Upon arriving at Nora's house, I parked the bike outside their front door, and took off the helmet, hanging it on the handlebars.

For a Drachma Red house, it looked nice on the outside. I pressed on the doorbell, hearing frantic footsteps come closer. The door opened slightly, revealing Nora peeking through the gap. Once confirming it was me, he opened the door fully.

"W-welcome, Takanori-kun..."

Even in his own home he felt nervous. I raised my hand lightly as a greeting, and stepped inside.

"Thanks for having me."

"I-it's a pleasure! Umm, there's spare slippers on the rack... feel free to use them."

I switched my shoes for slippers, and walked into the living room. The subtle smell of sizzling beef tickled my nose.

"Are you cooking something?"

"A-ah, yeah... I'm making Kou-san's dinner..."

Nora and Katsumi lived together through some deal they made. It was definitely risqué that a boy and a girl were living together, but the school didn't forbid it.

I don't think anything illicit or romantic went on between them, since Nora was the serious type and Katsumi was probably too dense to realise any feelings someone might've had for her. In conclusion, they were a solid pair to live together.

Though, the fact Nora was making Katsumi's dinner made them seem like a married couple... the image of Nora wearing an apron popped into my mind. He would certainly make for a good housewife.

"Umm... you can make yourself at home, I need to check the food..."

Nora hurried off into the kitchen. I followed him, intrigued by what he was making, as it smelled good.

"Where is Katsumi-san anyways?"

"O-oh, she's... taking a shower..."

Nora's voiced trailed off as he explained the reason why Katsumi wasn't present. He seemed flustered as he went over to the stove, which was the source of that umami scent from earlier.

I looked over his shoulder, and frying in the pan was a delicious and juicy Hamburg steak. Nostalgic memories came flying back to me from when I was a child. Mom would make this a lot for me since it was one of my favourites.

"Takanori-kun, you're drooling."

Nora laughed as he wiped the dribble on my chin with his thumb. He immediately panicked and looked away.

"S-Sorry..."

If only he was a girl...

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"It's fine. I didn't know you could cook. It looks really good."

"I-it's nothing special... just a recipe I found online. Kou-san seemed to like this version of it the most, so I continued to practice making it..."

He added a slice of American cheese on the bubbling steak, and covered the pan with a lid to let it steam.

"You can follow a recipe, but it's still easy to mess up the process."

"Really...? If you just listen to the instructions, it's not that hard..."

Nora was adamant in staying humble. It was my honest opinion though. I learnt through many failed home economic classes that cooking took a fair bit of skill.

I had no culinary skills though, as the most I could make was cup ramen. Cooking also took a lot of time and effort, so to see Nora pour this much care for another person was endearing.

For me, I just ate whatever Fumio made. I wasn't very picky when it came to cuisine, so I could eat mostly anything. Her cooking was probably more healthy than whatever junk I could make.

"I-I can't wait to start getting better at Vanguard. I really want... to win this war. Even if it's for a selfish reason..."

"A selfish reason?"

"Takanori-kun... is it okay to tell you about it?"

Nora looked at me with watery eyes. I nodded.

"I-I want... to beat my bullies."

He uttered those words while looking away from me.

"Especially... Takenaka-san. He's the one who... h-hurt me the most. Normally, I don't have a way to fight back against them... and for a long time, I... I wanted to... fight back."

Clenching his fists, Nora looked at me with burning eyes on the verge of crying.

"This war... lets me fight them without getting in trouble... and on my speciality. Instead of using physical ability, the war makes us use mental ability... my greatest and only skill. This is my only chance... to get them back!"

Even though tears ran down his face, Nora's secret ambition resonated clearly in his impassioned words. I could feel the fire that was set blazing in his heart when he found his chance to stand up against his bullies. Even if he was weak, he wanted to fight back valiantly against an enemy he couldn't defeat.

Right now, Nora wasn't acting shy and feminine. As he declared his fiery emotions, he acted like a true man. This war meant as much to him as it did for me.

"Then we'll get them. Not only Mikitaka-san, but Hiraoka-san and Nakajima-san too. We'll defeat all the D Class students that picked on you once and for all."

I put my fist against Nora's thumping chest. For the past two months, he's endured constant torment from these students. After being also beat up by them today, I finally understood what sort of struggle he was going through, both inside and outside. I wanted to see them fall as much as he did.

"Takanori-kun..."

Nora wrapped his small hands around my fist and squeezed it tightly. Wiping his tears, he nodded resolutely.

"I'll do my best... I absolutely won't lose!"

That was the spirit I was looking for. Nora's greatest strength was his unwavering determination.

"We'll start by fine-tuning your deck. I can identify the weak spots for you while you're cooking. Where is it?"

"O-oh... it's upstairs in my room. You can get it if you want..."

"That's fine. Which room is yours?"

"The one with the closed door. I always close my door, while Kou-san keeps her open."

"Alright, I'll be back then."

I headed upstairs, and looked around. There were three rooms, one being the bathroom that Katsumi was currently showering in. The other two were exactly as Nora described it, so I entered the room with the closed door.

As expected of a studious person, his room was extensively tidy. Everything about it was finely ordered, from the books on the shelf, to the eloquent desk, and the handmade bed. The colour scheme was simple, and the cleanliness of the room was astounding. Compared to Mitsuba's room that stunk of salt and alkaline, Nora's room had a refreshingly flowery scent.

His Vanguard deck was on the table, neatly piled up and protected by aquamarine coloured sleeves. I quickly looked through his deck. It seemed to focus around Alfred Early and Blaster Blade. However, there was one card that stuck out to me the most. With his deck in hand, I went downstairs to talk with Nora about it.

At the same time I left Nora's room, Katsumi left the shower. Catching sight of her naked body dripping with water, I stopped like a deer in headlights. A fluffy towel wrapped around her torso, covering her erogenous zones. It didn't stop her cleavage from poking out at the top though. Her long red hair, which was usually tied up in a ponytail, spread out behind her back like an angel's wings.

We stared at each other in the eyes for a good minute, before ours minds finally registered what had happened. Katsumi's face sprung in confusion, before snapping to anger.

"W-wait, I can explain!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!"

Understandably, she screamed for her life, realising the situation we were in. I looked away, putting my free hand over my face.

"Katsumi-san, I swear, this is an acci—"

"DIE, YOU DAMN INTRUDER!"

Wait, what?

Katsumi threw her towel to the side and unleashed a swift but powerful Brazilian roundhouse kick at my upper neck. It blew my raised arm back, and the heel recoiled into my face. Somehow, I snorted the bathwater on her foot by accident. Not anticipating how furious her blow would be, I was flung into the wall and hit the floor, scattering Nora's cards everywhere.

Great, now both of my cheeks were swollen. Her kick's strength matched Albert's devastating punch. I don't know what I'm more grateful for, the fact the kick didn't land on my neck as she intended, or the fact Katsumi didn't try assassinating me again as she towered over me. The cherry on top? My face was wet.

"K-Kou-san, what's the matter—"

Nora rushed upstairs, but stopped mid-sentence. He began spluttering and stammering at the sight of the naked Katsumi. He regained his composure when he saw me spread out on the floor like a pancake.

"Oh, hey Takayuki-kun! This weird guy broke into our house and tried stealing your cards."

"T-that's Takanori-kun! I-I t-told you earlier, d-didn't I?! T-that he'd come over tonight! A-a-and put some clothes on!!"

Right now, the only things covering her privates were her long hair and some shining beams of light coming through the window. Nora, flustered and blushing, covered his eyes and focused on helping me sit-up after suffering another undeserved blow today.

"Oh yeah, you did tell me earlier... wait, oh my gosh, that's Takanori-san! Ahhh, I didn't even realise! I'm so sorry!"

Realising what she did out of reflex, she kneeled beside me and grabbed my face, squishing my cheeks.

"Are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?!"

She then shook my face violently to get me to respond. Even though she was a girl, she acted more like a gorilla.

"K-Kou-san, p-put some clothes on, please!!"

Nora pleaded with his roommate to cover herself up. Katsumi looked down, and blinked.

"Oh yeah, I just got out of the shower... Oops! I'll be right back!"

Katsumi, who was unfazed by the fact two boys just saw her naked, picked up her fallen towel and went into her room to change, all in one suave motion. Seriously, this girl was either dumb as rocks or had the mental fortitude of an iron wall. Once out of sight, Nora facepalmed while groaning.

"I-I'm so sorry about her..."

"How the hell do you two live together...?" I muttered, getting up.

With the back of my sleeve, I wiped my face dry, and touched my cheek that had been hit by Katsumi's roundhouse. Luckily, it wasn't bleeding. It just really, really hurt.

"She's a bit clumsy, but she means well... unlike most people, Kou-san's been nothing but kind and sweet to me ever since we came here... even though I'm a weird person, and a boy, she didn't mind living with me... and I'm really grateful for that... because I feel safer in this house than I ever would in a dorm... and even though I tried avoiding her a lot when we first started living together, she tried earnestly talking to me so we'd become friends... and we did. I'd be a lot more sad without her... that's why, I think... she's not a bad person."

Nora looked dazed as he talked about her. He wasn't even facing me, he was looking in the direction of her closed room with bright pink cheeks. I started to understand why Nora went so far for Katsumi, such as cooking dinner for her. She might not realise it, but she was a precious person to Nora. I could relate, since Yukina was precious to me as well.

"You have a crush on her or something?"

The way he was entranced with her was like someone in love. I began picking up the cards on the floor.

"Eh?! N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no! D-don't be ridiculous! I-I'm not in love with Kou-san! I-I swear!"

Nora vehemently denied the claims as he also helped me pick up cards.

"I see."

He was definitely in love with her.

Once we cleared up the cards, me and Nora went downstairs. I sat at the dinner table, and began organising Nora's deck into a cohesive list after it got knocked out of my hand.

Katsumi came downstairs shortly after, wearing pyjamas with teddy bears printed on it. It was a bit childish looking, but it suited her air-headed personality. She sat across from me, and bowed deeply on the table.

"Takanori-san, I'm so sorry for kicking you in the face... I honestly thought you were a home intruder."

"It's fine. I'm numb to the pain."

Katsumi laughed awkwardly at my dark humour.

"I'm more surprised that you didn't scream about me seeing you... well."

"Oh, that? Eh, it doesn't matter. My dad's seen me naked before."

No, no, that's completely different. He's your family, not a random classmate you didn't even recognise at first!

"Your sense of morales is twisted..."

"Oh, stop being such a wuss. A bit of skin never killed anybody."

If Mitsuba was here, we'd need to call an ambulance over the nosebleed he'd get seeing Katsumi naked.

"Besides, neither you or Takayuki-kun are perverted types, so it's fine."

"How can you tell that? You barely know me..."

"Well, it's hard to explain, but... I think it's the look you guys have in your eyes. They're not lecherous, but honest."

It was explained in vague terms, but I got the gist of what she was saying. Katsumi could tell whether we were perverts or not based on the way we presented ourselves. It would be obvious if we were ogling over her by the way we view her. After all, being an athlete, Katsumi has one of the best bodies in our year group.

"Here's dinner."

Nora entered the living room and placed the Hamburg steak in front of Katsumi. It was served with a bowl of rice, steamed veggies and brown sauce. The presentation was cute and resembled a kid's meal because of the handmade flag stuck in the steak.

"Amazing! I can always rely on you to make the best dinners ever! Itadakimasu!"

Katsumi wasted no time and started digging into her meal like a ravenous vulture. Nora laughed, and popped back into the kitchen. To my surprise, he placed a plate of Hamburg steak and bowl of rice in front of me too.

"I figured you were hungry too, so... I made one for you."

"Nora-san, you shouldn't have..."

I speechless by how kind he was. Even though he was cooking for Katsumi, he also made me a meal even though I didn't ask.

"Well, the way you were looking at the Hamburg steak earlier... you seemed to really want one. So I made another one while I cooked Kou-san's."

Seriously, if only you were a girl...

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

I put down the cards and picked up the chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu."

This meal... was amazing. All the components perfectly fit together, from the explosively savoury Hamburg steak, to the rice that was cooked perfectly. It was just sticky enough it wouldn't fall off my chopsticks, but not too sticky it clumped together in the bowl. The steamed carrots and broccoli were tender and infused with the flavour of soya sauce. I was deeply satisfied by Nora's meal.

"This tastes really good...!"

"T-thank you... um, what drinks would you two like?"

"Iced coffee for me, ya-hoo-hoo!"

Katsumi fist-pumped excitedly. I didn't think she'd be the caffeine type.

"Any juice is fine."

Nora nodded and went back in the kitchen to get our drinks. Katsumi opened her can of coffee victoriously, while I poked the straw through the juice pack Nora handed me. Apple juice, huh? It was a good match with the meal.

It's been so long since I've had a Hamburg steak, I felt like a little kid again. As me and Katsumi happily ate our food, Nora simply watched us. I began wondering why he wasn't eating like us.

"Nora-san, aren't you gonna eat too?"

"E-eh? Um... I don't eat dinner. I usually skip it..."

"You skip it? But you also skip lunch too."

"Yeah... I only eat breakfast."

I suddenly felt guilty eating Nora's food. He wasn't eating properly, yet here I was, stuffing my face with the dinner he made.

"You should eat dinner at least. Breakfast isn't enough sustenance for the entire day."

"I know, but..."

Katsumi put down the huge bowl of rice that she was just shovelling down her throat moments earlier. Seriously, that bowl was packed to the brim, how much did she love rice? It was way more than what Nora served me.

"See Takayuki-kun, even Takanori-san says you should eat more. I've already tried encouraging him, but he hasn't changed at all."

Katsumi took another large bite of rice, and pointed the chopsticks at him. Nora flinched.

"If you wanna grow up big and strong, you need to have a good diet! Eating breakfast alone isn't gonna cut it!"

She sounded like a fitness coach for a moment there. Nora lightly nodded, then his eyes perked.

"Ah, you've got rice on your face..."

Picking up a napkin, he leaned in and gently wiped the grains of rice on Katsumi's chin.

"Oh! I didn't even notice... you're so kind, Takayuki-kun. I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier."

"I-it's okay... Kou-san..."

"Takayuki-kun..."

"Kou-san..."

"Takayuki-kun..."

"Kou-san..."

Oi, don't make me the third-wheel in your romantic comedy segment...

"To tell you the truth, Takanori-kun... I don't eat simply because I don't feel hungry, and would rather focus on studying. Besides, this is training for the future, when we enter university. There's going to be nights where you can't afford anything to eat, so being able to power through that is vital."

Nora tried to justify his poor eating habits to me. If Katsumi already tried changing his ways and failed, then what hope would I have?

"Take better care of your body at least. We're still in high school, not university. Gochisousamadeshita."

I left Nora that small piece of advice after finishing his delicious meal. Giving him my thanks, I turned my attention back to his deck, organising it and spreading out the cards on the table.

"Huh, Takanori-san can be thoughtful too."

I knew Katsumi meant no harm by saying that, but it still got on my nerves a little. Was that the impression I gave to my classmates? A loner that was also heartless? I really need to fix my reputation at this school.

"Takayuki-kun, more rice!"

Katsumi raised her empty bowl into the air and Nora refilled it with an absurd amount of rice. She continued to gluttonously eat, which distracted Nora. I used this time to look over his cards and understand his deck, which looked like this.

Grade 0
1x Glyme (Starter)
4x Bringer of Good Luck, Epona (Critical)
4x Flogal (Critical)
4x Margal (Draw)
4x Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine (Heal)

Grade 1
4x Indestructible Knight, Earina (Sentinel)
4x Knight Squire, Allen
4x Pioneer Knight, Epaticcus

Grade 2
4x Blaster Blade
4x Absolute Blade Knight, Livarot
4x Knight of Silence, Gallatin
1x Knight of Magnificence, Lucus

Grade 3
4x Alfred Early (Avatar)
3x Unite Reet Dragon
1x Decorous Knight, Hengist

For a novice deck, it had a clear winning image, which many decks lacked. The general strategy was to flood the board as soon as possible with cards like Allen, Livarot and Unite Reet Dragon. He used vanillas like Gallatin and Lucus as consistent beaters. Epaticcus was used as an early game rush tool.

Blaster Blade was the best grade 2 ride target and could snipe pesky rear-guards. His avatar, Alfred Early, could specifically call Blaster Blade and gain a bonus by doing so. Overall, the deck does what Royal Paladin says on the tin, but this wasn't good enough if we wanted to win against D Class. It severely lacked a proper finisher.

"Nora-san, let's start our training. We'll first improve your deck, since there's a few issues."

Turning his attention to me, Nora nodded excitedly.

"I'll be in your care, Takanori-san. Please, tell me, what's wrong with my deck."

"To be frank, your deck isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. It has a clear strategy, but there's one glaring issue. It's the quality of cards that you're using."

I decided being blunt would save us a lot of time. Strangely, Katsumi had also turned her attention to me. It was kind of pressuring, but the genuine curiosity in her eyes didn't put me off. If anything, this was a chance to get her involved.

"Katsumi-san, you want in?"

I tried to act casual about it, but I was physically shaking in her presence. There's something menacing about a girl eating a second bowl of rice. It was like she was more manly than me.

"I'm confused, what are you two doing exactly?"

"There's an upcoming war, so I'm going to help train whoever I can to get them better at Vanguard."

"Oh, sure! I suck at Vanguard, please make me better! Last war, I got crushed..."

Thankfully, due to Katsumi's less than stellar intelligence, she didn't question me about how I found out about the war. She took it in stride and accepted my offer.

"Great, I'll take a look at your deck after Nora-san's."

After thinking about my statement, Nora scratched his head. He asked me a question in response.

"Umm... Takanori-san, what do you mean by "better quality" cards? Aren't these cards fine?"

"Fine doesn't equate to good. You're using five vanilla cards, which could be used for cards that have skills that can further your position in the game. Allen is your best grade 1 card, and Alfred Early is a really weak boss card, even for it's time of release. I can tell you have the fundamentals down, as you run a good trigger line-up, ratio of grades, and sentinels, so your deck's issue boils down to requiring better cards."

"That makes sense, but... I-I don't have any other cards than these ones."

"That's fine, we can buy what's missing. For now, we need to focus on recreating your winning image and deciding which cards fit with that strategy. There's one card among these that stuck out to me though."

In identifying what route Nora should take with his deck, one card stood out to me amongst the rest. His deck was comprised entirely of trial deck cards, except for one.

I pushed the card in front of Nora.

"Decorous Knight, Hengist. This card isn't like the rest of your deck. It's strong. It's a finisher. I want you to use it's full potential."

Hengist was a costly card, but it could close out games due to giving you extra attacks and a blanket "Battledore" effect for the rest of the turn.

"Battledore" simply refers to forcing your opponent to call two or more cards from hand to guard. It's a term coined from "Battledore Fighter", the first card to have this ability.

Nora looked at Hengist, and picked it up with shaking hands.

"Hengist kind of looks like Takayuki-kun before his make-over, don't you think? That seems perfect for you!"

Katsumi pointed out an interesting detail. I had to agree, Nora and Hengist looked very similar. Even the title fit him. "Decorous" described a polite and restrained person, which perfectly described Nora's personality.

"It's funny... that you told me to make this card my winning image..." Nora muttered. He placed the card down and lowered his head.

For some reason, the atmosphere shifted abruptly. I could feel agony swirl around Nora as he stared at Hengist deeply. Did I somehow upset him?

"Takayuki-kun."

Then, the atmosphere became bright. Katsumi placed her hand on Nora's shoulder, cutting through the clouds of pain that surrounded him. For some reason, she shone like a beacon of light.

"Kou... san." Swallowing the lump in his throat, Nora looked at her, then me. "Hengist... was a gift from my oldest brother, Natsuhisa-niisama. He told me... to become as strong as this card one day..."

That was a heartwarming sentiment. I thought Nora didn't have a great relationship with his brothers due to the way he acted when the subject was first brought up in Ike-sensei's lab, but perhaps I misjudged.

"...and that if I didn't become strong like this card, I'd be better off dead."

I was wrong. I was completely, utterly wrong.

Nora's glasses fogged up as he clenched his fists tightly. I never meant to open up old wounds, but I had no idea of the complicated history he had with his family or what that card meant to him.

I didn't know how to respond Nora, who was getting increasingly upset, but luckily Katsumi was here to comfort him. Even though she wasn't smart, she was good at dealing with other people. She hugged Nora and patted his back gently.

"Don't hold it in. Let it out. You'll feel better that way."

With a sweet smile and gentle voice, Katsumi encouraged Nora to cry his heart out. I turned away, unable to watch Nora weep, as I was the one who unnecessarily dug up the past.

"Takanori-san, don't look so guilty either. It's not your fault. Takayuki-kun's family, they... um, can I tell Takanori-san about it?"

I raised my head, looking at Katsumi who also tried consoling me. It was admirable that her kindness even extended to a stranger like me. Nora gave a weak nod as confirmation.

"So... um, Takayuki-kun was regarded as the "failure" of his family by his parents and older siblings."

Without dancing around the subject, Katsumi uncomfortably stated the reason why Nora's brother had acted so coldly towards him when giving him Hengist. Considering Nora's amazing grades and polite personality, I couldn't see why he would be considered a "failure" by them.

"They called him a "failure" because he didn't meet his parent's absurd expectations. They wanted him to be just like his older brothers, who were deemed prodigies ever since elementary school. They were consistently top of class all the way through school, unlike Takayuki-kun. He fell behind in class due to... severe bullying he received from everyone else."

I get it now. He didn't want to beat Mikitaka just to stand up for himself. He wanted to beat Mikitaka, a symbol for his suffering, to show he could overcome all of his bullies, past and present, once and for all.

"For not living up to those high expectations... his parents wrote him off as a "failure" and neglected him, leaving his oldest brother, Natsuhisa, in charge of taking care of him. However... Natsuhisa also neglected and abused Takayuki-kun for being a failure."

With each sentence, the story got worse. It made my skin crawl. It was sickening to hear the way Nora's older brother and parents treated him.

"It didn't help that all of Takayuki-kun's older brothers also went to GEN... they all entered as A Class and graduated as A Class. While his parents were grateful that Takayuki-kun got an invite to GEN Academy... when they received his uniform in the mail, and saw he was put into E Class... his father, he..."

Nora suddenly grabbed onto Katsumi's sleeves and shook his head violently. Pure fear corrupted his body in this moment. However, I could guess what the abusive outcome was.

"It's fine. I don't want to hear anymore." I muttered weakly.

I felt drained just imagining myself in Nora's position. The amount of stress, fear and loneliness he must've felt back then must have been paramount. In that moment, I realised that Nora's weak personality is a result of all the pain and suffering he's been through.

Silence enveloped the living room. The only sound left was Nora sobbing into Katsumi's pyjamas. I picked up Hengist, thinking deeply. How could I make Nora overcome his trauma from that day?

If it was linked to this card, then there was definitely a way. It might be painful, but the solution was simple. Instead of rejecting his older brother's words, Nora had to accept them. At the same time, he had to accept that this card wasn't his older brother's gift - Nora had to accept that this card was his. And his only.

A conscious choice he made to make Hengist his avatar. If he really hated this card, Nora would've discarded it a long time ago. It still being in his deck proves Hengist meant more to him than just a sickly reminder of his heartless older brother.

"I've decided."

I stood up, taking Hengist's card. Katsumi and Nora looked at me at the same time, their eyes widening slightly.

"Nora-san. I'm sorry about what happened to you, but can I ask you a question?"

Wiping the tears out of his eyes, Nora nodded.

"Why did you put Hengist in your deck?"

"E-eh? W-well... um... Hengist, he's... but... m-my... best card? I-it's... compli... n-no, wait...? Ah?"

Not expecting my question, Nora tried finding an answer, but couldn't.

"Do you look up to your older brother?"

Presenting him with an easier question, Nora responded immediately.

"O-of course I do... Natsuhisa-niisama is cool... he's strong, smart, popular... loved... he's got everything that I've ever wanted..."

"Is that really true?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Even after he threatened you? Abused you? Neglected you?"

"Takanori-san, you're stepping out of line!" Katsumi warned me to back down, but Nora shook his head.

"I-it's okay, Kou-san... I understand what Takanori-kun's trying to do."

"He's... mocking you, isn't he?! There's no way I'd allow that! Not after all the bullying I let you go through!"

The final part of her statement surprised me. Even though Katsumi treated those words like any other, to me, it implied the possibility that Katsumi and Nora attended the same middle school. Unlike me and Yukina, who made it public we knew each other prior to coming to GEN, neither Nora or Katsumi ever brought up their past relationships.

I was aware that Nora was bullied in the past due to Katsumi's explanation earlier, but to see her be involved in some way made me question the past these two share even more. Was Katsumi harbouring some kind of guilt towards Nora? Is that why she made an effort to befriend him?

I'll have to ask her that another time, when it's just us two.

"No... Takanori-san isn't the type to speak without reason. He's... trying to help me understand... why I kept that card in my deck for so long... despite being a painful shard of my past... isn't that right?"

Unexpectedly, Nora hit bullseye. He could see my intentions clear as day.

"That's right. Even if your older brother treated you badly, I think he genuinely wanted to help you by giving you that card. He wanted you to become strong so you could stand toe to toe with them. This was his roundabout way of doing so, probably due to stubborn pride. It's a provocation telling you to catch up to them. This was the first step he wanted you to take."

I tried to convey what I meant with words, even if it was clumsy. I realised I might have been a little insensitive by trying to forcibly change Nora's perspective on his brother's gift, but I do honestly believe that there was hidden meaning Nora had yet to draw from this card being given to him. His brother might have been a jerk, but familial bonds are comparable to a love-hate relationship.

I know this better than anyone else.

"Your brother wanted you to adopt this card as your own. To give yourself an identity so they can't call you a "failure" anymore. If you believe in your own self, then those cruel nicknames will mean nothing. That's what he meant by becoming strong."

Even though it was advice for Nora, my heart twinged painfully. I was a hypocrite by saying those words.

"R-really? Natsuhisa-niisama... wanted me to become strong by making this card mine?"

"Yes. Like Katsumi-san said, Hengist looks like the you from back then. Your brother must have chosen it purposefully to reflect that, to show you a glimpse of what your future self could be like. Can you see now why you kept that card for so long?"

Nora picked up Hengist. Pushing it close to his heart, he nodded.

"I... I think I do. Deep down... I knew I wanted to be strong... like this card... like my brothers... it's a reminder that... I can't run away! I need to fight for what I want! To overcome my weakness, I need to stand my ground as a person! Not something someone can walk over!"

With that loud, liberating, and powerful declaration, Nora huffed with a rejuvenated smile. Even though that card was plagued with the darkness of the past, he could destroy it by accepting it and not being afraid anymore. Building his own identity around a unique avatar would give him the strength and courage necessary to stand up against his bullies, and prove to his ruthless family that he wasn't a failure.

The war wasn't just about the class anymore. The war was challenging us as people to overcome our defects in order to pull through with a victory. As long as Nora works earnestly, which I know he does, then I truly think he can overcome his past once and for all.

I glanced at Katsumi, who was staring at me in awe. It was like she had seen a ghost for the first time.

"Takanori-san... who are you really? That... was amazing..."

Even though she was easily impressed by just about anything, I genuinely felt that Katsumi was shocked by my words and actions for that brief moment. I am too, considering I wasn't in the position to give that advice or get myself involved in Nora's troubled past. It was a combination of luck and prior knowledge that let me manoeuvre my words this way.

I knew that Nora wouldn't react badly and was a forgiving person, which made giving advice to him much easier. He gives people the benefit of the doubt all the time - probably something he learnt from enduring countless years of bullying - so even if I did somehow cross the line, I knew he wouldn't hate me. That's why I could be so bold towards him with my word choices.

All Nora needed was a push. His lack of confidence had stifled him in reaching this conclusion. Something he subconsciously came to a long time ago, but couldn't accept due to the meaning associated to that card.

"It doesn't matter anymore, what that card represents. We'll break it and reform it into your winning image, alright?"

There was a soft glimmer of hope in his eyes as Nora nodded in response. Katsumi stood with a massive grin, pumping her fist.

"Takanori-san, don't forget about me! I wanna remake my winning image too!"

"Sure thing. We'll spend the night fixing your decks. Tomorrow, we can start putting our knowledge into practice."

"Let's do it guys!"

Katsumi placed her hand in the centre. Me and Nora put our hands on top of hers. In one loud cheer, we raised them into the sky.