SWNOVELXO Chapter 60: DSMW [60]
"Anyone left who hasn't summoned yet? Class is almost over. No do-overs."
Sitting cross-legged on the desk, tapping her foot impatiently, it was obvious Miss Erin was itching for her post-class smoke break.
"Welp. Guess it was bound to happen."
The answer to that question? Of course, it was today's star of the show—Aisha.
As the "rival" both Kevin and Luca were fighting over, Aisha was feeling a massive, unspoken pressure.
Kevin had summoned [Paladin of Black Dragon], a Level 4 Ritual Monster with a top-end 1900 Attack.
Luca had gone even crazier—summoning a Level 7 boss monster, [Queen Angel of Roses], during a standard Summoning Class.
Sandwiched between two perfect-score rivals, Aisha's usual... let's say humble summoning wasn't going to cut it.
"Maybe I should just give up..."
"Idiot. How can you give up on a summoning chance?!"
The moment that thought formed, Miles caught it and scolded her harshly.
"Wasting a monster summon because of your worthless pride?! Where's your Duelist's dignity, Aisha Carlos?!"
"Uuuu... So mean... Worthless pride?! Then you go do it, Miles-san!"
"No. That's even more embarrassing. I'm not going."
After all, Miles valued his own dignity slightly more than Aisha's.
Truth be told, Miles had tried summoning monsters using Aisha's body before.
He'd thought summoning—determined by the Duelist's mentality and potential—might change if they swapped souls.
Reality smacked him hard.
The day he stood in the summoning circle and stared into the eyes of a Level 1 [Skull Servant], surrounded by classmates barely holding back laughter, was one of the most humiliating moments of his life.
Since then, he'd accepted it: as long as he was in Aisha's body... it didn't matter who was piloting. The results were the same.
But today... Miles's gut said something was different.
After dueling the Pharaoh, Aisha Yuna Carlos—who had once forced a God Card onto the field—had grown. Both in mindset... and in spirit.
"It's time to prove yourself, Aisha. No one stays unlucky forever."
"O-Okay, Miles-san!"
She wasn't confident. But after Miles's mix of scolding and encouragement—stick and carrot—Aisha stepped forward with determination.
"Ah, Aisha. Still left? Go ahead."
Miss Erin's eyes were flat. Her expectations hovered around absolute zero.
In fact, she'd already pre-written a giant zero next to Aisha's name on the scoreboard.
Not out of spite—just muscle memory.
Frankly, the only person even slightly expecting anything... was the newly arrived Luca Slint.
"I wonder what kind of monster Aisha will summon. As someone who defeated Kevin... It's gotta be amazing, right?"
Resting her chin in her hands, Luca blinked her big sapphire eyes, absolutely radiating innocence.
So much so that failing to meet that gaze would almost trigger guilt.
"Luca... maybe... lower those expectations a little," Irene warned.
"Why?"
"Aisha's gotten good at dueling... but summoning's always been her weak point."
"Good at dueling... but bad at summoning..."
Luca's innocent eyes turned puzzled.
"That's... contradictory. How can someone be good at dueling without strong summons?"
Kevin answered for them. "Because Aisha has her own way of fighting. A style that transcends the raw power of monsters."
"Huh...?" Even Irene blinked. "Kevin... since when do you hype Aisha up like this?"
"I'm just stating facts. Without that level of strength, she wouldn't qualify as my rival. You'll understand soon enough, transfer student. Aisha in a duel is nothing like Aisha in daily life."
Fusion Academy's No.1 Aisha simp—no, rather, No.1 Miles simp—was now officially Kevin Seth.
"Nothing like daily life... huh." Luca narrowed her eyes slightly. Her gaze toward Aisha shimmered with strange undertones.
"Maybe... you're a Duelist like me. This is getting interesting."
Stepping onto the magic amplification circle, Aisha clasped her hands together, silently praying.
"Spirits gathered here, answer the call of my soul! Monster Summon!"
The magic glow surged... weakly.
Exactly the same as every other one of Aisha's summoning attempts.
This was gonna be another flop. Everyone could tell.
Or... maybe not.
Just as the faint silhouette of the monster started forming... something changed.
A flash from Aisha's Elves' Eyes. Subtle, but unmistakable. It injected something into the summoning process.
Proof that the Elves' Eyes had registered the wielder's "growth."
Then—out from the circle popped a new form.
[Relinkuriboh] Level 1│DARK│Fiend│300 ATK
A fuzzy, gray, puffball monster leaped into Aisha's arms. Technically a Fiend, but honestly... still pretty cute.
"...It really was a weak monster."
Luca rested her chin on her hands, looking almost disappointed.
"Wha—?!"
"Wait—what?!"
"That's... Aisha's summon?!"
The class's reactions were not what Luca expected.
"What... It's just a proper weak monster. What's the big deal?"
"See, transfer student? You don't get it." Kevin smirked. "This is Aisha Carlos's ultimate breakthrough."
"Huh?! That... counts as a breakthrough?!"
If that was true... Luca couldn't even imagine how bad Aisha's summons used to be.
"Full marks!"
Miss Erin grabbed her marker, slapped a "1" in front of the "0" she'd pre-written, and boom—10 points.
"Huh?! Full marks?! Are we sure this isn't rigged?!"
Patting Luca's shoulder, Irene explained with a grin.
"It is a historic breakthrough, y'know. No wonder everyone's so hyped."
"A... historic breakthrough? You're joking."
"Nope. This is the first time Aisha has ever summoned... an Effect Monster."
"Wait... first time summoning an Effect Monster?! Then what were her past summons like?!"
Seriously... how did this person defeat Kevin Seth?
No... how did she beat a Dark Duelist?!
Luca felt like... she was being pranked. It was…Hard to accept.
...
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