Inside Fusion Academy, there were all sorts of student eateries, but they were basically cafeterias. Even the most luxurious and expensive, Fiona's Magic Restaurant, had no private booths for secret gatherings.
So those noble scions with plenty of coin in their pockets often found excuses on weekends to head into town and dine at a grand hotel, to properly "strengthen their bonds."
Where Aisha Carlos stood now—before a set of resplendent golden doors—was the sort of place she normally wouldn't even dare enter.
A solid-gold doorframe, crystal handles, and two statues in place of stone lions—sleek bodies reflecting the lights in dazzling splendor—Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
In short: ludicrously expensive at a glance.
Blue-Eyes Pavilion was probably the priciest hotel in the entire academy town.
So pricey it seemed out of place in this city.
Forget commoners—even nobles at the academy had to weigh their wallets carefully before coming here to eat.
And yet, at the entrance of such an extravagant hotel, a certain domineering "CEO" behind Aisha was already urging her inside.
"Aisha Carlos, don't just stand in the doorway. You'll inconvenience other guests."
What other guests?
Did she really think a place with prices like this would be bustling?
Was she a little too confident in her own hotel?
Indeed—the twin Blue-Eyes statues at the door made it obvious: Blue-Eyes Pavilion was one of the Seth ducal family's businesses.
However extravagant it was, for Kaima Seth, coming here was like going home.
"Rich people are the worst! Since you gave me the chance, I'm definitely going to eat you bankrupt this time!"
Yeah, right. With your appetite, Aisha, even ten clones of you couldn't bankrupt Kaima.
If it were ten Lishias, maybe.
Miles said, "Rather than plotting to eat her bankrupt, think about why Kaima brought you here specifically."
After arriving at this outrageous hotel, Aisha and Miles's mindsets had completely swapped.
Aisha's head was full of "bankrupt the obnoxiously rich Kaima."
Miles, however, was thinking… a family-owned hotel was plenty discreet. In fact, if Kaima wished, no one would ever know she'd brought Aisha here.
If this were a trap banquet, they could make it perfectly seamless.
And, incidentally, Miles noticed the top floor offered accommodations—private lodgings—with a double bed.
He couldn't help but worry: would tonight's "main course" actually be Aisha?
Raised as the family heir from childhood, if Kaima really had that sort of preference, a cute and naïve girl like Aisha would be the ideal target.
Should he intervene then?
On what grounds, and in what capacity?
This was harder than any choice in a duel.
Led by an elegant waitress through who-knew-how-many turns, Kaima and Aisha finally arrived at what was likely the hotel's most secluded—and most luxurious—private room.
The kind clearly not open to the public—reserved for the most distinguished of distinguished guests.
Miles sighed. "You really thought this through, Kaima."
If Aisha were brought in here, escape would be impossible.
The heavy, ornate doors swung open—and the scene inside was one even Miles wouldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams.
Four familiar faces from Fusion Academy were in the room.
Ren said, "Finally! I'm starving!"
Kevin said, "The Vice Principal didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Nova said, "Aisha, can I sit next to you later?"
Irena said, "Yo—latecomers owe three cups, remember."
And all four of them—Kaima included, who entered last—were people who knew about Miles's existence.
Kaima lowered her voice. "Then it's time to bring Miles out, Aisha Carlos."
"Huh? Wait, why Miles?"
Irena smiled. "Because this is a celebration for Miles. If you'd rather not swap, any of us can take your place… but you wouldn't want him stolen at a time like this, would you?"
This celebration, prepared especially for Miles, was a secret plan Kaima had been arranging since before term began.
For nothing more than what Miles had done since arriving.
Every person present had been saved by him, more or less.
Especially during the capital incident—Miles had carried the entire field alone.
He had endured the most Shadow Games, and borne the heaviest burdens—yet had never asked anyone for repayment.
So Kaima contacted everyone who knew of Miles, chose a venue that was absolutely confidential, the most hidden and most luxurious—and held a proper celebration.
Everyone, without exception, had agreed wholeheartedly.
To preserve the surprise for Miles, Aisha—tricked here under false pretenses—was the last to learn the truth.
"So it wasn't dinner for me… your target was…"
The clown… was me?
Even so, Aisha didn't feel angry or wronged.
If anything, she was moved… moved for Miles's sake. Everyone had gathered here for him, herself included. And of them all, she, his host, understood best how much Miles had endured as a disembodied soul in a strange world.
Seeing that her companions cherished his efforts made her want to cry.
Mr. Miles, everyone has been watching what you do.
Just like how all the kindness and hope you pour out will come back to you as goodwill.
"Mm!" Wiping her eyes, Aisha nodded hard. "I'll bring Mr. Miles out right now!"
The Millennium Puzzle shone. With a soul exchange, Miles appeared in Aisha's place.
This time, it was Miles who was at a loss.
No matter the crisis before, he had always remained calm and confident. Yet faced with the warmth and goodwill of his friends, he was flustered.
"So… this was for me?"
Feeling guilty, he ruffled Aisha's ahoge. Moments ago, he had suspected Kaima's motives; now he could barely meet her eyes.
"Hmph, don't waste time—let's begin, the celebration!"
High-handed as ever, Kaima pressed Miles-in-Aisha into the seat of honor.
Then came dish after dish of haute cuisine that even in his past life Miles had never seen, carried in by glamorous waitresses.
"This is so good! Miles, try this too!"
Ren, the quintessential foodie, devoured the spread while still piling choice bites into Miles's bowl.
"Miles, I accidentally spilled juice on Aisha's skirt. I'll wipe it for you."
Princess Nova glued herself to his side, indulging in every childish excuse to get closer.
"I won't lose next time, Miles. Our next duel—I'll win!"
Kevin cut his steak with practiced ease, never once pausing in his rival's declaration.
"Drink, Miles? It's only a beverage with the taste of alcohol. Where'd it come from? I made it! Not… guaranteeing absolute safety, though~"
Irena swirled a suspicious concoction, ever eager to trick him into a sip.
"Duel me after dinner, Miles! After watching you and Kevin, I can't hold back. Hic—you're not escaping tonight!"
And Kaima, who'd downed Irena's dubious brew, looked ready to keel over as she started rambling.
Surrounded by everyone, tonight's protagonist—Miles—was unusually quiet.
Was it simply that, since crossing over, he'd hardly eaten real food, and wasn't used to it?
Let's go with that.
"I'm glad for you, Mr. Miles." In the Soul Room, Aisha was happier than if she herself were the guest of honor.
The long-missed food was indeed delicious.
Albeit Miles's heart was full of something beyond cuisine.
He now understood deeply that even if he had crossed into a strange world alone, he had never been alone.
Not just his first host, Aisha Carlos—his own bonds had slowly woven themselves through this new world.
Just as he'd told Kevin during their duel—
The marks of our shared battles will become the strength that carries us forward.
"Irena!"
"What is it, Miles?"
"Hand me that drink. I'll have some too!"
"Told you—it only tastes alcoholic. Though a party isn't a party without it. You do get it! Drink up!"
To carouse with friends in another world—something Miles had never dared dream—came true tonight.
Though he'd told the goddess before crossing that he had no regrets, it felt undeniably better to be alive.
And with the Pyramid of Light secured, the future of dueling in this world looked even brighter to him.
"We're running low, Irena."
Drunk, Kaima clung to Irena, still wanting more.
Irena sighed. "Who knew you could drink this much? And this really is nonalcoholic—pull yourself together."
"Don't care. I want more. Go mix me a few more!"
Rarely seen tipsy, Kaima was far more willful than usual, nothing like her usual cool.
Underage yet bearing her family's burdens, perhaps she was using this party to release some of that pressure.
No matter how formidable someone seemed, once their nerves relaxed, they were just people—even Grand Duke Kaima Seth.
"Alright, alright, I'll mix more. Although we need ingredients, and they'll have to be bought." Irena relented with fond exasperation.
Cocktail fixings weren't complicated; a general store on the street would do. A round trip would take about ten minutes.
"You're not going anywhere. Have the staff run errands," Kaima said, refusing to let go.
"Fine, I'll write a list."
She jotted down a fairly ordinary list of ingredients. Still trapped in Kaima's embrace, she handed it to Kevin.
"Sorry, Kevin. Tell the staff to buy three of each."
"No need. I'll go myself, Irena-senpai."
"Personally?"
"Yeah—need some air."
For Kevin, the woman-density here was too high.
Even with Miles easing Kaima's heart, Kevin's long-held aversion to women hadn't vanished.
Thankfully, Miles was here to talk Deck-building. Without him, Kevin would've bolted from this all-girl party long ago.
"Three of each, right? I'll be right back."
Rising, Kevin shrugged on the black trench coat that had been torn up by today's duel.
"Hm?"
Miles's right eyelid twitched twice. He turned toward Kevin, a vague tightness catching in his chest.
"You sure about going alone, Kevin? Want me to come?"
"Do you take me for Nova, Miles? Stay—this is your night. Besides, my sister won't let you escape." Kevin declined.
"True enough." Miles laughed at himself, unsure what he was worrying about. "I'll wait for you to get back—then I'll show you how Red-Eyes can Xyz Summon."
"Don't need you to teach me. I'll figure it out myself, someday."
As Kevin pushed the door open and stepped out, Miles's eyelid twitched hard twice more.
"Kevin…" He reached out instinctively to call after him, but Kevin didn't hear.
He shouldn't have let Kevin go.
It was just a ten-minute errand to a general store on the street.
And yet Kevin Seth did not return.
Even as the banquet ended, he never reappeared.
"Where the hell did that guy go?"
Sobered up quickly, Kaima had returned to her usual cool.
Ren guessed, "Probably slipped away because of all the girls. It's Kevin—we all know how he is."
"Miles, you don't look so good. Are you feeling sick?" Nova tilted her head, blinking up at him.
"It's nothing. Maybe I just… drank too much."
It wasn't the drink—Miles wouldn't get drunk like Kaima on a nonalcoholic beverage.
Kevin really hadn't come back. As his ominous premonition came true, unease swelled within Miles.
"How odd…"
Passing the lobby, the chatter of two elegant waitresses jolted him.
"Why did the church bell at seven ring three times?"
"The seven o'clock bell rang three times!" Miles's green eyes trembled.
The Night Bell—twenty-one peals. Compared to yesterday, the area affected was so large that even ordinary people heard it.
However, thanks to the private room's superb soundproofing, only Miles and the others had missed it.
He sprinted out the hotel doors. Stardust Girl's clear voice rang in his mind at once.
"What an immense, heavy malice… even for me, this is a first. Compared to yesterday's cardinal's filthy soul, this isn't even on the same level."
"You don't need to tell me, Stardust—I can see it."
Yes—the ultimate malice from the abyss had taken shape beneath the night sky.
A condensed, pitch‑black sun hung there, as if it had always been part of the heavens.
Aisha cried, "Is that… a monster? But this feeling—it's just like… just like The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
From the divinity leaking from within and without that black sphere, it was already on par with the strongest of the Sacred Beasts—no, with the first of the Egyptian Gods, The Winged Dragon of Ra.
"Then is it… a god of the Old Dominators?"
Compared to such divinity, the [The Wicked Eraser] we'd faced before was child's play.
"Kevin!"
For some reason, Miles seemed to glimpse Kevin Seth and Red-Eyes Black Dragon wrapped within that black orb.
He dashed toward it. Though it hung right across the street, it felt like only he could see it.
"Wait, Miles!"
The others followed at once.
It was just one street away, yet the moment they stepped onto the road beneath the orb, a bone‑deep chill bit into their spines—as if that one step had entered hell itself.
[The Wicked Avatar] Level 10│DIVINE│Divine-Beast│? ATK / ? DEF]
"ROOOAAAR—"
[Your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of their 2nd turn after this card is Normal Summoned.]
[This card's Attack and Defense permanently become the highest Attack or Defense on the field + 1.]
[This card is unaffected by card effects, and cannot be Tributed.]
They looked up. For an instant, Miles glimpsed true abyss within the black sun.
And there, in the deepest depths, the supreme Wicked God.
"What is that monster?!"
It vanished in the next blink, leaving not a trace.
In any case, Miles had seen enough.
Even from that momentary display of effects, he couldn't find a way to defeat this Wicked God.
...
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