So Yuugi's done it, Sugoroku thinks to himself as he sweeps the front porch for the umpteenth time, and can't suppress a ridiculous sense of pride. Eight years of patient, on-and-off experimentation, and now the waiting and the work has paid off. The Puzzle's been completed. And who knows what will happen next?
The old man thinks back to earlier days as the broom moves across scuffed concrete, back to mornings when his back didn't ache and days when running for his life winded him less than walking too many blocks does today. For his age, he knows he's remarkably fit, and the presence of children in his store and in his home has kept him young at heart. But his adventuring days - he closes his eyes and shakes his head, heading back into the store, his sweeping concluded for the day. No, those he's left behind him.
For a moment he pauses as he puts the broom away, looking up the stairs that lead to the second floor, the rooms where he and his family live. He's kept mementos from those days. Perhaps in honor of Yuugi's accomplishment, he should be wearing the fedora when his grandson comes home, and over dinner he can regale the boy with the story of the day he found that puzzle box, the day the mysterious stranger saved his life, the stranger he still to this day suspects to be...?
But no, this is Yuugi's day, and it's best to keep it that way and look forward to the stories to come - stories of Yuugi's own adventures. The boy's inherited more than just Sugoroku's eyes (tolerable), stature (unfortunate), and hair (even more unfortunate), it seems: beneath that cheerful, unassuming exterior there's a brave and curious heart who doesn't fear the dark. Some of the rumors Sugoroku's heard about that puzzle should set his blood cold. He should have never let anyone near those pieces, least of all a child. Even less of all his only grandson.
There are two types of people in this world, however: the kind who sit and let things happen, afraid of the dark and guarded against it, and those who venture forth with their eyes wide open, lit from within and thus free of fear. Sugoroku had ventured into the dark of the tombs out of curiosity, a sense of adventure, and a love of games. Whatever darkness might be facing his Yuugi after this, the boy would stare it down, motivated by kindness, a sense of righteousness, and a purity of purpose. There isn't a darkness that can conquer the boy, weak as he might claim to be, weak as he might at times seem. Sugoroku believes in him.
What's more, Yuugi will emerge with a smile. After all, Sugoroku thinks, envisioning glyph-covered hallways no footsteps before his had disturbed for centuries, the unknown element of the dark is what makes it the most fun.
