Don't Speak

After returning home from the dojo, Kira took out the "True Silent Magician" card that Master had just given him as the dojo's treasured possession. He set it on the table and examined it from every angle.

Of course, it definitely wasn't because of the exquisitely drawn, voluptuous yet tall, alluring artwork. He was simply studying the authenticity of the so-called Spirit Legend.

He tried to recall the original story. In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, after Judai received Winged Kuriboh's spirit card from Yugi, he seemingly didn't do anything at all. Yet in the very first episode, Kuriboh floated out on its own, chirping "Kuri Kuri" as it spoke to Judai.

But his own card did not seem to be doing anything.

"Hello?"

"Anyone there?"

"."

Great. As expected, there was no response whatsoever.

Then an idea came to him, and he immediately pulled out his Duel Disk and snapped it open.

Apparently, not everyone could see spirits. "Spirit Affinity" was a talent possessed by only some people. Perhaps the spirit had already appeared, but he simply could not see her.

But there was another way.

He could summon her using the Duel Disk's Stereoscopic Projection System and use KaibaCorp's technology to give the spirit a tangible visual vessel. Maybe then they could at least communicate.

The Duel Disk's projection system activated. Accompanied by a dazzling Magic Circle, the valiant female mage gracefully stepped forward. Her flawless white robes swayed lightly with her movements, revealing glimpses of her long, slender white legs as her skirt danced like snowflakes.

Silent Magician, summoned.

She stood there expressionlessly, cold and elegant like a crystalline tree standing tall in winter. Her snowy face resembled a glacier more than three feet thick.

Kira stared intently at the tall mage, carefully sizing her up.

"Hmm."

Perhaps KaibaCorp's projection technology was simply too realistic. The texture of her skin and those chilly eyes truly made her seem like a real person.

But that unwavering gaze and utterly placid expression surely meant she was only a Solid Vision projection.

Hm?

As Kira circled around to observe her from the left, he abruptly stepped back and looked up at Silent Magician's eyes.

She still looked as calm as an ancient well, staring straight ahead without the slightest shift in her gaze.

But perhaps it had been an illusion.

Just then, he thought he had seen Miss Magician's eyes move.

It was as though she had glanced at him, only to immediately look away the moment he raised his head.

She had returned to that blank, icy poker face.

But the instant had been so brief that he could not be sure whether he had imagined it.

"Could there really be a spirit in there? Is she pretending to be dead on purpose?"

Yet no matter how he circled around the Solid Vision projection afterward, there was not the slightest suspicious reaction.

With no other options, he turned off the Duel Disk for now, removed the card, and placed it back on the table.

That evening, he planned to shower first, then take a walk outside to find some dinner. After returning, he would do some practice questions to prepare for the upcoming assessment match before going to bed early.

Just then, another brilliant little idea popped into his head.

He recalled hearing that music was a universal language in the biological world, transcending species and culture. Studies showed that many animals and plants responded to music, and some fantasy works even claimed that aliens could communicate through music.

So, figuring there was nothing to lose by trying, he turned on the music player and put on some BGM suitable for card games. The passionate heavy-metal melody crashed like a raging storm of drumbeats, every note brimming with passion and strength, like countless warriors charging across a battlefield—

It was the perfect fiery tune for a card player. One listen was enough to make him feel power surging through his entire body, as though his next draw would change the world.

Satisfied, Kira set it to loop before turning around and heading into the bathroom for a shower.

The day's exhaustion was quickly washed away by the running water. Kira returned to his room while drying his wet hair, but the moment he stepped out, he froze. Frowning slightly, he sensed something was wrong.

The music was gone.

What was going on?

He leaned over the table and discovered that the player had somehow been stopped.

Could it be...?

After thinking for a moment, he pressed the play button again.

Then he turned around and pretended to leave the room to busy himself with something else.

But immediately after stepping out, he slipped back and peeked into the room through the crack in the door.

He waited patiently for less than a minute.

Then he soon saw it: a phantom-like, translucent figure appeared out of thin air amid faint ripples emanating from the card on the table.

Her white robes were even more ghostly in that state, her skin so pale it nearly seemed transparent. Bathed in moonlight from outside the window, she looked almost sacred.

Kira could not help drawing in a breath.

Well, damn. Master really had not been making things up.

There really was a spirit.

The holy glow around the mage gave her a somewhat sacred air, but the way she silently floated out was rather sneaky. She nervously looked around as though afraid of being discovered.

She furtively reached out and pressed the music player.

The music stopped.

Kira: "."

He reflected on himself and decided he had not thought things through. There was probably a reason she was called Silent Magician.

It seemed she did not like the music her thoughtful Master had prepared.

But by a stroke of luck, although the process had been rather bizarre, his musical ritual had somehow actually summoned the spirit—

Kira suddenly pushed open the door and appeared in the doorway.

Silent Magician: "!!!"

The silver-haired beauty was thoroughly startled. Covering her mouth, she took a step back as a blush swiftly crept across her cold face.

Like when a parent suddenly barged in while someone was secretly doing something bad at home.

Then, in a flash, the beautiful mage turned into a streak of white light and dove back into her card.

Kira: "."

Now he was certain.

His spirit really had been pretending to be dead.

But why? Did Master look like a bad guy?

Kira looked at himself in the mirror for two seconds, and his handsome face immediately made him dismiss that thought.

Absolutely impossible.

So was it possible that this spirit was simply socially anxious?

They said the bond between a duelist and their cards was the key to victory. Encountering a spirit was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Kira felt he had to seize it. So he returned to the table.

"Hey? You there?"

Silent Magician: "."

"You know, I actually already know you're here."

Silent Magician: "."

Kira was a little troubled.

Every generation of Duel King in the anime said card games relied on bonds, but no one seemed to have ever explained exactly how those bonds were cultivated.

This was not Pokémon. He could not feed her or train her, and the problem was that she normally did not even come out of the card. What was he supposed to do?

After thinking for a moment, he asked tentatively, "How about... we listen to another song?"

Silent Magician: "!"

A faint ripple spread across the surface of the card again.

Several seconds later, Silent Magician was floating there with both hands clutching her staff, her head lowered and her expression strange.

She still did not say a word, but Kira understood from her movements and reaction.

As long as he did not speak, everything else was negotiable.

There should be cards tomorrow. It was a little risky for the new book, but I still want to release it all at once. I'll try to keep it under ten thousand words...

The trial recommendation started today, so I'm asking for read retention once more! Many thanks!