Miles took a critical hit from Mokey Mokey.
It unquestionably only had 300 Attack Points, and it didn't even look angry.
Yet, somehow, the damage was massive.
Even a card veteran like Miles suffered piercing damage; his head buzzed from the impact.
"Aisha, Ai…"
Still, she wasn't planning to let him speak.
Miles had already guessed that this girl, Aisha, must've thought she was dreaming.
Otherwise, not even ten times her courage would have made her do something like this.
"-3-mwamwamwa~"
"Calm down a bit, Aisha!"
Using his advantage in strength (or rather, spiritual force), Miles barely managed to push Aisha away and finally caught his breath.
"What's there to calm down about?"
Aisha wiped the drool from her mouth, panting heavily, eyes locked on him like a hunter fixing on its final prey.
The most dangerous hunters often appear in the form of prey.
"Since it's just a dream, and such a wonderful one, I'm going to do everything I want to!"
…Just as Miles thought.
He gathered power in his index finger and mercilessly flicked Aisha's forehead.
Bonk—!
A crisp sound. The crisper it was, the better the melon.
"Does it hurt?"
"QvQ It really hurts, Mr. Miles."
Aisha held her forehead with an innocent pout, finally a bit more lucid.
"You can't feel pain in a dream, can you? Since it hurts, it's not a dream."
"Σ(?Δ?;)!(°Δ°)!っ?Δ?)っ!"
Aisha was shocked for an entire year's worth of emotion. Her emerald pupils shook as if in an earthquake, her expression wavering in disbelief.
"N-no way, it's not a dream? That's impossible!"
"Want to test again?"
Miles powered up his finger again, and this time Aisha got smart, dodging left and right with her forehead covered.
Even if it was a dream, she wasn't about to take another flick.
"So if it's not a dream, then why…"
"Why what?"
"Why does Mr. Miles look exactly like the one I imagined?"
By all logic, Aisha shouldn't have seen Miles in person.
Despite that, the moment she saw him, she recognized him instantly… because the real Miles looked exactly like the one she'd envisioned in countless dreams and thoughts.
Such a coincidence shouldn't exist in this world. That's why Aisha assumed it must be a dream.
"Exactly the same," she said after studying him carefully. "That infuriatingly handsome face… I thought it only existed in my fantasies."
"I'm just me. Even if I happen to look like what you imagined, that's probably just a coincidence."
"I don't believe it. Then why can I see you now, Mr. Miles? It must be an illusion tricking me."
She was still running from it.
After nearly a year of sharing the same body, Aisha and Miles were like parallel lines that never met. Whenever one controlled the body, the other stayed within the Soul Room—they had never truly met face to face.
"Probably because your body's completely exhausted, Aisha."
Miles briefly explained what happened after she lost consciousness, including how the Millennium Puzzle could connect with a soul in a coma.
"So... so you really are Mr. Miles?"
Aisha could no longer deny reality.
Then she remembered what she had just done… the kind of shameless act that could only be called delinquent.
Her fair cheeks flared red as if set ablaze, the blush spreading to her ears and down her neck.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Aisha curled up into a ball, burying herself in Mokey Mokey plushies, her previous bravado wholly gone.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Curled up, she whispered over and over like a mosquito.
"I'm not mad at you, Aisha."
Though, to be fair, that impact really hadn't been light.
"I… I'll take responsibility…" Aisha murmured softly.
"You absolutely don't have to," Miles replied helplessly.
As a veteran Duelist, he never placed much importance on that kind of purity anyway.
And considering Aisha was a beautiful girl, it wasn't like he really came out losing, was it?
"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Aisha," Miles said, cutting straight to the point.
"Mr. Miles, what do you have to apologize for?" The ahoge on her head curled into a question mark.
"Sorry… I shouldn't have tricked you into that Duel."
He had deliberately said, "Maybe Krista's Synchro Deck would work better," just to provoke her into accepting the challenge.
Miles's original goal had only been to use that match—not a Shadow Game or any major competition—to help Aisha rediscover the importance of dueling with her own hands.
However, he hadn't expected the fight between two women to escalate into something so terrifying.
A battle that shook the heavens and earth… a Triangle Accel Synchro, even reaching Future Xyz levels.
For Aisha to stake everything in a Duel against Synchron Academy's ace had been far too much. It was no wonder she'd collapsed from the strain.
"Maybe I really was too impatient," Miles admitted honestly, looking at the innocent, silly girl before him. "I just... worry that if someday I'm gone, you won't be able to protect yourself."
Miles couldn't foresee the future. No one from ten years ahead had come to warn him of the ending.
He only guessed it—from his time with Aisha Carlos, and from what he'd seen of her darker self.
If the day ever came when he wasn't there... things could go terribly wrong for her.
Worse than he could ever imagine.
"No! No! No!" Aisha shook her head frantically. "I don't want you to leave me, Mr. Miles! You said you'd never leave! I've become stronger because of that!"
Never leave. Words like "forever" were usually just things said to comfort children, but who'd have thought Aisha took them to heart so seriously?
Nothing in this world lasts forever.
Miles ruffled her drooping ahoge. "Yeah, I'm just a little worried, that's all. At least for now, I'm not going anywhere."
"How long is 'for now'?" Aisha looked up at him with eyes like a pleading kitten.
"Ahem... not too short, probably."
He was here to apologize, after all, not to dwell on uncertain fears.
For the moment, Aisha had grown strong enough to channel her other self's soul power and even draw on strength from the future Number cards—few Duelists could match that.
So Miles didn't need to worry quite so much anymore—about her becoming like the Millennium Key's host, drawn into deadly battles by the pull between Divine Relics.
The fight between women had been terrifying, yes… but at least it ended well.
Still, whether borrowing power from future Number cards was truly a good thing remained unclear.
The current side effect—causing Aisha to collapse from exhaustion—was, at best, a mixed blessing.
Miles rubbed her fluffy hair again; the texture was top-tier. (What, you've never petted yourself?)
"You should be waking up soon, Aisha. Or would you rather stay here in the Soul Room and rest a bit longer?"
Aisha muttered, "I just... want you to stay with me a little longer."
"Hm?"
"N-nothing."
Abruptly, then, the moment Aisha thought back to her shameless behavior earlier, her face turned red all the way to her neck, and she didn't dare look directly at Miles anymore.
"I… I think I'll rest a little longer. I'll leave control of my body to you for now, Mr. Miles."
"Alright then, take it easy." After giving Aisha's hair a final affectionate ruffle, Miles waved goodbye. "Since the matter with Krista is settled, I'll head back to Synchron Academy today and see what plans they've made after the magic stone incident."
After all, what happened was serious enough to shake an entire nation.
Would the inter-academy Turbo Duel exchange continue? Or would they rethink everything… restricting the use of magic stones, and even the Turbo Duels that could charge them massively?
Most likely, the government still hadn't reached a final decision. The fact that no SP Settlement Robot appeared after today's Duel said as much.
Still, it probably wouldn't be long before Synchron Academy adjusted its plans according to the Axet Republic's latest policies.
Leaving Aisha's Soul Room full of Mokey Mokeys, Miles used the power of the Millennium Puzzle to regain control of the body.
"She's awake! She's awake!"
Who knew how much time had passed—Krista, who had stayed by the bedside, finally relaxed her tense expression when she saw Aisha wake up, and called out to the others outside the room.
"Krista, it's me."
"Eh? Miles? Does that mean Aisha still can't wake up?"
Krista's guilt returned in full force.
"She's awake, just overexerted. She's planning to take a lazy day."
Miles didn't bother to hide it; he didn't want Krista burdened by unnecessary guilt.
After all, Krista had sacrificed herself to save not only the country but also Aisha—and now she had to spend her life in prison.
Anyone else in her place would've tried to seize the Millennium Puzzle too.
No one should judge another without knowing their suffering: that was something Miles firmly believed.
And just judging by the state of her torn clothes, Krista had clearly been the one who got beaten worse. The strike from Ten Thousand Hopes had not been a gentle one.
When their souls were first bound, Miles really had planned to take proper care of Krista.
Not to mention, Yusei had entrusted his "daughter" to him personally.
Even if she couldn't move more than twenty meters from Aisha, Miles had considered finding a way for her to enter his Soul Room, like Stardust Dragon did, before thinking of anything else.
Regardless, now that wasn't necessary anymore.
Master Magitech Artisan Viel was the embodiment of efficiency.
"By the way, Krista, are you going to summon Shooting Quasar Dragon soon? You'll only be free from the binding once you complete the true Trinity Accel Synchro, right?"
"Yeah, I'll wait a bit though. Now that I know the solution, it doesn't feel that urgent anymore, hehe~"
Krista fidgeted shyly. Alone in the same room with Miles, her androgynous beauty somehow looked more like a bashful girl than ever.
"Oh, right, Miles. Miss Viel offered to build me another D-Wheel, and I agreed."
"Of course she did. Never misses a chance to advertise her business, does she."
"Her craftsmanship is really good, though. The price was a little high, but still reasonable."
Having witnessed Miles's D-Wheel's incredible performance and that breathtaking winged fusion in the final battle, Krista's violet-blue eyes sparkled with anticipation for her new D-Wheel.
"Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, Miles!"
Then Miles suddenly remembered something. "Wait, how much did she charge you?"
"Hmm, 100 SP Points. A bit pricey, but I still have some savings left. I'll just have to start saving again after this."
"100 SP Points, huh..." Miles's expression turned complicated.
That sealed it… Viel, that scheming little loli, must've made a tearful 80-SP profit off this one.
When Erin had her D-Wheel built, before showing Alester's referral card, Viel had quoted that same 100-SP price.
Only after seeing Alester's name did she put in her real effort, raising the price to a near-cost 150.
Nevertheless, in business, it's always a matter of willing buyer, willing seller, so Miles kept his mouth shut.
With nothing else to do, Miles got up from Luca's bed and wandered idly around the Magic Workshop.
For the sake of those 80 hard-earned SP Points, Viel was still hard at work.
Ren, on the other hand, seemed to have gone out with Luca to buy breakfast. Given that they'd all been up since dawn and hadn't eaten a thing, time to refill their energy.
"Huh? There's something like this in the Witch Workshop?"
While wandering aimlessly with Krista, Miles noticed a book in a display case.
A very familiar one—"Magic Directory."
It was the sort of thing one usually found only in Duel Academy libraries, yet Viel had one here… and apparently, it was even for sale?
Miles was sure this thing couldn't even be bought on the black market.
Since there wasn't much else to do before Ren returned, Miles decided to open the "Magic Directory" and study what card he should synthesize next.
Of course, he didn't have any Magic Points left; he'd already used up Aisha's stock before departing for the Synchron campaign.
Still, even without Magic Points, he could at least window-shop the cards. Like how a broke collector stares at rare cards online for comfort—it was part of a Duelist's self-discipline.
"Wait, what's this?!"
The moment Miles opened Viel's "Magic Directory," he was stunned.
Though the cover was the same as the academy's version, the contents were fully different.
In the A-rank section, there were cards the academy's "Magic Directory" had never listed.
The three legendary draw Spells from the anime—[Graceful Charity], [Card of Demise], and [Card of Safe Return]—were all printed inside.
Albeit their synthesis cost wasn't the usual 400 points for an A-rank Spell. It was tripled... to 1200.
And under the "Duelist-Specific" card branch, as if tailored for Aisha herself, was a new card from the "Future" archetype:
Quick-Play Spell: [Future Drive].
...
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