Fun Fact: Sergey is fucking dead.

Description: Rin learns about the wonders of illegal gambling and fixed matches.

Back at the orphanage, things were just swell. ENJOY Chojiro and the man, Gongenzaka sat with the orphans. By now, Gongenzaka and Chojiro had finished their food and now sat before empty plates. A few of the older children had empty, or near-empty plates, while a few, younger kids still dallied with their meals.

Yuya, meanwhile, scraped some of the contents of his plate into a bowl on the floor. En happily ran over to the bowl and started chowing down on the stir-fry.

"There's a good boy," Yuya said to the pup. "We shoulda asked Rin to pick up dog food, huh? But at least you got one of Yuto's best meals."

"I'll say!" Chojiro happily exclaimed. "I haven't dined on food that good since the Friendship Cup!"

"It's really delicious," Gongenzaka agreed. "Yuya, please give Yuto my thanks."

Yuya egao'd. He could feel Yuto's feelings of pride swell in his heart. The feelings were so strong, it was as if they were Yuya's own emotions.

"Something tells me that Yuto appreciates your thanks," Yuya explained.

Yuya, Yugo called out.

Huh? What? Yuya mumbled internally. What is it, Yugo?

Try to talk to ENJOY about the money problems. We need to know what's going on.

Oh it. "Hey, Gongenzaka."

Gongenzaka rose up from his seat, carrying a small pile of plate in his hands. "I have the dishes, Yuya. Don't worry."

"No, it's fine!" Yuya responded. "Could you just take the kids out to play while I speak to Chojiro? I'll take care of the dishes."

"What's this about?" Chojiro questioned.

"Understood," Gongenzaka said immediately.

Gongenzaka placed the plates down, then motioned for the kids to follow him. Yuya, ENJOY and Gon helped the kids out of their seats, and Gongenzaka would slowly take them through the back doors to play in the yard.

Soon, Yuya and Chojiro were alone. The latter pulled up a seat aaat one of the tables, close to Yuya.

"What did you need to talk about?" Chojiro asked him.

"Not me, exactly," Yuya admitted. "Yugo wanted to talk. He wanted to know more about the orphanage's money problems."

Chojiro grumbled. He put a hand on his chin, then looked off to the side... But then he turned back to Yuya and looked him directly in the eyes, because he didn't want to shy away from someone he respected.

"I can't tell you," he said. "I'm sorry, but I can't discuss Martha's private matters like this."

"I understand," Yuya sighed. "So we'd have to talk to Martha if we wanted more information?"

"Indeed."

"Thank you," Yuya responded. "But is there anything we can to do help, at least?"

But before Yuya could answer, he immediately added, "Actually, no. Mr. Tokumatsu, tell me what's going on, now."

Chojiro was surprised by the sudden conviction and force in Yuya's voice. And honestly, Yuya was, too; it was like he was overcome with tension and frustration. Thoughts and emotions that he wasn't really feeling until he spoke out.

"Sorry," Yuya said quietly. "But please, you can trust us."

Chojiro sighed. "Be that as it may, I can't discuss Martha's debt."

Yuya raised an eyebrow. "So she's in debt? That's the cause of her problems?"

Chojiro winced. It was right then that he realized that he went and goofed up.

"Y-yes..." he admitted. "The orphanage was struggling financially for years, and she took out a loan from someone. But I won't discuss this any more, Yuya."

"Years? But we never knew about this debt until now."

"Martha keeps the kids in the dark about the orphanage's woes."

Chojiro turned his head to a window. He stared outside, watching Gongenzaka being chased by a pack of children. All of them, except Gongenzaka, seemed so happy and carefree.

"... For good reason," he concluded.

Yuya could feel himself overcome with feelings again. This time, he was awash with frustration and indignity. He felt... ashamed, in a way? For knowing about a problem that was right under his nose. That he should have known about, because

The kids are my responsibility.

Wait, were those his thoughts? Yuya wasn't sure. He could sense that Yugo felt the same way, he could just tell. But those were also Yuya's own thoughts. Right?

Yuya shook his had. Now was not the time to worry about his own head. Right now, his heart and mind were crying out for the children, and for Martha. They needed him. Them. Whatever.

Yuya slammed his hands on the table. "Mr. Tokumatsu, please tell me about the debt! Martha and these kids are my responsibility, too!"

Chojiro looked back to Yuya, staring into his eyes once more. Chojiro's own eyes grew softer. His aged, tired face seemed to find a small spark of energy. Of hope, of joy. He egao'd.

"Yuya," Chojiro said quietly. "I shouldn't be telling you. I'd be putting you in danger, because I know you'd get involved with Garome. And I don't want to expose you to that danger."

Yuya- no, Yugo blinked, revealing his blue eyes. Garome? He recognized that name.

"Garome's a dangerous man," Chojiro told him. "He can trap people into a life of debt, or force them into doing what he wants. Like he's doing with Martha... To challenge him without understanding him could be your undoing."

He was the guy that owned a... business, right? Yugo wondered. No, he sponsored some people who took part in the past few Friendship Cups. Or maybe it's both.

"But at the same time, Yuya... you make miracles happen. If anyone could bring him down, it would be you. And I could help."

Yugo egao'd. Though he was still feeling anxious, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. His questions would be answered, and he'd be able to help Martha.

"Where's Garome now?" Yugo asked.

"Well, I don't know where he is now," Chojiro admitted. "I don't exactly follow him around. But, uh... Maybe we could think about it? And brainstorm ideas."

Yugo frowned. And sighed. And said, "Well, crap."

But something happened right then and there: serendipity. A word that Yugo didn't know or understand at the time, but it was something he experienced right then, when his Duel Disk let out a small chirp.

He raised his Disk up to his face and turned it on. There, displayed on his screen, was a series of text messages from Yuzu's Duel Disk:

Yugo, will be late. At underground dueling arena

meeting a man

Piero Garome

14 Seventh Street, under factory building, back doom

door*

Will call when done. If not called by then, come help me

be sure to clean the toddlers after

after they eat

xoxo Rin

First off: Riiiiiiiiiiiiiin~ Yugo couldn't help at blush at the message? "XOXO?" That was two hugs and two kisses. Rin sent him two hugs and two kisses!

Second off... Or was it secondly? But no time to wonder, because third off: Yugo was already running out the room.

Chojiro looked at the boy as he ran. "Wait! Where are you going?!"

But it was too late. With an idea in his head, Yugo was ready to get his bike and ride into action.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the brightest idea.

Rin was now sitting before Garome. They were in his office/sky box, a floor above the underground dueling track. In fact, from Rin's seat, she could look out the window and peer down at the track: a duelist named had fallen off her bike, but her leg was caught on something. The bike, likely on auto-pilot, was driving around the field with her being dragged on the floor, her screams almost drowned out by the audience's cheering.

Rin knew of the girl: she was Carly Nagisa, a local reporter from the rich part of town. Rin wondered why she was there, and under the fake name of "Carly Nanosa," but assumed that this was one of her infamous, "undercover" missions she was famous for.

Rin was busy looking down on the people. Garome, meanwhile, sat behind his desk and casually smoked a cigar. He leaned back in his seat and looked at his free hand, admiring the handsome collections of stones on his fingers. He was proud of his wealth, and he wanted everyone to know.

"So glad we could meet, kid," Garome said to his guest.

"Uh-huh..." Rin said quietly. Still distracted by that dueling field; now, two people had jumped onto the track, presumably to rescue Carly. But now, they were being chased by the bike? What was going on?

"Kid?" Garome asked. "Kid?"

Rin's head darted back up. "Yeah, I'm paying attention!"

Garome raised a greasy eyebrow. "Eh, good...?"

"So, you were telling me about the business proposal?" Rin asked him. "Could you go over it again?"

"I didn't even go over it a first time."

"Right... Right."

You're blowing this, Rin, Rin told herself.

Be glad this is the only thing you're blowing, Yuzu warned her. I'm still not 100% sure on all of this. We need to be careful in what we say and do.

Jesus Christ, Yuzu, said Ruri. Did you really have to... go there?

Sorry.

"Let me get down to the nitty-gritty here," Garome said. "Imagine yourself picturing this: you, dueling in front of a screaming audience. They're cheering your name. You're their hero, you're a star. They came here to see you duel. They believe in you, Sin."

"Rin."

"Rin," Garome corrected himself. "And when you're a star, I rake in big money. And when I rake in money, you rake in money."

"Money makes the world go round, yes," Rin responded. "How much money am I getting out of this."

"It depends on several factors."

Rin rolled her eyes. "You're not selling this very well."

Brutal. And awkward. Garome let out an uncomfortably long, wheezing cough to drown out the uncomfortable silence between them.

After coughing, he cleared his throat and took a puff from his smoke. He then said to Rin, "Your cut is dependent on the size of the audience. So the longer you work here, and the more people you attract, the bigger your cut."

"What's in it for me?" Rin asked him.

"Why, 10% of ticket sales!" Garome said happily. "For every win, you get 10% of the ticket sales. And more people will come flocking to see your skills, so you'll be earning more and more."

"That makes sense," Rin admitted. "And the more people that come, the more people are placing bets."

"If I bet on you winning, I get even more money!"

"But what if I lose? Then I've just wasted my time, and get nothing."

"So you better not lose!" Garome laughed.

Rin frowned. "Wonderful..."

"Of course, you don't have to win matches to earn some cash," Garome went on. "Sometimes, I'll ask you to... not surrender... give some wins to your opponents."

Rin looked confused. "What?"

"It's the only way to get paid for losses: everyone bets on you, I bet against you. You throw the match, I collect big, and you get a cut."

"That's dishonest," Rin grumbled. "A true duelist would never do that."

"Sometimes, honor don't mean much here," Garome told her. "But making a show always does. And in the end, people are paying for a good show. Right?"

Not right.

"So if the showing is entertaining, people are happy. And if they lose money, it's their fault for placing bets; they should know how the Underground works. Right?"

"Let me get this straight," Rin said. "You want me to win, and attract big crowds. Get people interested in betting on me."

"Right."

"And then, when they all think I'm a safe bet, you turn the tables and clean house."

"You catch on quick, girl!" Garome said happily. "And if people bet more money than they can pay off, ol' me can come in and offer to help them in their time of need."

Rin frowned, baring her teeth. Now she was starting to see the game for what it was: Garome was the only one who was allowed to win.

Let's kick his ass, Serena suggested.

Let's call Security on him, Ruri said. They'll be able to bring the whole operation down, better than us just fighting him.

Good point, Serena said. And what if he controls the police, too? What if some officers are under his control?

... Then we'd be in trouble, Rin said.

We'll need to think this over, Yuzu advised.

Agreed.

"The real money's in the gambling, though," Garome informed her. "At first, you'll be a dark horse; everyone will bet against the new kid, the little girl."

"And you bet on me?" Rin mused. "And then you rake in a lot of cash."

"The perfect plan!" Garome chuckled. "I get money from tickets, I get money from gambling, I get people who will do anything to pay their gambling debts off... Really, it's a wonderful system. God bless Synchro-America!"

Honestly, Rin never thought why all the countries in the Synchro Dimension had "Synchro-" as a prefix. But now, after seeing multiple worlds beyond her own, she understood. She had even more questions about things now, but at least she got this.

"This all sounds... reasonable," Rin admitted. "Shady and morally questionable, but it sounds like a system that works."

"And you don't really suffer for it, right?" Garome said, smiling. "You don't need to take out any loans, and you'll be raking in cash because of your amazing dueling skills."

"It all sounds nice, I guess," Rin said quietly. "But can I have some time to think about it? Maybe I can get back to you tomorrow."

Garome nodded solemnly. "Fair enough, fair enough."

Rin sighed. "Thanks."

"Just remember: the sooner you start working for me, the sooner we can help that orphanage you told me about."

Rin frowned. "Thanks..."

Now, Rin was already on edge, and a bit uncomfortable with the shadiness of the whole ordeal. After all, she was dealing with a man who made his money from the misfortune of others. But at the same time, Garome was putting the screws to her. This was a good deal, and she couldn't exactly pass it up. Even if she wanted to, she'd be putting the burden of money on Martha and the others.

What was worse? she wondered. Scamming innocent people, or not helping my family?

And she couldn't help but have a nagging voice at the back of her head, telling her that something was coming. That she had to worry. And for once, that nagging voice wasn't one of her sisters.

Cue the door bursting right off of hits hinges and falling to the floor. Yugo drove his bike straight into the room and rode towards the scene. He smashed through a coffee table and knocked over a chair, barely missing Rin's own seat. He then stopped right before Garome's desk and threw his helmet to the floor.

Ah, okay. So that's what the nagging voice was trying to tell her.

"DEAR LORD!" Rin screeched. "YUGO! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Garome was also in shock. He rose out from his seat and took a step back. In his surprise, he didn't notice the chair was still behind him; he tripped over the chair and fell back into his seat.

"Who the hell are you?!" he barked, pointing his cigar at the boy.

"DAMN IT!" Rin roared.

Yugo looked to Rin and winked. Then, turning back to face Garome, he pulled himself off of the bike. He knelt down slowly, scooped his helmet back into his arms, and rose up extraaaaa slowly. To go for that dramatic, intimidating slow-motion effect.

"You're Garome, right?" he said. His tone was harsh and aggressive. "I've been looking for you!"

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF THIS WAS THE GUY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"

"Oi! Stop yelling at me!" Yugo snapped.

"You just drove your D-Wheel through my office!" Garome screeched. "What the hell?!"

"YOU DROVE YOUR D-WHEEL THROUGH HIS OFFICE!" Rin agreed in all-caps.

"And I'm going to drive over his face, too!" Yugo declared. "Garome, I'll make sure that you're gonna forgive the orphanage's debts, even if I have to use force!"

Rin let out a small gasp, then bit her lip.

"Is that's what's going on?" Garome asked nervously. "R-really, I think we can settle this if we calm down...!"

"Wait," Rin spoke up. "Yugo, what's going on?"

"Martha owes money to this guy," Yugo told her. "He's screwing her over now, because he's trapped her in debt!"

Rin's eyes widened. Immediately, her gaze flew to Garome. "Is this true?"

Garome nodded solemnly. Guess the jig was up for him... Not that he was really focused on hiding his devious side from the girl. But if she was going to waver, she'd be harder to reign in. He had to nip any bad thoughts at the roots, before things grew out of control.

"Indeed," Garome confirmed. "The orphanage owes me for coming to save it."

"And trapping Martha in debt," Rin added bitterly.

"Listen, where would those kids be without me?"

"Maybe we could have saved them!" Yugo said. "O-or the city, when the council was disbanded!"

Garome grinned. "No one was coming to save them before. And that's why they came to me; they had nowhere else to go."

Yugo and Rin tilted their heads down. Rin scowled, while Yuto let out a little growl. They both wanted to say things. Mean things... But at the same time, they had to admit that Garome might have had a point.

Yugo's thoughts were back to the kids. he didn't even know about the money problems. How would he be able to solve them then? But I could save them now, right?

Garome held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm not a monster, of course. After all, I'm talking to you, and not having Security haul you out on your asses."

He looked to Yugo. "Look, I'm not going to duel you. I don't have to. But I'm willing to strike a deal."

"Yugo, don't do it," Rina said quickly.

Yugo barked at the man, "Why should I listen to you?"

"Beat ten duelists I've selected, and you'll get a chance to battle me," Garome explained cooly. "If you successfully defeat all of us, then I will forgive the entire debt."

Yugo blinked, and a wide egao appeared on his face.

"That's hella!" Yugo exclaimed.

"Yugo!" Rin screeched. "Did you not learn anything?!"

"What?"

"Don't make deals with him!"

"But this is a good deal!" Yugo protested.

Garome raised a hand once more. This time, it was to silence the children and draw their attention back to him.

"Rin's right," Garome said sadly. "You should be aware of a contract's fine print. I can't, in good conscious, present the deal without giving you the full story."

Yugo's eyes narrowed. "... What?"

"If you fail to beat me, or any of the duelists," Garome went on, "You will be indebted to me. I will transfer Martha's debt onto you, and you will be the one forced to work for me."

Rin was starting to sweat now. Her fingers dug into the airs of her chair, and her eyes strained to look to Yugo. Seeing her (boy?)friend, her closest friend, the person she cared for so much. The uncertainty in his face was extremely worrying.

"It's a tough deal, but fair," Garome said happily. "And I am nothing if not fair."

Yugo cupped his hand around his chin. His eyes fell back down, and his mind slipped into a sea of thought.

"Hmm..." he muttered quietly. "Hrm..."

"Yugo, this is insane!" Rin yelped. "You can't take that deal!"

Yugo looked to her. His face didn't show fury, but determination and extreme focus. "So what should I do then?"

"Not take the deal! Let me handle it!"

"Like hell I will!" Yugo barked. " Rin, people I care about are hurting because of this ass! You think I can just sit down and let that go?"

"Yugo, don't be an idiot! Can't you see that you're just going to hurt yourself?! It's irresponsible!"

"I'm responsible for everyone!" Yugo said. "If I have to do something irresponsible for them, I don't care what'll happen to me!"

Rin winced. At once, all the fighting spirit left her body. Staring at Yugo's intense face, hearing his words still ring through the air. She... Yugo was an idiot, of course. He was being completely stupid. A hero without a cause.

Rin had to look away from Yugo. Because if she was in his position, she'd do the same thing.

Yugo turned back to Garome. "I'm ready, you ass. Bring on the duels."

There was an immediate red flag right there: Garome was smiling wickedly. He twirled his cigar between his fingers and leaned back against his desk. Frankly, he looked like he was about to not only eat Yugo, but also get away with it.

"How about we strike a deal, kid?" the man said sweetly. "You only have to duel one duelist to get to me: Rin."

Rin, who had been leaning back from shock, nearly fell out of her seat.

"Think about it!" Garome insisted. "If you win, then you just have to go through me, and you're done. If you lose, you never bother me again, unless you want a loan."

"I've got a better deal," Yugo responded. "I kick your ass, and you forget the debt."

Garome smiled. His eyes fell to Rin, who nearly shivered from his gaze.

"If Rin wins, I'll take away 10% of the orphanage's debt," Garome continued. "Frankly, I'm giving you both way too much, but I'm just too much of a gentleman sometimes."

Rin wanted to say something there. To point out that he was pitting them against each other. That he'd still be able to profit from the duel somehow. Garome was hardly a gentleman; he was putting them in a horrible position where he'd profit no matter what, while looking like a generous guy.

So this was what Fernando meant, Rin thought. These really are deals with the Devil.

Still, she couldn't completely blame Garome for this. Yugo was the one who was barging in and putting himself at risk. Ugh, Yugo could be so aggravating sometimes.

But on the other hand, Garome was offering her a good incentive to duel... No. No, she couldn't let Yugo put himself on the line, cool Zarc powers or not. Garome could rig the duels against him, probably. She wouldn't put it past him. So a duel had to be a last resort.

Rin, stop thinking and pay attention, Serena told her.

Oh, yeah. Whoops.

"Now, I think you should consider it, boy," Garome chided. "I won't duel you unless I get something I want. At least this way, I'm giving Rin a chance to help people."

Yugo threw his helmet to the floor. He took a step towards Garome while raising up his fists.

"I'm an idiot, but I'm not braindead!" Yugo howled. "You think I'll ever turn against Rin like that?!"

"Hey, I'm just doing what I can!" Garome said simply.

"Doing what you can to screw us over!"

"Yugo!" came Rin's voice.

Yugo felt a slap at the back of his head. He rubbed the back of his skull and turned to Rin, who was standing behind him. She looked very, very displeased with him.

"Rin, what's that for?!" Yugo whined.

"Yugo, don't be stupid!" Rin barked. "I can relieve the debt on my own! Don't try to play hero and get yourself in a mess! I can't bail you out all the time!"

Yugo threw his arm back. "But I don't care about being a hero! I care about helping people!"

Rin sighed. "Look, you mean well. But meaning well isn't enough."

Yugo scratched at the back of his head. Partly out of confusion, partly because he was still hurting from that smack. "Eh? What are you talking about, Rin?"

"You think you can help others, but you're still too immature to see the risks."

Rin pointed a finger right at Yugo. The accusatory point made the boy instinctively jump back.

"You want to be responsible for others, but that means making hard choices," Rin told him. "And I'm making a hard choice right now, to protect you."

"R-Rin?!" Yugo stammered.

"For your own good, Yugo," Rin declared. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Reiji had taken a seat on a comfortable, padded lounge chair. He overlooked the thick, red curtains that blocked the other side of the room from his view, just a few feet in front of him. From beyond the veil, he could hear the sounds of footsteps, someone walking around.

He was a couple of floors below his office. The room was incredibly spacious, though with half of the room hidden away, it would be hard for people to tell. But they needed that space to make Aoi Zaizen's stay here as comfortable as possible.

"Still don't want to pull the curtains back, Miss Zaizen?" Reiji called out.

"I'm good!" the woman called back. "And you can go to hell any time now."

"Believe me, I've already been."

The sound of footsteps briefly stopped. The curtains, which were raised enough to show the girl's ankles, showed that she paused in her tracks. But after a moment of silence, she kept walking towards Reiji's right.

"I was hoping that we could talk today," Reiji said.

"The answer still won't change," Aoi replied coldly. "I have nothing to say to you."

"You know that I could get your knowledge through force," Reiji told her.

For a moment, there was only silence from the other side of the curtain.

"We have the technology to probe your mind," Reiji continued. "We could have simply sedated you, reached into your mind, and take what you need."

Again, no response.

"And we could have erased your memories of our actions, or maybe even reprogram you to side with us."

After a bit of hesitation, a weak voice could be heard, "Why are you telling me all of this? All of these... horrible things?"

Reiji folded his hands together. "I want you to know what we're capable of."

"Why?"

"So you can see that we're not the monsters you think we are," Reiji told her.

"I-"

"I want you to know that we have the power to hurt and destroy," he went on. "But I won't use it. Because I respect your mind. I respect you. And I don't want to hurt you."

Silence.

"We have the power to hurt others, but we don't want to use it. All we want is peace."

"You could have your peace if you just altered me," Aoi countered. "It would be easier, wouldn't it? I couldn't even fight back."

"It would be easy, but it wouldn't be right," Reiji concluded. "I don't want us to be enemies, Miss Zaizen. I want everyone to be unharmed, even if it's a struggle."

"You already harmed me..."

"And you harmed my employee, much more than I have ever, or will ever, harm you."

The curtains were slowly being pulled back. The other side of the room was being unveiled to Reiji: a bed; books' a television; two smaller, individual rooms behind her, for the washroom and shower. Aoi was by the wall, pulling on the tassels to open the curtains. She stood next to the phone that could only reach certain places in the building.

There was a thick, transparent wall that separated one side of room from the other. Now that the curtain was gone, the window, and everything behind it could be seen. Aoi was trapped on the other side of the wall, looking at Reiji with tired eyes.

Notably, she wore her regular clothes. Despite the fact that Reiji had offered her new clothes countless times, she refused every offer.

"I can't be sure if I can trust you," Aoi admitted to him. Her voice was tired and hoarse. "I could never help our enemy."

"And why is that?" Reiji asked her.

"I don't want to give away anything that could put our mission in jeopardy. I can't give you information that could hurt us."

"I'm not asking for the inner workings," Reiji told her. "I just want to be able to communicate with the Link Dimension."

Aoi started to walk towards the left of the room, towards the bed. She crossed her arms and turned her head. It was clear to Reiji that she wasn't willing to budge on the matter.

"I would rather... would rather die than betray them..." she said. Her voice was shaky, yet still sounded full of conviction.

"I understand, Miss Zaizen," Reiji said simply. "But unfortunately, I cannot let you go until peace is made between our two factions. Your group still poses a threat to us, and giving them one more member would endanger many lives on our side."

Aoi tssk-d. She pushed her hair behind here ears, then sat back down on the bed behind her.

"However," Reiji went on. "Any information you give us would open communications and help bring peace."

Aoi didn't answer to this.

"We don't need information that can damage them; just something to let us talk to them."

"Playmaker,"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "I beg your parden?"

"Playmaker," Aoi repeated. "It's the name of my group's leader. Our group doesn't have a name; we don't need one."

"Go on."

"We're hackers and fighters, and he's the best hacker we know."

"I see," Reiji said quietly. "So this Playmaker, they would be able to hack us from another dimension?"

"I'm not sure, honestly," Aoi responded. "I'm not a hacker; I don't know a lot... a lot about all this... I just signed up to help people. I'm just muscle."

Aoi looked up to Reiji. "I can't tell you any more, though. I don't want to give you any information that could be used against us."

"Understood," Reiji said to her.

Reiji rose up fro his seat. He looked down at Aoi with his cool, neutral eyes. He showed no visible anger or remorse for Aoi's words, but his expression wasn't very comforting for her, either.

"You helped me enough," he told her. "We now have a name, so progress was made. Hopefully, we can use this to open up peaceful communication between our worlds."

Reij turned his back to Aoi, then started walking towards the door. But then, he stopped to look back to her.

"Thank you," he said to her. "And let me assure you, I will get you home as soon as I can."

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to make this chapter. To be honest, things have been a bit rough this year, and I haven't been able to devote a lot of time to this story. My dog actually died while I was writing this chapter. Which is pretty weird, since this arc was kicked off after the death of a pet. Neat coincidence though, huh?

But I still want to keep going and write as much as I can. Hopefully now I can get back on track and give you guys my all.

Next time: Fate pits Yugo and Rin against each other.