Luya saw that Klee and Kaeya had arrived as well.
So he smiled and said, "Perfect timing. You two can go inside and watch the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. "The shop isn't officially open yet, so today it's free."
Klee didn't know what anime meant, but after receiving the card pack and Duel Disk from Luya, she trusted him completely. Without a second thought, she hopped into the screening room—like a cheerful little bird—quickly picking the best seat and settling in to watch.
Diluc had long heard about the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime from his merchant friends. After finishing the manga, he had been wanting to see the continuation of the story—though the continuation existed only in the anime.
And to watch the anime, he would have had to travel all the way to Liyue.
Yet now, with Luya opening a branch in Mondstadt…
The winds of Yu-Gi-Oh! had finally blown into Mondstadt City.
After Klee entered the screening room, Diluc slowly walked toward it as well. The instant Diluc and Kaeya's eyes met, complicated emotions stirred within both of them.
...
In Mondstadt City, the citizens still remembered the two brightest stars of their generation.
One was the elegant young gentleman Diluc—graceful with his longsword, always wearing a gentle smile, his confident posture leaving a deep impression.
The other was Kaeya, the foreign-featured Cavalry Captain.
Kaeya was Diluc's adopted brother, trusted aide, and strategist, clearing obstacles in every battle for him.
Diluc and Kaeya were like twin stars bound by fate—fighting in perfect harmony, undefeated, protecting Mondstadt from both the light and the shadows.
Yet that gloomy day became an eternal scar in Kaeya's heart.
The convoy Diluc escorted had been attacked by a massive monster in the forest. It was Kaeya's first—and only—failure.
Though he rushed there as fast as he could, he arrived too late.
Their father, wielding a mysterious and ominous power, repelled the monster but was consumed by that very power in the process, turning into a monster himself.
Kaeya and Diluc were both petrified by the tragedy, unable to act as true knights should.
To end his father's suffering, Diluc personally struck the killing blow.
As the adopted son, Kaeya could not truly share that father–son tragedy, though he had always been by Diluc's side.
That very night…
Torrential rain fell over Mondstadt, as if mourning Crepus.
Kaeya was, after all, a pawn Khaenri'ah had placed in Mondstadt—meant to serve Khaenri'ah's interests.
For that mission, his biological father had abandoned him in a foreign land without hesitation.
And the one who reached out to him then was none other than Crepus and Mondstadt.
Kaeya asked himself—
If Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt were to go to war, which side should I stand with?
The father who cast him aside, or the adoptive father who took him in and raised him—whom should he help?
For years, Kaeya suffered from this unsolvable dilemma.
For someone who never revealed his true heart, loyalty and duty, sincerity and happiness could never coexist—and Crepus' death shattered that fragile balance.
Kaeya felt freed, yet simultaneously drowned in guilt for such selfishness.
As an adopted son, he should have saved Crepus, but he arrived too late.
As a younger brother, he should have shared Diluc's pain, yet instead hid behind him, thinking about ancient conspiracies.
Out of guilt, Kaeya knocked on Diluc's door.
The pouring rain masked the scent of lies; secrets spilled out that night—Kaeya confessed his origins to Diluc.
Kaeya had long known that Diluc would be furious.
The two brothers drew their swords; Kaeya felt it was the punishment a liar deserved.
However—
During their fierce clash, Kaeya felt a powerful elemental force surge inside him for the first time.
For years, he had hidden in Diluc's shadow. This was the first time he faced Diluc as his true self.
The cold, fragile Elemental energy surged from the tip of Kaeya's blade toward Diluc's flames.
Red and blue collided, creating a violent storm.
Kaeya's Vision appeared in that moment. After that night, something changed between them—they walked different paths.
......
However…
After watching Diluc duel against Luya, Kaeya realized that while dueling, Diluc wore a smile.
Kaeya couldn't help but think—
I want to duel Diluc too!
Even if they couldn't serve in the Knights together, they could still join Luya's Duelist Guild in the future.
And to become a Duelist… a Deck was, of course, essential.
Kaeya looked at Luya and asked, "Boss, how much for a Deck?!"
"Mm, thirty million Mora for a randomly drawn Deck," Luya replied calmly.
"What!"
"A single Deck costs thirty million Mora!?"
Kaeya remained calm—Amber was the one who shouted in shock.
...
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