Happy birthday to me~! Yes, it's my birthday! It's been a dream of mine to write a birthday chapter for my OC and post it around my birthday, and now it's come true!
I want to thank FlowerHeart17 for a second time for designing the birthday party dress that Estelle will wear at the end of the chapter, writing another scene for the chapter, and giving me inspiration for the design of a special birthday gift Estelle will receive from her Shooting Star. You can find the dress and the gift on my DA account.
I changed the last chapter by adding more scenes. I originally wrote them for this chapter, but when the Turbo Duel got too long, I decided to move them over to the first part. Make sure to read the first part before reading this. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
We are four reviews away from the next review shout-out! Remember, those who already have won a shout-out won't get another shout-out and the guest reviews don't count. However, the rules will be changed when we make it to the 1,000th review.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 83: A Memorable Birthday – Part 2
"Turbo Duel, acceleration!" the Riding Roid and I yelled as we drew our first five cards.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP
Estelle: 4000 LP
I got Sage with Eyes of Blue, Speed Spell – Summon Speeder, the White Stone of Ancients, Dark Bribe, and Sakuretsu Armor. I could work with that.
"I go first! Draw!" the Riding Roid yelled, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Ally of Justice Quarantine in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Quarantine, Level 4: ATK 1700
Ally of Justice? That was the same type of Monsters the Riding Roids used during the Diablo incident! I looked up the archetype once, but I forgot the details about these Monsters.
"Ally of Justice Quarantine's effect makes it so neither of us can Special summon LIGHT Monsters!"
"What?!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
That meant the effects of my cards couldn't be activated to Special summon my Blue-Eyes! Was the archetype of Ally of Justice a Deck that could block LIGHT-attributed Monsters?
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!"
"I draw!" I called, drawing my sixth card.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 0 SPC – 1 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 0 SPC – 1 SPC
My sixth card was Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I growled inwardly. I had the cards I needed to quickly bring out a strong Blue-Eyes Monster, but I couldn't do it because to Ally of Justice Quarantine's effect. I had to go with defense for now until I figured out a way to get rid of the pesky machine.
"I summon Sage with Eyes of Blue in defense mode!" I shouted.
Sage with Eyes of Blue, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 1500
"Sage's effect! I can add one Level 1 LIGHT Tuner Monster from my Deck to my hand! I choose the White Stone of Legend!"
The Deck in my Wrist Dealer got shuffled before it ejected my chosen card. I quickly added it to my hand and took my two Trap cards. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"
"My turn! Draw!" the Riding Roid shouted.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 1 SPC – 2 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 1 SPC – 2 SPC
"I summon Ally of Justice Thousand Arms in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, Level 4: ATK 1700
I checked on the display what this Monster's effect was. It could attack all face-up LIGHT Monster I controlled once each.
"Battle! Ally of Justice Quarantine, destroy Sage with Eyes of Blue!"
Okay, here it comes!
"I activate my Trap; Sakuretsu Armor!" I yelled. "I destroy your attacking Monster with it!"
The Trap card released a gust of whirlwind that hit Quarantine and slashed it into pieces.
"So you got rid of my Quarantine. But that won't help you much. Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, attack Sage with Eyes of Blue!"
The machine Monster with multiple weapons flew towards Sage with glowing optics. It swung its weapons and slashed my Monster into pieces. The shards of the hologram flew around me, but they didn't cause any damage to me.
"Your field is now empty, which means your luck will soon run out, Priestess", the Riding Roid mocked me. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Draw!" I yelled, drawing a new card.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 2 SPC – 3 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 2 SPC – 3 SPC
The card I had just drawn was another White Stone of Ancients.
"I summon the White Stone of Legend in defense mode!" I called.
The White Stone of Legend, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 250
"I end my turn with that!"
"You've been backed into a corner!" the Riding Roid chuckled. "This won't take long now. Draw!"
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 3 SPC – 4 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 3 SPC – 4 SPC
"I activate my Continuous Trap; Call of the Haunted! I Special summon Ally of Justice Quarantine from my Graveyard in attack mode!"
"I activate my Counter Trap; Dark Bribe!" I quickly called. "When a Spell or Trap card is activated, I can negate it! This means you can't summon your Monster from the Graveyard, but you get to draw one card from your Deck as compensation."
The Riding Roid clicked his tongue while his Trap card shattered into pieces before his Thousand Arms could join the field. "I switch Ally of Justice Thousand Arms to defense mode and end my turn."
Ally of Justice Thousand Arms, Level 4: ATK 1700 – DEF 0
Oh? That was unexpected. Why didn't he attack my White Stone? Was it to not let me add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand?
"My turn! Draw!" I called.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 4 SPC – 5 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 4 SPC – 5 SPC
My new card was Jar of Avarice. It was a good card that could be a game-changer. But now, I could proceed with my plan.
"Now that I have over 4 Speed Counters, I play the Speed Spell – Summon Speeder!" I shouted. "I can Special summon one Level 4 or lower Monster from my hand, but it can't attack this turn! I Special summon the White Stone of Ancients in defense mode!"
The White Stone of Ancients, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 500
"I release both my White Stones to Tribute summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon in attack mode!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"The White Stone of Legend's effect! I can add one Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck to my hand!"
My Deck got shuffled before I added my second copy of Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand.
"Battle! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy Ally of Justice Thousand Arms with White Lightning!"
My Blue-Eyes roared before he unleashed his attack at Thousand Arms.
"I activate my Trap; Quaking Mirror Force!" the Riding Roid yelled. "When my opponent's Monster declares an attack, your attack position Monster is changed to facedown defense position and it cannot change its battle positions!"
"What?!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
An invisible force field appeared in front of Thousand Arms before it was hit by the White Lightning attack. The attack got absorbed into the force field before a purple lightning was shot out. The lightning hit Blue-Eyes White Dragon, forcing him back into his card that got flipped facedown.
I growled loudly at the failure of getting rid of Thousand Arms. The Riding Roid just laughed at my reaction. "You need to try better than that, Priestess. What else do you have for me?"
I grabbed my Jar of Avarice card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn. At the End Phase, the White Stone of Ancients' effect activates in my Graveyard. I can Special summon one Blue-Eyes Monster from my Deck to the field! I Special summon Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon in attack mode!"
Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon, Level 8: ATK 2500
"So you managed to summon two of your dragons", the Riding Roid clicked his tongue. "Well, we shall see where this will go. Draw!"
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 5 SPC – 6 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP = 5 SPC – 6 SPC
"Before you continue with anything else, I activate my Trap; Jar of Avarice!" I quickly shouted. "I shuffle five cards from the Graveyard back to my Deck and then get to draw one card!"
I grabbed Sage with Eyes of Blue, Dark Bribe, Sakuretsu Armor, Speed Spell – Summon Speeder, and the White Stone of Legend from the Graveyard and added them to my Deck. The Wrist Dealer shuffled my cards before I drew the top card, which was Speed Spell – Raid Shotwing.
"That won't be much help, Priestess. I'm going to follow your example by playing my own Speed Spell – Summon Speeder! I Special summon Ally of Justice Core Destroyer in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Core Destroyer, Level 3: ATK 1200
"I release Ally of Justice Quarantine and Ally of Justice Core Destroyer to Tribute summon Ally of Justice Thunder Armor in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, Level 8: ATK 2700
This Monster's effect made every Ally of Justice Monster able to inflict piercing damage when they attack a defense position Monster with defense points lower than the machines' attack points. He could now destroy both my Blue-Eyes, but he would only inflict 200 points of piercing damage, so it wasn't that bad.
Or so I thought.
"I play the Speed Spell – Power Baton now that I have 6 Speed Counters! I send Ally of Justice Cosmic Gateway from my Deck to the Graveyard to have Ally of Justice Thunder Armor gain attack points equal to Cosmic Gateway's attack points until the end of the next Damage Step! The cost is, though, I cannot conduct my normal draw during my next Draw Phase."
The transparent body of Cosmic Gateway appeared above Thunder Armor before it shattered into golden pixie dust. The dust fell on top of Thunder Armor as the machine started glowing with a yellow aura, increasing its attack points.
Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, Level 8: ATK 2700 – ATK 5100
"5100 attack points?!" I exclaimed in shock and fear.
"Battle! Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, attack Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon!"
Thunder Armor extended its drills before flying toward Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon. My dragon used its wings as a shield, but Thunder Armor drilled through him and destroyed him into pieces. The remaining shards hit my Runner, causing it to violently wobble left and right. I forced myself to have control while the Riding Roid drove past me.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 6 SPC
Estelle: 4000 LP – 1400 LP = 6 SPC
I managed to regain control of my Runner just as there was a hairpin bend coming up. I made it through without flying straight into the glass barrier and hurt myself.
"I applaud your resilience, Priestess", the Riding Roid spoke through the intercom as I managed to catch up to him. "You may have survived this turn, but your life shall soon be over. I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Okay. Draw!" I called.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 6 SPC – 7 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 6 SPC – 7 SPC
The card I had just drawn was Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon; one of the cards I got from Seto shortly after our exhibition Duel. Now that Ally of Justice Quarantine was gone, I could finally Special summon the majority of my Monsters.
"I reveal Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand to Special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon in attack mode!" I yelled.
Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"Blue-Eyes Alternative's effect! I destroy your Ally of Justice Thunder Armor, but the cost is my dragon cannot attack the turn he uses this effect."
Blue-Eyes Alternative opened his mouth and fired a neo-white beam at Thunder Armor, destroying it into pieces.
"Next, I summon the White Stone of Ancients in defense mode!"
The White Stone of Ancients, Level 1, Tuner: DEF 500
"I now tune my Level 1 White Stone of Ancients and Level 8 Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon! Boulders of the mountain, hear my call! Break the seal and rise from the depth of the ocean to aid your master! Synchro summon! Arise, Giganticastle!"
Giganticastle, Level 9: ATK 2900
This Synchro Monster was special to me because it was the first Synchro card I ever got when I opened my first Yu-Gi-Oh! booster packs back in my world. It was also thanks to this card I learned about the 5D's season.
"Giganticastle's effect! He gains 200 attack and defense points for each non-Tuner Synchro Material Monster used for its Synchro summoning!"
Giganticastle, Level 9: ATK 2900 – ATK 3100
"Giganticastle, attack directly!"
Giganticastle was almost as big as Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu, so he was hovering over the Riding Roid before he threw his clenched fist toward him.
"I activate my Trap; Dimensional Prison!" the Riding Roid called. "I banish your attacking Monster!"
I growled angrily at the Trap. This Riding Roid's Deck was really all about cancelling LIGHT Monster's effects and get rid of them by either destruction or banishing.
A wormhole appeared in Giganticastle's path and sucked him in, leaving no traces behind of the golem king. The Riding Roid laughed humorously. "It was a nice try using another Monster with different attribute, but my Deck is practically invincible against all attributes, except DARK."
DARK… The Riding Roid unconsciously revealed a clue on how to break through his Monsters. I had to use DARK-attribute Monsters against him! However, the only DARK Monster cards I had in this Deck were First of the Dragons and…that Ritual Monster.
I had to get the cards I needed quickly for either the Fusion or the Ritual Monster.
"I end my turn!" I called. "End Phase! My second White Stone of Ancients' effect activates in my Graveyard! I Special summon my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck in attack mode!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Level 8: ATK 3000
"You are very attached to your dragons, Priestess", the Riding Roid chuckled. "Let us see how much they can help you. Because of the Speed Spell – Power Baton, I cannot draw a card in this Draw Phase."
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 7 SPC – 8 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 7 SPC – 8 SPC
"I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw!" I shouted.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 8 SPC – 9 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 8 SPC – 9 SPC
I cheered inwardly at the card I had just drawn. It was Speed Spell – Speed Ritual. It wasn't a card from the anime, so I got surprised when I learned there was actually a Speed Spell card existing for Ritual summoning in this dimension. Now I just needed to get the Ritual Monster and I could hopefully finish the Turbo Duel.
"I activate Speed World 2's effect!" I called as I revealed Speed Spell – Speed Ritual. "I remove 7 Speed Counters to draw a card from my Deck!"
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 9 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 9 SPC – 2 SPC
My Duel Runner slowed down now that I had removed the Speed Counters. The Riding Roid was several meters ahead of me. I took a deep breath before drawing the card, praying it was the Ritual Monster. I drew the card and checked it. It was Galaxy Serpent. Not what I needed.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack the Riding Roid directly!" I commanded.
Blue-Eyes fired a White Lightning at the android. I hoped the facedown card the Riding Roid had wouldn't get activated.
"I activate my Counter Trap; Negate Attack!"
Curse my bad luck!
The Riding Roid's Trap card flipped up in front of him to be used as a shield. Blue-Eyes' attack got absorbed into it and ended the Battle Phase.
"I still have many tricks up my sleeves, Priestess!" the Riding Roid chuckled.
"I end my turn!" I spat angrily.
"Feeling frustrated? Well, more is coming. Draw!"
Riding Roid: 4000 LP = 9 SPC – 10 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 2 SPC – 3 SPC
"I summon Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, Level 3: ATK 1200
I quickly checked this Monster's effect. If it battles a LIGHT Monster, that Monster was going to be removed from play after damage calculation. Knowing the Riding Roid, it would obviously attack my Blue-Eyes and remove it from play.
"Battle! Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
The elephant-like machine rammed itself onto my dragon's stomach and shattered into pieces. Some of them hit the Riding Roid, causing damage to his Life Points.
Riding Roid: 4000 LP – 2800 LP = 10 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 3 SPC
"Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher's effect! When it battles a LIGHT Monster, that Monster is removed from play after damage calculation!"
The remnants of the machine Monster flew around Blue-Eyes like a whirlwind, slashing his body until he vanished from the field.
"I end my turn."
"My turn. Draw!" I called.
Riding Roid: 2800 LP = 10 SPC – 11 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 3 SPC – 4 SPC
I growled again when I saw I had drawn Negate Attack. I couldn't summon anything because the only two Monsters I had in my hand were both Level 8. I still had my first Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field, but I couldn't flip it up because it got frozen by Quaking Mirror Force. The only way to get rid of it was to Tribute summon, but I couldn't.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn", I said as I placed my new Trap card facedown.
"What's the matter? You don't have any Monsters you can summon?" the Riding Roid taunted me. "Well, we are both in the same boat, but that could change. Draw!"
Riding Roid: 2800 LP = 11 SPC – 12 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 4 SPC – 5 SPC
"Look at this! I must have received the Birthday Gods' blessings from you! I play the Speed Spell – Accelerate Draw! I can only activate it when I have 12 Speed Counters and you don't have the same amount! I draw two cards! I summon my second Ally of Justice Unknown Justice in attack mode!"
Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, Level 3: ATK 1200
"Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher, attack the facedown Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
I decided to let him attack my Blue-Eyes. He was just going to inflict damage to himself and remove my dragon from play. I still had one Blue-Eyes White Dragon safely in my hand. I had to save Negate Attack for another turn.
Riding Roid: 2800 LP – 1500 LP = 12 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 5 SPC
"Ally of Justice Unknown Crusher's effect! He removes Blue-Eyes White Dragon from play after damage calculation."
The remnants of Blue-Eyes were swallowed by a wormhole.
"Your field is now empty. Next time, I might summon a Monster that is strong enough to take out all your Life Points, Priestess. I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw!"
Riding Roid: 1500 LP = 12 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 5 SPC – 6 SPC
My eyes widened in surprise at the card I had just drawn before I smiled widely.
It was time to end the Turbo Duel.
"I play the Speed Spell – Speed Ritual!" I shouted.
"Speed Spell – Speed Ritual?"
"I can only activate it when I have 4 or more Speed Counters. I send my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard for a Ritual summoning! When the world is in chaos, the dragon once pure but now consumed in darkness shall come forth to break the shackles of death! Ritual summon! Descend, Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!"
A blue magic circle appeared far above me as the sky grew dark by thunderclouds. Lightning crackled in the sky before a massive dragon flew out from the magic circle with a roar ten times louder than the lightning.
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, Level 8: ATK 4000
This was my first time I had ever Ritual summoned a Monster, and one that originally belonged to Seto. It was an honor to use some of his cards.
"A Ritual Monster with 4000 attack points?!" the Riding Roid gasped in disbelief.
"It's over! The light may have been overtaken by your Ally of Justice, but even the purest being has a darkness within itself that will break through the thickest barriers! Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon, attack the Riding Roid and end the Duel with Chaos Darkness!"
Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon fired a beam from its mouth that was first white before it changed into a color combination of black and dark blue.
"It's not over! I activate my Trap; Draining Shield! I target your Blue-Eyes to negate the attack and gain Life Points equal to its attack points!"
A green shield surrounded the Riding Roid, but the shield shattered into pieces when my Ritual Monster's attack made contact. "What?!"
"Sorry, but Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon's effect makes him unable to be targeted or destroyed by my opponent's card effects! This is the end, Riding Roid! I'm not going with you to see your masters!"
"NOOOO!" the Riding Roid screamed as he was engulfed by my dragon's attack.
Riding Roid: 1500 LP – 0 LP = 12 SPC
Estelle: 1400 LP = 6 SPC
I skidded to a halt as the Riding Roid exploded on the course ahead of me. I took a couple of deep breaths to get rid of the adrenaline in my veins before I removed my helmet. I watched the smoke clear up before I got off my Runner to take a closer look at the remains of the android.
The fake skin and clothes on the android had been peeled off by the flames of the explosion, so all I saw was the metallic skeleton and the mangled Duel Runner. The majority of the cards the Riding Roid had used had turned into ashes.
But the biggest question was; what did the Three Pure Nobles want to see me in the first place? I had a feeling it wasn't just for a peaceful conversation.
"Estelle!"
I turned around and saw Yusei driving toward me with Crow, Jack, Bruno, and Aki behind him on their Duel Runners. My heart sang in relief when I saw my crush was okay after that terrible crash.
"Yusei! Everyone!" I called as they braked next to my Duel Runner.
Yusei removed his helmet and got off his Runner before he ran to me and grabbed my upper arms. "Are you okay? Did the Riding Roid hurt you?" he asked with a worried expression.
"I'm fine", I nodded before I rubbed my forehead in exhaustion. "The Turbo Duel was very tough, though. The Riding Roid used an Ally of Justice Deck that cancelled my Blue-Eyes' effects and Special summoning."
"Ally of Justice? I've never heard of that archetype before", Crow spoke up as the others joined us.
"Me neither", Aki shook her head.
I raised a confused eyebrow. My friends didn't know about the Ally of Justice archetype? Was it possible it was an archetype created in the future, perhaps before the Meklord Genocide event?
Yusei's tense shoulders relaxed before he hugged me to his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay…"
I didn't mind the affection and hugged him back. He had grown a bit since the Dark Signers war, but I could still rest my head against his shoulder. I gently patted his back to calm him down before we pulled back.
"How much did you see of the Duel?" I asked. "And what are the rest of you doing here?"
"We found you at the time the Riding Roid's Monster destroyed your Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon", Jack replied while he had his arms crossed.
"We got called by Yusei who said you had been attacked by another roaming Riding Roid, so we dropped everything", Aki added. "We also felt your distress through our Marks, so we used them to find you."
"Thank you", I smiled softly. "I appreciate it you came to help me."
"I managed to download some of the data of those Ally of Justice cards the Riding Roid used", Bruno spoke up after he had been silent the entire time. "It could be useful data in case another Riding Roid appears again."
"Thank you, Bruno", I nodded. "I'll contact Sector Security and let them take care of the Riding Roid."
XXXXXXXXXX
I took it easy for the remaining hours before the party. I wanted to see what else I needed to get done, but I was pushed into my bedroom as soon as I got home. I wasn't allowed to check the garden where the party was going to take place. By then, I realized Ish and the others must have arranged a surprise party for me.
One hour before the party, which was going to start at 6 pm, Ish and the maids helped me dress up and fix my make-up. I got to wear a customized white one-shoulder sweetheart dress with red to pink ombre with a regular flowy effect. The bottom part of the dress was also decorated with red glitter. The strap and the side of the dress had red rhinestones. The strap went over my left shoulder to my back where I had a zipper. At the bottom of my lower back was a crimson star jewel stud. I chose to wear a pair of red heels to match with the rhinestones and glitter. Ish applied a little make-up and fixed my hair so it was nice and proper.
I waited patiently until it was time for me, the host, to welcome the first guests with Itsuki and Ryuga who had been dressed up for the party as well. Those were actually the Kaiba brothers, much to my surprise. The others arrived shortly after the brothers and then the party was on.
Even though I wrote on the invitation cards, some of the guests had brought birthday gifts. Aki's birthday gift was actually the customized dress I had ordered for the WRGP Premium part next week. I made sure not to open it, since I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. The Kaiba brothers' joined present was a lifetime-ticket for the Kaiba Land amusement parks I could visit with my foster sons.
Ish gave me a letter which was from Greiger. I hadn't heard from him and his siblings for a while, so I quickly read it. Greiger wrote he and his siblings were doing well and the village was back to normal after the Dark Signers event. He hoped me and the Signers would one day visit the village and have a Duel.
It was nice to hear Greiger was cooping well after he was a Dark Signer, like Kalin, Misty, and Carly. The only former Dark Signer I had not heard from for a long time was Devack. No one knew where he was, so I was a little concerned about him. He may have been a minor character, but there had never been a proper explanation as of how and why he became a Dark Signer in the first place.
For the rest of the party, we ate delicious food and had fun playing different games. Seto and Mokuba introduced a prototype board game with Duel Monsters as main characters. They wanted to give it a test run and hear our reviews on it, so we played it. In the end, it was a very promising game. We also sang karaoke which I rocked with the songs I sang alone or in a duo. One of the songs I sang with Yusei was "Preserved Roses" by Nana Mizuki and T. . I got stunned by Yusei's hidden talent in singing. His voice gave me the chills to say the least.
Two hours into the party, Itsuki and Ryuga got tired, so the maids brought them to their bedrooms to tuck them in bed, but not before I gave my foster sons goodnight kisses. One hour after that, Rally, Leo, Luna, Miyuki, and Sly got sleepy, so Goodwin's limousine chauffeur, Shinji, drove them home.
Slowly and surely, I started feeling a little tired too half an hour later, so I snuck off to get some peace and quiet. My brain still hadn't recovered after the intense Turbo Duel I had with the Riding Roid.
I found my way to the large fountain in the rose garden and sat down on a bench at the front of it. I sighed tiredly and looked up at the clear night sky. This day had been eventful for sure. When was the last time I was practically busy the whole day? I couldn't remember it.
I noticed movement at the corner of my eye, so I turned to my left and saw Yusei standing there with a soft smile. "Hi…", I smiled with flushed cheeks.
"Hey…", Yusei nodded as he walked up to me. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
Yusei sat down next to me while having his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Did you have fun today?"
"Yes", I nodded with a tired smile. "It's been quite an eventful day. The practice date, the Turbo Duel, and my birthday party. I can't remember when was the last time my birthday lasted from morning to evening."
"Was it…too much for you?"
"A little. I feel like I could fall asleep anytime now, but I'll try staying awake until the last guest leaves. I don't want to be portrayed as a selfish host."
"I'm sure everyone will understand if you want to end the party earlier. No one is going to judge you."
"I know. But still… The tiny fear of being judged is buried deep within me after everything I've been through. It won't disappear even if I have already moved on from my past."
Yusei grabbed gently my left hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I know the feeling. But you're doing great. Don't let the haunting feelings overwhelm you, okay?"
"Okay…"
We were quiet for a short time and looked at the stars in the night sky. Yusei still held my hand, but let go of it when he cleared his throat. "Estelle…"
"Yeah?" I replied, turning to him.
I noticed he had a nervous expression while he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small rectangle present, wrapped in red paper and a black ribbon. "I know I already gave you the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stuffed toy today, but… I have one more present for you."
I blinked in surprise. Yusei had another present for me? I didn't expect to receive one more thing from him, but I accepted it by grabbing the wrapped present with my hands. I read once that, in Japan, the proper way to accept a present was by grabbing it with both hands.
"Thank you, Yusei, but you didn't have to", I told him softly.
"I know, but I wanted to", Yusei said with a soft blush. "When I saw it, I immediately thought of you."
I was now very curious what this present was if he imagined me when he saw it. I gently removed the black ribbon and the wrapping paper, trying not to rip the paper. Another thing I learned about etiquette was, in Japan, the wrapping paper is just as important as the present itself, so it's considered rude if you just rip open the present in front of someone. I had always been careful when I open a present, so it wasn't really new to me.
Once I removed the paper, I saw it was a rectangle black velvet box almost the size of my hand. The only thing I could think of was this box was probably from a jewelry store. Did Yusei buy jewelry to me?
I slowly opened the box and felt my eyes widen in surprise. It was a thin-chained necklace with silver plated brass star dangling from it along with a crystal/cubic zirconia cut-out star. The silver plated star had my name in the middle of it in a fancy style.
I couldn't hold back a gasp of surprise as I stared at the necklace. "Oh my… It's so pretty", I said softly as I picked up the jewelry by holding the chain.
Yusei smiled softly while rubbing the back of his head with red cheeks. "Yeah, it took me a while to find the perfect gift for you. I wanted to give you something special."
"This is truly special to me. It's the first time someone, besides my family, gave me jewelry. In fact, I experienced many first times with you today, Yusei. Thank you, Yusei", I smiled.
"I should thank you as well. I also experienced some first times today, and I'm glad it was with you", Yusei smiled in return before he took my necklace. "May I?"
I nodded, knowing what he wanted to do. I brushed my hair resting on my shoulders to the side before Yusei put the necklace on me in front instead of going behind. He attached the necklace on me and then moved back. He got a little shy and looked away for a second.
"Estelle…"
"Yes?"
Yusei turned to me with a nervous expression. "There's something I want to tell you, but I don't feel ready. So… Once the World Racing Grand Prix is over… Will you hear me out?"
My heart almost leaped out of my chest. It sounded like he wanted to confess, but he still needed to build up the courage. That was okay; I could wait and I also needed to gather my own courage to confess my feelings for him.
"Of course. I'll wait", I nodded as I placed my left hand on top of his right hand. "I also have something I want to tell you, so let's tell our confessions to each other after the tournament, okay?"
Yusei looked confused at what my confession could be about, but then his expression changed into a warm smile. "Okay."
With that said, we turned our attention back at the night sky with my hand still on top of his. Moments later, Yusei moved his hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. I smiled softly and placed my head on his right shoulder. It didn't take long before sleep took over my consciousness.
The last thing I heard and felt before I fell asleep was a pair of soft kisses on my forehead and Yusei's whispering voice that felt like a gentle breeze against my ear.
"Good night, my Shining Star…"
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I know there is no Speed Spell called "Speed Spell – Speed Ritual" in the anime, except one in the DS games, but that one is an actual Spell card remade into a Speed Spell. That is why I decided to come up with one for Ritual summoning. You can find the card on my DA account.
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Inoue Miyuki belongs to Springflowerangel.