Chapter 211. First Experience with the Duel Disk—Is This Really Not an R18 Game?
"Did the Duel Disk arrive?"
Seele's voice instantly killed any interest Xander Masato had in work.
With the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime airing two months ago—and Anti-Entropy pushing it hard—players had gradually embraced the idea of "Duel Monsters," and the Duel Disk from the show naturally became a household name.
A megacorp like Anti-Entropy wasn't going to dribble out one episode a week.
They dropped the first fifty-one in one go, then jumped straight into serialization from the Battle City arc, releasing an episode every two days.
By now, the first series was about halfway through.
Seele had been watching daily, and she already understood what all those factory orders big brother placed at the start had really been for.
"Mm-hmm. Sakura brought it back. It's in the project room."
"Let's go take a look."
It wasn't just Xander.
At the news, Bronya and Kaguya both looked up.
They said nothing, but followed with equal parts anticipation and curiosity.
He strode out of the office so fast he didn't even have time to glance at the intern secretary's white stockings, and quickly reached the buzzing project room.
Most of the team weren't at their desks.
They were packed three deep around Sakura's station, craning for a look at the first Duel Disk in the world, curiosity practically overflowing from their eyes.
"Ahem, excuse me."
The people on the outside didn't plan to move just because they heard a voice.
Everyone was squeezed out here—why should you get special treatment?
But the moment they realized who was speaking, one by one they stepped aside.
Even those who hadn't heard clearly were tugged away by their colleagues.
Faces that had been ready to argue turned into grins the moment they saw Xander Masato.
Oh, it's the boss.
That's fine, then.
He walked up beside Sakura, eyes glued to the metal "big toy" on the desk.
Its shape was unusual.
In the middle sat a circular disk you could slide your arm into, and on both sides of the disk were two curved "aircraft-carrier decks" split into panels, each with grooves for placing and slotting cards.
Anyone who had watched Yu-Gi-Oh! would recognize it at a glance: a Duel Disk.
Aside from being unpainted, it looked almost identical to the first-generation model from the anime.
Right now, a data cable linked the Duel Disk to Sakura's computer.
Her hands flew over the keyboard, debugging something.
Ignoring her work for the moment, he carefully picked up the Duel Disk.
It looked like metal and wasn't small, yet it was surprisingly light.
Since you had to wear it on your arm, they'd probably used a light alloy like magnesium.
"Whew—done."
Sakura took her hands off the keyboard and stretched.
Her blouse swelled with a graceful figure.
Despite sitting all day, her stomach was still perfectly flat, her curves very easy on the eyes.
Too bad everyone's attention was on the Duel Disk.
What's a beauty?
Never heard of her.
"Is it good to go? I'll try it first."
"Mm. I've already flashed our adapter program into it. Perfect timing for the boss to see if it runs properly."
She pulled open a drawer and handed Xander a pure-white AR headset.
"The glasses are prepped with our game's beta. We used them to test virtual cards before. Now we can try linking the Duel Disk with physical cards."
"Mm."
A little excited, Xander accepted the headset.
"Didn't we make a partial batch of physical cards? Where are they?"
"Right here~"
She pointed to a box holding a stack of pure-white cards with only their names printed.
"All right, this room's too small. I'll try it in the big conference room."
With that, Xander took the Duel Disk and AR headset and hurried for the large conference room.
The others all looked at one another.
When Bronya, Seele, and Kaguya followed without hesitation, the rest quickly trotted after.
No one wanted to miss the first test of the Duel Disk.
The big conference room had a generous open space.
Xander stood in the center while the onlookers donned their AR headsets and lined the walls, whispering.
He put the headset on first.
After confirming it worked, he turned to the Duel Disk in his hands.
The classic first-generation Duel Disk—no matter how flashy later models got, you could always see the original's shadow in them.
It was one of the most iconic things in any Yu-Gi-Oh! player's heart.
His fingers traced the cold metal, and his pulse quickened.
He stopped hesitating, found the slot, and slid his hand in.
His wrist locked into place.
With a small motion, the Duel Disk's wings snapped shut with a crisp click, parking like a blade along his forearm.
As the Duel Disk powered on, the world in Xander's eyes transformed.
"Please choose a Dueling scene."
The prompt popped up in the void.
It didn't affect the Duel itself; it just set the mood.
There weren't many scenes yet: a roaring arena with ten thousand cheering fans, a quiet plain, a scorching desert.
Later there would be recreations of famous anime set pieces, but those would have to wait until the show finished airing.
He picked a grassland.
The world shifted almost immediately.
Virtual data streams devoured the real conference room; among colorful particles, green blades of grass sprang up.
In seconds, everything had changed.
Boundless green meadows.
A cloudless blue sky.
A breeze seemed to brush his ears with a hint of coolness.
He knew it was all virtual, yet the scene was so lifelike it felt as if he'd truly stepped onto a prairie.
The transition animation was excellent—nothing obvious to nitpick.
Ignoring how the spectators had suddenly grown noisy, Xander looked to the white card stack in his hand and slid them into the groove on the Duel Disk's central hub.
Beep.
A virtual projection popped up beside him, showing the Duelist's name and 4000 Life Points.
Sakura had already debugged the device.
Xander switched to test mode, and a flashy "Duel Start" shimmered into being—though he was the only one on the field.
And then…
"My turn, draw!"
That devilish line rang in his head.
Xander quickly drew a card.
Seeing its name, he checked the Level requirements for a Summon, and with everyone watching, moved to place it into the Monster Zone.
Before his hand got far, he realized a first Summon like that lacked flair, so he struck the classic anime pose and slapped the card down with style.
"I Summon, Dark Magician Girl!"
No one laughed at his chuunibyou delivery.
Instead, everyone wore the same knowing look.
Come on, this is card-fighting—if you don't bring the energy, what are you even Dueling for?!
The corresponding Monster Zone lit up, and a white glow flickered in midair.
Like a magical-girl transformation, a blank silhouette flared with light; then skin tone bloomed along her graceful figure.
Starlight sparkled.
A blue off-shoulder bustier wrapped her upper body, making that full chest bounce a few times.
A pink short cape followed, then a pink miniskirt—with a deliberate close-up of her hips, round and perky.
A blue conical hat popped onto her head with a soft poof.
She caught a golden-spiraled blue staff, and a choker with a red gem appeared at her throat.
She hovered for a heartbeat, long fair legs bare, eyes closed, descending like a noble goddess.
A pair of blue knee-high boots materialized beneath her.
Jade-pale toes pointed, arches curving in a lovely line, and her feet slipped lightly into the boots.
Tap.
The girl landed and opened her innocent green eyes.
She looked straight at Xander, blinked adorably, then beamed.
Her golden hair lifted.
A light step sent her floating again; she looked down and blew him a playful kiss.
But when she noticed where his gaze had drifted, she flushed, clapped a hand over the barely-concealing skirt, and pouted.
The pure thoughts and the enticing figure together were lethal.
The fanservice was great, but Xander was a little stunned.
Bro, seriously.jpg
Wasn't he here to play cards?
Was this really a legit game?
That heaving, ready-to-spill cleavage.
That full, perky rear.
Those fair legs, and those "pure yet seductive" movements she didn't even seem aware of.
Anyone who didn't know better would think this was a brand-new R18 blockbuster.
Unlike dazed Xander, the otaku who had waited for this moment exploded in cheers.
They'd been burning the midnight oil for this!
Ah—seeing such a wonderful Dark Magician Girl, they suddenly felt they could die without regrets.
Their excitement lasted until a wry voice cut in.
"So… is this what you're doing during those late nights?"
They turned to find Bronya's amused, helpless gaze.
It was one thing to get "cheated on" by the color green in real life—why did it feel like a game was doing it now?
Looking at Dark Magician Girl's blatantly racy body paired with a pure façade, and especially at Xander's fixed stare, Bronya felt equal parts annoyed and amused.
She knew it was virtual, but Xander turning his eyes to other girls—of course she felt a twinge of jealousy.
These otaku definitely slipped in some "personal projects," right?
"Ahem, boss, this is what we were hoping for most. We don't have to change it, right?"
Seeing the devs' nervous faces, Bronya smiled.
"Just dial back the obvious sexual innuendo. As long as it doesn't delay the schedule, the rest is up to you."
"Woohoo, long live the boss!!!"
Ignoring the cheers, Bronya looked back at Xander.
He watched a moment longer, then looked away and started summoning other monsters.
Dark Magician Girl was great, but his girlfriends were watching.
He couldn't go feral like the single otaku.
Next came dragon-types, fluffballs, and all sorts of bizarre creatures with unplaceable designs, summoned one after another.
None looked as lively as Dark Magician Girl; there was a noticeable stiffness.
The AI clearly needed more tuning.
He also tested a few Spell and Trap Cards; seeing simple descriptions become real celestial phenomena on the field was flat-out stunning.
He played for nearly half an hour, and only Bronya's urging made him reluctantly hand over the headset and Duel Disk.
Once she had the gear on, the familiar Dark Magician Girl was the first to appear.
Case closed: magical girls aren't just for the boys.
Girls like them too.
Still, her behavior shifted by gender.
Facing Bronya, she didn't tease or act shy; she just waved happily, like to a friend.
It felt like the work poured into this one card cost more than ten others combined.
"Boss, how's Dark Magician Girl?"
As soon as Xander walked over, the otaku were waggling their eyebrows.
He gave them a smile every man understands.
"Very nice. Keep it up."
After encouraging the excited bunch, he added, "Right—make a normal version of Dark Magician Girl like the other monsters. This version will be a special card we put into the booster packs."
He paused.
"First batch limited to one hundred."
In an instant, Xander felt a dozen looks that wanted to string him up on a lamppost.
He turned away, embarrassed.
"We need a bit of buzz. It's for sales—thanks for understanding."
The stabbing looks didn't fade.
Xander sighed.
"I'll issue bonuses."
"The boss is wise!!"
"I've always supported the boss's decisions!!"
"The boss has always been my guiding light—my admiration knows no bounds!"
"Scram, scram, scram."
Grinning as he shooed them off, Xander glanced at Bronya.
Unfortunately, only one sample had arrived.
There'd be no tense, thrilling Duel today.
This first test was just basic performance.
Actual Dueling would have to wait a few days for the next batch.
Bronya finished, then Kaguya.
Seele didn't plan to play, so once Kaguya had her fun, she passed the Duel Disk to the devs who'd been chomping at the bit.
"Woohoo, honey, here I come!!"
A programmer in a plaid shirt and glasses whooped.
"Like hell—that's my waifu!!"
Another similarly dressed programmer swung back, furious.
They hadn't dared make a peep while the bosses were playing, but now that it was their turn—colleagues among colleagues—there was nothing to fear.
Helping the two brawlers by closing the conference-room door, Xander and the others headed back to the office.
The Duel Disk's excellent feel had put Xander in a great mood.
He wore a smile the whole way.
He could already see the spectacle at the launch event.
Gensokyo Company was going big again!
Humming a tune, he ran into Ken Sugisaki on his way to the office.
Seeing Xander, Ken said excitedly, "Ah, Xander, our community software's finished testing, and Anti-Entropy has helped with the approvals. We can go live globally anytime!"