re here to practice with Dia-chan.”
“So I’ve heard. For the grand prix, yeah?”
“That is the case, my little demon,” Yoshiko chuckled. “To spread darkness in Numazu, one must be prepared.”
“Then take out your decks and find a spot,” Dia urged. Her trainer switch is flipped on. “Let’s not waste any time, shall we?”
The girls obediently obliged like ducklings. Kanan can’t help but giggle. As they start their practice rounds, Kanan returned to the storefront to man the counter. Not long after, a small crowd starts to gather where the girls are having their games. It appeared that someone noticed a certain diamond player, no pun intended. For sure, having skills in Shadowverse ensures your fame in this world, even if you’re out in the corner of the country. Dia, being a diamond-ranked player, qualified as one among the top players of the country. She’s never told Kanan where exactly she sat on the ladder, but she’s definitely up there, both in skills and recognition. Both Hanamaru and Yoshiko are gold-ranked, and Ruby, despite her appearance, was actually platinum-ranked. Kanan would love to see some high-level play between the Kurosawa sisters, but the shop called for now.
A short two hours later, the shop started to empty itself. The practice group and their trainer were also starting to pack up. They all approached the counter with tired, but optimistic looks on their faces.
“How’d it go?” Kanan asked.
“I got some good games,” the younger Kurosawa giggled. “But I still couldn’t beat Onee-chan.”
“She is really scary on the table,” the self-proclaimed demon lamented. “It’s like she always has the right card every turn.”
“Meanwhile one of us always drew the wrong card every turn,” Hanamaru said. “Right, Yoshiko-chan?”
“Hmph, such is the curse of a fallen angel.”
“We all can have bad hands from time to time,” Dia said. “But the difference between a good player and a great player is how you make use of any hand you have. That’s one thing you all should work on.”
“Wise words,” Kanan chuckled. “As expected from a diamond-ranked.”
“Just common sense,” she boasted. “Anyway, you three should go home now, it’s getting late. Especially you, Ruby.”
Having said their goodbyes, the younger three left the shop to their own homes. They were the few last visitors, so now the building is practically empty. Just some card shelves and two people on the counter.
“You’re not going home?” Kanan asked.
“Soon,” Dia replied. “I just wanted to talk.”
“Yeah?” Kanan put away the ledger she was checking. “What’s up?.”
“About the grand prix-” Dia tried to say. They were, however, interrupted by a loud opening of the shop’s front door. Three well-dressed men walked inside, but their presence was far from friendly. They all wore suits, two of them with the standard black tuxedo with the one in front has the contrasting color of white. Each step further in was menacing, and all three had an unnerving smile.
“Good evening,” one of the men spoke, pulling off his hat. “Is the owner available?”
“No, he’s not,” Kanan dryly replied. “We’re near closing time right now, can you come back tomorrow?”
“Oh, no, no, that won’t do,” the man laughed. “We spent hours trying to get here, see, and we would be sad if we came here for nothing.”
“What do you want?”
“Ah, yes, straight to the point,” he clapped once. “We’re here to claim our collateral.”
Kanan clenched her hand. “What the heck are you talking about?”
“Now, now, no need to get feisty,” another man in the back said, “See, the old man hasn’t paid his loans in a while.”
“He’s got our money, girl,” the third man spoke. “And it ain’t little.”
“That’s right!” the first main asserted. He sounds playful, but by no means it was friendly. “If you borrow, you have to pay it back. That’s the rule.”
“I don’t believe you,” Kanan rejected. “Why would he borrow money from you landsharks?”
“Strong words, little girl, but if I must convince you…” the man pulled out a document from behind his suit. “Maybe this will help.”
Kanan hesitated, but she was compelled to take it. She slowly opened it and carefully read the contents. It was a contract of a loan, with details the same as what the men have been talking about. More importantly, it contained her grandfather’s name, and the signature on it was exactly his.
“You’re joking,” Kanan said. “There’s no way this is real.”
“If you’re still insisting, how about calling him yourself?” the man said. “But he probably won’t answer. We’d know, we tried.”
As much as Kanan wouldn’t want to admit it, they’re right. Her grandfather left the island a few days ago, saying he was going on some business deal trip. But after his departure, she never got any word back, nor she could contact him with anything. Connecting the dots now seemed very easy. Kanan felt betrayed. Her own grandfather never told her about all this.
“So, let me ask again, girl,” the man continued, dropping his ‘friendly’ tone entirely. “Where’s the owner?”
“He’s… He’s not here,” Kanan hesitantly said. “He’s been out of town since three days ago. He said he’s on a business deal.”
“Trying to find another loan, I bet,” one man in the back shrugged. “Or maybe he’s abandoning you. Hah, how about that?”
“My grandfather is not that kind of person!” Kanan exclaimed. At least, it’s what she wanted to believe. She was practically in shambles and tears. With no way of confirming what she’s been hearing, it’s easy to think that she’s been left alone. Her emotions are wavering.
“You’re all vile,” Dia, who was only spectating this whole time, finally gritted her teeth.
“Hey now, no need to throw words,” he said, “It’s just business as usual, lady.”
“How much do they owe you, anyway?” Dia continued. “What happens if they can’t pay?”
“For starters, he put this shop’s deed as collateral,” the man answered. “Not paying means the shop’s ours.”
“The amount he owes us,” the other man added, “Combines to a total of one million yen.”
A million yen. Six zeroes. Around 3500 card packs worth. Kanan and Dia can share ten decks out of it and would still have leftovers. It’s a staggering amount for a normal high schooler. Her monthly income from the shop didn’t even come close to half the sum. Kanan looked at her childhood friend, who seemed unfazed by all of this, but she doubted that Dia had a plan.
Then the shop’s door was open.
“‘Scuse me, coming through,” an eccentric voice spoke. The person, clad in a trench coat and sporting an unorthodox blonde loop walked around the three harassers. “I heard everything.”
“Mari!?” Kanan was extremely bewildered now. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey! Who are you?” the man threatened. “Stay out of this!”
“Oh, how rude, I’m just here to talk business,” Mari said. “You said something about a million yen debt, hmm?”
“Yeah, what about it?” the man grunted. “Lady, I don’t know who you are but-”
“Would you rather be paid by bank transfer or in cash?” Mari hummed. “Will a written check suffice?”
The three men’s eyes widened. “Well, uh, I suppose.”
The blonde-haired lady took out a small book, signed a few words on it, and took out a piece out of it. She handed it to one of the men. It had one million yen, signed to Ohara Mari, heir to the Ohara Group.
“There, that should be enough. Come to the building at the address to claim it,” Mari crossed her arms. “However, if you wrongly claim that money for yourself, there will be consequences.”
“Oh, damn, she’s an Ohara,” the menacing act that the men had earlier was broken in an instant. “We’ll, uh, we’ll take our leave. We’ll call your grandfather too, girl. Thank you, ma’am.”
The three goons left 180-degrees the way they entered. The shop was quiet once more. The three girls inside stood frozen for a few minutes. Kanan, trying to process what just happened, leered back and forth to their friends before stopping entirely.
“What,” she finally said, “The heck?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Is something wrong?” Kanan looked at Dia, then Mari in confusion. “Is something wrong!? Of course there is! I just found out that my grandpa racked up a million yen in debt to the goddamn yakuza! And I don’t even know where he is right now! Then, all of a sudden, you showed up and paid all of it! In check!”
“And?” Mari asked playfully. Kanan was still catching her breath.
“And!?” Kanan pointed. “Apparently I have nothing to worry about, even though five god-forsaken minutes ago I was about to be literally evicted from my house!”
“Are you done?” Dia asked.
“And none of you seem to be bothered by all of this,” Kanan buried her face on the counter.
“I do admit that it was surprising,” Dia said, “But I’ve seen similar things in my life.”
“Damn you moneybags.”
“Watch your tongue,” the Ohara clicked. “Or do you want me to cancel the check?”
“You won’t do that.”
“Aw, you know me so well,” Mari giggled. “Now, I believe you owe me one million yen.”
Kanan raised her eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Obviously you didn’t think I’m going to give it for free, did you?” She leered. “That check came out from my own savings.”
“Great, so we’re still down under,” Kanan sarcastically praised. “Do I have to worry about interest?”
“No, and you don’t have to worry about a time limit, either,” Mari said. “But for now, I’d like you to think that this shop of yours is owned by me.”
Kanan groaned. “Better than the yakuza, I guess.”
“Ahem, while we’re all here,” Dia continued. “I’d like to resume our talks earlier, Kanan-san.”
“Can it wait?” Kanan slumped her back on the counter chair. “I’m still trying to process everything. I still have to call my grandpa, too.”
“Non, non, Kanan, that can wait,” Mari wiggled her fingers. “We have more important things to tell you.”
“Right, about the grand prix,” Dia said, “Mari-san and I have been invited as guest players.”
Kanan’s eyes widened. “What.”
“That’s right! This shiny duelist is the main event of the grand prix!” Mari fist pumped. “Winner of the tournament gets to play me one-on-one.”
“Mainly because the grand prix is sponsored by the Ohara group,” Dia added. “But she’s a certified master-ranked player, so I’d say it’s the obvious choice. As for me, I received a bye straight to the second round.”
Kanan sighed. “That’s great and all, but what does it have to do with me?”
“I want you to join the grand prix, Kanan,” Mari said, placing her hands on the counter. “Like old times.”
“We’ve been through this before,” Kanan looked away. “I’m done with competitive.”
“I thought you’d say that,” Dia said. She took out her phone and placed on the counter, right in front of Kanan. “But your match history says otherwise.”
The phone showed a webpage full of information about Kanan’s statistics in Shadowverse. It listed her name, decks played, last joined tournament, and most importantly, her rank. It showed that Kanan was the number one gold-ranked in the country, with her last tournament joined was less than a month ago.
“You never cease to amaze me, Kanan,” Mari mused. “Fixing your points like that, so that it’s never high enough to reach the top ladder, but always enough for you to qualify for any tournament that exists.”
“Mari-san and I had a bet to see if we can convince you,” Dia added. “Considering today’s development, I think I will lose.”
“What’s your point?” Kanan raised an eyebrow.
“Your one million yen debt,” Mari said. “What if I say you can pay it in three whole days?”
Kanan raised another eyebrow. There’s no way she can make that much money in a month, let alone three days. Unless it involves buying 51% of the stock from a company then selling it for double the price. Which is obviously very illegal to do. She paused for a good while, however, then realized what Mari meant by her words.
“You don’t mean…”
Mari grinned.
“It’s an offer you can’t refuse.”