Chaldea—
Everyone gathered in front of the screen, unsure how to react to what they were seeing.
Nobunaga was the first to speak. "Is this really okay? Can we say Master has returned to how they were before?"
"I think so? After all, Master, who was split into two, has become one person again," Okita offered her opinion, though she couldn't help but feel concerned. "But if they're one person again, doesn't that mean the problem still isn't solved?"
Emiya frowned as well. "If that's the case, won't we just be back in the same situation as before? There's a real chance the world's will might erase them outright."
Just as everyone was feeling at a loss, the screen showing the real-world Hoshino flickered.
"Ta-da! Let the long-absent but ever-universal genius Da Vinci step in to explain everything~"
A dialogue box, about one-eighth the size of the entire screen, popped up in the bottom right corner. Da Vinci, looking a little fatigued but still smiling, appeared to provide an explanation.
"The current situation with Hoshino-chan is actually different from simply returning to a single entity. By borrowing a certain power, she's essentially engraved the soul of the other Hoshino-chan into the Pyramid of Light. In essence, it's very similar to storing excess energy somewhere else."
Holmes took a deep puff from his pipe, seemingly relieved.
"In other words, to use my earlier analogy—if Miss Hoshino was originally an overflowing water bottle, she has now poured half of the water into a cup for safekeeping. And that so-called 'miracle' was the creation of this 'cup.'"
"A cup, huh?" Okita exclaimed. "Even if it's only storing half of Master's soul, a vessel capable of holding a soul as weighty as Master's... it really does feel like a kind of Holy Grail."
"The term 'cup' is just a metaphor~ There's no actual Holy Grail in that world." Da Vinci chuckled. "The Pyramid of Light that Hoshino-chan now possesses is already comparable to the Millennium Puzzle in terms of world-class mystery."
——
[Partner~]
"My other self~"
[Aibo!!]
"My other self!"
[Aibo! Let's go!]
"What the heck are you doing?" The Evil God finally couldn't hold back her complaint as she watched Hoshino excitedly talking to herself like a child.
Hoshino scratched her head. "Ehehe, it's my first time experiencing this myself, so of course, I want to enjoy this strange experience a little longer."
After finishing the battle at Kaiba Land, Hoshino didn't linger there for long and instead returned directly to the game shop. After all, the massive crowd at the opening ceremony wasn't exactly enjoyable for an introverted otaku like her.
Of course, Jonouchi and the others, upon hearing that all rides at Kaiba Land were free on the first day—even for non-children—suddenly felt a strange sense of determination to bankrupt Kaiba and dragged Yugi along into the throng of people.
So in theory, Hoshino should have been the only one returning to the shop.
Well, that should have been the case…
"Oh, beautiful! Such a finely crafted yet wonderfully simple local game shop! This nostalgic atmosphere brings back memories of the shops my wife and I used to visit! Truly, this place is a treasure of the world, don't you agree, Hoshino-girl?"
"Uh… thanks for the compliment…" Grandpa Sugoroku, momentarily stunned, had never expected that his shop—often dismissed as outdated—would receive such high praise from the father of Duel Monsters himself.
"So, Pegasus, why did you follow me back here?" Hoshino, who had expected to return alone, was now dealing with an uninvited guest.
"Why~, to fulfill a responsibility I never properly completed, of course." Reluctantly pulling his gaze away from the store, Pegasus turned to Sugoroku with a serious expression.
Then, without warning, he bowed his head.
"I offer my sincere apology. I hope this will properly convey the regret I feel! Grandpa of Yugi-boy, I am truly very sorry!"
"Eh?!" Both Hoshino and Sugoroku were taken aback by Pegasus' sudden action.
"Back then, I sealed your soul without permission and used you as leverage to force Yugi-boy into the Duelist Kingdom tournament. I deeply regret what I did. It has been weighing on my conscience for a long time. If you're willing to forgive me today, I'll do whatever it takes to make amends!"
So that's why Pegasus had followed Hoshino—he wanted to settle this unresolved guilt. Back when he was still under the influence of the Millennium Eye's power, Pegasus had indeed acted as a villain, doing many unforgivable things.
"There's no need for that. Just let the past stay in the past." Grandpa Sugoroku, surprised by Pegasus' apology, didn't seem interested in holding a grudge.
"Your genius brought Duel Monsters to the world. If I had to ask anything of you, I'd simply hope that you continue to take it to even greater heights and let the joy of dueling shine even brighter across the world."
"So great! What a noble and magnificent soul!" Pegasus lifted his head, and in his eyes, the small, elderly figure of Sugoroku was practically glowing with golden light.
"I swear that I will make Duel Monsters even more popular worldwide! So, Hoshino-girl, I hope you'll help me as well!"
"Huh? Why are you dragging me into this? This sounds really annoying. Can I refuse?"
Hoshino's expression was filled with blatant reluctance. Even though Pegasus had apologized sincerely, she still didn't have much goodwill toward him. The main reason? He still hadn't handed over the prize money from the Duelist Kingdom tournament.
Pegasus, however, quickly switched back to his usual carefree demeanor. "Actually, besides apologizing, there's another important matter I wanted to discuss with you, Hoshino-girl."
Grandpa Sugoroku, ever the gracious host, offered, "A guest is a guest. Let me brew some tea so we can talk at leisure."
"No need, Grandpa." Hoshino waved a hand dismissively before turning to Pegasus with an impatient look. "Just get to the point and say whatever it is. You're a busy man, right? Surely you don't have that much free time."
Pegasus smiled. "The matter I wanted to discuss with you, Hoshino-girl, is about the money you should have received for winning the Duelist Kingdom tournament and becoming the Duel King."
"Grandpa, bring the tea!"
(***)
[The First Chaldea Duelist Tournament Officially Begins! Hosted by Yours Truly, Da Vinci!]
A small, lonely box placed on the table projected a lifelike virtual image of Da Vinci holding a microphone. In stark contrast to the box's modest presence, the room buzzed with unprecedented excitement.
"Ohhh—it's finally happening!"
Accompanied by the cheers of numerous Servants, the First Chaldea Duelist Tournament—an event of special significance (held to commemorate Oda Nobunaga's first major duel achievement)—officially began.
"Now then, for the first match..."
With Da Vinci's sweet, gacha-baiting voice setting the stage, the first two duelists confidently stepped out from the crowd.
"—Our first duel will be between Okita Souji and Sherlock Holmes!"
"I'm feeling great today! Yep! I've never felt this good before. I don't think I have anything to be afraid of!"
Okita confidently slapped her deck onto the table, unknowingly setting off a classic death flag.
In contrast, Holmes remained composed, retrieving his treasured deck from his coat pocket and placing it on the table with refined, gentlemanly grace.
"Heh heh, I'm looking forward to this duel, Miss Okita~"
"Okita's totally getting knocked out first. She's the guaranteed first-round loser!"
Leaping out from the crowd, Nobunaga mercilessly shattered her rival's confidence.
"Whether as a Duel Monster or a duelist, she's total garbage!"
"Don't underestimate me, Nobu! Have you even seen how dazzling my dueling is?!"
Okita waved Nobunaga off with a smug grin.
"Besides, you're no better, Nobu! That ridiculous-looking 'Nobu' monster of yours has zero battle power—pure fodder, complete fodder!"
"What did you say?!"
Triggered by the insult, Nobunaga furiously grabbed her rifle, looking ready to settle things with a real fight. Siegfried and Cu Chulainn, acting as reluctant security guards, quickly restrained her.
"Let me go! My 'Nobu'—they're perfect, they're beautiful, and you know it! Unhand me! Let me show that sickwoman the true power of a warlord!"
"Calm down, Miss Oda. A strong duelist never resorts to violence," Holmes advised with a playful smirk. "Besides, I have high expectations for Miss Okita's dueling abilities—at least, in terms of... entertainment value."
With a snap of his fingers, Holmes activated the dueling arena, causing semi-transparent light effects to form glowing boundary lines on the tabletop.
"Whoa, what is this?! So cool!"
Okita gasped at the sudden transformation of the table.
Da Vinci proudly explained, "This is the Chaldea-exclusive dueling field, custom-made by a genius! Who's that genius, you ask? Why, it's me, of course! Its holographic projection effects are just as good as the Master's Duel Disk system!"
"Not bad," Emiya nodded in approval. "This setup makes it feel more immersive. Way better than just playing with regular cards."
"Now then—Okita Souji versus Sherlock Holmes! Let the duel begin!"
With Da Vinci's cheerful announcement and the crowd of excited Servants roaring in response, the first match of the Chaldea Duelist Tournament officially commenced.
.
..
...
"A mere detective? Don't think you can match the hand speed of a genius swordsman like me! I'll be taking the first turn!—Draw!"
Taking full advantage of her natural speed, Okita swiftly drew her first card, claiming the initiative.
However, her confident energy lasted only a moment. Staring at her opening hand, Okita suddenly froze—her expression going completely blank.
"Okita totally doesn't know how to play, huh?"
Watching her hesitate after drawing, Nobunaga raised a suspicious eyebrow.
After scanning her cards for the tenth time, Okita finally let out a shocked scream.
"Eh?! Wait a second—why didn't I draw myself?! Cough—!"
Overcome with emotion, she gasped too hard and immediately coughed up blood onto the floor.
"Huh? If you didn't draw yourself, just summon another monster... Never mind."
Emiya, having glanced at her hand, twitched slightly at the sight before deciding to remain silent.
"What's the matter, Miss Okita? Please, continue."
Holmes, now openly smirking, had clearly already deduced her deck's fatal flaw.
"I... I end my turn!"
Wiping blood from her mouth, Okita unwillingly ended her turn with an empty field.
"HAHAHAHA! What an idiot! This is too embarrassing!"
Nobunaga burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
Pointing at Okita's five-card hand, she mercilessly exposed the truth:
"Let me guess—this sickwoman only put one monster card in her entire deck, right?"
"Seriously?" Even Mash was shocked. "She only has one monster? And it's a card that's mostly used as graveyard fodder or fusion material?"
"Shut up! I only need one monster in my deck! After all, that's my ace of all aces!"
From the sidelines, Waver sighed and calmly remarked, "Hmm, your deck construction is quite flawed. If you want to win in a game that relies on strategy and tactics, you need to learn how to efficiently utilize all your available resources, Okita."
Nobunaga shrugged and added, "Okita definitely thought she could just brute-force her way through with sheer energy. And now she's literally coughing up blood from how badly she misplayed. Too naive."
(*****)
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