Chapter 65

"Heh, so that's how it is, Hoshino. This proves your strength," Yugi said, recovering from the shock with a satisfied smile. "You're one of the strongest opponents I've faced, probably only Kaiba can compare."

"We won, we won!" Anzu exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly from behind. "That means..."

"Both Yugi and Hoshino have all ten star chips!" Jonouchi and Honda looked at each other, then high-fived in celebration.

"Right, now hand them over, Labyrinth Brothers!" Yugi said, approaching Hoshino with the star chips the Labyrinth Brothers had wagered. "Here, Hoshino, these stars are yours." He held out his hand, revealing three star chips, and handed them to Hoshino. His sharp eyes softened with warmth. "It was great working with you."

"Thank you, Yugi," Hoshino replied, smiling as she took the star chips from Yugi. "Hehe, I didn't expect you to show such a gentle side, even as another Yugi."

"Uh, is that so." Embarrassed, Yami scratched his face and looked away. "That's good..."

"Hey, you two, stop playing dead!" Jonouchi shouted at the Labyrinth Brothers lying on the ground, interrupting Hoshino and Yami. "Tell us how to get out of the maze. Didn't you say victory would show us the way?"

The Labyrinth Brothers stood up, brushing off their clothes. "Do you think leaving the underground labyrinth, known as the Duelist's Grave, is that easy?"

"Look at the two large doors behind us!" They pointed to the doors labeled "Maze" and "Palace."

"So those are doors? I always thought they were just wall decorations," Anzu remarked, tilting her head.

"Hmph." The Labyrinth Brothers chuckled coldly. "These are the only exits from the underground labyrinth: the 'Maze Door' and the 'Palace Door.'"

"Only by choosing the correct door can you escape."

"If you choose wrong, you'll wander in the maze forever."

"Hahahaha."

"That's low, you two!" Jonouchi yelled angrily. "You said victory would guide us, and now you're trying to back out after losing!"

"Hahaha, we make the rules in this underground labyrinth!" The Labyrinth Brothers replied disdainfully. "But as a reward for your victory, we'll give you a hint. From now on, one of us will tell the truth, and the other will lie. You get one question to ask."

"You can ask either one of us any question."

"But remember, you can only ask one question, and only to one of us!"

Jonouchi scratched his head, perplexed. "How am I supposed to know the correct exit with only one question?"

"..." The silence from the Labyrinth Brothers signaled the start of the final challenge.

"Uh..." Jonouchi looked helplessly at Yugi.

Yugi furrowed his brow in thought. "Since we don't know who is lying, simply asking which door is correct won't work."

"Hoshino..." A familiar voice whispered in Hoshino's ear.

"Mr. Holmes!" Hoshino nearly forgot about him, startled. "Why didn't you appear while we were navigating the maze, and why does your voice sound weaker?"

"Miss Hoshino, Ms.Da Vinci scolded me for appearing too often, saying I was wasting the limited energy in the bracelet," Holmes explained, sounding a bit miffed.

"Appearing too often?" Hoshino recalled and laughed. "Hehe, you did show up a lot. I thought you could materialize at will."

"Impossible. Everything follows the law of conservation of energy," Holmes responded seriously.

"But this isn't the time for that. I'll keep it short to avoid Da Vinci's scolding." Holmes whispered, "You just need to ask... mumble mumble... and that's it!"

Realizing the simplicity, Hoshino looked at Holmes in surprise. "So simple, Mr. Holmes, you're amazing!"

Holmes took a satisfied puff from his pipe. "It's always..."

But like a signal cutting out, Holmes vanished from Hoshino's sight mid-sentence.

"Hope Da Vinci goes easy on him." After a brief moment of silence for Holmes, Hoshino confidently stepped forward. "Mr. Holmes, I caught your final words!"

"Hoshino, you're going to?" Yugi asked in surprise as Hoshino, previously silent, stepped forward.

"Don't worry, Yugi, I've found the perfect solution to this puzzle." Hoshino gave a thumbs-up to Yugi and the others before stepping up.

"Hey, you with 'Dox' on your head. Since we can only ask one question to one person, I'll ask you..." Hoshino pointed at one of the Labyrinth Brothers with determination.

"Why him, Hoshino? Can you tell if he's the one telling the truth?" Jonouchi asked.

"No, I don't know if he's telling the truth or lying. I just picked randomly," Hoshino replied, shaking her head. "The key to this puzzle isn't who you choose, but what you ask."

"Dox, I ask you!" Hoshino's gaze was steady.

"Answer me: if I were to ask Para which door is the correct one, which would he say?"

"!!!" Everyone was stunned by Hoshino's question.

"Hahahahaha!" The Labyrinth Brothers laughed and exchanged glances.

"Your name is Hoshino Chiyuki, right? You're quite interesting!" The brother labeled 'Dox' nodded approvingly before answering. "My answer is the Maze Door!"

"Thanks for your cooperation~" Hoshino smiled, then walked over and opened the door labeled "Palace."

Sure enough, a staircase leading up to the surface and sunlight streaming down greeted them..

____

"BEAAAAAAAM!!!"

"Splendid! Hoshino girl's duel is endlessly entertaining," Pegasus exclaimed, so excited that he threw his wine glass aside as he watched the black light pierce through the screen. "Record this footage onto a Blu-ray disc and place it in my collection room."

"Yes, Master Pegasus!" The old butler bowed respectfully.

"With Hoshino girl and Yugi boy together, they truly make the best combination on Duelist Kingdom!" Pegasus stood up and looked out the window. "I wonder how Kaiba boy is preparing. It's really something to look forward to."

Seeing Pegasus in such high spirits was rare, and the old butler's face was filled with a relieved smile. "Master Pegasus, I'll prepare the finest afternoon tea so you can fully enjoy watching the duel between Seto Kaiba and Chiyuki Hoshino."

"Very good, you really understand my heart."

———

"Hoshino, you're really amazing!" The group exclaimed as sunlight streamed in from the open door.

"Go ahead, Chiyuki Hoshino, you've earned the recognition of the Labyrinth Brothers!" The Labyrinth Brothers first gave Hoshino an encouraging pat on the shoulder, then laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Let's go, everyone!" Hoshino called out to her friends, stepping confidently through the "Palace" door like a victorious leader.

However, as she crossed the threshold, Hoshino caught a glimpse of a sly smile on the faces of the Labyrinth Brothers.

"No way?!" She quickly turned back to see...

"The two doors lead to the same place! Choosing either door doesn't matter!" Hoshino, once proud of her solution, now felt deceived.

As the doors slowly closed, the Labyrinth Brothers' mocking laughter filled the air. "Welcome back to the scariest underground maze of Duelist Kingdom!"

...

<System 40 Notice: Duelist level assessment complete. Duelist: Labyrinth Brothers. level: C+. Victory reward: Saint Quartz. Current total Quartz: 85.>

<You have an unread system message.>

"Hmm?" Climbing the stairs, Hoshino heard the familiar system notice in her mind.

Excitedly hitting her palm, Hoshino remembered, "I almost forgot! Because of Jonouchi, I nearly drained the Evil Dragon Hundred Years War banner. After that, I didn't pay much attention to my quartz. I can't believe I have 85 already."

Thinking about this, Hoshino looked back at Jonouchi, "This guy's luck is unbelievably good. If the system hadn't caught me, I would have turned him into my personal gacha machine!"

Although the temptation to let Jonouchi pull the banner was great, Hoshino didn't dare to try it again. The system warned that the next violation would result in harsher penalties, possibly turning her quartz count negative or deleting her cards entirely. It wasn't worth the risk.

"Sigh~" Hoshino sighed, looking at Jonouchi with a sense of frustration. Having such a lucky person around but not being able to use him was really vexing.

Noticing Hoshino secretly staring at him, Jonouchi was slightly surprised but then smiled and leaned in. "What's up? Is there something weird on my face, Hoshino?"

"Nothing!" Hoshino replied, slightly annoyed, looking away and pouting.

"Why are you suddenly upset?" Jonouchi asked, puzzled by Hoshino's expression. "By the way, Hoshino, I wanted to ask you..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any extra cards? The ones with cute girls on them." Jonouchi scratched his face awkwardly as he asked the question he'd been holding back. "Of course, I won't take them for free. I'll trade with you! Duel Monsters is a trading card game, after all, and it's normal to trade cards with friends."

"Jonouchi, how could you ask first!" Honda rushed over, also eager. "Hoshino, I have some Duel Monsters cards too. Trade with me as well."

"But..."

"Honda, those few cards you bought casually aren't worth trading with Hoshino," Jonouchi taunted his competitor without mercy.

Ignoring Jonouchi's ridicule, Honda looked earnestly at Hoshino. "I just want Martha. Her divine and gentle aura purifies me just by looking at her."

"Oh? So, Honda likes someone like Martha," Anzu glanced at Honda, then turned to Jonouchi. "What about you, Jonouchi? What kind of type do you like?"

"Me? Definitely Mary! That lively and cute pure-hearted girl really triggers my protective instincts!" Jonouchi answered, waving his arms excitedly.

"But if I had to choose my favorite..." The two exchanged a knowing look, and their smiles grew wicked.

"Of course, it's Mata Hari!"

"Hehe, Mata Hari wins again~" Hoshino muttered, hearing Mata Hari's triumphant laugh in her ear.

"Sorry, but I only have one of each card, so I can't trade them with you," Hoshino waved her hand, refusing Jonouchi and Honda. Even if she had extras, she wouldn't casually give her Heroic Spirit cards to others.

"I see." Jonouchi and Honda slumped in disappointment. After some playful banter, the group quietly continued climbing the stairs.

"Open the unread system message," Hoshino commanded, opening the system again after Jonouchi's interruption.

<System 45 Notice: Duelist level assessment complete. Duelist: Keith Howard. level: B. Victory reward: Saint Quartz.>

"Wow, Keith, the U.S. champion, is only level B?" Hoshino thought in surprise, reading the system message. "That means Mai, who's also level B, has the strength of a U.S. champion. That's impressive."

Thinking of Mai, another figure popped into Hoshino's mind—the arrogant Seto Kaiba and his dramatic card draws, along with his iconic coat. "Seto Kaiba, level A duelist. One whole level higher than the U.S. champion. Such a terrifying opponent, I really don't want to face him again."

"Wait, what am I thinking!" Hoshino shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. "How can I talk about retreating? It's just Seto Kaiba! I still have to face stronger duelists like Yugi and Pegasus. How can I become the Duel King if I'm afraid of Kaiba!"

Slapping her face to snap out of her thoughts, Hoshino reminded herself not to overthink. "Besides, Kaiba should already be dueling Pegasus. He won't suddenly appear in front of me wanting a duel."

"Look, there's the exit!" Yugi suddenly shouted, pointing to the light ahead.

"Great, let's give it one last push!" Responding to Jonouchi's call, the group quickened their pace and burst out of the underground stairs, emerging on the surface.

The familiar scenery greeted them again—the sunlit land, the towering Pegasus Castle, and standing in front of the castle stairs was Seto Kaiba.

"Chiyuki Hoshino, duel me!"

Hoshino: "(╯·_·)╯︵┻━┻"

(*****)

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