"Akasha, you changed your hairstyle! You don't exactly look like the type who plays cards, but it suits you so well!"
Unable to resist, Hoshino Alter reached out and stroked Akasha's shoulder-length golden hair. The silky smoothness made her sigh in satisfaction.
"How about it, Hoshino-nee? Cool, right~" Akasha tossed her head proudly, flashing a brilliant smile.
"I read in a book that if a girl cuts her hair into a cool short style, she'll attract the attention of other girls. So yesterday, before I flew back from America, I made sure to get it cut~"
"It really is eye-catching. How about we sleep together tonight~"
"⁄(⁄⁄•⁄⁄•⁄⁄)⁄ Y-yes, yes!!"
Mana, who had followed them into the car, gave Hoshino a disdainful look.
"What kind of copper-alloy remark is that, Hoshino? If Akasha sleeps with you too, then where am I supposed to sleep?"
Having lived with Hoshino for two years now, Mana knew all too well about their cramped lifestyle. Since they preferred spending money on new games and anime instead of furniture—and with limited income—they still shared a single bed to this day.
"Guess you'll have to rough it in the bathroom, Mana."
"That's too cruel, A! At least let me sleep on the floor! ...Oh hey, grape soda in the fridge, what luck~"
Already acting at home, Mana immediately raided the limo's fridge, pulling out a purple bottle and gulping it down happily.
"Good thing you're a spirit, Mana. If you really ate like that without restraint, you'd definitely get fat."
"No problem at all! Even if I put on weight, it all just gathers in my chest. Unlike you, Hoshino..."
Casting a glance at Yugi in the car, Mana stopped herself mid-sentence. After all, Hoshino's shrinking bust size was still a secret between girls—not something to reveal in front of outsiders.
Curled up in Hoshino Alter's arms like a kitten, Akasha frowned with concern.
"Hoshino-nee, are you really eating properly? You look even skinnier than last time I saw you."
"It's... complicated. At this point, it's not just about eating or not eating—it might be something tied to my bloodline."
From the driver's seat, the sunglasses-wearing bodyguard lady turned and asked kindly:
"Is everyone inside? We're ready to head to the press conference venue~"
Hoshino Alter confirmed, "Are you sure it's okay, Yugi? If you leave the shop now, there's no one left to watch it. Saturdays always bring a big crowd, right?"
"Don't worry. I dragged Grandpa back from sneaking off to watch his dirty movies and put him behind the counter. At a time like this, cheering for you is way more important!"
"Yugi... in a way, you really are black-bellied."
KaibaLand Venue —
As an event that had set not just Domino City but the entire dueling world ablaze, the press conference naturally chose the largest venue in KaibaLand: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dome.
This massive structure rivaled the Tokyo Dome. From the outside, it resembled the head of a roaring Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and the gaping maw facing the sky created an open-air atmosphere for the entire venue. It was said that whenever the weather turned bad, the dragon's mouth would automatically close.
"So this is the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dome! It's my first time here!"
Excited, Akasha leapt out of the car and immediately grabbed Hoshino Alter's wrist, dragging her along in a run.
"Slow down, Akasha! Running like that in a crowd this big is dangerous!"
The thick, unending streams of people created a suffocating crush. Even with over 60,000 seats—more than the Tokyo Dome—the Dome was completely sold out. Outside, a sea of people who couldn't get tickets still pressed close, desperate just to be nearby.
After all, after witnessing Kaiba's demonstration the night before, everyone wanted to see the birth of this new generation of Duel Disks with their own eyes. And more than that—they wanted to watch the Duel King and Seto Kaiba battle using them. This wasn't just another duel; it was a historic turning point for Duel Monsters itself. No wonder it attracted duelists in droves.
"Uwah ><"
Just as Hoshino Alter had feared, in such a dense crowd it didn't take long for Akasha, distracted and darting about, to bump into her first victim.
"That voice... Akasha? And—Sensei!"
The boy she crashed into looked stunned, joy breaking across his face.
"Huh? Jaden, what are you doing here? It's been almost two years, hasn't it?"
Though taller now than he'd been two years ago, his familiar jellyfish-like hairstyle and radiant, sunny smile instantly made Hoshino Alter recognize her student, Jaden Yuki. Perhaps not wanting to draw attention, Jaden avoided calling out Hoshino's full name under her cap.
"Jaden?" Rubbing her sore backside, Akasha had been ready to apologize—until she realized who it was. Then her tone flipped to arrogant.
"Typical you, Jaden. Two years without seeing me, and the first thing you do is knock down a refined lady like me."
"What kind of refined lady runs around like a lunatic, Akasha? Good thing you ran into me, your dear friend."
Though he grumbled, Jaden still helped Akasha to her feet like a gentleman. Hoshino noticed that while Akasha and Jaden had been about the same height two years ago, he now stood nearly a head taller.
"Short hair really suits you... you look a lot fresher than before."
Akasha pouted. "Coming from you, Jaden, you're surprisingly good at compliments. Fine, I won't hold this against you."
Hoshino Alter asked, "So you finally came back to Japan? I remember you said before that you were staying in San Francisco because of your parents' jobs."
"Yeah, Sensei! I just got back two days ago. And then yesterday, I found out you'd be dueling Seto Kaiba—that was an absolute bombshell! I'm so lucky! But..."
His head drooped a little. "But the ticket prices are way too high. Even if I used next month's allowance in advance, it wasn't enough. I really wanted to be there in person to cheer for you..."
"Idiot. You're sharp in a duel, so why's your brain so slow at times like this?"
Hoshino Alter rapped his jellyfish hair with her knuckles, scolding: "As my student, do you think I'd let something as small as ticket money stop you?"
The lady bodyguard chimed in politely, "Any friend of Miss Hoshino's will be escorted to a VIP seat with the best view. Please rest assured."
Jaden's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing! As expected of you, Sensei—you've got so much clout!"
"Stay low-key, low-key. It's all about strength, all about strength, meh-hahaha!"
For once basking in the air of a protagonist from some overpowered wish-fulfillment novel, Hoshino's nose nearly pointed to the sky.
Hoshino: "You're getting carried away again, my other self... If Kaiba mops the floor with you, it'll be twice as humiliating."
Still, as they arrived at the venue, swept up in the roaring enthusiasm of the crowd, Hoshino Alter found her confidence returning far more than when she had first woken up that morning.
"Getting crushed? No way. Even if I lose, I'll at least peel a few layers off Kaiba."
…But can't you be a little more confident and think about winning the duel first?
"Well then, Lady Hoshino, please head to the contestants' lounge. As for Lady Hoshino's friends, please follow me to the VIP box at the venue."
Akasha bounced happily twice. "VIP box? That sounds so luxurious. Let's go, Jaden!"
"VIP box, just the two of us?" Happiness came too suddenly. Staring at Akasha's radiant smile, Jaden muttered to himself, "Does this mean I'll be alone with Akasha…"
"=v= Sorry to break your fantasy. Mana's here too~" Appearing silently behind him, Mana sighed and patted Jaden on the shoulder.
Yugi chuckled. "And I'll be there too, Jaden-kun~"
"Ah, Mana… and Mr. Yugi…" Even though he was face-to-face with the legendary duelist he admired, Yugi, Jaden couldn't help but feel a strange sense of disappointment.
—Blue-Eyes White Dragon Dome, Contestants' Lounge—
"Lady Hoshino, please take plenty of rest before the duel begins. I'll be on standby at the door the whole time—if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."
Escorted all the way to the lounge by black-suited, sunglasses-wearing bodyguards, Hoshino Alter still had about an hour before the official start of the exhibition duel.
"This lounge is even more luxurious than Pegasus's castle! Huh? They even have electronic ordering services, how thoughtful. Do they know I haven't eaten? Let's see… I'll start with a beef noodle bowl~"
Hoshino: "This isn't the time to be leisurely eating, you know. Even if you've already resigned yourself, at least adjust your deck a little!"
"Relax, aibo. You can't fight properly on an empty stomach. Besides, do you really think I don't have a strategy?"
Ding~
"Lady Hoshino, your order has been delivered."
Seeing the waiter wheel in the meal in less than a minute, Hoshino Alter was shocked. "That fast? Even instant noodles couldn't be ready so quickly. How did you do that?"
The waiter replied respectfully, "All dishes on the menu were already being prepared the moment you entered the lounge, Lady Hoshino. No matter what you order, we can serve it to you immediately."
Hoshino Alter looked troubled. "But if everything's already cooked, there's no way I can finish it all by myself…"
The waiter kept his professional smile. "If you can't finish, simply throw it away. Please don't worry. Now, I'll take my leave. If you need anything else, just call for me."
Grabbing the waiter's sleeve, Hoshino Alter whispered shyly, "C-could you… pack it up instead? Throwing away food feels like such a waste. I'd rather take it with me."
A flicker of surprise crossed the waiter's eyes. He had assumed the Duel King would be even more arrogant than Kaiba. But in this moment, she seemed like just an ordinary girl. Truth be told, that made her far more likable than someone with an overbearing personality.
"Hehe, how frugal of you, Lady Hoshino. Very well, I'll tell the kitchen to pack up the dishes that can be preserved and have them delivered to your residence."
"Great! This time I really scored big!"
For Hoshino, who had already burned through her allowance at the start of the month and was flat broke, a free lunch like this was far too precious to let go.
Hoshino: "Seriously? Counting this as a 'win' is pathetic. No matter how the duel turns out, we need to wring some proper appearance fees out of Kaiba!"
…Though most likely, Kaiba would brush it off with something like, 'This is a duel agreed upon two years ago.'
"Anyway, I'm digging in! If I don't eat soon, the noodles will get soggy."
"...Hoshino… Chiyuki Hoshino…"
A faint voice drifted from behind her, making Hoshino Alter shiver. The lounge was empty, the only entrance guarded by bodyguards—could someone have been hiding here from the start?
"It's me… Sera."
A petite girl appeared quietly, like a spirit.
Seeing the familiar small figure, Hoshino Alter sighed in relief and patted her chest. "Sera? Oh, Aimagi sister. You nearly scared me to death with that entrance."
If she was some kind of spirit-body existing between dimensions, it wasn't impossible for Sera to suddenly manifest in the lounge.
"Hoshino, I came to warn you. Please, be careful."
Hoshino Alter frowned warily. "Careful? Don't tell me that Aimagi is stirring up trouble again?"
"No, not my brother. Ever since he was injured yesterday, he's been bedridden. The one I want you to be careful of… is Seto Kaiba!"
"Kaiba? Be careful of Kaiba? What about him?"
Sera's tone grew serious. "After your duel with my brother yesterday, the Dimensional Cube disappeared. At first, I thought he had left it somewhere in the school, so I kept searching. But by evening… the Cube's energy signature appeared again."
"Evening… wait, you mean?!"
If anything happened around that time, it was undoubtedly Kaiba's dramatic scene—standing in the middle of the crossroads.
Sera nodded firmly. "Yes. The moment Seto Kaiba revealed his new duel disk to Domino City, I felt a dimensional reaction stronger than ever before. At least ten times more powerful than when my brother used it!"
"Ten times stronger? That extreme? Are you saying the Dimensional Cube is with Kaiba?"
Sera shook her head helplessly. "I can't be certain. But Kaiba's actions overlapped with the Cube's response too much to be coincidence. And his new duel disk's concept—detaching consciousness to connect with others—is strikingly similar to the Cube's ability."
Recalling Kaiba's words at the time, so eerily similar to Diva's, the theory didn't seem far-fetched. More importantly, Hoshino Alter had felt a never-before-experienced aura of danger from Kaiba that day.
"So Kaiba really is suspicious? Vanishing for so long, only to reappear acting like some kind of villain!"