Chapter 15

<Victory detected. Assessing Duelist level.>

Hoshino shivered, almost forgetting about this part.

"This feels great. Not only do I get stars chips, but also get Saint Quartz. I could duel ten times a day without getting tired," Hoshino thought, secretly delighted. "And considering Mai Valentine's skill level, the rewards should be much better than Yuta's."

While chatting with Mai, Hoshino tried to suppress her inner joy to respect her opponent. She tried to maintain a serious expression after defeating Mai.

But Hoshino was the type whose emotions showed on her face. Despite her best efforts, the joy was clear to see.

Worse, her attempt to suppress it made her smile look twisted and sinister. To Mai, it seemed like Hoshino was mocking her defeat.

"You! I tried to warn you, and you repay me with that smirk. Are you looking down on me?" Seeing Hoshino's unnatural smile, Mai, who had been calm, flared up. "Do you think just because you won, you can look down on people?"

"No, Mai, I didn't mean it that way," Hoshino hurried to explain. But she couldn't tell Mai it was because she was excited about drawing more cards soon.

"Stop calling me Mai. " Mai picked up her shoulder bag and swung it over her back. "I'll be back for revenge once I have extra stars. Until then, don't get eliminated."

With that, Mai walked away without looking back. Watching her retreating figure, Hoshino sighed deeply.

"I thought I could get along well with sexy onee-chan," Hoshino lamented. Despite Mai's earlier teasing that had flustered her, in retrospect, she didn't mind it and even felt a bit excited.

"Sexy onee-chan are great," Hoshino thought wistfully, gazing at the endless blue sky.

<Assessment 45 complete. Duelist Mai Valentine, level B. Awarded Saint Quartz. Remaining Quartz: 45.>

The system's voice snapped Hoshino back from her thoughts. She checked her remaining quartz. "45, that's 15 more than Yuta. That's five more chances! Maybe I'll pull Artoria!" Clearly, the previous double gold pull had given Hoshino an overly optimistic view of her luck.

"Thank you for dealing with that woman, Hoshino." Anzu's familiar hug and her girlish scent chased away Hoshino's lingering regret.

Breathing in Anzu's scent, Hoshino's earlier melancholy vanished. "Although sexy onee-chan are nice, innocent girls like Anzu are even cuter."

"That was an amazing duel, Hoshino."

"I'm so jealous, Hoshino. You have six stars already, and I still only have one." Jounouchi looked at the single star on his glove and sighed.

"If you have time to waste here, you should be out looking for duels," Honda said, putting an arm around Jounouchi's shoulder. "Let me help you find some weaker duelists."

"Are you underestimating me? If Yugi and Hoshino can defeat Elite-level duelists, then as their friend, I must challenge a same level duelists too," Jounouchi declared confidently, pointing his thumb at himself. "My first target will be the regional second place, Dinosaur Ryuzaki!"

"Oh? Who's calling for me?" A boy wearing a red cap jumped out from the crowd.

"I was just looking for someone to duel, and here comes a volunteer." Though half Jounouchi's height, his arrogant attitude matched Weevil's.

"Wow, it's really him, the regional second place, Ryuzaki."

"That guy, didn't realize Ryuzaki was nearby."

"I heard Ryuzaki lost to Mai Valentine yesterday and got kicked out of his room."

"Really? Mai is that strong? I knew she was good, but stronger than the regional second place?"

The spectators' chatter confirmed the boy's identity as Ryuzaki.

Hearing the chatter, Jounouchi got angry. "Who said I don't think before I speak? Everything I do is calculated!"

"Fine, I'll accept your challenge."

"Duel accepted: Duelist Katsuya Jounouchi vs. Duelist Dinosaur Ryuzaki."

"Already?" Jounouchi hadn't expected the black-clad officials to be so fast.

"Jounouchi..." Yugi looked at him worriedly.

"Jounouchi, are you planning to throw your life away? You're wasting the star Yugi gave you," Honda and Anzu scolded him.

"You think I'll lose?" Jounouchi's initial hesitation turned into determination upon hearing his friends' doubts.

"Can you really do this?" Hoshino also felt concerned. Though in the story Ryuzaki gave Jounouchi the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, the sequence of events had changed, making the outcome uncertain.

"If you lose all your stars, I can give you some," Hoshino offered. If Jounouchi lost, she would feel responsible since she had dueled Mai, Jounouchi's intended opponent.

To Jounouchi, Hoshino's offer seemed angelic. "Hoshino is such a good girl. I'd die happy if I could marry her," he thought.

"Good girl..." Jounouchi remembered his sister and his reason for coming to Duelist Kingdom. His expression turned serious.

"Thanks, Hoshino. But I won't fall here," Jounouchi said, looking unexpectedly handsome. "I have someone I need to save."

"Is that so." Seeing Jounouchi's serious expression, Hoshino felt reassured. Despite being seen as a rookie, Jounouchi had a lucky charm that made him a strong contender in Yu-Gi-Oh.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Hoshino thought as she watched Jounouchi step onto the platform.

"Let's draw these stones before worrying about anything else." For Hoshino, unused Saint Quartz was always a pressing concern.