Want to know the scariest combination ever?

Kanda Tsugio & Kochou Ran together. I don't think the French Reign of Terror or the Nanjing Rape can even come close to the amount of destruction those two inflict when sharing the same vicinity.

On one hand we have a batshit insane fangirl for Ryou, on the other we have a fruitloop of a fanboy for Asuka, and in between there's a Toukouseki who simply doesn't have the heart (or energy to deal with the consequences) to point out that Ryou and Asuka were once deemed the unofficial "king" and "queen" of Duel Academia, respectively, and rumors say they weren't just platonic titles either.f

Well, that's what Junko and Momoe tell me anyhow. Those two have been sharing an awful lot of gossip with me these days. The first tidbit they reveal was that Asuka was given a one-way ticket out of the Hikari no Kessha via a loss to Yuuki Juudai.

When I go to tell Kanda this he (unsurprisingly) knew of the news before I even came in hearing distance of him. His reaction was a combination of pouting, blubbering, and then comical tearing up in those green chibi puppy eyes. Not that I was surprised.

You see, after hanging around Kanda Tsugio for a while, one tends to notice he: 1) was probably rejected from Sped due to being too stupid for the class 2) has severe boundary issues, and 3) cannot distinguish faux pas from the rear end of a pig if there was an arrow pointing to its curly, pink tail. Now don't get me wrong. I love Kanda very much, like a younger brother almost. But he annoys the holy hell out of me. He has this tendency to be all touchy-feely about everything, sob like a drama queen when he stubs his big toe in a locker, and run his motor mouth so quickly that all one can comprehend nix the babbling are: "Asuka-tan" and this enigmatic "Aniki" being.

Of course, I prefer this side of him any day over his more…jealous side. Let's just say he and Ran don't get along that well due to romantic conflicts and MELTs (MassivE Love Triangles). We'll leave it at that. Yeah.

I try to act dignified as holographic flower pollen, cartoon army ants, a boom box playing game show theme songs, and a microphone flies clear over my head. It's like the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan over here.

In lieu of leaping up and bashing both of their brains out with police baton, I grit my teeth as I erase the misspelled 'white' and write in the correct kanji on my 'homework'. 'Homework' as in Kanda's extra prep studies because apparently he read 'teach me how to duel' as 'overload Tou-tan with papers'.

Whoosh. Ran swipes the top card off her deck. "Sooo, brat, do tell me how you manage to make your voice like that when you duel," she drawls.

Pffft. Kanda sticks out his tongue. "The quiz king never reveals his secrets lest they're used against him!" he booms in that freakishly scary low voice.

Boom. Insect Princess wipes out Quiz Panel: Ra – 30 and a large portion of his life points. "You want to know another secret? Asuka Tenjoin is a slut."

Grr! Kanda huffs angrily. "Yeah, well, Kaiser's a German word and you know how World War II ended!"

BAM. CRASH. SWOOSH.

…and this duel has reached a new low.

Someone get me a cellphone. I need to dial 1-800-WRRRRRRRRRY and freakin' STEAMROLLER Kanda and Ran.

Secretly, I really think that Kanda and Ran would make one heck of a couple. I mean, I don't know what Asuka Tenjoin had that caught his eye, but if it was the ass and tit factor, then Ran would have no problem being that blonde's flesh-and-blood proxy 'cause she had no shortage of those assets.

But I don't say this, of course. Instead, I flip over my pencil and erase another misspelled kanji.

"Because of DNA Surgery's effect, all of your monsters are insects!" shouts Ran. "And you know what Insect Princess' ability does…"

"You won't have a chance to destroy my Obelisk Panel if I activate my Attack Nullification trap card!" Kanda quickly counters, having thought up a sure-fire tactic to annihilate her defenses.

Ran growls as a hurricane blasts her princess back onto her side of the field. Kanda laughs in triumph.

Over the course of another fifteen minutes, a cacophony of cursing, and a dozen more cards concerning 'white', Kanda regains control of the duel. He pulls off a stunning from-behind victory which ultimately results in him laughing maniacally with his hands akimbo while Ran glares venomously at him with laser beams protruding from her eyes.

Seeing as Kanda is not exactly...humble with his victory, the students passing by all glance and whisper about how cruel it is for another poor Obelisk Blue girl to have to join the Hikari no Kessha because she lost to that dorky bastard.

(...they do not know half of it.

There is this unspoken rule that if you're beaten by a member of the Hikari no Kessha, you will automatically join as a result. It worked the other way too; if a member of the Hikari no Kessha is beaten by a non-white student, then that member would regain his or her common sense and drop out of the organization. Yet, apparently this rule only operates under certain people. Like Juudai. But not to me or Kanda or Ran, because if it did apply to me then those irritating bastards who I dueled 4-1 wouldn't have beaten up Kanda days later as they would have returned to their normal personalities. And if it did apply to the ducklings, then Ran would have long since abandoned her fetish for Ryou's black trenchcoat.

But because this rule somehow, for some magical reason or the other, does not apply to us, Ran and Kanda can throw down as many times as they want over their idols without worrying about tipping the number count of the dorms. So far the score is Kanda: 12, Ran: 7, Toukouseki: WTF.

All of this is completely bullshit to me. I don't know where amnesic brainwashing crosses with winning a card game, why only some people have the ability to play hero, or if Freud is rolling over in his grave to the irrationality that reigns over this school.)

Anyway.

I, naturally, pretend I'm not acquainted with King and Queen Melodrama, though it becomes a challenge to deny my association with the fools when Kanda materializes behind me and peeks over my shoulder.

"Tou-tan? Are you done with your exercises?"

"What's the point of all this drab work-aisu?" I bleat. "I asked you teach me how to duel, not give me paperwork."

He wisely raises his index finger in the air. "But studying is the only way to become a better duelist. You told me that you had trouble memorizing card effects, right? There's no point in repeated dueling if you don't even know the effects." He wags his finger at me. "Better study them first. We can have fun later."

"But all you're doing is making me remember the text of monsters with the word 'white' in their names!" I exclaim, grabbing a fistful of cards off the table and shoving it under his nose. I began counting off all the cards he's given me: "White Uniformed Angel, White-Tailed Black Cat, White Ninja, White Horns Dragon, White Thief…"

By the time I had reached White Magician Pikeru, the whisperings are surmounted by ear-bleeding chants that steadily rise in volume as boys in blue come into sight from down the road. We raise our attention in their direction. At least they're blue and not white.

"Ichi, Juu, Hyaku, Sen…Manjyome Sanda!"

Oh, for the love of... Here comes the fiesta de failure.

"Ichi, Juu, Hyaku, Sen…Manjyome Sanda!"

"…I'm leaving-aisu." I shove my stuff into my backpack and sling the pack over my shoulder, ready to hightail out of here before trouble arises. Most likely by my hand.

Kanda notices I'm walking away and he runs after me. "Hold on, Tou-tan, let me come with you!" he exclaims.

I hold my breath unless a 'Toukouseki -da!' explodes and blows away everyone in the 50 meter radius. Once I swallow my urge to complain about suffixes, I give Kanda the most irritated look ever. "…you go cheer her up." I gesture towards Ran.

For once, Kanda looks enraged at something I've said. He's normally so bubbly. "What? Why? I'm not going to help my enemy! She—she dissed Asuka! Plus she's an Obelisk Blue!"

(...how is it possible that Ran and I are both in Obelisk Blue yet only she is Kanda enemy? What am I, chopped liver?)

"Yeah well, thanks to you she's a human wasteland…" I retort.

"Ichi, Juu, Hyaku, Sen…MANJYOME SANDA!"

"It's not my fault!" Kanda exclaims, sticking his chin out. "She totally deserved it!"

I twitch. "That argument does not retain water-aisu. It's not as if she deserved to hold her breath under water for 3 and a half minutes!"

"She's the one who attacked the Osiris Panel!" he argues.

"The card text said 60 seconds!"

"Who cares? It's just a difference of one and a half minutes!"

(And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't let children sniff glue.)

"ICHI, JUU, HYAKU, SEN—MANJYOME SANDA!"

I throw my arms into the air. "Not to mention you made her do tongue-twisters, mathematical equations, and pushups—"

"She said Ryou was hotter than Asuka!"

"Ryou is hotter than—I mean, that's not the point! You crossed the line at making her do pushups!"

"Soooo? Saiou-sama and Aniki and Gin—" Kanda babbles like a little child caught red-handed with his fingers in the cookie jar and close your mouth, you look as if you're missing a chromosome ARGH. I cut him off by finally losing my cool and screeching in his face.

"Ran is a girl! In high heels! And a miniskirt! You can't just say 'drop and give me twenty!' in the middle of a card game. That's what we have P.E. and Ayukawa-sensei for-aisu!"

Kanda is stunned at my outburst. With his mouth glued shut, there is quiet for .002 seconds before it is interrupted with a collective round of:

"ICHI, JUU, HYAKU, SEN—!"

That is the last straw. With mounting anger, I slide my backpack off my shoulder and chuck it in the general direction of a small cluster of Obelisk Blue boys chanting nonsense whilst barely missing Kanda by an inch. It hits one them on the head and then hop-scotches over to another one's face.

"Quit flapping your jaws AND SHUT YOURSELVES UP!"

They shut themselves up.

I fume and swerve around, stomping away and ignoring Kanda cowering meekly at my violent nature. As for my handmade bludgeoning device, it's only filled with Kanda's 'homework' anyhow. He can have fun picking up every one of the papers that flown out on impact later.

However, I only manage to get a yard or so away when footsteps creep up behind me.

"…hey, ugly. Is it my imagination or did you just have a lawyer moment? Because it appears to me that your head and your ass interchanged," a vague, quasi-sophisticated voice snarks. "Pull that stunt again and you'll be dealing with me. Got that?"

I freeze and inwardly groan. Oh, gods, no. I swerve around, restraining my fingers from flying up to Wakame's eyes and gorging them out on contact. He's glaring at me with those beady little eyes behind square-framed lenses. Damn bastard puts noxious in obnoxious. Actually, he puts ob in it too.

I throw my arms into the air and twirl around theatrically, stopping to face Wakame. My eyes do a 360 in my sockets. Figures Wakame was still a big fan of that aggrandizing dick.

"Look. Darling. If I have to hear that chant Ichi more times, I'll personally see to it that the Juu last people who said it are attacked with Hyaku different types of torture instruments Sen times over."

Wakame frowns. "Funny, aren't you?"

"Quite," I snap. "The universal truth of today is quite simple: You're late."

"What are you—"

"It's been three weeks since Manjyome left the Hikari no Kessha. Three weeks. We know, we know... Manjyome is back to complain about his suffix, flaunt around his money, and single-handedly help cause global warming with his VWXYZ machine unions. But we don't have to hear it again three weeks later."

"You don't understand, Tou-san! Wakame has a perfectly good reason for his actions!" a female voice scolds.

"Mh-hmm," agrees a milder, gentler voice. "It's a riot, a rebellion, a war essentially!"

Carrot orange and charcoal black AKA Junko and Momoe arrive on the scene. My guess is that were attracted to the commotion we were causing and hurried over to see what was going on. I gawk at them with my, 'Who's side are you on anyway?' expression.

"...huhhh?" My lame proxy for an intelligent question. Momoe takes up my plea.

"Manjyome-san has gathered a group of Obelisk Blue followers to dismantle The Hikari no Kessha piece by piece. He calls it the Manjyome Thunder army!"

Lamesauce name. (I don't say this though.)

"That's right, they're going to win the GX tournament!" Junko affirms proudly. She turns to Kanda, sneering. "So pigs like you better wash their necks for decapitation..." She draws a finger across her throat and snickers.

People laugh with her, especially those who watched Kanda gloat his victory minutes before. Momoe giggles and Wakame smugly crosses his arms.

Kanda is hurt. Those big green eyes of his water up as virtually everyone on campus plays sheep and pick on the odd one out.

I can't laugh. Although Junko and Momoe have always supported me, I feel somewhat betrayed by their words.

To my surprise, Ran sniffs in distaste from behind me. "...dumb sluts..." she mutters. Huh.

I'd venture a suspicion that although she'd nonchalantly throw him both ends of the rope if he was drowning, she has developed a tiny attachment to the kid throughout their numerous battle royales. Misery loves company; Kanda was rejected the same week as Ran was by Ryou. Screaming at each other had been a great method to let loose the pain inside of them neither would admit existed. (Plus, Junko and Momoe are Asuka's best friends and Asuka is the number one rival for her Ryou-sama.)

So I'm almost proud when Ran avant-gardes from the back lines to the crossfire of battle, and uses her heels as a height advantage to loom over the suddenly frowning roommates of Asuka. Wakame and his friends are also taken aback by her femme fatale attitude, if not only because of animalistic nature coming with being a male.

"Ladies—" she simpers. I cut her off. She doesn't have to ruin her reputation for Kanda.

"Just leave the idiotstick alone," I mutter. Ran blinks.

Junko looks at me incredulously. "What's gotten into you, Tou-san? Last week you hated the Hikari no Kessha, and all of a sudden you're defending this geek?"

For some reason, the word 'geek' triggers Kanda's infuriation sensors the way 'trash' does with mine. "Mnnnng...I am not a geek!" he protests hotly, balling together his fists, making both me and Ran WTF at him.

(Can someone bring in his denial file? Is there something we need to add?)

"I'm Tou-tan's loyal follower! I'll stay by her until the end of the world because she's my aneki!"

The who in the where in the what now.

"Well, well, well. What filthy non-white trash do we have here…?" a not-so-vague, quasi-retarded voice suddenly drawls. "A faggot, a whore, two mindfucks, and ah. Oh, I remember you..."

…oh fuck. Last thing I need. It's those guys. From the Hikari no Kessha. The ones I never managed to un-white despite thoroughly kicking their asses.

Then out of the freakin' blue, Kanda gives everyone a look that I read as 'Screw you guys, I'm getting pie'. In the second that I blink, he flees into the foliage.

My jaw slacks. Dude, what happened to the end of the world business?

However, my brain doesn't have time to register where or why he just left, as someone grabs my left arm and twists it behind my back. I cringe as a jolt of pain runs through me, accompanied by unwanted body heat as my assaulter moves directly behind me. His other hand encircles in front of me and cups my chin, angling my head just so.

"Little, little bitch..." He squeezes my cheeks. Chills run up my spine as I feel him breathe into my ear. It's him...

"Hey! Let her go!" Junko yells angrily.

…ugh...I feel strange… I can't exactly describe this emotion. It's like fear and…well…shame…mixed into one. I'm usually fine with physical contact (like my foot up a guy's crotch) and even close intimacy (I mean how many times has Kanda attached himself around my waist?), but this—this just feels…weird. I'm frozen. I'm brain dead. I can't seem to move. I'm...I'm so...scared.

Then, out of nowhere, a blur of royal blue materializes next to me—there's a pained hiss from my assaulter when Wakame jerks his hand from my cheeks, holding his arm high in the air with a vice-like grip and a frozen smile.

I feel heat again, though this time it's warm gratitude for Wakame's defense. I suppose…even if he's a complete bastard to me, he's still a gentleman by nature and code of chivalry still functions here. Against other men at least.

"Where are you manners towards girls, Gin?" he teases coldly.

Gin cringes at Wakame's concealed strength. He jerkily uncoils his other arm from my waist and shoves me away to concentrate on punching Wakame with his free fist.

"Tou-san!" Momoe and Junko rush over to me and help me up.

I glance over at the brawl, but to my surprise, it's over already. Truce has been called to the physicality, although the war has just begun to the verbal spat. Of course, of course. This is an island of oral confrontation, not fist-to-fist violence. (I'm exempt from the latter.)

"You aren't great," Wakame laughs. "You're a little housecat that thinks it's the big lion, because it has a master that can protect it."

"I'll make you eat those words," Gin sneers. He gestures to his fingerless sky blue gloves. "Duel me."

Wakame grins an icy cold grin. "Bring it."

Hell is on the edge of breaking out when I intercept the lot of them, much to both of their surprises. I join the smiling contest with a sardonic beam of my own.

"Guys, I'm going to stage an intervention."

"Toukouseki—" Wakame cuts in sharply.

I round on him with a piercing stare. "Wakame-san, I appreciate your concern but this is between him and me. We have a history."

Gin sneers. "Methinks it's time to completely dye the world white! We're gonna defeat the filthy and win the GX tournament. And I'll start with you, bitch. It's payback time!"

"Fanciful bastard aren't you-aisu."

"You won't be talking so high when this duel is over, bitch." He tilts his head and gives me a sick grin. "Actually. When we're done, you'll be using that mouth for something much better!"

"When we're done, I'll crush your other nut!" I shout, his sick words rankling my nerves. I swerve around. Where the hell is my duel disk? Where is my deck? My heart is beating so damned quickly... because if I screw this up, it's adios muchachos for good. Gin...he's scaring me. I don't know why.

And suddenly, I feel empty. I look around me. Everyone here is people I know and connected with on different levels of intimacy. Ran, Junko, Momoe, even Wakame will inwardly root for me over these guys...and yet…I feel like I'm missing someone. Who am I missing? Ryou? My cheeks heat up by the mere thought of his name. Dark blue eyes and cobalt-slate hair…but…

Then out of nowhere, an outsider's voice invades this sanctuary.

"Hey, Momoe, Junko! Hiya!"

I stiffen automatically. A blur of chocolate orange and cherry red whooshes past me, stopping in front of Momoe. Though the person's back is turned away, his distinguishing feature of weirdly-colored spiky hair gives his identity to be none other than Yuuki Juudai. Wow. It's Mr. Playing-card-games-gives-me-the-license-to-do-anything.

Junko tots over to him with a cute beam on her face. To my surprise however, this one is different from the dreamy smile she normally has when interacting with boys. Usually, I see her face glazed with love-stricken infatuation like she's drunk or something. But with Juudai, Junko actually looks sober and in control of what she's doing.

"Hiii… What's up? Wanna buy me another drink this afternoon?"

I raise an eyebrow. Whoa. No shame, huh. What happened to the sweet giggling and sucking up? I glance at Juudai, expecting him to be immediately turned off by Junko's bossy attitude. Instead, and once again to my surprise, Juudai closes his eyes and rubs the back of his head, laughing sheepishly.

"Hahaha…sorry Junko, but I'm totally out of money! Maybe I can borrow some from Shou…"

"Don't bother." Junko waves it off dismissively. She frowns. "Anyway, where is Momoe's Battle City DVD? She promised to lend it to me next! You better not have forgotten it!"

"No, I got it right here!" He relinquishes the tape into Junko's twitchy trigger fingers and then spots Wakame. He grins and waves. "Hi!"

Wakame blinks, mildly shocked, and mechanically raises a hand in formal salutations.

I have a similar reaction, nix the salutations. Juudai is so…happy. I swear, I'm practically seeing :DDD emoticons float around him.

Having done entertaining Junko with the return of the prospect of watching Seto Kaiba vs. Yuugi Mutou on the big screen, Juudai walks over to Wakame and starts to make small talk with him, flat-out ignoring the Hikari no Kessha's existence, until that bastard speaks up:

"Are you sweethearts forgetting something?"

We stare at him in silence until Juudai pipes up. "…yo, Gin. I'd figure that Manjyome already un-whited you. What are you still doing in this crackhouse? Aren't you supposed to be going blind with Gradius or something...?"

Without warning, I burst into giggles.

Had anyone else said that, it would have been a "oh that's a lol comment from the peanut gallery" type of thing. But because Juudai was the one to say those words, the entire situation is positively hysterical. It's his innocence. In addition to the other characteristics I tagged him with Yuuki Juudai is also quite…blunt. Social competence is not his area of expertise so when he says something, he doesn't actually think about it before it comes out of his mouth. Basically, he just vocalized the truth that everyone else is scared of saying.

The Hikari no Kessha is a crackhouse where all its members look stoned.

And Ryusei Gin is nothing more than a video game nerd.

The people around me follow suit and soon enough everyone in the premises, save the thoroughly perplexed Hikari no Kessha cronies who dumbly stared at Gin for what to do, is producing decibels of laugher higher than that of a hundred working jackhammers.

Gin, of course, is furious. "Shut up!" roars the President of Nothing Incorporation. "Shut up every last one of you!"

"N-no way!" Momoe exclaims, leaning over and clutching her stomach from laughing.

"Cry us a river, why don't you..." Junko adds in with her hand over her forehead, as she tries to stabilize herself on Momoe's shoulder.

"If you don't all shut the fuck up right now—"

"Just call it quits," Wakame smirks, his eyes twinkling from behind his glasses, probably acting the most dignified out of us all. "You're a laughing stock right now. Come back when you and your posse regain your dignity...if you ever do, that is."

"World Domination has encountered a momentary setback. Talk amongst yourselves," I can't help but snigger between bouts of laughter. Stupid internet memes; I usually hate following the overdone, but decide that this time is an exception when me and Wakame exchange grins, our rivalry with each other melting away into rapport to fight a common enemy.

Gin gnashes his teeth, his face confronted with livid fury and promises of revenge. "We won't forget this," he vows, pitching his arm into the air for extra emphasis. "The Hikari no Kessha will prevail! The world will be dyed in white! You'll see! You'll all see!"

"... Not if you keep playing Gradius," Juudai comments mildly.

We continue laughing long after the pastiche of a cult departs.

I wipe away a tear of mirth from the creases of my eye. I don't think I laughed so much this entire year.

The crowd is dissipating; some people in Yellow and Red and even a few in Blue come up to Juudai and pats him on the back, telling him things like "Good job" and "You're awesome, man". Juudai nods and returns them with a confused smile.

When nearly everyone is gone, the mood turns back to what it was before Gin had interrupted. I edge towards Juudai. I want to introduce myself to this amazing boy, this boy who I've heard so much about yet never met face to face, who's naive yet overwhelmingly influential at once.

Juudai's glances around, wondering who's left on campus. His peripheral vision is heading towards my direction and is millimeters away from hitting me when Momoe suddenly says, "So… how is he?"

Almost immediately, Juudai loses his happy demeanor. "Not so good…" He rubs the back of his head. "Edo's been too strange these days…"

Within a lightning's bolt strike, I perk up at the mention of Edo's name. Outwardly, I force an extremely mild reaction on my face.

"He won't tell me anything. The other day, I went to his boat but he refused to open up. I know he's out late every night walking around the island…and he's always angry…"

The sudden flashback of our last encounter flickers through my head.

"Ah...I barely recognized you there…"

"Yeah. It's dark-aisu."

It's true. Edo has been staying out late. But, why then, wasn't he angry at me…?

Juudai finally notices me. "Hey... by the way, we've never be introduced."

I put on my best sweet girl smile. "My name is Tawashi Toukouseki. Pleasure to meet you, Yuuki-kun." I lift the corners of my miniskirt and curtsy as best as I can without giving Wakame a pantyshot.

Those around me raise eyebrows. Juudai nods again, still slightly confused, but nevertheless pleased. "Ah." He smiles. "You don't have to be so formal. You can just call me Juudai…"

"It is only necessary," I cut him off. "We're in debt to you for the return of Manjyome-kun and Tenjoin-kun." I tilt my head forward and humbly lower my eyes to the ground.

Ran and Wakame both stare at me, utterly baffled. Junko and Momoe are more relaxed; they've known me longer.

"You seem like a carefree guy, yet you worry so much about your friends."

His eyes sparkle. "You really think so?" Then the blithe dissolves, he hunches his shoulders and pout-sighs. "It's just that Edo…Edo Phoenix, by the way. I'm sure you've heard of him. Big Pro-League duelist," he elucidates and I nod to show I understand, "…he's been through so much in his childhood. I think he's hurting more now than ever."

"His father was murdered," I murmur quietly.

Juudai looks at me, shocked. "You heard?"

"He told me."

"Oh, wow," he comments. "He doesn't tell that to many individuals. Most people just hear it from the media."

Frowning, I knit my eyebrows together.

Juudai sighs. "What I'm really worried about is the satellite keys—"

"…ANIKI!"

I see Juudai's expression turn into horror, and he scarcely has enough time to dart out of the path of Kanda the Hugbear. Kanda scoops thin air and looses balance, but rapidly recovers and is at it again. Juudai eeps as he makes mad dashes away from the fanatical loon.

Momoe, Junko and Ran all have the same endearing thoughts: "...that idiot".

Wakame snorts, irritated and amused at once.

I vaguely smile. So Juudai is the enigmatic "Aniki" person that sycophant keeps jabbering about. Yes, Kanda. And once he rips off his shirt revealing his rippling muscles and a birthmark that proves he's not your brother…

…

I feel my happiness fading away.

I know who I was missing now. It was Edo. I remember now… I felt empty without his guidance. Whenever I had a duel, I always had a vague suspicion in the corner of my mind that Edo was watching it somewhere. Like the duel with Ran. I didn't even see him until he decided to make his presence known.

He'slikemyguardianangel.

But I didn't have this feeling today when I was about to duel Gin. He's not here. I didn't feel his hidden presence anywhere.

And right now, around all these people who I can call my friends and rivals, followers and acquaintances—I never felt so alone in my life.

Edo…