Chapter 4: I'm the Small-Time Villain
Within Eden Tower, based on the fundamental principle that any dispute must be resolved through dueling, people with foresight quickly formed factions, gathering powerful duelists around them.
Using this foundation, they created new organizations. In Eden Tower's early days, through card games, they networked, seized resources, and monopolized industries.
After hundreds of years of development, the elite among these Tower organizations evolved into the various syndicates, corporations, and blood-related noble families of the current era.
Among them, the Wein Family rose to power a century ago through dueling, occupying massive resources in Eden Tower's middle districts. Now they'd gradually become the leading real estate conglomerate spanning the Tower's middle and lower levels.
They were also the corporation Amano Rei's father had borrowed from.
At this moment, inside a luxury car completely out of place in the slums, a girl with pale crimson hair sat in the back seat. The window half-open, she watched the commotion at the Amano household from a distance.
"The debt is 50,000 Eva Points. Even calculating 28% compound interest annually, three years only brings it to just over 100,000."
Finesse genuinely couldn't understand why Father would force this cheap assignment on her.
Was it because—like others said—her mother was some random woman, making her just the Wein Family's illegitimate daughter?
So even her biological father had started scheming against her. Assigning her this slum district work to keep her away from the family's core business.
Finesse sighed softly, closing the half-open window.
Her position within the family seemed increasingly precarious.
This minor matter of collecting debts in lower District 32 was normally handled by the family's hired duelists.
"Don't worry, young miss. Just stay in the car and watch!"
Like the man currently sitting in the passenger seat—a visible scar across his left cheek, fierce-looking face—he was specifically responsible for District 32's affairs, the Wein Family's "professional duelist."
Nikaido Sakugi. Because of his facial scar, he had the nickname 'Sword Brother'—an intimidating-sounding title.
However, since Eden Tower prohibited violence, that scar couldn't possibly be from yakuza fights.
He'd just accidentally cut himself playing with his mom's kitchen knife as a kid. (lol Nick fury, hehe)
But thanks to his intimidating nickname, scarred face, and relatively decent strength as a duelist, Nikaido had still built a small reputation in District 32.
Except right now, Nikaido's fierce expression was dominated by poorly concealed nervousness.
A direct-bloodline young miss from the Wein Family actually descended to the Tower's bottom level—and specifically his jurisdiction, District 32.
This felt like high-level management conducting field inspections. How could anyone not be nervous?
Had his recent frequent trips to District 28's red-light district for drinks and slacking off finally been exposed?
The syndicate managing the red-light district was the Wein Family's mortal enemy—the old-school yakuza family Nankiin, entrenched in Eden Tower for generations.
This behavior of handing money to their rivals—would the Wein Family punish him?
"Go ahead." Just as Nikaido spiraled into panic, Finesse spoke softly, her voice pleasant as silver bells. "Do good work, Sword Brother."
"Y-Young miss, you're calling me..."
"Mm, I heard everyone calls you Sword Brother, so I did too. It's a pretty cool nickname, right?"
"No, no, no. Young miss, please just call me Nikaido." Nikaido responded with utmost deference.
Having the family's direct-bloodline young miss call him 'brother' was too much to handle.
Yet during this brief exchange, Nikaido's internal crisis suddenly diminished somewhat.
Not daring to directly face his young miss, only from the car's rearview mirror could Nikaido barely glimpse half of Finesse's face.
But even just half her face in the mirror was absolutely stunning.
Pale crimson hair like sunrise flowers blooming on mountain peaks—infinitely superior to those gaudy women serving drinks in the red-light district.
No, comparing those heavily made-up women to his pure, beautiful young miss was itself an insult.
Moreover, the noble Finesse, even when dealing with an ordinary duelist like himself who'd made mistakes, spoke so gently—even... respectfully.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Nikaido." Finesse smiled as she corrected herself. "Anyone working for me, the Wein Family absolutely won't mistreat."
"I'll give this 120% effort, young miss!"
Taking a deep breath, Nikaido opened the luxury car's passenger door and solemnly stepped out.
As expected of the young miss's personal vehicle—even the air inside smelled sweet.
Nikaido resolved to never waste time in the red-light district again.
Starting today, he'd be Young Miss Finesse's most loyal dog.
What's wrong with being a dog?
"Sword Brother!"
The underlings who'd been helplessly dealing with Amano Shio finally breathed easier seeing their boss arrive.
Finally free from this little brat!
But Nikaido also found Amano Shio's personality headache-inducing, so he simply ignored the willful girl entirely.
"Amano Rei, I told you last time—this is your final chance."
Lighting a cigarette, the sunglasses-wearing Nikaido exuded an aura of menace.
As the small-time boss managing this section of District 32, Nikaido had met Amano Rei numerous times over the Amano family debt.
"This isn't the timeline we agreed on." Amano Rei countered. "I said three days from now I'd figure out a way to get money. At minimum, I'd pay the interest."
As predicted, Amano had completed his deck today.
Based on Amano's understanding of this "garbage" deck he'd scavenged together, win rate aside—after all, lower district dueling skill was comparable to early Yu-Gi-Oh! anime episodes.
But as long as he could win once, Amano would have sufficient income.
This involved another additional rule for dueling within Eden Tower:
—Overkill.
Dueling rules in this world more closely resembled the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime rules from Amano's memories. Both duelists started with 4,000 Life Points, not the 8,000 from actual card gameplay.
4,000 Life Points meant faster-paced matches and less cushion for recovery.
When a duelist received a finishing blow that reduced their Life Points to zero and lost the duel, any excess damage became Eden Tower's unique "Overkill" rule.
For example: if you had 100 Life Points remaining but took 1,000 damage, you'd be overkilled for 900 points.
That 900 Overkill would be deducted from the loser's Eva Points and awarded to the duel's victor—a genuine money-making method exclusive to duelists.
This was why Paradise Tower's dueling environment emphasized pursuing stronger offensive strategies.
Only more powerful attacks could yield greater profits from duels.
Of course, the Wein Corporation didn't know Amano had completed his deck.
Even if they knew, they wouldn't believe a poverty-stricken kid from bottom-tier District 32 could earn many points with a deck scavenged from garbage.
"Can't help it—I'm following orders. Today's the deadline my superiors gave me."
Normally, Nikaido wouldn't press this hard. His fierce appearance was just his face.
He was fundamentally just here to collect debts.
Pushing debtors to desperation where they couldn't repay was the worst outcome.
But for some reason, the family's young miss personally came today to pursue this debt.
Thinking about Finesse watching from the luxury car behind him, Nikaido decided to perform well.
The usually carefree small-timer acted extremely professional today, directly accessing his wrist Eva Terminal to pull up an electronic contract, displaying it as a holographic projection before everyone.
"Your old man's debt contract with the Wein Family from three years ago. Now three years have passed. According to the contract terms, if you can't repay, your broken-down house gets seized as collateral."
The Wein Corporation wasn't running a charity. Having originally built their fortune on real estate, many Tower bottom-level residents who borrowed from Wein chose to mortgage their homes.
"Mister, if the house is gone, where do we live?" Amano Shio blinked her cute big eyes, posing a soul-searching question.
"Well that's... definitely troublesome... wait, why should I care where you live?" Nikaido was speechless. He'd almost fallen for this little brat's cuteness act. No wonder the underlings couldn't handle her.
"Anyway, according to contract terms, if you don't move out today, the Wein Corporation can apply to mainframe Eva for punishment measures. At that point, the worst outcome won't just be homelessness—you'll be expelled from Eden."
In this world, any formally drafted contract had its validity guaranteed by mainframe Eva.
So normal people, unless absolutely desperate, would never consider violating contracts.
Seeing her cuteness gambit fail, Amano Shio simply suggested: "Yu-nii, how about brother and I just move into your place?"
"Ah, move into—into my place?"
Kikawayu's expression suddenly looked troubled.
Thinking about the pile of unspeakable collectibles in his room—absolutely couldn't let Amano Rei see those things.
"If little Shio and Rei have decided, I can go home first and tidy up... So, Rei, what do you plan to do?"
Concerning the siblings' future living situation, the final decision naturally rested with Amano Rei.
Except Amano had been carefully examining the electronic contract projected before him since earlier.
The contract was legitimate, just as Nikaido described. Unable to repay, he'd have to forfeit the old house as collateral.
But one detail—after careful examination, Amano finally confirmed his discovery.
"This is a duel contract."
"Duel contract?" Nikaido himself didn't quite believe it, turning the contract toward himself and lifting his sunglasses to examine it carefully.
It really was. The electronic contract's lower left corner, though inconspicuous, clearly displayed the letters "Duel."
Meaning this contract was signed through duel format, with additional duel conditions attached.
The contract parties were the Wein Corporation and Amano Rei's father—Amano Yuichi.
As for who initiated the contract duel first, weighing the realistic situation, the Amano family's broken-down house wasn't worth the 100,000 principal-plus-interest debt three years later—hell, it wasn't even worth the original 50,000.
Did that mean Amano Yuichi had defeated some Wein Corporation duelist to sign this contract?
But the fact that his old man could even duel was news to Amano Rei.
But since it was a "duel contract," additional duel conditions must be attached.
Nikaido clicked the "Duel" option on the contract in disbelief.
[Three years later, Amano family's eldest son Amano Rei will duel the Wein Corporation on behalf of Amano Yuichi. If victorious, this debt becomes void.]
"Void the contract through dueling?"
Having lived in Eden Tower for eighteen years, the bizarre rule that contracts could be torn up through dueling was something Amano could gradually accept.
In this duelist-brain world anyway, as long as it involved dueling, everything ultimately came down to winning and losing.
After all, even in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime world, no matter how powerful the villain, if they lost at cards, their world-destruction plans would crumble.
Right now, Amano Rei was probably playing the villain's role.
Just not something as 'grand' as destroying the world through card games.
Amano pointed at the electronic contract before him, then at Nikaido.
"I'm applying to the Wein Family for a contract—no, a contract-voiding duel!"
Simply put: I don't want to repay this money, so let's duel!
The world could be destroyed through card games.
What's wrong with tearing up a contract through dueling?
Is that too much?
Using card games to dodge debts—this level of small-time villain probably wouldn't survive two episodes in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.