Heroic Spirit Deck in Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Hoshino Chiyuki?" Marik tilted his head, momentarily stunned by the unexpected slap.

Despite the stinging blow, Marik didn't appear angry. Instead, his expression twisted into something far more unnerving.

"Thank you," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The idea that Ishizu's strategies couldn't defeat Hoshino had been beyond his expectations.

"Heh heh... hahaha! You're truly fascinating. First, you helped me get rid of that annoying Odion, and now you've eliminated my troublesome sister. I really don't know what to say—thank you!"

Hoshino rubbed her numb hand, her gaze filled with contempt. "Being thanked by scum like you is nothing short of an insult."

"An insult?" Marik chuckled darkly, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. "Heh, I'm starting to see it now—you and I are the same. A so-called accomplice. Gahahaha!"

Marik laughed as he turned and walked off the platform, feeling Hoshino's furious glare boring into his back. He left her with one final remark:

"You think you're fighting the darkness, but you're merely walking alongside it."

.

..

...

"Jonouchi, wake up! Hey! Jonouchi!" Honda shook Jonouchi by the collar, calling out anxiously.

Anzu quickly grabbed Honda, trying to calm him. "Honda, stop! Don't shake him like that!"

Although Anzu understood Honda's feelings, shaking an injured person could only make things worse. "Let's wait quietly for the medics to arrive. Mokuba has already contacted the medical team."

The fact that a dueling airship had onboard medics almost felt like Kaiba Corporation indirectly admitting that Duel Monsters was a high-risk game.

"Onii-chan! QAQ!" Shizuka knelt beside Jonouchi, tears streaming down her face.

Quietly approaching, Hoshino crouched down to examine the unconscious Jonouchi.

Instead of using the Duel Disk as a medium, Medea had directly summoned her Noble Phantasm through the Millennium Bracelet. A single Pain Breaker should have been enough to save even someone on the brink of death.

—No matter the curse or magical injury, it could be healed. It didn't reverse time but restored the recipient to their original state through precise calculations. To onlookers, it appeared as if time had rewound. Anything but death could be overcome.

After examining him closely, Hoshino concluded: "You're already awake, aren't you, Jonouchi?"

Yugi blinked in surprise. "What are you saying, Hoshino?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's just too embarrassed about losing so badly and is pretending to be unconscious to avoid facing everyone."

"Hoshino?" Shizuka, though hesitant to believe it, desperately hoped Hoshino was right. Pretending to be unconscious out of embarrassment was far less concerning than truly being unresponsive.

"Is that true, Jonouchi?" Mai asked tentatively, pinching Jonouchi's arm lightly.

The faint flutter of his eyelashes immediately gave him away.

"Jo——nou——chi!" His friends' pent-up frustration exploded as they swarmed him, delivering a "discipline session" with no mercy.

"I'm gonna die, I'm really gonna die this time!" Jonouchi cried out, springing to his feet in desperation.

"Thank goodness, Onii-chan is okay!" Shizuka, the little angel, burst into laughter through her tears upon seeing her brother standing.

Anzu scolded him, "Why would you pretend to be unconscious and worry us like that? Honestly, Jonouchi, you're such an idiot!" Despite her words, her face radiated relief rather than anger.

Jonouchi scratched his head awkwardly. "I thought I was really dead."

"Dead?" Shizuka tilted her head in confusion.

"When I fell, I saw this really wide river, and there was an old man on a boat telling me it was the River Styx, and that it was time to move on."

"You're lying, aren't you, Jonouchi? You're just making this up!" Honda exclaimed, unconvinced.

"I'm telling the truth!" Jonouchi insisted.

"Then, just as I was about to step onto the boat, an angel in strange clothes pulled me back. And she said..."

"What did she say? Don't keep us in suspense!" Anzu urged, her curiosity piqued.

"She said... 'You're already awake, aren't you, Jonouchi?' And then I woke up."

"Liar! Get him!" Honda promptly chopped Jonouchi on the head, convinced he'd made up the story after overhearing Hoshino.

Jonouchi clutched his head in protest. "I'm not lying, I swear!"

When he glanced at Hoshino, his eyes widened in shock. "Wait! The angel with the strange clothes—it's her! Oh, wait... it's just Hoshino."

With a smirk, Hoshino lifted the hem of her ridiculously long dress and twirled gracefully. "So, do I really look like an angel?"

Jonouchi replied earnestly, "Not really, but your clothes are weird."

Hoshino immediately joined the group in pummeling Jonouchi.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Kaiba, who had been watching silently, finally stepped in. "The tournament isn't over yet!"

Yugi nodded. "He's right. There's still Kaiba and Ishizu's duel!"

"Ishizu..." Hoshino suddenly remembered. Ishizu was likely still passed out in her room.

Pouting, Hoshino lied, "Ishizu told me earlier she's forfeiting and won't be participating anymore."

"Good. That means I win!" Although Hoshino's expression clearly suggested she was hiding something, Kaiba didn't question her and immediately declared himself the victor.

"And with that, the Battle City quarterfinals are officially over! The semifinals will take place tomorrow when the airship arrives at the next destination!"

"Why is Kaiba so lucky? He didn't even have to fight!" Jonouchi grumbled, still battered and bruised.

Kaiba raised his head proudly, gazing at the endless night sky with his usual arrogance. "Even if we had dueled, the victor would have been me!"

"No, if you had dueled, you probably would have lost miserably," Hoshino muttered to herself.

(***)

[Duelist ranking evaluation complete. Duelist Ishizu Ishtar, Duelist Rank: A. Saint Quartz Reward: 60 pieces. Remaining Saint Quartz: 80 pieces.]

[Detected: Duelist No. 001, Hoshino Chiyuki, has won a Shadow Game. Reward: 1 SSR Exclusive Summoning Ticket.]

"That rating for Ishizu feels a bit underwhelming," Hoshino mused, resting her chin on her hand while sitting on the bed. Considering the power level of Exchange of the Spirit, it did feel a bit low. However, it might have been due to Ishizu not fully utilizing the card's potential in the duel.

"Well, for now… Gacha time."

[Detected: SSR Exclusive Summoning Ticket in possession. SSR Banner.]

"Use the ticket to summon!"

[Confirming…]

With practiced ease, Hoshino completed the sequence: spend currency, draw cards, and prepare for the worst-case scenario. Although with an exclusive SSR summoning ticket, there was no risk of a "bad pull." Even her previously blank card had ended up imprinting itself with the design of Ozymandias, originally existing in this world. An SSR ticket was, without a doubt, reliable.

"Bwahahahahahaha!"

"Not again with this laugh…" Hoshino's eye twitched. It felt like her surroundings had recently been overrun by these infectious, maniacal laughs.

From Gilgamesh in the day to Ozymandias in the evening, and now this before bed. Hoshino was confident she'd have nightmares tonight…

—A nightmare where she was surrounded by the Smiling Servant of Chaldea, forced to endure their laughter on repeat.

The card in Hoshino's hand depicted the now silent Count of Monte Cristo, his face stern. "An accomplice!? That sort of person dares call themselves your accomplice… How preposterous!"

"An accomplice?" Hoshino tilted her head, trying to recall. "Oh, you mean Marik, right?"

"Listen carefully! On this path of revenge burning with hatred and resentment, I am your only rightful accomplice!"

Hoshino scratched her head awkwardly. "Um… Is 'accomplice' that important of a title?"

"Of course it is!"

"Fine, fine. From now on, I'll recognize you as my one and only accomplice!"

"Kuahahaha! Then, accomplice, let us send that person on their way together next time—with the lethal, poisonous black flames!"

As expected of an Avenger-class Heroic Spirit, holding grudges seemed to be standard behavior… as well as the tsundere attitude.

After storing the Count's card, Hoshino decided to exit the Banner despite still having remaining Quartz.

"Now then…"

Due to the constant duels during Battle City, Hoshino had summoned quite a few new Heroic Spirits recently. However, no matter how much her roster expanded, a single deck could only hold around 40 cards in a duel.

With the finals approaching, while summoning new "waifus" was certainly tempting, the priority had to be strengthening the deck overall.

[Open Card Strengthening System—]

This rarely-used system, created by Da Vinci under the guise of "assisting" Hoshino, was really just a clever way to drain her resources. Cough… Correction: it was designed to help her enhance her cards for further breakthroughs when used as Duel Monsters.

For just 30 Quartz, she could reliably boost a card's power. While the degree of improvement was RNG, it was certainly better than risking a bad gacha pull, making it ideal for this "unlucky" Master to enhance her deck before the finals.

"Alright, time to choose which card to strengthen…" Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Hoshino swayed slightly as she thought it over.

The sound of running water from the bathroom signaled Akasha was finishing her bath. Judging by the time, she was probably lathering shampoo over her petite, egg-white, silky skin.

"Gotta hurry~" Hoshino had already decided on the perfect candidate: a frequently used card in her duels that lacked the necessary strength, making it a prime choice for a breakthrough.

"It's decided! Limit Break!"

...

"You spent such valuable resources on me, Master!"

Saber Lily looked on, her face touched, as the name on her card shone with a newly gilded finish.

"Even though I'm still just an inexperienced knight, thanks to you, I now have the confidence to believe in my sword! To repay your expectations, I'll make sure to grow stronger! Fight!"

Seeing Lily psych herself up, Hoshino couldn't help but feel she was an angel incarnate. Such a pure-hearted waifu was truly soothing for the soul.

Hoshino let out a small sigh. "Compared to those Servants who go 'HAHAHA!' all the time, you're definitely way more adorable, Lily~"

"Hoshino-nee, I'm coming out! If you're doing anything weird, you've got five seconds to wrap it up!" Akasha's dreamy voice echoed from the bathroom.

Hurriedly stashing her cards, Hoshino, despite having done nothing wrong, found herself inexplicably flustered.

"Why is it every time I come out, you're staring at your cards?" Akasha, hair wrapped in a towel, gave a puzzled look. Staring at the backs of cards absentmindedly was definitely odd behavior.

Akasha's question made Hoshino recall how her father used to barge into her room, prompting her to instantly minimize her computer window.

("Why are you always staring at your computer wallpaper, Chiyuki?"

"Because… it's nice to look at…")

"You're not up to something pervy, are you, Hoshino-nee?" Akasha teased as she leaned closer, her shampoo-scented presence overwhelming Hoshino. "Blow-dry my hair for me!"

Knock, knock, knock—!

Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door interrupted Akasha's whining.

"This late at night? Who could it be?"

Hoshino, ever vigilant, gestured for Akasha to stay quiet as she tiptoed to the door to peek through the peephole.

"This… doesn't make sense." A nervous sweat formed on her brow as Hoshino recognized Ishizu waiting anxiously outside.

"She was supposed to be unconscious all day. How is she already awake?"

But after a moment's thought, Hoshino realized there was nothing to fear if it was just Ishizu.

After all, all she had done was secretly take Ishizu's card, Exchange of the Spirit, and, oh, lied about her to forfeit her last match in the quarterfinals.

"…Okay, that's pretty bad. Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep."

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock—!

The soft knocking grew increasingly urgent. Judging by Ishizu's persistence, feigning sleep wasn't going to work.

Swallowing nervously, Hoshino cracked the door open, poking her head out timidly.

"Heh, heh… Oh! Ishizu, you're up so early! Wouldn't it be better to rest a bit longer?"

(*****)

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