A bell tinkled, waking Osamu from his thoughts. He straightened up and smiled at the customer. He was a tall young man, probably a little older than himself, with glasses and a gentle-looking face, looking absently around the store.
"Welcome," Osamu greeted. "Can I help you?"
The customer looked at him.
"I'm after a new Duel Disk," he said. "One of the smaller models that's light enough for a child to hold." He demonstrated with his hands. Osamu smiled knowingly.
"Right here," he said, fishing around under the cashier. He plopped a medium-sized cardboard box decorated with bright colors onto the countertop.
"So, let me guess," he said, resting a hand atop the box. "Your son's first Disk?"
The customer laughed. "Something like that, but I don't have a son," he told him. "He's a friend of mine."
"A friend?"
"He just started getting into Duel Monsters, but he's already very energetic about it. I wanted to surprise him with the Disk."
"Heh…I can relate. He sounds just like the boy I baby-sit sometimes."
"An aspiring duelist?"
"Oh, definitely. Great kid…I could hang out with him all day. His parents are never around, the poor thing."
The customer just smiled. "So, how much?" he asked, patting the Duel Disk.
"Fifteen thousand yen."
He fished his wallet out of his pocket.
"You're a new face here," he commented idly, thumbing through the wallet for his credit card. "Did Sachiko finally start hiring?"
"Oh, no, I'm just standing in for her," said Osamu. "But you know…I could swear I've seen you somewhere. Have we met before?"
The man shrugged his shoulders. "I hear that a lot…I think I just have a common face."
"That so…?" Osamu mumbled, tearing the receipt from the register.
"Anyway, I ought to run," said the customer, tucking the disk under his arm. "My sister's going to be furious if she finds out that I left…I'm not supposed to be up and about just yet."
Osamu nodded, smiling good naturedly. He muttered a "have a nice day" and watched his back as he walked towards the door. Before the man was able to leave, it clicked.
"I remember now!" he called after him. The customer stopped and glanced back at him.
"I've seen you on TV! You duel in the Pro Leagues!" said Osamu. "You're Hibiki Kouyou, aren't you?"
Kouyou laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his free arm.
"Looks like I've been found out," he confessed. Osamu laughed.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Hibiki-san," he said. "But you're in a hurry, so I won't hold you up anymore…maybe we'll meet again sometime?"
Kouyou nodded. "I certainly hope so."