Hidden Realm’s Next Chief Case : Futarou
I am Futarou, the next chief-in-line of a samurai clan residing in what is called the Hidden Realm.
The Hidden Realm is a realm entirely secluded from the outside world – a separate world unto itself.
There, people live lives utterly unlike those of the exterior world.
Why such a Hidden Realm exists in this world, I cannot fathom.
However, according to the Boundary Guide – guardians who maintain the connection between the Hidden Villages and the outside – it seems to involve these cards.
Ignition Duels, or as we call them in my village, “fire scrolls,” are effectively the entire foundation of this world.
Among the cards are some that can construct entire self-contained realms.
It is said that the Hidden Villages are places where such other worlds have manifested into reality.
Truthfully, I don’t completely understand it myself.
The Hidden Realm I was born in is called the “Kenpuuchou,” existing in a world with a slight “temporal” divergence from the outside.
Once, there was a country connected to my village—
a place said to resemble our world closely. Of course, with modern conveniences brought into the village by Boundary Guide from the outside world, our village is likely a more comfortable place to live.
Whenever visitors come and see the latest appliances installed in our homes, they are often astonished. But surely, they must understand how much these devices improve the quality of life here.
I, for one, am destined to lead this village someday.
Naturally, this means I must possess the necessary skills to guide and unify the people.
In particular, there is one ability highly valued in our village—proficiency in Ignition Fights.
Strength in battle is proof of one’s strength as a person.
As the future leader, I must be the strongest of all.
In that regard, I was gifted with talent as a fighter.
I defeated my father, the current head of the village, while still young, securing my position as the next leader. No one in the village could rival me—
except the Boundary Guide who protect us.
It was only natural for me to grow confident, perhaps even a bit too much.
Though I understood my duty to protect the village and never let my pride lead me to look down on others,
I cannot deny that, deep down, I thought, “As the strong samurai I am, it is my responsibility to protect everyone.”
It was around this time that a Boundary Guide showed me something from the outside world: a duel.
Two fighters clashed in an intense battle.
One wielded a strange, crystalline “angel,” while the other created a world resembling my own village to fight.
What she showed me was…
a shockingly potent “drug” to my soul.
It was like watching a performance.
As a samurai who practices not only fighting but also swordsmanship, I would say the pinnacle of arts resembles a kind of dance.
Whether in fights or swordsmanship,
battles between masters of the craft are like the highest form of art.
That duel was exactly that—pure artistry.
Naturally, I was captivated.
I yearned to achieve such supreme, peerless skill.
I wanted to engage in duel like those.
And so, I persuaded the Boundary Guide to let me venture into the outside world.
But I quickly came to regret it.
I couldn’t win—not against the fighters of the outside world.
To be blunt, I had underestimated them.
My reasoning was simple:
“I cannot perform such ultimate fights yet, but I possess the skill to do so.
The problem lies in finding a fighter who can match my abilities.”
I believed that ultimate fights could only arise between fighters whose souls resonated with one another.
I had heard the fighters in the video were childhood friends, which explained their connection.
I thought I would meet a worthy rival as I traveled the outside world.
But the result was utter defeat.
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Every fighter the Boundary Guide introduced me to was overwhelmingly strong.
From seasoned “detectives” in an organization called Neo Card Police
to a blond-haired little girl wielding strange words,
to a hot-blooded youth brimming with passion,
I have fought many other fighters and I have lost to all of them.
One especially formidable opponent was a giant man wearing a hat and dark glasses, whom I encountered by chance.
Unlike the others, he didn’t even see me as a challenge. The gap between us was immeasurable.
To make matters worse,
I never had the chance to fight one of the two fighters I had seen in the video—
the one who created a world similar to my village.
He was now recognized as the strongest fighter in the land, constantly busy traveling to battles far and wide.
Even now, I regret missing the chance to face him.
I wish I could meet up with such a great fighter somewhere.
But there was a good thing.
I did get to fight the other fighter from the video.
His name was Mitsuru Tanafuda,
the owner of a card shop.
I eagerly challenged him—and lost.
It was a complete defeat, despite giving my all.
While the difference in skill was certainly a factor, his approach to fighting played a significant role.
What he sought was resolution through mutual effort, where both fighters gave their absolute best.
It was as if he could create that ultimate, sublime fight with anyone.
I realized, though, that it wasn’t just his skill that made our fight so impactful.
His very presence inspired his opponents to want to defeat him.
That’s because he was always true to himself—completely natural.
People need reasons to become stronger.
For me, it was to protect the village and achieve ultimate martial skill.
People become strong for a reason, that we crave for victory, that we are strong for a reason.
Yet the manager do not have it.
He does not seek for a reason to be strong.
I don’t mean that in a bad way, but as a fighter, you always give your best to the fight in front of you.
His fights were undeniably “real”—anyone could see that.
Moreover, the manager does not insist on being strong.
And despite his immense power, he found satisfaction as a humble card shop manager.
It was precisely because he had no attachments that he forced his opponents to confront their own desires.
Why do they want to become stronger?
Why do they fight? His fights were like a mirror, reflecting the essence of his opponents.
That is why, whether you win or lose the fight with the manager, when the fight is over, the fighter he faced has grown up.
Unfortunately, I was blind to myself at the time.
My repeated defeats had shaken my confidence, leaving me lost.
Someone like that could never find answers.
It wasn’t until I returned to the village and met Manager again that I realized this.
That time, his partner, Erea-dono, showed me a video.
It was a recording of my fight with Manager.
The two figures in the video—
myself and Manager—looked just like the fighters in the video the Boundary Guide had shown me.
Despite thinking my journey had been a failure,
I realized otherwise.
My countless battles had sharpened my skills.
My fight with Manager had planted the seeds of growth—
I just hadn’t noticed.
With that realization, I built a new deck using cards Manager had given me and those I acquired during my journey.
My old “North Wind” deck evolved into the “Extreme North Wind” deck.
At its core was a card called “Pioneer of the Extreme North,” whose appearance reminded me of Manager. It became one of my favorites, alongside my strongest trump cards.
Armed with this deck, I set out into the outside world once more—
and I was able to win the game against the manager.
It was an indescribable joy,
as if I had finally taken one step closer to the world I had once admired.
I had such a feeling, that I did.
But I cannot be complacent.
I must continue to grow stronger.
To achieve the ultimate martial skill I once dreamed of, and above all, to fulfill my mission of protecting the village I was born to serve, I will keep striving.
My journey is far from over.
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