Right after work, Kaiba had his driver drop him off right in front of the Kame Game Shop, walking in boldly with his briefcase in hand. Sugoroku looked immediately aggravated by Kaiba's presence, and understandably so. With their bad history, Kaiba didn't think the old man would want him hanging around looking at his new stock, but business was business. Surprisingly, the older Mutou did not kick him out.

But he didn't greet Kaiba, either.

Kaiba felt rather silly being there, looking at the displays of rare cards and booster packs as the old man watched him from behind the register. During work, Kaiba had looked at the ban list. Only four of his cards had been affected, and nothing that he really relied on, anyways. Sometimes it was hard being flexible, but losing a few trap and magic cards wasn't a big deal, since they could be easily replaced.

It just felt silly being inside such a dingy little shop. Usually Kaiba had his sources for cards. He had suppliers and collectors, as well as private dealers. Going into actual stores and looking around was completely unnecessary, but...

Turning to glance at the door, Kaiba scowled. Jonouchi hadn't shown up yet, but it was unlikely that he had done so earlier, either. It was a weekday, and if the loser was working full-time, he would be arriving fairly soon, probably covered in grease from his job.

He'd stink, too. Kaiba hoped Jonouchi wouldn't try getting too close to him, or god forbid, force him into eating somewhere with him again. Not with him smelling like gasoline...

Apparently, Yugi's grandfather found his dawdling unsettling, and he approached Kaiba with suspicion. "...Anything I can help you find?"

Kaiba turned to him, his expression apathetic. "Just looking," he replied tersely.

Sugoroku narrowed his eyes, but he didn't move away. The front door blew open, drawing both of their attentions. The tiny bell clanked jerkily against the glass window, the orange light of sunset flooding the shop.

"Sorry I'm late, Jii-san, work was-" Jonouchi's mouth snapped shut at the sight of the two men. "Um, am I...interrupting something?" He stood in the doorway, his body a dark relief against the pouring light. Kaiba could make out black smudges across Jonouchi's cheeks and knuckles.

Sugoroku recovered first. "Ah, no, Jonouchi-kun. Come in, come in, Kaiba was just looking around."

Jonouchi dumped his messenger bag by the door, quirking an eyebrow at Kaiba but not commenting. He instead turned to Sugoroku, brushing past the other customer to lean against the display case. "So, what d'ya got for me?" he grinned, eyes alight like a child's.

"Oh, I think you'll find the new stuff pretty interesting." The elder Mutou turned to grab some boxes from the top shelf behind him. Jonouchi made his way behind the counter to help, but Sugoroku swatted his hands away. "Not before you clean yourself up! Honestly, Jonouchi-kun, did you even look in a mirror before you rushed over here?" Sugoroku chided, setting the boxes on the countertop and tossing a rag at Jonouchi, who caught it and stuck his tongue out in reply.

"Who am I trying to impress?" Jonouchi said, rubbing his hands against the cloth.

Sugoroku gave him a withering look but made no further comments, finally releasing the boxes for Jonouchi to inspect once his hands were cleared.

Kaiba suppressed an urge to snort. He assessed Jonouchi out of the corner of his eye, wary of drawing too much attention. Jonouchi was dressed in his usual baggy jeans, which were low-slung and thinning around the knees. A plain white T-shirt clung to his torso, stained by grease and sweat, a smattering of tiny holes exposing a tanned shoulder blade. Boots replaced his usual sneakers. His hair stuck up a little around his neck.

Jonouchi was unsightly, but there was a sort of proletariat appeal to his appearance. Kaiba couldn't deny that Jonouchi looked manly and rough in a kind of way that most men tried—and failed—to pull off. With his blond hair and messy looks, Jonouchi just worked it without even trying, and that irritated Kaiba. Jonouchi wasn't even aiming to get his attention, yet he had it.

"What are you looking at?"

Breaking out of his inner thoughts, Kaiba just scowled at Jonouchi before turning his back. He didn't need to answer any prodding Jonouchi might have, and he was there to get cards. Well, that was more of a bonus to his main plan, but he didn't need to get caught checking Jonouchi out in Yugi's game store. That was just...there were no words for it.

Honestly, Kaiba wasn't sure even where to start. Distracted and tired to boot, he was barely paying attention to the text on the cards as he glanced over the various displays. He could feel Sugoroku's gaze on his back, and there was slight tension in the room that he didn't appreciate despite having caused it with his presence. Sure, he had almost killed the old man, but that was years ago. How long was he going to carry that grudge before he finally let it go?

Snorting, Kaiba picked up one card and looked at it long and hard. It was an effective trap card, with a continuous effect that required no life points to activate. The best kind of weapons to use, in Kaiba's opinion. Crush Card Virus had been made illegal, and Kaiba had always been looking for something just as effective.

"Do you want to take a look at these? They're all new," Jonouchi said, gesturing to the boxes in front of him. It took a second for Kaiba to register that Jonouchi was addressing him, turning towards him with a blank stare.

When Kaiba remained silent, Jonouchi ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "Or not. Forget I said anything." Returning to the cards, Jonouchi started to separate out little stacks from his selections. He became so engrossed in his work that it came as a shock when Kaiba stood next to him some minutes later, plucking a card out of his hand.

"This one's worthless," Kaiba declared, tossing it aside.

"Hey!" Jonouchi exclaimed, scrambling to catch the card as it teetered off the edge of the counter. "Be careful with these, will ya?" The motion created a small gust of air, blowing Kaiba's bangs into his eyes.

"Also, you smell like a garage," Kaiba deadpanned, brushing his bangs out of his face.

Jonouchi scowled at him, replacing the card to safety. "Duh, seeing as I work in one. Not everyone gets to prance around in a cushy office all day." He eyed Kaiba critically before nudging him in the side with an elbow. "If it bothers you so much, you don't have to stand so close."

Kaiba responded by bumping him aside with his hip. "You're hogging the cards." He flicked through the stacks carefully, ignoring Jonouchi's surprised yelp and subsequent grumbling. There wasn't really all that much to look at, anyways. Although the Kame Shop wasn't bad, it just didn't have the kind of stock Kaiba was accustomed to looking at. Too many amateurs frequented the store, and while Sugoroku kept a few rare cards, he wasn't exclusive enough. There were too many filler cards that didn't serve any real purpose.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Kaiba asked after becoming annoyed by Jonouchi's frantic card flipping. It didn't appear that he even knew what he was trying to find. "You're giving me a headache."

Jonouchi continued his inspection of the cards, plucking a few out as he made his way through the boxes. "Just picking some interesting ones right now. A bunch of my trap and gamble cards got banned, so I need to figure out a new deck strategy."

"You'd get much further using a dealer instead of looking through boxes of useless cards... Just my professional advice."

Jonouchi snorted, his eyes quickly cutting over to Kaiba before turning back to his work. "Dealers cost more. Way more. I'll be able to figure something out from these."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and scoffed. Becoming frustrated, he snatched the cards out of Jonouchi's hands, putting them far out of his grasp before pulling a card out of his wallet and flinging it on the counter.

"Here's my dealer's number. Maybe if you won more tournaments, you could afford his services. Haven't you ever thought about getting a better sponsorship?"

Jonouchi blinked like the thought had never crossed his mind. Or maybe he was just taken aback by Kaiba's rather forward moves.

"A good Duelist doesn't need to buy his own cards, you know."

Jonouchi slid the business card over, giving it a cursory glance. His face squinched. "Who wouldn't want a big sponsorship?" he pouted. "Unfortunately, entrance fees are pretty high, so I can't really get my name out there. So it's not like I've got sponsors banging down my door."

"Interesting... You know Kaiba Corporation is looking for someone who's at least a seven-star rated Duelist to sponsor, right?"

Jonouchi's eyes widened fractionally, his mouth gaping. Kaiba had to fight the smirk that was tugging at his lips.

"Um. What exactly are you saying, Kaiba?"

"I'm just saying it's a great opportunity for someone out there," replied Kaiba smoothly before shrugging his shoulders, "Too bad you're only a six-star. You'd need someone on the inside to make that little disqualification go away...

"The contract pays five hundred thousand yen a month, too. It's a pretty sweet deal, so I'm told."

"Why are you even bringing this up?" Jonouchi sighed, his face falling. "You made it pretty clear last time that you didn't particularly enjoy my company, so why do you even care about my pathetic dueling career."

"I don't care," Kaiba replied bluntly, "but business is business, and I can work with people I don't particularly like. You have talent, but you lack the discipline and finances to get very far in your career... I thought you might be interested in hearing your possible options. After all," said Kaiba as he finally selected a card he wanted for himself with a slight grin, "you only need one more regional championship win to become a seven-star, according to your stats."

Jonouchi slid the dealer's business card back over to Kaiba. "Thanks, but the next regional's not for a couple of weeks, and I don't suppose you'd be willing to look the other way for me," Jonouchi said, adding underneath his breath, "even if I did just win against a certain eight-star player…"

"It was an unrated match."

"Unrated or not, a win's still a win," Jonouchi hissed, careful not to attract Sugoroku's attention. "Just because it didn't end in your favor doesn't mean it counts for nothing."

"You wouldn't have beaten me in a match if I hadn't been sick, so why should it count for anything?" snarked Kaiba as he rolled his eyes and moved onto the next display counter, "You got lucky. That's all."

Jonouchi snatched back the box Kaiba had been looking through, putting its top back on with a little more force than necessary. "You're unbelievable, but I shouldn't be surprised. You always did play by a different set of rules than the rest of us," he said bitterly, stacking the boxes.

Kaiba didn't react to the comment, just continuing on his way without missing a beat as Jonouchi seethed in place. When he did eventually turn to look at Jonouchi from the corner of his eye, his mouth only slightly raised as if catching himself about to smile, although not enough to really count.

"You're getting grease on the merchandise."

Jumping back a step from the counter, Jonouchi quickly eyed his clothes before turning a scowl onto Kaiba, "What do you care? Are you even here to buy anything or just torture me?" He carefully collected his cards, tapping them in order. "Hey, Jii-san, I'm done over here," he yelled toward Sugoroku.

Ignoring Kaiba, he walked toward the register, drawing a handful of bills from his wallet. "Sorry if I ruined anything," he told the old man sheepishly, "Just let me know, and I'll pay you back?"

Sugoroku observed Kaiba, still lingering by the display case. "Don't worry about it, Jonouchi-kun."

Frowning, Kaiba looked away as Jonouchi made his purchase. He wasn't sure if Jonouchi had taken the bait. Was he interested in the sponsorship or too angry to even consider it? The idiot was hot-headed enough to let a good opportunity go out of pride or spite, and Kaiba knew that would make things more difficult.

Besides, he wasn't going to just give him that much money without Jonouchi proving that he was a worthy investment. Kaiba didn't take anyone on as a charity case when it came to business dealings, and glancing back at Jonouchi briefly, he wondered if Jonouchi had what it took to win still?

Sure, Jonouchi had beaten him in a back alley Duel, but that was playing against Kaiba at his weakest. He still felt like shit, unable to sleep and eating out of habit rather than desire. His clothes were getting too loose, and Kaiba knew he also looked like crap, but until Mokuba came back home, he'd be unable to relax.

Could Jonouchi take him on at his full strength? That was yet to be proven. It would be an interesting turn of events, if it did happen...

"Thanks again!" Jonouchi hollered over his shoulder as he marched back to the front of the store. He didn't spare a glance at Kaiba as he walked by, bending to retrieve his messenger bag and throwing it across his chest. He paused in the doorway, a thumbnail scratching against the bag's strap. "Sponsorship or not, I'm still a Duelist. Guess I'll see you around," he said quietly.

"Hmpf. You can count on it," replied Kaiba under his breath. He waited for Jonouchi to leave before turning his attention to Sugoroku, who was almost glaring at him but not quite. He looked caught between being polite because Kaiba was a potential customer and mad because he was dawdling in his store. Finally Kaiba just snatched a few promising cards and a booster pack, buying them to keep the peace before marching out of the shop with his purchases.

By the time he'd stepped back outside, the sun was beginning to set behind the skyscrapers of Domino City, and Jonouchi was nowhere in sight.

"How unfortunate."

He didn't need the stupid cards he'd wasted money on. Now he wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Huffing, Kaiba took out his phone and called for his driver. There was no point in hanging around Yugi's place any longer.