Want to play cards? I have a great deck!

Not even a last word was left.

As the duel was decided, the dark blue flames surrounding them and even the giant hummingbird painting engraved on the ground disappeared within a few seconds. The restraints on You Xi and the others were lifted.

"Ha ha……"

You Xi's chest heaved and he breathed heavily. He finally felt relieved when he saw this.

"it is finally over……"

"Yeah, it's over."

The solemn and violent lightning seemed unable to dissipate from Shizayoi Yuki's eyes.

She looked at the awe-inspiring red phantom god and the young man controlling the dragon. She would probably never forget this scene for the rest of her life.

Izayoi still has a lot to say to Youxi, but she doesn't have the energy to do so right now, and Youxi...

I'm afraid that's the case.

As soon as he confirmed that he had won the dark duel, before he even had the time to feel happy about it, You Xi's body shook and he fell backwards.

But before he fell completely, a warm and soft embrace caught him.

What enters my nose is the fragrance that I have become familiar with over time.

"Ms. Xingye?"

You Xi raised his head and saw the bright golden hair through the gap between the mountains.

"You Xijun, you've worked very hard." Xing Yewu, who had hurried over, gently stroked You Xi's head, "Leave the rest to me. You and Xiaoxue should have a good rest and have some sleep."

Listening to the girl's gentle voice, it felt like my spirit was soothed.

"...Okay, I'll leave it to you, Miss Xingye."

You Xi nodded, gave up the last bit of persistence, and his consciousness fell into deep darkness in the girl's arms.

As he drifted off to sleep, in the distance, the sirens of the dueling guards' police cars gradually grew closer.

A blue flame ignited on Grafa's corpse, burning away all traces of the dark duelist.

When the flames reached the cards, a white hand snatched out a white monster card from the flames...

……

Yuxi opened his eyes again.

What came into view was no longer the streets of the other dimension surrounded by netherworld flames, but a strange white ceiling.

What I smelled was no longer the fresh fragrance of a young girl, but the slightly pungent smell of disinfectant.

"here it is……"

You Xi, who had just woken up and was still a little confused, hadn't realized where he was yet, when a cold and pleasant female voice answered his question.

"This is a hospital. It was established with the support of the Duel Alliance. It is the largest and best-equipped public hospital in Chenguang City."

You Xi turned around and saw the white-haired girl sitting beside his bed.

The windows were bright and clean, and the warm sunlight and breeze came in through the windows, shining and blowing on the girl's body, while the boy's face was reflected in the girl's eyes.

"Izumi-san, you finally woke up."

"Izayoi-san...how long have I been asleep? Where's Miss Hoshiba?"

"If you count from that day, it's about a week."

Izayoi Yuki helped Youxi half stand up and lean on the pillow while explaining the situation to him: "After all, the dark duel that Izumi experienced this time was very intense, and his injuries were not light. Both his physical and mental aspects must be fully examined and treated. As for Mai...she has to go to school today, so she can only come to see you after school. But she comes every day."

Looking around, you can see the fragrant flower baskets and fruits placed on the bedside table.

In addition, there is a small greeting card.

The greeting card contained words wishing him a speedy recovery and discharge from the hospital, and was signed by all the children of the "Angel Church Orphanage", which made You Xi feel a little warm in his heart.

He then asked the girl, "How about you, Izayoi-san? Are you okay?"

Yuxi certainly noticed that Izayoi Yuki was also wearing a hospital gown, and he also remembered what he had seen before the duel with Grafa. The damage the girl had suffered at that time might not have been much lighter than his own.

"I am fine."

Izayoi Yuki said softly: "I am different from you. I have received more professional training and know better how to protect myself in a dark duel. I also have the ability to reduce a certain degree of damage. So I recover faster than you."

The girl was not forcing herself or lying.

This can be seen from her complexion.

When Youxi found Shizayoi Yuki, her face was pale, and she looked visibly weak and in pain.

The girl at this moment was calm and without makeup, her skin was fair with a hint of red, and her breath was quite steady.

No matter how you look at it, he is much healthier than You Xi who is still lying in bed.

"That's good."

You Xi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this and smiled happily: "In this case, my efforts will not be in vain."

Seeing Yuxi's sincere smile, Shizayoi was silent for a moment and slowly opened her mouth.

"At that time...what was Izumi-san thinking?"

"what?"

You Xi didn't quite understand what Shizayashi meant.

Izayoi looked into Yuki's eyes and continued, "Izumi, you know how dangerous the Dark Duel is. You should also know the consequences of just barging in. Why would you take such a risk?"

It is true that Youxi finally defeated Grafa smoothly and took advantage of the opportunity to awaken his Feel.

But this is just a result-oriented approach.

As the only witness who witnessed the duel from beginning to end, Izayoi Yukita knew very well how many life-threatening situations Youxi had experienced.

If you are not careful, the results may be completely reversed.

If he could do it again, Shizayoi Yuki would never let Youxi do this. The best thing he could do at that time was to wait for support from the Public Security Bureau outside the alien space with Xingye Wu.

However, when Youxi heard Shizayoi's question, he showed a puzzled expression.

"Hey, do you even need to ask this, Izayoi-san? There is only one answer, and that is, of course, because - you are my friend."

"...Friends?"

"Yes."

Yu Xi nodded as a matter of course.

He looked at the ceiling, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

"I actually have very few friends here. Apart from you and Miss Xingye, there are only Harutora and a few others."

"You are very important to me. If I had backed down and failed to help Izayoi-san at that time, I would never have forgiven myself."

When Youxi first came to this world, Anderson once asked him, "What is your justice?"

At that time, You Xi couldn't answer this question.

But now, You Xi vaguely had an answer.

He wanted to protect his friends and keep the place he was staying in. Whether it was Xingye Wu or Shizayo Yuki, Yuxi didn't want to lose any of them.

It was this mood that drove him to dare to fight Grafa for life and death, and to overcome numerous difficulties in the dark duel, persevere to the end, and even summoned a phantom god.

"Is that so? The belief in protecting your friends..."

Although she could roughly guess what You Xi would say, when she actually heard the boy say it, Shizayoi still felt something very different.

However, she did not show this change of emotion on her face, but said: "Indeed, people can often burst out with great strength when they are for others. It is much stronger than my selfish desire for revenge."

"wrong!"

Hearing the girl's self-deprecating remarks, You Xi couldn't help but blurt out.

"Izayoi-san is the duel guard, right? You're fighting for others too."

Shizayoi shook her head slightly.

"I know my own business. The reason why I became a duel guard has never been so noble."

If it weren't for "Doomsday Clock" that disrupted her life and changed her destiny, her original ideal would actually be to become a card designer.

But now, Izayoi Yuki herself didn't know how long it had been since she last practiced painting.

"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that you, Izayoi-san, protected others."

Yuki did not agree with Izayoi Yuki's statement that was belittling herself.

"No matter what your reasons were at the beginning, you have defeated many criminals and saved and protected many people in this city. This will never change. I think you are much better than me, Izayoi-san. If you ask me to fight for strangers... To be honest, I don't think I can do it."

You Xi's words were sincere, he really admired Shizayoi.

Not everyone can be as strong as Izayoi Yuki and fight like her. The pressure of the duel guard job is so great that it is impossible to persevere without sufficient willpower.

"This time, I was just being careful. That doesn't mean anything. So there's no need to belittle yourself, Izayoi-san."

"Student Quan, you don't need to make excuses for me. The reason why I lost this time is actually very simple. I understand this better than anyone else."

If you think about it carefully, did Izayoi Yuki really have no chance at all in the duel with Grafa at that time?

it's not true.

In her subsequent self-reflection, the girl had already discovered her own problems.

"But don't worry, I don't mean to give up on myself. I won't make such a mistake again next time."

Izayoi Yuki made a promise to Yuki, and then changed the subject.

"Let's leave this topic alone for now. Time is running out, and I have something else to talk to Izumi-san about."

"Something else?"

Seeing that Shizayoi Izayoi looked serious, Youxi also put on an expression of listening attentively, waiting for the girl's explanation.

"Izumi, do you remember that at the end of the Dark Duel, you summoned your God Card: "Osiris Sky Dragon"?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Just remember. I hope you remember everything I say next."

Izayoi looked at Yuki and emphasized word by word: "Don't tell anyone anything about the "Sky Dragon of Osiris". And... it was me who defeated Grafa that day, not you, understand?"

"……what?"

You Xi was stunned when he heard this. What kind of confusing right and wrong is this?

Fortunately, Yuxi didn't have to wonder for too long, and Izayoi Yuki continued to explain: "Osiris is a matter of great importance, and the information must not be leaked. Fortunately, it was a dark duel at the time, and the outside world could not know the specific situation. We also attributed the battle report record of the duel disk to the dark duel and it was destroyed, so we were able to conceal it."

"Mai and I have already agreed on the statements. The remaining problem is that when you wake up, the Public Security Bureau will send someone to question you. I hope you can respond to them with what you just said."

Simply put, it is to conceal the facts.

Since Grafa is dead and there is no evidence, the only three of them know what happened at the scene, so it is not impossible.

Izayoi Yuki and Hoshiba Mai obviously had no intention of reporting the true process of the duel with Grafa to the Public Security Bureau. This was purely for the purpose of protecting Youxi.

You Xi naturally understood this.

But he still couldn't help asking, "Is this really okay? You are violating the regulations of the Public Security Bureau by doing this, Izayoi-san."

Once discovered, Izayoi Yuki would definitely not be able to continue her job as a duel guard.

"It's okay. Izumi-san, you saved my life, so of course I have to help you. Aren't we friends? It's only natural for friends to help each other."

The girl's expression remained unchanged, as if what she mentioned was just a trivial matter on the same level as "what to eat in the evening".

"If you feel bad, Izumi, please train with me more after you recover. I am still very interested in the possibility of evolving the Red Lotus Dragon and the Black Rose Dragon that you mentioned last time. Now my strength is still insufficient, and I must become stronger to cope with future battles."

"Of course, I will definitely help."

How could Youxi refuse Shizayoi Izayoi's request? He agreed immediately.

"Then it's settled. Izumi, you have to get better soon. There's not much time left before the Star Cup."

As You Xi lay down, May was drawing to a close, and in a few days it would be the end of the semester, June. When the exams were over at the end of June and many students were welcoming their summer vacation, the preliminaries for the Star Cup would officially begin.

There is indeed not much time left for You Xi and others.

After discussing with Yuki how to deal with the duel guard's inquiries, Izayoi Yuki stood up.