"Tch, she escaped alive."
Watching Megan leave using barrier techniques, You Ling couldn't help but sigh; this world truly possessed many mysterious powers he didn't understand.
"Lin-chan!"
After the mist representing the Shadow Game completely dissipated, Aisha Carlos immediately crashed into You Ling, hugging him tightly.
Although he really wanted to say "tackled with balls," unfortunately, there were no balls.
"That's great, Lin-chan, it's really great that you're okay. Such a dangerous situation, it made me so nervous I didn't even dare to make a sound!"
Clearly, Aisha's body was also exhausted from the Shadow Game and running far beyond her usual exercise capacity, yet at this moment, tightly embracing Yilin's body, she felt no fatigue at all.
Perhaps because she had faced a Shadow Game together with Yilin as a child, Aisha's joy of surviving a calamity was no less than her childhood friend's.
You Ling freed one hand and somewhat awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"Um, Aisha... it's still me."
"[・_・?] Huh?"
The silver-white ahoge atop her head curled slightly into a question mark shape; Aisha seemed to realize something, and a shy blush began to slowly creep onto her cheeks.
"Me, You Ling."
"Mr. Y-You Ling... um, that... I forgot for a moment."
Immediately letting go of Yilin's body she was tightly hugging, Aisha stammered a forced explanation, making You Ling even more embarrassed.
Aisha never dreamed that her first contact with You Ling in a way other than through souls would be under such circumstances.
At this moment, Aisha Carlos's inner turmoil.
"What to do, I hugged him without any preparation, will I make Mr. You Ling hate me? Besides, this body is so disheveled right now, and dirty, wuwuwu, I really want to take a bath before coming back."
A very girlish worry, which You Ling actually didn't care about at all.
The only feeling was that, looking at his host Aisha Carlos from Yilin's perspective, she seemed even better looking than usual in the mirror.
"Forget it, I'll leave it to you, Lin."
——Soul Exchange.
Returning control of Yilin's body, You Ling went back to the mind room within the Millennium Puzzle.
A dream-like trance, Yilin, whose soul had returned to her body, first blinked her red eyes in confusion, then glanced at the Millennium Puzzle on her chest, confirming that this matter wasn't a dream.
"Xiao Ai, it's me this time."
"Lin-chan?"
"Mm."
"Welcome back!"
This time, at least, she didn't hug the wrong person.
Perhaps winning the Shadow Game, for the two who had once experienced the harm of a Shadow Game together, had a significance beyond simply 'victory'.
"This is also thanks to You Ling being here."
"Mm, Mr. You Ling is the most amazing."
Of course, neither of them would arrogantly believe that they won the Shadow Game through their own strength.
These two Shadow Games were undoubtedly battles won fair and square by You Ling.
"Um, Lin-chan..."
After sharing the joy that only the two of them could feel, Aisha gestured with her eyes towards the Millennium Puzzle on Yilin's chest.
"Can you, give it back to me?"
"Oh, I almost forgot, hahaha."
Yilin scratched the back of her head, revealing a smile no different from usual.
"Right, this is your thing after all, Xiao Ai, of course I can't keep holding onto it. Now, mm, I'll give it back to you now."
Clearly smiling, yet Yilin's mood was more complicated than ever before.
So complicated that even she herself couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.
When she took off the Millennium Puzzle hanging on her chest and returned it to her best friend, Yilin felt as if something important had been taken away from her heart.
The sense of loss made Yilin's fingers, as they separated from the Millennium Puzzle, tremble slightly.
"Xiao Ai, she's my best friend. Just now, it was also because of Xiao Ai that I was saved."
Finally, after repeatedly reaffirming her beliefs and principles, Yilin vigorously shook her red-haired little head, trying her best not to overthink.
Hanging the Millennium Puzzle back on her chest, the familiar soul connection restored, also allowed Aisha to regain her usual sense of peace.
Speaking of usual peace, this peace was only felt after You Ling's arrival.
The current Aisha already couldn't imagine what she would do if she left You Ling.
"Mr. You Ling."
"Hm?"
"You won't leave, right?"
"Well, probably."
Asking that question, I'd also need a place to go.
After that was a simple exchange of information.
Aisha told Yilin about encountering Shuiwuyue, who had entered the mountain earlier and lost the Shadow Game, after she and Yilin separated.
Yilin, on the other hand, directly encountered Barrier Master Megan after leaving, so there wasn't much information worth detailing.
"Damn it, were the Three Egyptian Gods actually false information put out as bait!"
After learning the truth, Yilin, feeling not only that she had been tricked but had also dragged Aisha into trouble, was definitely angry, but more so self-reproachful.
"I'm sorry Xiao Ai, this time it's really my fault. If not for You Ling, we probably would have both ended up like Shuiyue Wu here."
Of course, You Ling actually shared half the blame in this.
If he hadn't also been very interested in the Three Egyptian Gods, Aisha wouldn't have agreed to violate school rules at night and go to a place like the back mountain.
"It's okay, Lin-chan. At least the ending was good."
Aisha, the most innocent in this matter, with her personality, would definitely not blame anyone.
"Looking on the bright side, if we hadn't come, student Shuiwuyue, whose card was taken in the Shadow Game, might have died. And even these Dark Duelists might have continued to harm more students."
When a card, as a soul, is stripped away in a Dark Duel, it irreversibly damages the Duelist's spirit or life. But if that missing puzzle piece is put back in time, they can still be saved.
"Speaking of which, Xiao Ai, you guys really returned the soul card taken from Shuiwuyue in the Dark Duel? That B-rank Magic Monster Reborn... As expected of you."
Unexpected, yet frankly, not very unexpected.
Yilin knew Aisha too well. Her kindness carried no hypocrisy; it was the purest light of humanity.
If cards and life were weighed on a scale, Aisha would definitely not choose the former out of greed.
"In that case."
Yilin opened her deck and took out the only tradable card in it.
That Magic Card [Polymerization] won from Megan.
"Young man of good heart, as a reward for your pure soul, this card is yours."
Yilin, stuffing the card into Aisha's hand, didn't forget to playfully imitate the tone of the River God grandpa from a fairy tale.
"Lin-chan?" Aisha was overwhelmed by the favor, "This Polymerization magic, isn't it very useful for your HERO deck? Is it really okay to give it to me?"
"I think it's very good. Besides, this card was won back by You Ling in the first place, so giving it to you is no problem at all. You're not allowed to refuse!"
You Ling: "I also don't allow you to refuse!"
Normal monsters with Polymerization, that stuff is very interesting.
"っﾟДﾟ)っ Okay, then I won't be polite!"