"Perfect! Invincible! The strongest!! This is the Ultimate Burst Stream of triple annihilation!!"
"(≧≦) Ngh—!!"
The triple burst of white light shook the entire icy cavern, blasting all the Lillies away and wiping out Akasha's remaining Life Points in an instant.
[Akasha LP 4000 → 0]
[Winner: Kaibaman!]
Even though the duel had ended, the visual effects of Ultimate Dragon's attack still hadn't faded. The blinding, impossibly real white radiance reflected against the glossy ice-crystal walls, making it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.
"Ahhh!"
With a trembling whimper from the Yuki-Onna, the purifying light of the Ultimate White Dragon completely cleansed the bewitching snow demon. At the same time, the icy lock she had slipped into Akasha's heart—taking advantage of her momentary weakness—shattered as well.
The brightness gradually dimmed.
When Hoshino blinked and regained her vision, she found herself once again standing in front of the bathhouse door inside the hot spring inn.
The winding, frozen corridor that had led to the icy duel arena… was gone.
As if it had never existed at all.
Only a smooth, pristine white wall remained.
"A dream? No way."
Hoshino shook her head. All four of them returning to the inn at the same time—there was no way something that synchronized was just a dream.
"Was this Kaibaman's doing?"
"That was amazing! Totally worthy of Kaiba-san—such a stylish, dramatic comeback!"
Jaden was still fully absorbed in the duel, not even noticing the change in their surroundings.
"But where is Kaiba-san? I wanted to go to the hot springs with him and talk about dueling!"
A faint doubt flickered through Hoshino's eyes.
"It really is strange… Kaibaman. His behavior feels exactly like Seto Kaiba, yet at certain moments, he's… decisively different."
Like:
—He believed in supernatural beings like the Yuki-Onna.
—He didn't draw Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his opening hand (very important).
—And he said things like 'Love and dueling are connected.'
All of it left Hoshino with an odd sense of dissonance.
"That man was a spirit~"
After a long, contemplative silence, Altera finally spoke.
"A spirit? How can you tell?"
"Because that man's aura felt exactly like a Duel Spirit's."
"A Duel Spirit…?"
Hoshino recalled the card Kaibaman had used mid-duel:
[Kaibaman]
"Don't tell me Kaibaman really is a card spirit, and not Seto Kaiba?"
Hoshino asked.
"Mmm, well, the details are fuzzy for me too. Anyway, I'm going back for tea now. Sayonara, Master~"
As the Lillies returned to their cards one by one, Altera happily waved and slipped back into her own.
"Is tea really that important…? Actually, I kind of want some too."
Only then did Hoshino remember—the sudden Shadow Game had interrupted them before they even had lunch.
"(┬┬﹏┬┬) Uuuu… I'm sorry, Hoshino-nee, Alexis!"
Freed from the Yuki-Onna's seductive influence, Akasha realized the things she'd done and immediately threw herself into Hoshino's arms, bawling.
"I-I did something so terrible… I'll write as many apology letters as it takes! Please don't hate me, Hoshino-nee!"
Hoshino gently stroked her soft blonde hair.
After spending so much time together, she'd practically watched Akasha grow up—there was no way she'd be upset over something like this.
"How could I possibly hate you over something so small? Come on, stop crying.
If you get snot on me, I'll kill you."
"V...?"
But compared to Akasha's guilt, Alexis's mind was in complete chaos.
Shock, confusion, unanswered questions—she'd been too overwhelmed to even process the duel. Her thoughts had been spiraling nonstop.
"'Hoshino Chiyuki… Headmistress?' That means she's a senpai? Why is everyone acting like this shocking information is completely normal? Did Jaden and Akasha know this the whole time? Am I the only one who didn't?"
The more she thought, the worse it got.
The more she thought, the harder it became to look at Hoshino at all.
"I've been treating the Headmistress like an upperclassman this whole time…?
How rude can I get?
Does she—no, does the Headmistress think I'm disrespectful…?"
Her thoughts spiraled out of control.
And then she simply ran.
"Huh? Alexis…"
Hoshino called out, intending to invite her for lunch, but Alexis bolted without looking back.
What was with everyone today…?
First Akasha throwing a tantrum after being manipulated by the Yuki-Onna.
Now Alexis running off like she was carrying a national secret.
If she hadn't overheard Alexis's fiery confession earlier, Hoshino would've thought she'd accidentally bullied her.
"A girl's heart really is impossible to understand…"
["Aibo… are you not a girl yourself?"]
"I think I count as an adult woman now.
Mm. Yes.
Anyway, let's go eat."
Hoshino had been worried about what would happen to the inn now that the disguised Yuki-Onna was gone.
But upon entering the dining hall and seeing the real, beautiful innkeeper greeting them like nothing had happened, she realized she'd been worrying for nothing.
The Yuki-Onna had only disguised herself to infiltrate the inn and lure Akasha—she hadn't harmed the real owner.
As for the operation of the hot spring going forward…
With prices this high, anyone who wanted to get fleeced could be fleeced. Hoshino had no intention of getting involved.
At least the lunch was worth the cost.
—King crab, bluefin tuna, lobster, wagyu sukiyaki—
Luxuries they almost never saw at the Academy.
"It's so good…! I'm so glad we came!"
Jaden, who was usually thrilled with the Red Dorm's pickled radish, was practically glowing from happiness.
"It's a shame Alexis didn't get to taste this. Maybe I'll eat her share too."
"'Love and dueling are connected'…"
Akasha slowly swirled her wagyu through the egg sauce, deep in thought.
"Kaibaman said…
To win, you need to observe, back down when necessary, but when it's time to attack—you go all in.
Could he be hinting that… tonight… is the best time for a full-frontal attack?"
(***)
KaibaCorp — President's Office
With one leg crossed and his arms folded, Seto Kaiba slowly opened his eyes in his executive chair.
Standing beside him, Mokuba asked with concern,
"It's rare to see big brother dozing off during work. I guess things really have been too busy lately."
"Hmph. Is that so? I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep."
Scanning the familiar office, Kaiba gradually regained focus. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Noticing this rare expression, Mokuba tilted his head.
"You look like you're in a good mood, big brother. Did something good happen?"
"Hmph. I had a surprisingly decent dream."
Picking up the stack of documents on his desk and resuming work, Kaiba said casually,
"I wonder how Hoshino is handling the Shadow Rider situation."
"With Hoshino-nee's strength, forget them—even stars wouldn't be a match!"
As Hoshino's number-one fanboy, Mokuba answered with full confidence.
"And besides, if you're worried, why not just call Hoshino-nee directly?"
"…I don't have her number."
"..."
(***)
Hot Spring Inn — Viewing Deck
Sitting on the wooden floor with her knees hugged close, Alexis's delicate face was nearly buried against her ample chest.
"Sigh… I really am an idiot. All those obvious clues, and I never noticed any of them."
Calmed by the cool breeze, Alexis retraced everything in her mind.
There had been plenty of signs pointing to Hoshino's identity as Headmistress:
Her surname, "Hoshino."
Using a Heroic Spirit deck.
Not living in the Academy dorms, but owning a luxurious private villa off campus.
Overwhelming strength—yet unlike Atticus or Zane, she was never given titles like "King of the Academy."
Just because she looked young, Alexis had simply assumed she was an upperclassman.
What was she even thinking?
"Alexis… you're a complete idiot."
She pinched her thigh in self-mockery.
"So when she said she'd protect me… it was just her duty as Headmistress.
Not because I was special."
The thought filled Alexis with a faint sadness.
Meaning—if any student had been in her situation, Hoshino would've helped them the same way.
"An Obelisk Blue student calling herself an idiot… You're making things hard for the Red Dorm students, Alexis."
"That voice—senpa—"
Hoshino found her on the second floor viewing deck and handed over the lunch she had barely managed to save from Jaden's bottomless appetite.
"This meal was way too expensive to let Jaden eat all of it, so I brought your portion here."
"Huh? Lobster?"
Alexis blinked at the bright red lobster in Hoshino's hands.
Something about the atmosphere felt… off.
Isn't this the kind of scene where someone brings canned coffee or an onigiri…?
Why is she bringing a whole lobster?
"Want some?"
Guuuuu~
"…Yes."
Alexis surrendered instantly.
Why am I sitting here… eating a lobster with the Headmistress…?
Despite her confusion, the moment she took a bite, her eyes widened.
The sweetness and ocean aroma of the lobster leaned completely melted on her tongue.
"It's delicious! So good!"
"Right? Right~?"
Hoshino grinned proudly.
"Even Obelisk Blue doesn't get food like this very often, huh?"
Watching Alexis enjoy her meal, Hoshino finally understood why "eating streams" online were so popular—seeing a cute girl eat happily was incredibly satisfying.
Noticing Hoshino staring, Alexis swallowed and blushed.
"I'm sorry, senpa—…no, Headmistress."
"Hm? You didn't do anything wrong. Why are you apologizing?"
Hoshino blinked, confused by the sudden shift in title.
"No… I've been wrong from the beginning."
Alexis earnestly explained her ridiculous misunderstanding:
Ever since the very first day of school, she had mistaken Hoshino for a regular upperclassman.
Of course, she left out the part where she had secretly fallen for that "upperclassman."
She planned to take that secret to the grave—never letting Hoshino find out.
Unfortunately… Hoshino had overheard her confession earlier.
"Ahh, so that's why it felt strange. You've been calling me 'senpai' from day one."
Now understanding, Hoshino smiled in relief.
Since it was just a misunderstanding, she could understand how Alexis had been bold enough to make that dramatic confession.
But because Alexis didn't bring it up, Hoshino was wise enough to pretend it never happened.
"So I really did trouble you. Calling you senpai all this time…"
"It wasn't trouble."
Hoshino scratched her cheek.
"But suddenly calling me 'Headmistress' feels weird. Why don't you just keep calling me 'senpai'?"
Alexis's eyes widened.
"R-Really? Senpai?"
…You're already calling me that again.
"Call me whatever you like. Akasha always calls me 'onee-san,' after all.
Besides, if everyone kept calling me 'Headmistress,' I feel like I'd end up bald like Principal Sheppard."
"Like Principal…?"
Alexis imagined it automatically.
"Even if you went bald, senpai, you'd still be adorable!"
"== Thanks… I guess."
Can't this girl go five minutes without saying something strange?
Then Alexis suddenly remembered—Hoshino had once said she was interested in a certain "underclassman."
Alexis had assumed it meant Akasha or Jaden…
But if Hoshino was the Headmistress, then who exactly was that "junior"?
So Akasha wasn't even a real rival…
"What am I thinking about rivals for!?"
Alexis slapped her cheeks, trying to force her thoughts straight.
"If senpai is the Headmistress… then even if I like her… it can only be admiration."
Looking at Hoshino's beautiful profile beside her, Alexis felt her chest tighten.
This love that had only just begun to bloom…
Was it already going to fade into simple admiration?
It felt like she had lost something precious.