# Chapter 223: Daily Life
"Sawatari..." Yuya looked up blankly at the smiling Shingo Sawatari.
"Tell me... is Entertainment Dueling truly useful?" Yuya asked, looking into the eyes of the man who had started later than him but had now surpassed him.
"How could Entertainment Dueling be useless?" Shingo Sawatari patted Yuya's shoulder forcefully. "Entertainment Dueling is what truly made this great me shine so brightly!"
For Shingo Sawatari, his reason for walking the path of an Entertainment Duelist was quite simple. It was all about the explosive showmanship, the kind that attracted the most fans, wasn't it?
After all, when Shingo Sawatari left Neo Domino City, quite a few fans had still come to see him off.
Although the audience's smiles later gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction—different from the thrill of successfully showing off—Shingo Sawatari wasn't the type to investigate everything to its very end. If it felt good, he'd just keep doing it.
Therefore, aside from finding Yuya's question baffling, Shingo Sawatari had no other thoughts on the matter.
"So, Entertainment Dueling really can't stop the impending war?" Seeing Sawatari's reaction, Yuya realized his question had been pointless, and he lowered his head again.
"Stop a war?" Shingo Sawatari scratched his head, a bit confused. "We're just ordinary Entertainment Duelists. It seems like our duels wouldn't be much help with something as complicated as stopping a war, right?"
It wasn't as if two sides about to tear each other's throats out would just shake hands and make up after they put on a little show, right? There couldn't really be morons like that, could there? No way. No way.
"Is that so?" Hearing Shingo Sawatari's words, Yuya's deadlocked thoughts showed signs of loosening.
"Then, what do you plan to do about the war in a few days?" Yuya asked.
"What do I plan to do?" Shingo Sawatari paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Of course, I'm going to beat those invaders senseless! Yūga Hōzumi said that after we win the war, he'd let me put on a special performance here. If they actually succeed, where would I find my audience?"
After he finished speaking, Sawatari went back to his room and came out holding a pile of bedding.
"I'm off, then. Remember to tell the president for me that I'm going to sleep over at Yugo's place. That guy said his arm lights up like a marquee whenever he gets close to you, so he absolutely refuses to come over."
With that, Shingo Sawatari hugged his quilt and went off to hang out with his good friend, leaving only a stunned Yuya and Yuzu, who had been watching over him the whole time.
...
"Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon, attack Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder!"
"Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon, attack Number 6: Chronomaly Atlantis!"
After receiving commands from their respective masters, both monsters unleashed their dragon's breath and flames, which roared toward their opponents.
Allen LP: 1100→0
Shinjō Katsu LP: 700→0
The smoke and dust from the explosions slowly dissipated, and two soot-covered faces poked out.
"Even with new decks, we're still a long way behind you guys," Allen said as he stood up and pulled Shinjō Katsu up with him.
"And is this what it feels like when you battle with Number monsters?" Shinjō Katsu recalled with lingering fear the electric jolts he felt when he first touched those Number monsters. Only now did he realize what his big brothers endured in their daily battles.
Fortunately, they still had a few days to familiarize themselves with the new decks Yūga Hōzumi had given them.
The task of training with them fell to Kaito and Shun.
...
Bruno, Yugo, and Shingo Sawatari, who had just moved in, were playing poker. Not far away, Jack was downing can after can of instant coffee. Counting the bunk belonging to Crow, who had gone to get food for everyone, the scene looked just like a men's college dorm from Yūga Hōzumi's previous life.
"Oh, right, Bruno, have you figured out what to do about the battle in three days?" Yugo asked after casually playing a few cards. "Can you perform an Accel Synchro without a D-Wheel?"
Hearing this, Bruno scratched his head in distress. This question had been bothering him ever since he arrived.
He had originally planned to show off his skills once he got here, but as soon as he landed, he discovered an awkward truth: people here didn't ride motorcycles when they dueled.
This left him quite embarrassed. Without his D-Wheel, if he couldn't get up to speed, how could he disappear? How could he perform an Accel Synchro?
"Why don't you try driving your D-Wheel in circles around your opponent?" Shingo Sawatari offered from the side with a harebrained idea.
Yugo: ...
Bruno: ...
Jack, nearby: ...
After picturing himself driving his D-Wheel in circles around an opponent just to perform an Accel Synchro, Bruno slapped his forehead. "That sounds way too stupid..." he said with disgust.
"How could Accel Synchro be such an inconvenient thing?" Jack, who was nearby, couldn't help but interject. "While I haven't personally experienced the specific tradition of Accel Synchro, I imagine it's similar to my Burning Soul. It's about using one's state of mind to trigger the resonance of a Tuner Monster, thereby performing a special Synchro Summon."
"In other words, the D-Wheel is merely an aid for Accel Synchro. As long as your state of mind can enter the state of Clear Mind at any time, having a D-Wheel or not isn't important."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Bruno closed his eyes, recalling the feeling of performing an Accel Synchro.
Seeing this, the others present quieted down, not wanting to disturb him.
It wasn't long before Bruno felt that special sensation, the feeling of the wind elements in the air swirling around him like spirits.
Unlike his usual Accel Synchros, there was no sound of rushing wind to disrupt his thoughts this time. Unbeknownst to him, Bruno's understanding of the Clear Mind state deepened another layer.
"Hoo~" Not long after, Bruno withdrew from that profound state.
"Thank you, Jack," Bruno said earnestly, looking at Jack, who had just opened another can of coffee.
"Hmph."
In response to Bruno's thanks, Jack snorted, took a gulp of coffee, and turned his head away.
"Good, that's settled. Come on, let's keep going." After spending the past few days together, the others knew Jack's personality and didn't mind. They gathered the poker cards on the table, preparing to continue playing "Fight the Landlord," the game Yūga Hōzumi had taught them in the Revolutionary Army Camp.
Just then, Crow walked in holding several lunchboxes of various sizes and complained, "You guys are unbelievable! Are you too lazy to even go out and get your own food?"
Seeing this, Bruno and the others scrambled to take the lunchboxes from Crow's hands, replying as they ate, "You were heading out anyway, weren't you? What's the big deal about bringing back some food for us?"
"I don't know what to do with you guys. Anyway, are you all ready? There's a fierce battle coming in a few days," Crow said, rubbing his forehead helplessly.
(end of chapter)