Reasons behind Jounouchi Katsuya madness were usually hard to pinpoint, but by the time he had left (with several ideas for a present and a fistful of peppermints), Ryou had a clear idea of what had happened.

The day went on, and Ryou eventually lost whatever remaining doubts he had about himself as a salesperson. He wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere, the customers, or both, but comfort settled in before he realized it. The younger children were a treat; they stared at everything with giant eyes and excited faces. Some even took to following Ryou around, and they giggled whenever older girls fought to keep his attention.

They also had no qualms about pulling Ryou off to safety when the female attention got too overwhelming.

The staircase had been roped off and covered with the sheets that had been over the windows. A new glittery sign had been placed right in front: 'Please do not enter. Repairs in progress,' it proclaimed. Ryou had been asked several times what was up there and had to confess that he didn't exactly know. But he did relate Mr. Pegasus's story of what had happened the night before and assured everyone that it would be fixed up soon.

Yet from time to time he found himself stopping shoppers from sneaking up.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing inside the entire shop to Ryou was the clock. It was a golden disk that dropped down from the middle of the chandelier to chime the hour. When it did, all the lights around the walls darkened, and the tiers of the chandelier spun in opposite directions. This, along with its dangling charms, created an elaborate montage of spectrum-colored flying horses that circled the shop. The effect lasted the whole first minute of the new hour before the lights went back to normal. Then the clock disappeared back into the chandelier.

This happened approximately five times. At one minute past seven, the last chime rang and signaled closing time. Mr. Pegasus had Ryou flip a switch on the doors that locked them on the outside, and the two of them began cashing out the remaining customers. The process took awhile; many were keen on gushing about how wonderful the place was and wanted to know all about Mr. Pegasus's plans and endeavors. The man in question simply declared, "I wanted to be somewhere I could touch lives and make differences. Domino has shown promise in both of those areas."

It was almost seven-thirty before the last customer bustled out. Owner and assistant then went around the shop for a quick clean up before they returned to the counter. Once there, Ryou was instructed to empty a register and begin counting. A few rubber bands, a pencil and a chart were set in front of him, and he went straight to work. Mr. Pegasus did the same at the other register.

The quiet felt odd after so many hours of noise. Still, Ryou welcomed it. The silence meant that his first day was over, and one of his many concerns had been quelled. He'd pulled through his uncertainties only to discover that the job was both fun and satisfying. Helping and getting to know the people of Domino had been a lot more pleasant than he'd expected.

And despite the many questions and reservations Ryou had about Mr. Pegasus, it was hard not to like the man. He was just too cheerful and eager to please. Even the occasional rude customer had eventually been won over by his charming personality. Truly, if Ryou didn't have so many reasons to be suspicious he would have been just as in awe of him as everyone else.

But…I do have reasons.

"Tired, my boy?"

Ryou glanced over at Mr. Pegasus before going back to counting. "Not really. Just…thinking."

"About what?"

He wrapped a rubber band around a stack of bills. "About today. I had fun working."

Mr. Pegasus stopped counting and faced him. "Did you now? Wonderful! You see, I told you that the selling business wasn't difficult. And- dare I say it - there were indeed many young ladies snatching up things that you happened to touch."

A soft laugh ended the observation, and Ryou nearly lost count due to his embarrassment. He cleared his throat and started again. Two forty-five, two sixty-five…

"You did very well today," Pegasus continued as he wrapped several stacks of bills. "I was quite impressed by how you adapted to everything with little to no help from me. Your father will be proud to hear how you've done. As will Honda and Miss Mazaki, I expect. Did they tell you we met yesterday?"

Ryou's count almost faltered again. "No."

A touch of mischief entered the man's voice. "Oh, yes. They make for quite a pair, those two. Honda seems to have more than one sweet tooth, and that Anzu has a great deal of spirit. It was her idea to come and make sure that I wasn't some sort of boogeyman intent on hurting or brainwashing you." He stopped to shake his head. "Teenagers these days! They have such imaginations!"

The statement made Ryou a little uneasy. He was all for imagination as long as it didn't cause any problems.

Like making someone hear voices and then claim insane things.

A tin lockbox full of money was suddenly thrust under his nose, and Ryou was surprised to find Mr. Pegasus right beside him. He placed his counted piles inside and then handed everything over.

"Thank you." Mr. Pegasus tucked the box under his arm. "Now, just scribble the total on the chart there and you may go."

"Go?" Now? Already?

"Of course! Unless you want to sleep over in the storage room, that is." Mr. Pegasus tittered at his joke.

Ryou didn't reply. Instead, he wrote down the sum and then retrieved his schoolbag. It felt a little heavier than usual and he re-adjusted his grip, thinking that the day's work had tired out his arms. Then after a deep, steadying breath, he said, "Before I go… you asked me earlier if I had any questions."

"And you did, didn't you?"

"Yes."

Mr. Pegasus laid the box next to a jar of jellybeans and then leaned back against the counter, motioning for Ryou to join him. When he did, Pegasus dropped an arm on the boy's shoulder and said, "I thought that you might. Please understand that you don't have to be polite all the time, Ryou. Whatever questions or concerns you may have, don't hesitate to speak them. Your comfort here is important."

He sounded sincere. No, he is sincere Ryou corrected. Mr. Pegasus really was all right. He was strange, but that was okay because right then, Ryou felt completely at ease with him. Plus, every person that had met him today had absolutely loved him, and that had helped Ryou an awful lot. If he asked for the truth, Mr. Pegasus would be good enough to give it to him. He honestly believed that now.

After a few more seconds of thought, Ryou looked up his boss and said, "You know a lot about me, don't you?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Ryou hesitated and then shook his head. "Please forgive me, sir, but I believe you do. I noticed it first the night we met. You DID know that I would be alone for the holidays while my father was gone."

Pegasus looked interested. "Did I now? What makes you think so?"

"Because you tried to cover it up and failed. No one but my father, my friends and I knew that he would be gone, so you couldn't have gotten the information from anywhere else."

"I see." Pause. "Is this your only…observation?"

The fact that Pegasus seemed unfazed by the soft accusations caught Ryou a little off-guard. The man was either a fantastic actor or he had absolutely no idea what Ryou was talking about. It was difficult to tell from his laid-back position and mildly amused demeanor.

Somehow though, the predicament didn't strike Ryou as odd. Uncertainties were normal with Mr. Pegasus, after all. "No. You knew that it was Jounouchi hiding behind the counter, yet you'd never met him before. You even knew how to use Honda to spook him, and that's why he was in such a hurry to change the subject."

"How are you so certain that we haven't met? I could have met him yesterday with Honda and Anzu."

"But you didn't. Today was Jounouchi's first time in the shop. He told me that he came to 'check around and see what kind of stuff's for sale'. If he had been here yesterday, he would've already had a pretty good idea of what was in the shop. Don't you agree?"

Now Mr. Pegasus grinned. "Entirely. What else?"

Ryou had been on a roll leading up to this last point. It was also the one he almost didn't pick up on, which was curious given the subject and its obviousness. Ryou looked his boss straight in the eye. "You know that I dislike Magic and Wizards. That's something I've only told my friends about. And if they were concerned enough to come see you yesterday and then send Jounouchi after me today, I doubt that they would tell you something I consider to be personal."

A thoughtful finger tapped against Pegasus's chin. "No, I don't suppose they would."

He still seemed unruffled, the thoughtfulness notwithstanding. Also, it occurred to Ryou that he had been answering questions instead of asking them. So he made his next words as direct as possible. "I want to know how you found out about these things."

The demand hovered in the air between them, and Ryou was relieved to see Pegasus tense. It wasn't a huge reaction, but it helped prove that Ryou hadn't imagined anything about the man. He really was hiding something.

Then the owner shocked Ryou by suddenly straightening up and drawing him close. A warm, caring expression appeared on his face as he declared, "I was wondering when you were going to confront me. I don't deny having knowledge about any of these things, but I must confess to being a little disappointed. You are already aware of how I know."

He certainly looked disappointed, but the sudden confirmation and admonishment threw Ryou even more off track. It took him a few seconds and a mental shake to find his way back again. "I-What? No, I don't know anything. That's why I'm asking you."

Mr. Pegasus sized him up, as if to see if he were telling the truth. Something must have convinced him because he patted Ryou's head and opened up the counter. "You are an intelligent child, Ryou, but you can have trouble accepting the truth. You DO know. It's just that you simply refuse to believe it. And until you are ready to listen with an open mind, I'm afraid that I cannot answer your question."

So in other words: 'If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you'. It sounded so juvenile that Ryou might have laughed if Mr. Pegasus hadn't sounded so serious. Instead, he tried to protest, "But I need-."

"Tut, tut!" Mr. Pegasus chided, as he steered Ryou down the carpet toward the entrance. "We will talk all you want on the subject after you've had some time to ponder. Shall we say…Wednesday after closing time?"

Ryou tried to stop, but Pegasus' hold and pace wouldn't allow for it. He ended up nearly tripping over his sneakers as he continued to object. "But-but…"

One of the doors was pulled open and Mr. Pegasus all but pushed Ryou outside. Despite his careless treatment and Ryou's accusations, he was still in good spirits. "Think on it, Ryou. Use your memories for inspiration. Your friends as well, both old and new."

"But sir!"

The door started to close. "Maximilian, my dear boy. How many times must I request it? Have a good night now!"

Without thinking, Ryou threw the arm holding his notebag into the door's path in a desperate last attempt to be heard. Pain numbed from his fingers all the way up to his elbow. He did his best to ignore it. "No, wait! Mr. Maximilian, please, at least answer one thing! Why me? Why did you choose me to be part of all this?"

Everything but the throb of Ryou's heartbeat seemed to pause. Finally, Mr. Pegasus gently removed the injured arm and gave it a quick once-over. There was an odd combination of warmth and apology in his expression. "Because you were my first reason for coming to Domino."