Fun Fact: Mieru is raised by a single mother, who is also psychic.
Description: The gang babysit some orphans.
Four girls stood together in a circle. Above them, a spotlight from an unknown source shone down upon them. Around them, just outside of the spotlight's range, was darkness. Lots and lots of darkness.
Rin had her hands on her hips, and a confident look on her face. She was prepared for what was to come, and she was going to make sure that the others were, too.
"It's 6:15, girls!" Rin declared. "You know what that means?"
"That we're up way too early and should go back to bed?" Ruri groaned.
"That I let us sleep in for an extra fifteen minutes. So you guys can't complain about not getting enough sleep."
The other three girls just looked at Rin with dazed expressions. They all had messy hair, hefty bags under their eyes, relaxed shoulders, and wrinkled clothes. They reeked like skunk apes, and the less said about their teeth, the better. Waking up this early meant that their minds were not fully awake yet, and the visual manifestations of their minds were not afraid to show it.
Compare to Rin, who had fresh clothes, combed hair, and and glowing skin. Though her body seemed just as relaxed as the others', the signs of fatigue were much less apparent on her.
"I know it's probably tough for you, waking up and taking care of about... twenty one children?"
Ruri leaned to her side and rested her head on Serena's shoulder. Serena threw her head back and let out a long, annoyed moan. Yuzu wasn't even looking at Rin anymore, she was just staring at the soothing, quiet darkness behind her. She could just sneak away, plop herself in the shadows, and nap peacefully.
"We're not taking care of all the kids at once, though!" Rin explained hastily. "Yugo will take some, Gongenzaka will take some, and we'll take some! So we'll only have about seven kids to watch at any given time."
Her sisters groaned.
"But Martha will be here at five, so we only have about... uh... one, two, three..."
"Eleven hours," Ruri said. This was followed by a long, loud, long, long, loud, and long groan.
"But we can take turns!" Rin shouted over the groan. "We'll each get an hour with the kids, then switch off to another one of us!"
"Serena, this is your fault for staying up so late," Yuzu whined.
"I was reading something!" Serena said defensively.
Rin clapped her hands. "So Yuzu can go first, and then-"
"Yuri's writing?" Yuzu asked. "Why would you willingly read Hitlerena and Yureva Braun? Or- or was it a story where he talks about... I don't know, setting an old man on fire, or something?"
Rin punched the bridge of her nose. "Oh God, we don't have time for this crap."
"Well, I'm sorry you don't understand good writing!" Serena snapped. "Yuri is right; you're too small-minded to understand art."
"I see you guys are too exhausted to work, but not too exhausted to fight."
Ruri wrapped her arms around Serena, then let more of her body lean on her for support. She closed her eyes and tried to let herself fall back asleep.
"You're so in love with Yuri, you just believe what he tells you," said Yuzu. "No one would consider his work good, not even his mother and father."
"I do!" Serena hissed. "I see that passion in him, and he cares about making a statement. He's not like your boyfriend, who is all hurr durr, egaos and entertainment, durrrr."
Ruri stifled a snort.
Yuzu glared at Serena. "You didn't have a problem with Yuya when you were trying to make out with him a few months ago."
Ruri stifled another snort.
Okay, Rin. Time to nip this in the bud.
"Hey, speaking of Yuya!" Rin said out loud. "Yugo said that Yuya would have the first shift. Who wants to partner up with him?"
Yuzu blinked and straightened out her back. Instantly, the effects of fatigue left her body, and she looked just as radiant as Rin.
"I got this, you guys!" Yuzu announced.
Yuzu then looked back to Serena. Now that she was fully awake and aware, the gravity of her earlier words started to set in. "Oh, Serena... I think we both went a little too far. I'm sorry about that."
"Saaaame," Serena yawned. "Let me rest for an hour, and we'll be even."
Many children were in the back yard. They all crowded around Yuya and Yuzu, who had their Duel Disks out. The kids were hyped for what would be one of the most hyped-up, exciting Action Duels they had ever seen.
"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya announced.
"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!" Yuzu added.
"They storm through this field!"
"Behold! This is the latest and greatest evolution of Dueling!"
"Action... DUEL!"
Action Cards rained down from the sky, and platforms now materialized in the air. The electric atmosphere drew in the crowds, while the burning passion emanating from the duelists made them stay. The children cheered and hollered for the greatest show on Earth!
Yuya egao'd. "You can go first, Yuzu."
Yuzu egao'd. "No, you go first. You're the best at warming up a crowd."
"No, you're the best," Yuya told her. "You just have this natural charisma."
"But you're just so charming and likable!"
"Only because I learned from you."
"Oh, Yuya," Yuzu gasped. Her eyes were twinkling now. "My style is nothing compared to yours. You're amazing."
Of course, Yuya's eyes were also twinkling. "I don't think so. And you should go first, so your amazing skills can dazzle and inspire me."
"Yuya, you're embarrassing me~" Yuzu gasped, blushing. "See? I'm getting all red~"
"I'm sorry, Yuzu! I didn't mean to!"
"No, it's fine! You're just making me so happy and flustered~"
Yuya blushed, too. "I feel like that all the time when I'm around you. See, I told you that you always inspire me~"
"~~~~Yuya~~~~"
"~~~~Yuzu~~~~"
Meanwhile, Gongenzaka watched the show from the rec room window. He only had four children with them, as the rest of the kids went out to watch the duel. The remaining four kids stayed to play with En. That meant, for the next hour, he could take things easy and enjoy a less stressful oh wait that kids from outside were getting bored and coming back inside.
Next up: Serena. In all honesty, Serena wasn't crazy about kids. The idea of being responsible for another human's life was pretty stressful and unsettling. But for now, she only had to make through an hour of watching kids, and she'd be done.
Serena put her batch of kids in a position where they couldn't cause trouble, get too close, or do... whatever it is they do. She had them run around the perimeter of the back yard continuously.
Serena clapped for the children. "Keep it up! Running keeps you in shape, keeps you busy, keeps you healthy! I if you want to be strong, you need to work for it!"
And honestly, commanding these kids to exercise was a lot less stressful than regular old babysitting. Maybe one day she could be a gym teacher, or a drill instructor, or even a mother.
Scratch that last one, Serena thought. The last thing she wanted was to be a mother. I'd make a terrible mother.
Two children broke from the circle of running. A young boy of about seven, and a girl about eleven, broke from formation. The two, exhausted and dripping with sweat, made their way towards Serena.
"What? What's going on?" Serena asked them.
"Can we stop?" the boy groaned.
"I'm so exhausted!" the girl wheezed.
Serena put her hands on her hips. She let out an annoyed, disgruntled sigh.
"Can we go inside?"
"You kids shouldn't be like this," Serena chided. "When I was in Academia, we had to do so much more than this. And I'm stronger for it."
"But Martha doesn't make us run like this!" the boy protested.
"And I'm not Martha."
"Please, please!" came Yuri's voice. "Let's all calm down!"
And now, coming on to the scene was Yuri. He had a devious egao on his face, and his hands behind his back. He stepped right into the conversation and took his place beside his beloved.
"I'll handle them, Serena," he told her.
Serena was normally the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. But right now, her mind was on watching over the other children. So she nodded, then walked towards the other kids.
Yuri looked over the two children. The children anxiously looked at him, waiting to hear if he was with them, or against them.
"Do we have to run?" the boy asked him.
"Oh, goodness no!" Yuri said to him. "I'm with you guys - running and exercise isn't fun."
The boy let out a sigh of relief.
"What's going to happen to us?" the girl asked.
"How would you like to go watch a movie with me?" Yuri asked.
"What kind of movie?" one boy asked.
"Oh, you'll love it!" Yuri responded happily. "It's a foreign film, and it's really cool and exciting!"
Yuri then pulled one of his arms out from behind his back. He presented the children with a small, rectangular video box.
"It's called Cannibal Holocaust!" Yuri said with excitement. "I've watched it so many times, I lost count."
The kids immediately walked away and returned to Serena.
Yuri egao'd. That was easier than expected. I'd make a great father.
Ruri didn't even do anything yet, and she was exhausted. Waking up early was already a big pain, but tack on everything Yuzu and Serena did that day, and Ruri was left with a body that was already showing fatigue.
She wasn't like Rin, who could bounce back through sheer willpower alone. She wasn't as interested in taking care of children, either; Ruri liked helping and entertaining children, but babysitting a whole swarm of them was something completely out of her wheelhouse. Or her birdhouse.
Ruri giggled at her little joke. Probably because the exhaustion was getting to her.
Before anything else, Ruri had decided to head into the kitchen and grab a modest glass of water. Something that wouldn't be too much to take from her hosts, but enough to keep her body moving. And of course, she'd be able to speak to Yuto, who was already in the kitchen.
She found Yuto in the middle of the kitchen, fixing the apron tied around him. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he had the slightest hint of an egao on his face.
When he saw Ruri, he gave her a nod. "Ruri! It's great to see you."
"I never get tired of that adorable face," Ruri cooed. "I missed you today."
"I missed you, too," Yuto responded.
Yuto and Ruri stepped closer to one another. Once they were within a certain range of each other, they extended their hands out and shared a brief hug.
"Your hugs are better than a glass of water," Ruri said, blushing. "You know how to make me thirsty."
Yuto pulled himself back. "What was that?"
Ruri blinked. "I said that I was... thirsty and wanted a glass of water, but your hug perked me right up! Ha! Haha!"
"Thank you," Yuto said slowly. "I guess. I know your touch always makes me feel amazing."
Ruri nodded. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"
"No, you."
"You."
"You," Yuto said finally. "At any rate, I was hoping that you'd be able to do me a small favor."
"Ooooh?" Ruri mused. Was he going to ask her to have a quiet, intimate lunch with him? Was he going to ask her to cook something with him? Actually, no - go back to the first idea. She didn't feel like cooking.
"Please watch my group for me. I want to get started on their lunch now. I'm so tired."
Oh.
"Yuto, please!" Ruri groaned. "I already have a ton of kids."
"Ruri, please," Yuto said sternly. "It's not safe to have a bunch of children in the kitchen. I can't put them at risk just because you don't feel like watching them."
"Fourteen kids, Yuto. I have to take care of fourteen kids."
"And I'm the one who can cook," Yuto stated flatly.
Ruri crinkled her nose. She wasn't as experienced as him, but she could make food, too. And while he was the best chef of the group, she could still... Uuuuuuuuugh, she didn't even know. But she knew that she couldn't watch fourteen kids.
"Please, Ruri. For me?" Yuto pleaded. "You like chicken-and-rice stir-fry."
Ruri bit her lip. "That does sound nice..."
"So you'll watch them, then?"
Before Ruri could even respond, Yuto's hands were around her waist. He brought her in fight and brought her face close to his. His eyes stared deeply into hers, and his mouth curled into a sly egao.
Ruri closed her eyes. Instinctively, she puckered her lips and moved in closer. She could her Yuto's heart beating in his chest, and feel her own heart skip a beat. Her body felt like it was on fire.
"Yuto..." Ruri whispered.
"Ruri," he responded. "Can you help me? I need you."
"I'll do anything you say, Yuto. I-"
Ruri felt a quick peck on her lips. When she opened her eyes, she could see Yuto already letting go of her.
"Thanks, Ruri!" Yuto said affectionately.
And then he turned himself around and started to walk into the other room.
"Now, you and the kids stay out of my kitchen," Yuto advised her. "I refuse to let anyone ruin this meal."
Ruri's jaw dropped to the floor, and her eyes practically fell out of her head. It felt like her own heart had lost its steam, and was now pouring out of her nose.
That's it? she asked herself. Just a peck?
She was so close. So close to getting the good stuff, she just knew it. What kind of good stuff? Certainly more than a peck on the lips. She was hoping at least for a bit of tongue action. Or for him to, like... let her touch his butt for once.
Ruri slumped her shoulders and pressed her head against a wall. Why? Why did I end up with the conservative one? Why are the cutest ones so pure and innocent?
Ruri rubbed her forehead against the wall. But that cuteness and innocence is what I love about him.
Ruri could hear the loud, unmistakable clanking of stone against wood. The clanking grew louder and louder, and Ruri knew that a familiar presence was approaching the scene of her failure.
"Now right now, Gon, I'm sorry!" Ruri whined. "I'm in the middle of one of my weekly breakdowns."
"So I see," Gongenzaka said slowly.
Ruri let out a sigh, straightened out her back, and turned to face her friend. Time to regain composure, (wo)man up, and egao until the blue balls lost their color.
"Sorry about that," Ruri said, blushing. "It's the, ah, stress of having to take care of all these kids."
"That's actually why I'm here," Gongenzaka said to her. "How about I take half of those kidss for you? Try and make things easier for you, and them?"
Ruri gasped. "Oh, thank you, Gon!"
Rin peeked her over Gongenzaka's large frame, taking a peak at the children in the other room. About nine of ten children were in the room, mostly watching T.V. or readings books. Two children were situated at a table under a window, apparently engaged in a duel.
"You can take this room," Ruri said to her friend.
Gongenzaka turned to look at the kids, and started to count the number of children. But it didn't take a genius to tell him that there were more than three or four kids there.
"Which ones do I take?" Gongenzaka asked.
"Good luck!" was Ruri's response.
And then Ruri turned herself around and jogged away from the scene.
Gongenzaka sighed. You know, he was a war veteran, not a babysitter. He saved lives, broke out of prison, escaped forced labor, and fought against Zarc. Remember that time he dueled against the Battle Beast and nearly got carded? Because he remembered. He deserved better than this.
No sense complaining about it, though. He had work to do, kids to watch. With a stiff upper lip, he entered the living room and joined the children.
"Do any of you need anything?" he asked them.
Most of the children acknowledged his presence, mostly by shaking their heads politely and going back to whatever they had been doing. The two dueling children remained completely engrossed in their game.
Hmph. "If you kids need anything, I'll be in the other room, helping the other kids with their dueling..."
No reaction.
"Does anyone want to learn about dueling?"
Again, no reaction. Aside from one boy, who simply lifted up a remote, pointing it at the television screen, and increased the volume by a couple of notches.
Hmph.
Gongenzaka stepped further into room. Passing by the kids on the floor, avoiding the legs of the kids on the couch, and sidestepping a toddler that had fallen asleep on a beanbag chair, until he was on the other end of the room, right in front of the dueling table.
The two children didn't look at him; they were too engrossed in the game. To Gongenzaka's left side, a young red-faced boy of about seven had a hand full of cards. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, or was about to scream. In contrast, the older boy to Gongenzaka's right had two cards in his hand, and had a confident smirk on his face.
Looking at the field, he could see why: the smirking boy had two face-down Spell/Trap cards, and Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth and UFO Turtle in his Monster Zones. The other boy had Tune Warrior Defense position, and Dark Blade in Attack position.
"You're cheating!" said the younger boy. "You can't just summon a monster on my turn!"
"Read UFO Turtle's effect," the older boy answered. "When it's destroyed, I can Special Summon a FIRE monster with 1500 or less ATK."
The younger boy's face grew more red. "O-okay. Fine... But it doesn't sound fair."
"Do you have any other cards you can use?"
"No..."
The younger boy sighed. "I end my turn. But remember, you can only draw one card!"
"Right, right," the older boy chuckled.
"Do you usually draw more than one card?" Gongenzaka asked.
The older boy looked at Gongenzaka as he drew a card from his deck. "No. But since Taka's still learning, we let him draw two cards. Makes it so he bricks less."
Now, the older boy looked at the card he drew. "I play Junk Synchron in Attack! And when it's summoned, I can bring back a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard!"
The boy placed Junk Synchron onto his field, then moved his hand over to a sloppy pile of cards in front of his deck. After rifling through the pile, he pulled up a Quillbolt Hedgehog card, then placed it beside Junk Synchron, in Defense position.
"I Synchro Summon Junk Warrior!"
The boy slid the two monsters to his Graveyard, then pulled a card out from his Extra Deck, which now had one card left. He summoned Junk Warrior in Attack position, right next to his Gaia.
"You really need to use Spell and Trap cards," the older boy explained.
Taka frowned. "I don't like them, Bobby. I like monsters; they're cool."
"I'll show you cool," Bobby said. "I activate the Spell, Synchro Blast Wave from my hand!"
Gongenzaka remained still, stiff. He simply stood with his arms crossed, watching the duel.
"If I control a Synchro monster, I can destroy a monster you control."
Bobby reached across the table and picked up Dark Blade. he carefully picked the card up, then dropped it into Taka's neatly-organized Graveyard.
"UFO Turtle destroys Tune Warrior, and my Synchro monsters attack-"
"No!" Taka pleaded.
"For-"
"But I worked so hard this time!"
"Game."
Bobby imitated the sound of an explosion. And a frustrated Taka quickly pulled every one of his cards from the field and started to shuffle them back into his deck.
"No fair!" Taka hissed. "You shouldn't use Spell cards when I'm not! It's like... it's cheating!"
Bobby frowned. "Taka, broski. It's no big deal. It's-"
"Let me summon two monsters a turn!" Taka insisted. "Then I can Synchro Summon and kick your butt!"
Now, Gongenzaka was going to step in. "Taka, stop it."
Taka turned to Gongenzaka. He slammed his deck onto the table and puffed up his cheaks. By now, his eyes were starting to well up with tears.
"You, shut up!" he growled. "I'm trying really hard, and I still can't win!"
"Then fix up your deck!" Bobby groaned.
"SHUT YOUR FACE, BOBBY!"
"TAKA, STOP IT!" Gongenzaka roared.
The room nearly went silent. Gongenzaka could see Bobby and Taka stare at him, but he could also feel the stares of the children behind him. Taka now had tears running down his face, and Bobby looked uncomfortable.
Gongenzaka spoke softly this time, "I guess that was uncalled for, and I apologize."
Taka sniffled. "W-well, yeah. That was really mean."
"But you were also disrespectful to your opponent," the man went on.
"Nuh-uh. Bobby's an ass-face."
"Bobby was very lenient, and he's been trying to help you improve. Does that sound like a... an ass-face to you?"
Now, Taka's face started to turn into its normal color, though tears were still rolling down his face, and his nose was dripping. He turned to his friend and said, "No... Sorry, Bobby."
"He's not wrong. Spells and Traps can help your deck a lot. Having one type of card in your deck opens you up to a lot of weaknesses."
Taka scowled. "I guess..."
Gongenzaka met that face with a gentle egao. He went on to say, "But you can still make a good deck with just monsters."
Bobby looked lost. He tilted his head and skeptically asked, "Really? I don't think that's true."
"Come with me, to see the other kids," Gongenzaka told them. "I'll tell you all about the Steadfast Dueling strategy."
"KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI!"
That was the sound that echoed through the entire building. Walking through the front doors was a duelist that everyone ENJOYed: CHOJIRO TOKUMATSU!
KOI KOI
KOI KOI
KOI KOI KOI KOI KOI
ENJOY!
ENJOOOOOOOOOOY!
But yes, ENJOY Chojiro himself walked through the doors. And held in his right hand was a plastic bag, which was already heavy with its contents.
Rin had been passing by at the time, along with Yugo. Rin was carrying a basket full of unwashed laundry, while Yugo carried his bike helmet. They immediately dropped their possessions and ran up to the man.
"What the hell!" Rin yelled. "Get out of here!"
Rin jumped forward. And before Chojiro could register what was transpiring, he found himself being sent to the ground by a flying kick to the face.
Chojiro tumbled down, and his bag fell with him. Cards of all kinds poured from the bag and onto the floor, decorating the scene of the crime.
Rin rose up from Chojiro's body. She pulled her foot off of the man's face, then took a step back.
Yugo just looked at her, jaw dropped. "The heck?!"
"Right?" Rin scoffed. "Like, who does this guy think he is, breaking into an orphanage? A creeper, that's what he is!"
"That creeper's Chojiro Tokumatsu!"
"I'm not a creeper!" the man wheezed.
Rin blinked. "Choji- who?"
Yugo balled up his fists and held them up. "He's a really cool duelist! Don't you remember hearing about him when we were kids? O-or, maybe Yuzu told you about her meeting him in the Friendship Cup!"
Rin looked to Chojiro. The man slowly rose up to a sitting position, though the top half of his body slumped over his lower half. Trickles of blood were dripping down from his nose, onto his robe.
"I'm afraid I don't know," Rin admitted. "But I-"
"KOI KOI!" Yugo chanted.
"KOI KOI!" Chojiro chanted back.
The two men excitedly jumped into the air and threw their fists into the sky. "KOI KOI KOI KOI KOOOOOOI!"
"ENJOY!" Yugo screamed.
"ENJOY!" Chojiro cheered.
And together, they said, "ENJOOOOOOOOY!"
The cheers, they were bringing something back to Rin. Memories of... riding a bike, and a stadium full of people. In her head, she could picture Melodious monsters before her. And when she turned to look behind her, she could see Chojiro on a D-Wheel of his own, screaming and apologizing.
Rin let out a sigh. So we do know him, then.
"Sorry for that, Mr. Tokumatsu," Rin said. "But why would you just walk in like some sort of idiot."
"Yuzu, you wound me!" Chojiro huffed. "Literally. But as a matter of fact, I come by every week to visit the kids."
"That's not Yuzu," Yugo informed him. "It's Rin. Rin. Don't forget that, because they all get really mad when you do."
"Yeah, I'm Rin," Rin explained. "Long story - I, and three other girls merged with Yuzu and now share her body. It's this whole thing, and..."
Chojiro just stared at her, looking very lost and confused.
"Yeah, so that's a thing that happened, no big deal. Tell us about yourself. What have you been up to?"
"You said you visit the kids?" Yugo said. "That's so cool! You're famous, but you still stand up and help the little guys!"
Chojiro scratched the back of his neck, and a large egao grew on his face. "It's no big deal, honestly! After I got out of prison, I wanted to give back to the people, and try to inspire people... like how you inspired me."
"Really? I did?" Yugo asked, absolutely elated. "O-oh wait. You mean Yuya."
"I bet you two heard about the situation and came to help," Chojiro went on. "You two youths are truly shining examples for this world!"
"That's really nice, thanks! But I'm Yugo, not Yuya."
"You're a fusion?"
"No, I'm Yugo."
"Isn't that what I said?"
"I'm not Fusion!" Yugo grumbled. "I'm Yugo!"
Rin raised a hand to silence the duo.
"Yugo, shut up for a second," she said. "Mr. Tokumatsu, what did you mean earlier, about the situation here?"
"You don't know?" Chojiro asked. "These past few months, they've had to let go many of the attendants here. Now, it's mostly Martha and some volunteers."
Yugo frowned. "But why?"
"That would explain why Martha was short-staffed," Rin said quietly.
Chojiro nodded. "Me and a few others have been donating money, but we can't just fix the problems so easily. The orphanage has been struggling to get by."
Yugo put a hand to his chin. "But what caused this?"
Chojiro shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about Martha's private business. If you want to know, you must ask her."
"I wish we knew that earlier," Yugo sighed. "Yuto just used so much food and ingredients to make lunch."
"How much did he use?" Chojiro asked, frowning.
"All the chicken breasts, all the rice, most of the cooking oil, some garlic, maybe three, four onions? And some peppers, I think."
Yugo scratched his chin. "Oh, and some soy sauce, and broccoli, and carrots. And water."
"A-all of that?!"
"And bell peppers."
"Are you kidding?!" Chojiro yelled. "That sounds a week's worth of food right there! Food money doesn't grow on trees, you know!"
"Oh, that reminds me!" Yugo said. "I better call Yuto and head back to the stove. The food should be ready soon!"
And with that, Yuto turned on his heel and took a few steps away from the scene.
"You can still yell at Rin, though! She's a very good listener."
Chojiro just watched Yugo as he waltzed right out of sight, whistling as he went. And once Yugo was no longer there, he turned to Rin and looked at her incredulously. For a long time. Long enough for Rin to notice the nervous twitch in his left eye.
Rin just shrugged awkwardly. "I'm... I had no part in this. I'm actually the responsible one."
Chojiro sighed. "I'll go and do a grocery run, then. I'll be back soon."
But it was Rin's turn to sigh next. "No, Mr. Tokumatsu. You stay here, relax, and enjoy lunch."
"You sure?"
"Yes. You've done enough here."
Rin tapped her shorts pocket. She could feel her wallet by her leg, but she could hear it crying in her ear.
"I'll just be super quick," she told him. "Just a quick run to the marketplace, get some food, and come right back. It'll be easy!"
It wouldn't be easy.
Martha grew up in the poorer parts of the city. She never would have dreamed that she would regularly pay visits to the Tops' best and brightest locales.
Unfortunately, the circumstances weren't as positive.
Martha had been spending the day making cakes, making cookies, making all these backed goods in the back of her boss's bakery. Which she did twice weekly, for nearly twelve hours. In a poorly-ventilated, boiling kitchen, sometimes assisted by an employee who regularly confused baking soda with baking powder.
Martha had just pulled out a tray of chocolate chip cookies when her boss opened the back door and sauntered into the kitchen.
He was a small, chubby man with thick lips, a small mustache, and a head full of greasy black hair. He wore a greenish-yellow suit with a pink tie. His fingers were each decorated with a ring, which each had a large, unique gem.
The man held a cigar between his right fingers. A small cloud of smoke rose up from his cigar, and the sickening smell of tobacco started to override the pleasant smell of the kitchen's food.
"Hello, Martha!" the man said happily. "I trust that you're having a good day?"
"Tiring, but good," Martha told him.
"I hope you're not too tired to work an extra hour today. We just got an event request, and I told them that you'd be able to make eight different cakes for their event"
Martha nearly let out a gasp. But she tried to contain her very obvious displeasure by shaking her head. "I'm not sure I can, sir. And I need to get back to the kids."
The man raised a hand up. "You'll be payed, of course. Fifty cents extra, on top of your usual wage."
Martha's heart dropped. That wasn't much money. And she wasn't going to see any of that money, because it was going straight back into her boss's pocket. She owed him too much to claim even a cent of that money.
But she needed to reduce the debt as much as she could. And it's not like she could tun him down, or leave the job. Again, she owed him too much.
With a fake egao on her face, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Garome."
The man smirked. "Thank you, Martha. You're such a good worker, you know that?"
Martha kept up the egao until Garome left the kitchen. And once he was out of sight, she immediately buried her face in her flour-soaked hands.
How did she let things get this bad? Why did she come to Garome for money? She was drowning in debt, and she knew that she wouldn't live long enough to pay it off.
She let out a sigh, then pulled her hands away from her face. She couldn't afford to complain; she had work to do.
A/N: Gongenzaka ended up spending his time in the Synchro arc helping Taka to improve his deck, using his own cards, Chojiro's gifts, or cards they could find in the orphanage. I know that it's not important, and Taka never appears outside of this chapter, but I documented the deck-building process on Twitter.
Next time: Rin gets involved in a Neo Riding Duel.
