The first day of the Turbo Duel Tournament ended with each of the three academies taking one victory.
The journey of Synchron Academy hadn't gone as smoothly as Miles had expected—it was far from an effortless sweep.
Partly because XYZ Academy, seeking to erase last year's humiliation, had brought out its ultimate trump cards this year: the True King of All Calamities and the infinite-Attack Divine Serpent Geh.
And partly because…
"Yo, I was gone for just one afternoon, and you've managed to turn into this?"
Viel never imagined that her shabby, secluded Magic Workshop would one day be so lively… with customers showing up morning and afternoon.
Granted, they were the same customers and didn't exactly look like they were here to "shop."
The real reason for the commotion was that Miles, for some inexplicable reason, was trapped inside Krista's body and couldn't participate in duels himself.
Helpless, they had no choice but to rely on the ever-capable "Viel-A-Doraemon," hoping she could find a reliable solution.
"And you, Ren. What happened to you? Did a truck run over you or something? How did you end up like this?"
Compared to Miles's predicament, Ren's battered state drew Viel's attention even more.
Three women, beaten up one after another in a single day, and now even Ren hadn't escaped.
"I'm telling you, I got blasted by an infinite-Attack shot! You believe that? Ugh, forget about me… Miss Viel, please just help Miles first!"
She was so worried about him that she'd rushed over without even changing her tattered, blast-scorched uniform, dragging her half-nuked body straight to the workshop.
"What, do you people really think I'm omnipotent?"
The little loli's gaze flicked toward the anxious Aisha and the Miles trapped in Krista's body.
"You're asking me about something tied to the Millennium Items? Do you realize that the Millennium Items are the pinnacle of all mysteries on the Spirit Continent? How could a mere mortal like me possibly reach that realm?"
"You're one to talk. You've meddled in Human Transmutation, Viel. Are you sure you still qualify as a mortal?" Miles retorted.
"Hobbies and ethics shouldn't be lumped together," Viel replied, dead serious.
Great… her hobby is Human Transmutation. Maybe this little loli wasn't as harmless as she looked. Perhaps she was downright dangerous.
"Is there really nothing you can do, Miss Viel?" Aisha's eyes welled with tears as she pleaded. "If that's the case, then Krista will never be able to get her body back… which means I'll be able to stay with Mr. Miles like this forever, right?"
Miles thought, 'Oh, the desire just slipped out there, didn't it, Aisha? Your face looks sad, but your words sound like you're looking forward to that future. Are you secretly a natural-born yandere?'
Still, it made sense. Miles-in-Krista's body was arguably his most handsome and most Aisha-approved form yet.
Second only to the adorable Princess Nova version of him.
Inside the Soul Room, Krista shivered. "That's terrifying. Does Carlos actually want to erase me?"
During the duel, there had been a brief moment when Krista thought maybe she didn't mind if she couldn't switch back.
Albeit now, imagining Miles continuing to use her body to flirt openly with Aisha right in front of her…
"I can't accept that!"
That would be literal hell.
"I can sense your emotional turbulence," Viel said, kicking her short legs as she settled back into her chair behind the counter. "Anyways, really, there's nothing to worry about."
Ren immediately demanded, "What do you mean, 'nothing to worry about'? How can you not worry about this?!"
"I mean exactly what I said. You just have to wait a few more hours. The souls will probably switch back on their own."
"Switch back automatically?" Miles and Aisha exchanged a glance.
Miles couldn't help asking, "But why did this even happen in the first place? It's never happened before."
No matter how casually Viel brushed it off, Miles needed to understand the cause—otherwise, it could become a serious problem next time.
"You've got some nerve asking that, Miles."
At his question, Viel's expression turned sharp. The loli yanked the lollipop from her mouth and pointed it straight at his nose.
"Think about what you've done! You really can't figure it out?"
"What I've done?" Miles raised an eyebrow.
He prided himself on being a model citizen—a law-abiding, respectful, honest Duelist. Even as a spirit, he'd never betrayed his core belief: playing fair duels.
So why did it sound like he was being accused of something unforgivable?
Seeing that he was still clueless, Viel huffed in exasperation, shoved the fruit-flavored lollipop straight into his mouth, and snapped, "You seriously have no self-awareness, huh, Miles? Fine, I'll just spell it out for you."
"Mmgh!" Miles winced in disgust.
Wait—was that… durian-flavored?
"I'll be blunt, Miles… you've possessed too many women!"
"What kind of line is that coming from you?!"
Hearing those words from the mouth of a loli threw him so off-balance it was impossible to respond normally.
Aisha quickly stepped in, protesting, "Mr. Miles would never do something so indecent!"
"I didn't expect you to defend him, Aisha Carlos," Viel countered, narrowing her eyes. "But tell me… aren't you the one who's most aware of how many different bodies Miles has swapped into by now?"
"Σ(?Д?;) Oh… so that's what you meant by 'possessed'? Then never mind."
Realizing the misunderstanding, Aisha awkwardly stepped back. She couldn't even take Miles's side anymore.
Viel's tone turned grave. "Miles, what do you think your soul is… some kind of plug-and-play device? Even in the field of Human Transmutation, adapting a soul to a different body consumes unimaginable energy. And you… you've been treating it like changing clothes."
Miles's so-called "body-hopping" adventures had mostly happened under duress, during times when a Shadow Game crisis left no other choice.
But gradually, even he—and those around him—had gotten used to the convenience.
So much so that Princess Nova herself had once asked him to stand in for her during a practical duel class.
"No matter how resilient a soul may be, constant body-switching will wear it down eventually," Viel said, pointing toward the Millennium Puzzle hanging from Krista's arm.
"One day, Miles, your soul will shatter into pieces. When that happens, I suppose everyone you've possessed can each keep a shard of the Millennium Puzzle—as a souvenir. Proof that you at least left something behind."
Thus spoke Viel, revealing at last the tragic future of the 'scumbag' Miles… his soul fated to be torn apart.
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