"We'll be heading off now, Hoshino-nee~"
"Hmph, see you back at school then."
"Wait, Kaiba, you still have to attend school?"
After fulfilling the duel promised two years ago, Hoshino managed to coax and send off the towering Buddha that was Kaiba.
She then turned her gaze toward the bed, where Akasha was still sound asleep. Even after that long conversation with Kaiba and the others, the girl hadn't stirred once. Who knew how late this little rascal had stayed up playing games last night?
Hoshino poked the soft, squishy cheek of the unmoving little girl, trying to wake her.
"zzZZ~ Huu... Can't rest yet, Doctor..."
Hoshino tilted her head. "What kind of dream talk is that? You're already resting, aren't you? And if you don't get up soon, you'll miss the hotel's breakfast time."
This high-class hotel, booked through Pegasus, had first-rate service and a luxurious environment, complete with buffet-style meals. The only drawback was that dining hours were strictly set—miss them, and you were out of luck.
With a sigh, Hoshino reluctantly began unbuttoning Akasha's pajamas at the chest, preparing to check the "development" of a certain girl—no, not that. She was just going to help change her clothes and drag her to breakfast by force.
Knock knock knock~
At that moment, a gentle knock came from the door.
"What a lively morning... Who is it this time?"
"Hoshino-nee! I came to play with Akasha!"
"Jaden."
Hoshino set down the drowsy Akasha and opened the door again. During their week-long stay in San Francisco, Jaden had shown up every single day, as if addicted, dragging Akasha into duels.
But it was unusual for him to show up this early. For reference, Jaden was only temporarily living in San Francisco because of his parents' work and would probably be returning to Japan soon.
"Hoshino-nee, congratulations! I went to the KC Grand Prix finals yesterday and saw everything with my own eyes! It got my blood pumping! I couldn't suppress the duelist's soul inside me, so I ran over first thing this morning!"
He waved his arms in excitement. "But maybe congratulations isn't the right word. Yugi-san dueled amazingly too, but... a draw feels a little unfortunate."
Leaving aside why he called her "Hoshino-nee" while addressing Yugi as "Yugi-san," what truly shocked Hoshino was that this little brat had actually gone to the KC finals. A pang of guilt struck her.
"Um... Jaden, did you feel anything strange in your body yesterday? Like, when Elizabeth was singing?"
"Huh?" Jaden tilted his jellyfish-like head, confused.
"Why would I feel strange? I thought that song fit the atmosphere perfectly! It lit up the entire stadium! Everyone around me was cheering!"
...Are you sure those people were cheering from excitement? =_=
And more importantly, Elizabeth actually found someone who appreciates her singing? Jaden, are your ears made of titanium?
"Anyway, where's Akasha? I can't wait to duel her!"
"She's not up yet. Don't just stand there—come in."
"Then I won't hold back!"
He zipped into the room like lightning—but froze the very next second.
"Crap, I forgot!"
Since Jaden came over so often, Hoshino had let her guard down and let him in instinctively.
By the time she realized her mistake, it was already too late. Jaden's face turned beet red. He didn't know where to look.
On the bed, Akasha's pajamas had been unbuttoned halfway. Though she wasn't exposed, for a boy Jaden's age, the sight was more than enough. And thus, the seeds of adolescent awakening may have been accidentally sown by Hoshino.
With no choice, Hoshino covered Jaden's eyes. Her palm could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.
"Sorry, Jaden. Step outside for a bit while I help Akasha change."
"O-okay..." he stammered, still flushed, head lowered as he left the room without looking up.
"(.--)zzz... Just kidding~ I'm super lucky! My gacha pulls are god-tier~"
Letting out a long sigh, Hoshino yanked off Akasha's pajamas, revealing her soft, pale skin as the girl rolled around on the bed.
"Still dreaming about pulling, huh? Akasha, you were this close to being seen, you know..."
Ten minutes later—
"So early in the morning, disturbing my sleep... I told you on Twitter last night I'd be up late grinding a high-difficulty raid, didn't I~?"
Still grumbling, Akasha sulked in front of Jaden, who stood stiffly outside the room, his face still tinged red.
"And your face is all red. If you've caught a cold, you shouldn't force yourself to come out and get thrashed."
With a perfect five-win, zero-loss record against him, Akasha had every right to be smug. Her tone was arrogant, bordering on mocking.
Jaden, however, stared at her sleepy, delicate face, completely lost in thought. He had already forgotten why he'd come.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"N-no! Not at all!" Jaden shook his head frantically. "You're just... really cute!"
Akasha's expression twisted awkwardly. She turned to Hoshino. "Hoshino-nee, Jaden's acting super weird today. Did he take the wrong medicine or something?"
"Jaden wears his heart on his sleeve. He's so easy to read."
Unable to hold back, Hoshino turned away and stifled a laugh. "Ah, the blossoming heart of youth... pfft~"
"R-right! I came here to duel Akasha, and then..."
Even as he tried to recover, Jaden's words trailed off. He couldn't even finish his usual line about dueling to become friends.
"A duel, huh? Fine. Let's get it over with quickly."
Like clocking in at a part-time job, Akasha grabbed her Duel Disk and inserted her specialized Anti-Friendship deck that clearly expressed her refusal to be friends.
"Same place as always—the hotel courtyard~"
After all, their room was far too small for a proper duel.
Handing Jaden her special edition Duel Disk, Hoshino encouraged him. "Do your best, Jaden-kun. Even though you haven't won yet, you've been improving really fast. You might have a real shot this time."
Since Jaden didn't own a Duel Disk yet, he always borrowed Hoshino's custom future model.
Equipping the Disk and loading his Elemental HERO deck, Jaden's earlier shyness vanished, replaced with fiery enthusiasm. "Really, Hoshino-nee?! You think I can win this time?!"
"I said maybe," Hoshino replied. To be honest, she was just being kind—he looked like a love-struck puppy. In reality, the gap between him and Akasha was still clear.
But hey—maybe love really can perform miracles?
"Oh, right! This card... It's a bit early, but I'll entrust it to you for now, Jaden. I think it'll be a strong asset for a hero like you."