Chapter 82: Intermission 2: Q&A (Again!)
Confetti popped up, exploding through the air. The entire room was covered in confetti, as though it was decorated for a party. On the table, a small white snake was cheerfully eating a piece of cake, holding onto a fork with its tail. It glanced up at the camera.
"Just give me a moment, I'm polishing off my birthday cake leftovers," it said. "This chapter is probably going to be the last one I post before my birthday, maybe?... I surprise myself with my own update speed." It lowered and unhinged its jaw, eating the whole slice of cake. "Alright! Welcome back. I'm assuming that if you got this far, you already know the drill. But to recap—this is a non-canon chapter where the fourth wall completely dies, and nothing that happens in this chapter affects the plot. Honestly, it took me longer than I expected—you guys sent in over a hundred questions in total. There were a few that I didn't get around to answering, since… well, I couldn't! Or because they were already answered in the previous chapters. I also can't answer questions that might specifically spoil certain things in the future. But precisely because there were so many questions, writing a scene for each of them became impractical. So… let's do things this way."
It let out a soft hiss, and then, the world around it changed.
Blaise: We'll speak like this for now. Does that work for you? Well, I hope so! That's what the whole chapter is going to be like, and trust me, this format is my mortal enemy. I'll be glad to go back to actual writing next chapter. Questions aren't answered in the order that they're asked either—just in whatever order I chose to write them in. So. Let's get going!
From phantomdragons: To Yuri, this might be breaking the fourth wall a bit, but what exactly is your opinion of Shino and Ryo's relationship? You seem to think that the two of them are very hostile towards each other, right? How would you react if they ended up liking each other or dating?
Yuri: I mean, do they like each other? Do they hate each other? I thought I was sure, but sometimes, it gets so tense around them that I'm kind of glad to have an excuse to leave. I'm pretty sure they're friends, at least. Dating, though…
Yuri: That'd be really unexpected. I mean, I know they're friends, but you know… Shino's too nice to hold a grudge, even if she really should, sometimes. She forgives easily… but I think that even if she forgives, she never forgets. She just accepts it and chooses not to hate others for it. But if she dated him, I'd worry for her.
Yuri: I obviously won't say that to her. It's embarrassing. But we might not be on the same side as Ryo-san, I think. So it's better if nothing like that happens between them. It'll only end in tragedy. Because of that, it's also better if she doesn't like him.
Yuri: Does she like him in that way though? I haven't seen any signs of that.
Blaise: (Because apparently, in this story, most younger brothers are absolutely oblivious…)
From enigmathenightmare: Nue, what do you think of manga Shun?
Nue: … hmm. Is that an alternate universe? So Ruri doesn't exist, I don't exist and he and Yuto never met, huh? Anyway, he's a fucking masochist in this one? I think I prefer my Shun to this one, if I'm honest. He's not quite as crazy, for one. Maybe I should buy Ruri something, if Shun would have gone this off the rails without growing up with her. Looks like he's always so reckless in every world though. That's fine—that part of him's always been rather attractive too.
From kikuruhime: To Yuno, do you think of Yuya as a younger brother?
Yuno: Younger brother? Nah. I consider him a really good friend of mine, but that's not our relationship. We're just good friends—hope we'll always be, too.
From phantomdragons: To Yuno, do you actually view Hitoda as an older sister figure, or just as a friend?
Yuno: Another question immediately? That's a surprise.
Yuno: To be honest, I have no clue what's going on there. We're definitely… something, I will say. If we don't count Miharu, Hitoda's probably the person that's the closest to me now, after all that we've been through. And with what she told me, well… I guess we've been connected since then, even if I didn't know it, huh?
Yuno: She was my mentor for a bit, then my co-worker of sorts, and now she's my comrade and friend. To be honest, I know she's very important to me. For now, let's just call us friends.
From T.V. 2000, for Yuji: is there a specific reason why you use Fiend monsters?
Yuji: … not really. At first, it was just because I only had Demise, Garlandolf and Empty Abyss… it seemed easier to use. And… it was easier to match her. My new guardian had a lot of additional DARK monsters too, so it was easier to build from them…
Yuji: … circumstance, really.
From Unlucky-Fausto: To Shino: What are your favourite characters from the Abyss storyline? Not cards, the characters.
Shino: Hmm. The story behind these cards, huh?... have you heard of Fleurdelis? The holy knight of justice and honour, who protected the girl that she saw as her younger sister no matter what, even when doctrine and the very laws of her existence were corrupted to turn her into nothing. She kept searching for her own path, no matter how much pain and how many burdens she had to take on—to do what she thought was right, even when her very soul was shattered, she manifested her will once again.
Shino: And I love Aegirine as well. The shy princess of ice that lost all of the people that she loved, that cared for her, who were her responsibility. She became a being of vengeance.
Shino: And finally… Aluber.
Shino: … we love the stories that we aspire to, don't we? I don't think those three stories could be any more different from each other.
From cardfan135: To the members of Academia: Who is your least favourite person to work with?
Kisara: The Doktor. On good days, I want to tear his throat out. On bad days, I want to shove him down the stairs.
Ryo: The Doktor. He's always made me feel on edge.
Yuri: The Doktor. Have you seen how creepy that guy is? And if he really wanted to put those bugs in people's heads… ew.
Fubuki: Haven't had to work with anyone terrible yet!
Dennis: Well, I don't usually work with people…
Shino: … pass.
From cardfan135: To all the Lancers: After the war, what kinds of jobs do you want to do? Are you going to continue on with dueling?
Miharu: Open a cafe. Maybe do some freelance programming work on the side, because we all know that non-food chain restaurants aren't likely to actually be profitable.
Yuno: Maybe I'll carry on being a Charisma Duelist for a bit. My identity's already been exposed, after all. But… I don't know! I might do some further study and see how I feel about things later on. I still have a few years to decide, I think! Plenty of time, no rush.
Chiaki: Go back to high school, probably. We're not done yet, and I did promise my brother I wouldn't become a delinquent like him. I'll think about it later.
Yuji: Librarian. … stop looking at me. That's it.
Yuya: I want to properly become a pro-duelist. Maybe take over You Show from Shuzo-san in the future, or teach there… that sounds fun!
Yuzu: Mm! Same. I've always had an interest in helping to run You Show. And I can certainly help us more with PR too!
Rin: Haven't really decided yet. Was thinking of helping Aki out with the movement so that things are easier for her, or maybe I'll help Martha expand the orphanage. There's always more to do.
Yugo: Be King, of course!
Rin: … of course.
Yugo: So yeah, uh… pro dueling!
Ruri: I mean, I did always want to go into pro-dueling! But I might also want to be a teacher in the future… maybe when we rebuild Heartland?
Yuto: I was thinking of taking a semester overseas soon. So I might compete in other pro circuits too… though now that we know about other worlds, I might just travel around and participate in tournaments for fun too.
Serena: Not sure yet. I've spent all my life at Academia. I'll decide later—it's not important to think about it now.
Sawatari: Return home… I don't know! I just want to complete school first. Sure don't want to go into politics or anything like that though.
Gongenzaka: It's always been my intention to take over the dojo. I've made a promise to my father, after all.
Tsukikage: Same as you, Gongenzaka. And I must figure out what to do with Hikage's…
Reira: … go to middle school. And talk to people.
Reiji: Continue running the Leo Corporation. Though perhaps we should rename it, if we win. I haven't decided on a proper name yet… but regardless, I'm a CEO. I'm pretty much at the top of the world, business-wise—and it's where I prefer to be.
Mion: Travel the six worlds. I want to see everything in the world, and well, cultural differences might be interesting to explore too.
Kyorin: I actually applied for art school already, and I've already been accepted… well, if this war takes two years, I hope that 'dimensional war' counts as an excuse to defer by a semester.
Kaname: 'Help. Jack.'
Hitoda: Hmm… never considered it! To be honest, all my plans have always been pretty short-term. It's a motivation, after all! Once I finish what I want to do, then I'll have time to think about everything else. For now, I just want to survive this war.
Nue: I always intended to go into pro-dueling. Now, though, after the war… I'm not sure that I want to duel seriously anymore. So I'll have to think about something else.
Shun: I'll rebuild Heartland with everyone. And when our dreams are rebuilt, I'll go back on the path that I was on before.
From phantomdragons: To Kyorin: How do you see Yuji? Is it as a little brother like the rest, or just a friend?
Kyorin: Um… I guess that I do want to help Yuji. He's very important to me as a friend, after all! But I wouldn't know how to be an older sibling. So yeah. It's easier for us to just be friends for now, I think. And no matter what we call it, I don't think it changes the fact that we're close.
From phantomdragons: To Kyorin, do you still like Johan?
Kyorin: … you know, it was just a small crush. Mostly because of how confident and nice he was, and well… I liked that.
Kyorin: But he got close to us with the express purpose of using us, right? He and Asuka. They used us in order to fit in better. They're all the first real friends I can remember having.
Kyorin: So no. I don't like him anymore. Even if I forgive him, I don't want to… give myself the chance to be betrayed by him again.
From AccurateGap1: To Yuto, Nue, Shun, and Ruri: What is your reaction to Yuto's "death" in the canon story?
Shun: That's what happened in that park? If Miharu and Yuzu hadn't stopped it… I'd have gone insane without you or Nue there, honestly—especially if I didn't know what happened to you.
Ruri: I can't imagine that… thank goodness you're okay, Yuto.
Yuto: I'd rather injure my wrist instead of that, yeah… it's kind of terrifying. Nue, are you alright?
Nue: … it's no problem. I'm just glad you're alive.
From AccurateGap1: To Yugo, Rin, Arisu, and Kaname: What is your reaction to Yugo's "death" in the canon story?
Rin: That's horrific. So Serena was right? Yugo, you're not allowed to duel that guy, ever.
Arisu: It's so inefficient of them to try to take you down while there's a clear enemy there though. Who are those people?
Kaname: '... no. Kill.'
Yugo: There's no way I'd let something like that happen to me! I'm strong enough, alright—
Yugo: Wait, were you threatening to kill that guy or asking them not to kill me?
Kaname: 'Yes.'
From AccurateGap1: To Yuri and Shino: What is your reaction to Yuri's "death" in the canon story?
Yuri: Tch. I'd never lose in such a stupid way, and Yuya Sakaki isn't the kind of person to do something like that, anyway. What a stupid story. Why would you show me that?
Shino: … interesting…
Yuri: What is it? Don't tell me that you actually believe that it's an alternate universe of ours—alternate universes still have to make sense in some way!
Shino: I'm just thinking that it's a shame that I'll forget this later. But you're right.
Yuri: … your expression now is a bit strange, Shino.
Shino: I was just a bit sad for that other Yuri. But you don't really have to worry about anything! While I'm around, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. So you're right. It's not real.
From Mathemagician93: One question I think might be fun to post to all of the Lancers: among your comrades, who would you like to duel the most, and who would you like to duel the least? And I'll clarify that this would be a tournament with no real stakes other than bragging rights to cut off any worries about hurting their friends.
From flameaceso: Lancers, which fellow Lancer would you want to duel the most and to follow that up which fellow lancer do you would want to duel the least excluding Miharu (because that's the obvious pick lol).
Yuno: I can't pick Miharu for the person that I want to duel the least? That makes things way harder then…
Miharu: … the fact that none of you are talking bothers me a bit. I don't know whether to be flattered or offended that you all dislike my dueling so much.
Yuno: I'd never dislike your dueling!
Yugo: You're great when you're on our side! Just… difficult to duel against.
Miharu: Sure. Well, I guess I'll start first, since it's easier for me than the rest of you. The one that I want to duel the least, casually, at least… is probably you, Rinsoka-san.
Kyorin: H-huh? Me?
Miharu: Yes. Your Nekroz cards are really difficult for me, specifically… without my Extra Deck, I have very few options for card advantage or damage. It would be an interesting challenge… but I think I would be forced to spend a lot of time stalling to draw out cards instead of searching for them with effects, and that would be very boring for you.
Kyorin: Oh…
Chiaki: Considering how much you apparently stall during your duels, it makes me wonder what you'd consider "a lot of time". But congrats, Kyorin.
Kyorin: Um, thanks?
Miharu: As for who I'd like to duel the most… it's you.
Reiji: Me? Interesting decision.
Miharu: I'm not one to run from challenges. I think that my playstyle doesn't disadvantage you that much… and every duel against you would probably be a different experience, due to how many different monsters you use.
Hitoda: Aiming directly for our fearless leader? You sure don't set your goals low.
Miharu: … guess so. Those are my picks, anyway.
Hitoda: Well, I guess I'll go next! My least favourite person when it comes to dueling is you, Yugo, though only for one reason.
Yugo: Me? Yeah!… wait, that's a bad thing… what's the reason?
Hitoda: Heavy Storm. You have it in your deck, right?
Yugo: Oh, yeah! It was a birthday gift—why are your eyes suddenly so scary?
Hitoda: If someone uses it, I'll never forgive them.
Yuno: … oh, right. It's been a year, are you still upset at that one audience member who challenged you?
Hitoda: Do I sound unreasonable right now?
Yuno: Oh, I was there, and I found it really funny.
Hitoda: Thanks, Yuno. Always glad to have you on my side. Anyway, for the rest of you, there was an audience event about a year ago, when a random audience member got the chance to duel each of us. My opponent did his best to counterpick me. So, he ran Twin Twisters, Mystical Space Typhoon, Dust Tornado and Heavy Storm. And he just kept destroying my backrow. The problem was that he didn't actually have a way to defeat my monsters, so he just kept destroying my Spells, setting monsters and doing nothing else. The duel went on for thirty minutes and tanked our retention time. And you want to know what the comments on the livestream said? "Oh, Soothsayer's bullying that person so much! He's trying so hard!" No, he wasn't trying hard, he just had a terribly built deck!
Sawatari: … is it just me, or are you very scary when you're actually mad? Kind of like Mion…
Mion: What was that?
Nue: I can relate to that, actually. I once had to duel someone that ran tons of Spell and Trap removal and unbalanced their deck completely for that. It was very painful.
Hitoda: Mm, yeah, you would understand! That's why you're the one that I'd want to duel the most, actually. I'd trash you.
Nue: We could test that right now.
Blaise: Not in the Q&A chapter.
Nue: … fine. Anyway, now that I've heard that you have Heavy Storm, you are also now my least favourite, Yugo. No, Mizuchi, don't stare at me. It's just true. As for the one I'd want to duel the most… no real preference, so I'll just return the sentiment to you, Makishima. Traps don't work on me, and I have my own defences against your monsters too. We'll have to test that soon.
Hitoda: To be fair, you only use a single Attribute. So we'll see how that goes!
Yuto: Let's just break this up… uh, I'd like to duel you again, Yugo. We haven't really had a rematch since our misunderstanding back then, so it might be nice.
Yugo: Well, at least someone's being nice to me!
Yuto: Yeah. As for someone that I wouldn't want to duel, strategy-wise… maybe you, Serena. Your deck is a bit tricky for me to deal with, especially with Lio Dancer's effect.
Serena: Hmm. That makes me want to duel you though…
Yuto: I mean, I wouldn't mind. I just had to choose someone.
Serena: Anyway, for me, the person that I least want to duel is you, Makishima.
Hitoda: And here I thought we bonded a bit after our duel in the Friendship Cup.
Serena: Don't smile at me like that. That was one of the worst duels of my life.
Hitoda: You did win!
Serena: Because you let me!
Hitoda: So what are you complaining about?
Serena: Ugh, I still can't get used to you… but anyway, the one I want to duel the most? You, obviously, Miharu Kogami.
Yuno: Wow, that's a first.
Shun: … really?
Serena: There's no need to look at me like that. I know what I'm signing up for, but like I've always said, you're the one that I want to defeat the most.
Miharu: … sure, then.
Ruri: I guess I'll go next? Well, the one that I like dueling the most is my big brother! Both of our usual tactics are less effective against each other, so it always makes things interesting. And maybe the people that I would find the most difficult to duel… it would probably be people that duel with burn damage? So you, Rin.
Rin: That's fair. I'm a pretty bad matchup for you.
Ruri: Mmm!
Rin: Well, for me… I don't fare well against opponents with high attack points, just because I focus on effect damage. And I don't really have a lot of battle protection either… I'm going to say you, Serena, even though I haven't actually seen you duel that much. You gave Yugo a good run for his money, and I'm pretty sure it'd be hard for me too. And for who I'd want to duel most… we still haven't had our rematch, have we? We haven't dueled in almost a decade now—though it was mostly to avoid causing accidents around the orphanage.
Kaname: 'Long. Time.'
Rin: Well, it's you then. Let's have a rematch after all of this. I guess I'll pass it onto you then. Who do you want to duel the most, who do you want to duel the least?
Kaname: 'Most… Myojin.'
Mion: … well, I wouldn't mind.
Yuzu: How come?
Mion: No big deal. Nothing about strategy either, right, Mizuchi?... right.
Kaname: 'Least. Sugisaki.'
Yuno: Huh? Me?... uh, Miharu, what's she signing?
Miharu: She says that you're too cheerful. Also, Marincess Wave is really annoying.
Sora: Oh, true!
Yuno: It's not that bad… I haven't actually dueled most of you, actually! So you don't get the right to complain yet.
Hitoda: So only me?
Miharu: And me.
Yuji: … me.
Yuno: All three of you are supposed to be on my side, you know… well, I guess I'll go next. Dueling-wise, I definitely want to duel you, Gongenzaka! I mean, your deck's really cool with its ability to play in Defense Position, and it's pretty much the exact opposite of Link Monsters. I can't retreat, but you won't retreat, and I've always thought that you were really cool for that.
Gongenzaka: This man, Gongenzaka… is so touched by…
Yuya: Oh, please don't start crying, Gongenzaka…
Yuzu: Here, here, have a tissue.
Yuno: Heh. Sorry about that. But yeah, uh… are we sure that I can't say Miharu for the other half? My answer is still her, by the way, I'm just checking if I need a second answer… fine. Uh, Nue-san, it's probably you. Your monsters are all unaffected by Traps, right?
Nue: Yup. So I guess I would be your worst matchup—most of the cards that you use to counter the moves of others are Traps. How about you go then, Gongenzaka?... are you still sniffling?
Gongenzaka: The man, Gongenzaka, is fine… I would like to duel you, Yuto. Your playstyle is rather interesting. And for who among everyone I would prefer not to duel… after you mowed down Sora back then, probably you, Mion Myojin.
Sora: Hey! She didn't mow me down!
Yuzu: Well, Sora…
Mion: I'm sure that I didn't go to that extent, but I'm flattered. I guess it's me next then? My answer is pretty simple. Reiji for the first, Reira for the second.
Shun: You did show that rather clearly in the Friendship Cup…
Nue: Even without stakes?
Mion: Even without stakes, my deck works pretty well against Reira's C/C/C monsters. For one, Reira needs a new Spell for every monster—meaning that there's a chance for me to gain card advantage from every move she makes. And because she focuses on Attributes, but my entire deck basically covers every Attribute, it's hard for her to fully counter me.
Reiji: And me?
Mion: Yes, you. I can always go all out against you.
Reiji: … hmm. I have no real personal preference. The person I would prefer to duel the least, even in a casual setting, is of course Reira, for much the same reasons as Mion. As for who I would want to duel the most… I would eventually like a third duel with you, Yuya Sakaki.
Yuya: M-me, huh? Well, I… want that too.
Reiji: … good.
Reira: … I don't want to duel nii-san either. But for the person I want to duel… I want to duel Miharu, too.
Miharu: … oh. Alright then. Another time.
Reira: Mmm.
Yuya: Well, you both seem happy about that… for me, I want to duel you the most, Yuno.
Yuno: Sure! That'd be fun, wouldn't it?
Yuya: But for who I want to duel the least here… this feels a bit cheap, but probably Reira too? Reira's really strong and can keep on bringing out monsters with high attack points, which is something that can be a bit difficult for me to deal with, especially if she counters me.
Yuzu: Then you know what to improve on!
Yuya: True. Do you want to go next, Yuzu?
Yuzu: Sure. Well, I really want to duel you—Katsuya-san.
Chiaki: Me?
Yuzu: Mmm. You counter Special Summoned monsters, and my monsters gain benefits from being Special Summoned… but also, I really want to win against you.
Chiaki: … I get that, yeah.
Yuzu: As for who I don't want to duel… I'd rather not duel you, Kurosaki?
Shun: Me?
Yuzu: Well, your deck technically counters Special Summoned monsters too, and my monsters struggle a bit against yours too. And well, you're intimidating.
Shun: … don't snort, Nue. And at least hide your laughter better, Yuto, Ruri.
Ruri: Pfft… sorry, big brother.
Nue: She's right though.
Yuto: Definitely.
Chiaki: You should go first, Kurosaki.
Shun: Sure. Out of everyone here, the one that I want to duel the most is you, Reiji Akaba.
Hitoda: To the surprise of absolutely no one.
Nue: How romantic.
Shun: Nue.
Nue: I'm just saying that if you said that to me, it would be considered flirting.
Sawatari: Oh, gag me. … ok, don't both stare at me at the same time.
Shun: I don't think I need to explain why I want to duel you, Reiji Akaba. For the other question… I also don't think I need to explain why I wouldn't want to duel you again any time soon, even casually, Sora Shiun'in.
Sora: Way to put me on the spot… but yeah, me too. Plus, we both already know how the other one duels! It's boring… but uh, Fujita?
Yuji: …?
Sora: Uh, yeah, you. I wouldn't want to duel you. Um… yeah. But the one that I want to duel the most eventually… it's kind of a tie between you two, Yuya and Yuzu! Eventually, when this is all over, I want to duel you guys properly.
Yuya: Aww, Sora…
Yuzu: Yeah! When you come back to You Show, we can do that.
Sawatari: Hey, hey! The Neo Great Sawatari wants to take out Yuya too!
Sora: Of course you do.
Sawatari: Hey, what does that mean? I was just offering to be a tag partner, you know! If we work together, we can totally take them out!
Sora: Hah. Maybe. We'll see if you drag me down.
Sawatari: Ugh… anyway, I don't want to duel Mion. It'd be too… uh…
Mion: Difficult?
Sawatari: Nope! Absolutely not! I could totally defeat you.
Mion: Right, right… anyway, anyone else? Tsukikage, what about you?
Tsukikage: No preference.
Mion: I'm sure that you have a preference. Don't worry about offending anyone.
Hitoda: We're all offending each other here anyway. Join the club.
Tsukikage: I would prefer not to duel Sora. And I would like a chance to face against you at some point, Reiji-sama.
Reiji: … I suppose so. And you?
Yuji: … oh.
Chiaki: Do you actually have a response, Yuji?
Yuji: … mm. I… want to duel you, Sugisaki.
Yuno: Sure, we can get a rematch someday, yeah? And who do you least want to duel?
Yuji: … I…
Yuji: … you.
Yugo: … yeah. I think we can agree on that.
From Kuroto: to Makoto: does your sister know that you have a girlfriend now?
Makoto: Nope. I'm waiting and seeing if Kaname has the common sense to dump me when she gets back. Hah. Just joking. Maybe a bit. But most of me still isn't sure if it's a dream. So right now, I just want to keep it all to myself.
From Pyro777: To Shino, if you are victorious, where do you see yourself in a year and with whom?
Shino: If I win, huh? To me, winning is…
Shino: I never really thought about my own future. It's hard to do that when you have to think on a wider scale. But I sincerely hope that I'll be happy. That's really all—I don't need anything else for my future, except to be able to relax and live a normal, simple life.
Shino: And, with whom?…
Shino: I don't know if I'll have the right to think about that, when this is done. But if I could, I would want…
Shino: Never mind...
From kikuruhime, if all of the characters could have a pet, what would it be?
Blaise: Well, I can't drag in all the characters here, that would probably kill me. So I'll throw the Lancers + Yuri, Shino and Ryo at you and call it a day :)
Yuya: Already have two dogs and cats!
Yuzu: I would like a cat, or maybe hamsters…
Yuto: We do actually have a dog, though it's my sister's mortal enemy. Or at least, we had one before the invasion… I hope it's okay. But I'd like a songbird or two, someday…
Ruri: Definitely songbirds! They're so cute!... or maybe if I'm ever rich, a peacock. They're so pretty!
Yugo: Mice are really cute!
Rin: Yeah, mice. Or maybe hamsters. They're pretty easy to take care of and they don't make a mess.
Yuri: My plants. … a cat. It'll stay out of my way.
Serena: A cat, obviously. They're the best pet.
Yuno: I want… well, they're expensive, but I'd like a fish pond someday! Something to work towards, I guess… oh, and I want a few dogs. They're cute.
Miharu: … I don't have a preference. Whatever Yuno wants.
Yuji: … cat.
Chiaki: Well, I prefer dogs, but honestly, I just want a lot of pets. That way, there's always something going on in the house.
Reira: Hamster…
Reiji: I don't have the time necessary to take care of pets. I suppose it would depend on my future situation, but otherwise, the closest thing would be a fish tank, just as decoration.
Mion: I mean, I intend on travelling a lot in the future, so keeping a pet might be a bit difficult, unless I left it with someone when I was travelling… hmm. Maybe a bird. If I have time, should I get a falconry licence?
Shun: Nue and I already discussed, and I was always going to get a falcon once I was legally old enough for it, anyway. And uh…
Nue: I can tolerate birds, I suppose. But rabbits and cats are better, so I'd like a few rabbits too. We can compromise, as long as his falcon doesn't eat my pets.
Kaname: '... Kemuri. One cat is enough.'
Shino: Oh, does it need to be realistic? Well, I'd like a cute little snake someday! Non-poisonous, though, so that I can use it to scare the people around me without actually hurting them, hehe!
Ryo: … I suddenly got a shiver down my spine. I have two dogs back in Domino City with my family, anyway, and I'll likely take them with me when I next return to the city.
Hitoda: Frogs. I just think they're cute. Would ruin my aesthetic right now, though…
Kyorin: Um… you know those butterfly gardens? It would be nice to have a small terrarium of just butterflies, right? That's what I think, anyway…
Sawatari: Dogs! Big ones! They're the best pet for someone like me, don't you think? All proud and majestic!
Gongenzaka: Loathe as I am to agree with Sawatari in this specific context… dogs are indeed my personal preference as well, for similar reasons.
Tsukikage: … I prefer birds. Back home, Hikage and I had a few roosters.
Sora: My Frightfurs would be the best pets! But uh, I'd like a dog eventually, yeah…
From MochiYoshi: For the Bracelet Girls and Yu-boys, what sport do you guys perform the best in? No, Action Dueling and Turbo Dueling do not count.
Miharu: … does it look like I ever see the sun?
Yuno: To be fair, there's one sport that you did participate in.
Miharu: … sure. Den City Middle School required everyone to take part in at least one extracurricular, and my father and brother thought that it was a good idea if I picked something that required physical activity, so that I didn't become a vampire from staying in too long—my father's words, not mine. So I tried out shooting for a while, because it was the only one that actually used an air-conditioned space.
Yugo: Ooh, you handled actual guns?
Miharu: Once or twice. They didn't want to risk students actually injuring themselves. We also had AR for that kind of stuff, so there were simulations… if it comes to handling a real gun in real life, we pretty much only did it during competitions. It was very much just a way to fit the regulations though, without actually going out in the sun.
Yuno: The medals on your wall would seem to imply otherwise!~
Miharu: … maybe.
Yuno: Anyway, I'm pretty good at swimming!
Yuji: … makes sense.
Yuno: Really?
Yuto: It would have been more surprising if you said literally anything else.
Yuno: Heh. It is what it is, though. The only other option was parkour, but considering that I learned those skills for the sake of being a Charisma Duelist, that might go under the 'no dueling' rule. What about you?
Yuto: Me? Well…
Ruri: There's no need to be bashful about it.
Yuto: Oh no, I was just… well, I do know some Muay Thai, since I picked it up for fun. I wouldn't call myself proficient at it or anything. It was a similar story to you two—to make sure that it appeared to give its students a 'holistic' education, it did make all of us take part in extracurriculars. So that was my choice, because…
Ruri: Muay Thai was on Tuesday, the same day as my photography club activities! So we could go out for a date afterwards.
Yuzu: Pfftt… the truth comes out.
Ruri: But anyway, I like rock-climbing!
Yuri: You what? Hidden depths, huh…
Ruri: Mmm, I like climbing, especially since I'm lucky enough not to have a fear of heights! So I used to do that too.
Yuto: She gave Shun about five heart attacks every time.
Serena: I approve.
Yuri: Of course you do.
Serena: Well, it's not like you do anything as cool. You're just as bad as her about doing any physical activity, aren't you?
Miharu: … there's nothing wrong with enjoying the indoors.
Yuji: … yes.
Yuri: Well, at least two people here make some kind of sense. For your information, idiot, sports isn't exactly on Academia's curriculum. So I don't have an answer for this.
Chiaki: Oh, I know. What about kidnapping?
Yuri: Oh, you're right. Should I put that under weightlifting?
Chiaki: Oh, fuck off.
Yuri: Yes, that's my official answer. Weightlifting.
Serena: Anyway, I'm pretty good at pool!
Yuno: Oh, swimming?
Yuya: … billiards, Yuno…
Yuno: Even cooler!
Serena: Mm. I learned because… well, it was the easiest game to learn by myself.
Yuno: … oh.
Chiaki: Well, it's Yuji's preferred game of choice too, so you two can play at some point if you want. Right, Yuji?
Yuji: … yes.
Serena: Why did you learn?
Yuji: … guardian.
Chiaki: Yuji means that his guardian taught him. He tried to teach me too, but eh, I had no patience for that kind of thing.
Serena: So that's him. What about you?
Chiaki: Me? Oh, basketball.
Rin: Ooh, streetball?
Chiaki: Yeah. You too?
Rin: Well, when we could, we'd take some of the usable basketballs that the Tops threw away and play. So it was pretty fun!
Chiaki: We should play some time then.
Rin: Sounds fun! Come on, Yugo, stop sulking already.
Yugo: Fine… I guess I do a lot of parkour too, since there's not much else to do around here.
Yuno: Nice!
Yugo: Hah, we can have a race sometime!
Rin: Please do not. You'll break your neck accidentally.
Miharu: It'd be interesting to watch.
Rin: Don't encourage this…
Yuya: Well, I could join in! Action Duels are basically parkour, right?
Yuno: … if you say that, Yuya, aren't you disqualifying your own choice?... yup, he's facefaulting now.
Yuya: Seriously though, I don't do anything except run!
Yuri: Can't you just say running then?
Serena: Well, it'd be a better answer than weightlifting.
Yuri: Listen here—
Yuya: Well, yeah! Thanks, Yuri!
Yuri: Oh. No problem, I guess. (Don't snort, Serena.)
Yuya: That just leaves you, Yuzu!
Yuzu: I know, I just can't decide! I mean, I basically do everything—basketball, netball, floorball, volleyball, swimming—I've tried everything! But I don't know what I'm best at…
Yuzu: I'm going to say running, because it's kind of a tradition for Yuya, Gongenzaka and I to go jogging together.
Miharu: … and definitely not because you want to match with Yuya, of course.
From Tasha_Veles, to Yuji: What is your favorite quote from The Divine Comedy?
Yuji: … favourite? "How I hereon stood shivering and aghast. Demand not, Reader; this I cannot write; so much the fact all reach of words surpassed. I was not dead, yet living was not quite: Think for thyself, if gifted with the power, what, life and death denied me, was my plight."
Yuji: … I'd prefer not to explain.
From Tasha_Veles, to Shino: If Blaise gave you the power to rewrite one scene of the fic, what would you change?
Shino: The power of rewriting, huh? That's a bit complicated! Because to want to rewrite anything, I have to regret how things turned out. Which I… don't. Changing one thing means changing everything that happened because of it, which means changing the final outcome. So I would only choose something small—something that wouldn't change everything else.
Shino: I could say that I would have made it so that Asuka Tenjoin and Johan Andersen were never dispatched to the Ritual Dimension in the first place, because if that wasn't the case, then Fubuki and Ryo wouldn't have been hurt so much. The Professor would probably have still sent Yuri to get Chiaki Katsuya, but… in that case, at least she wouldn't hate him so much, by conflating her feelings of betrayal towards them and her anger towards Yuri. Yuri would have had an easier route forward. Yuji Fujita would never have come here, I think. But that would change too many things. This outcome has already been one of the best that I could hope for, because even though they've all been hurt, at least they're all alive.
Shino: If I had to choose something small…
Shino: Heh. I'm still a bit selfish, it seems.
Shino: I would make it so that I never hit him. That man suffers so much for his own honour already. Getting angry at him is one thing, but… I told myself that I wasn't going to hurt others. So why did I hurt someone that I care for so much? Even if he doesn't care, I do. I would change it so that I at least heard him out, and I would go to Security with him, so that he wouldn't have had to suffer the pain of that girl's powers.
Shino: It would probably change too many other things, come to think of it. So maybe not. It's a selfish wish.
From flameaceso: For every member of Academia that has been mentioned and shown on screen, if you could duel any one person who is currently alive at absolutely no opportunity cost for you or your goals/loyalties, who would that person be? And with those same qualifiers, who would be the person you'd want to kill/card the most?
Blaise: Since all the characters that were only mentioned in Chapter 81 are pretty new, I'm not going to write them here—I'd much rather organically introduce them later.
Yuri: Now? I don't remember the end of my duel with Serena, so to me, it doesn't count. I don't really want to be the one to bring her back to Academia, but if I could just duel her and get some resolution, that'd be the best. As for who I want to card the most… from what I know, none of you know about the reasons why I would hate that person yet. So… can't answer that one, unfortunately. That's just the person I hate the most.
Kisara: … Reiji Akaba. As someone who has learned most of the summoning methods, I understand how difficult it is to use all of them in a single deck, especially because he was from Standard. He appears to be one of the most competent amongst our enemies as well—and not just in dueling. And who I want to card the most… well, I have a feeling that you already know that, from the previous chapter.
Dennis: Given the chance… I would really like to duel Yusho-sensei again. I don't want to turn him in, really, despite the fact that it's my duty… I guess I shouldn't really have said that aloud. But yeah. For the other one… pass? I don't really have an answer for it.
Fubuki: The person that I want to card the most… doesn't exist. I've never really wanted to card someone in my life. It was just duty. So I can't really answer that. But if it's someone that I want to duel, then the answer is Asuka. I just need to hear her explain herself. No matter what.
Shino: Ignoring my goals and loyalties, huh?... I wonder if you're expecting me to say that I've never really wanted to card anyone? Because I'm sorry, but I… can't say that. And I can't ignore everything either, because 'everything' is the reason why I duel. The person that I must fight, no matter what, and the person that I must destroy, no matter what… they're the same person. And that's telling, isn't it?
From phantomdragons: To Kaname/Arisu: Do you plan to tell the others that you're currently dating someone?
Arisu: We're not dating yet. It's a work in progress, anyway—we still have the whole city between that and us dating. Duties first. So no.
Kaname: "Do you know how many shovel talks he's going to get? I'll spare him that for now."
From phantomdragons: To Yugo: Hypothetically, if Kaname or Arisu was dating someone, how would you react? Would you encourage them or give them a shovel talk?
Yugo: I mean, they'd have good taste, because Kaname and Arisu are the best! But uh, yeah, I'd definitely have to give them a shovel talk. The scariest one possible, just to make sure that they know what they're in for. Obviously, they can defend themselves, but I need to make sure that anyone who wants to date them is dedicated enough to stay, anyway! So yeah. I might bring in other people to help me too—Rin's good at scaring people!
From Unlucky-Fausto: Ruri and Yuto: would you give dating advice to Yuno and Miharu?
Ruri: Wait, they're dating already? They really don't change how they act at all, huh…
Yuto: Honestly, those two are the only two who I feel don't need dating advice. Everyone else, maybe… we're surrounded by oblivious couples, aren't we?
Ruri: True! It's a good thing that we're not like that.
Yuto: Yeah, I'm very glad too… but anyway, my answer's probably no. The two of them are kind of their own separate… thing, if that makes sense? Any advice that works for us might not work for them. So we'll let things work things out. I mean, unless either of them comes to ask us for advice, but that seems very unlikely.
From naminexriku2468: To Shun: If Yuto suddenly became your brother in law what would you do? Do you have any advice for overprotective brothers?
Shun: At this point I'm resigned to it. Also, if I tried to do anything to Yuto, I would be in hot water with both Ruri and Nue—so I'll cut my losses there. That being said, if they dare to elope or anything like that… well, I have a feeling that both of us would have very strong words for them. Still, better Yuto than anyone else—at least I know Yuto well, and I know he'll treat her the best.
Shun: That being said, to overprotective brothers, make sure that your schemer of a best friend doesn't get the chance to keep on meeting up with your younger sister alone, because that's exactly how this happened in the first place, and Yuto is—
Yuto, in the distance: Isn't that how you ended up dating my sister too?
Shun: That doesn't matter! She's your older sister, she can do what she wants! But for younger siblings, your older siblings always mean well. So just listen to them and everything will be fine.
From T.V. 2000: Question for The Nature Girls: If you had to exchange decks with each other, which deck would you choose and why?
Miharu: Ruri's. I like playing with low attack points and destruction negation.
Ruri: I mean, if it was for an important duel, I'd want a person whose deck was the closest to mine in terms of strategy? So probably yours, Serena—the others don't have as much battle focus and protection as you.
Serena: Fair. Your deck, however, wouldn't work for me—I still tend to work with high attack points and actually winning through battle. I'd probably go with… Yuzu? Her deck at least does incorporate some Fusion and has some offensive power.
Yuzu: I'd use Rin's! I mean, I don't have any experience with playing a deck that focuses so much on burn damage, but I think that your strategy is really interesting.
Rin: Well, mine's kind of a no-brainer—I'd use Chiaki's deck. It's really strong.
Chiaki: … this deck, huh? I guess you'd like this deck. You'd like the other one too, if you saw it…
Rin: Huh?
Chiaki: Nothing. And obviously, I'd play yours, Miharu. Because I want to win.
Miharu: Just that?
Chiaki: Yeah. I want to win, and your deck is the strongest, isn't it? So that's all.
From T.V. 2000, for Chiaki: would you still keep the Dogmatika deck if you managed to get your original deck back?
Chiaki: Oh, absolutely not. Is this deck powerful? Yes. Is it more powerful than the deck I had back then? Yup. But this deck is also my enemy's deck, and that's a fact that I haven't forgotten. Half of my deck mentions hers—am I just supposed to forget that?... I really miss Saffira.
From Kuroto, to Chiaki, Ruri and Rin: what did you three often do to kill time when being imprisoned?
Chiaki: A lot of it was just talking.
Ruri: Mm, yeah! Academia… well, it wasn't like the tower was particularly uncomfortable. It was a bit too comfortable, actually—even though it was basically a prison cell, they did give us pretty comfortable beds and stuff—
Rin: You're too nice, Ruri. It was still a prison cell. Anyway, mostly, we just tried to figure out ways to get out of there. Or theorised about what Academia wanted with us…
Ruri: …
Chiaki: …
Rin: It wasn't that nice. Most of the time, there was nothing to do but think and talk.
From flameaceso: Reiji, this is a yes or no question, you do not need to give any elaboration (to avoid spoilers). But considering how Roger escaped and could have done worse, I need to ask, do you have a plan in place or know how you are going to make sure your father can't be a threat anymore (assuming you are still alive and haven't been carded by the end of this). If you're unsure about committing your intended course of action or plan, then please reply with a no.
Reiji: For the last three years, defeating my father has been the one motivation that has guided all of my plans. Something like that can only be called obsession, can it not?
Reiji: Yes. I am fully committed to stopping my father, no matter what the cost. But if anyone is to punish my father and declare the sentence that shall stop him from doing anything like this again… it will be me. And I will ensure that what happened with Roget doesn't happen again… if necessary.
From flameaceso: To Jack. Who would be your top 3 choices amongst the current lancers composition that you would like to duel after the war is over that you haven't already dueled before?
Jack: Both Yuya Sakaki and Yugo Kirijo were rather good opponents to have. However, I must admit to some disappointment that Miharu Kogami dropped out of the Friendship Cup. Despite the dreadful circumstances of her duel with her… friend, from what I heard, she still managed to push through everything to defeat him. Besides, I'm intrigued about whether such a defensive deck could manage to put a stop to me—her lockdown on destructive effects is also particularly interesting. So, she would be number three.
Jack: Number two would be Shun Kurosaki. I expected him to be my opponent in the semifinals, in fact—though I suppose that we all have our off days. I am happy with my match with Yuya Sakaki, but I would not have minded facing either of them. Still, he radiates a certain fiery spirit that resonates with my own.
Jack: Number one is Reiji Akaba. I feel that it speaks for itself—we are both leaders, he and I, though perhaps of different kinds. And clashing our ideals is the best way for me to understand a man as strange as him.
From AccurateGap1: To Yuya: How would you feel having Yuto as a voice in your head like in the canon story as well as permanently owning the other dimension dragons?
Yuya: I mean, no offence, Yuto, but… that would kind of suck. For my own mind to no longer belong to me… yeah. And well, at this point, Yuto, Yugo and Yuno are all my friends! And… I'd like to be friends with Yuji and Yuri too, if I get the chance. Their dragons belong to them. They're the symbols of their dueling. I want to duel those dragons, yes, but owning them permanently by taking them away from the others? That just feels wrong.
From AccurateGap1: To the Bracelet girls: If there could be one Yu-boy who absorbed all the others, who would it be? Has to be a unanimous vote, and cannot be Yuya.
Chiaki: So I'd love to tell you that we all sat here and came to a peaceful, unanimous vote.
Chiaki: But Serena and I started throwing chairs, so that was pretty much a lost cause. So yeah. Totally not my fault, but we can't answer that question.
From AccurateGap1: To the Xyz people (kind of a multi-layered question): How do you feel about Fusion summoning? Do you just see it as another summoning mechanic, or is it now a weapon of destruction you can't unsee anymore? What would you do/feel if you were in a scenario where Fusion was the only summoning mechanic you could use? If you weren't in a restrictive situation, would you still consider learning it?
Yuto: It's hard to come to terms with it, but Academia is the enemy—not Fusion Summoning. I think I understood that a while ago. After all, Sora and Serena are here, aren't they? They're proof that Fusion Summoning can be used for good.
Yuto: … that's what the reasonable part of me is saying, anyway. But it'll still be a long while before I'll ever be able to touch a Fusion card without feeling disgusted by it.
Ruri: I personally feel uncomfortable around them? I don't hold any resentment against our comrades who use Fusion, of course! But it's hard to forget… I feel bad about it, too. But if necessary… I don't know. Do I have the right to say for certain that I'll never use Fusion Summoning, if it might be necessary to help everyone?... I guess I'm just trying not to think about it for now.
Shun: I was softening towards it, before. Back when I first met Serena, I mean. And then Dennis happened. I chose to trust him, even though he was a Fusion user, and he immediately made all my worst fears come true. Immediately after that, my walls came up again…
Shun: But I don't know. I look at Serena, who uses Fusion Summoning so vehemently against Academia. If I rejected her for that, she would probably carry on fighting on her own anyway, wouldn't she? I don't think I'll ever stop flinching when my comrades Fusion Summon. I don't think I'll ever use it myself, no matter what kind of situation we're in… I'd be disgusted at my own hands if I tried to. But at the very least, I won't turn away allies based on the methods they use. I only hope that I can convince the Resistance to look past those things too.
Nue: For me? The rest aren't here to listen, huh? If I have to answer truthfully… I've come to terms with the kind of person that I am. What I seek is the ending that I want, for myself and my people. When I see others use Fusion… I'm still irrationally angry. But if, hypothetically, I lost all my cards and the only way that I could fight my way out was with Fusion Summoning… why would I hesitate? I'll hate myself, yes, but I hate them more. I'd rather hate myself than let them kill me.
From Bryz0n: to all the Bracelet Girls, what would be the best thing to describe about their respective Yu-boy?
Miharu: … I've already said this. But Yuno's always so kind, without any expectations of anything more. He's the warmest kind of person—like sunlight. And no matter what people think of him, no matter what he goes through, he does his best to continue being kind to other people. It's not something that's easy for others to do… basic kindness is something that is underrated, in my opinion. It's why I love him so much.
Yuzu: Yuya always tries his best to stick to his own wishes, no matter what! He does get upset sometimes, and sometimes, he can be a bit mean, but he's never really that selfish. He does his best, even when people look down on him, even when the situation doesn't seem like it'll work out for him. It's really encouraging!
Chiaki: The best thing about Yuji? He doesn't change for other people. He's always his own person. People might think that he's weak-willed, or that he listens to everything I say, but in reality, I'm only so overbearing because I know that if Yuji really didn't want to do something, he'd tell me so. He's not emotional or sensitive, but I prefer things this way. If that's the case, things are always clear between us.
Rin: Yugo's always had his head in the clouds, you know? He aims for goals and dreams that are so high up that you can't even figure out how to get there. But I think that's a good thing. Most people give up on their dreams and try to justify them as unrealistic or pointless, and they settle for something less. But Yugo will always try his best—he'll never settle.
Serena: I need to say good things about Yuri? This seems a bit unfair to me… well, fine. Yuri always tries to see things as they are. He doesn't romanticise things, he doesn't try to soften them, he just sees them and judges them as they are. It makes him an insensitive jerk, most of the time… but at the same time, it's almost relieving to have someone who will never try to put you on a pedestal. If he stays, you know it's because he is interested in you the way that you are, instead of misunderstanding you.
Ruri: Yuto… is the kind of person that makes you feel safe around him. It's not that he doesn't get mad, but when he does, it's always because he sees some kind of injustice and he needs to correct it. To me, he's kind of a knight in shining armour?... I'm a bit embarrassed now. But he always protects what he wants to protect, he gets angry on the behalf of his loved ones, and he's a shoulder for me to lean on. So… that's why being around him is so comforting for me.
From Enigmathenightmare: Mion: What do you think about manga Reiji and manga Sawatari?
Mion: … Shingo actually seems more mature in that world than he does here. And more competent too—though that part's not surprising. I know better than anyone that he's more competent than he seems, if he would just drop that arrogance that our father taught him.
Mion: As for Reiji… he's more dramatic here, isn't he? It's a little strange to see a version of him who is so devoted to his father though, all things considered… I'm glad that the Reiji from our world didn't have to go through the same thing though. Having to be all on your own and go to a place where you don't know anyone… it's awful. A part of me wishes that I could do something for that version of him too. I just hope that he ends up happier and finds a place to belong too—he has that right.
From Jtblake: To Hitoda: Could you elaborate more on your last romantic relationship?
Hitoda: Hmm, what's there to say? Because well, I'm… me, with that problem that you probably know about, I didn't realise what I actually had until I lost it. Even now, I'm uncertain if what I felt back then was love—if I loved him at all. And I'll probably never get it back. The failure of that relationship… well, part of the blame goes to both of us, as one might expect. But… part of it goes to the reality of this world we live in too.
From Pyro777: To Mion and Sawatari, how would you describe your relationship as siblings compared to the other sibling relationships of the Lancers?
Mion: … that's interesting. The thing is, I do care about Shingo. But there's always been a lot of baggage there between us… a lot of it comes down to our parents too. My mother hated Shingo, our father hated me. So… it gets hard. Still, even though he can be rude sometimes, Shingo's only ever done nice things for me, even if he doesn't realise it. He's… hah. He's not the worst younger brother to have. Still, we're certainly not as close as the rest of them. Call it circumstance.
Sawatari: I get a bit jealous when I see the others, you know? Because I want that too! So yeah, we're not as close, but this time, I'm going to be the one that chases after her—after all, nothing's going to happen if I don't make it happen myself!
From Pyro777, To the Lancers, when Aademia is defeated, how would you want to celebrate with the group, and where would you hold it?
Yuno: Well, obviously we have to go back to Standard, right? That's where most of us met, after all!
Yuya: Yup! We could do it at You Show!
Yugo: Ooh, that really funky school that you come from? Yeah, Kaname, it's really cool! We should go there!
Yuzu: Oh, my dad's going to lose his mind if the six of us all show up…
Miharu: Oh, right…
Chiaki: Your dad?
Yuzu: He may try to adopt you on the spot.
Reiji: Well, I suppose a celebration would be in order. If we all prefer for it to be private, You Show isn't a bad venue to choose. I can settle the catering.
Blaise: So you're just having a party? Nothing more?
Reiji: … honestly, the end of the war is just more work. I'd much rather rest and eat before we get to it.
Shun: Seconded.
From Pyro777: To Kyorin, How would you describe the Lancer members to Chiaki and Yuji?
Kyorin: Well… to be honest, I think the key thing that stands out to me is how accepting they are. None of us here are perfect—we all come with our own issues and problems, you know? But we just accept each other as we are, or help each other out with our issues…
Kyorin: I always felt that the reason why Chiaki and Yuji were both so closed off was because they couldn't really be bothered to look for acceptance from other people. But acceptance freely given is something else… I think that they'd like it. So that's what I'd tell them! That this is a place where we can all belong, all understand and maybe… maybe they could be happy here too.
From Pyro777: To Chiaki and Yuji, ow would you describe your friendship with Kyorin at three different points before your kidnapping with Asuka and Johan still being friends, during it with the betrayal of those two, and now that you have reunited and seen what she's done to save you two?
Chiaki: Initially? That friendship was probably the closest that either of us had come to being genuine with someone else back then. I admired Kyorin. Despite lacking confidence, she also just wanted to do what she liked, without worrying about judgement from others—and she kept trying to do it. So I enjoyed being with her. I wanted to help her… and I think she helped me, just by being there.
Yuji: … Kyorin was kind. And she never minded my presence. I never minded hers either. So we could just co-exist, even if neither of us talked. And even when she talked, she never made me talk.
Chiaki: You liked her too, huh?
Yuji: Mmm. Over time.
Chiaki: For that second point… it's interesting for me. Because at first, I thought that Kyorin was a traitor too. Right, Yuji?
Yuji: … mm. I only found out later from Yuri that she was just an innocent person caught up in everything.
Chiaki: I found out from Gitsune. To be honest, back when we were still at Academia, once I learned that she hadn't betrayed us at all, when I found out that our home had been invaded… after my brother and Yuji's guardian, she was the first one that I thought about. She didn't even duel back then. She was scared to. So I felt bad that we'd left her alone. I wanted to make it up to her.
Yuji: I… was the one that was cruel to her. I practised those words to tell our story, mine and yours, and then I used it to hurt her. I told her that she didn't know us at all. I tried to make her give up by telling her the truth about our homeland. She nearly defeated me, if not for that card… and she still trusted, in the end, that I would never card her. She still trusted me so much…
Chiaki: Hah. We don't deserve Kyorin, do we?
Yuji: We probably don't.
Chiaki: As for now? When I first heard that she was a part of the Lancers… I'll admit that I didn't expect it. To think that she'd chase after us to that extent… that kind of loyalty is something that I'm still not used to from anyone but Yuji. Maybe my brother too, but… yeah. So, I guess if I had to put it into words… I won't risk Kyorin for anything now. I have to protect her, so that we can go back home together. She deserves that much, and so do we. You'll help me too, right?
Yuji: … you, and her. Let's go home together.
From naminexriku2468: To Serena, what's your favourite flower?
Serena: Do you know what cowslips are? They're small primroses, they nest in swamps, in damper mud, in general places that you wouldn't expect flowers to be. There was a small area by a pond a long time ago—the pond's been removed from Academia now, so that a building could be set up in its place. But before that, Yuri and I went down there together. We tossed mud at each other—it was messy, and it was fun. The cowslips grew by the pond in the boggy ground, bright yellow. I don't know why I remember them so clearly.
Serena: Yuri told me that they meant 'winning grace'. Something about that stuck with me too.
Serena: The pond doesn't exist anymore. I can't find those flowers anymore either. But they were pretty.
From phantomdragons: To Miharu: Do you know about the past relationship that your brother was in? Do you have any expectations for the kind of person that your brother would date?
Miharu: Ryoken dating someone? To be honest, he doesn't really have a social life. I'm sure that he would be able to get a girlfriend, if he wanted to, but… I don't know? He's never seemed interested in that kind of thing. I'm not even sure what his type would be. But the kind of person who could get my brother interested enough in them for them to end up dating… I'd like to meet them, really. I just hope that they'll treat each other well—Ryoken deserves the best.
From phantomdragons: To Miharu: Miharu, would you ever consider becoming a Charisma Duelist? If you did, what would be your name, and would you want to perform alongside Yuno?
Miharu: Becoming a Charisma Duelist, huh? I don't think that I would. But humouring you a bit… Yuno and I once came up with alternate avatar names for ourselves, if we used each other's decks, so I'll steal his name for now. Bright Blossoms would be a nice alternative name, I think. As for wanting to perform…
Miharu: If he asked, maybe I'd agree. But that's not likely. My personality isn't the kind that'll make me popular, after all.
Blaise: I guess that's it then. Right. Let's get back to normal.
The snake looked up, before shaking its head. It seemed rather cheerful.
"I think I got to around half the questions. I'll see if I can get a Tumblr post up eventually with the rest! I'm just tired of answering questions, haha. That's it, then! See you next time. After all…"
It moved towards the edge of the table, slipping towards the door. The strange space around it dissolved, leaving nothing but a void.
"The game will continue then."
End Notes:
Sorry if I didn't get to all the questions! There really were just too many, and I didn't want writing this chapter to turn into a chore :D I wrote until I got tired and stopped. I did try to make sure that I got at least one question from each person in though. For the rest, I do have them typed down in a document. Later I'll look through, and for those that I didn't answer but that aren't spoilery, I'll put them in a Tumblr post :) But I do need to take a break from this chapter, haha.
Will point out one specific question though—there was a Hogwarts house question, which if you go to the Tumblr and scroll to roughly the end of August this year, has a much fuller answer than what I could type in this format.
I'll quickly do some review responses here. :D But yeah, I'll be continuing my full outlining of the Xyz Arc, so this should be the last chapter for a while.
To T.V. 2000, yeah, there's a symbolic reason for Tearlaments! :) Though I can't elaborate on that. I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter, I enjoyed writing it too :)
To kikuruhime, I've resigned myself to the fact that I like writing ship tease. And yes, Yuri is very oblivious, though to be fair, Shino/Ryo are more lowkey than most of the other couples in the fic.
To cardfan135, ah, I still think about Kaname vs Ryo very often too. But yeah, that chapter had a lot of plot to work with, huh? :) Glad that you enjoyed it so much! The Ritual stuff was pretty fun for me too.
To Ben23ten, I got your review right before a meeting, and it was pretty long, haha! Thank you for the long review :D I'm fond of the prison arc as well—I think it was at the point when I really began to have fun diverging from canon. I had a really fun time going through all of the things that you liked about the characters, and I'm glad that you are enjoying all their arcs so much!
To Unlucky-Fausto, sorry that I didn't get to your three questions here! I'll probably try to answer them another time. And yeah, I thought it'd be fun to throw some fun peeks into other worlds before we get there. Helps to sate my need to write some of these characters too :D
To Pyro777, congrats on catching up! Yeah, the story is a bit dense, haha. Your questions were very evil, and there were a few that I couldn't answer, because of spoilers, but I hope that you enjoyed the read anyway.
To Enigmathenightmare, I always say this, but I rarely write things from Shino's POV, purely because a lot of what she knows is stuff that the Lancers don't. I will say that technically in the story so far, there's nothing that goes against your theory. I'm always interested in theories anyway! I'm so glad that you like Dennis's arc—we'll be seeing more of him in the future! And I'm glad you like Kyorin—she, Yuji and Chiaki are all getting more screentime next arc too :D And your top 10 + HM was very heartwarming to read, thank you :)
To Erathios, lmao, I remember writing that and being extremely pained by it too. I'm glad you enjoyed the Sawatari moment! Jack vs Yugo and Miharu vs Yuno are kind of what I call the two finales of the Friendship Cup—the one before Academia invades and the one after. And well, to be fair, Gishkis was actually to match with Pegasus, for toons/illusions and water/mirrors.
To AccurateGap1, to be fair, I first mentioned Pegasus all the way back in Chapter 19, during Yuji vs Kyorin! :) And yup, it's that Eve. The entire current Lancer roster is going to Xyz. That's Reiji, Reira, Mion, Yuya, Yuzu, Tsukikage, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Kyorin, Yuji, Chiaki, Serena, Sora, Yugo, Kaname, Rin, Yuto, Ruri, Nue, Shun, Yuno, Miharu and Hitoda. Don't worry, I know how I'm going to manage the cast size :)
To Bryz0n, mm, I didn't want to add in another Amazoness user in the long-term due to the fact that the Tyler Sisters already exist, and it might take the spotlight away from them. But I didn't want to just ignore Tania's existence either, so I at least let her show up, though she immediately got stomped. Chapter 81 is pretty much an entire set-up chapter for the Academia plot, since in a way, canon Synchro was completely disconnected from it. The plot is pretty much kicking into overdrive, starting from next arc.
To MochiYoshi, no worries! Sorry for your Tearlaments trauma, haha. Glad that you enjoyed though!
To phantomdragons, that's a lot of theorising! I'm very touched by how much analysing you did, but… I can't comment on it precisely because it's a theory, haha. But thank you anyway.
To Jalapainio, ooh, you're taking part in NaNaWriMo too? Yeah, writing is the main thing that I do, so when I can put my focus (read: hyperfocus) on it, I tend to go quite fast. Ooh, yeah, Chapter 54 is the crowning jewel of the entire first half of the Synchro Arc, haha. I'm really proud of it. Glad that you like this fic's Yuya and Yuri too! :D And your username's a really funny pun too. :)
To PhilJS89, mm, yeah, I chose to use the coin flip intentionally, because while I am a bit flippant about certain things, I would rather follow what the effect says—that way, it does apply to support for coin flip or dice roll effects. As for Mokey Mokey, I just searched up Level 1 Normal Monsters and nothing seemed thematic, so I just threw it in for a fun reference.
To TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, Serenity (or Shizuka as she's called here) does exist in this universe, and has been mentioned before! And yeah, it's fine to use dub names in your review if you want to. I personally don't like them, which is why I don't write using them, but I'm not going to tell you what to do! :) At most, if I don't know who you're talking about, I'll just google it.
Also, as of the time that I've posted this chapter, the one year anniversary special should be up! :D I posted it under a different fic with like 10000 different spoiler warnings, so hopefully that works. Enjoy both that and this, and I'll be taking a break for a bit!