(Continuing From Where Last Chapter Left Off, Arriving At The Country Astraea. . .)
The early morning sky was soon replaced with the grand blue. The sun that was once barely shown to the world was now nearly at the peak of the sky above and the once nigh-vacant streets were now bustling with life. Buildings of brick wall with brownish-red roofs and streets made of the most pristine marble were now active as people were passing in and out while middle-aged mothers could be seen doing their housework. On the main road, vehicles could be seen moving through the streets with little traffic impeding their path. Surrounding and planting roots throughout the entirety of the landscape in order to fill the city with its beauty were numerous flowers and plant life which were watered by the residence with their own volition. That said, these types of things were found throughout the central city that is widely known to be the heart of Astraea culture; Iduna City. It houses the largest population throughout the entire country and is also given the name of the city with no winter due to it having practically no snow all year round. Coupling that with how lively every seemed at the moment made this city painted out as a forever joyous one. Most likely since the news of their princess returning so soon broke, especially from the sight of a plane with the Duel Academy symbol had just landed at their nearby airport not too long ago.
On that note, it didn't take long for the students to exit the plane and make their way through the reception building before finally exiting to face the sight of a new country. Compared to Diamond Stone City and as much as they enjoyed the modern shops, restaurants and other stuff, the air and atmosphere of being in such a foreign country felt refreshing. This was evident as Seirus practically clenched his hands into fists with his eyes shut in hopes to contain his excitement. However, he just as quickly couldn't hold on any longer and fist bumped the air with both hands with a wide grin on his face.
"Finally, we're here!" he squealed with the rest of the members of his group standing trailing behind him as he practically sprinted off the plane to see the country for himself. Hearing their footsteps, he spun around on his feet as he noticed them approaching, "So, what's the plan guys! Ready to get the fun started as soon as possible!?"
Before anyone else could answer that, decided to explain in detail, "Hold your horses, . First we have to drop our luggages at the Hotel before anything else. Plus, do you even read what the true purpose behind this trip was? You are to explore around not just to have fun but also gather notes in order to prepare an essay about Astraea culture and how they are as duelists." Hearing the last bit made only caused it to go through one ear and out the other as Seirus only shrugged it off with a smirk.
"I gotcha on that one, teach! But still, that isn't supposed to stop me from having a blast! Anyways, seeing that the bus isn't here yet. . .I'm just going to investigate that food stand over their for any suspicious people. . .by tryingeverythinghtheyhave, bye!" He remembered before speaking so fast that he didn't give them time to register what he said as he made a bolt for it towards the food stand he spotted that looked to be selling steamy wraps.
In a pathetic attempt, tried to call out to him but he realized quickly that the Nexus duelist was practically a one-way track at this point and there was no point. He sighed, though despite how tired he was already, the light-blue haired teacher smiled at the typical young antics. He was just too much like someone he knew and that was just a given fact, "Man, he's just like him so I can't stay mad at the kid." The comment in itself would have been to himself though it was soon proven to be for one of his co-teachers that walked up next to him with a smile on his face.
"I can see what you mean, Sho," said as he scratched his goatee, "You got yourself an interesting student to say the least."
"True, but just like him, he's also a pain to manage. Honestly, I can start to understand why the professor was pulling his hair out, Kenzan," admitted.
The military-like teacher snickered at the distress in his voice, "Sympathizing with him of all people, sam-hill, you've changed a lot! Guess I should lend you a hand!" Just as he said, he turned around towards Arata who immediately picked up on his eyes looking straight at him.
"You're up, private! Make sure your fellow platoon member doesn't get himself into a pickle!" He commanded.
Nodding and taking a stance of a stereotypical soldier, the Red-Eyes wielder saluted with a stern and understood tone, "Yes, Sarge! Hey, Seirus, save some for me!" Just as quick as his fellow companion before, he ran towards the food stand in order to take advantage of the sample sizes which only left the rest of the group applauded by how much they were consuming while the poor register lady seemed bewildered on what to do. The sight itself made Momo giggle at their antics.
"Guess they are showing their enthusiasm early?" Momo commented.
"That's all well and good but I can't understand how they can eat so much after what they did during breakfast. . .," Aki sighed as she reminded them about the absolute warzone that happened early. Honestly, if they needed a clear representation of what a war looked like then they were a pretty good reference. And to top it all off, they did it right in front of the daughter of a country's political leader. It wouldn't be too far to say that they truly had no conscious awareness of the social concept of mannerism. God forbid if they ever went to an all you can eat buffet or something along those lines again.
Amused, Travis placed a hand on his hip while Rena looked uninterested in their antics. However, in hindsight to this, Steria couldn't help but feel a bit more relaxed knowing that she made it back home without returning to an ambush or something. Perhaps due to the fact that this time she was surrounded by multiple pro-level duelists, her teachers and by at least fifty or more students. They would have to be either really bold, desperate or just outright dumb to attempt something considering all that. They wouldn't want to risk not only the Astraea Country guards but also the forces from Diamond Stone City as well. That said, now that she was feeling at ease, she wasn't sure on how she could relax and spend what little time she may or may not have during this trip before things potential but also truly go down hill. She let out a small hum as she stood in thought for a moment, "Since I'm not allowed to wander too far from the group, I can't really head back home now, can I? But if that's the case, I really don't have much choice to stick to Travis's scheme and if that's the case. . ." Her eyes darted back to the Nexus and Red-Eyes duelist who were currently getting scolded by some random mother who probably smacked them on the head with a ladle. The sight in of itself summarized the things she would have to come to tolerate which led her to let out an exasperated sigh that didn't go unnoticed.
"Hmm, you seem down about coming back to your home country, ?" Momo curiously asked, her body leaning forward around and in between Travis to gain her attention. Though, doing that alongside asking such a sudden question caught the princess off guard a bit as she nearly jolted out of her thoughts.
However, just as soon as she registered her question as she stared a bit confused at the silver haired girl, Rena seemed to have already conjured up a reply for her, "Lady Steria is just contemplating on how she'll be able to put up with your hyperactive friend over there." Welp, she should have known that her only bodyguard was every bit of a mind reader to that of a literal psychic. Always spewing out her thoughts before she could voice her opinion. Though, judging from Momo's reactions, she only blinked before giggling beneath her breath as she turned her eyes to the two idiots.
"Well, that's understandable since Seirus has always been an interesting person since day 1. Just give it time to get used to him better, heheh," Momo insisted as her somewhat womanly chuckle escaped her lips once again.
"Ri-right. . .I guess I'll try to tolerate him a little bit but I'll be holding your words accountable if he crosses me again," Steria huffed before adding that small threat at the end.
Despite holding her smile as strongly as she could, Momo clearly couldn't resist the urge to display a hint of nervousness and regret on trying to interact with her. Truthfully, she had forgotten that she was the school's little miss tyrant for a reason and recalled back to how she clashed with Seirus; She didn't want to admit it out loud but. . .she really is starting to show signs of a more abrasive character than anything else. Especially for a diplomatic princess of a country. But coupled with that persona is also her underlying soft spots that surface every now and then with a bit more consistency over time, more consistently shown with her responsibilities and matters when it comes to her own people that live in this country of hers. Putting two and two together, if Momo were to describe her in one word, it'd probably be tsu-
"Alright, everyone! Our transportations on here! Please get on your respective buses with your groups as we'll be heading to the reserved hotel!" Mr. Marufuji announced before she could finish that thought.
At the sight of other students hurrying their way to the buses in hopes to claim the seats they wanted, most predominantly the back seats due to teenage instincts. As for Group 3C and the teachers who were waiting for the rest of the students to get on board, all they could do was turn to Seirus and Arata who seemed oblivious to the whole ordeal to which Momo could only giggle albeit nervously. She had her own feeling that this may be a long trip for both the good and the worse.
(After About A 25 Minute Bus Ride To A Hotel Residing Near The Cultural District. . .)
Faster than they expected, the Duel Academy students and faculty made it to the hotel where they were staying for the next couple of days. To say the least, if Seirus was impressed before by Duel Academy's building structure then the size and luxury of this hotel probably needed its own definition to describe what he was seeing. He could have sworn that the brick building was somehow covered in some sparkling, metallic gold substance that made the brick shine with all of it's ornaments and patterns. If he had to guess the size, it was definitely bigger than the main building of Duel Academy as it towered high enough that one from just the middle floors could see all around the city if they wanted if they were to look out from a window. Which begs the question on how much this trip would have cost? The mere thought made him shiver a bit as his hidden cheap side was showing a bit.
"Whoa. . ." Seirus awed with his bag over his shoulder, "I've never felt so out of place in my entire life."
Just as he muttered those words, he suddenly felt a nudge from Lucky down to his right, "Bro, you grabbed what you need? They are collecting our bags right now, you know?" Snapping out of his trance, the Nexus duelist glanced over to his right and immediately noticed a pair of workers grabbing and handling multiple students' bags onto a large, bronze cart. They had just gotten off the bus and he was so caught up in the sight of something he'll probably never see again let alone enter once this trip is over that he didn't notice they were collecting bags already. In that moment, all he could think was. . .
"Damn, that's some quality and fast-service!" Seirus exclaimed in his head, his surprise expression quickly snapping into a panic as he threw his back over his shoulder in front of him so fast that it nearly hit the marble and opening the contents he brought with his, he began to scramble for the necessities he needed. . .: His deck, duel disk, and some of his allowance for food. The third thing being slightly more important than the other two, "Ah, Curses! I was so distracted that I didn't notice, heheh!"
Despite his delay, he managed to easily find the three things he needed before the worker got to him. It was a good thing they were about the last ones to have their bags taken otherwise that'd be a little embarrassing on his part. Nevertheless, once they entered through the door to most likely sort the bags into their future respective rooms, stepped forward in the middle of several other teachers while stood right next to him on his left. His eyes darted left and right before nodding after accounting that all the students were present and not a single one was left behind on the bus. He wouldn't dare to repeat that mistake again otherwise he'd wouldn't be able to maintain his sanity this time around from the things he had to go through. After confirming that he wouldn't have to go on another wild-goose chase across an entire city, quickly steeled himself into a typical enthusiastic-like expression fitting of a teacher of his caliber, "Alright, looks like everyone is accounted for! Which means, from here on out, we can get the trip's activities started!"
[WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAAAAAAAAAAAH!]
The class cheers overlapped one another with most of them consisting of the male student body compared to the more respectful females among them. Nevertheless, their excitement was, for one, something that brought a smile to his face. Once reaffirming that smile of his, he decided to continue, "Wonderful and you're all energetic compared to how you were in the morning! To begin, our school trip will be divided into the groups as well as teachers who will be making sure you won't be doing anything stupid. However, you'll be able to split up once we start but you aren't allowed to stray away too far from adult supervision. That said, the main objective about this trip is for you all to gather information about your essay so please don't let yourself get caught up in the plentiful amount of fun activities. . .I'm looking at you, !" Hearing his name being singled out sent shivers down the boy's spine as he could feel the eyes of his fellow classmates dart towards him. He couldn't help but shrink a little from all the eyes being on him. He knew he was somewhat the class clown before but this was a new kind of attention he was getting so it did affect the normally unphased hyper child.
"Really. . .? Way to put me on the spot, teach. . .," Seirus grumbled which earned snickers from Arata who felt somewhat sorry for the poor guy.
The light-blue haired teacher sighed and smiled as he continued, "With him aside, you all received virtual pamphlets of the various sights you'll be visiting that will also aid you on your essay. As long as you follow the guidelines, you are pretty much allowed to explore and have fun however you wish, but, if you think stirring up trouble for the residence to the point that we get ANY complaints. . .well. . .keep this in mind. . ." paused mid-sentence to shoot all of the students with his death glare. Either they were hallucinating or the sun couldn't even brighten up that malicious face of his that had a grin of a true sadistic villain. His eyes became cold and sharp as Seirus could have sworn he saw a dark-blue aura shrouding his body which made him freeze on the spot similar to the vast majority of the students present.
"The Chancellor and your parents would be the least of your worries. . .MY. GOOD. STUDENTS. . .," The teacher assured, his emphasis on the last part being a message to them all. As they stared back into those eyes of his that was pretty much staring deep into their very souls which to their defense. . .it's an evasion of their privacy or something like that, they still couldn't help but wonder; what type of fiasco did he go through to be like this? In fact. . .did it happen more than once? Whatever, they all sure as hell didn't want to find out. Collectively, the majority of the class nodded in agreement almost reluctantly as fear was still washing over their body. Then, in a split second, 's smile returned to his face as he clasped his hands together like some well-mannered teacher, "Gooood, now you are all dismissed! And remember, look to have fun during your academic endeavors and don't cause a scene or I'll have to kil-I mean report you to the chancellor!"
After his near plunder mid-sentence, the students were just about weary between their next course of action which was a good thing for the teacher to say the least. Nonetheless, they all began to scatter and make their own ways towards their respective first stops during the trip while Group 3 merely stood in the center. Mostly because of how out of order they were with their own planning, though it wasn't entirely their fault. When you are grouped with someone who is targeted by a notorious organization who is giving a nation's governments some trouble then you probably have better things to worry about than thinking about how the whole group should function. That aside, Seirus let out a breath before clasping his cheeks together as if to forcibly snap himself out of some hypnosis that was cast on him; the action proving to be successful as his positive energy was restored all at once.
"Nevermind ! It's about time we start making our move as well and I say the first stop should be the Colosseum!" Seirus cheered with fist raised to the air.
"Yeah. . .you do that. . .," Aki nonchalantly said with half open eyes that stared back into some now curious green ones from the Nexus duelist.
Momo chuckled at the quick shift in expression from him and decided to explain further, "Sorry, Seirus but Aki and I had plans to go check out their library so we won't be going with." His jaw nearly dropped but he decided to let it slide for once and immediately began laughing it off.
"Hahahah, I see, you two had plans already as well! With Aki with you, I'm sure that you two will be alright on your-!" Seirus assured nervously until Orga and Ryoma suddenly walked over to their side with blank expressions on their faces. The Nexus duelist froze as soon as he saw them and from other people's perspective. . .he was as white as a stereotypical ghost.
Noticing this, Orga turned around with his best aloof yet scary face that he could give, "Tch, sorry but they asked us to go with them so you're on your own runt." The Nexus duelist shaked within where he stood while Ryoma was practically nodding without a word while Momo clasped her hands with a timid smile on her face as though she was apologizing. Without wasting more time, the four of them turned around and began walking away as the girls waved him goodbye while his thoughts went hazy a bit, "Ah. . .I see. . .perhaps it was for the best anyways. . ." However, as those thoughts went and passed, he shook his head to rid himself of depression.
"No matter, I guess the rest of us will-" His sentence was cut short once more as soon as he noticed Lucky already sneaky off with an apologetic smile and thumbs up. Did he forget? Yes. Could he try and stop him? No, since he already agreed and accepted Lucky's decision to visit his parents. So what did he do? He stood there and watched the very first friend he made walk into the crowd as he silently prayed for him to take care of his business with his family before he made it to the Colosseum.
Sighing he guessed that things couldn't get any worse. . .right? Hope in hand, he spun around in an attempt to salvage the rest of the group together since he knew that he still had Arata and the Astraea foreigners with him. . .at least, that's what he thought. His eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear as he realized who was standing in front of him was the very same person who somehow managed to hack into his brain and merge himself into every single nightmare he could have. His sly smile was as wide as it could be while the sun made his glasses shine bright to obscure his eyes, "So, where are you going to go first, ?"
" -Marufuji?" Seirus stuttered out of fear, "Why are you-Wait don't tell me?!"
His teacher grinned as he somewhat expected Seirus to actually work his brain hard enough to figure it out due to fear, "Yup, in order make sure you don't do anything foolish as well as assuring the princess's protection; your 'father' gave me full responsibility for your group specifically. So. . .I hope we'll be getting along, my troublemaking Seirus." With no other options left, the Nexus duelist felt as though he were electrified with the feeling of utter defeat. All the while Arata and Travis chuckled at his distress while the girls decided to pay him no mind.
(Sometime Later After Dispatching The Student, Iduna City's Duel Colosseum. . .)
The center of not only Iduna City dueling scene but also Astrea in general was none other than the Duel Colosseum. A place where duelists from all skill levels gather to compete and actually where the most recent European League Championships was held. For the most part, it looked like a standard sized colosseum except that it's walls and reddish-brown colored bricks were modernized and new. The insides of the colosseum were fitted with concrete seats to keep the traditional texture true to how it was before as it stretched all around the circular structure in numerous rows. But in the center was the multiple oval shaped duel rings that occupied those who were currently dueling at this very moment as they surrounded what seemed to be a larger duel ring that probably was used to showcase the pro-league duels at center stage for everyone to see. Though, that reason is also why it was completely vacant. All in all, the one way to describe it was. . .old fashion culture. Especially the turf being completely hardened yellow dirt to match the duel rings resting on top. All that said, out of all the duels that were going on, one particular duel was reaching its conclusion.
"Yosh, it ends with this! Finish this, Masked HERO, Koga by destroying his Arcanite Magician! Shining Guillotine!" Seirus declared as his monster leaped into the air, clad in light-yellow and gold metal suit while gripping onto two arm-blades similar to his attire. The monster then dived down towards the magician bathed in white and purple robes as he looked up in horror before Koga sliced an "X" across his body. The magician screamed in pain before exploding into an ensuing shockwave that sent it's owner tumbling onto his back in defeat as the duel was over.
Yamabuki LP- 1500 → 0
Winner Of The Duel: Seirus Yuzaki!
"Heheh, nice game!" Seirus chuckled as his monsters disappeared before saluting his opponent, "Hope we can duel again sometime! You were pretty strong!"
He didn't really get a response as his opponent seemed to be in a daze somewhat from losing. Nervously, he was beginning to think he went overboard on the last attack, especially since the crowd that was watching the duel were applauding the performance. He scratched his head as he grinned while looking around, "I didn't expect to draw such a crowd. . .Duel Academy was one thing but that's because of the Nexus deck." Just as that thought passed, another explosion happened from the duel ring next to his which nearly shook him out of his spot. He turned to see the remaining ashes of the unfortunate monster to get caught in the blast range as one of the duelists was shown kneeling in defeat against an all too familiar black dragon. Who else could have it been with those blazing orange eyes of his.
"Whoa, that guy is amazing! Isn't that like his 10th straight victory!?" One male onlooker said.
Following that statement, another random male who was slightly older decided to correct his statement, "No, more like his 15th! If I'm not mistaken, he's that famous Red-Eyes student from that Duel Academy school that has grown so popular over the years."
"Wait, you mean he's that kid? To think he'd be here in the flesh. Must be a school trip!" the former male commented.
After that exchange, the crowd that Seirus had accidentally accumulated had all turned their attention to the Red-Eyes duelist along with him included. He really didn't care for popularity as the fan-girls swanned over him from afar but he was more impressed by what he had just heard. So much that he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "15 consecutive wins, huh. . .? As expected of Arata, he's beyond strong." Before he even realized, Arata caught his eyes staring at him and smirked at him, as if he was somewhat inviting him to come face him at any time. Though, for once, Seirus knew better and simply smirked back at him. At this point, the two had gotten so close that they were communicating with facial expressions and small gestures. Excited from the desire to duel him, Seirus smacked himself with both hands in the face to sike himself up.
"But it means nothing to me! I can't let him show me up like this now, should I!?" Seirus enthused before turning behind himself to take a glance at the row of duelists waiting for him. He grinned, his eyes shining with joy, "Who's next! I'll take anyone on! First up is first served!"
As the group of local duelists contemplated on who was next to face this Duel Academy student, from afar, couldn't help but smile a bit as he sat next to Steria who was accompanied by her bodyguards. To say the most, him sitting next to her wouldn't necessarily be his first choice but he was pretty much the best possible way of her not getting kidnapped somehow. Unless. . .well, if their enemy uses some supernatural ability then they may have a problem. Nonetheless, that fact didn't distract him from feeling nostalgia from Seirus's enthusiasm, "Hehm, looks like he's enjoying himself and is as impressive as ever."
"No debate on that, but I would have thought you and Seirus were like mortal enemies," Travis mused in response.
The teacher chuckled a little at the presumption, "It seems that way at first, huh? I wouldn't really say that. It's more like, I know what type of person and bad habits he carries before he even enrolled here. You could say he reminds me of someone I knew. . ."
"Someone. . . you knew?" Steria muttered as she seemed albeit bored from just sitting around. She would go out there and duel with them but that'd be too risky since for one, these Neferious members could disguise themselves as civilians and she would draw too much attention. Which leads her to being a bystander for now until they force her hand. Nevertheless, she raised an eyebrow as she leaned forward to rest her chin in the palm of her hand, locked onto the Nexus duelist's duel that had just started, "Who could possibly be similar to someone like him? Honestly, hmph!"
Her pouting and muffled sound of irritation was enough to cause the teacher to become albeit nervous. He rubbed the back of his head before replying as he looked at Seirus enjoying the duel as per usual. Memories flooded back into his head, an image of a boy who wore a red jacket that was a uniform for the school he was attending while an all too familiar monster with a single feathery wing and a body that was half black and green stood in front. Once the image faded from his head, he smiled at the now Masked HERO Dian on Seirus's field since it reminded him of the person he was just thinking about, "A great duelist and my hero; my best friend." The softness in his voice caught the Astraea students off-guard a bit, their head turning to see the tenderness on his face. Though, it didn't take long for it to fade away into a small blush.
"Well, he's traveling now, probably out there on another adventure!" nervously laughed before adding, "Though, if you want my input, after grading his last test and comparing to my tests back then, he is definitely smarter than that guy for sure! If he studied a bit harder and not slack off then he probably would have scored way higher."
"I see. . ." Steria mumbled. She lowered her chin back into the palm of her hand, though this time, she was ironically feeling albeit guilty for having her teacher bring up some old memories. Judging from the look on his face, he most likely missed that person very much and seeing how Seirus seems to be the walking reminiscence of him. Truth be told, she absolutely didn't know what else to say but she was slightly interested in learning more about this person who Seirus Yuzaki reminds him of-, "What am I thinking? Idiot, what does that matter to you right now!? You have time to worry about this later"
As vague as she was with even her own thoughts, the light-blue haired teacher's intuition seemed to have caught onto something and no. . .it wasn't the cutely puffed cheeks and frown on her face. He sighed after taking it all in with just a glance and looked back to immediately see Seirus's monster get destroyed, "Tell me, . Do you still hold some resentment towards ?" The question in of itself caught her off guard, her cheeks returning back to normal immediately while Rena, her female attendant finally decided to become interested in the conversation between student and teacher. She watched her princess's surprise expression as she anticipated her reply; though Sho seemed to have caught on that he may have been too quick on that part.
"Sorry, was that too personal or-" He started before getting cut off.
"Of course!" Steria nearly shouted, her irritation clearly indicated, "Why ask something like that out of the blue!? Are you asking for punishment, !?"
Despite her tyrant-like threats entering his ear, for once, he swallowed down the cowardness that resurfaced from time to time and remained with a steeled smile, "No, I'm asking because I'm your teacher." From that statement alone, she retracted her hard-headedness from the genuine look on his face. Seeing this, Sho decided to press-on as he knew this was vital.
"Mhm, I noticed after your duel with him, you two seemed to have an exchange of words that surprisingly didn't result in you punishing him afterwards. Out of curiosity, what did he say to you?" Sho noted and wondered.
Steria took a moment to contemplate before looking back at Seirus's duel, the wind blowing against her face as she thought back to their conversation after the duel. Her eyes grew distant before deciding to answer that question, "He pretty much scolded me in the nicest way possible. . .telling me that my way of trying to 'connect' with people was wrong and a misconception. Honestly, it was bad enough he beat me in a duel, but. . ."
"He also beat you in your ideals too, right?" Sho finished for her as she seemed hesitant to admit it outloud.
"Yeah. . .," She timidly muttered though she seemed considerably despondent about that fact, "But, now I have no clue on what to do. That idiot practically left me on the road without a map on where to go. I've been wanting to ask him directly, but I am reminded of how I treated him before and tense up. Then, there was that time during lunch. . .promising to help fend off those Neferious duelists without a second thought. . .How naive can he be? Doesn't he realize the danger he's putting himself in for someone who was a thorn in his thigh from the beginning?"
From what he could tell from her little rant, Sho could somewhat understand what she was saying. For someone who practically lived believing she was the center of the universe, she would obviously have trouble dealing with such emotions. Guilt, confusion, uncertainty, and most of all, the ability to trust others seems to be her farthest strong suit now that her walls of illusion had been torn down. She's a mess of a canvas to say the least. But. . .,"You sure have changed just a bit, ." His sudden claim earned a quizzical look from the princess though he felt he didn't need to elaborate to her as to why.
"If I had to guess, the things you said to him when you two met are irrelevant to someone like him. doesn't really know how to hold a grudge just yet. . .well consistently speaking," Sho noted.
Steria timidly frowned, head casting low to the ground, "But, why. . .that's just so-"
"Dumb? Naive? Irrational? Why, yes. . .," Sho said, interrupting her with that mused smile on his face at Seirus now mounting a comeback play against his opponent with the crowd getting riled up. His duels were most certainly exciting to say the least, "But, people also tend to be 'idiots' from time to time though not as consistently as him. However, at the same time, those types of people are exactly what the world needs. Otherwise, we'd all be in a dark place right now."
Unsure as to what he meant by that, the princess continued to stare at him with curious eyes. Ones that made the heart of a teacher happy to see as people who seek knowledge are always number one in their hearts. That said, Sho proceeded with his lecture, addressing her not as some diplomatic figure but as a student who was an equal "Steria. . .I don't expect you to understand what I am telling you. You are too young even though you are especially intelligent. But, if that guilt is bothering you so much then all you need to do is clear things up with a simple phrase."
"A simple. . .phrase?" She muttered, "Tell me. . ."
Sho smiled, his mouth opening to utter the words she requested without a second thought. However, it was difficult for anyone to hear as the coed roared in front of them at the surprising victory for the Nexus duelist who had all the odds stacked against him. As he grinned and cheered for his own victory, Steria's eyes widened as Sho uttered the words faintly. She was the only one that heard him as Travis and Rena were both left confused due to the commotion. However, whatever he said was probably something she never thought of before; a first in her life to say the least. The light-blue hair teacher chuckled his eyes darting back to the celebration up front and Seirus as he couldn't help but think, "I suppose this is just another part of my job as a teacher, right?"
(After A Good While Of Dueling At Iduna City's Famous Colosseum, Around Sunset. . .)
"Pah! I'm beat!"
The satisfied gasp left the Nexus duelist's grinning lips as he stretched his arms high into the air. It was already sunset as the remainder of group C spent the vast majority of the day at the Duel Colosseum though they would have left earlier if Arata hadn't decided to go on a rampage and take on practically everyone in sight. Truth be told, Seirus was no better but he knew when to quit as soon as he noticed Arata's duel hungry eyes starting to take over. Those poor fools. . .may their monsters rest in ashes. But as of now, they all were walking down the streets that were a lot quieter compared to how they were in the morning. Shops were starting to close with only a few staying open for the late night adults that wanted to party or do other adultury things.
"Well, I would be surprised if you weren't. You two pretty much weren't taking any prisoners today," Travis laughed.
"Mhm well, Arata seemed way more merciless than I was," Seirus chuckled, his hands finding themselves resting behind his head, "Though, it's a shame Lucky didn't make it. Then we would have had a trio. He probably got really caught up in some family business or something so I don't blame him."
As they silently agreed on that, Seirus seemed to have finally clicked onto something before turning to Steria who seemed to be in thought. However, she wasn't so far gone as to not notice him suddenly locking her eyes onto hers, "Wh-what!?"
"Ah, my bad. I was just wondering why you didn't join in on the duels as well?" He cheerfully asked.
Her eyes widened a bit before reverting back into an annoyed frown that really made Seirus wonder if she was either still holding a bit of a grudge or well. . .perhaps it's best not to assume that just yet. Needless to say, she quickly answered his question with logic, "Of course I wouldn't. If I did I would have brought too much attention and Neferious would learn of my location a lot quicker."
"Ah, that makes sense," Seirus said before turning back to face the setting sun from afar. As though on cue, the wind began to blow past his face as he smiled forward, "Bummer, and here I was hoping that we could have a rematch. I bet it would have been a lot of fun, too."
Unknowingly to him, he didn't notice her expression going soft with a mix of surprise at his comment. The words that said before replayed in her head as his actions and remarks match perfectly with the conversation they had before. Though, from another person's perspective, it didn't seem to sink in well with how docile she was being in response to that. More specifically, Rena frowned and went over to Seirus before pinching him in his thigh which sent a jolt of pain all over his body. His face cringed due to the pain as he let out a screech between his clenched teeth.
"Nghaaaaaaa! OW! OW! OW! OW! What the heeeeeeeck!" Seirus cried with Rena's grip still as tight as ever.
The female bodyguard student glared at him, "Are you trying to embarrass the princess in front of her own citizens as well, Yuzaki? Last time you were lucky but to think you would get so cocky because of a victory is as low as I expected you to be."
"Araggh, tha-that's not what I said-! OOOOOW!" the Nexus duelist grunted with his words as her pinch somehow managed to get even tighter.
"Speak clearly now, Yuzaki. Otherwise, you're not helping your case," Rena frowned.
Baring with the pain, Seirus knew that this fellow wasn't particularly one to be rational when it comes to Steria. Though, he still felt the need to point out, "I would if you weren't trying to rip off my skin! God, now I am wondering how Travis didn't get surgery at this point!"
"Who said I didn't, heheh?" Travis asked with a chuckle, "Our little miss here nearly dislocated my shoulder once. If I remember, everyone during middle school compared her strength to a gorilla-! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Just as soon as that remark was made, Rena released her grip on Seirus and immediately went to put Travis into an armlock. The speed she did it at was impressive to say the least which led Seirus to believe that maybe Neferious is the one who needs protection from her. Though feeling sympathetic for the poor lad who was desperately calling mercy, the Nexus duelist along with Arata and Sho who were both amused yet scared tried to pry her off him before his arm snapped like a twig. However, despite the fact that someone was about to lose an arm, the whole scene was just as light-hearted as Steria expected it to be. Especially since Rena was just doting as an overprotective mother when it comes to her. Be that as it may, she was beginning to warm up just a bit. Perhaps, maybe she was over complicating things.
As soon as she took a step forward to do what she typically does when something like this happens which is to her end is calling off her attack dog, Seirus took notice of her single footstep that made a sound. Yes, only in just an instant did he hear her feet make their way towards her as his face seemed to have slowly morphed from a strange enthusiasm from what an oblivious old lady would call "play fighting" to a wide eyed expression of complete shock. Initially, one would think it is because Rena actually managed to snap the poor man's arm which to any normal teenager watching would be sick to their stomachs or surprise. But, there was no sound of a bone snapping in two so it couldn't be that. Everything was happening in slow motion, the surroundings of tired shop owners closing their markets while other stores began to set up shop during the night, the clouds moving slower as the winds began to pick up speed in contrast. Steria's somewhat confused expression as suddenly she felt an arm wrap around her waist. But most of all, a dark cloak figure whose face was hidden by the darkness of its hood was staring back at him. Then, in an instant, the figure's arm stuck out from beneath the cloak showing a Solid Vision Blade Duel Disk that looked to be dark-purplish red and jagged like a bat's wings. The center of the disk had an orange orb with a slitted pupil to indicate an eye. It didn't take him even a fraction of a second to realize what was happening.
Before the Nexus duelist knew it, he stood turned all his attention away from trying to pry Rena off while the others were distracted. It was as if his body moved on it's own, his feet almost immediately sprinting towards them with an outstretched hand. It was a good thing they weren't too far away from each other, however, the orb from the mysterious figure's duel disk began to glow and with that, Seirus desperately let out a cry, "No. . .STERIA!" He outstretched his hand to her in hopes to grab it as the light grew brighter. He was sure if he would make it or not but in response to his call, the Astraea princess did the only thing she could do; she reached out her hand to him with the two grabbing onto each other before the light completely consumed them both. Then. . .before the remainder of Group C could react. . .they were gone without a trace left behind. . .
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, been sorta busy as per usual. About this chapter. . .yup it didn't take them very long to run into trouble now did it lol. I felt that it was a good way to end things off after having the mood so wholesome and light hearted for a couple of chapters. Now we can finally get back to dueling in the next chapter. On that note, if I did include this chapter then it was going to take even longer. All that aside, this is where the pacing should pick up a bit now that we've gotten the prelude. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and until next time! Thanks for reading!