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

After Aisha and Luka's duel, the subsequent first-year practical tests ended without any particularly exciting moments, concluding in a rather uneventful manner.

And honestly, that was to be expected.

A practical test duel that dragged on for hours was already an anomaly.

It was just a weekly test, after all. There was no need to go all out.

But then again, other students couldn't help but think—even if they did go all out, they wouldn't be able to produce a duel of that caliber.

By now, even the students who had been reluctant to admit it had to acknowledge that Aisha Yuna Carlos had become incredibly strong.

Especially after today's duel, Aisha's most glaring weakness—her deck of weak, effectless monsters—had undergone a dramatic transformation.

With the Three Knights, Summoned Skull, and the Sky Paladin, which had higher attack power than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it was no exaggeration to say that Aisha Yuna Carlos was now unmatched in the first year.

This was something Teacher Erin, who had meticulously recorded the strength of every student, knew all too well.

As for Teacher Erin's evaluation of this practical duel test—

Although Luka Slint had no prior duel records at Fusion Academy, based on the strength Aisha displayed in this duel, Teacher Erin decided to award Luka a full 100 credits, essentially giving her a free B-grade spell card.

Of course, the Sky Paladin was more than worthy of such a reward.

"I told you, rare cards like this will come if you work hard enough."

With the 100 credits in hand, Aisha, urged by You Ling, immediately headed to the Fusion Academy library. There, she opened the Spell Catalog and selected the B-grade spell card Monster Reborn to craft.

If this had been Aisha's old deck of weak monsters, Monster Reborn might not have made much of a difference.

But now, things were completely different. With the Three Knights inherited from the Pharaoh, Monster Reborn added a new layer of tactical flexibility to Aisha's deck.

After school—

Fridays at Fusion Academy were reserved solely for practical tests. Once all the duels were over, students were free to leave.

And after school, even in a boarding school like Fusion Academy, students had complete freedom.

They could participate in club activities, stroll through the shopping district outside the academy, or, if they were particularly ambitious, gather with friends for a casual duel after the practical tests. The academy didn't restrict any of these activities.

Life at a duel academy in this other world wasn't all that different from the regular school life You Ling was familiar with—aside from the fact that they had to learn how to duel.

This included the academic side of things.

Don't think that duel academies don't require students to study regular subjects.

On the contrary, if your grades in academic subjects were too low, you'd lose corresponding credits.

This was something You Ling didn't have to worry about with Aisha.

Although his host seemed a bit naive and couldn't summon powerful monsters, she at least had decent grades in her academic subjects.

Everyone has to have at least one strong point, right? Being cute alone isn't enough.

"Huff, huff, huff! What on earth is in this thing?"

Inside the first-year girls' dormitory, Kevin, who had been inexplicably called over to help, was struggling to drag Luka's massive suitcase up the stairs, grumbling under his breath.

While Luka's small frame could manage to drag the suitcase on flat ground using its wheels, hauling it upstairs was beyond her or Aisha's physical capabilities.

For tasks that required physical strength, like moving heavy objects, even the first-year dorm supervisor, Teacher Lily, would make exceptions and allow trusted male students to help.

And in all of Fusion Academy, no male student had a better reputation in this regard than Kevin Seto, the self-proclaimed "woman-hater."

Teacher Lily didn't hesitate for a second. "Oh, Kevin's helping move luggage? No problem, go ahead."

As the last room in the dormitory, Aisha's room was on the third floor, making it particularly grueling for Kevin, who had been roped into this manual labor.

"These are all things girls need. You wouldn't understand, Kevin."

Inside the dorm room, Luka patted her beloved suitcase with a satisfied smile.

Without these items, she wouldn't feel at ease no matter where she stayed.

After hauling the suitcase all the way to the room, Kevin took a quick glance around.

The room was visibly clean and tidy, with all the daily necessities neatly arranged. The wardrobe and desk were spotless.

This was thanks to Aisha's disciplined lifestyle.

Before going to bed, Aisha would always tidy up any mess in the room, ensuring she slept in a clean and orderly environment. She never let fatigue or stress carry over to the next day.

"This is a nice room. I should start unpacking too."

Ziiip—!

The sound of the suitcase zipper being pulled open was followed by a loud—

Boom—!

"!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ What just exploded?!"

Who could have guessed that the suitcase itself would explode?

You Ling had assumed that such a massive suitcase would have plenty of room for daily necessities, maybe even too much.

But to his surprise, Luka's suitcase had been struggling at the limits of its capacity all along.

And in that moment, it finally gave up the ghost.

"Huh?"

Kevin felt something soft and fragrant hit his head.

He reached up and pulled it down—a pair of pink panties with strawberry prints.

At the same time, various types of underwear—cute, sexy, and even the kind made of strings—were scattered across the room due to the explosion.

"Don't look!"

Blushing furiously, Luka snatched the panties back from Kevin and kicked him out of the room, showing no gratitude for his earlier efforts.

"Don't linger in a girl's room! I need to start cleaning up!"

"I'll step out for a while too, Luka. Take your time unpacking. I'll come back later."

Aisha also awkwardly exited the room.

As a fellow girl, she didn't need to be as cautious, but she didn't want You Ling to see the room filled with Luka's scandalous underwear.

Of course, You Ling himself wasn't interested in any of that.

What he was interested in was what else Luka's massive suitcase might be hiding besides underwear.

For example, could the missing Millennium Ring be concealed among the piles of lingerie, smuggled into the dormitory?

Otherwise, where could she have hidden such a large, spiky ring?