Hajime dried his hair with a towel as he walked out of the shower. He glanced at his physique in the mirror and was surprised to see that there were signs of a six pack growing on his belly. His chest seemed to have gotten slightly stronger. Out of instinct, he flexed his muscles and was disappointed to see that his biceps had not grown much. Still, considering his rather sedentary lifestyle, he was grateful that he did not end up gaining weight. Immediately his mind went to Sayo's naked form as she bathed in the river. Even though she had no visible muscles, it was obvious that she had a fairly athletic build. And curves... and beautiful breasts...
The blond snapped out of his daydream before it went to unwanted territories. He put on his normal turquoise-colored turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans, after which he searched his drawer through a collection of scarfs. Picking one was always hard for him, because sometimes he liked to have it match his other clothes, other times he wanted a color which stood out more. After a few minutes of debating, he settled on a beige one.
Upon pulling the curtains, he had the pleasure of being greeted by a pleasant sunny morning. Outside, the suburb of Tokyo was ever busy, humans and vehicles rushing to reach their schools and workplaces in time. Hajime's thoughts went to his courses and how he had already missed two days due to being unconscious. Even if they somehow managed to rescue Sagakin, he was certain that his parents would never allow him to return to its college. As much as he hated the prospect, he would definitely have to transfer to the University of Tokyo. But in the end, if Shishima were to prevail in their conflict, his superior studies would no longer matter. In fact, nothing humanity had achieved would have ever mattered at that point, as their cultures and values would be erased by his murderous reign.
And yet, despite the grim predicament they were all in, Hajime could not help but feel like that day would be a great day. His parents and friends were safe for the time being, he was back home and Sayo was training them all for the battle to come. A sense of excitement filled his heart, he could not wait to face his enemy once again and finally bring him to justice once and for all. Ken and Tsugumi would be avenged, then he would be free to move on with his life, knowing that the world was safe and purified of that monster's evil. If Jack and Lori were to return to the United States once their adventure was over, he would have not blamed them whatsoever. He did not know what future plans Sayo had in mind, but of one thing he was sure, he did not want to part ways with her.
In a few minutes he was downstairs in the dining room and found only Jack, who was trying not to drool at the sight of the large breakfast plate which the butler Tanaka was serving him. Steamed rice, Miso soup, grilled fish, seasoned seaweed and pickled vegetables. The meal was not supposed to be heavy, but to the cowboy it was still very tempting.
"Enjoying my family's cuisine?" asked the blond, catching his friend's attention.
"Good morning, partner!" Jack greeted.
"Master Hajime, is there anything you would like for breakfast?" Tanaka was quick to add.
"Bring me an omelet, two pancakes and an espresso," the blond instructed as he sat opposite to his guest. The butler gave him a nod and smile before taking his leave.
"We've been friends for almost a year and only now you found it fit to invite me here? If I knew you had such a great cook and large house, I'd have transferred to Tokyo as quickly as freaking possible!"
"We weren't that close of friends until recently, Jack. And besides, I prefer to keep a fairly modest image. I don't want my friends to think of me as a snob or showoff."
"Yet you act smarter than everyone whenever you have the chance. If this is about people befriending you for your money instead of who you are, don't worry, I always thought of you as a cool guy ever since our grandmas first introduced us."
"That makes one of us," Hajime replied with a smirk, the two of them sharing a laugh. "Do you know where the others are?"
"Your folks left to take care of business affairs and Sayo's currently helping Lori with rebuilding her deck. I still can't believe that you guys want to head back to Sagakin tomorrow," Jack confessed, a worried look on his face.
"We're returning there out of necessity. Shishima cannot be allowed to prosper and expand, because then it will be the end of us. Most likely the authorities will also be inspecting the area, so it's not like we will be alone."
"At least that's reassuring. So will we be flying there on a private jet?"
"Oh no, I would rather not have my family's vehicles risk damage on this mission. I've already gotten us four train tickets. Due to Sagakin's disappearance, it will stop at the last station in the mountains – the hot spring resort Akufuko. We will spend tomorrow night there, after which we will be on foot."
"You can't be serious, partner! We'll be by ourselves in the woods?!"
"Don't worry, Sayo and I survived there; we will help you adapt. Today is Wednesday. If we are fast enough, we should reach Sagakin by Friday afternoon."
"I guess so... I'll be honest with you, Hajime, these past days have gone so fast. I could swear it was only yesterday when we've had our first duel in the park."
"Time flies by when you're busy. Anyway, I suggest you eat the Miso soup before it goes cold."
"Oh right! Ehehe, itadakimasu!" Jack exclaimed before beginning to feast on his breakfast.
Once they finished their meal, the two boys went to check out on the girls in the living room. Unsurprisingly, they had already finished deck building and were in the middle of a test run. Thankfully, just like with Jack, it was but a normal card game played on the large wooden table.
"I cast Scale of Bravery and Lore, discard VAN Beethoven, Zenith of "Shura" and draw two cards."
"I summon Onikamas, Strange Flow," Lori said.
"Onikamas can't be chosen by me, and during my turn whenever I put a creature into the battle zone and it wasn't summoned, you can return it to my hand if you so choose..." Sayo glanced at the cards in her hand and sighed. "This will hinder my plans. But still, there is always a way – I summon Megagoone Churis."
"Ah, so you're also packing Beat Jockeys and Twinpacts. That's cool! Anyway, my move, I summon Minomi, Greedy Young Magician. With his effect, I check the top three cards of my deck and take a spell into my hand. I'll take Big Bang Flare, the rest will go to the bottom of my deck."
"Tsh, that Onikamas is really hindering me. I charge mana and attack with Megagoone Churis. Smash Burst, whenever he attacks, I can cast the spell side of his card! I cast Gogogo Go1 Knuckle which destroys Minomi, after which I discard Mad Dead Wood. Megagoone Churis, break her shield!"
"Shield trigger, I cast the Twinpact version of Crystal Memory!" The redhead grinned as she searched her deck and took a card into her hand. "And now it's my turn, I summon Shuff, Eureka and choose the number 3. Since Megagoone Churis costs 3, you can't attack with him. Since Gogogo Go1 Knuckle also costs 3, you can't cast it."
"You've incapacitated me well, Lori. But the match is not yours just yet! I summon Honenbe, Skeletal Guardian." The priestess put the top three cards of her deck into her graveyard, those being Dorgan Churis, Linnevenus, M Demon Dragon and Doguraeater, D2M2, the latter of which went into her hand.
"Hehe, the time has come for me to show my two new trump cards!"
"Oh? I'm intrigued, do go on."
"Bad Action Dynamite Spell 2, I discard Goldoza, Gorigan Crusher / Dynamouse Scrapper to cast Big Bang Flare for 3 mana instead of 5! With this spell's effect, I bring out Crash Head, Victorious Dragon Armored from my hand and battle him with Honenbe, destroying your small blocker! Then since I have only one card left in my hand - Master Gogogo Gangan Galaxy, I summon Gogogo Brand for no cost! With his effect, I draw a card... and discard Explosion! Hardrack to destroy Megagoone Churis. Both my creatures are speed attackers, so it's time to get serious! Crash Head, double break her shields! Gogogo Brand, double break her shields!"
"Shield trigger, I cast Gogogo Go1 Knuckle to destroy Shuff, then I discard Entertainer of Stealing and Lying."
"Onikamas, break her final shield!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Falconer, Lightfang Ninja and block Onikamas, destroying him!"
"You got rid of him a little too late, ey? Now he's the least of your worries. I end my turn and due to Big Bang Flare's effect, Crash Head is destroyed. Since he is tapped when he is destroyed, I gain an extra turn!"
"Oh no..."
"Oh yes, now my extra turn begins! Bad Action Dynamite - I summon G.W.D, Rumble Machine, which is also a speed attacker. Go, break her final shield!"
"Shield trigger, I expand Mad Dead Wood, Seductive of D."
"That D2 Field will do you no good! Gogogo Brand, todomeda!"
Thus Lori's victory was sealed. Sayo burst into joyful laughter, thing which took the other youths by surprise.
"Hahaha, I haven't lost in such a speedy manner in years!" she confessed. "Congratulations, it seems that switching to Water Fire was a good idea, it both aided you in drawing your finishers quicker while also providing you some small lockdown effects. I dare say you're more than ready!"
"As if any other outcome was possible!" the redhead boasted, rubbing her nose with pride. "I'm telling you, that one loss against the winged creep was a fluke. If I ever face him again, I'll rush the bajesus out of him before he can even bring out his trump card!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, love." Jack leaned in and kissed Lori on the lips. "If you're able to defeat even Sayo's Revolution Change deck, I think you're pretty much the fastest player in our group."
"Hell yes I am! In fact, I think I may have the biggest chance to defeat Shishima!"
"I wouldn't jump to such conclusions if I were you," the priestess intervened, a more serious tone in her voice. "It's true, both you and Jack have fast decks and Shishima's strategy is much slower, but keep in mind that almost half of his deck is based on defense. The rest of it consists of finishers and cards that aid his progression. If you were to face him, most likely he would put an end to your rushes in the early turns, then hold you in a stalemate until he found it fit to pull a one-shot kill. This is why I believe Hajime is the best candidate to face him."
"Blondie? Are you kidding? His deck's the slowest of our group!" Lori protested with indignation.
"Yes, but his is also a control deck, meaning he has more chances to get around Shishima's tactics. Which is why I will require some alone time with him for the rest of day so we can work on rebuilding his deck with an even more solid strategy."
"Alone time, you say?" The redhead took a good look at both Sayo and Hajime, then she gave her boyfriend a wink. "Alright then, you two, we'll leave you to your business. We'll be in the gaming room, just give us a call if you need anything."
Before they knew it, the couple was gone. Awkward silence fell between the two youngsters, until the blond remembered to take out his deck and also bring a suitcase which had more cards from his collection.
"So, how have you been lately?" Hajime initiated the conversation as he placed the cards on the table and arranged each copy in its own small pile.
"Busy training each of you, worrying about what tomorrow will bring us, the usual," Sayo casually replied. "What about you? Have you been recovering well?"
"Yeah, all I needed was a good night's sleep and a nice warm shower. Look, I'm sorry that you have to work yourself up so much just to help us. I'm aware we've still got more to learn, but I would hate to know you're wasting so much time and energy for our own sake."
"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Hajime! I admit, the past couple of days have been very tiresome, but in a way they've also been rewarding: I made new friends, I met you..."
"Really?" The boy looked her right in the eye, stunned by the confession, receiving a short nod in response. "I appreciate it, thanks. Sorry, I'm at a loss for words right now."
"It's alright." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him her typical warm smile which easily melted his heart. "No matter what happens from now on, just know that I am grateful to have met you."
Gulping, he shyly reached his hand and grabbed hers, replying, "Me too, Sayo. Me too."
"Anyway, let's get working on your deck!"
"...R-right!"
The rest of the day passed quicker than either of them expected. After long hours of debates and mentally simulating match-ups and outcomes, they settled on upgrading his deck with the new Judgment Emblem Z spells, making it even more focused on shield manipulation along with a few other surprises for the unsuspecting opponent. By the break of evening, Takuma and Aki returned home to find Hajime and Sayo asleep on the sofa, cards scattered all over the table. Although surprised at first, they remembered that their son had been single for the past three years and he seemed very bitter over his last breakup. To see him with such a relieved smile and this close to a girl once again was nothing but heartwarming. Without making any noise, the mother covered them with a blanket, after which she kissed her boy on the cheek and wished them both a good night. They would discuss their concerns about the dangerous journey first thing in the morning. At the very least they were certain of one thing – Sayo would definitely keep her promise of ensuring Hajime's safety.
