That Girl’s Desire

Key Events

Ruko goes in search of Yuzuki to stop any battles, but since she can’t find her, she tries to find Aki. However when she arrives at her studios, she overhears that no one can find Aki. But Iona meets up with her and tells her that Aki’s never coming back, having now lost thrice. Also, Iona reveals that it was her who beat Hitoe.

Ruko tries to stop herself from battling Iona, but the desire to battle is too strong and she is talked into it. Iona also enjoys battles for the excitement. A heated battle continues on for what seems like an eternity until Iona’s manager cuts in forcing the duel over before it could finish. From that duel, Iona realises she’s found ‘the one’.

Elsewhere, Yuzuki finds and beats another Selector. She and Ruko meet up afterwards and receive a message from Aki to meet her in a shabby abandoned building.

When they meet up, Aki still remembers the two of them and is wearing a mask. When she takes it off her face is revealed to have a huge red scar.

Thoughts

Okay stop right there… do I detect a contradiction? By the look of Akira’s face, she most definitely lost three times and now have an irremovable scar so she can never do what she does again by the look of it. What I’m wondering is how can she still remember everything? Testing my memory now, but I’m pretty sure it was said that if you lose three times you also lose your memories as a selector right?

Well Ruko asks an interesting question, I think anyway, what can she do? Not a lot about. It’s just how the system works. Unless you plan to overthrow it to prevent anymore casualties then you can’t do anything. Though that would probably involve beating people to become this eterna girl to see what everything’s about and perhaps making the wish to stop this whole thing. Which kinda contradicts what you’re trying to do. Either that, or be a spectator to the events and realise you will never be able to anything about it.

No battles is a fine choice for Ruko, throw Tama away or refuse battles, but a decision is a decision. And Ruko’s mind is still very mixed, to still worry about it whilst you’ve already accepted the battle shows too much indecision. It’s that feeling of frustration of wanting to do something you know you shouldn’t. I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve been there before so I can relate to her, but maybe that’s why I’m annoyed at her indecisiveness. When I did what I was doing I was focused on it. I only worried about whether I should’ve done it or not afterwards and stopped eventually. But you can’t be distracted in a game like this. This is much more important than what I got myself into, which didn’t cost me anything in the end. But a loss here could cost you a lot. Yes you don’t have a wish, but I don’t believe you’ll get away scot free after three losses, I believe it means a bigger loss if anything, like death.

What’s confused me more is the fact that can refuse battles. That makes things a lot easier for Ruko if she chooses never to fight again and also that makes Hitoe’s loss seem stupid. She didn’t need to battle, Midoriko should’ve said something to stop her, it was an unnecessary casualty. I don’t understand why Midoriko didn’t. If she liked Hitoe so much she should’ve, if she valued her own existence then she also should’ve because she knew Hitoe wasn’t going to win. And of course this revelation brings me back to Akira’s threats from ages ago, they weren’t threats at all in the end. I really want to know what’s so difficult about that. I mean who’s afraid of something they can avoid so easily? Am I missing something or are the LRIGs hiding something more about it being bad to refuse battles or telling their partners about the whole thing…? It doesn’t make much sense. Whatever it’s an old point, I’ll leave it.

So it looks like Ruko’s probably made up her mind by now, or rather Iona’s probably made her mind up for her. Which interests me as I want to know why she has such an interest in Ruko. Her raw talent is a certainly a sight to behold, but surely there’s something else. What’s implied is that Iona also doesn’t have a wish, and just wants to battle. Is there something to do with that that’s underlying the darkness of this game? The fact that these people go out there and crush others’ dreams? Iona seems rather knowledgeable perhaps she’ll tell us something more interesting and dark about the purpose of this card game. I’m just interested to see what the purpose of everything is, and what I’m hoping for is that the whole wish thing is a charade and that everything is for something else, something much darker.