Me, Kurosaki, and Momoka gathered on one side of the classroom to discuss strategy.

"I'm guessing you want to go last, Minoru-san?"

"Ah... you overheard my conversation with Kuyou-san?"

"It was kind of hard not to, since you two were staring down each other so intensely."

Somehow, Momoka was smiling happily about that.

"It can't be helped. I'm serious about beating him."

"Hehe, you're quite the noble fellow, aren't you? It's admirable you're willing to stick your neck out so much for Kurosaki-san."

For the first time today, I saw Momoka acknowledge Kurosaki. As she gestured to her, Kurosaki looked away and gripped the hem of her skirt tighter.

"If that's the case, then why didn't you say anything yourself?"

"I mean, I felt a little bad for Kurosaki-san, but... me and her aren't really friends yet, you know? I wouldn't go out of my way to help a total stranger."

Before this, I thought Momoka was a pretty cute girl, but after hearing this come out of her mouth, I felt repulsed.

"So that's what it's like... I guess you really are no better than the rest of them."

I uttered my true thoughts, letting my disdain be known.

"I think it's the opposite, Minoru-san."

"Huh?"

"I think you're probably just a better person than all of us."

The moment Momoka said that line, I jumped back a little.

The look in her eyes right now...

That hollow grey hue...

...what the hell was that just now?

I looked over to Kurosaki to see if she noticed, but it seemed she was completely oblivious to the shift in atmosphere around Momoka.

"Ah, you know what, I've decided. If you guys don't mind, I'll go second."

Ignoring the grim presence her words breathed into existence, Momoka clapped her hands together, almost like dispelling that air lingering around her, before continuing our conversation as if nothing happened.

"That's... fine... but, wouldn't that mean...?"

My eyes trailed over to Kurosaki, who would be forced to go first in this situation.

"A-ah, it's alright... I don't mind."

Without even resisting, Kurosaki quietly accepted the fact she was going first. Seeing that, an uneasy feeling in my heart rose again.

"Kurosaki-san... look, if you don't want to go first, you can say. Even if it means screwing off my fight with Kuyou-san, I can go first instead. I'll have plenty of chances to fight that guy later on anyways."

Kurosaki shook her head.

"I... wanna see Takamine-san fight Kuyou-san."

Hearing that, my eyes widened. I looked away and scratched the back of my head, making Momoka giggle at me.

"...fine. But you won't see just me fight him."

I looked at Kurosaki and grinned.

"I'm gonna smash that loser's face in."

Even though I thought it was a cool line that would reassure her, Kurosaki squeaked and shook her head.

"P-please don't physically hurt him..."

"I-I mean in the card game obviously!"

As I shook my hands trying to correct the misunderstanding, Kuyou called over to us.

"Yo, you three. Decided on your order yet?"

As much as I tried to fight it, his voice demanding for attention managed to force my gaze to be drawn towards him.

"Yep, we did."

Momoka raised her hand, answering on our group's behalf.

"Excellent. First fighters, step up to the table then."

From our side, Kurosaki stood.

From their side, Iori stood.

"Oh, it's Kurosaki-san who's going up first? It's almost like you're sending her out to die here."

Ignoring Iori's cheap trash talk, Kurosaki took her Desire Specs from her purse and clipped it to her ear. Iori pursed her lips, pouting that Kurosaki wasn't biting back, before putting put on her Desire Specs too.

"I didn't think a Category Zero like you would have the courage to fight first."

Once again, Kurosaki ignored Iori and took out her ID medal with a shaking hand. She gulped, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Are you even listening me...? Ah, whatever."

Iori sighed, giving up on trying to taunt Kurosaki. She took out her ID medal too, smirking.

"I can't tell if Kurosaki-san is trying to play it cool or is completely oblivious to her surroundings."

"Isn't the obvious answer that she's just nervous?"

"Hmm, true. She's definitely the shy type, that girl."

I rebuked Momoka's comment and put on my Desire Specs too. This way, I could also watch the fight that was about to unfold. By the way, my Specs was a tattoo type, since that's the one mommy uses.

"You ready, Kurosaki-san?"

"R-ready..."

Iori flicked her medal into the air while Kurosaki stretched out her hand to show her medal.

"Enter!"

"E-enter!"

As both girls yelled that, their ID Medals were scanned by each other's Specs, opening the digital battlefield.

A blue card each descended in front of them, with Iori kicking it open while Kurosaki grabbed it like it was a sword.

A burst of special effects ignited the card, realising their decks. A green crest of animal paws appeared over Iori's deck, while a purple crest of blooming lilies appeared over Kurosaki's deck.

"Back in cyberspace! This is so freeing!"

Iori laughed as she jumped up, floating into the air.

Kurosaki grumbled, slowly opening one eye to see her surroundings.

As she did, she covered her mouth and closed her eyes again.

"I... I forgor..."

"Hm? What's the matter, Kurosaki-san? You got cold feet?"

Iori laughed as she whizzed around Kurosaki, floating around her like a fairy. Kurosaki shook her head no, and drew five cards with her eyes closed.

Iori raised an eyebrow before drawing her own hand of five and shooting back to her original spot to create some distance between them.

On our side, me and Momoka were sitting on some digital chairs she spawned in. Meanwhile, on their side, Busujima was leaning against a digital throne that Kuyou was sitting on.

I clicked my tongue, glaring at him as he looked down on all of us. Jeez, how pompous can this guy get? We get it, you're a big shot, stop showing off!

"You really are a weird girl."

"S-sorry..."

Kurosaki meekly apologised as she opened her eyes slightly to check what was in her hand.

"Well, whatever. I'm still going to beat you, you hear?"

Iori pointed at Kurosaki, grinning widely. However, since she closed her eyes again, Kurosaki didn't even see it...

"O-okay..."

Taking a deep breath, Kurosaki opened one eye and held her chest.

"I... I think I can do it like this..."

Iori was in disbelief that Kurosaki ignored her again. Momoka giggled seeing this.

"Alright, enough with that embarrassing head empty act, let's get on with this."

Growing impatient with Kurosaki's one-sided way of approaching things, Iori demanded they start the game.

"A-ah... sorry..."

"The only word in that girl's vocabulary really is "okay" and "sorry", huh?"

Momoka was amused by how obedient Kurosaki was. I scratched the back of my head, sighing. Even I was having a hard time trying to understand how she could be so passive... what happened to her to make her turn out like this?

"Stand up, (the!) Vanguard!"

"K-Knight of Integrity, Thegrea...!"

"Sylvan Horned Beast, Lotte!"

The system decided Iori would be going first.

"Stoi versus Ket, huh? This is going to be interesting to watch go down."

Kuyou smirked as he leaned his cheek against his hand.

"Minoru-san. How much faith do you have in Kurosaki-san?"

Turning to me, Momoka asked me that question. I gave her a side glance and sighed.

"Enough to know that she'll do her best."

As much as I wanted to say she'd win, even I wasn't confident in whether or not Kurosaki could win. After all, as she was ranked Category Zero, there was certainly no way her skills would be on par with Iori, who's ranked Category Jack.

"Stand and draw! I discard a card to ride Blossoming Flowers Sylvan Horned Beast, Charis! I set the Energy Generator and end my turn."

A simple turn from Iori, but considering her deck was Magnolia, it would only start to ramp up later in the game.

Iori:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

During her turn, Kurosaki opened one eye and started playing.

"S-stand and draw... I discard to ride Player of the Lovely Harp, Adorphas! I set the Energy Generator, and since I went second, I get 3 energy! Thegrea's skill, I draw a card..."

"Adorphas? I guess that means you're playing Liael, not Thegrea."

Like Iori, I also noticed that Kurosaki was using a starter that was different to what was intended for the deck.

It wasn't unheard of, since some players do it to obfuscate what deck they're playing or to trick their opponent into thinking they're playing something else, but for a Category Zero like Kurosaki to do it was surprising.

After all, this was mainly done by higher level Categories to try and get an edge over the opponent or affect the way they execute their early game.

"I-I just like Thegrea's art more, sorry..."

Iori giggled hearing that response from Kurosaki. I guess it was an unintentional strategy, since she chose that starter based on aesthetic preference rather than an advantageous purpose.

"I call Rising Radiance Dragon, Blediarc, and use it's skill since our vanguards are the same grade... Blediarc gets 2k (8000 > 10000) and I scry 1. I-I'll put it to the bottom... and then I'll call a second Blediarc and use it's skill again...! (8000 > 10000) I'll leave it on top... t-then, I call two Cerrgaon."

"What in the tri-lane..."

I was surprised to see her commit so many cards down turn 1. For all her nervousness, Kurosaki at least knew to be proactive in the early game.

"Ehh, you're rushing me so early on? Bring it then!"

However, despite facing columns that couldn't be guarded by a single trigger, Iori grinned and pushed on, taunting Kurosaki once again.

"A-Adorphas attacks! (8000)"

"Melodia Pomera, guard! (23000) overTrigger to pass!"

"D-drive check...! (White Fang Witch, Disma) Critical trigger... all to Blediarc! (10000 > 20000/2)"

"Figures. You did keep that card on top with Bledi after all..."

Despite her position looking unstable, Iori kept smiling anyways. I couldn't tell if she was cocky or was trying to give herself false confidence.

"B-boosted by Cerrgaon, my Blediarc without a crit attacks! (10000 > 18000) Cerrgaon's skill, since I have more rear-guards than you, he gets +5k! (18000 > 23000)"

"No guard! (Planar Prevent Dragon)"

"End of battle, I retire Cerrgaon and scry 2... I put Waltrossa and Laiel to my hand and botdeck the rest."

"Here comes the doggo abuse. On turn 3, she's going to be able to return all those dogs back to the deck with Elegenia's skill and repeat it all again."

Kuyou chuckled as he commentated over the game.

"B-boosted by Cerrgaon, my Blediarc with a crit attacks...! (20000 > 28000/2) C-Cerrgaon's skill once more! (28000 > 33000/2)"

"No guard! (Serene Maiden, Lena) Draw trigger! Power to vanguard and draw! (8000 > 18000) (Sylvan Horned Beast, Golidoat)"

"Cerrgaon retires, I scry 2, and... I add another Cerrgaon to hand. Turn end..."

Similar to before, now that her turn was over, Kurosaki closed her eyes again. Just what was she doing...?

"Looks like she opened well. Isn't that great for us, Minoru-san?"

Momoka smiled, enjoying how Kurosaki unexpectedly dealt three damage against Iori on turn one.

"Yeah... at least, I think it is."

Iori:
Hand: 5
Damage: 3
Energy: 0
OXO
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 5
Damage: 0
Energy: 3
XXX
OOO

"Stand, draw, and charge! I discard to ride Mercy Sylvan Horned Beast, Lattice! Charis' skill, I scry 3, call Banaspati, and discard the rest!"

"If she's using Banaspati, that means she must be using Elder." Momoka said.

"Shame. It would've been more fun seeing Masques come out to play." Kuyou said.

"Banaspati's skill, I counterblast and soulblast to revive a grade 3 or less unit for every two grades of my Sylvan Horned Beast vanguard! I'm bringing back Blue Artillery Dragon, Inlet Pulse Dragon! Now, let's battle! Starting off, Lattice attacks! (10000)"

"N-no guard!"

"Drive check! (Elegy Pixy) Heal trigger! Power to Inlet, and healing a damage! (13000 > 23000)"

"Damage check...! (Exalted Dragon)"

"Banaspati attacks! His skill, for every two grades of my Sylvan Horned Beast vanguard, he gets +5k! (10000 > 15000)"

Briefly opening one of her eyes, Kurosaki selected a card and threw it down on the field.

"G-guard with Disma! (23000)"

"Inlet attacks! (23000)"

"N-no guard! (Dragsaver, Esras)"

"That's all from me. Turn end!"

"Looks like Iori-san's managed to push back nicely... that Heal trigger helped her a lot too."

Momoka mused, putting a hand to her chin. I disagreed.

"It could end up being a blessing in disguise for Kurosaki-san, since they're now on the same damage. If she checks a Heal, she could also recover back down to one."

"True."

Iori:
Hand: 6
Damage: 2
Energy: 3
XXX
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 4
Damage: 2
Energy: 3
XXX
OOO

Once more, Kurosaki opened one eye and began playing.

"S-stand, draw, and charge... I discard to ride Player of the Beautiful Chord, Elegenia! Adorphas' skill, I soulblast to draw 2, then discard a normal unit... I drop Waltrossa and Laiel, but energyblast 3 and remove Blediarc from my field to return them to hand... t-then, I call that Waltrossa and Laiel, and use their skill... I botdeck Cerrgaon and counterblast to scry 5... and call another Blediarc."

At that moment, Kurosaki winced and closed her eye again. She took a deep breath, swallowing a lump in her throat, before heaving with a shaky breath.

"Looks like the nerves finally got to her."

Iori laughed a little. Kuyou nodded in agreement.

"Once a Zero, always a Zero."

Damn... Kurosaki must be really feeling the pressure now if she's cracking like this. Maybe I should shout some words or encouragement, or—

"Don't."

My thoughts were cut short by Momoka.

"I know what you're thinking, Minoru-san. But don't."

"What do you mean? Kurosaki-san's struggling out there... shouldn't we do something to help her?"

Momoka sighed, before smiling a little.

"You really are dense."

She gently flicked me on the forehead.

"Ow...! Hey, what was that for?!"

"You've noticed it too, right? The way she keeps opening and closing her eyes."

"Well... yeah, it's kind of hard not to. I've never seen someone do anything like that before."

"Then you should understand why she's struggling so much."

I squinted at Momoka, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words.

"...I'm gonna look like a dumbass for saying this, but I still don't get it."

Momoka laughed, shaking her head.

"I could tell you, but it's so much more funnier seeing your reaction... it's like you're a lost puppy, Minoru-san!"

I grumbled, turning away from the laughing Momoka to focus on Kurosaki's fight. I still couldn't wrap my head around by what she said earlier. Like, what? I'm supposed to guess just based on that? The hell is going on here...

"Kurosaki-san, are you able to continue?"

To my surprise, it was Iori who asked that. Then again, she was just floating there, looking irritated that Kurosaki's turn was passing by so slowly.

"S-sorry... I... I am."

Taking her last deep breath, Kurosaki coughed out that answer before opening one eye again, slimmer than before this time. She continued with her turn.

"B-Blediarc's skill... he gets +2k (8000 > 10000) and scry 1... b-botdeck it. I call Atrocious? Moth Girl, Maple and Cerrgaon as well..."

"Huh... isn't it weird she's playing Maple?"

Noticing that, Kuyou narrowed his eyes.

"Well, it's a fairly common tech to put in Keter pile decks. A free self-animating body per turn is a lot of advantage in the long run."

Busujima provided a reasonable explanation, but due to how Liael plays, you want to run as many copies of a card as possible, so using 1-ofs was rare to see. In all likelihood, this was probably just a case of bad deck building due to Kurosaki's level.

"Perhaps."

To my surprise, Kuyou didn't chalk this choice up to her being inexperienced like I has... did he manage to see something I haven't?

"In any case, she's really adamant about going on the aggressive, huh?"

Busujima nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Not only that, but she rebuilt her field while simultaneously keeping defence in mind."

That's for sure... after all, Kurosaki could afford to intercept with both Waltrossa and Laiel and Maple next turn, as one was expendable since their skill was used up, and one could revive itself anyways.

"B-boosted by Cerrgaon, Elegenia attacks...! (10000 > 18000) C-Cerrgaon's skill! (18000 > 23000)"

"Elegy Pixy guards! (25000) One to pass!"

"D-drive check...! (Elementaria Sanctitude)"

"That's going to be huge against Iori-san!"

I exclaimed in excitement, and Momoka nodded in agreement.

"C-Cerrgaon's skill...! I retire him, scry 2, and... add Alpacc to my hand..."

"Looks like she got two triggers off the top... that's rough."

My excitement came down as I saw her add the front to her hand. While it was unfortunate, it was also inevitable.

"N-now, boosted by Blediarc, Maple attacks...! (10000 > 18000)"

"Banaspati intercepts and Giunsula guards! (20000)"

"B-boosted by Blediarc, Waltrossa and Laiel attacks...! (10000 > 20000)"

"No guard! (Sea Strike Dragon, Enlargulv)"

"T-that's all from me... t-turn end."

Iori:
Hand: 4
Damage: 3
Energy: 3
OXX
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 5
Damage: 2
Energy: 3
XXX
XOX

"Stand, draw, and charge. I discard to ride Sylvan Horned Beast King, Magnolia!"

"No ride chant? That's weird..." I said.

"It's probably because Iori-san doesn't recognise original Magnolia as her avatar. Only Elder." Momoka said.

"Huh, that could be true. I never thought about it that way before."

I still found it a bit strange though, since they were both Magnolia.

"Enlargulv's skill, since he was discarded to ride a grade 3, I draw! Lattice's skill, when rode upon by Magnolia, I soulblast to add Inlet back to hand! Golidoat's skill in drop, since I rode a Magnolia, I put him into soul to give my vanguard +5k! (13000 > 18000) I call an Inlet and Golidoat! Now, let's battle! First up, Magnolia attacks! (18000)"

"N-no guard!"

"Twin Drive!! (Flappoy Lilikoi, Melodia Pomera) Critical trigger! Power to Inlet, critical to vanguard! (13000 > 23000) (18000/1 > 2)"

"D-damage checks...! (Cavalry Machine Impetuous Streak, Waltrossa & Laiel, Knight of Clarion Strings, Ricula) H-heal trigger! I recover a damage and give power to vanguard...! (10000 > 20000)"

"That damage check is going to be huge for Kurosaki-san in the long run..."

Kuyou muttered, putting a hand to his chin.

"Ah, that's annoying... oh well. Magnolia's skill! I counterblast to give Golidoat +5k and the ability to attack from back row this turn! (10000 > 15000) Inlet attacks Waltrossa and Laiel! (13000)"

"T-they retire..."

"My other Inlet attacks the vanguard! (23000)"

"M-Maple intercepts! (20000 > 25000)"

"Golidoat attacks! (15000) Golidoat's skill, since he's attacking from the back row, he gets +10k! (15000 > 25000)"

"N-no guard! (Blade Feather Dragon) Critical... a-all to vanguard. (20000 > 30000)"

"At the end of that battle, since Golidoat is in the centre column, I retire him to draw! Turn end! Both of my Inlet's skills, since I performed four or more attacks this turn, I put them both into soul to draw for each!"

Converting your entire field into hand... that was Magnolia's speciality. Needless to say, Iori was currently pulling it off very well.

Iori:
Hand: 8
Damage: 3
Energy: 6
OXO
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 5
Damage: 4
Energy: 3
OXO
XOX

"S-stand, draw, and charge..."

Kurosaki took a deep breath and opened both her eyes, a sparkle of determination glimmering within them as she raised a card high to the sky.

"You've got this, Kurosaki-san!"

Without thinking, I jumped up and slammed on a digital table, cheering her on.

"Oh? Go on, show off that Fated One, Category Zero. I can't wait to see you fumble with it."

In opposition, Kuyou lifted his head and taunted her with a twisted smile.

"Oh, now things are getting interesting. You've got this, Kurosaki-san."

Even Momoka cheered her on slightly.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

Unlike everyone else, Busujima was the only one feeling unconfident about what was going to transpire.

"Hey, you! Don't you dare hold back, you hear me?! Come and give it your best shot!"

Iori declared loudly, fired up by everyone's passionate shouting.

"I..."

Kurosaki narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"I'll... do my best!"

The card in her hand began glowing a brilliant light, spinning out into the shape of a sword.

"The sword of light that cuts away evil and protects the weak..."

Kurosaki swung down with the sword of light, slamming it onto her vanguard circle.

"...promise to always shine radiantly within our hands!"

With a voice we'd never heard from her before, Kurosaki screamed to the heavens.

"I ride my avatar!"

As the light cleared, everyone was taken aback.

Iori's jaw dropped.

Momoka raised her eyebrows.

Kuyou smirked.

Busujima sighed.

I was speechless.

We all thought she used Liael.

But in reality—

"One Who Walks the Path of Light..."

Kurosaki put a hand to her chest, squeezing it tightly.

"Thegrea!"

Talk about an unexpected choice. I really wasn't expecting this to be a Thegrea deck from everything we saw, but...

"I knew it. So that's why you had Maple in there."

...it seems Kuyou's observation from earlier was spot on. I gritted my teeth.

"Thegrea, huh? No wonder you're Category Zero."

Iori, putting it bluntly, told Kurosaki this was the reason why she was so low ranked. As much as I wanted to disagree, a small part of me had to acknowledge there was some truth to this.

In terms of tiered decks, Thegrea wouldn't even make it to tier 3 status. She might have had a good end game in the form of double Persona Ride, but her early to mid game was so weak that any half-competent deck could crush her before then.

The only reason Kurosaki hasn't been pushed back so far yet is because Iori's also playing a turn 4 deck. If she was up against a faster opponent, things would be looking much more bleak for her...

"...I know."

However, hearing the clarity in Kurosaki's usually shaky voice made my heart shiver. I raised my head, looking at her.

"Huh?"

Iori tilted her head.

"I... I know Thegrea isn't a strong deck... she's a weak deck, one that can barely compete with everything else... she's both outdated and outclassed by nearly everyone else... compared to her peers, it was like she was fated to be left forgotten by the wayside..."

Kurosaki caressed the Thegrea on her vanguard circle, lowering her head.

"B-but... but even so...!"

For the first time ever, I saw Kurosaki's true smile.

My heart thumped.

I don't know what this feeling rising in my chest was, but... it felt like I was being enveloped in a warmth I'd never felt before.

"I can't give up on her... from the moment I first saw her, I knew she was the one for me."

As she closed her eyes, the digital space around us began shaking and glitching.

"So, on that day... I made a promise to myself! I promised that... Thegrea and I... we'll be together, forever and ever."

The system turned dark, creating visible cracks in the augmented reality. What the hell is going on now...?!

"You can laugh at me as much as you want... you can ridicule me as much as you want... you can reject me as much as you want... because none of that matters to me anymore!"

Iori stepped back, her eyes wide seeing the aura flaring around Kurosaki in this moment. This caused Kuyou to throw up a barrier between himself, Busujima, Iori, Momoka, and even me.

"As long as Thegrea is here with me... I'm safe. So, no matter what... I will find a way forward with her!"

As Kurosaki roared out, blue circuits sparked all over her body.

"Momoka-san, do you know what's happening?!"

I'd never seen this happen before... just how dire was the situation that even Kuyou prioritised my safety over whatever beef we were currently going through?

"System overload."

"What...? You can do that?!"

"It's a one in a million occurrence, but... yes."

"The odds are that low...? Then, how is Kurosaki-san..."

"She's not used to this world, Minoru-san. Those circuits you see on her body... that's meant to be for activating her Arcana. But right now..."

Momoka stretched out her hand, catching a piece of the crumbling digits in her palm.

"...she's unconsciously activating them, leading to the system to overheat as there's nowhere for all her channeled energy to go. If you remember from the old GEN Academy system, it's similar to trying to activate a Skill but using as much as power needed for a Balance Breaker. And Kurosaki-san's been stressing out the system with that sort of power ever since she started this fight."

"...what? There's no way, how is that even possible?"

"It's a simple answer. She has no control over her circuits. Kurosaki-san's been letting them leak this entire time, meaning the system's been inputting her power without any output command, turning the world... into well, this."

Momoka showed me the fallen shard in her hand and giggled.

"At first, it was fine since she wasn't under any particular stress... but now that Iori-san's finally landed a taunt on her, it's all coming out now. Let this be a lesson to never anger a woman, Minoru-san."

Momoka sighed, resting herself against the table.

"...the explanation makes sense, but how can Kurosaki-san have no control over her circuits? That's like one of the most easiest and basic things to master... even a baby could do it."

"Hmm. Have you figured out why she's been opening and closing her eyes the entire time yet, Minoru-san?"

"No... I still don't get it, and won't get it unless you tell me."

"You really are dense."

Momoka flicked me on the forehead again.

"Ow— hey!"

"Put simply, Kurosaki-san's body isn't suited for the digital world."

"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Motion sickness."

My eyes widened.

Suddenly, all of her peculiar behaviour made sense now.

I covered my mouth, feeling like an idiot for not picking up on it sooner.

"Like how some people feel ill driving in a car, some people feel ill while in this highly concentrated augmented space. Based on her behaviour, Kurosaki-san is likely one of those people. If you stay in the space for long enough, you can definitely start to feel ill if your body isn't suited for it. It seems Kurosaki-san has such a high sensitivity to it, she can't even spend a few seconds in here without feeling like vomiting."

So, Kurosaki kept closing her eyes to try and reduce the amount of augmented reality she could see as much as possible to prevent herself from accidentally throwing up...

"And well, if you can't handle being inside the space long enough to even try out your circuits, it's only natural you'd have no control over them. Kurosaki-san's basically been wetting herself the entire time and only now we've noticed the puddle of pee left in her seat."

While a crude way of describing it, it was also unfortunately the most accurate...

Damn, now I feel really bad for dragging her into this. I need to apologise to Kurosaki after this is all done... she shouldn't have to grit her teeth and bear this sort of pain for some stupid competition like this.

—As I had those thoughts, another thought popped up into my mind.

...could Kurosaki be a Category Zero because she physically couldn't handle fighting anyone under the ruleset of the Messiah Grand Prix?

After all, all sanctioned MGP games are played within this digital space... and you can't rack up points or move up the system if you can't even fight inside of it...

When I thought about it this way, I covered my mouth and grinned under my hand, releasing a shaky laugh.

"Ha ha ha... there's no way, right?"

...could Kurosaki secretly be on the same level as, or be better than, all of us?

"M-Maple's skill! When I place a grade 3 or greater unit during ride phase, since I don't have a unit with the same name as her on field, I can revive her from drop! Then, I use Thegrea's skill! I counterblast to scry 5... I superior call Cerrgaon! I set the order Oath of Vengeance, Thegrea and call Knight of Evil Slash, Meyrig!"

Despite Thegrea's piece reliant nature, it seems Kurosaki thankfully managed to draw into her two key pieces for this turn, Oath and Meyrig.

"M-Meyrig's skill! Since we're both grade 3 or greater vanguards, I bind her to put One Who Blooms in the Dark, Thegrea into my soul and superior ride Epee De Justice, Thegrea from my deck!"

This time, the card Kurosaki rose into the air turned into a flaming sword she swung down onto the vanguard circle.

"The flaming sword of justice that upholds law and forgives destruction... promise to always seek revenge and swear upon the vow within our hands! I ride my avatar, Epee De Justice, Thegrea!"

From Kurosaki's overflowing circuits were trails of golden flames on the verge of turning ghost blue.

"M-Meyrig then turns Justice Thegrea's name to be the same as Light Thegrea's name. Now, Justice Thegrea's skill...! I discard a card to superior ride a Thegrea from soul...!"

Those golden flames turned dark lavender, inverting in colour immediately, while the tips remained teetering on the edge of turning blue or white.

"The sword of darkness that swallows the light and exacts retribution... promise to always avenge mercilessly within our hands! I ride my avatar, One Who Blooms in the Dark, Thegrea!"

Once more, the atmosphere changed drastically, warping into pitch black as a flood of darkness overtook the digital space. The only thing illuminating the disintegrating world now were the purple flames spilling from Kurosaki's own body.

"I bind Justice from my soul and... Persona Ride! Oath's effect, my Persona Ride's power becomes +15k and I draw 2! (10000 > 25000) (13000 > 28000)"

This was Thegrea's speciality. Her ultra Persona Ride.

"B-Blediarc's skill... when I discard, I energyblast 3 and remove him from the game to return the discarded card back to my hand... then, I call Waltrossa and Laiel (10000 > 25000), and use their skill to put a Cerrgaon back to my deck... then, I counterblast, scry 5, and... call another Meyrig."

When Momoka said Kurosaki had no control of her circuits, I didn't realise it would be this bad... as she was now, it looked like she was standing in the middle of a garden of fire, with the flowers being the spiralling coils of lavender that blossomed at her feet.

"Sheesh... she really needs to calm down, otherwise we're all going to end up toast."

Kuyou chuckled, increasing the barrier in front of Iori as the expanding flames nearly grazed her.

"Kuyou-san... I appreciate your concern, but don't worry about me. I can handle this."

Iori, undeterred by the dense wall of flames separating her from Kurosaki, transformed Kuyou's barrier into a thin armour that wrapped around her body and floated up, leaning forward to close the gap between them.

"Hey, Kurosaki-san!"

Kurosaki paused, freezing in place as Iori invaded her personal space, the flames now whipping in her direction. She raised her head slightly, causing her to jump back as their faces were now just mere centimetres apart from each other.

"Don't get cocky just because your avatar is here to protect you now! No matter how big your mouth talks, you and I both know that deep down, you're still that same scared little girl, aren't you?"

Even though the flames were making contact with Iori, she remained unfazed by it thanks to the barrier turned armour. Under such intense scrutiny, Kurosaki closed her eyes and looked away, biting her bottom lip.

Seeing this sign of weakness, Iori grinned, finally having clawed at one of Kurosaki's weak spots after plenty of failed attempts at trying to taunt her. This gave her the confidence to push the envelope open even further.

"You spouted all that nonsense earlier, and for what? Nothing has changed, so don't act like it has! You're the worst type of coward out there... someone who can't ever stand up for themselves unless somebody else does it for them. It's pathetic."

At that moment, Iori's eyes sharply turned towards me. I narrowed my eyes back at her.

"So, how does it feel, Category Zero? Knowing that without Minoru-san sticking his neck out for you, you've never would've even had the chance to utter those pretty words to try and make make yourself feel better. Must be humiliating, right? We can all see the truth hidden past your fake confidence."

Kurosaki's shoulders dropped as she hugged her torso.

"From top to bottom... your shivering body is proof you're nothing but a loser."

Seeing her on the brink of despair, Iori smirked. At the same time, Kurosaki couldn't bring herself to say any words.

"Oi... what the hell does she think she's doing, provoking her like that?!"

I squeezed my fists, readying myself to intervene on her behalf. However, just before I did, I noticed flames splashing against the barrier Kuyou put up in front of me and Momoka.

As I raised my head, my eyes widened.

Even if Kurosaki bring herself to say anything, she didn't have to. 

Because all of her circuits were doing the talking for her.

Even though her physical body became withdrawn and dejected, the flames leaking from her digital body burned brighter than ever before, and even began cascading out towards me and Momoka.

"Ku ku... ku ku ku! Now this is really entertaining, ku ha ha ha!"

Even as his throne was surrounded by Kurosaki's berserk flames, Kuyou was cackling.

"The desperation of a Category Zero fighter... someone with no prospects in this world whatsoever... so this is the form their despair takes, huh? How unsightly... but that pathetic face is what makes it so funny, ku ku ku!"

He revelled in watching Kurosaki's flames spiral out of control, relishing every moment of torment on her face.

I gritted my teeth and curled my hand into tight fists.

That asshole... I've had enough of him...!

Even if Kurosaki's rage was being personified by these flames, her burning emotions didn't align with her actions.

She remained still, unable to move from her spot at all.

Watching her being paralysed by their cruel words, I couldn't stand by and just watch anymore.

If I did, I'd be no better than the rest of them...

I stood, disabling the barrier.

Just as I was about to leap over the gorge of flames and give both Kuyou and Iori a piece of my mind, Momoka grabbed my wrist.

"Minoru-san, stop. You're going to regret this."

"Huh...? Regret?"

I looked down at Momoka, snapping my arm away from her.

"You're going to talk to me about regret? Regret over what? Protecting someone else? Standing up for someone else? Helping out somebody else when they need it most?!"

Momoka's eyes widened.

"Don't give me that crap! And don't drag me down to your level either! If you don't have a backbone, then don't stop me from having one! I'm going to help save Kurosaki-san from apathetic people like you!"

It's people like you... everyone like you... who makes this world an unbearable place to live...

For some reason, Momoka smiled.

"...it's better this way. Go on, redirect all your anger to me. You'll feel better if you do, won't you?"

I put a hand to my face and grit my teeth, taking a breath under my palm.

"That's... argh..."

Recognising the tone in my outburst earlier, I realised it should've never been directed towards Momoka in the first place.

Instead, it should've been directed towards Kuyou, the person I wanted to convey this bitter hatred towards the most.

I lowered my head and sat down.

"Momoka-san... I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's as you say... it is the right thing to help her. But at the same time... this isn't the place to interfere with what she's going through."

"What...?"

"You heard her earlier, right? If Kurosaki-san is serious about not caring whether people laugh, ridicule, or refuse her, then these comments from Iori-san and Kuyou-san shouldn't bother her."

"But look at her face! She's clearly affected by it!"

"Yes... but this is Kurosaki-san's battle. Not yours."

My eyes widened. Momoka stared at me directly in the eyes.

"Let her handle it her way. She needs to learn how to fight, even if it kills her."

As her stare pierced into my heart, I looked away, gazing at Kurosaki who was awash in now pale blue flames. Her face was ghostly pale and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"...I think I have two minutes left, tops."

After taking a moment to process everything, Kurosaki swallowed a lump in her throat before breathing out and opening one eye, trying to the feelings of sickness circling through her body.

"B-boosted by Cerrgaon, Thegrea attacks! (28000 > 36000) C-Cerrgaon's skill...! (36000 > 41000)"

Flashing claret red, the circuits on Kurosaki's body changed colour. Starting from her fingertips, running all the way up to the right side of her face through her arm were the corrupted circuits that formed a Roman numeral on her cheek.

"Hermit ability, activate."

IX.

"Encompassing Shield! Until end of turn, my vanguard gets +5k and drive +1! (41000 > 46000/2d > 3d)"

To everyone's surprise, Kurosaki managed to activate her Arcana ability. This let the digital space stabilise momentarily, as it finally had an outlet for her overflowing power, but this probably wouldn't last very long.

"Alright! Nice one Kurosaki-san, you've got this!"

I fist pumped, cheering her on.

"Ho... now this is surprising. And here I thought they were inept at controlling their circuits."

For the first time in this fight, Kuyou sat upright on his throne.

"While the extra drive may convert to additional advantage later, the real killer here is the extra 5k." Busujima said.

"Before, Iori-san could safely one to pass with just 30k shield, but now that the attack is 46k, she's going to need another stage of guard." Momoka said.

In other words, Iori would be forced to use an extra card from hand to guard it at the bare minimum.

"Now with both sword and shield in hand... Thegrea won't be stopped anymore! So, go!"

Kurosaki opened her other eye, staring straight at Iori.

"Adamas Bloodriver!"

Screaming at the top of her lungs, the flames burst upwards behind Kurosaki.

"No guard!"

Without hesitating, Iori decisively chose to take the attack head on.

"She's at three damage... isn't this too dangerous?" I said.

"It is. If Kurosaki-san gets double critical, it's game over." Momoka said.

"But if Iori-san is taking such a risk, it probably means she doesn't have the shield to guard everything." Busujima said.

"Then this is the smarter play to make. Even if Kurosaki-san gets one critical here, Iori-san is only pushed to five. At the very least, she can gamble on hitting damage triggers to make guarding easier in those two damage checks." Kuyou said.

Two criticals and it's over... with three drive checks coming up, ruling it out wasn't a possibility.

"Come on, Kurosaki-san! Get those two critical triggers and shut them up for good!"

"T-triple Drive...!!! (Epee De Justice, Thegrea, Rising Radiance Dragon, Blediarc, White Fang Witch, Disma) C... c-critical trigger! P-power to Maple, critical to vanguard! (25000 > 35000) (46000/3d/1 > 2)"

"Alright!"

Even though she didn't get two of them, one was more than enough to put Iori to the brink of losing, so I cheered anyways.

"Damage checks! (Sylvan Horned Beast, Banaspati, Planar Prevent Dragon) No triggers..."

"That's going to hurt." Momoka said.

"Unfortunate, but the situation is still manageable." Kuyou said.

"C-Cerrgaon's skill... I retire him, scry 2... and add Maple to hand. Dark Thegrea's skill! At the end of the battle she attacked, since I rode her from Justice treated as Light Thegrea, I can counterblast 1 and discard a card... to restand the vanguard with drive -1! (33000/3d > 2d/2)"

Once more, the flames behind Kurosaki rose up and burst open again.

"T-then, Exalted Dragon's skill... since I discarded him, I soulblast to call him to rear-guard! A-and since I superior rode this turn, he gets boost..."

"Oh wow... by calling it behind vanguard, she's given it a new booster..."

Judging by the surprise in Iori's voice, it sounded like she hadn't accounted for that possibility.

"What clever manoeuvring of her units." Momoka said.

"To be honest, I've never seen anything like this before either... usually they use the G1 Maple to boost, don't they?" I said.

"I don't think we should assume this is a regular Thegrea deck, Minoru-san. After all, Kurosaki-san is Category Zero."

For a moment, I was about to agree with Kuyou, but when he said that last part, I narrowed my eyes at him instead.

"B-boosted by Exalted... Thegrea attacks! (33000 > 43000/2d/2) Adamas Bloodrevolt!"

"Planar Prevent Dragon, perfect guard!"

"T-twin Drive...!! (Oath of Vengeance, Thegrea, Bard of Heavenly Song, Alpacc) F-front trigger! A-all my front tow units get +10k! (25000 > 35000) (43000 > 53000/2d/2) (35000 > 45000/2)"

Even though this attack didn't manage to to get through, getting this front trigger when Iori was at five damage was huge. Now the pressure was on Iori to really guard the upcoming attacks like her life depended on it.

"B-boosted by Meyrig, Waltrossa and Laiel attacks! (35000 > 43000)"

"Elegy Pixy, Peppery Pepper, and Flappoy Lilikoi guards! (13000 > 28000 > 43000 > 48000)"

"B-boosted by Blediarc, Maple attacks! (45000 > 53000/2)"

"OverGuard. Source Dragon Deity of Blessings, Blessfavour! (13000 > 63000)"

"So that's it, huh..."

"Indeed. It's the end of the line for you now, Kurosaki-san."

Kurosaki took a deep breath and closed both her eyes, leaning against the digital table for support.

"I... I can't hold on for much longer..."

She gasped, grabbing her face before slowly pulling her hand down to cover her mouth. Seeing her in this much pain, I couldn't let things stay the way they are.

"Oi, everyone! Kurosaki-san's going to be sick! Forget this game and let's disengage from the system!"

I tried calling out to end this, but no one would move. Kurosaki spluttered, coughing into her hand, before shaking her head.

"N-no... Minoru-san, please... I... I want to continue..."

Through the gaps of her fingers were thin streaks of vomit.

"But you can't take much more of this, can you?! A stupid game isn't worth putting your health at risk!"

"I... I know that... b-but I've managed to come this far... I'm finally so close to finishing a game of Vanguard with somebody else..."

Tears began falling from Kurosaki's eyes.

"S-so, please... please don't take me out, just yet... b-besides... it wouldn't be fair to Iori-san either, would it...?"

"...what? How can you be thinking about anybody other than yourself now in this situation, Kurosaki-san?! You're on the verge of—"

Before I could finish, Iori cut me off.

"Don't worry, Minoru-san. I'll end this quickly."

"T-thank you... Iori-san..."

Kurosaki swallowed the lump in her throat again, panting as her face was turning pale.

"Turn... end..."

You've got to be kidding me... they're going to continue in this state...?

Iori:
Hand: 2
Damage: 5
Energy: 6
OXO
OOO

Kurosaki:
Hand: 9
Damage: 4
Energy: 3
XXX
XXX

"Stand, draw, and charge! Heed before the roar of the majestic king that soars through the sky, and tremble under the gathering of the fiercest beast army! I ride my avatar, Sylvan Horned Beast Emperor, Magnolia Elder!"

Almost like in direct opposition to the garden of flames that Kurosaki summoned, a refreshing wind carried by a resounding roar blew through the digital world, stamping out the last remnants of system overheat.

"Elder's skill! When I ride him, I choose a card from soul and call it to rear-guard! Come on out, Golidoat!"

Iori then glanced at Kurosaki, noticing her wobble back and forth as she struggled to keep her nausea down, before sighing.

"I know you're probably not listening to me right now, or can even bear to focus on the fight, but I'm going to say this anyways. Last turn, your circuits may have gone haywire and created a suffocating garden of flames, but I'm here to personally demonstrate how the seeds of life can still blossom from the ashes of your rampage. I call Flappoy Lilikoi!"

"She had a second copy in hand?!" I said.

"Considering she guarded with one earlier, that much should've been obvious." Busujima said.

"That card's bad news for Kurosaki-san..." Momoka said.

"When you're fighting against Magnolia, it's the one thing you don't want to see, ku ku." Kuyou said.

"Flappoy's skill, since I have a Sylvan Horned Beast vanguard, I energyblast 3 to revive a Sylvan Horned Beast from drop! Banaspati, return to me! Banaspati's skill, since I have a Sylvan Horned Beast vanguard, I counterblast and soulblast to revive units equal to every two grades of my vanguard! Since my vanguard is grade 4, I get to bring back two! I choose Sylvan Horned Beast, Gabregg and Sylvan Horned Beast, Giunosla!"

"In a flash, Iori-san's managed to rebuild her entire board from nothing just using one card." Busujima said.

"It seems that all of Kurosaki-san's efforts to reduce Iori-san's resources as much as possible have been rendered obsolete. How unfortunate, but that's just simply what Magnolia does best." Kuyou said.

"The more concerning bit is the fact she didn't choose to revive any Inlet... how is she going to rebuild her hand after this turn?" I said.

"She's not planning to. Instead, she revived two aggressive units in the form of Gabregg and Giunosla... Iori-san is serious about ending this as soon as possible." Momoka said.

"Kurosaki-san... please be okay..."

I hoped for the best, but considering her half-dizzied state, either one of two things would happen.

Iori would win the game on her turn.

Or Kurosaki would fall sick while inside this world.

"Elder's skill! Since I have a Magnolia in soul, all my rear-guards can attack and intercept from back row, and they all get +5k! (10000 > 20000) (10000 > 20000) (10000 > 20000) (10000 > 20000) (10000 > 20000) That's not all though."

Brimming from her chest, a circuit of light green began flowing up her neck before manifesting in a cluster on her tongue, which Iori stuck out to reveal a Roman numeral etched into it.

"This is the Jack's authority!"

VIII.

"Strength ability, activate."

"Cultivated Overgrowth! First, I activate Persona Ride, then, for the rest of this turn, when a unit attacks from the back row, all my units get +5k! (10000 > 20000) (13000 > 23000) (10000 > 20000)"

"As expected, since she was going for the kill this turn, Iori-san's going all out..." I said.

"The forced Persona Ride was already more enough, but that second part of her skill is straight up nasty." Kuyou said.

"What a deceptively simple skill... it takes some time to get the full effect, but 15k to all your units is no joke." Momoka said.

"Giunosla's going to get massive off all these power gains too." Busujima said.

"Let's start this! Golidoat attacks! (10000) Cultivated Overgrowth! (20000 > 25000) (23000 > 28000) (20000 > 25000) (10000 > 15000) (10000 > 15000) (10000 > 15000) Golidoat's skill, since he's attacking from the back, he also gets +10k! (15000 > 25000)"

Kurosaki raised her head and opened one eye.

"D-Disma...! (28000)"

"Golidoat's skill, since he's in the centre column, I retire him to draw. Next up is Banaspati! (15000) Cultivated Overgrowth! (25000 > 30000) (28000 > 33000) (25000 > 30000) (15000 > 20000) (15000 > 20000) Banaspati's skill, for every two grades of my Sylvan Horned Beast vanguard, he gets +5k! Since Elder is grade 4, he gets +10k! (20000 > 30000)"

"A-Alpacc... (28000) S-skill, +5k shield...! (33000)"

"Giunosla attacks! (20000) Cultivated Overgrowth! (30000 > 35000) (33000 > 38000) (30000 > 35000) (20000 > 25000) Gabregg's skill, since another unit in the same column as him is attacking, I soulblast to give him +10k! (35000 > 45000) Then, when he attacks, you can't guard from hand using cards with the same grade as all your rear-guards!"

In other words, Kurosaki was locked out of using grade 2s and grade 1s to block Gabregg's attack.

"That's not all though! Giunosla's skill! When he attacks, I counterblast to give one of my other rear-guards his power! I choose Gabregg, giving him +25k! (45000 > 70000)"

"What the hell... that attack is 70k and you can't use any sentinels? There's no way she can stop that thing!"

I covered my mouth, shaking at the monstrous combo that Iori had conjured.

"The only silver lining is that Kurosaki-san is at four damage. However..."

Momoka trailed off. In response, Kuyou snickered.

"If Iori-san gets even a single critical, it's game over." Busujima said.

"Wrong. It all depends whether or not Iori-san's bait will work." Kuyou said.

Bait...? Did she somehow set up a trap for Kurosaki that none of us but Kuyou have noticed yet?

"B-Blade Feather... (28000)"

"Magnolia Elder attacks! (38000) Aerial Triclaw!"

"S... Sanctitude... f-free perfect guard...!"

Kuyou closed his eyes and laughed.

"Ku ku ku... ku ha ha ha! You really are a Category Zero, Kurosaki Yuuma!"

At that moment, I realised what Kuyou meant earlier.

My face dropped.

"So this was the trap that Iori had set..."

Even though Gabregg stopped Kurosaki from calling grade 1s to guardian circle, it didn't stop her from using Blitz Orders.

This meant, if Iori got a critical trigger and put it all on Gabregg, then Kurosaki could still stop it with Sanctitude regardless of its power.

However, because she was facing a deck that enabled Sanctitude to be a free PG, Kurosaki had subconsciously assigned it to be used on the vanguard, meaning Iori had successfully burned her only means of stopping Gabregg.

It probably didn't help that Kurosaki's mind was split between handling her nausea and doing calculations for the fight, so a slip up like this was almost inevitable.

What a dirty way of playing...

The only way Kurosaki could escape now is if Iori doesn't get a critical... but with only three confirmed crits out of deck and an upcoming triple drive, probability was on Iori's side.

"Iori-san... finish this."

Kuyou's voice dripped with venomous anticipation to see Kurosaki fall.

"Of course. Triple Drive!!! (Blue Artillery Dragon, Inlet Pulse Dragon, Sylvan Horned Beast, Golidoat, Melodia Pomera) Got it. Critical trigger! All effects to Gabregg! (70000 > 80000/1 > 2)"

"No way..."

My shoulders dropped as I muttered.

"Ku ha ha ha ha! Ku ha ha ha ha ha!"

Kuyou covered his face as he howled with laughter.

"Gabregg attacks! (80000/2) You can't guard with grade 1s or 2s from hand!"

"Kurosaki-san needs at least 70k worth of shield from triggers alone... if she had the overTrigger in hand, that would've been enough alongside any trigger." Momoka said.

"Her only way out now is to get a sixth damage heal or overTrigger... what a damned fate."

I sighed, squeezing my fists tightly.

"But even so..."

I stood, slamming on the table.

"Oi, Kurosaki-san! Come on, you can do this! Don't let yourself lose here now!"

I started yelling out in support, trying to give her my energy.

It wasn't too late... she could still turn this around.

No... I know that she will turn this all around.

"D-damage checks... (One Who Blooms in the Dark, Thegrea)"

If the seat she was given in the class was any indication, I believed.

"Kurosaki-san!"

I screamed her name out again.

But her reaction to seeing the last card explained everything.

She stopped holding herself back and vomited all over the floor.

"N-no trigger... (Epee De Justice, Thegrea) G-good game, Iori-san... you... win..."

"Of course I did. Good game."

The digital space, on the verge of self-collapsing from the stress Kurosaki's circuits put on it, finally came down as the game was over.

"Kurosaki-san!"

I rushed over to her as she collapsed, catching her in my arms. If I didn't, she would've fell face first into the puddle of her own sick...

"Crap... she's passed out for real." 

To think she was putting this much of a strain on her body just by being inside the digital world...  it must've felt like hell trying to endure all of that.

"This is pretty bad... we should probably get her to the nurse's office." Momoka said.

"I'll carry Kurosaki over. Minoru-san, you mind clearing up the mess she left on the floor?" Kuyou said.

"Huh? Like hell I'd let a guy like you handle carrying Kurosaki-san. You were literally ridiculing her earlier!"

"Woah. Just because I don't like them doesn't mean I wouldn't help them if they're in need. As things are, I'm more suitable to carry her. No offence, but you're kind of scrawny."

"To be fair, Kuyou-san did spawn in those barriers for us when Kurosaki-san's circuits went rogue." Momoka said.

"Besides... is this really the time to be arguing who does what? You can see Kurosaki is passed out right now, can't you?"

I looked down, seeing that Kurosaki was completely out of it right now.

"That's..."

"Don't let your self-righteousness delay this any longer. Kurosaki needs immediate medical treatment, and fast. Just hand them over, and—"

"Screw you."

I put Kurosaki on my back, piggyback style, and shoved Kuyou away to take her to the infirmary myself.

"Huh...?"

Just as Kuyou was about to pull me back in, I shook him off and managed to get one foot out the door. The girls ran over, watching us scuffle. 

"And you can go clean up her sick. Hell, all four of you can do it together!"

Seeing as they were all together again, I yelled at the rest of them as I left Q Class, running towards the main building.

I could hear them shouting at me in the distance, especially Kuyou, but as I got further away, I couldn't tell what they were saying anymore.

To be honest, it felt a little good shouting at them like that... I've been wanting to give all of them a piece of my mind for awhile.

At the same time, I know I was in no position to act like I was better than any of them. 

Because of me, I got Kurosaki hurt... if I never challenged Kuyou to a fight, Iori would've never suggested the team fight, and Kurosaki would've never had to enter the digital world for it. 

I sighed. 

Hey, Sagitta... was any this the right thing to do?