"Pe~ga~sus~" murmured Hoshino, half-asleep, in her dream.
"Oh my god, Hoshino-girl, Hoshino-girl, are you awake?"
"Hmm? What happened?" Probably disturbed by Pegasus's somewhat excited tone, Hoshino rubbed her eyes, and her vision gradually cleared.
"Pe-Pegasus!" Like a person waking up from a bad dream, Hoshino looked in horror at Pegasus's joyful expression.
"I never thought Hoshino-girl would call my name even in her sleep; I'm really happy!" Unlike his personality during a shadow duel, the current Pegasus felt more like the character from her dream to Hoshino.
"Where am I now…" Still, in a daze, Hoshino looked around the luxurious room and the familiar soft bed beneath her.
"In your original guest room, Hoshino-girl. Do you remember passing out right after the duel ended? But I've already had the castle doctor check on you; there's nothing serious, just lack of sleep and excessive physical exhaustion," said Pegasus with gentle concern, which made Hoshino feel uneasy and shiver slightly.
"Lack of sleep…" Hoshino frowned, recalling why she was sleep-deprived, and silently blamed the detective who still hadn't shown up.
But looking at Pegasus in front of her, Hoshino felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance. "Why, why is Pegasus here taking care of me? Where are my Friends? Shouldn't it be Anzu or Mai by my bedside, quietly waiting for me to wake up?"
"Your Friends…" Pegasus chuckled, gesturing behind him.
Hoshino saw Yugi and the others gathered around the small table where she had dueled Holmes the previous night, craning their necks to watch something. Their expressions reminded Hoshino of old men in the neighborhood watching chess games.
"Haha, Mai, you're done for! I activate the magic card [Time Wizard]!" Shouted Jounouchi, taking advantage of Mai's distraction and placing [Time Wizard] in the magic and trap zone. "If my time magic succeeds, all your Harpy Ladies will turn into old ladies!"
"You're too naïve, Jounouchi! I activate the trap card [Magic Cylinder]!" Mai, on the other side of the table, smiled with satisfaction, "I knew you'd use [Time Wizard] as a magic card, so your time magic is reflected by my [Magic Cylinder]. After a thousand years, your Time Wizard is now a pile of dust!"
"What, how could this happen!" Jounouchi cried out in frustration, holding his head.
"What kind of nonsense duel is this…" Hoshino thought, her mouth twitching. She didn't realize that in school, Yugi and the others played Duel Monsters without the strict rules of the dueling arena, allowing for more freestyle gameplay.
"Ahem! Guys, I'm awake!" Hoshino tried to get some attention by coughing loudly. It was supposed to be a heroic return, yet everyone was engrossed in their card games.
"Ah, Chiyuki, you're awake!" Mai, having just defeated Jounouchi, smiled brightly as she left her seat.
"Hoshino, are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" As Hoshino spoke up, her companions gathered around with concern.
"You guys were so happily playing cards while I was unconscious, and now you're pretending to be worried; it makes me feel so mad!" Hoshino said, biting her blanket in mock indignation, casting a resentful look at them.
"Haha, don't be mad, Chiyuki~" Mai said, rubbing Hoshino's head affectionately. "The doctor said you were just exhausted and would be fine after some sleep, so we weren't worried~"
"And look, everyone's here in the room waiting for you!"
"Is that so? You weren't just playing cards in my room?" Hoshino's tone softened a bit after Mai's explanation but still carried a hint of disappointment.
"Of course! It was Jounouchi, that idiot, who suggested that since we had nothing else to do, we should decide the third and fourth place of the Duelist Kingdom, so he challenged Mai," Anzu added, casting a disdainful glance at the dejected Jounouchi. "And as expected, he proved himself to be fourth place."
"Damn, I was hoping to claim third place and brag at school, but now I can only say I was in the top four!" Jounouchi complained, stomping his feet in frustration.
"Anyway, thank you, Hoshino, for saving Grandpa and the Kaiba brothers' souls!" Finally, Hoshino heard the words she most wanted to hear, and realized her friends hadn't forgotten her efforts.
"Alright, let's continue with the Duelist Kingdom event," Pegasus clapped his hands, signaling everyone. "Please, everyone, let's move to the dueling hall."
"How about it, Chiyuki, can you get out of bed?" Mai asked, instinctively supporting Hoshino.
"I'm fine, Mai, it's just a lack of sleep," Hoshino assured, feeling her body was fine, and hopped off the bed lightly to show her concerned friends.
"By the way, where are the Kaiba brothers?" Hoshino suddenly remembered, according to what was said earlier, that their souls should have been returned as well. "Did they leave without saying a word?"
(Mai: "For someone like Kaiba, even if you saved him, he might only say thank you.")
"Didn't even say thank you? We overestimated you, Kaiba…"
Mai, seeing through Hoshino's thoughts, laughed softly. "The Kaiba brothers haven't woken up yet. Their condition is similar to yours; it's probably due to the exhaustion caused by their souls being trapped."
Mai then gave Hoshino a look, indicating she could carry out their original plan to take advantage of Kaiba.
"Welcome to the dueling hall!" When they returned to the dueling hall, everyone understood why Pegasus had been in such a hurry.
"It was to prepare for this, huh~" The once plain dueling hall had been decorated as if for an award ceremony, and Pegasus, now dressed in a pure white suit, stood in the center with a microphone.
But the most surprising thing for everyone was the presence of two very familiar figures in the hall.
"Kaiba, Mokuba, you're awake!" Yugi greeted them excitedly, rushing over.
"Hmph!" However, the enthusiastic greeting was met with only a cold snort from Kaiba, along with...
"Big sister Hoshino~" Mokuba ignored Yugi and ran straight to Hoshino. "I knew you'd make it to the finals! You're amazing!"
"Made it to the finals?" Hoshino was initially surprised by Mokuba's words, then chuckled, "No problem, I did make it to the finals."
Seeing this, Yugi could only awkwardly scratch his face.
"If our souls have been returned, that means Pegasus was defeated, right?" Kaiba finally lowered his head to look at Yugi. "As expected, Yugi, you're my lifelong rival; you didn't disappoint me!"
"Kaiba, it wasn't me..." Yugi, feeling more embarrassed, scratched his face even more. "It was Hoshino who defeated Pegasus."
"!!" Even Kaiba's usually stern expression showed a hint of surprise. "Yugi, what do you mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like, Kaiba!" Yugi looked at Kaiba with a firm gaze. "I lost to Hoshino and lost the right to challenge Pegasus. In the end, Hoshino defeated Pegasus; that's how it happened."
"Big sister Hoshino, didn't you say..." Mokuba, also surprised, looked at Hoshino with a complex expression, mixed with admiration.
"That's right, Mokuba, I made it to the finals as I told you~" Hoshino smiled proudly, then turned her gaze to Kaiba. "But after reaching the finals, I also won the championship!"
Kaiba's expression, however, was more than just surprised now.
"Hoshino defeated Yugi?" Kaiba pressed his hand against his head as if trying to recall something. "Yugi, didn't you use [Dark Magician of Chaos] to defeat Hoshino?"
"!!" This time, it was Yugi's turn to be surprised. "Kaiba, your soul was imprisoned, yet you still know the details of the duel? Yes, I did use [Dark Magician of Chaos] to almost win, but in the end..."
"But in the end, Hoshino girl used [Heroic Spirit – Majin-Okita Sōji(Alter)] to win the duel~" Pegasus, standing on the stage with a microphone, interjected. "It was a truly intense and thrilling match; even I thought Hoshino-girl was going to lose."
"But Kaiba-boy, being imprisoned in [Soul Cage], you shouldn't have been able to perceive any external changes," Pegasus continued, his expression becoming more serious.
"Yes, I didn't see the match, but I..." The inexplicable déjà vu lingered in Kaiba's mind, as if it were his own experience. However, unable to find a reasonable explanation, Kaiba concluded, "Such unscientific déjà vu—I, won't believe it!"
"Pegasus, don't you have any sense of responsibility for being the mastermind?" Hoshino couldn't help but retort, "I know your mind was influenced by the Millennium Eye, but could you at least show some remorse!"
"Haha, Hoshino-girl, you speak so sharply; you're indeed the Duel King~"
"Duel King!" The term jolted Hoshino, making her realize, "I am now..."
"That's right; now we proceed with the final ceremony of the Duelist Kingdom tournament!" With a flourish, Pegasus turned around, and the once brightly lit dueling hall suddenly dimmed, leaving only blinding spotlights and countless cameras moving around.
"Now, the whole world's eyes are upon us. Let all Duel Monsters enthusiasts witness the girl standing at the pinnacle of the kingdom!" With Pegasus's passionate announcement, the spotlights and cameras focused on Hoshino.
"The final victor of the Duelist Kingdom and the one bestowed with the title of Duel King: Hoshino Chiyuki-girl!"
"Yay, Hoshino, you're amazing!" The atmosphere seemed to infect even Yugi and his friends, who couldn't help but cheer, with Jounouchi being the loudest.
Under the spotlight, Hoshino felt a bit lost. Suddenly thrust into what seemed like a global broadcast, her mind went blank.
"There's no need to be too nervous, Miss Hoshino~" Holmes, appearing once more, seemed quite used to being in front of the camera, looking more elegant than usual. "At this moment, you are the true protagonist. Just express what you want to express the most."
"What I want to express the most..." Taking Holmes's advice, Hoshino's eyes flickered slightly. She took a deep breath and voiced the deepest desire in her heart.
"I want to go home."
Yes, that was what weighed most heavily on Hoshino's mind. Initially, when she arrived in this world, she hadn't given it much thought, but as three days passed, she felt overwhelmed. She had never been away from home for so long, and she was filled with mixed emotions.
"Dad must be very worried. I left without saying anything and lost contact for so many days; he must be frantic." Clutching her clothes tightly, Hoshino spoke each word with deep feeling. "I just wanted to go out and play, but I never intended not to return. I don't want to leave Dad alone. What should I do to get back?"
"Miss Hoshino..." Even Holmes, who had been somewhat excited earlier, felt a pang of guilt upon hearing Hoshino's words. Despite being the crystallization of the 'detective' concept, he had no clue about this particular case.
Why Hoshino came to this world?
At that moment, the whole world watched Hoshino Chiyuki win the highest honor in dueling, becoming the Duel King. Then, she tearfully expressed her desire to go home...
---
Shadi: "So, this Hoshino Chiyuki defeated the Pharaoh and the Millennium Eye's Pegasus? If so, the destruction of the Millennium Eye must be related to this girl."
---
"Oh? The Duel King isn't Yugi Muto? That's unexpected." Malik licked his finger, a nearly crazed expression crossing his face. "Gahaha, Hoshino Chiyuki, interesting, very interesting!"
---
At this moment, the world remembered the name of this girl, including those hidden in the shadows, ready to stir up darkness.
(*****)
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