Royal Palace Garden —

"I summon Heroic Spirit – Cú Chulainn and attack your Magical Elf Girl, Mana!"

[Cú Chulainn ATK 1600]

"Their attack power should be about the same… Come on, Magical Elf Girl, don't lose!"

[Magical Elf Girl ATK 1600]

Mana cheered on her adorable monster while ordering a counterattack.

The scarlet spear clashed with the magical staff—and in the very next instant, the adorable monster Mana had summoned was defeated by Cú Chulainn's ruthless strike.

"That was too easy, Master. Got anyone more worth fighting? After all the hellish training I've been through under that old hag, I've been dying to vent a little."

Apparently, not dying this time made Cú Chulainn a bit uncomfortable. Slinging his spear over his shoulder, he didn't forget to throw in a taunt after winning—prompting Mana to stomp her foot in frustration.

"Why?! Our monsters had about the same attack power, so why do I always lose to you, Hoshino?"

Retracting her newly crafted golden Duel Disk, Hoshino patiently explained to Mana:

"In battles between Spirit Monsters, it's not always just about raw ATK and DEF. For example, my Cú Chulainn has an effect that lets him avoid destruction in battle once. That gives him a clear advantage in a close fight~"

Honestly, duel standards in this era were still stuck in the "summon monster, compare stats" phase. Almost nobody made use of monster effects. To be fair, most Spirit Monsters summoned here were vanillas.

No wonder Bakura could take on all six High Priests by himself and win easily. At this level, even Jonouchi could sweep.

"This is getting complicated. I don't get it anymore~"

Mana pounded her head in frustration. After dueling Hoshino several times using the Duel Disk, all ending in crushing defeats, she started to feel pretty down.

"Take it slow, Mana~ No one starts out amazing, you know?"

...Sorry, that was a lie. Hoshino was amazing from the start—her first duel was a win against national third-place Ryota.

[Duelist Rank Assessment Complete: Duelist – Bakura. Rank: A. Victory Reward: 60 Saint Quartz. Remaining Saint Quartz: 85.]

[Duelist Rank Assessment Complete: Duelist – Mana. Rank: E. Victory Reward: 5 Saint Quartz. Remaining Saint Quartz: 90.]

[Special Summon Shop: SSR Tamamo-no-Mae requires 100 Saint Quartz.]

"Ugh, only 5? I really can't count on Mana to help grind resources…"

Hoshino licked her finger and did a mental tally of her remaining Saint Quartz like she was counting cash. But something bugged her—after beating Zigfried, she'd gotten 30 Quartz. So why did the system say she only had 25 left now? Where did the other 5 go?

"Don't tell me this system's skimming off the top—taking a cut from me?!"

Do you know how precious 5 Quartz is?! That's practically a chance to grasp hope itself—basically, a whole Mana!

What Hoshino didn't know was that her Quartz had already been partially spent—Hoshino Alter had used her victory Quartz to exchange for Nitocris. The system auto-deducted it but never notified Hoshino.

Just then, Yugi—done with his political duties—arrived at the garden and asked:

"Hoshino, Mana, how's the new Duel Disk working out?"

"Ah! Prince, you're back~"

Seeing him, Mana lit up and rushed over to proudly report:

"I worked super hard helping you test the Duel Disk! I dueled Hoshino a bunch and it worked perfectly!"

The Duel Disk in Mana's hands actually belonged to Yugi. As an apprentice magician, she wasn't even qualified to use one under the rules.

Hoshino teased:

"Wow, our Pharaoh is so busy with government work—you're only just finishing up around noon, huh?"

As the newly crowned Pharaoh, Yugi still lacked political experience, so old man Simon handled most of the workload. Still, attending court as a listener was required—that was Simon's rule.

Taking his Duel Disk back from Mana, Yugi chuckled awkwardly:

"That sounded like sarcasm, Hoshino. Did I do something to make you mad?"

Did you make me mad? Buddy, if you hadn't forced a draw in the KC tournament finals, I would've already gotten my Tamamo-no-Mae waifu!

Of course, that part stayed in Hoshino's head. She kept her smile, but that passive-aggressive vibe gave Yugi a chill down his spine.

"Hey, now that you're done with work, you should come play with us~ Come on, let's duel~♪"

Mana grabbed his arms and bounced excitedly—humming as she swayed him back and forth. She hadn't noticed that Mahad had followed closely behind Yugi.

"Mana!"

"M-Master!"

Startled, Mana immediately let go of Yugi and stood upright, barely daring to breathe.

"What about the assignment I gave you yesterday? Did you practice your magic? You can't even dispel a basic paralysis spell, and you're here playing around?"

Mahad's triple-kill of questions struck directly at her soul, all critical hits.

Mana, practically a ghost, clutched her chest and leaned against Hoshino with teary eyes, silently begging for help.

"Master, actually, I've been practicing with Hoshino all morning. You see, Hoshino is, uh, stronger than even you, so I thought maybe I could learn something from her…"

"Hmm, Mana, you…"

Didn't expect Mana to throw Hoshino under the bus!

From yesterday's duel alone, Mahad had already realized that his current strength was nowhere near Hoshino's level.

But judging by the mischievous smile Mana couldn't hide, Mahad—who knew her well—was sure that this whole "trying to learn from Hoshino" excuse was just her trying to pull one over on him. Still, with Hoshino being the Pharaoh's guest, if she chose to cover for Mana, Mahad really couldn't do much about it.

Gently patting Mana on her bare shoulder, Hoshino spoke in a meaningful tone:

"You've been playing all morning already—don't slack off on your magic training, okay, Mana~?"

"Traitor! Hoshino, how could you sell out your friend?! I'm mad now!! ~~..."

Dragged away by Mahad, Mana's voice faded into the distance.

Watching the two disappear, Hoshino chuckled:

"Such a wholesome teacher-student duo. I believe Mana will definitely become a great magician one day. After all, she is the Dark Magician Girl."

Yugi, however, looked a little wistful.

"Hoshino... I recovered a few more memories last night. I remembered the days when I used to play with Mana and Mahad as a child. But ever since I became Pharaoh, it feels like I've grown distant from Mahad."

It wasn't hard to understand. Given Mahad's disciplined personality, he naturally prioritized his duty as a High Priest over being a childhood friend, doing his utmost to assist and protect the Pharaoh.

"But I'm glad Mana hasn't changed. If she had, I really would've become friendless and lonely."

"What the hell are you talking about? Am I not your friend?!"

Hoshino smacked Yugi lightly on the head—only to feel a jolt of pain in her hand. Turns out that starfish hairstyle was the real deal!

"And not just me—there's the other Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu, Honda, even Kaiba. Aren't they all your friends too?"

At that, Hoshino started to worry—what about her other friends who were sucked into the distorted space? Had they also been flung into this time period like her? And what happened to the Pyramid of Light and Hoshino Alter, who was still inside? Hopefully, someone kind picked them up...

"You're right. That was my bad—I misspoke."

The friends Yugi was referring to were the ones from his original era. But standing beside him now was Hoshino, reminding him that even across time and space, the bonds of true friendship could still remain.

Now, Hoshino had one more problem to solve:

Where to get the last 10 Saint Quartz to exchange for Tamamo-no-Mae.

After all, this special summon was arranged by Da Vinci under very unusual circumstances. Though Hoshino didn't know all the details, she felt there had to be some hidden significance—especially given Tamamo-no-Mae's divine status, which Karna had once acknowledged as above his own.

"Alright... who should I duel to earn those 10 Quartz?"

Hoshino glanced around. If this were modern-day society, she could easily beat some rookie on the street for it. But this was ancient Egypt—the only people capable of dueling her were the High Priests or Yugi himself.

Of course, Yugi was off the table. Unlike Hoshino, who time-traveled physically, Yugi's soul had only traveled here and lacked his old deck. If he wanted to duel, he could only summon the three Egyptian Gods from the palace stone tablets.

And summoning the Egyptian Gods out of nowhere would definitely cause a panic...

Just as Hoshino was stressing over how to earn her "waifu funds," a familiar face suddenly walked into view.

"—High Priest Seto, locked on! Target acquired!"

Seto also seemed to be looking for the Pharaoh, and when he spotted him in the palace garden, he walked over without hesitation. But that one careless step was all Hoshino needed to ambush him...

[High Priest Seto has encountered a wild Saint Quartz Hunter, Hoshino Chiyuki.]

[Warning: This wild entity is extremely dangerous. For the current strength level of the High Priest, this battle is considered hell-difficulty. Please proceed with caution.]

[Option 1: Fight]

[Option 2: Fight]

"What the hell?! There's only fight options?!"

Regardless of where that system voice came from, Seto instinctively raised his Duel Disk.

"Don't think the High Priests are easy prey! Respond to my call, Hitotsu-Me Giant!"

[Hitotsu-Me Giant ★★★★ (Level 4)][Earth][Beast-Warrior][ATK 1200/DEF 1000]

"Pfft, easy prey indeed~"

Hoshino grinned smugly. Another weak, vanilla, muscle-bound monster with no effects. This was the kind she could beat blindfolded.

She brushed her fingers across Spartacus's card. Two solidified, muscle-bound Spirit Monsters collided in a gloriously philosophical display—and Cyclops was crushed in an instant.

The shock of losing his monster left Seto a little dizzy, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. He called out his second tablet.

"Fine! Then I'll use my strongest monster—La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!"

[La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp ★★★★ (Level 4)][DARK][Fiend][ATK 1800/DEF 1000]

Another muscle brute. At least this one had decent attack points—enough to overpower Spartacus's 1500.

"Crush her, La Jinn!"

Another philosophical muscle showdown. This time, Seto's monster had the upper hand.

"Not bad, Seto. Let's settle this with a fair clash! Quick-Play Spell Card—Golden Sumo Wrestling ! Both sides get equal boosts!"

[Spartacus ATK 1500 → 1800]

Spartacus bulked up in an instant, overpowering La Jinn's earlier advantage. Both muscle monsters let out a mighty roar before vanishing in a soul-powered explosion.

Seto clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Tch. A draw, huh?"

"Not quite!"

Hoshino grinned. "Quick-Play Spell: Mad Enhancement A+! When my Heroic Spirit monster destroys another in battle, the opponent takes damage equal to its ATK!"

The surge of violent soul energy nearly knocked Seto out. He didn't expect Hoshino to hold back nothing—even in what should've been a friendly duel. It was like she wouldn't rest until she'd drained every last drop of his soul energy.

Of course Hoshino wasn't holding back—these Saint Quartz were for waifu!

"And my Spartacus also deals 500 damage when destroyed in battle!"

The double soul strike made Seto collapse onto the ground. Clenching his fist in frustration, he slammed it down.

"Damn it... If only I had more power!"

[Duel Victory! Duelist Rank Evaluation: Seto – Rank D. Victory Reward: 15 Saint Quartz. Remaining Total: 105 Quartz.]

"Victory~ What a fun duel, Seto~"

Being able to torment Kaiba in any era—what a familiar and satisfying feeling for Hoshino. But the best part?

She now had enough Saint Quartz to summon her wife.

[Confirming Exchange. Remaining Quartz: 5.]

"Sniff sniff... Good! No scent of other women! Ready to come whenever you call! Your most trustworthy wife and loving fox shrine maiden—Tamamo-no-Mae descends! ☆"

(*****)

If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!