I'm sorry, everyone! After getting some pointers, I realized I made a major error in the last chapter's Duel. Originally, when Kaiba's Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon destroyed Estelle's Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, Estelle activated the Trap card, Red-Eyes Burn, to deal damage to both of them. Well, it turned out that as soon as Estelle's Life Points hit zero due to the double piercing damage, she lost the game. She couldn't activate her Trap card at all, meaning Kaiba came out as the victor.
Therefore, I changed the last part of the last chapter. Once again, I'm sorry about it. I was pretty excited when I wrote the manuscript for the Duel and thought she could use the Trap card while her Life Points were dropping down to zero.
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The chapter begins in Yusei's point of view.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 73: Entering the Super Genius
I was working on the new engine again in the test Runner after Crow and Jack helped me work a little bit on a simple Duel Runner for Aki. The Runner wasn't advanced compared to ours, but more than enough for Aki to pass the Turbo Duel exams next month. My two foster brothers left a little while ago after we finished building the frame, so I returned to the engine project.
I had tested it last night, but it still wasn't good enough. I started to doubt whether I could surpass my own limits or not. It was essential if I wanted to stop Iliaster and their Meklord Emperor Monsters from terrorizing the city, and achieve the Accel Synchro summoning.
I was so deep into my thoughts I never heard the door open or the sounds of footsteps until someone gently knocked the top of my head.
"Knock-knock. Anybody home?" a familiar voice said sarcastically.
I chuckled softly before I looked over my shoulder. "Sorry, Estelle. I didn't hear you coming in."
"It's okay. I could tell you were lost in your thoughts", Estelle smiled softly before she got a bit concerned. "Is it the new engine that's troubling you?"
"Yeah", I nodded before I straightened up and turned away from the test Runner. "I feel like I'm about to hit a wall and I can't break it down. At this point, I'm not sure if we'll have a new engine before the World Racing Grand Prix."
"Hmm…", Estelle hummed softly before her eyes widened softly in realization and she put her hands together. "How about a change of pace?"
"Change of pace?" I questioned.
"Yeah", Estelle nodded with a big smile. "Goodwin sent me here because he wants to invite you, Jack, and Crow to dinner tonight. There is someone we'd like you guys to meet."
"Really?" I asked. "Is it Kaiba?"
"No", Estelle shook her head. "Kaiba's been extremely busy now with KaibaCorp and the World Racing Grand Prix that he barely gets a break."
From what I knew, after the Duel she had with Kaiba, they quickly became acquainted and Estelle even gave him some copies of the Eyes of Blue Monsters she had and a copy of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, and the only card she had of the other Blue-Eyes Synchro; Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon. They made a promise to Duel again someday with their Blue-Eyes Decks once the Grand Prix was over.
But now I was wondering who Estelle and Goodwin wanted to introduce us to.
"What time is the dinner?" I asked.
"Six p.m., and you don't have to be fancy dressed", Estelle replied. "Mina and Trudge will be there too, since they are also involved."
"Involved with what?" I wondered.
"You'll know when you come over tonight", Estelle replied before she checked her smartphone. "I've gotta go now. I have an appointment in ten minutes. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Sure", I nodded.
Estelle smiled with a soft giggle before she turned around and went to the stairs. For some reason, my heart ached for her as if it wanted her to stay here a little longer.
"Estelle!" I called.
She stopped in her tracks midway up the stairs and looked at me. "Yes?"
I blinked confusedly myself. Why did I stop her from leaving? She had to go to an appointment. Now I had to come up with an excuse.
"Um… What is your…favorite color?" I asked.
"Favorite color?" Estelle blinked before smiling softly. "Easy; yellow. It's my favorite color since childhood when I found out my name means 'star' in Latin. Why do you ask?"
"No special reason…", I mumbled as I looked away while rubbing the back of my head.
Estelle slightly tilted her head a bit before shaking it with an amused smile. "You seriously need to relax, Yusei. Take a break from the engine for the rest of the day until dinnertime, okay? It's not good to overwork yourself."
"I'll do that", I nodded.
Estelle gave me a small wave with her hand before she left the garage. As soon as she walked out the twin doors I let out a sigh I didn't realize I had been holding in. Why did I ask for her favorite color?
That made me realize something. Even though I've known Estelle for almost a whole year now, I knew very little about her. Was that why I asked for her favorite color? A voice in the deepest part of my heart told me it wanted to know many little details about her as possible.
The desire to get close to Estelle had grown since we met Yugi and Judai and how Estelle got sent to the future. At that time, I got so scared by the thoughts of never seeing her again. Now, I wanted to hold her close and never let her out of my sight.
I had never felt like this for a girl before. Why was it just for Estelle? Was it because she was one of the very few who knew the real me? Was it her kindness? Was it because how much efforts she put into comforting me when I'm on my lowest level and encouraging me to keep trying?
I had seen Estelle change since the day we met each other for the first time. She had changed in not just her appearance but also as an individual. She had grown strong to face the difficult road that once was a struggle to her because of her autism. She worked so hard to fit into society, find a place to call her own, and people who accepted her.
She was precious to me. And the thoughts of her one day leaving this world frightened me. I wanted a future with her. I wanted to be close friends with her for as long as possible, but my heart craved to be much closer to her.
Was this feeling…love?
I sighed as I rubbed my forehead to get rid of a small headache. I was going to take her advice and rest a bit. Hopefully, after the dinner, I could regain some energy and continue working on the engine. My head was full of so many thoughts I needed a break and sort them out.
I walked up to the kitchen to head up to the bedroom when I spotted a bouquet of fresh dark pink roses in a vase that Aki came over with the other day. She had been growing roses as a hobby and she said dark pink roses usually meant thank you, and she gave me, Jack, and Crow this bouquet to show her appreciation.
Estelle said her favorite color was yellow, so… Did she like yellow roses?
XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV
Itsuki and Ryuga were being distracted by the maids while I was preparing myself for the dinner in my bedroom. They were very excited to see the Satellite trio again, but they were also happy to have another playmate in the mansion.
I had picked out a simple brown/almost black sleeveless shirt dress with a white collar, a black short-sleeved bolero, and a pair of black heels. While I still wasn't much into fashion, I liked to dress up for such opportunities. I was still a woman who wanted to pretty herself up a little bit, especially when guests were coming over. I had just put on the accessories, consisting of a silver double chain necklace and a silver bracelet with a single black pearl, when there were two different knocks on the door.
"Mom, can we come in?" Itsuki called from the other side.
"Yes, you can", I replied as I headed to the door.
The door opened before Itsuki and Ryuga ran inside to greet me. They stopped in front of me and stared at me with big eyes.
"You're so pretty, Mom…", Itsuki said in awe.
"Pwetty!" Ryuga agreed.
"Thank you, my little boys", I giggled before I crouched down and patted their heads. "You two look handsome too. Are you looking forward to see your uncles?"
"Yes!" both of them exclaimed simultaneously.
"Can we play with them after dinner? With Uncle Bruno too?" Itsuki asked.
"Let's ask them nicely after dinner. They might be a bit tired, so if they happen to say no, don't keep pushing them, okay?"
"Okay!" the brothers replied.
"Excuse me, Ms. Estelle", Katsumi called from the door. "The guests have arrived."
"Thank you, Katsumi", I thanked her before turning to the brothers. "Shall we go and greet them, boys?"
"Yes!"
I picked up Ryuga in my arms as Itsuki walked ahead of me. I reminded him to hold onto the railing while walking down the stairs, so he wouldn't slip and fall down. I saw Goodwin had come to greet the Satellite trio in the hallway. I noticed Yusei was holding a bouquet of yellow and white roses while the men were having a brief conversation.
"Uncle Yusei! Uncle Crow! Uncle Jack!" Itsuki called when he reached the bottom of the stairs and ran to the group.
"Hey, little fella!" Crow grinned and patted my oldest foster son's head. "Have you grown since we met last time? You look a bit taller than before."
"I'm a growing boy!" Itsuki giggled.
Ryuga started struggling in my arms, so once I reached the ground floor I let him down so he could walk to the boys. "Good evening, everyone", I greeted the guests.
"Hi, Estelle…", Yusei said before he trailed off and just stared at me.
"Hi", I smiled softly. "You look better compared to earlier today. Did you get some rest?"
"I did", Yusei nodded before he held up the bouquet. "Here. This is for you."
"Me?" I asked, taken by surprise, as I pointed at myself.
This was the first time a male friend of mine was giving me flowers. The only ones who used to give me flowers were my parents, and all those bachelors in this dimension who came knocking on the door to woo me, but I rejected them and refused to accept their large bouquets with over fifty roses. Yusei's bundle was much smaller than the ones I've seen, but it was the perfect amount I was happy with.
Yusei chuckled softly at my reaction. "Who else?"
I blushed softly as I accepted the bouquet. I checked the petals before inhaling the roses' scent. They smelled fresh and lovely. If I recalled correctly, yellow and white roses in a bouquet expressed appreciation of happy innocence or harmony and unity.
Was that why he asked for my favorite color? To buy flowers for me? That was so sweet of him.
"Thank you", I smiled at Yusei before turning to Hilda who was standing next to head butler Stewart. "Hilda, can you find a vase and put the roses in my room, please?"
"Certainly", Hilda nodded before she grabbed the bouquet and walked away with them.
At the same time, Mina and Trudge stepped inside the mansion. "Good evening, Director", Mina greeted.
"Welcome, Mina, Trudge", Goodwin nodded.
"Hello, boys", Trudge greeted the Satellite trio.
"Hi, Trudge!" Crow nodded. "It's been a while."
"Yeah, Sector Security's been busy lately", Trudge explained.
"Let us go to the dining room before the food gets cold", Goodwin suggested. "We have some things we need to discuss."
We went to the dining room and sat down around the main table. My foster sons sat next to me on each side so I could help them eat properly. The food wasn't served yet because we were waiting for one more individual.
"So what's the deal with this sudden invitation, Goodwin?" Jack asked as he crossed his arms. "Knowing you, you might have something up your sleeve."
Goodwin took a few sips of his wine before placing the crystal glass on the table. "I have no ill intentions, Jack. But there is something you three should know about."
"Which is?" Yusei asked.
"A couple of days ago, Sector Security found an unconscious man on the beach", Mina began. "We brought him to the hospital where he woke up and realized he has amnesia. He couldn't even remember his own name and we haven't been able to identify him yet, so we've give him a temporary name; Bruno Borrelli."
"Yikes, that's not good", Crow commented.
"Because Sector Security is now extra busy with the tourists and WRGP, we can't really put him as a priority case, so I have taken him in to live here until he recovers his memories and figure out a plan what to do next", Goodwin added.
"And what's he got to do with us?" Yusei questioned.
"We brought him in to Sector Security for a day to see if he could be helpful with something", Trudge replied. "We thought that if he could work at Sector Security, he could find something that might trigger his memories. It didn't work, but we got to witness something unusual."
"And that was?" Jack asked.
"Bruno got lost in his thoughts when he saw the Duel Runners on Headquarters and asked if he could take a look at them", Trudge continued. "I allowed him to check mine, and in less than ten minutes he was actually able to fix an issue my Runner's had for a while now."
"Seriously?" Yusei said in surprise.
"And then he fixed the other Duel Runners in a flash", Mina added. "So we believe he used to be a mechanic or he worked with Duel Runners before he lost his memories. Bruno said himself he feels something familiar when he's working with Runners and different programs."
"So we thought, because you're still struggling with the engine prototype, that you should see him and work together", I spoke up. "After all, time is running out for you guys."
The door to the dining room opened as Hilda stepped aside. "Mr. Bruno has arrived, Master Goodwin."
Bruno stepped into the dining room with a sheepish smile. "Sorry I made you all wait for me."
"Uncle Bruno!" Itsuki smiled.
My oldest foster son jumped down from his seat and ran to Bruno. The young man laughed softly before he picked up Itsuki and let him sit on his arms.
"Where've you been, Uncle Bruno?" Itsuki asked.
"In the garage, as always", Bruno replied with a warm smile. "I saw those three new Duel Runners and couldn't resist taking a closer look, especially at the white one."
"What?!" Jack exclaimed before he got up from his seat. "What did you do to my Phoenix Whirlwind?!"
Bruno flinched by the sudden loud voice. "A-All I did was adjusting the computer in the Duel Runner a bit to increase its power. I promise that's all I did!"
"No way!" Crow exclaimed in disbelief. "Yusei tried to increase the power of our Duel Runners for a long time… And you did all that in that short amount of time we've been here?"
"If you dared to sabotage it, you're gonna pay for it!" Jack threatened.
"Uncle Bruno is a good guy!" Itsuki defended the amnesiac man. "He's a better uncle than you, Uncle Jack!" He pulled the skin under his right eye down and blew a raspberry.
"What?!" Jack growled with red cheeks due to embarrassment.
Ryuga imitated his big brother and blew a raspberry at the blonde man. Almost every one of us laughed at his reaction. "You just got owned, Jack!" Crow laughed.
Jack growled irritably with his cheeks still red before he sat down and crossed his arms. Yusei got up from his seat and walked over to Bruno who put Itsuki down on the floor.
"I'm Yusei, glad to meet you, Bruno", he said before holding out his hand.
"Same here", Bruno nodded before shaking the Signer's hand. "I've heard from Goodwin and Estelle that you're a mechanic too, is that right?"
"Yes", Yusei nodded. "Will you tell me what you did to increase the power of Jack's Duel Runner after dinner?"
"Sure!" Bruno smiled.
Once everyone sat by the table, the dinner finally got served. It was steak with a rich wine sauce, delicious mashed potatoes, and vegetables on the side. Itsuki and Ryuga, however, got an easier dinner which consisted of mashed potatoes, tiny chopped hot dogs, and boiled carrots.
Crow took a big bite of his steak and hummed joyfully. "It's so delicious! Back as a kid, I never thought I'd get to eat such fancy dinner!"
"Mom, why can't I eat steak too?" Itsuki whined.
"Stick!" Ryuga whined alongside his brother, still having a hard time pronouncing different letters.
"Because that's an adult dish", I replied softly as I picked up a napkin to gently wipe off a food stain on the left side of Ryuga's lips.
"Adult dish?" Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
"Adult dishes are a little difficult for children to eat, so you have to grow up first before eating those kinds of meals", I explained.
"Oh…", Itsuki mumbled before he suddenly got determined. "Then I'm gonna eat lots of kids food to quickly become an adult and help you at Sector Security, Mom!"
"Sounds like we've got a future Security officer here", Trudge chuckled amusingly. "When you grow up, kid, I'll gladly take you in as my apprentice."
"But won't you retire by the time Itsuki becomes an adult?" Crow pointed out. "You're like 50 years old now or something?"
"Yeah, that's true…", Trudge mumbled in defeat. "Now I suddenly feel old."
"You're not that old, Trudge", Mina said before gently patting the man's back.
Trudge blushed by the attention he got from the blue-haired woman and was suddenly in much better mood. "Thank you, Mina."
It was so obvious he still had strong feelings for Mina, but the woman kept glancing at Jack every once in a while during dinner. I rolled my eyes at her before I continued eating my steak while sometimes helping Ryuga to eat his mashed potatoes by feeding him with a plastic spork.
I glanced at Yusei and Bruno as they were busy talking about programs and other terms I was unfamiliar with that they almost forgot to eat their dinner. It made me happy to see Yusei being so enthusiastic. I hoped interacting with Bruno would help him construct the new engine design and they could soon start practicing for the World Racing Grand Prix.
XXXXXXXXXX
You can find Estelle's dinner dress on my blog.
