# Chapter 224: Daily Life
After lunch, Sawatari Shingo and Yugo began planning the script for their afternoon performance for the orphanage children, and they started arguing about who would play the villain today.
"I was the villain yesterday, so it's your turn today!" Yugo said indignantly after getting the script. "Besides, you lost to me in yesterday's duel! What kind of example would it be for the children to see the hero of justice defeated?!"
"But weren't the children very satisfied with our performance yesterday?" Sawatari Shingo countered reasonably.
"And besides, we told the children yesterday that the hero of justice had temporarily retreated and would be back tomorrow to challenge the Demon King again. It would be terrible if the Demon King suddenly changed today!"
"What you said... sounds somewhat reasonable." Yugo scratched his head, feeling something was off, but he couldn't quite articulate it.
"Let's go, let's go. Don't keep the kids waiting," Sawatari Shingo said, pulling Yugo toward the door, giving him no chance to react.
This was their training routine: agree on a script outline beforehand, then improvise during the duel based on their skills.
So, yesterday's story was about the hero challenging the Demon King but being temporarily defeated.
And today's story was about the hero making a comeback.
Temporarily unable to think of a good reason to refute Sawatari Shingo, a confused Yugo let himself be pulled along, ready to set off.
However, as soon as Sawatari Shingo opened the door, he bumped right into a man.
"Sorry..."
"Sorry..."
The two who had bumped into each other spoke at the same time, but Sawatari Shingo froze when he looked up.
"It's you?" Sawatari Shingo said.
He would recognize that face even if it were turned to ash. Back when he first entered society, full of youthful ambition and ready to make the name "Super Sawatari" famous in Maiami City, he was humbled at the hands of Yuya Sakaki.
He was young and reckless back then, always thinking of getting his revenge, so he set his sights on Yuzu, who was inseparable from Yuya Sakaki.
But that day, he was beaten senseless by someone, completely unable to fight back.
And now, that person stood before him again. But he was no longer the same as before; he was now the Extreme-True-Super-New Sawatari!
So, the moment Sawatari Shingo recognized the visiting Yuto, he broke into a smile. "Oh, it's you. What can I do for you?"
*Just kidding,* he thought. *Let the embarrassing past stay in the past. With a formidable enemy right before us, what kind of man dwells on old grudges?*
"Ah, it's you. Garros asked me to come and ask if you're settling in well," Yuto said.
"Very well," Crow nodded from the side.
"You're Yuto, right?" Yugo asked curiously. "The one Yūga Hōzumi mentioned from the XYZ Dimension who looks exactly like me."
"A pleasure. I'm Yuto." Yuto smiled and extended his hand to the person who looked just like him.
"I'm Yugo." Yugo looked at the outstretched hand and shook it without hesitation.
In an instant, a dazzling red light filled the room.
The Dragon Sign on Yugo's right arm and the mark of Number 86 on the back of Yuto's right hand began to flash wildly, the light turning both their faces red.
Yuto: ...
Yugo: ...
The two quickly separated, and the Dragon Sign and the mark of the Number extinguished.
"It's just like when I see *that* guy," Yugo said, troubled.
"Never mind, I won't think about it. The kids are waiting, I have to go." Yugo's greatest strength was not dwelling on things he couldn't understand. A situation this abnormal was best left to those willing to ponder it.
"Oh, right. Since this also happens with you, you should probably stay away from the Lancers. The one from the Standard Dimension doesn't have our special abilities." Yugo, who had already started to leave, turned back to advise Yuto.
...
In front of the Orphanage.
Serena and Yuzu, who had come to find her, sat on the steps, watching Yugo and Sawatari Shingo's performance nearby.
"How's your boyfriend doing?" Serena asked Yuzu, listening to the children's occasional cheers.
"I told you, he's not my boyfriend!" Yuzu denied.
"Alright, alright, how's that Tomato doing?" Serena rephrased her question. "He won't come and cause trouble in a few days when the war starts, will he?"
"He probably won't," Yuzu said. "After Sawatari Shingo left, he pulled himself together. It seems he's figured out what he needs to do."
"That's good," Serena nodded. "If he's still so naive, he might die on the battlefield, and you would be sad about that, wouldn't you?"
"Yuya... he should be fine," Yuzu said, though her tone lacked confidence.
"Anyway, where's Yūga Hōzumi? I haven't seen him at all for the past two days," Yuzu asked.
"He went with Fujiwara Xiu to research the source code of a card. He said he wanted to see if adding a genius to the mix could bring out the ultimate weapon or something ahead of schedule," Serena said helplessly.
"You didn't take the chance to tell him how you feel before the war starts?" Yuzu asked, turning to look into Serena's eyes.
"Forget it. For a guy like him, telling him directly would just make him uncomfortable," Serena sighed.
"Besides, I don't think he'd give me any response before the war ends!" Serena said. "After all, even though he's usually so carefree, he's poured all his energy into this war. I can't hold him back at a time like this!"
...
"So? Any leads?" Yūga Hōzumi stared nervously at Fujiwara Xiu, who held a part of the source code for the Heavenly Palace Number.
"I can't understand it." Fujiwara Xiu shook his head in regret.
"Even you can't understand it?" Yūga Hōzumi said, frustrated.
"Big Brother, are you trying to make things difficult for me?! I can't even make a Level 5 Synchro Monster, and you want me to study this Rank 12 Xyz Monster?" Fujiwara Xiu complained.
"Never mind." Yūga Hōzumi sighed, giving up on creating the Heavenly Palace Number himself. Instead, he turned and asked, "Do you have any other research ideas?"
After all, there were six "hand trap lolis," and this guy had only developed Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit so far.
"I have a bit of an idea." Fujiwara Xiu nodded, bringing up a design blueprint on his Duel Disk.
"Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring negates effects that Special Summon from the Deck or add cards from the Deck to the hand. Using that as a starting point, it's much easier to research a Tuner monster that negates effects that Special Summon from the Graveyard or add cards from there to the hand."
"So..." Yūga Hōzumi's eyes lit up, realizing what the kid was researching now.
"I've nearly finished constructing the source code for this Tuner monster, Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion. I should be able to make a few samples for you before the war starts," Fujiwara Xiu said.
*That's fantastic!* Yūga Hōzumi rejoiced inwardly.
In a few days, his opponent's deck was clear: the Cyber Dragon deck that got completely wrecked in another dimension.
Fujiwara Xiu's Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion would be quite lethal against Cyber Dragon, which needed to banish monsters from the Graveyard to Fusion Summon!
(end of chapter)