“...Nah, that was just me tryna run because it seemed like a pain.”
“Please don’t make it sound like I’m a pain to deal with!”
“A pain’s an understatement... Just look at how you’re hauntin’ me now.”
After scratching up his hair, Haring sighed for the umpteenth time.
“Also, I’m not lyin’ when I say I mistook you for some rich kid and tried to shake you down. Whatever the case, I’m not a good guy.”
“If you really were a bad person, you wouldn’t have stopped me there. The way I see it, a bad person would have been happy seeing me fall down on my luck, and at the very least, you’re not one of them.”
Regardless of the man’s obstinate denial, Yuri continued repeating the same words again and again with a smile on his face.
“That’s why, to me, you’re a good person, Haring.”
By this point, Haring had realized there was no winning this argument. He clicked his tongue and turned the other way.
“Tsk...see? You really are a pain.”
“You don’t have to keep saying it, you know!”
“Shut it. It’s true, goddammit.” He cursed, violently ruffling Yuri’s hair any which way. “Anyway, I’m not enterin’ the Roulette. If you wanna win, find someone decent.”
And with those parting words, Haring turned and left.
Yuri saw him off with a deep, weary sigh. “Mnnh... I thought Mr. Haring would accept the offer.”
Attitude-wise, he did shun Yuri, but despite all he said, he still stopped to chat. Those parts of him made it hard for Yuri to believe he was the villain everyone described him as. This all led Yuri to try inviting him, but...it seemed he wasn’t the right person to ask.
Yuri had run off earlier after making a bold declaration, so he reluctantly placed a hand on his Proof to report his failing to the other two when—
“Hey, Yuri. What are you doing here?”
He heard a languid voice from the bustling crowd and reflexively turned. Mirka was standing there in her casual clothes, tilting her head.
“Err... You’re...Ms. Mirka?”
“Stop right there. Why did you phrase that as a question?”
“Err, you’re not wearing your uniform, so I thought I might have the wrong person...”
“Please don’t make it sound like my true essence is my uniform!”
Mirka grabbed Yuri by the collar, half in tears as she swung his head to and fro. They saw each other practically every day, and yet the impression left by her uniform was so strong he really did stop and wonder if she was someone else.
“I’ll admit, I rarely get to wear my own clothes, but that reaction is terrible...”
“I-I’m sorry...but you’ve been somewhat strange today. Your clothes as well, but don’t you usually wake up at the same time as us?”
The Demon Tribe was primarily nocturnal. This trait hardly seemed to bother Mirka who effectively followed the same biological rhythm as the Human Tribe and got up at the same time as Yuri.
However, this morning she was nowhere to be found, having left behind a note stating: “I’m off today, so I’m going for a bit of a morning walk.”
“We were waiting for you to return from your walk, up to the last second.”
“I’m sorry. I was dropping by an acquaintance’s.”
Yuri had a vague idea of why Mirka was dressed so casually. Her uniform did attract some attention, so if she wanted to meet a friend on an off day, perhaps this way was far more convenient.
“Even so...that’s quite a load you’re carrying there.”
“Ah, right, my acquaintance always says, ‘this stuff’s just in the way, can you take it off of me?’ and loads me up.” Brandishing the large sack under her arm, Mirka let out a tired sigh. “But, well, they’re materials from the depths of the dungeon, and I find something I like from time to time... It’s just, don’t you think they could at least go out and sell them on their own?”
“Hmm... So these are materials from the dungeon?”
With Mirka’s permission, he tried fishing through the large sack. There was little he could say about the colorful ores and pelts, but there were a few medicinal herbs so rare he had only ever seen them in a picture book. Just the herbs alone would fetch a considerable price; he couldn’t even begin to estimate how much the contents of the entire sack were worth.
“Still, we were in quite a pickle there. This month, you came to the city, and the opening of the Roulette’s kept me so busy at work, I nearly missed my chance to drop by.”
“You have been pretty busy lately. In that case, couldn’t you just explain the situation and have them come and see you?”
“No way, no how. That person’s not just eager to fight, they’re a battle-crazed lunatic. Not to mention, if I don’t go see them, I feel like the city-mandated duel quota will just slip by before I know it.”
“Battle-crazed lunatic... Why, I’d love to meet them!!”
“Yeah, I think you’d get along...”
As Mirka smiled bitterly, Yuri suddenly realized something and immediately asked, “But if you just wanted to remind them about the quota, couldn’t you just place a call through your Proof? Why do you have to meet face-to-face?”
“Why? Well I mean, we can’t duel if we don’t meet, right?”
She dismissively waved her hand, saying it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Yuri was petrified, his eyes open wide.
“Err... Duel? Who’s dueling who?”
“Well, me and my friend.”
“Ms. Mirka...have you stayed in the duel city so long you’ve convinced yourself you’re a duelist...”
“Oh come on, what’s with that pitying look on your face?” Mirka’s black wings flapped out in discontentment. “I’m a duelist too, so of course, I have to get my duels in,” she said, flashing her sharp, pointed fangs.