I would like to give a quick shout-out to Condor Ratcliff for the rewrite of this chapter. Thank you for your patience.
When one is about to die, the last thought in their head can easily be sorted in various ways.
The dying could be thinking about how they don't want to die: they could be begging for someone to save them or for one more moment to live hoping that their loved ones are safe, that their death isn't the end, their last regrets in regards to not confessing their love for someone...All that stuff you see on TV and film that's been regurgitated way too many times.
Me? My only remaining thought is how I wish my camera didn't get crushed from the fall so that my story will come to light.
Here I am, lying on the sidewalk, a story in my head ready to be narrated like Sunset Boulevard, all while I feel a voice asking me if I want to live, and what I want to live for.
But since I'm dead, I can't possibly tell it what happened. Fortunately, it doesn't need me to speak. It can look through into my memories to find the truth.
Well, I have nothing better to do anyway…
My name is Shooti, and this is how I became a Dark Acolyte.
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Between my Brother and Me:
Lux ex Tenebris
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Prologue:
What We Do in the Shadows
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This story starts off like any other story should start. Picture it with me if you can.
It starts on a late September Saturday night, where a young boy with green hair wearing an orange jacket, and his favorite babysitter in the entire world are watching the classic sci-fi movie Blade Runner, sharing a pizza topped with extra cheese, bell peppers and sausage. The boy is fascinated with the movie playing (even if he has seen it three times already)...a film noir that takes place in the distant future with perpetual rain, an air of gloominess, eye symbolism, an origami unicorn and the titular character facing off with someone that, in many ways, is a dark reflection of himself.
What more can this boy ask for?
As the opening credits play out, the boy briefly takes his eyes off the television to look at his babysitter hard at work on her laptop. Her eyes, covered by a pair of nerd glasses, read through line after line of text of a news article she is writing. Her slice of pizza is untouched, her coffee is cold, and she shows no signs of stopping until her work is complete.
The babysitter is Carly Nagisa and it is through her that this boy makes his first mistake.
"Whatcha writing about, Carly?" Shooti asks.
Carly stops typing and turns to Shooti. "It's about that team of Enforcers that recently appeared in Satellite. Rumor has it that they handcuff themselves to their opponents with a long chain and then duel. Loser gets beaten up by the winner."
"What are these guys trying to accomplish?"
Carly takes a bite of pizza before continuing. "From what I heard they want to unite all of Satellite and make sure it's run peacefully. You see, Satellite is comprised of thirteen zones and all of them are pretty much divided due to those Duel Gangs, the underground crime and more. If there was someone to 'enforce' order there, then there wouldn't be so much chaos, right?"
Shooti nods as he hands Carly a napkin. "What will happen if those Enforces succeed?" he asks.
"There will probably be less violence, and relationships between Satellite and Domino would improve. And Kaibaman would be out of a job."
Shooti jumps. He is a huge fan of the superhero, along with being a fan of other tokusatsu shows (like Kamen Rider), evidenced by the stack of DVDs underneath the television of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai movies he has devoured on rainy days, sleepovers and for when he decided to procrastinate on his homework. "Do you think he's actually Seto Kaiba in disguise?"
"I'd say he is," Carly answers. "It should be pretty obvious and everything, that a dragon-helmed vigilante based off of the Blue Eyes White Dragon could only be Seto Kaiba." She looks back at her article. "And if people want to see a CEO as some kind of masked hero, then I fully believe in him."
"Ah," Shooti says. "So, be honest. Do you see him like a Showa Rider interested in Duel Monsters, or a Heisei Rider who uses Duel Monsters?"
Carly smirks. "Judging by how I know that Seto Kaiba's into the old-school Kamen Riders, I'd go with the former."
With that, Shooti returns to his movie, thinking about duelists who fight while handcuffed and all the stories he has heard about Satellite.
Satellite, otherwise known as "Domino Below" to its residents, is a section of the city for those who have 'fallen' or for those who can no longer function "up above" as many residents of Satellite call Neo-Domino. They say one could spend their entire life in Satellite and only see a quarter of it due to the strange entities lurking in the darkness.
That is where Chasing Shadows comes into play.
Chasing Shadows is a website, an online guide to of Domino Below. While it just started as a simple news website when it first started off, word of mouth caused it to become popular, and the creator of said website (whoever they are), eventually constructed a forum where people can discuss the strange things they have seen, and even post video and photographic evidence.
Carly is one of Chasing Shadows' top reporters, and her current assignment is about the group of duelists calling themselves Team Satisfaction. She already has enough information for an article: all she needs now are pictures of them in action and perhaps an interview or three to make it perfect. The most recent piece of gossip is an incident with rival team, Magician's Four as to who will be the one to unite all of Satellite and bring 'satisfaction' to those who must live in fear every single day of their lives...whatever that means.
And this is where the boy makes his second mistake.
"And be yourself is all that you can do…
To be yourself is all that you can do…"
As Blade Runner begins explaining its backstory, Shooti presses the mute on the remote as Carly picks up her phone, placing it near her ear.
Hello? Hello hello," she begins. "Yeah, I almost have the article done. Just need a picture for...wait, are you serious. Wait...and he…" She stands up. "By yatagarasu...are you serious?"
Shooti tskes another bite out of his pizza as Carly whips out a notebook and pen, the cellphone still near her ear as she writes down everything described to her.
"Okay, okay, I'll be right there...yeah, I'm bringing him." Shooti nearly drops his pizza in alarm as Carly winks at him. "Thanks, Akari! Say hi to Yuma for me!"
Carly hangs up, slips cellphone, notebook and pen into her go-bag and slings it over her shoulder. She finishes her cold coffee as Shooti tries to figure out what is going on and where Carly is taking him.
"Don't just sit there, Shooti," says Carly, pulling out the keys to her car. "Come on! This is gonna be so exciting!"
"What's exciting?" asks Shooti. He has been taken to many places in Domino City for Carly's job, mostly to cover street duels or investigating areas where supernatural activity has occurred. His mother allows Carly to take Shooti around, so long as he is sent home before ten and isn't put into harm's way.
"Tell me something," says Carly with a cat-like smile. "Who do you think would win in a good old fashioned brawl? Team Satisfaction or Kaibaman?"
And then Shooti understands.
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At what point in time did legend and truth come into existence?
The legend of Kaibaman began a few months ago: a man wearing a silver coat and dragon-shaped helmet with long red hair stopped a midnight mugging, while proclaiming himself to be an Ally of Justice. At first, the muggers thought he was some delusional Seto Kaiba fanboy ...
The beating proved them wrong.
Then, the photos and half-minute video clips began to appear, each of them highlighting a different ability of this strange person. This superhero could fly with a pair of dragon wings on his back, summon an arsenal of weapons (strangely, he never used firearms; daggers, swords, spears and more traditional weapons befitting his knightly appearance, even a cannon or two, but he never summoned guns) out of nowhere and radiated a light so strong that it, somehow, manifested a calming influence to whoever felt it. The more he appeared, the more reports that rolled in.
They talked about how he was seen in Domino Below as a savior. There were stories of him destroying invasion of Giant Rats, ending a Witty Phantom's money laundering scheme, to (somehow) fulfilling the tasks set out by a tribe of Amazoness and even the hand of their queen. It soon became apparent that this superhero was nothing anyone had ever heard of before.
But perhaps his biggest claim to fame was exposing a human trafficking ring on the outskirts of what used to be old Domino City's shopping district. Eyewitness accounts consistently talked about a savior that appeared out of nowhere.
He disguised himself as a Skull Knight to infiltrate the ring and find its leader, a Lady of Wight. No one knew he was there until BOOM! His cannons fired upon those fiends and zombies, burning them away with flashes of heavenly light. The path cleared, he freed their prisoners with the assistance of an anonymous group: the Crimson Dragon Signers, so called for their insignias that glowed in combat. No one has figured out their identities yet, and Kaibaman isn't usually one for small talk.
The Lady of Wight, enraged and vengeful, battled Kaibaman in the wreckage. With wave after wave of assaults she cornered him, and then unleashed a Dark Armed Dragon to finish him off...
And then, he turned the tables, summoning the legendary three Blue Eyes White Dragons, one to vanquish his foe's champion, then the other two to destroy the building and the Lady of Wight both. Survivors spoke of this event like something out of a fairy tale,
Soon after, Security arrived and arrested everyone still alive and part of the ring; Carly, who was just an intern at the time and in disguise two hours before Kaibaman saved the day, snapped what became the most iconic photo of the superhero - the one that was the basis for his Duel Monsters card, later used by none other than Seto Kaiba himself.
(And when he was interviewed the next day in regards to the human trafficking incident, his answer neither accepted nor rejected the possibility that he truly was Kaibaman).
The proud warrior standing tall, a card in his black-gloved hand witand a smirk on his face Nothing else needed to be said after that. Domino Below had its own superhero now, and that was plenty.
So now, to think that The Enforcers are wishing to fight against this legend makes the boy wonder why. For attention? Because they were jealous? Or is there something else?
The boy continues to wonder while Carly, following the directions from her GPS, drives them to Satisfaction Town. The note she wrote earlier puts it in the heart of the Maiden District, but even after reading it a couple of times, the boy doesn't understand what's going on.
"It's not a town," Shooti observes, looking at a map on his cellphone. "It's a bar. And Kaibaman's there? How come?
"Traditionally, one can eavesdrop on juicy gossip in places like that," Carly answers. "Although they also have some cheap drinks too.
"Oh…" Shooti says, slightly embarrassed at how he didn't figure that out immediately.
Two minutes later, Carly parks across the street from Satisfaction Town. Normally, the street is filled with cars and people making their way for a nice meal, a round of drinks or just to relax after a hard day's work. Now? There are no cars nor any people at the bar. In fact, there is only a 'Closed' sign on the door, causing Shooti to sense that something is wrong.
Carly quickly grabs her bag and they run towards the window, with Carly telling Shooti to look away if she says to. Shooti nods his head as they peer through the window.
It looks like a tornado has hit with broken glass and alcohol strewn all over inside. There are tables and chairs thrown aside and, from the sound of it, a fight going on. Carly opens the door a little, and gets a better look at the fight
"Stay behind me," Carly whispers to Shooti. "And on my signal, be ready to run and stay in the car until further notice. You ready?"
Shooti nods his head as they enter. On nights like this, there should be music, the sounds of people talking and laughing while they have their drinks, and someone mixing drinks. Now, it is silent enough to hear the crunch of glass whenever either Carly or Shooti take a step. In fact, when they get close enough, they are met with the sound of someone laughing.
"Dance with me!" says a loud, very frantic, maniacal voice. "Dance the Dance of Death!"
Carly pulls Shooti behind an upturned table, pulling out her camera and then handing Shooti a voice recorder. Slowly, carefully, they peek out to look at the scene.
There are two men amongst the mess of glass. One is unmistakably Kaibaman with his silver coat, white dragon helm and long head of red hair. The other is wearing a brown vest and jeans, and has short cyan hair and a strange yellow mark along the right side of his face.
"Team Satisfaction," Carly whispers to Shooti, tracing a finger on her face where Kiryu's mark would be. Shooti's grey eyes widen as he continues to watch the mayhem.
The men's arms are connected by a long cord as they trade blows across the bar, glass and wood shattering as collateral damage. The sickening sound of glass breaking and bodies slamming against the floor and wall causes Shooti to wince.
"Why are they fighting?" Shooti asks. Carly taps her lips with a finger without turning to look at him, and then points at the voice recorder. The boy blinks before he sees the voice recorder in his hand and hastily turns it on. He has been to other duels and fights for Carly's job, but none of them have ever been so violent...barring attacks from Duel Monsters, of course.
Which makes him wonder…where is Security to stop the fight?
Security is the organization that keeps the peace between Neo-Domino and Domino Below, a patrol group of duelists for the various Duel Gangs wanting to cause trouble for the sake of it. They have had encounters with both Team Satisfaction and Kaibaman before, but they all begrudgingly have decided to not interfere with each other's business (it helps that Team Satisfaction actually have permits to open their business and Kaibaman's abilities have made it easier to tackle some of the more dangerous threats lurking in Domino Below).
Still hiding, Shooti can see Kaibaman breathing hard, then taking a deep breath. He picks up a suitable broken wine bottle bottle and points it at the (barely exhausted) Team Satisfaction member.
"Kiryu," Kaibaman begins, attempting to slice through one of Kiryu's arms with his improvised weapon. "this has gone on long enough. What do you know about the deaths of Magician's Four?"
"Good question!" Kiryu answers, wiping blood off the corner of his smile, as if he is enjoying the brawl. "What the hell are you gonna do about it if I tell you?"
"Your friends talked and-" Kaibaman moves slightly to dodge a beer bottle thrown at his head.
"My friends…" Kiryu hisses. "That's impossible! How could they be so desperate to tell a goody-two shoes like you about our satisfaction?"
"Because they're sane and worried about you." Kaibaman lowers his bottle and sighs. "They know, Kiryu. Tell me what happened. I can help y-"
In the blink of an eye, Kiryu covers the distance between them and slugs Kaibaman in the jaw. Then, before he can finish staggering back, Kiryu grabs him from behind and wraps part of the cord around his neck - and tightens. The dragon-helmed warrior gasps for air as Kiryu tightens his grip.
"Fine!," Kiryu hisses. "You wanna know what I saw? I'll tell you.
"I saw shadows! They took those bastards and killed 'em," Kiryu continues, eyes darting around. "Five of them, agents of Death, all of 'em. And the smallest one looks at me, still hungry.
"They chased me, and only I can see them. I tried telling my crew about this, but they won't believe me! I'm too stressed, they said. From seeing Magician's Four dead.
"Dead! Not kicked around, like I shoulda done. Like they deserved! Like you, 'Savior'." Kiryu pulled the cord tighter as he spat out that word. "What was your plan, anyway? Just walk in here, step up to me, and 'save' me? No, no, and NO! You're gonna die for me, take my place with them. Some pretty-boy 'Savior', yeah - they'll take you instead. Just smilin' and winkin' while we! While Team Satisfaction fights to survive!
"Hey! Leave him alone! This instant!"
Kiryu snarls, turning to see Shooti standing up aside the table. Too late, the boy realizes that he should have stayed hidden...
But, a hand grips his shoulder. And somehow, it feels reassuring to him.
"You're right," a calm voice says. "We would take Kaibaman instead of you. He's been more effective at sweeping up quibbles that Team Satisfaction couldn't quell."
It wasn't Carly's voice, Shooti realizes..
If standing up for Kaibaman isn't the boy's third mistake, then what he does after that will.
His spine cold with horror, Shooti slowly turns his head. Standing there: a woman in a hooded black cloak with red trim. She smiles, barely a thin line underneath that hood of hers, but that simple gesture sends chills down Shooti's spine and makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up..
"Don't worry," she says. It isn't a command, but Shooti understands that it is. "We're not after you, not tonight. Are we, ladies?"
Kiryu's grip loosens on the cord, just enough for Kaibaman to slip his hand under the cord and, with a burst of light from his palm, shatter it. The force of the blast knocks him and Kiryu back as the woman in her red-trimmed cloak watches in amusement.
"Go back to the table, boy," the woman advises Shooti. "This could get messy."
The boy does as he's told and hides behind the table next to Carly. the voice recorder still in his hand, still recording. But it does not record both his and Carly's confused horror and awe at the situation.
Underneath the cloak, the woman is wearing high-heeled shoes. Shooti can hear them as she walks, clack clack clack, over the glass-strewn floor. It's not the sound of fear or humbleness, he thinks - and, is she amused at the prospect of a fight?
Just from her posture alone, she displays pride and a bit of amusement at the scene. Shooti is unable to say anything else as the cloaked figure chuckles.
It's become an automatic movement for him, having accompanying Carly so many times, but this time it's a subconscious one. Shooti doesn't notice his free hand slipping into his jacket pocket, emerging with his teal digicam. It's only when it's in front of his eye that he becomes aware he's even holding it, finger on the shutter. He takes a picture of the woman - ch'csh - not out of fear or courage, but something else.
Then, four other cloaked figures emerge from the shadows, from space they could not possibly have hidden in. They have on the same cloaks as the 'red' woman, with different trims: blue, green, orange, and a different yellow from Kiryu's mark. Shooti's finger twitches, and his digicam responds: ch'csh, ch'csh, ch'csh, ch'csh.
"Shooti? What are you doing?" Carly whispers.
"It's for Chasing Shadows," Shooti whispers back, not taking his eyes off the scene. "Maybe someone can figure out who these guys are."
"Those are the Dark Signers, emissaries to the Dark King of the Afterlife. No one who has gone searching for them has come out alive." Carly's hand shakes a little as she whispers.
The gravity of the situation finally breaks through to Shooti. The Carly he knows fears only taxes and dark chocolate, but now he sees that she's terrified. He can see her fingers from the corner of his eye, and they remind him of… Deckard's? Towards the end, hanging onto the edge of a roof, at Roy Batty's mercy.
But Roy pulled Deckard up. Saved him. Made sure he knew Roy Batty existed, once upon a time.
It was raining in the movie, Shooti remembers. Unlike now. There is no rain inside the bar, no Roy Batty to lift him up, and no origami unicorn to imply anything otherwise. Shooti looks in horror as Carly grips onto him tightly. Never in his life has he felt terror like this before, and a part of him wonders if this is what Deckard feels near the end of his film as Roy Batty chases the detective in the rain, this idea of constantly living in fear. At least in Deckard's place, he ends up alive (Or does he? That unicorn muddles up everything in the end).
And then, Shooti becomes aware of quiet, labored breathing. It's Kaibaman, still on the floor, alone and powerless to be either Roy or Deckard where Kiryu is involved. The hooded figures - women, it seems - have surrounded him. He tries to fight back, but his efforts are stopped. By a wall, a cylinder, preventing him from escaping.
"Stay away from me!" Kiryu screams, struggling to stand up. "You...you freaks killed them!"
"Yes, we 'killed' them," the 'green' woman observes. "Their souls reeked of so much sin, and we were getting... hungry."
"And the fight was so much fun!" says the 'yellow' woman with a laugh. "They thought they could hide from us, but nope! Got them right where we wanted and squished them like the insignificant insects they truly were."
"You should be thanking us," says the 'blue' woman. "We saved you from a long period of torture, and death, Security. And now, we have for you and the rest of Team Satisfaction a...request: an offer that will bring you even more satisfaction."
"Like what?" Kiryu spits out He has noticed Kaibaman slowly getting up. And perhaps he has decided to accept some help.. "They all think I'm crazy, so what the hell could you possibly offer me?!"
The 'orange' woman, the smallest of the five, speaks, "Because, Kiryu Kyosuke...you are already dead."
Shooti gasps, and now he feels his heart pounding. Carly nearly drops her camera in shock. Kiryu stops moving. His fear visibly yields to disbelief, then...humor?
He laugh convincingly, and even he almost believes it. "You girls are off your rockers! How in the hell can I be dead? I'm here, talking to you and not in some coffin ready to be buried, am I?" He turns to Kaibaman. "Hey, dragon boy! Prove them right! Tell them that Kiryu Kyosuke is alive and kicking!"
Kaibaman rises to his feet. Five cloaked heads turn to look at him, but it's hard to tell where he's looking. He never let go of the wine bottle from earlier, but he does now. It falls, and lands without breaking further.
"No," he says, his voice raspy. He has a hand on his stomach when he says this. "Kiryu...when these five were absorbing the sins within Magician's Four, one of them started blindly firing a gun. You were struck straight in the heart, dead immediately. These women revived you three hours later, but now your life force is connected to theirs. If you don't return to them, your body will start to stiffen from rigor mortis and your death will catch up with you.
"Kiryu, you have to go with these Dark Signers right now."
"I...no. NO!," Kiryu panics. "This isn't really happening! I'm alive, you see?"
"Then take a deep breath and prove me wrong." There was sadness in Kaibaman's voice now. "Haven't you noticed that you have no pulse? That you don't need oxygen? That you could run so far without feeling winded? And that you don't feel exhausted even after our fight?"
Kiryu hesitates. He quickly checks his pulse, eyes watching the fingers that do it.
"No…" he whispers, furiously shaking his head. "I can't accept this. I won't accept this! How...Kaibaman! How did you do this?! I'm not dead! There's no possible way...this is nothing more than some nightmare!"
"This is reality, Kiryu," Kaibaman states calmly, turning his back to the screaming undead man. "Do what you need to do."
The women nod their heads as they raise a hand. Shooti watches; from the corner of his eye, he can see Carly has gently set her camera down, most likely before she drops it. Meanwhile, these Dark Signers summon a portal of shadows underneath Kiryu's prone body. Hundreds of translucent hands grab his limbs and clothes, dragging him down to who knows where.
Kiryu makes a valiant, but brief, effort at striking back. He tries to curse, but a hand clamps onto his mouth as he is pulled into what seems like the depths of Hell itself, a sickening SCHLUP could be heard. As the portal closes on itself, a gust of wind blows throughout the bar and knocks the hood off the 'orange' woman. Shooti lifts his head and is momentarily shocked when he sees her face.
The girl is ordinary, about Shooti's age, with ordinary blond hair and uncommon obsidian sclera with a small mark under her left eye. She doesn't seem to notice his gaze as she places her hood back on.
Then, suddenly, the bar's doors bursts open and lights flood in through the windows. Security has arrived, personnel quickly barging into the bar - and not an hour to soon, Shooti notes. He looks back to where the Dark Signers were standing...
Only to find that the only one left is an exhausted Kaibaman standing behind the bar, pouring himself some ginger ale and grenadine. He even finds a cherry from somewhere to put on top, and does just that with a small flourish. The hero takes just enough time to look at Security before raising his glass in the air.
"...Shirley Temple, anyone?" he asks.
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Security interviews Kaibaman, Carly and the boy for the next half-hour as an investigation undergoes in Satisfaction Town. The rest of Team Satisfaction, Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan, arrive during that time. None of them are pleased to find out that their leader has been abducted, so to speak.
Naturally, the three witnesses (Kaibaman, Carly and Shooti) being interviewed are reluctant to talk about Kiryu's current vital status, but when asked who abducted him, they all state they have no clue.
Or do they?
Based on how the women interacted with Kaibaman, the two are in league with one another - that much even the boy can tell. But that makes no sense at all...why would someone like Kaibaman, a beacon of light and justice, work with those associated with death and darkness?
The boy intends to find out, but he doesn't even take a step before Kaibaman turns to him.
"Whatever it is that you wish to speak to me about, hold onto it," Kaibaman says. "I appreciate you standing up on my behalf, but after this I want you to return to your normal life rather than risk it all trying to uncover the truth."
Shooti blinks but stands his ground. "What do you mean? I don't…"
"I can see it in your eyes," Kaibaman explains, sounding exhausted. "You wish to delve into the truth no matter what it costs. I can't afford to get someone like you involved with these affairs."
"'Someone like'..." Shooti snarls in outrage and balls his hands into fists. "What would you know about me?" He then looks to the side, seeing the remaining members of Team Satisfaction being interviewed by Security before lowering his voice. "And what do you know about those Dark Signers? Are you in league with them?"
"The more answers you dig up, the uglier it will get," Kaibaman answers camly, raising his left hand over the left side of his face. "It's better that you're in the dark about this. Trust me."
The boy dislikes cryptic talk and how authority figures tell him what not to do. But he can't make any retort to that "Trust me" line at all as Carly prepares to take him home, glad that she has not lost anything from her camera or voice recorder.
As Shooti enters the car, he sees Kaibaman talk to Yusei (the one with black hair and yellow streaks which reminds the boy of a large crab). Yusei looks as if he has been punched in the gut.
The trip back to the boy's apartment is quiet except for the radio news of what transpired in Satisfaction Town. The boy looks through his photos of the Dark Signers and recalls the girl in the cloak with orange trim, wondering why someone like her is even part of this strange cult.
Carly drops the boy off at his apartment and spends the rest of the evening rewriting her report. The boy tries to get back into Blade Runner, only to pause halfway into the film and change it out for an episode of "Ergo Proxy" as he connects the dots between everything he has seen.
Two hours later, his mother arrives home from her job as a nurse at the hospital, pays Carly and then shoos the boy into bed. The boy complies, too tired to argue after everything he has seen.
After getting into his pajamas and slipping into bed, the boy picks up his teal digicam and looks at the photographs he has taken, particularly the one with the 'orange' girl. He wishes that he had the chance to photograph the her without the hood covering her face, but then decides against it, knowing that he would probably bring more trouble to himself if Carly's words are true.
And, after all, what are the chances of him seeing her again?
He closes his eyes and eventually falls asleep, dreaming about women in black cloaks who arrive to those about to die, taking them deep into an abyss where no one can see them again.
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Sunday passes without incident.
Carly finished her report and she and Shooti spent the afternoon together at Domino Park, sharing a crepe. Neither of them talk about what they had seen at Satisfaction Town, for fear of those Dark Signers hearing them, but instead observe people involved in Street Duels, taking photographs of children proudly playing Spell and Trap cards and commanding their monsters to attack directly. All in all, it was a nice break from the chaos of the night before.
But it is on Monday morning, October 1st, at Domino City International School, when everything changes.
The boy is at his desk, during homeroom, studying for a third period math test when his close friend, Jun, a boy who can be compared to a monkey by energy alone, sits at the desk behind the boy and smiles.
"How was your weekend?" Jun asks with a grin. Shooti sighs as he pretends to be more focused on math then answering questions.
"Quiet," Shooti mumbles. Jun still smiles.
"Really?" he persists. "You sure you didn't go out on a crazy adventure with Carly?"
"I said my weekend was quiet," Shooti repeats as he sees their homeroom teacher, a woman in a dark grey dress accessorized by a pink cravat, magenta leggings ending in grey dress shoes and her brown hair tied into buns with long tails at the end all held back by a pink fan-like clip, approach the desk.
"Class," says Tsutsuji in a calm tone that makes every student turn their attention to her. "We have a new student coming today. So please, enter."
The student enters, wearing the female uniform of an orange blazer, white blouse and green skirt. Shooti gasps when he sees the girl's face.
It is the same as the one from Saturday night.
The only differences about the girl that evening and the one standing in front of him now are the red square wire-framed glasses magnifying her vibrant green eyes. Shooti blinks, hoping he is not seeing things, but the girl is standing near his teacher with a portfolio in hand and is in the very same room he is in.
"Nice to meet you," the girl states sweetly. "My name is Bel Amsel. I used to live in California before coming here so, uh, I hope we can get along!"
The boy feels everything slow down as questions race through his head. Does the girl know about him? Are those Dark Signers observing him for watching them send Kiryu to the afterlife?
Are they off to kill him?
The boy vaguely recalls what his teacher says next, but remembers that Bel walks past him and, with the faintest whisper, says one thing,
"Did you take a good picture of me back there?"
The boy looks up at her in horror and slowly shakes his head before Bel smiles, nods her head and walks to her desk all while the boy places his head in his hands and tries his best to pretend that the girl did not speak to him and to follow the advice Kaibaman gave him in regards to ignoring the incident at Satisfaction Town.
Unfortunately, the boy will find it difficult to do so and this will lead to him to make his fourth mistake.