Pharaoh

On the first night back in ancient Egypt, he thought he might have a nightmare.

Then he really had a dream.

In the dream, he went back to the time when he was fighting side by side with another self.

He didn't know if it was a nightmare or not.

In fact, he has always been somewhat inferior.

The other is that he uses his school uniform as a cape and still looks so handsome.

Obviously the same attire, changed to him would look completely different.

Every time he encounters difficulties, another him will always come out to protect everyone, and he can only silently watch in the depths of his heart how the other one will show off his might and defeat one enemy after another amidst the cheers of everyone.

Even Kyoko, whom he once had a crush on, has a crush on another him.

If it is true that there is no grudge in my heart, it is impossible.

He's just an ordinary high school student not a saint.

Thankfully, though, he's not a narrow-minded man -- or rather, he's always been a self-aware and big-hearted man.

He readily accepts that the other he is gradually taking his place while he himself quietly remains in the background.

Talented people should stand on the stage and be applauded by the crowd.

As long as relatives and friends are safe and sound, it doesn't matter if I retreat to the second line.

He thought so.

And the other one has always been very kind to him, he always protects him, in the attitude of a strong man protecting the weak.

His own existence is dispensable, at most he acts as one of the passers-by who cheers for another him.

He has always thought so.

Until that day──

"Another me, don't use this card."

Although he knew that the proud and conceited him would not listen to his advice, he still couldn't help standing up to stop it.

How could the enemy send benefits inexplicably? No matter how you look at it, it is a trap.

It's just that the other one still rejected his advice, used Auriha Gang's enchantment, and even bound him out.

He who was locked in the Aurihagang enchantment watched the duel outside with a heavy heart.

Another appearance of him as if possessed by an evil spirit and the increasingly unfavorable situation made him so worried that he didn't even have time to get angry.

What if the other me loses?

This is the question he has been thinking about in the enchantment.

What are the chances of me winning if the other me has my soul taken from me?

He knows what he's capable of.

If the other one has an 80% chance of beating Doma, then the chance of him beating Doma is not even 40%.

It is impossible for him to succeed alone.

He is soberly aware of this.

So he finally chose to push the other him out of the Aurihagang enchantment to replace him as a sacrifice.

The other is that he has a higher chance of defeating Doma and saving everyone.

This is the conclusion he came to after calm calculation.

It was just that at the moment when his soul flew towards the altar, he heard a mournful cry from the ground in a trance.

Probably misheard.

He thought, even if another him would call him for confession, it would be impossible to make such a roar that seemed to tear apart the soul.

Because for the other him, his own existence is so weak that it can be ignored except for the condition of being the soul of the host.

He thought to himself mockingly, his consciousness plunged into darkness.

He thought that he would sleep peacefully until another self defeated Doma or sleep forever, but he never thought that he would wake up so quickly.

He stood dumbfounded in the center of the empty wilderness and looked at the other him standing opposite him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Partner, I want to see you."

"See my empty shell?"

He suddenly became a little angry, and he tried his best to keep him, even at the expense of sacrificing himself, but what is that distraught man opposite him at this moment doing!

Obviously, the existence that seemed so strong and reliable on weekdays, but lost the chain at a critical moment.

He opened his mouth to say something, but saw the man stretch out his hand eagerly.

Pass through.

The other one passed through him, staggering a few steps before he steadied himself.

He frowned and turned around, almost unable to hold back his temper.

It's just that when he saw that person, he suddenly couldn't say a word.

At that moment, he almost thought that there was something wrong with his eyes.

The boy whose gaze was sharper than anyone else's was just staring at him now, helpless like a fragile child.

He stared silently at the dark purple pupils that were staring at him sadly for a moment, then walked over.

Passing by, the battle disk on the right hand opened.

He didn't quite understand why the majestic person who had always been majestic became what he is today.

He only knew that no matter what, he had to restore his fighting spirit.

This is what he must do now.

He raised the fight.

However, looking at the helpless and painful appearance of him retreating step by step, he suddenly remembered the mournful roar on the ground at the moment his soul was pulled away.

That day, for the first time, he realized what kind of position he occupied in the heart of another him.

Eventually things finally worked out.

He got the result he had planned and returned to his body with his friends as he wished, and continued to live an ordinary life as a high school student.

Play games with him, go to school together, and hang out with Kyoko in the city.

The days still look the same, but the middle seems to change slightly.

At another time when he was carefully testing whether he would be angry because he refused to follow his advice, he suddenly remembered that he should be angry, right?

If he really just said that he didn't mind at all, he would be too easy to talk about.

Even if you are a good person, it is allowed to play your temper occasionally.

With that in mind, he did it.

After all, after realizing the importance of himself in the other him's mind, the other him probably wouldn't be angry even if he did something a little too much.

From Kyoko and the others' point of view, the game is still talking and laughing, and nothing has changed, because he is just alienating and indifferent to the other him intentionally or unintentionally.

The other one, who was keenly aware of this change, seemed a little uneasy, and tried to test his thoughts intentionally or unintentionally, but he was cold and perfunctory.

Every time he was rejected or perfunctory, the other always showed a sad expression.

He sometimes wonders if he is too bad.

In fact, at the beginning, I just wanted to tease the other him for a few days, but gradually I couldn't stop.

Hmm... How should I put it... I always feel that the person who is as majestic as a king in front of the duelist is discouraged just because he ignores him, which makes him have an inexplicable pleasure.

It is a sense of superiority that exists deep in the heart of the controller.

I'm so bored.

He secretly scolded himself, but still couldn't help wanting to enjoy this pleasure a little more.

Well, I'm a little perverted.

Occasionally, another one of him was required to come out to deal with the challenger, so the other one's anomaly was also discovered by his friends.

"I always feel that I don't have much energy recently...another game."

When Jouchi said that, Kyoko also looked very worried, but the other one seemed unwilling to force himself to deal with Jouchi and Kyoko, so he quickly exchanged with him, and stayed quietly inside without making a sound.

"It's strange, does the game know what's going on?"

"Uh...don't know."

Seems like overkill.

he thinks,

As long as enough is enough, it is almost time for the other me to reflect on it.

Then, the punishment is over.

In the evening of that day, as a representative of a good student, he leaned over his desk and struggled with a pile of homework.

Another him quietly emerged beside him.

He swore he never did it on purpose at that time.

It was only because of the painful struggle with the homework that he lazily replied to the other person's words.

This seemingly indifferent attitude made the other him finally silent, and stayed silently by his side without saying a word.

Finally realizing that something was wrong, he recovered from the sea of ​​questions and looked back at the other him.

The transparent figure of the young man was sitting listlessly floating in the air, his face looked very dim through the light, and even the hair on his temples seemed to hang down dull.

The sharp eyes disappeared without a trace, and the tight lips seemed to have been greatly wronged.

When he found that his partner's attention was shifted to himself, the boy raised his head.

He looked at him, as if about to say something.

She just moved her lips, but said nothing.

The boy just looked at him, and there seemed to be some strange emotions surging in his pupils.

He sighed and put down the pen in his hand.

Tilting his head slightly, the other face was so close to his own, as if he could hear the sound of each other's breathing.

He stared at the face that was similar to his but more beautiful, and raised his hand to gently caress the other's transparent cheek.

Even though it was just a transparent soul, he could see, hear, and touch it.

Another him in this world.

"Another me, I'm not angry anymore."

He smiles at him.

"It's not an example."

Then, the next second.

For the first time, he saw another smile on his face that seemed to emit light in the darkness.

"partner!"

"Wow... wait..."

"Great, I knew my partner wouldn't care."

"...Let me go..."

The whole body was hugged, struggling for a long time and unable to move, he simply gave up.

Feeling the hair on the top of his forehead being rubbed lightly, he raised his head and looked at the other man's relieved expression and the way he just hugged himself.

He suddenly had a weird sense of accomplishment.

...How come there is a feeling of successfully domesticating a wild and lonely beast...