The KC Cup's morning events have concluded—at long last, it's time for the midday break.
There's still a bit of time before lunch, and with Chinai's insistence, Youyu decided to wander around the park with her first.
The Dark Magician Girl followed behind, with her focus entirely on food. The rare casual outing made the girl feel like she'd discovered a new world, finding novelty in everything.
"Master, this candy apple is delicious!"
She excitedly ran over and handed a candy apple to Youyu.
"I don't need it." Youyu smiled, patting her little head, "You can eat it yourself."
Youyu felt a bit gratified; had she found something tasty and still remembered him?
If a child can share their favorite candy with you, it means they truly like you.
"Master, these takoyaki are tasty too!"
"Master..."
Watching the girl tirelessly move between the vendor stalls, Youyu didn't stop her and only reminded her, "Don't run too far."
It just so happens that these days are the carnival events at Kaiba Land, with the venue packed full of people. The Dark Magician Girl isn't great at thinking already, and her sense of direction is somewhat poor; if she gets lost in the crowd, she might not find her way back.
In this regard, she and Chinai are quite alike.
Only Chinai is very clever. She clings tightly to Youyu's arm and goes nowhere; she can't possibly get lost.
"Ah!"
The clumsy Dark Magician Girl turned her head without looking and collided with someone.
In the blink of an eye, she clearly felt something. It was like she collided with a hard steel plate, immediately causing a backlash; an invisible but staggering force surged toward her like crashing waves.
Almost instinctually, the spirit girl immediately took defense. The magic, already ingrained in her muscle memory, activated effortlessly; the simple yet practical Black Magic defenses instantly covered her entire body, withstanding the impact.
Only then did she focus in to see who she'd bumped into.
The figure was also a girl, dressed in snowy white garments, with short golden hair neck-length, wearing a Duel Disc—but that didn't signify much, as over half the people in Kaiba Land wore Duel Discs.
Alice, a subordinate dispatched by Saiou to participate in this competition.
This was entirely an accidental encounter, an utter surprise.
Just like how the Dark Magician Girl sensed the other's particularity at once, Alice immediately realized she wasn't dealing with an ordinary human.
Without hesitation, Alice hurriedly tapped into the Light of Destruction power within her.
That's the ability Saiou bestowed upon her. She could slightly influence others' consciousness, disturbing perception, such as imposing a mental suggestion to make them forget her existence.
Alice didn't know whom she'd bumped into, but she clearly remembered her mission this time was about Youyu; she had to avoid any side issues.
Before setting off, Saiou had especially emphasized that she must keep a low profile, at least until winning the championship and securing an encounter with Youyu, not to arouse suspicion from the other party.
Hence, she hoped to make the girl before her forget her or at least relax vigilance to avoid conflict.
But obviously, that didn't work.
Or rather, it had the opposite effect. Not only did her psychic attack have no effect, but it also made the Dark Magician Girl's expression immediately serious.
"That means won't work on me." The Dark Magician Girl warned cautiously, "Who are you?"
"Tch..." Alice gritted her teeth.
To her surprise, she'd snuck into the KC Cup participants list without being discovered by Kaiba Seto or Youyu, only to be almost exposed because of an incidental collision with this clumsy spirit.
Alice was rapidly pondering countermeasures.
She still hoped to solve this discretely, avoiding drawing excess attention and following the initial plan to achieve victory in the tournament.
Saiou's main goal in sending her here was actually to probe, not necessarily to have her defeat Youyu. The key to this operation was not to be exposed; even losing was acceptable.
But this seemingly random blonde girl had clearly already sensed the ominous power inside Alice during that 'accidental contact.'
Then Alice had to figure out how to resolve this character first...
"What's happening?"
A voice came from behind.
Alice turned toward the voice, her heart almost stopped for a moment.
The Duel King... Youyu!?
Alice bit her lips and began breaking into a cold sweat.
The very thing she feared—a chance encounter with Youyu—was happening right here...
"Hmm?" Youyu noticed Alice, "You're that... who's it again? One of the players in this tournament, right?"
Though he hadn't paid much attention to the morning matches and couldn't recall many contestant names, he still had some impression of Alice.
Beautiful girls always leave a deeper impression.
"Master, be careful!" The Dark Magician Girl tugged at his coat, "This person is suspicious!"
"Hmm?" Youyu raised an eyebrow.
Master?
Alice keenly noticed this title, reassessing the girl she'd collided with.
This blonde hair, and this exaggerated bust that's even more extravagant than hers...
...Masaka!?
Alice's pupils contracted.
Could this be the Duel King's spirit...Dark Magician Girl!?
Alice felt truly flustered.
Damn! Why isn't a spirit staying put in the Card Deck, and what are you doing here?
And what are the odds in all of Kaiba Land, among all these people, she'd coincidentally bump into the Duel King's spirit?
This had nothing to do with hiding skills—it was pure bad luck.
So must this be destiny's design—put in an anime, it could be a plot device...
No way! Didn't Lord Saiou say destiny was on our side?
Or is destiny indecisive, jumping back and forth?
Since exposure was inevitable, there was no choice left.
Alice steeled her heart, deciding to overturn the original plan.
Plans can't keep up with changes—subordinates must possess adaptability.
Forget hiding, probing power—all of it is trivial now!
As long as I can eliminate the Duel King right here, right?
With this thought, Alice's eyes turned completely white, unleashing vast energy from within, sweeping around like a transparent hurricane.
The ground tiles cracked, powder exploded into the air, a transparent storm scoured around, and numerous tourists cried out in panic.
The distorted, surging white light seemed like an escalating mountain peak, towering in front of Youyu, transformed into a wildly laughing demon, waving invisible claws!
Light of Destruction!
"It's you again." Youyu furrowed his brows.
How old are you (How come it's always you)?