Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

The initial reason for gathering together was to prevent being defeated one by one, but the situation is different now, and perhaps a different tactic can be adopted.

"……Do not."

But Izayoi Yuki gave a negative answer.

She hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, and she was somewhat tempted by You Xi's suggestion, but after thinking for a few seconds, she said, "That's precisely why we need to meet up as soon as possible."

"As the competition progresses, the remaining opponents will only get stronger. Only by combining our strengths can we have a better chance of defeating them and achieving our goal of advancing."

"Do you increase your win rate by outnumbering your opponents?"

Xingyewu chuckled and teased, "Xiaoxue is really cautious."

"After all, none of us know if there will be another dark horse like You Xi in this competition, so we don't need to take any risks."

Izayoi Yuki never doubted whether she could advance.

Kiyosumi High School has the potential to win the Star Cup, but there's always a chance something unexpected could happen, especially since this year's Star Cup is quite unique.

"Ah, you're right."

Reminded by Izayoi Yuki, Yuki also snapped out of her initial euphoria.

While their goal this time is to participate in the Star Cup and win the championship, the problems they face are far more than just the Star Cup itself.

If it were just him and Xingye Wu, it would be alright, but Izayoi Yuki, who is suspected to be a "sacrifice child," would be in much more danger. They couldn't leave her alone.

"Then I'll come find you now. Xue, Wu, where are you now?"

"It's located at an intersection, near a commercial street."

Izayoi Yuki replied, "Yuki, can you see that tall building with a pointed roof in the distance?"

"Yes, I can see it."

"Very well, let's meet there then. But there's no need to rush. If we encounter any good opportunities to deal with powerful enemies along the way, we must not give them up."

"I will obey the imperial edict!"

"Okay, it's settled then."

Having made an appointment with Izayoi Yuki, Yuki hung up her headphones, looked around, and compared the route with the map she had memorized before setting off.

At this time-

"Hello, You Xi."

"Why!?"

A somewhat lukewarm voice suddenly rang out from behind, startling You Xi.

He turned around abruptly and realized that a young girl was standing behind him.

The girl's hair evokes images of lush green grasslands, with her single ponytail swaying back and forth with her movements.

She held up one hand and said "Yo!" as if greeting You Xi.

What's going on? Where did this person come from? Why didn't Mana and the others notice?

"You are……?"

Yu Xi was surprised and uncertain, and subconsciously asked, and the girl replied instantly, "It's me, Wendy. You should recognize who I am, right?"

"Wendy... ah, she's Mashiro's teammate."

Upon receiving the girl's hint, Youxi immediately remembered the identity of the person in front of her.

No wonder he thought it looked familiar.

"Yes, yes, that's me."

Wendy nodded slowly, reaching into her purse and pulling out a flat cardboard box. With a flick of her wrist, a black stick emerged from the box's opening—

"Hey, Yu Xi, would you like this chocolate bar?"

"chocolate bar?"

Youxi was taken aback, somewhat confused by the actions of the girl named Wendy: "Wait, why are you suddenly giving me this?"

"Hmm? Isn't the reason obvious?"

Wendy took out a chocolate bar and crunched on it, saying matter-of-factly, "Snacks taste better when shared. Besides, I want to be friends with Youxi."

"Become friends with me?"

"Yes."

Wendy explained, "I've heard about you from Mashiro many times, and I find it very interesting. I happened to see you nearby, so I came over to say hello—how about it? Since you've become friends with Mashiro, why don't you become friends with me too? If you'd like, here's a chocolate bar."

"Being friends is no problem..."

Yuuki couldn't quite understand the girl in front of him. She had the ability to evade the spirits' senses through stealth techniques, and her way of speaking was somewhat illogical. But since she was someone Mashiro knew, it wouldn't hurt to get to know her.

He took the chocolate bar from Wendy's hand, and as he put it to his mouth, he said, "But speaking of which, aren't you going to duel with me?"

On this battlefield, duelists from different teams usually start fighting within 5 seconds of meeting, but Wendy doesn't seem to have that fighting spirit.

He only felt a sense of leisure, like spending his days on spring break.

"A duel? No way."

Wendy clearly had no intention of fighting Yuki: "While I can't say I have absolutely no interest in dueling with Yuki, we'll meet again in the finals anyway. There's no need to rush to a winner now. The best food should be saved for last—but more importantly, could I travel with you, Yuki?"

"With me?"

"Yep."

Wendy nodded first, then said something that made Youxi's eyes widen slightly—

"I think it would be great to have Xingfeng and Qingcheng form an alliance in this match."

"!"

Chapter 182 Alliance, with the Next Target

—To form an alliance.

Youxi hadn't expected to hear such a suggestion from Wendy, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that the suggestion was actually quite reasonable, and...

very good.

"...Indeed, no one has ever said that strong teams cannot form alliances."

Once she recovered from her surprise, You Xi quickly began to think, analyzing the pros and cons of doing this: "In fact, doing this has many benefits for us."

"right."

Wendy crunched on a chocolate bar and mumbled, "Look, isn't the relationship between our Xingfeng and your Qingcheng quite good? In that case, why don't we form an alliance to fight against external threats together, a powerful alliance, and then settle our differences in the finals after we've both made it through the rounds?"

On the chaotic stage of "Duel City," weaker teams can form alliances, but that doesn't mean stronger teams can't.

The only conditions for forming an alliance are a foundation of trust and shared interests between the two parties. And Xingfeng and Qingcheng happen to meet both of these conditions.

They had simply fallen into a slight mental trap.

However, no matter how tempting the proposal was, You Xi did not make a decision on her own.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I can't agree to the alliance right away. I need to ask our captain."

"no problem."

Wendy said nonchalantly, "It's perfect timing since I haven't talked to Mashiro and Saki about this yet. Let's talk about it now—how about this, we merge the communication channels so everyone can speak freely."

Youxi felt that Wendy made sense, so she did not refuse again this time.

Considering the danger of staying on the street, Yuki took Wendy into a house, and then, with Izayoi Yuki's consent, temporarily created a new group chat, adding everyone related to Kiyosumi and Hoshino.

With the elves on guard nearby, Yuki and Wendy started chatting online.

[Yuki: What do you all think about teaming up with Mashiro and the others?]

[Honglian: Very good, it's a very effective strategy. Having a reliable ally will make this match much easier.]

【Shining Wind Girl: I have no objection, Xiaoxi and Xiaoxue, you two can decide—more importantly, Xiaoxi, you've been flirting with new girls again while we were away (*^▽^*)?】

Yuki: No, rather than saying I provoked her, it's more accurate to say she came to me on her own initiative...

Wendy: I ​​guess this is what they call fate, but I've always been very lucky.

[Shining Wind Girl: Huh? They're actually chatting online using their real names? That's amazing.]

[Blue Princess: What luck! You were just lost, and happened to run into someone you knew and started talking to them. I think you just want someone to guide you so you don't get lost again later! [○?｀Д?? ○]]

Wendy: That's slander! I'm just lost on the path of life, not lost at all. Mashiro, how many times do I have to correct you before you understand?

No, this is what it means to be lost, isn't it?

Why are you able to say this so confidently?

You Xi couldn't help but look up at the green-haired girl next to her. The latter was looking down at her phone screen, typing away intently with both hands.

For some reason, Yuuki felt that Mashiro was right, rather than focusing on forming an alliance. Wendy probably made that suggestion because she was afraid of getting lost again and wanted to connect with him.

But he couldn't very well ask the girl directly to confirm it.

Seemingly sensing Youxi's gaze, Wendy looked back and took out another chocolate bar: "Want some?"

"Ah, thanks."

Youxi took the chocolate bar, lowered his head again, and looked at the screen. In the brief moment his attention shifted, the conversation moved forward again, making new progress.

Wendy: Besides, Mashiro, that's not what you're angry about. You're not jealous, are you? Jealous that I was the first person to meet Yuuki?

[Blue Princess: What!? Jealousy? Are you kidding me? I'm not jealous!]

Wendy: This reaction is hard to describe...

[Shining Wind Girl: Oh dear, watch your mouth, Wendy. What you just said is tantamount to starting a fight.]

Wendy: Is that so?

[The perfectly dashing 16-year-old maid: Alright, alright, everyone calm down, let's not stray from the topic. Let's get back to what we were just talking about—are you serious about getting Hoshino and Kiyosumi to form an alliance?]

[Crimson Lotus: What's wrong with that? Team Star is probably all alone in Duel City, so if another team is willing to cooperate with you, it will benefit you too.]

[The perfectly dashing 16-year-old maid: No, no, no, even if the Star Vanguard team's situation is as you say, we've always managed to do this and still won the championship. Do you think we can't do it this year, Captain Kiyosumi?]