"Who are you calling 'arrogant,' rich boy Kaiba?"
Quietly returning through the gate of the Underworld, Hoshino gave Kaiba a solid slap on the back.
"Spending all of KaibaCorp's money just to open the gates of the Underworld… isn't that a bit too extravagant?"
Making a money gesture, Hoshino winked and added, "If you really want to go to the Underworld, Kaiba, I can make an exception and have Eresh-chan open a door for you. Half price, too—only half of KaibaCorp's assets~"
"...Hoshino?!"
Feeling the sting on his back, Kaiba turned around to see Hoshino suddenly standing there. His expression was like he had just seen a ghost—though since Kaiba didn't believe in the supernatural, it was more like he had no idea how to react.
"Aibo, is that really you? You're not a ghost or anything, right?"
Hoshino Alter, unable to believe it, reached out and touched Hoshino's chest, then compared it to her own. After a moment, she came to a conclusion.
"This completely average squishiness... it's exactly like mine. I guarantee—this is 100% the real Aibo! Hmm, though this feel is kind of addictive…"
"＃=_= You done yet? If so, get ready to move."
Like she'd been electrocuted, Hoshino Alter yanked her hands back in terror. "(ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ Angry Aibo is scary! I was just joking! It's our body, what's the big deal!"
Atem let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, Hoshino. If you had truly fallen into the Underworld… I wouldn't have known how to face our friends once we returned."
"So you're really alive, Hoshino! I thought you and Zorc had perished together!"
Mana, unable to contain her emotions, pounced on Hoshino with her signature hug—and immediately wiped her nose on Hoshino's shoulder like always.
"Waaah! I thought I'd never see you again! I'm so glad, Aaa…"
For once, Hoshino didn't even complain about Mana wiping snot on her. She simply reached out and patted her soft hair.
"I may be back now, but… I might not be around much longer, Mana. I don't really belong to this world, after all."
Sensing the end of the Shadow Game—and like Atem, that her body too was beginning to fade—Hoshino couldn't help but look a little sad.
Though it hadn't been a long journey, she had truly gained friendship, hard work, and victory—the classic big trio—and it was something she'd never forget for the rest of her life.
But Mana, in tears from the farewell speech, clung even harder to Hoshino, wrapping her legs around her like she refused to let go.
"No! Don't leave me behind! If the prince, Master, and you all leave me, I'll die of loneliness! I'm going too!!"
Simon solemnly patted Mana on the butt. "Don't be selfish, Mana. You'll only cause trouble for the Pharaoh and the others."
Even in a moment this emotional, this old geezer was still feeling up the girl. If Mana had noticed, he probably would've gotten a thorough beating for his "wisdom."
"Mana…"
Atem looked on with sadness in his eyes, unsure how to comfort her. Since childhood, he, Mana, and Mahad had always been inseparable. Now Mahad was gone, and he himself was about to leave the memory world. Only Mana would remain, guarding it all alone—of course she was lonely.
Hoshino Alter chuckled and suggested, "Then just come with us. What's the problem~?"
"??" Hoshino looked confused.
Mana was clinging to her, her soft body very much real—but she was still a resident of the memory world. Hoshino couldn't think of any way to bring her into the real world.
"Leave it to me! I even managed to bring Kaiba through when I panicked back then, so adding Mana this time shouldn't be a problem at all."
Hoshino Alter confidently patted her chest, then took the Pyramid of Light from her neck and hung it around Mana's.
"Let's go back together, Mana. This time, it's my turn to show you my world!"
Sniffling and feeling the warmth from the Pyramid of Light, Mana finally smiled through her tears.
"Mm… I'll leave it to you, Hoshino. From now on, you better take care of me, okay?"
Grabbing Kaiba's coat with a hint of reluctance, Kisara shyly asked, "Seto… you're leaving too?"
Kaiba looked at her with rare gentleness in his eyes.
"Dreams must end eventually. But, Kisara… you helped me understand the true meaning of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. From now on, Blue-Eyes and I will become even stronger—until we stand at the pinnacle of the world!"
Hoshino Alter sighed in exasperation. "This guy… he's gonna be single forever. Poor Kisara…"
As their vision blurred and their connection to the memory world was severed, it felt as though they were traveling through time and space. After a moment of weightlessness, they returned to where it all began—the KC Grand Prix finals.
Only a few minutes had passed since they were drawn into the memory world. The spatial storm had briefly knocked out the entire audience, but no one had been physically harmed—let alone experienced the full extent of the ultimate Shadow Game like Hoshino and the others had.
"Hoshino-nee, what were you all doing?"
Now that the storm had passed, Akasha blinked in confusion at the stage—more precisely, at Hoshino, still tightly hugged by Mana.
Awkwardly smiling, Hoshino gently shook the still-clinging Mana, and quietly removed the Pyramid of Light from around her neck.
The moment it touched her hands again, Hoshino Alter's voice echoed in her ears:
"Dimensional transfer complete, Aibo! We really brought Mana back too—it's all thanks to me!"
Hoshino whispered, "Mana, we're back now. You can open your eyes."
">_< I-I know…"
It was an ordinary moment for Hoshino, but to Mana, from 3,000 years ago, the modern world had to be an overwhelming shock.
"Ahem, at least get off Hoshino for now. This is kind of embarrassing, Mana…"
Yugi coughed awkwardly, clearly a bit flustered. And now that the audience was waking up, more and more eyes were turning toward the sight of Mana clinging to Hoshino on the stage.
"Well… since the prince said so…"
Mana slowly unwrapped her legs from Hoshino's waist. The girl from 3,000 years ago took a deep breath—and then opened her eyes.
"Ahhhhh! What's going on!? Prince, you look like you've been bleached!"
When Mana opened her eyes, what shocked her most wasn't the stark difference between the modern world and ancient Egypt—it was Yugi's skin, now pale and fair, completely different from how he looked three thousand years ago.
"This is way too interesting. Who knew a white-skinned prince could still be this handsome!"
Hoshino recalled, "Didn't you once say that in your country, people with darker skin were considered more attractive?"
"Ah, did I say that?" Mana scratched the back of her head with an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I only made that up out of jealousy. I was envious that you were so fair and beautiful, Hoshino."
Emiya, Chloe, and the others quietly gave her a thumbs-down.
Darius declared that his youth had officially ended.
"What the heck happened? My head hurts so much," Jonouchi groaned, rubbing his skull in confusion as he tried to make sense of everything around him.
"I remember Hoshino and Yugi's duel… it stirred up a huge storm. After that, everything's blank."
Sensing something bad was brewing, Anzu quickly asked, "Yugi, who's that girl next to you? Why did she suddenly appear on stage?"
Beep beep beep—!
The moment Mana noticed Anzu, the ahoge on her head flared up again like a hostile radar.
"Childhood friend threat detected! Extreme danger! I shall protect your chastity at all costs, my prince!"
Seeing the sparks practically flying between Mana and Anzu—and sensing Rebecca in the audience itching to jump in—Hoshino could only silently pray for Yugi.
"I feel like a storm of trouble is coming… Time to make my escape. Sorry, Yugi!"
Jumping off the stage, Hoshino had no energy left to explain what had happened in the Memory World to her companions. All she wanted now was to get back to the hotel, eat some good ol' modern food, and crash hard.
"Let's go, Akasha. We're heading back~"
Tugging on Hoshino's skirt, Akasha puffed out her cheeks in a pout, clearly sulking about something.
"Hoshino-nee, carry me! Just like you carried that girl earlier!"
"Oh, come on, you little brat. What are you jealous of now? I didn't want to carry Mana—she just jumped on me herself!"
"(╯°Д°)╯ I don't care! I want you to carry me too!"
And with that, Akasha's short legs bounced lightly as she leapt onto Hoshino's back. Honestly, for a former rare card hunter, once this brat decided to cling to Hoshino, there was no escape—especially given Hoshino's weak body.
Floating beside her, the spectral image of the evil god appeared, a playful smirk curling on her lips.
"Girl, you still have the nerve to pity that boy Yugi? When your own flames haven't been extinguished yet. You do remember the soul you promised to share with me, don't you? I'll be collecting it tonight… in bed~"
["Being popular is rough, huh, aibo?"]
Back at the hotel, Hoshino discovered that aside from mealtimes, no food service was offered. Too tired to venture into San Francisco to hunt for food, she flopped onto the soft hotel bed and decided to deal with eating after a good, long nap.
—Chaldea—
Sipping her coffee, Da Vinci finally relaxed as she watched Hoshino's peaceful, sleeping face on the screen.
"It's finally over. Traveling to a memory world of Egypt from 3000 years ago… it was practically on the level of a Singularity. But the fact she completed it so splendidly… Hoshino-chan has really grown into a dependable Master."
"Miss Hoshino's reliability is already a well-established fact. I never believed she would lose in such a dark game," Holmes replied.
"Oh, please~" Da Vinci teased. "You were more nervous than anyone when the Leviathan showed up. Now you're playing it cool again—is that some kind of detective pride?"
Holmes furrowed his brow slightly and took a deep puff of his pipe. "It wasn't nervousness, Ms. Da Vinci. To be honest… there's something I still don't understand. Why did the ghosts of Atlantis appear in the Memory World?"
"Huh? You mean their appearance wasn't related to Hoshino-chan's memories?"
"I'm simply unsure of the reason for their presence. Everything happens for a reason—like how Zorc appeared to lift the seal from three thousand years ago. If he had won the dark game, the seal in the real world would have broken too. But the ghosts of Atlantis are different. They were already completely destroyed in the real world. Even if they had won the Dark Game, they wouldn't have been revived."
"But they did possess the Creator God Orichalcos. That power could've destroyed the planet and recreated their existence."
Holmes shook his head. "That's just hindsight. The Creator God's appearance was a total anomaly. Orichalcos couldn't have known about such power beforehand."
Da Vinci followed Holmes' line of thought. "Maybe the reason is simpler… Like Hoshino-chan said back then—maybe it was just about avenging their destruction 3000 years later?"
"All things act based on a certain 'meaning.' I don't believe the dead would find meaning in seeking revenge against Hoshino…"
After pondering a while longer, Da Vinci shrugged and sighed. "I can't figure it out for now. But judging by your expression, you've already guessed something, haven't you, Holmes?"
"What comes next is hypothetical. If we interpret the outcome and assume Orichalcos' goal was to affect the real world through the Creator God, then perhaps we can also interpret the actions of the ghosts of Atlantis through similar logic."
Staring at the sleeping Hoshino on the screen, a glint of insight flashed in Holmes' eyes.
"Perhaps Atlantis, which perished ten thousand years ago, simply wanted to use this chance—this Memory World—to entrust their final glory and remaining strength… to the last descendant of Atlantis. To their princess, Miss Hoshino."
They were merely the confused souls of a lost nation, hoping to offer their princess—their final guardian—a story of one last gift.