- If you act like the previous protagonist, of course you’ll be called out on it.
There are countless card game-related crimes and incidents in this world.
From the Dark Fight I was recently caught up in, to the brainwashing and scams using demon cards, among other things.
And so on.
In terms of poor public safety, it might even be worse than the previous world.
However, if the cause of the incidents is resolved, those involved can return, making it simpler than before.
To combat such incidents, various “organizations” and their affiliated “agents” exist,
from official to unofficial ones.
In this case—
“Umm, are you…someone from the ‘Secret Dark Card Countermeasures Agency’?”
“…!? You know about my organization?”
The one who appeared was a black-haired ponytailed girl in a black uniform.
She seemed around middle school age, but taller than the average middle school girl.
With her well-developed figure, she looked a bit more mature than her classmates.
Her sharp, strong-willed gaze added to that impression.
The somewhat stern uniform was undoubtedly from the Secret Dark Card Countermeasures Agency—
an organization that secretly battles demon cards, unknown to the general public.
One of its characteristics is having many teenage agents.
It’s like something out of a light novel.
“Well, given my line of work, I happen to be acquainted with your boss, I believe.”
“As expected of the ‘Duelist’ shop manager. The rumors of your prowess were not unfounded.”
With those words and a smile, the girl approached me.
She seemed to acknowledge me as a formidable person, though not to the point of being wary—I sensed her observing me carefully.
“As an agent of the Dark Card Agency, I need to hear your story, shop manager.”
“Ah, about that…”
I took out my smartphone to check the time.
It was already past midnight.
“…Would this morning, or rather today morning, work for you? There won’t be any customers in the morning on a weekday, so I can accommodate you then.”
“…I, I see.”
She probably didn’t expect me to neither accept nor decline, but suggest postponing it instead.
After a momentary pause, the girl declined me and contacted her boss on her phone.
The “organizations” are fundamentally righteous groups.
However, since the Dark Card Agency is unofficial, I’m not obligated to cooperate with their investigation.
If an agent from an official organization had shown up, I would have had to respond even in the middle of the night, so I was relieved.
Apparently, her boss gave the OK as well.
Her boss is likely an acquaintance of mine, so they probably smoothed things over despite being taken aback.
That said…
“Well then, I’ll see you again tomorrow…but just in case, May I collect the demon cards? No matter how strong a fighter the shop manager is, it’s not something an ordinary person should possess.”
“Of course, no problem. Here, be careful with them.”
I handed the demon cards over to the girl agent, and we parted ways for the time being.
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The girl agent’s name seems to be Yatogami.
She didn’t reveal her real name—in the Dark Card Agency, real names are confidential, understandably,
to protect the privacy of their teenage agents.
Using teenagers as agents, though…
“So, recently in this city, a group called the Hounds has been attacking people.”
“Hounds, huh…hunting dogs…”
So, in the morning.
The girl agent Yatogami arrived as soon as the shop opened to explain the situation.
Naturally, there wouldn’t be any customers on a weekday morning, and if any did come, I could ask one of the off-duty employees upstairs playing games to help out (of course, they’d be compensated).
Still, the content itself was a fairly common story.
Evil hunting dogs roaming the night, and the secret organization “Dark Card Countermeasures Agency” opposing them.
I’ve heard such tales countless times before.
“The Hounds target the city’s powerful duelists, challenging them to Dark Fights. If they win, they steal the opponent’s soul and rare cards.”
“I was also targeted and attacked, presumably after they became aware of my existence. The fact that they ambushed me right in front of the shop means I was likely their target from the start.”
At the same time, I realized I wasn’t specifically targeted as an individual.
I was just one of their targets, in my usual position.
Moreover, since I swiftly defeated them, they likely deemed me not worth the effort.
They probably won’t come after me again in the future.
My past experiences told me as much.
“…My sister was also attacked. It’s unforgivable, especially with the national tournament coming up next week…!”
“I see.”
It started to make sense.
This girl probably got involved with the Dark Card Agency after her sister was attacked.
And as a new member, she began dueling to get her sister back.
That much, I could imagine.
On top of that, I had a hunch.
“…Is there perhaps another problem bothering you?”
“Eh…?”
“Ah, no. It’s just that I’ve seen many fighters like you before. That’s why I got that feeling.”
Besides her sister’s situation, she seemed to have another problem bothering her.
From experience, I was likely correct.
After all, people at the center of such stories usually come to me when they have that kind of issue.
And that problem was—
“…The other day, I fought one of the Hounds’ leaders. But I couldn’t win…if my boss hadn’t shown up, they would have taken my soul too…”
I see, she must have suffered what’s essentially a forfeit loss in the midst of a fight.
Something that happened occasionally in the previous world.
When you lose there, the story comes to a standstill, so the battle is interrupted, but it effectively ends in your defeat.
While not particularly praiseworthy from a storytelling perspective, it’s a common trope.
“I see…”
After a moment’s thought, I took out my deck from the deck case on my belt.
Glancing at Yatogami, who looked puzzled, I turned toward the central field and said:
“Why don’t you have a fight with me?”
When the central figure of a story comes to me, I make it a point to suggest having a fight with them.
The reasons vary depending on the person, but it’s necessary.
After all, it’s a classic scenario for the protagonist to be encouraged through an unrelated fight after suffering a defeat, leading to their revival, isn’t it?
To be honest, since I do this sort of thing so often, it’s not surprising that I’m seen as a typical previous protagonist.
Nevertheless, I can’t give up these enjoyable fights.
Who wins varies each time.
I usually emerge victorious, but occasionally the opponent wins too.
When the opponent wins, it’s often to debut their new ace monster—
a promotional tactic, if you will. Even as a reincarnator, I can’t overcome promotional needs.
This time…
“This will be the finishing blow.”
I calmly declared as I made my move.
I was the winner.
Yatogami still seemed immature, with no signs of unveiling a new ace. This outcome was to be expected.
“I lost…as rumored, the ‘Duelist’ shop manager truly lives up to his reputation for strength…”
“But you also seem quite refreshed, don’t you?”
“…Yes, that’s true. It has been a while since I had such an enjoyable fight.”
It seemed she had forgotten the joy of dueling.
Well, if she had been dueling life-or-death battles in the dark world as an agent, she probably didn’t have time to enjoy it.
In any case, now that she has rediscovered the fun of dueling, she should be alright.
“…Thank you very much, shop manager.”
“There’s no need for such formalities.”
“But…no, I understand. Still, how can I repay this…”
“It’s simple.”
I walked over to the counter and looked at Yatogami.
“Once everything is resolved safely, come back to this shop with your sister as customers. That would be enough for me.”
…And with that pleasant finale.
Well, apart from providing mental care through that fight, I did have an ulterior motive of wanting them to become regulars after resolving everything.
The hot-blooded young boy and cool young boy duo from before were the same deal.
But as long as no one ends up unhappy, it should be fine.
With that thought, I saw off the girl who bowed and left the shop.
TIPS: In Ignition Fight, in addition to regular decks, there are “Append Decks” containing monsters summoned through special summoning methods like [Extreme Summon] and [Crossing Summon].
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