Chi's sharp intake of breath lasted so long that Miles honestly had to admire her lung capacity.
"So? What's the answer?!" Unable to wait any longer, loli Kaima finally burst out. "Don't keep us hanging! What did you see?!"
"Well… how should I put this…"
Lowering the ring her fingers had formed, Chi's expression grew complicated.
However, Miles could more or less guess.
It was probably something like a God Card.
Divine Beasts, Wicked Gods, Earthbound Immortals—even the Sacred Beasts. Miles carried plenty of cards in that category.
Any one of those would be enough to make a normal person pull the exact expression Chi was making.
"Sorry… I couldn't see anything." Chi admitted honestly.
"ε=(?ο｀*))) Sigh!"
Dark Aisha and Kaima sighed in perfect unison.
After all that anticipation, the result was… nothing.
"Then why did you 'hiss' for so long?" Aisha puffed her cheeks unhappily.
"Because this is the first time something like this has ever happened to me! It's weird… feels like my professional skill is being questioned!"
Her profession was a KaibaCorp Deck Compatibility Specialist; her skill was sensing what Deck someone was most suited for.
How was that a professional skill? It was practically fortune-telling.
If Miles remembered correctly, Kaiba was a hardcore materialist. How on earth did someone like Chi end up staying employed at KaibaCorp?
"So you really can't see anything? Not even a hint?"
Kaima wasn't ready to give up. Instead of avoiding Chi, she now clung to her, demanding answers.
"Not even a little bit of dragon wings or dragon claws?"
"(°Д°) Kaima, that hint was way too obvious. That's cheating."
Watching these two women get competitive over something so bizarre, Miles couldn't help thinking—why did it matter so much what Deck he was suited for?
If anything, Miles preferred not having a predetermined Deck. That way he could enjoy any Deck he wanted.
Of course, that was a modern card player's mindset.
Although, on the Spirit Continent, the rules were different—the Deck Chi sensed was often the one bound to a Duelist's Spirit Eyes. It couldn't be changed at will.
"Actually… I did see something. A very, very blurry shadow." Chi finally said.
"You were keeping it from us!"
"Because it's not a dragon, and not tofu."
As someone who'd survived in KaibaCorp for years, Chi was surprisingly sharp about social cues.
Aisha and Kaima's obsession with Miles wasn't exactly subtle. It was practically printed on their faces.
And whatever hazy image Chi saw… didn't match what either girl wanted.
"If I had to describe it… it felt like a Hero."
"Hero!?"
The completely unexpected answer shocked not only Aisha and Kaima—Miles himself hadn't seen that coming.
Even if, in the beginning, Miles had intended to build a HERO Deck as his starter—how had Chi seen that ancient, abandoned thought?
"A Hero… really a Hero…"
Ren: "HAHAHAHA! Didn't expect that, did you? I'm the ultimate winner! YEAH!"
If Ren were here, Aisha could already imagine her laughing until she folded in half… and then dragging Miles straight to the civil registry office.
Chi added, "But—not the HERO Deck most people think of. This feels more like… heroes that truly existed in history. Calling them 'Heroic Spirits' feels more accurate."
"Heroic Spirits?" Miles murmured. "You mean… great figures who left behind legendary deeds?"
"Yes, yes! Exactly that!"
Chi rubbed her smooth chin, muttering.
"Anyway, it's so strange… even as a KaibaCorp veteran, I've never heard of a Deck like that. Something must be off…"
For the rest of the walk, Chi kept agonizing over this.
Her professional skill being doubted really shook her. She was working even harder than Miles to validate it.
As for Miles…
Whether he could ever have his own Deck, or summon his own Monster on the Spirit Continent, depended entirely on whether Viel could fully rebuild his body.
To achieve that, completing the mission and earning the reward Kaima promised was the top priority.
The temporary return to a body within a modern city meant nothing. Everything they saw here was just an illusion created inside the obelisk tower.
Surviving long enough to escape, and dealing with the Despia forces outside—that was the brutal reality waiting for them.
With Chi guiding them, the group avoided countless detours. Even using secret internal routes only employees knew, they soon arrived at the front entrance of KaibaCorp.
The first thing they saw—impossible to ignore no matter how much one tried—was its overwhelming presence.
The giant Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue at the gate was incredibly lifelike.
"Blue-Eyes…"
Standing before the statue, Kaima looked up thoughtfully.
"Who goes there!"
They hadn't stood long before a diligent security guard rushed out.
"KaibaCorp is closed to the public today. Unauthorized visitors must leave immed—huh?"
The intimidating guard froze the moment he saw loli Kaima's face.
Just like Chi, he reached the same conclusion.
This little girl looked way too much like their company president.
Could she be a relative? A daughter even…? If that were true, and he tried to drive her away… wouldn't he lose his job on the spot?
Even for a security guard, a position at KaibaCorp was a golden ticket. Working here cut 40 years off the struggle of life.
"Calm down, calm down, mister. They're my friends," Chi hurriedly stepped forward.
"Oh, Chi's friends?"
The guard let out a tiny sigh of relief.
"If they're with you, then that's fine."
He tugged his hat down… really, he was just too scared to confront Kaima after seeing her face. Chi's words simply gave him the excuse he needed.
"Speaking of which, it's already past work hours. I thought you were skipping work again today, Chi."
"If I skip again, this month's salary is done for!" After a brief greeting with the security guard, it was clear Chi was well-liked in the company. "Alright, let's head in."
With practiced ease, Chi pulled out her employee ID and swiped the door open. Miles and the others quietly followed her into the building.
"Good thing I bumped into Chi," Dark Aisha whispered. "Otherwise we couldn't have entered at all."
Chi explained, "Normally, the first three floors of KaibaCorp are open to the public. But today just happens to be a closed day."
Only now remembering this, Chi blinked in confusion.
"Wait—I haven't even asked what you guys came to KaibaCorp for. Don't tell me… you didn't know it was closed today?"
"What we're here for?"
Both Aisha and Kaima simultaneously turned to look at Miles.
After all, this whole 'go to KaibaCorp' idea came from him.
We're here to take Obelisk the Tormentor. …Was something Miles absolutely could not say out loud.
Of course, regarding the 'man who holds Obelisk' that Yuna Carlos mentioned, Miles already had his suspicions.
"We're here to see President Kaiba," Miles said.
"Cough—!Cough cough cough!"
Chi nearly choked on her own spit from shock.
"Y-you want to see President Kaiba?! D-do you… have an appointment?"
Miles shrugged.
They had arrived barely half an hour ago. Of course they didn't have an appointment.
"Hey hey hey, that's President Kaiba! The greatest Duelist and entrepreneur in this world! Do you know how many people want to meet him every day? You think you can just walk up and—"
Miles cut in calmly: "Don't worry. I thought of a brilliant solution on the way."
"A brilliant… solution?"
Miles smoothly lifted loli Kaima by the waist and held her up.
"President Kaiba's long-lost daughter. Pretty convincing, right?"
It was extremely convincing. Anyone who saw her would think she had a deep connection to Kaiba.
"Miles…!"
Even in her loli form, Kaima had been tolerant of Miles—whether he patted her head or picked her up.
But making her acknowledge some man she had never met… as her father?
That was not happening.
"Don't you dare cross the line!!"
Kaima tore herself free and, upon landing, stomped down hard on Miles's big toe.
The sharp pain—yeah, karma hits fast.
"I agree, that method is a bit inappropriate, Miles," Aisha said.
Morally inappropriate.
Chi instead said, "Really? I actually think that might be the only workable method."
The girl who'd met them once chose Miles's side.
Probably because she understood more than anyone how impossible it was for outsiders to meet Kaiba without drastic measures.
"Then do you have a better idea?" Miles asked.
He'd thought the whole way here and still hadn't found a second option.
If this failed… they might have to brute-force it. Or rely on someone else.
"Chi, aren't you a veteran employee? Can't you help think of something?"
"Excuse you, Miles. I'm an employee, not a shareholder." Chi huffed, hands on her hips. "If I were a shareholder, maybe I could do something."
"Tch. So your 'veteran employee' title was just bragging?" Miles prodded.
"Huh?!"
It seemed to work.
Miles pressed on.
"Plus, your so‑called professional skill just failed you earlier."
"HUH?!?"
"And from the sound of it, this month's paycheck is in danger…"
"Okay, that's it! I'm not letting that slide!"
Miles used Taunt. It was super effective.
Fired up, Chi clutched her employee ID badge dramatically.
"Fine! For the honor of a KaibaCorp veteran—today I'll find a way to get you in front of President Kaiba!"
With that, Chi swiped the elevator open and yanked all three of them inside.
The shifting gravity of the elevator made Dark Aisha and Kaima grimace—they had never ridden one before.
"Didn't think you actually had a plan," Miles said, playing along. "Impressive. You really are a veteran."
"Actually, I know where the President usually shows up. If we're lucky, we might run into him directly."
The elevator ascended rapidly toward the 150th floor of the 200‑story building.
Ding!
A crisp chime announced their arrival.
This floor looked nothing like the lower levels—cool blue lights pulsed from the walls, and the whole place radiated high-tech energy.
"What's this floor used for?" Miles asked.
"Heheh~ Only veteran employees know this," Chi said proudly. "This is where President Kaiba practices simulated duels."
"Simulated… duels?" Aisha and Kaima exchanged a confused look.
"Basically, you duel against personality programs generated by a computer."
Miles blinked. "So… dueling an AI? Like fighting a bot?"
Kaiba really did have style. Based on Chi's hint, Kaiba must spend a lot of time fighting AI—otherwise the odds of meeting him like this wouldn't be good.
Following Chi to a special dueling simulation chamber, the mechanical doors opened to reveal a group of white‑coated researchers gathered in discussion.
"Yo, everyone! Busy?" Chi waved cheerfully.
She truly did not act like an outsider here.
"Chi? What brings you to the simulation room?" asked the lead researcher—a tall woman with chestnut hair, a slim cigarette held elegantly between her fingers.
She didn't seem annoyed at all by Chi's sudden interruption.
"Ether, I'm looking for President Kaiba," Chi said directly. "Has he been here today?"
"You're looking for the President today?" The researcher—Ether—made a troubled face. "Probably not the best timing. He's in a terrible mood."
"Why?"
Taking a long drag of her cigarette, Ether exhaled a soft ring of smoke.
"He just left. After losing to the upgraded Duel King ver.2.0 program. You tell me, would you be in a good mood after that?"
"Ah…"
Good grief. Losing to a bot? Truly worthy of you, Kaiba.
...
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