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

--yes.

Hoshinobu could guess what Izayoi Hoshi would say based on his personality. So how could the boy, who spent every day and night with her, not know what kind of response she would give?

As expected, the two girls, with their ears pressed against the door, heard the boy's resolute voice through the door.

Even though she had expected it, Izayoi Yuki's heart still skipped a beat.

……

"What happen to you guys?"

After chatting with Izayoi Hoshi, Yuki slowly walked out of the ward.

As soon as she came out, Youxi sensed the strange atmosphere.

Izayoi Yuki deliberately avoided eye contact with him, slightly shifting her gaze away, while Hoshinobu smiled mischievously.

This feeling of unease hadn't been there before he entered the ward.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. You don't need to worry about it, Xiaoxi. It's just that Xiaoxue and I had a little private talk that we can't tell anyone else."

Xing Yewu waved her hand, indicating that You Xi didn't need to mind such a small matter, and skillfully steered the conversation: "Speaking of which, why did Uncle Xing call you in? Is there something he wants to tell you?"

"Ah, it's really not a big deal."

Yuki truthfully recounted his conversation with Izayoi Hoshi to the girls, but he glossed over the part where Izayoi Hoshi entrusted Izayoi Yuki to him.

Seeing that Izayoi Yuki and Hoshino Mai were listening intently to her narration and hadn't noticed this, she breathed a sigh of relief and finally made a summary.

"—So, from now on, Uncle Izayoi Hoshi will teach me how to comprehend and master the state of mind of a clear mirror and still water, until I learn acceleration synchronization and triangular acceleration synchronization."

"So, Xiaoxi, you've become Uncle Xing's personally recognized disciple?"

Xing Yewu nodded and extracted the key points from You Xi's long speech, then clapped her hands.

"So that means you and Xiaoxue are fellow disciples? Oh no, Xiaoxue joined the sect first, you should be her junior brother. Congratulations to you two, Xiaoxi and Xiaoxue, this is double the marriage!"

"Do you really have to use such an easily misunderstood way of saying it?"

Izayoi Yuki glared at Hoshinobu, who stuck out her tongue cutely.

Knowing there was nothing she could do about her friend, the white-haired, red-eyed girl sighed and looked at Youxi again.

"However, what Wu said is also true. From now on, please guide me in another sense, Junior Brother You Xi."

"Yes, please guide me, senior sister."

They smiled at each other and finished speaking in a perfunctory manner, when You Xi suddenly thought of something else.

"Oh right, Uncle also said that not only do I need to learn the Mind of Clarity and Stillness, Xue, you need to learn it too."

"I?"

Izayoi Yuki was somewhat puzzled.

"Why should I learn it too? My dueling strategy has nothing to do with Acceleration Synchro."

While Accelerated Synchro Summoning is undoubtedly a gem in Synchro Summoning, the core gameplay of her deck revolves around double Star Charge, which is on the same level. However, she hasn't yet mastered it.

Trying to do too much at once will only lead to failure; learning another method of acceleration synchronization will likely leave you with no practical use for it.

"It has nothing to do with accelerating synchronization; it's mainly about Crimson Lotus."

When it came to serious matters, Yu Xi put away his joking with the girls and explained seriously, "Uncle said that comprehending the state of 'Clear Mirror Still Water' is beneficial for strengthening one's will and spirit. Even if you don't learn Accelerated Synchronization, mastering this can help you in the process of mastering Dual Star Tuning."

"I see."

After Yuki's explanation, Izayoi Yuki quickly understood what was going on.

indeed.

As the name suggests, a clear and tranquil mind is an ability related to the spiritual realm. It is said that mastering this skill allows one to maintain at least a minimum level of calmness and inner clarity regardless of the situation.

With this, practicing dual star adjustment can perhaps be put on the agenda sooner.

"Ah—that's wonderful."

Xing Yewu, who was excluded from the topic, looked somewhat envious and resentful.

"You two actually have your own practice programs... Hey, Xi, could you tell Uncle Xing to include me when you're learning the Mind of Still Water? I want to learn Accelerated Synchronization too."

"Uh, that's possible. But I think it would be better for you, Mai, to focus your energy on leveling up your Xyz Rank. That path should suit you better."

"Is that so? Then Xiaoxi, why don't you come and study the Xyz Rank with me? As long as it makes us stronger and we don't go astray, we can never have too much power, right?"

"With both accelerated synchronization and upgrades, Yuki might not be able to handle it, Mai."

"It's okay, it's okay. We can just study it in our spare time at night, right, Xiaoxi?"

"what?"

In just a few words, Xing Yewu finalized the specific allocation and usage rights of Youxi's future time, while Youxi, who intuitively sensed some kind of danger, dared not utter a single word of objection.

However, neither Accelerated Synchro nor Xyz Surge can be learned immediately in a short period of time.

—Before that, an airplane flew from the territory of the Western Alliance toward Morninglight City.

Chapter 278 True duelists cannot desert their posts.

"Hmm, is this the place?"

Stepping out of the car, the man with short, golden hair took off his sunglasses and looked at the white building in front of him.

"It seems this hospital isn't very high-standard, Sister Rose. You've been letting your husband stay here all these years?"

"People can make a lot of mistakes by judging things by appearances alone."

Izayoi Rose stepped out of the car from the other side. She was still wearing her office lady uniform, and her face was covered with light makeup, which concealed the fatigue caused by boarding the plane overnight and working.

After coming out, she tidied her hair in front of the mirror and said, "This is one of the largest hospitals funded by the D Alliance, and it also cooperates with the Public Security Bureau. In terms of equipment and facilities, it is not much worse than the private hospitals you have been to before."

"Oh, that sounds good."

Sigurd nodded noncommittally.

He didn't actually care about that; he just said it casually to start a conversation.

"let's go."

Having noticed this, Izayoi Rose didn't say anything more to him and led the way out of the hospital. After registering at the counter, she easily made her way to the VIP floor of the inpatient building.

Because of the long distance between the Eastern and Western Conferences, even by plane, it took the two of them quite a while, and they didn't arrive until the afternoon.

—If we're talking about late, then it really is a bit late.

She had originally planned to arrive at the hospital immediately and stay by Izayoi Hoshi's side to witness the moment she awoke from her long slumber. However, Yuki and Izayoi Yuki's swift actions shattered that plan.

Moreover, several hours have passed since Izayoi Hoshi awakened, and the news of the hero's return has obviously spread.

During this period, several groups of people had already come to visit Izayoi Hoshi.

Such as Izayoi Hoshi's old comrade-in-arms, Ushio Takeshi, the director and deputy director of the local security maintenance bureau, the principal of Kiyosumi Academy, and so on.

If it weren't for the fact that he was seriously injured in the "Doomsday Bell" incident, nearly dying and then alive, and is currently being suppressed in Starsword City Hospital by his old boss, Mr. Donnie, Logan, as Izayoi's best friend, would definitely have been there.

Being placed behind these people, Izayoi Rosa didn't even get a taste of the first soup.

But there's nothing wrong with that.

This means she has more time to prepare and can face that person in a better mental state. She also has more time and space to spend with him, making up for the lost time.

Thinking this, as she got closer to the ward, Izayoi Rosa's heart raced faster and faster. Even though she had already learned the news from her daughter, she was still extremely nervous.

She hasn't been like this in a long time.

I can vaguely recall the last time something like this happened was more than ten years ago during my student days, when I confessed my feelings to my current love. As I've grown older and gained more experience, this kind of thing has basically stopped happening.

But just like before, no matter how tense she is, what she has to do will not change.

Upon entering the ward, she could faintly hear voices coming from inside. Without hesitation, Izayoi Rosa took a breath and opened the door.

The scene inside was exactly as she had imagined.

Izayoi Hoshi lay quietly in bed, her expression slightly surprised when she saw her arrive.

"rose?"

"star……"

Bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, the two locked eyes, and even across a distance and years, they could still understand each other's feelings with just a glance.

This scene evokes the feeling of a romantic drama where the devoted couple finally sees their long-suffering partner awaken.

...It would be even better if there were a few fewer light bulbs on site.

"Mother?"

"Aunt Rose? You're back so quickly?"

"Oh! It seems I've come at the perfect time."

Sigurd glanced at the two women and two men in the room, his gaze sweeping over the two girls, whose looks were among the best he had ever met, before finally settling on the baby-faced boy. He whistled—

"As that man from the seahorse would say, this is what they call 'searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.'"

……

"I suppose introductions are unnecessary, everyone. I think both sides already know who they are."

"Yes, I never expected to see such a big star in this place. It's really surprising."

When Izayoi Hoshi and Izayoi Rosa met, the self-aware crowd naturally wouldn't disturb their private time.

Led by Izayoi Yuki, he quietly slipped out of the room. Outside the room, Sigurd shook hands with Yuki in a friendly manner.

As the former said, both are duelists who have a certain reputation in the dueling world, so the unnecessary introduction can be omitted.

More than that, Yuki, Izayoi Yuki, and the others were surprised that Sigurd had appeared here.

“Mr. Sigurd, shouldn’t you be preparing for the Arctic Cup right now?” Izayoi Yuki asked.

—The Arctic Cup is a major event in the Western Conference Finals.

The scale of the event surpasses even the Star Cup, and the participants are mostly professional duelists who have been immersed in professional competitions for many years.

As one of the most promising young talents in recent years, comparable to Amagi Naruto and others, Sigurd certainly couldn't possibly not participate in this competition. Theoretically, he shouldn't have that much free time to run around everywhere.