"Hey, boss, what kind of situation is this? How did you suddenly turn into a girl… and why do you even kinda look like me?"
Fallen of Albaz pointed at himself and communicated with Youmi through telepathy.
"Probably because I forgot to separate from the Chamber Dragonmaid card before merging into your body. So right now I'm in some sort of… superposition or something. Anyway, just keep pretending to be me for two more days."
Youmi blinked at Fallen of Albaz, signaling him to keep cooperating. Jaden and Syrus, however, totally misread it as a flirtatious wink and felt their hearts flutter for an instant.
....
Meanwhile, inside Youmi's dorm.
Fleurdelis, Chamber Dragonmaid, and Kitt were watching the scene outside through one of Kitt's surveillance posts.
Fleurdelis stared at Youmi's behavior in disbelief, pointing at the screen. "This… he… why do I feel like my feminine charm isn't even on par with a man...?"
As she spoke, she clutched her head, already turning pale.
"Well… probably because Miss Fleurdelis naturally gives off a very strong-willed vibe. And maybe there's also some influence from myself. After all, there's still a bit of my power mixed inside Lord Youmi."
Chamber Dragonmaid tried comforting Fleurdelis with an awkward tone. "Like… basic maid etiquette, for example?"
"Speaking of that, doesn't this mean I can make the boss serve me instead? What do you think? At this point, shouldn't his form be called something like Chamber Dragonmaid Albaz or Chamber Dragonmaid Youmi?"
While she rambled, Springans Kitt pulled out an artboard purchased with the allowance Youmi gave her and drew a card based on his current appearance.
[Chamber Dragonmaid Albaz].
Watching Kitt sketch out the card, almost like a 3D printer, Chamber Dragonmaid complimented her. "You drew it beautifully… but did you add some strange elements? Lord Youmi isn't that dark-skinned, nor that… mature."
"Ah, well, Albaz is dark-skinned, right? And in my mind, the prettiest onee-san is still Sister Ferrijit. Still, I didn't want the boss' form to surpass Ferrijit, so I drew him just a little smaller~" Kitt puffed out her chest proudly, as if to prove something. "One day, I'll definitely grow as big as her. Like—this big!"
While bragging, she sketched an image of Tri-Brigade Ferrijit the Barren Blossom on the board.
"Heh, that really is a nice figure. As expected of a cat… Anyway, those two boys look like they're about to say something. Could it be a confession?"
Outside, Jaden stepped forward, bowed deeply, and shouted, "Please duel me, Miss Yuyumi!"
At the same time, both Fallen of Albaz and Syrus collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Inside the room, Kitt and Chamber Dragonmaid also fell over backward.
"As expected of you, Jaden Yuki!"
Youmi forced a polite smile. Just a moment ago, she had been afraid Jaden might let teenage hormones push him into doing something impulsive; she'd even considered punching him in the gut to cool him down. She absolutely hadn't expected this outcome.
"It's fine. I always carry my Deck with me. However, I don't have a Duel Disk on hand, and neither does my dear brother. Syrus-sama, may I borrow yours?"
Youmi borrowed Syrus Truesdale's Duel Disk and slotted in her Dragonmaid Hospitality-sleeved Deck.
"Since my brother never turns down a duel, I won't either. Please come at me anytime, Lord Jaden."
"DUEL!"
"Duel~"
Turn 1
"Looks like I'm going first. My turn—draw!" Jaden checked his Duel Disk and nodded with satisfaction. "Time to go all-out! I activate E - Emergency Call from my hand! Its effect lets me add an Elemental HERO from my Deck to my hand. I add Elemental HERO Stratos!"
A blue-suited HERO joined Jaden's hand before he placed it on the field.
"I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Stratos! I activate its effect to add a HERO monster from my Deck to my hand—I choose Elemental HERO Bubbleman. Then I activate my Field Spell: Skyscraper. Now, using its effect, I fuse the Bubbleman in my hand with Elemental HERO Woodsman to Fusion Summon Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
Through Skyscraper's effect, the two monsters that should have made Elemental HERO Terra Firma instead fused into a chilling white HERO—Absolute Zero.
Youmi sighed lightly at the white HERO before her. "With that Fusion Material, things would've been much easier for me if you went for Terra Firma instead~"
Jaden's eyes widened slightly at the implication. "Oh? Yuyumi, you're familiar with HERO Decks? You even knew those were Terra Firma's Fusion Materials?"
"I know a thing or two. Anything else?"
Youmi nodded lightly. Since she often played with anime HERO users with her dueling friends, she'd seen Terra Firma plenty of times in their card binders.
"I Set two cards. Turn end~"
Turn 2
Youmi drew a card from the Deck and frowned slightly.
Sliding the card into her hand in its proper place, she asked, "Elemental HERO Absolute Zero is certainly a powerful monster. But if paired with something like Masked HERO Acid, it can unleash its true potential. I wonder if Lord Jaden, you've heard of that?"
"Masked HERO…? There are HEROes like that too? Never heard of them. But I did pull an Elemental HERO Shadow Mist from a pack Alexis gave me. Its effect can search one 'Change' Quick-Play Spell. That probably works with those Masked HERO cards, right? Wow, so there are all kinds of HEROes in the world. That's so exciting!"
Youmi nodded. "That excitement is your greatest treasure. Please cherish it in the days to come, and never forget your beginnings. I Normal Summon Dragonmaid Kitchen. Do you have a face-down like Solemn Judgment?"
Seeing Jaden shake his head with no response, Youmi continued, "Then I activate Kitchen Dragonmaid's effect. When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can add one Dragonmaid monster with a different name from my Deck to my hand, then send one Dragonmaid monster from my hand to the Graveyard. I add Dragonmaid Ernus and discard Parlor Dragonmaid."
Kitchen Dragonmaid appeared on the field, calling out to her companions.
Unlike Chamber Dragonmaid, they didn't stay in the human world—only appearing at Youmi's side during duels.
Watching Youmi play cards Jaden had never seen before, he let out an excited shriek. "Ooh! Another maid! By the way, Yuyumi, your maid outfit and those dragon horns and tail… are you cosplaying to match your Deck?"
"It's not cosplay~ I discard Ernus to activate her effect. I Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Dragonmaid monster from my hand. I Special Summon Dragonmaid Nurse and activate her effect: I target one Level 4 or lower Dragonmaid monster in my Graveyard other than herself and Special Summon it. I target Parlor Dragonmaid."
Ernus—pink from head to toe and filled with gentle maternal warmth—appeared on the field, taking the Parlor Dragonmaid Kitchen had just sent to the Graveyard and pulling her out for overtime.
"I assume that Parlor Dragonmaid also has an effect when she appears, right? Let me see it~"
Youmi did not reply; her next activation was her answer. "I activate Parlor Dragonmaid's effect: I send one Dragonmaid card from my Deck to the Graveyard, except Parlor Dragonmaid. I send Dragonmaid Tidying. Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Dragonmaid Welcome."
"Hold it right there! I flip my face-down—the Counter Trap, Protection of the Elements! When a Spell or Trap is activated, I can banish one face-up HERO I control until the End Phase to negate and destroy it! I banish Absolute Zero, and negate and destroy Dragonmaid Welcome!" With a proud grin, Jaden tapped his nose smugly.
"I pulled this from a pack Alexis gave me ages ago! Finally got to activate it~"
"Another manga card…" Youmi muttered under her breath, then continued aloud, "Dragonmaid Welcome's effect activates. This turn, my Dragonmaid monsters cannot be targeted by your card effects."
Jaden swept his arm dramatically. "And Absolute Zero's effect activates! When it leaves the field: destroy all monsters your opponent controls! Even if you're cute, HEROes won't show mercy to a cute girl! With this, all your monsters are wiped out!"
Under Absolute Zero's freezing shockwave, every monster on Youmi's field was destroyed.
"Tch. And that's exactly why I hate Absolute Zero."
...
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