Shishima jumped awake and once more found himself inside The Writer's cabin. He was sitting in the same armchair as before, a warm cup of tea on the table in front of him. Facing him was the old man, donning the same tasteless bathrobe, his own teacup emptied. With an unnerving smile, the host asked, "You are back already, Shishima?"
"No, I am not 'back', you geezer! You're the bastard who keeps bringing me here after I fall asleep or lose consciousness!" the lion demon snapped at him.
"Ah, I see you are making good progress, that is great news!"
"Progress...? What are you babbling about now?"
"You've become aware that our meetings are not happening at random, but I am bringing your spirit into my humble abode whenever I sense that you need my guidance."
"Your guidance?" Shishima spat with disgust. "You're nothing but a senile fool who believes he can pull my strings, but you listen here – I am not one who will yield to anybody!"
The Writer's smile grew larger. "Not even to your mother?"
In response, the youkai punched the table, making no attempt to hide his anger as he barred his teeth and gave a menacing growl. Instead of being intimidated, the old man seemed to grow increasingly satisfied from taunting his guest.
"Why do you insist on me remembering my past? I want concrete answers!"
"Shishima, why ask that which you already know? I've already told you that in order to become a God, you have to come to terms with who you really are. How many unstable gods have you seen?"
"You dare call me unstable?!"
"Yes, in fact I do. You may cloak yourself in cold demeanor and you may cast as many passive-aggressive glares as you want, deep down inside I know you are holding a rage that burns worse than the hottest fires of Hell. Said rage has its root in your past, a past which you willingly forgot."
"Of course I discarded it, what good would it do to have me dwell on what I've lost? The Twilight Kingdom had been promised to me since birth, but since I had been banished, the Earth and its weak mortals will have to do instead!"
"I beg to differ. I believe there is another reason why you chose to forget your past. Tell me, what was the main reason for you choosing to remember it all?"
Shishima paused for a moment as he recalled the flowery smell which assaulted his nostrils each time he had encountered Sayo. Gulping, he hesitantly asked, "Is she back...?"
The Writer smirked and answered, "Why don't you return and see for yourself?"
Angered by the condescending reply, the demon suddenly got up and knocked his cup of tea off the table, the china breaking on the wooden floor.
"I am tired of your cheap tricks and silly little games! I've asked you a straightforward question, answer me right here and now!" he roared, his red irises glowing with beastly fury.
"My precious porcelain cup..." The Writer sighed as he got up and picked up the pieces. "If you are so fixated on getting answers, worry not, they will come sooner than you think. For the moment I suggest you finish remembering your past if you are so eager to overcome your fears."
"I, Shishima, am not afraid of anything! Especially not you!"
Reaching out his claws, he tried to pierce the host's flesh, only for his vision to get blurry.
Before he knew it, Demon Subaru awoke in the mayor's office. He was resting on the desk after his previous confrontation against Hajime. As he got up, he could not help but feel fatigue in his human body. How many hours did he sleep? Or had he been laying dormant for days on end? Regardless, he was not in the mood to do what he had been advised. The mere thought of Nekohana stirred unpleasant feelings inside of him on which he did not wish to dwell. Deciding to postpone the recollection for later, he chose to busy himself with checking on his servants.
Hundreds of kilometers away, Hajime also woke up in his bed, back in the safety of his room at the Shirayama mansion. His two large bookshelves were properly dusted, black curtains were covering the windows and blocking the sun's rays from entering the room, and the red lamp on the nightstand lighted everything around. By his side stood a worried Sayo, now dressed in a red kimono which somehow managed to accentuate her feminine traits even more, especially around the hips. Trying to ignore her alluring looks, he looked her in the eye and asked:
"What happened? The last thing I remember is Shishima finishing me off with Deathgoros."
No answer came from the priestess. She merely looked at him, her face on the verge of tears. Before he could ask anything else, she hugged him tightly, her flower perfume ever so soothing.
"You were unconscious for three days, I was afraid we'd have lost you for good!" she wept.
Although he was stunned by her display of emotion, Hajime could not help but blush. It was understandable that she was concerned, seeing how she somehow needed him to defeat their common enemy, but her gesture seemed a bit too personal. Still, he did not mind it that much, for her skin felt soft.
"My parents! Jack and Lori!" the blond spoke panicked. "Are they alright?"
"Worry not, they are all safe," Sayo reassured him and broke their embrace. "After your defeat, I personally dealt with the demons and saved your two friends. Shishima's forces have retreated for now and nobody inside the mansion had been hurt."
"That's a relief." Hajime sighed and relaxed on the ruby red pillow. "Thank goodness we survived him yet again..."
"Who knows if next time we will be as lucky?" The black haired girl reached and offered him a hot cup of tea, which he accepted. "After they left, the police arrived at the scene. With them came the secret services. Your father was furious with both, for not coming to protect us in time and for wanting to take you and me with them for interrogation. I offered to speak for the both of us with those agents in private, on the condition that I would stay here to look after you."
"Do they still want to talk with me? What did you tell them?"
"I'm not sure if they need your testimony too, I had basically told them the full truth of what had happened back at Sagakin. They've interrogated me for a few hours, it was quite tiresome and they instructed me to not disclose the exact details of our conversation."
"I see. Do you think they will mobilize and send a search crew to find Sagakin?"
"I believe so, they kept asking me if I knew of any other survivors who managed to escape, but sadly it seems that we are the only ones who got away on that night..." Silence filled the room as the grim realization came into Hajime's mind. "Your parents are currently searching for better security systems in the city," Sayo changed the subject. "Jack and Lori are downstairs. Do you wish to see them?"
The blond nodded and took a sip from the warm tea. The priestess walked out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. No matter how much he tried to forget, Hajime's mind kept going to his deceased grandmother. Not only had she been murdered in the worst way imaginable, but her remains were currently being abused by the monster who ordered her death. The very fact that Shishima had used her corpse to break his family's spirit was beyond disgusting and downright unforgivable. Something had to be done in regards to him before he would ruin other lives or try something worse on his family.
Recalling their duel, the young one cursed himself for making so many foolish mistakes when facing Demon Subaru. Victorious Gaial Kaiser was a speed attacker that could attack untapped creatures on the turn it entered the battle zone, he should have targeted a creature when he swapped it with Puchohenza and not have attempted a swarm by breaking all of his opponent's shields. Additionally, when he used Kirazeus Savark's Dragon Double Breaker, he could have added a single shield and a face up card on it so he could have more removal resistance, instead of going for two normal shields. Those misplays had only granted Demon Subaru a chance to destroy his creatures and turn the tables against him. Tsugumi would have never made such mistakes...
The door opened, snapping Hajime back to reality. Jack and Lori walked in, followed by Sayo, who closed the door behind. Both youngsters had band aids on their faces and arms. They looked as tired as him. Uncomfortable silence settled down once more as the blond stared at them, almost unable to contain his joy and relief at seeing them again.
"Okay, I admit it, I was wrong!" Lori broke the silence, obvious irritation in her voice.
Hajime crossed his arms expectantly. "About what?"
"You know damn well about what! Look, I'm never good at apologies, just know that I'm sorry for what happened."
"I guess that's a start."
"Hajime, partner, I apologize for the way we've acted," Jack also spoke up, taking off his cowboy hat. "I know things had gotten sour after the whole cult debacle, but..."
"But?"
"We now see that this danger's real and there's no actual place to run. I promise we're on your side from now on, whatever you need us to do, we'll try doing it. Just don't put us into any more danger, alright?"
"Implying I ever wanted to put you in harm's way..." Hajime slurped the remainder of his tea and placed the cup back on the nightstand. "You two still had the option to catch your plane, yet you chose to stay here. For that... you have nothing except my sincere gratitude!" A warm smile grew on his face, which was reciprocated by both Jack and Lori. "I must also confess, if I were in your place, I would have run away as well. But I'm glad we're all on the same page now."
"If you were to run away, I sure bet it would've been on a private jet or something," the cowboy retorted.
"Either that or a really fast yacht," his girlfriend added.
The trio shared a lighthearted laugh which eased the tense atmosphere. Sayo cleared her throat to catch their attention and she spoke in a more serious tone, "As long as Shishima is free in this world, there will be no place for anyone to run or hide. This is why he must be dealt with as soon as possible."
"If that's the case, we'll have to go back to Sagakin, is that right?" Lori asked.
"W-why go back so fast? Shouldn't we stay put here and cook up a plan?" Jack suggested, nervous at the prospect of returning to the haunted city.
"No, Sayo is right, those demons know that we are currently hiding in Tokyo at my family's mansion. Even if we were to move to one of my other homes, I am certain that Shishima would still find us sooner or later, as evidenced by how eager he was to launch a direct attack. All we can do is upgrade our decks the best we can, pack some food and medicine, then be on our way," Hajime concluded, a determined look in his blue eyes.
"We will need at least one day to recover and another to make our preparations," Sayo suggested as she opened her travel bag and searched through its contents. "I can help you all with upgrading your decks and also offer you some training duels. If you accept this, I will have a private session with each of you downstairs."
"It's settled then. The day after tomorrow we're all headed for Sagakin!" Lori exclaimed, the blond and the priestess nodding in agreement.
"Y-yeah, we'll do our best or die trying..." her boyfriend added, still uncomfortable with the idea.
The rest of the day passed without any events. Once they returned home, Hajime's parents agreed to hosting his friends for the time it was necessary for their training. However, it took Sayo almost an hour of arguing to persuade them into letting their son join the quest for Sagakin's liberation. Although she agreed with them when they claimed concern for his safety, she countered that his grandmother had been in a similar place and had risked everything, including her life, to foil Shishima's plans and secure a safe future for the next generation. No matter how much they hated the idea of their offspring being put into harm's way, the torch had been passed to him and it was his chance to prove that he was no longer an introverted bookworm, but he had matured into a capable man. Only after she swore that she would do everything in her power to keep him safe did his parents agree to let him join the quest.
Later that night, Hajime and Lori walked down the spiraled stairs while discussing the past few days.
"I must confess, I was wrong about you," the redhead playfully stated, confusing the blond.
"About what?" he asked.
"I always thought of you as a lonely weirdo. On top of that, your obsession with avenging Ken's death made you seem like you've had a few screws loose. I'm impressed that you're not only able to chill out and act like a normal human being, but you also got yourself a girlfriend!"
"A what...?"
"And she's both very smart and strong, you've definitely got yourself a winner in Sayo!"
Hajime blushed at that statement and looked away in embarrassment, replying, "Sayo's not my girlfriend, she's just a really close ally!"
Lori laughed upon hearing that excuse. "Hahaha, ever the oblivious one! You wouldn't know anything about courting even if it hit you right in the face!"
"Oh please, I'm above senseless emotional frolicking imposed on us by societal norms."
"You don't impress me with your pompous language, Hajime. Listen, I've seen how she acts around you, it's obvious that she likes you. And from your own reactions, I can tell that you also like her back. So don't be a pussy and just ask her out, I'm sure she won't bite!"
Just as he was about to protest to the crude remark, the two reached the bottom of the stairs and found Jack and Sayo in the main living room sitting on the two brown plush sofas and having a normal duel on a large wooden table.
"I cast Jojojo Jokers, check the top four cards of my deck... and take Yattareman to my hand," the cowboy said.
"I charge mana and end," the priestess passed her turn.
"I summon Yattareman. Now all of my Jokers cost 1 mana less."
"I disagree on that. My turn, I cast Scale of Bravery and Love to destroy Yattareman."
"Gosh darn it! My move then, I summon Pali Nights and send Yattareman from my graveyard into the mana zone. Then I cast another Jojojo Jokers and take Chocolate House to my hand."
"I cast Demon Wolf, Betrayal Moonlight Castle and with its Mana Arms 4 effect, you will have to discard three cards."
Gulping, Jack tossed all cards from his hand into the graveyard, those being Chocolate House, Helcopta and Senno, Brainwash. It was just the start of his fourth turn and he had already ended up with no cards in his hand. Sayo was truly a formidable opponent, but he had to make sure that he could keep up the pace if he were to give his best in the upcoming battle. As he drew his next card, hope reappeared in his green eyes, and he revealed it, saying, "Gravity Zero, since I have a colorless creature in the battle zone, I cast Niyare Get, Zero Trick for free! I reveal the top three cards of my deck and take all colorless cards into my hand!" The cards were Gayoushin, Jobato De Runo and Keshikasu, Vanish King, all of them going into his hand. Unfortunately, he only had four mana and as such he could not play any of the creatures, therefore he concluded his turn.
"I summon Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian," Sayo said and put the top three cards of her deck into her graveyard: Magnum, Shortshot, Demonkazura, Evil Revolutionary Grudge Weed and Linnevenus, M Demon Dragon, the latter going back to her hand.
"I summon Keshikasu, Vanish King."
"I summon Linnevenus, M Demon Dragon. Mana Arms 4, I revive Magnum, Shortshot and all of my creatures gain speed attacker until the end of the turn!"
"Wait! I destroy Keshikasu and say 'None!', thereby ignoring Linnevenus's come into play effects!"
"How interesting! You've managed to put a halt to my swarm. Good job on that, Jack! It's your turn."
"I summon Gayoushin, draw two cards, discard Pali Nights and draw two cards again."
"I summon Evil Heat, Screaming Demon Dragon, put the top card of my deck into the graveyard and take Demonkazura back into my hand. Evil Heat, attack and Revolution Change into Demonkazura, Evil Revolutionary Grudge Weed! I discard Evil Heat and Demonkazura destroys Gayoushin, now go, double break his shields!"
"Shield trigger, I summon Bainaradoor and send Linnevenus to the bottom of your deck! Also, Bainaradoor lets me draw a card. My move, I summon Yattareman and another Pali Nights which sends Gayoushin from my graveyard into my mana zone. Then since I have four Jokers in the battle zone and since Yattareman reduces the cost of my Jokers by 1, I summon Gunbutler Great Seven by paying a single mana! With his effect, my first Pali Nights gets +7000 power until the end of the turn! Also, with his other effect, each of my Jokers can attack you on the turn they are put in the battle zone! Pali Nights, destroy Demonkazura! Gunbutler, double break her shields! Yattareman, break her shield!"
"Honenbe, block the attack and destroy Yattareman!"
"Bainaradoor, break her shield! Pali Nights, break another shield!"
"Shield trigger, I expand Mad Dead Wood, Seductive of D!"
"That D2 Field... I end my turn, bring your worst."
Sayo nodded in response and turned the card upside down. "Denjara Switch, Mad Dead Wood sends all creatures in the battle zone to the bottom of our decks and revives all non-evolution creatures from our graveyards! Since I am the active player, I will revive my creatures first, so I bring out Demonkazura, Evil Heat, Dorgan Churis and Magnum, Shortshot! With Magnum's effect, when you put creatures into the battle zone during my turn, they go into your graveyard instead, so you will not revive anything!"
"What the hell?! That means that only you get to revive your own graveyard!" Jack exclaimed in shock.
"With Evil Heat's effect, I put the top card of my deck into the graveyard... and take Beroringa, Third Seed back into my hand. Now my actual turn begins, I cast Scale of Bravery and Love, discard Magurakazura, D2M and draw two cards. Since I have a D2 Field in the battle zone, whenever Magurakazura would end up in my graveyard from anywhere, it goes back into my hand! Then I summon Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian." She put the top three cards of her deck into the graveyard, those being Dorago the Great, Dragon World, Dorgan Churis and Magurakazura, D2M. "With Honenbe's effect I take Dorgan Churis back into my hand. Then with Magurakazura's effect, it also comes back into my hand! Evil Heat, attack and Revolution Change into Beroringa, Third Seed! I discard Magurakazura, which returns to my hand, then you must choose and discard two cards!"
"Uh, I discard Jojojo Maximum and Keshikasu, Vanish King."
"Beroringa, double break his shields! Dorgan Churis, attack and Revolution Change into a second Beroringa! I discard Magurakazura and return it again, then you must discard two more cards!"
"Damn, that's an aggressive combo! I mean, I discard Gayoushin and Helcopta."
"Beroringa, break his final shield!"
Jack sighed as he received Jobato De Runo from his shields. It was a creature shield trigger, meaning that he could not activate it due to Magnum, Shortshot. Thankfully, Sayo had no more attacks and she passed the turn. As he drew his next card, his ambitious smile once more returned, so he looked his opponent in the eye and said, "It's time for you to see my new trump card!"
"Ah, so you finally drew it."
"I summon Jhot Gun Joragon! He's a speed attacker and whenever he attacks, I draw a card and discard a card. More so, whenever I discard a Jokers, I can use its come into play effect! I attack with Joragon, draw a card and discard Jobato De Runo. With his effect, I can tap a creature and then untap a creature, so I tap Honenbe and untap Joragon, then I break your final shield! And now I attack with Joragon again, draw a card and discard another Jobato De Runo. I tap Demonkazura and untap Joragon, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Falconer, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!"
"Joragon, attack again! I draw a card and discard Gunbutler Great Seven, which gives Joragon +7000 power. Todomeda!"
Thus Jack's victory was sealed. Sayo smiled with pride as she packed her cards and said:
"I must commend you for upgrading your deck in such a fashion. Your strategy of filling the battle zone with creatures has gained better progression and you have gotten more aggressive finishers. I dare say you have grown in skill after today."
"That's Jack for you!" Lori said while patting her boyfriend on the back. "But don't you get too cocky, mister! We'll have bigger fish to fry once we get back to Sagakin."
"You put on quite the performance as well," Hajime added while walking up to Sayo. "Will we all be up to task until the time comes for our departure?"
"We'll see, there's still so much work to do." she replied and placed her deck in one of her kimono's pockets. "We are done for the night. Let's all get some well-deserved rest!"
An hour later, everyone in the mansion had fallen asleep. Taking advantage of the silence, Sayo sat on the veranda, a pair of wooden sandals lying next to her as she patted the grass with her naked feet. She carefully held a wooden flute in her hands, which she used to play a soothing lullaby as she admired the beautiful night sky.
"That's a catchy tune," Hajime spoke from behind, startling her.
"Oh, it's just you, don't scare me like that!" The priestess then giggled at the compliment and replied in a calmer manner, "I thought you were tucked in bed like everyone else. Why are you up so late?"
"I'm unable to sleep. I can't even read a book or browse the internet. It seems that everything I do in my room somehow makes me think of him. It's like he's haunting me in every corner of my mind. Maybe you were right, for once I would rather be outside and lose myself in the beauties of nature, perhaps this would help me forget."
"Does it still hurt on the inside?"
The blond paused for a moment and gave some thought to her question as he sat next to her.
"Yes, it still hurts. But I will survive, that's a promise!" He gave her a warm smile which radiated with confidence and trust. "One way or another, we will move past this nightmare once it's all over."
She reciprocated the smile and resumed playing her tune as they both gazed at the stars, lost in their dreams of a better life. Time's passage seemed to no longer matter in those precious moments which they spent together. Before she knew it, Sayo felt Hajime's head rest on her shoulder as he finally managed to drift away into peaceful slumber.
