[Finis Favorability +20]
Not only did Zero earn back the 10 points he had lost, but he also triggered a "Double Chance" through his performance, causing Finis's favorability to grow by an extra 10 points, reaching 69.
He was only one point away from the 70-point threshold required to claim a reward. In a world defined by dueling, it seemed that playing your cards with style was the ultimate way to win hearts.
"Zero, that monster you discarded at the end..." Wangchuan You asked curiously in the waiting room.
"Shh. That's a secret weapon."
Zero wanted to keep the Blue-Eyes White Dragon hidden as much as possible. Even during the duel, he had exerted immense effort to suppress the urge to shout "Burū-Aizu Waito Doragon!"
"As a professional duelist, it's wise to keep your information close to your chest," Finis noted.
Can I really be called "professional" already?
Whether it was due to the increase in favorability or not, Zero noticed that Finis's gaze toward him in the Wynn family waiting room was different than before. The silver-gray pupils lacked their usual icy edge, replaced by a yearning for something else.
According to the system's boundaries, a score between 60 and 70 meant the target considered you a friend. 69 was practically the peak of a "very good friend" relationship.
Of course, the human heart isn't a fixed program that can be perfectly quantified. Favorability doesn't grow based on a single factor. Zero knew from the start that the system's numbers were merely a reference. If they weren't, Wangchuan You's 100-point score would be impossible to explain.
Thus, Zero wasn't naive enough to believe that a mere 69 points meant this high-born lady truly viewed a slum-dwelling peasant as her "best friend." Zero and Finis might be a handsome man and a beautiful woman, but in Eden Tower, the gap in social status was far more daunting than the gap in appearance.
For Zero, however, the most important thing was securing the system reward. But tonight, before he could get the system's prize, he had another reward to collect.
A moment later, there was a soft knock on the door. A female staff member dressed in a formal suit walked in respectfully, holding out a card with both hands.
"Mr. Amano, this is the card you designated."
According to the rules of the underground arena, the winner could take any card from the loser's deck. The card Zero had taken from Rutz was, of course, the 30,000-point Spell card Polymerization—the card currently most compatible with his own deck.
Zero had considered whether other cards in Rutz's deck might be worth more Eva Points, such as the anime-version Gate Guardian. However, after asking Finis to check the database, he gave up on that idea. He couldn't find a market price for it; such monsters were likely exclusive to a specific duelist's deck identified through gene evaluation. Moreover, a monster that required three specific Tribute materials was useless to Zero.
Since he could only take one, he chose the most practical and high-value card: Polymerization.
This raised another question. What if the loser dies? Can you take the whole deck?
This was where the capitalists made the rules. In the underground arena, away from Eva's jurisdiction, the decks of duelists who suffered "accidental" deaths were confiscated by the organizers. It was as shameless as a "the organizer reserves all rights" clause.
"By the way, is Rutz still alive?" Zero asked as he took the card.
Even though death was a risk in the ring, Zero honestly cared whether he had actually killed the man.
"Bounty Hunter Rutz appears to be in stable condition," the staff member explained dutifully. "He regained consciousness five minutes ago and has already left the arena. However, his state upon leaving was... somewhat strange."
That wall of muscle wasn't just for show, then.
Taking a direct hit from the First of the Dragons in a high-feedback duel and being able to walk away within an hour? Zero felt like the other man was the real monster. Then again, Zero had no right to talk—he had taken a hit from the Thunder God and come out unscathed. Tonight's duel was filled with oddities.
Of course, for the audience, the most unexpected part was Zero's final reversal.
"Strange in what way?" Finis caught onto the detail and pressed for more. "Be specific. As detailed as possible."
The staff member tilted her head, thinking. "The doctors thought that while his life wasn't in danger, he would be in a coma for at least a week. But as they were preparing for a brain scan, he sat up as if he'd heard them. He ripped out his IV tubes and left the underground without saying a word."
Having witnessed it herself, she added her own observation: "He was covered in wounds and should have been collapsing, yet he looked like he had a reason he had to leave immediately. He was swaying, yet it looked like he was being... pulled by something."
"Pulled, huh..." Finis rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Alright, I understand. You may go."
"T-There's one more thing," the staff member stammered, lingering.
"What is it?" Finis frowned.
"Mr. Karl asked me to pass a message. He said he's waiting for Mr. Amano in the VIP box tonight."
The staff member was hesitant because the friction between the Wynn siblings was common knowledge. Since Zero was Finis's recruit, she feared the "Ice Queen" would take her anger out on the messenger.
"Hehe... Hahaha!"
Finis actually laughed, a bright sound that contrasted sharply with her cold image. "Go back and give him a message for me—if he wants to see Amano, tell him to go to hell! Get out!"
"A-Ah...?"
"Go!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Such was the struggle of low-level staff; even when you knew you were offending someone, you had to do as the wealthy commanded.
Once the door closed, You-You asked, "What does your brother want with Zero?"
"He's petty. Amano made him lose money tonight; he probably just wants some petty revenge."
With that, Finis suddenly took Zero's hand. The sudden intimacy and the cold touch of her palm caught Zero off guard. "Don't worry, Amano. I'll protect you. I won't give my brother a chance to get back at you!"
Zero felt a bit awkward and slowly pulled his fingers away from hers. "Then I'll leave the rest to you, Miss Finis."
Honestly, if the system didn't show her favorability at 69, Zero would have wondered if he'd gone too hard tonight and pushed her past 80. 69 was just "good friend" territory; Yui was at 69, and she still bickered with him constantly. Finis's overly intimate behavior, mismatched with her favorability, put Zero on his guard.
Unless her definition of 'good friend' is just different from everyone else's.
Watching Zero withdraw his hand, Finis's expression didn't change much, though her silver eyes flickered slightly. She then turned to her driver. "Uncle Gong, arrange the best suite in Sector 11 for me. Amano, don't go back to Sector 32 tonight. Hide out here in Sector 11 for a bit so my brother doesn't send people to your house."
"As you wish, Miss."
Meanwhile, in the VIP box, Karl received Finis's rejection and cursed under his breath.
"That brainless woman! Does she have to play her little games now? Doesn't she know how important Kaiba Corp is to the Wynn Group?!"
Even though Zero's reversal had made him lose the bet, the second young master of the Wynn family wasn't actually as petty as his sister thought. The invitation was entirely because Chihane Kaiba wanted to meet Amano Zero.
The reason was simple: the monster Zero had discarded to reduce Gate Guardian's Attack by 3,000.
Even though Zero had hidden the name of the discarded card, a monster that could wipe out 3,000 Attack points in one go—combined with the flickering image of the white dragon soul—was unmistakable to Chihane. Others might not have recognized it, but Chihane, who had seen her sister duel countless times, would never forget that silhouette.
That was the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon her sister, Kaiba Qianyi, had been searching for.
"You saw that, Chihane. My sister is far too headstrong."
"It's actually quite fun, Karl. Just like tonight's duel."
Chihane Kaiba was in high spirits. The thought that she had found the dragon her sister was desperately seeking made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't wait to see how her sister would dote on her once she returned from her expedition and received the fourth dragon as a homecoming gift.
"As long as we have the target, the rest is easy. We just need to throw money at the problem. Lots and lots of money!"
Chihane leaned back on the plush sofa, her legs in white over-the-knee socks resting arrogantly on the coffee table. "Amano Zero, a slum duelist from Sector 32. I bet a few bags of cash will make his head spin. Hehehehe~"
The one thing Kaiba Corp had in abundance was money. Thinking about the fourth Blue-Eyes White Dragon being within her grasp, Chihane actually started to drool a little.
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