Yu-Gi-Oh!: I use an Orichalcos deck

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Zaizen Aoi smiled slightly, a smile as gentle as melting snow, and I was delighted. See you here next Saturday at the same time?

Yuji nodded vigorously, feeling as if he were floating on air. He had never imagined that his love for card games would bring such an unexpected reward.

As they left the card shop, the last rays of the setting sun bathed them in its light. Suddenly, Zaizen Aoi stopped and turned to Yuuki.

You know what? Her voice was soft. This was the first time I'd lost a match in over a year. But strangely, I wasn't frustrated; instead... I was excited.

Yu Ji looked at her, puzzled.

Aoi Zaizen's cheeks flushed slightly, for she had finally met an opponent who truly understood the joy of card games. Perhaps... more than just an opponent. With that, she strode away, leaving Yuki standing there, his heart pounding.

From that day on, Yuuki's life underwent a subtle change. Aoi Zaizen began to greet him proactively on campus, often bumping into him during lunch breaks, and then they would discuss the latest card game strategies together. The students on campus were all surprised by the change in this aloof school beauty, while Yuuki was immersed in this strange relationship, looking forward to each encounter with her.

Chapter 376 Aoi Zaizen's Bento

A week flew by, and Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye. Yuki arrived at the card shop half an hour earlier than agreed, his heart beating faster than usual. He kept checking the deck and adjusting the card order, even though he had been using this Ultraman deck for two years and knew the position of every card by heart.

The shop door was pushed open, and the wind chimes tinkled crisply. Yuki looked up and saw Zaizen Aoi walk in. Unlike her usual school uniform, she was wearing a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans today, her hair loosely tied in a ponytail. She looked much more casual than at school, but Yuki couldn't take his eyes off her.

Have you been waiting long? Zaizen Aoi sat down opposite him and took out an exquisite card box from her bag.

No, no, I just arrived recently. Yuki tried to make his voice sound natural.

Zaizen Aoi smiled slightly and placed the deck on the table. "After losing to you last week, I made some adjustments to the deck. Want to see it?"

Yuki nodded vigorously. Zaizen Aoi flipped through her deck, showing off her new setup one card at a time. Yuki noticed that she had included some unconventional cards with unique effects, and even a rare card he had never seen before.

Electronic World Accelerator? Wasn't this card restricted? Yuki pointed at the shiny card.

A hint of admiration flashed in Zaizen Aoi's eyes. "It was unbanned last month. It allows me to Special Summon a Link Monster during my opponent's turn, disrupting their rhythm. You seem to know a lot about the Forbidden/Limited Card List."

I only pay attention to it occasionally... Yuki scratched his head sheepishly, but this addition is really clever. It can make up for the weakness of Cyberse decks in terms of insufficient interaction during the opponent's turn.

Zaizen Aoi's eyes lit up. "You completely understand my thoughts!" The student council members all looked blank when I talked about cards.

The two started chatting, from individual card effects to environmental trends, and the possibilities of various niche decks. Yuki noticed that when Zaizen Aoi talked about cards, her eyes sparkled with a passion and brilliance she had never shown in school.

Oh right, Zaizen Aoi suddenly remembered something, took a paper bag out of her bag, and said, "I brought a bento box, and I made too much... Do you want to try some?"

Yuki stared in surprise at the exquisite bento box she pushed towards him, neatly arranged with sushi, fried chicken nuggets, and a vegetable salad. He carefully tasted a piece of tamagoyaki, the sweet and savory flavor spreading in his mouth.

"Delicious!" Youji exclaimed sincerely, "I never knew you could cook!"

A faint blush rose on Zaizen Aoi's face, just a simple... My parents are often away from home, so I've learned to take care of myself.

At that moment, Yuki saw Zaizen Aoi, who was completely different from the queen of the electronic world—an ordinary girl who would make herself a bento and blush when praised.

After dinner, they began their match. After three rounds, Zaizen Aoi led 2-1, but each round was closely contested.

"Your predictions are getting more and more accurate," said Caiqian Kui while shuffling the cards. "Last week I could easily read your tactics, but now I'm often countered by you."

"It's all thanks to the teacher's excellent teaching," Yuki said half-jokingly. During this time, Zaizen Aoi had indeed taught him a lot of competitive skills, such as how to observe changes in the number of cards in the opponent's hand to judge possible responses, and how to make up for one's own weaknesses through deck building.

Caiqian Kui was amused by his address. "Then let me teach you another trick today - a true card master not only needs to understand his own deck, but also needs to study the psychology of his opponent."

She began to analyze Yuji's decision-making patterns at crucial moments, pointing out that he was sometimes too conservative, missing opportunities, and at other times too reckless, allowing his opponents to exploit his weaknesses. Yuji listened intently; these insights were precisely what he lacked.

However, Zaizen Aoi changed the subject, saying, "You have a quality I've never seen before—the creative use of uncommon cards. I checked last week's Miracle of Ultra Star; its usage rate in the entire environment is less than 0.3%, yet you used it at the most crucial moment."

Yuki felt a warm current flow through his body. Being recognized by a master like Zaizen Aoi was more exhilarating than winning any other competition.

As the sun set, the two reluctantly said goodbye. Zaizen Aoi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where do you usually have lunch tomorrow?"

Huh? It's right there on the bench behind the teaching building... Yuki didn't react for a moment.

Zaizen Aoi nodded; the view from there was excellent. "See you tomorrow." She then turned and left, leaving Yuuki standing there, pondering the meaning behind her words.

The next day, when the lunch break bell rang, Yuki, as usual, brought his lunch to the bench where he usually sat. It was a place with a wide view, overlooking the cherry blossom trees in the center of the campus, and it was his secret spot for enjoying lunch alone.

He had just opened his lunchbox when he saw Aoi Zaizen carrying a tray towards him. In the sunlight, her long hair shimmered like a waterfall, and the hem of her school uniform skirt swayed gently with her steps. Several students eating nearby looked up in surprise, unable to believe their eyes—the aloof Aoi Zaizen had actually invited someone to lunch?

"Is anyone here?" Zaizen Aoi pointed to the spot next to Yuki, even though the bench was empty.

You Ji quickly shook his head, "No, no! Please sit down!"

Zaizen Aoi sat down gracefully and opened her bento box. Compared to the one she gave Yuki yesterday, today's bento box was more exquisite, even featuring heart-shaped rice balls.

"Did you make this yourself?" You Ji couldn't help but ask.

Zaizen Aoi nodded, "I'm used to it. My mom is a nutritionist, and she taught me all sorts of cooking skills since I was little." She paused, then added, "Actually... I've always envied people who can eat bento boxes with their friends."

Yuki's heart tightened. Although Zaizen Aoi was the center of attention at school, she didn't seem to have any close friends. Her excellence and aloofness had built an invisible wall around her.

"Well...we can have lunch together more often from now on," Yuki suggested, mustering his courage. "If you don't mind."

Zaizen Aoi's eyes lit up, and she said it was a deal.

And so began their daily routine of having lunch together. Sometimes they would discuss cards, sometimes they would chat about funny things that happened on campus. Yuki discovered that Zaizen Aoi had a great sense of humor in private, and would occasionally tell jokes that were so corny that she would laugh first herself; while Zaizen Aoi was amazed by Yuki's extensive knowledge of various tokusatsu dramas, and would often listen with rapt attention.

A week later, at noon, during their break, they were discussing the latest card expansion pack when a tall figure suddenly blocked their way.

"Hey, isn't this our Queen of the Electronics World?" the newcomer said sarcastically. "How come you've been hanging out with such insignificant characters lately?"

Yuki looked up and recognized Nakajima Ken, a senior in high school, the president of the school's card club, and one of Zaizen Aoi's many suitors. It was said that he had publicly confessed his feelings to Zaizen Aoi but was rejected, and since then his attitude towards Zaizen Aoi had been complicated.

Zaizen Aoi's expression instantly turned cold. "Nakajima-senpai, please don't disturb our meal."

Nakajima ignored him and turned to Yuuki, "I heard you beat Aoi with a toy deck? Pretty lucky. How about a proper match?"

A group of students had already gathered around to watch the spectacle. Yuki felt his palms sweating; Nakajima was a regular in regional competitions, and his strength was far beyond that of ordinary students.

"He has no reason to accept your challenge," Zaizen Aoi said coldly.

"Oh? So protective of him?" Nakajima sneered. "Could the rumors be true? Has our ice queen finally fallen for him?"

Zaizen Aoi's face flushed instantly, but her voice remained calm, saying it had nothing to do with emotion. "You just want to prove something by defeating Yuki; that's a childish motive."

Nakajima, stung by the revelation, turned pale. "Then let me see just how capable your little boyfriend is! Tomorrow after school, the card club activity room. If you don't come, you're a coward!" With that, he turned and left, and the students who had been watching quickly dispersed.

A silence fell over the bench. Yu Ji stared down at his lunchbox, unable to taste his food.

"You don't need to pay attention to him," Zaizen Aoi said softly.

Youji shook his head. "No, I will go."

Zaizen Aoi looked at him in surprise.

It wasn't because of his provocation that Yuki raised his head, his eyes flashing with a rare determination. Rather, it was because he wanted to prove that Yuki's judgment was correct. Even with a toy deck, he could fight fair and square.

A complex emotion flashed in Aoi Zaizen's eyes. After a long while, she nodded gently and said, "Then I'll go with you."

The next day after school, Yuuki and Zaizen Aoi walked together toward the card club's activity room. On the way, Zaizen Aoi suddenly stopped.

Wait a minute. She took a small box out of her bag. "For you."

Yuki opened the box, and inside was a shiny card—Ultraman Legend, an extremely rare card with a market price of up to 50,000 yen.

This...this is too valuable! Yuki stared at her in shock.

Zaizen Aoi shook her head. "I collect cards, but I never use them. This card only has real value in your hands." She paused, then added, "And... I want to see you use it to defeat Nakajima."

Yuki carefully took the card and added it to his deck. The card shimmered in the sunlight, as if it contained infinite power.

The card club's activity room was more lively than expected, with not only all club members present, but also many students who had come to watch after hearing the news. Nakajima sat at the central battle table, a gleaming deck of competitive cards laid out in front of him.

"You've finally arrived," Nakajima sneered. "I thought you'd deserted at the last minute."

Yuki didn't respond to the provocation, silently sat down at the battle table, and took out his deck. Zaizen Aoi stood beside him, making her stance clear through her actions.

The rules are simple. Nakajima announces that it's a one-round elimination game, with no side card swapping. The loser has to admit they're the weaker one, how about that?

A murmur arose from the crowd. It was clearly a humiliating bet.

"Sure," Yu Ji said calmly, "but I have to add one more thing: the loser should never harass the winner or their friends again."

Nakajima narrowed his eyes, then nodded in agreement after a moment. The two shuffled their decks, adjusted their life counters to 8000, and then shouted simultaneously: "Duel!"

Nakajima went first. His Sky Striker deck quickly deployed, establishing a strong board presence in the first turn, with Sky Striker Zeke standing on the field with 3000 attack power, and three face-down cards in the back row.

When it was Yuuki's turn, he calmly observed the situation and, using the effect of Ultraman Legend given to him by Zaizen Aoi, cleverly bypassed Nakajima's blockade and successfully summoned Ultraman Noah. The two sides engaged in fierce offense and defense, their health points decreasing alternately.

At the crucial moment, Nakajima activated a trap card called Infinite Impermanence, which negated the effect of Yuki's key monster, and it seemed that victory was about to be secured.

Activate the effect of the Ultra Sign in the graveyard! Yuki loudly proclaims, "It is hereby excluded, negating the activation of one spell, trap, or monster effect!"

Nakajima's expression changed drastically; he hadn't expected Yuki to plant such a foreshadowing in the graveyard. The situation instantly reversed as Yuki's Ultraman Legend activated its final effect, directly attacking Nakajima's main body and reducing his HP to zero.

The event room fell silent as everyone stared in disbelief at the scene before them—the arrogant president of the card club had actually lost to Yuki, who was using an unconventional deck.

Nakajima's face turned ashen. He abruptly stood up. "This is impossible! It must be cheating! How could such a trash deck possibly..."

"Enough!" Aoi Zaizen suddenly shouted, her voice so loud it startled even Yuki. She walked up to Nakajima, her eyes burning with rare rage. Yuki had won fair and square; his deck wasn't trash, but a masterpiece brimming with creativity and passion. If you can't even see that, you don't deserve to be a duelist!

Nakajima was stunned by her imposing manner and was speechless for a moment.

Zaizen Aoi turned to the crowd, her voice clear and firm: "From today onward, anyone who mocks me, Zaizen Aoi, because of their deck choice or skill level is my enemy. The charm of card games lies in diversity and creativity, not in so-called mainstream or dominant styles."

After saying that, she took Yuki's hand and left the activity room amidst everyone's surprised gazes. In the corridor, Yuki's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest, not only because of the victory, but also because of Zaizen Aoi's act of standing up for him.

Thank you. As they reached the school gate, Youji finally broke the silence.

Zaizen Aoi stopped and turned to face him. The setting sun bathed her profile in gold, and her eyelashes cast long, thin shadows on her cheeks.

No, I should be thanking you. Her voice was soft. Thank you for making me realize that what truly matters isn't winning or losing, but enjoying the game and... and the time spent with important people.

Their eyes met in mid-air, a silent understanding flowing between them. Yuki mustered his courage and gently took Zaizen Aoi's hand. To his surprise, she didn't pull away; instead, she held his hand back, her fingers warm and soft.

"Next week's card shop... same time as always?" Yu Ji asked, his heart pounding.

Zaizen Aoi smiled and nodded, her eyes sparkling with a gentle light that Yuki had never seen before. "Yes, the usual time. But... shall we have lunch together tomorrow too?"

"Okay," Yuji replied, feeling as if the whole world had brightened up.

From that day on, a new legend began to circulate on campus—about how the boy using the Ultraman card deck not only defeated the Queen of the Cyber ​​World but also won her heart. Meanwhile, the two continued their card-based pact, writing their own story through battles and exchanges.

Chapter 377 Dark Chocolate

The summer rain came suddenly. Yuki stood at the entrance of the card shop, looking at the torrential rain with worry. Today's match was exceptionally intense; he and Zaizen Aoi played seven rounds, ultimately winning narrowly 4-3. By the time he came to his senses, the rain was pouring down outside.

Forgot your umbrella?

A familiar voice came from behind. Yuki turned around and saw Zaizen Aoi standing in the store holding a dark blue folding umbrella. Unlike usual, she had her hair tied up in a loose bun today, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears, making her neck look exceptionally graceful.