Later that night, back at the Obsidian household, Shay was in the tailor room, trying to figure out what to wear for his date with Declan. He had to look nice for their dinner this evening, but he wasn't sure whether he should wear a suit or a different set of formal attire.
"DO YOU NEED HELP, MASTER SHAY?" a robot maid asked.
"Sort of," Shay answered. "Declan Akaba invited me out to dinner this evening and he said I should wear something formal."
"IS THIS A DATE?" the robot maid asked.
"Kind of…" Shay admitted. "But I see it as spending time with a fellow Duelist and a good friend."
"MY GOODNESS, IT IS A DATE," the robot maid said. "I HAVE JUST THE THING FOR YOU TO WEAR."
She dashed off to the tailor room's closet where all of the Obsidians' premade outfits were nicely stored and organized in preparation for any surprise special occasions. She skimmed through Shay's collection before spotting what she was looking for and took it out of the closet. His first date outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, button-up, white shirt underneath a black vest and a black suit jacket, black pants with a black belt, and a pair of black shoes.
"Not bad," Shay remarked. "This looks pretty snazzy."
"I MADE THIS IN CASE OF A DATING EMERGENCY," the robot maid informed. "YOU DID SEEM NERVOUS."
"I'm not nervous," Shay lied.
"BUT IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, DECLAN AKABA IS NOT A WOMAN," the robot maid said. "YET YOU ARE STILL FOND OF WOMEN."
That was the problem. Shay was straight yet he didn't want to turn down the offer. He was given the advice to think of this date as spending some time with a friend and that's exactly what Declan is to him: a friend. Even if he does feel nervous and uncomfortable about it, there was no way he was going to say "no" to hanging out with someone platonically close to him.
"DO NOT FEEL NERVOUS," the robot maid advised, giving the outfit to Shay. "THE AKABAS ARE JUST AS WEALTHY AS THE OBSIDIANS. I AM CERTAIN THE DINNER DATE IS ABSOLUTELY LOVELY."
Shay stared at his given outfit as he thought about how well the dinner will turn out. He wasn't sure what restaurant he'll be going to, but maybe as long as he takes Lulu's advice, he might have a good time. Trying his hardest to not let his nerves get the best of him, he walked over to the fitting room to get changed into his suit.
Some time later, Lulu entered the tailor room holding a light blue sundress. "Can you make some adjustments to this?" she asked the robot maid. "It feels a bit tight around my chest."
"CERTAINLY, MISTRESS LULU," the robot maid replied.
Lulu handed her sundress to the robot maid to help fix the chest area. Right as she was about to head over to the sewing section, Shay came out of the dressing room, wearing the suit that was saved for tonight.
The heiress let out a whistle. "You look pretty sharp," she remarked.
"It's for tonight," Shay explained. He still looked a bit nervous.
"Don't worry about it," Lulu reassured. "As long as you treat this date like a friendly get-together with Declan, you should be fine."
"I hope so," Shay said.
Several minutes later, Kameron drove on the streets connecting the Heartland and Paradise sections of the Original Dimension's city. He was taking his son to the restaurant where the dinner date was going to be, as seen by the GPS function from the Duel Disk's maps app currently giving out direction on how to get there. Declan had informed Shay on what restaurant they were going to shortly before they left, so knowing where they'll be eating at was pretty helpful.
Kameron noticed his son was rather quiet. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and mother about this," Shay said. "I knew you were looking forward to me marrying Dextra Papillion. I really want to marry her, but-"
"It's alright, son," Kameron said. "I heard about how Declan Akaba helped you out when Lulu was kidnapped. He's a kind man and I know you see him as a good friend."
"So you don't mind this…date?" Shay asked.
"Of course not," Kameron answered. "I know you're only attracted to women, so this date isn't a concern."
Shay smiled at his father's response, knowing how he was looking forward to marrying Dextra and his worry about different sexualities. "Thank you for understanding, father," the heir said.
"You're welcome," Kameron replied. "Just remember to maintain your perfect image throughout the evening."
"Of course," Shay said.
With his father's opinion on tonight, Shay felt his nervousness start to ease a little. Maybe Kameron and Lulu were right; maybe he should try to view this as a friendly get-together since his arranged marriage won't be affected by it at all. There was a slight issue with this, however: he has never been on a date before and he doesn't have any experiences with them to be able to pull this off. Whenever he thinks he has an issue tackled, another one happens to pop up. Man, he felt like this was generally not his day.
After going through the roads, streets, and intersections, they made it at the restaurant and Shay was dropped off in front of the doorways.
"Hello Shay," Declan said, waiting for the Obsidian heir near the doorways. "You look rather handsome this evening."
Shay noticed his "date" had also dressed up nicely for the night by the simple navy blue suit he was wearing. "So you finally ditched that scarf of yours," he remarked.
"I'm flattered by your humor," Declan replied, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Now shall we enjoy this evening?"
"Sure," Shay answered.
The two walked into the restaurant to have them be seated at a table. It appeared it was starting to get busy yet there wasn't that much of a wait, so they were able to get themselves situated at a table that was in between the entrance and the doorway leading to the outdoor tables.
"A moonlit dinner?" Shay asked. "Isn't this a bit of a cliché?"
"I certainly don't think so," Declan answered. "It is a rather clear night and the moon is bright enough to provide natural lighting."
He was right; there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. The lunar luminescence casted its rays down on the city as the stars twinkled and sparkled in the midnight blue sky. If anything, it was one of the most beautiful clear nights they have ever seen.
"So why me?" Shay asked.
"Hmm?" Declan questioned.
"There are a lot of other guys in the city," Shay elaborated. "Why did you invite me to have dinner with you?"
"Because there was something about you that captivated me," Declan explained. "Maybe it was your deck, or your dueling strategies, or maybe it was your perfectly-coiffed hair. Regardless of why, you simply fascinated me as an individual."
Remembering the advice his father and sister gave him, Shay thanked Declan for the compliment. He does have a strong archetype, a powerful strategy, and even a nicely-combed hairstyle.
Declan picked up the provided menu. "So what would you like to have?" he asked.
Shay looked at his menu. "The lobster salad looks delicious," he remarked, knowing he hasn't ate lobster in a long time.
"Lobster?" Declan asked. "Why that?"
"I remember having it for dinner with my family before the Invasion," Shay recalled. "The robot maids always cooked it just right."
"So you really do have robot maids," Declan said.
"Of course," Shay replied. "Because of mother and father's successful business, we have robot maids taking care of the cooking, cleaning, and helping us maintain our perfect images."
"My parents never purchased any robotic servants," Declan said. "They hired actual people to help us at Leo Corporation."
"You're not worried about someone getting ill or quitting due to personal reasons?" Shay asked.
Declan responded on how that was the least of his concerns, especially regarding how he and the staff were preparing to go up against Duel Academy by studying and conjuring up Pendulum cards, hosting the Arc League Championship, and forming the Lancers. He could tell his date was more used to not having to deal with those risks at all.
"Besides, what if a robotic servant malfunctions?" Declan asked.
"Mother and father taught Lulu and I about basic mechanics in case of those emergencies," Shay answered. "Sometimes we even use that same knowledge to program new protocols into their databanks, whether it's a reminder to not mention an upcoming wedding or get away with unnecessary grooming."
Declan was confused by that last statement. "Unnecessary grooming?" he repeated.
Shay blushed slightly. "When I was younger, I hated being born into an elite environment," he explained. "I wanted to hang out with commoner kids and not worry about how I looked."
"You aren't like that now," Declan pointed out.
"Only because I grew out of that childish behavior when I got older," Shay continued. "Nowadays I appreciate my wealthy background."
If Declan was going to be honest, Shay had it easy. When he was younger, Leo left to become the head of Duel Academy to pursue his mission to fuse all four dimensions back and bring back Ray. This forced his son to become the new CEO at around 13 years old and seek assistance from Yusho, leading to his disappearance when he was scheduled to duel against the Sledgehammer.
"You are rather fortunate, Shay Obsidian," Declan said. "You spent your whole life living a luxurious life with your parents and sister."
"I know," Shay said. "But it wasn't always easy. I grew up with the constant knowledge that I would eventually take over the family company. I do love mother and father, but they pressured me to always looking my absolute best."
"That would explain your rather aggressive behavior during the Interdimensional War," Declan noted.
Shay looked a bit tensed. "I lost everything when Duel Academy attacked," he said, sounding more sad and less angry. "Mother and father were carded, our home was reduced to rubble, and ObsidianCorp was destroyed." He was unaware of a stray tear coming from his eye. "It was a miracle everything was fully restored today."
Unbeknownst to Shay, Declan spotted the tear taking shape on his eye. He reached over to the heir and gently wiped the tear away.
Shay was surprised by the sudden contact. "What was that for?" he asked.
"You seem upset about the Invasion," Declan commented. "I am terribly sorry it happened to you." His hand shifted to Shay's cheek. "I'm aware that recovering won't be easy, but you cannot let it interfere with your bright future."
Shay simply stared into Declan's purple eyes as he heard the remark being made. For someone who rarely shows emotion, his face was illustrating noticeable hints of sympathy.
"Thank you," Shay said.
"You are quite welcome," Declan replied, releasing his gentle touch on Shay. "Now we should order our meals for the evening."
Shortly after their discussion ended, their waitress came out to take down their orders. "What would you both like to have this evening?" she asked.
"I'll have a lobster salad," Shay said.
Declan checked the menu for a few seconds. "The ramen soup looks delicious," he decided.
"Alright," the waitress said. "Your food will be out shortly."
The waitress headed to the kitchen to place their orders and have the chefs cook their meals. As she did so, Shay and Declan waited for their dinners and ended up talking about another topic, one that was far different than the Invasion and the Interdimensional War.
"Have you ever looked at someone and get a sudden feeling as if you met that person before?" Declan asked.
"It depends on the person," Shay answered.
"Yuya Sakaki," Declan clarified. "From the moment I laid my eyes on him, I felt…drawn to him. Kind of like he was a missing piece in my life."
"How could that be possible?" Shay asked.
"I'm not quite sure," Declan admitted. "But there was a cheerful spark in his eyes. I could have sworn I saw someone with a similar spark long ago."
He wasn't sure where he's seen him before, but it was probably back before Action Duels were announced. He remembered heading somewhere for something important when his eyes caught a glimpse on someone. This particular person seem more…introverted than usual, almost like an incident should have occurred and changed his life for the better, but this spark still remained. Within the shy and timid nature lied the energy of a happy, caring, selfless, friendly individual, as heard by the tone of his voice; one—or many people—may say that he usually comes off as adorable.
Years have passed since the dimensional split and his encounter with Yuya made him realize he had that similar spark, one that was energetic, theatrical, fun-loving, entertaining, and loves to make people smile. It often left him in deep thought when he was alone—whenever he wasn't focused on the War—about how someone like him could possess such comparable qualities. It wasn't until earlier today when he went to Duel Academy to see if he could help out with the blood separation right as ARC-V was beginning to overload. He recalled about seeing a Slifer Red girl following him to where Leo, Zarc, and Ray were, who was revealed to be Tea from a voice which sounded remotely somewhat familiar. A slight shift of his purple eyes left them locked on the same person he had spotted years ago. The spiky, tri-colored hair, the fair skin, the grown but still short body figure, but most importantly, his glazed, amethyst purple eyes. He had changed so much, and from the looks of things, it was due to Zarc's onslaught. Despite what he went through, the spark was still there. The same spark that he felt from a single glance during when he felt like he wasn't Declan Akaba.
Wait, wasn't Declan Akaba?
The grey-haired teen tensed up a bit. "Are you alright?" Shay asked, sounding concerned.
"I'm afraid not," Declan said. "Sometimes I have these memories that must have belonged to someone who is very similar to me, but isn't me at all."
"What do you mean by that?" Shay asked.
"Even I cannot answer that question," Declan admitted. "But-" His eyes widened in realization.
"Who am I?"
"You are…uh… Deck…lan. Yes, Declan. You are Declan Akaba, my beloved son."
Declan always felt like Leo wasn't the best at coming up with creative names, but he didn't mind the name that he was given. In fact, it was his earliest memory. Now that he thought about it, he did remember seeing his father looking at a deck of Duel Monsters cards and use that to give him his name, but why? Why was he really given the name "Declan" in the first place?
"Here are your meals," the waitress said. "Enjoy."
Declan snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed his ramen soup and Shay's lobster salad have been served to them. As soon as Shay ate a forkful of his salad, he let out a happy moan.
"Enjoying you dinner?" Declan asked.
Shay swallowed the food in his mouth. "I forgot how delicious lobster is," he said. "I miss the comforts of luxury."
"I can tell," Declan said. "You even look much cleaner than when I saw you this morning."
"My family and I spent the day restoring our perfect images," Shay explained. "I had my hair trimmed and I got a back massage."
"Really," Declan said. "I didn't even notice." Even though Shay was a lot cleaner, he still pretty much looks the same as he did on the night of the Invasion.
"I know I still look the same, but I really have cleaned up," Shay said. "I even received a deep tissue back mass-"
He noticed Declan was reaching up to feel his hair to see if it was cleaner, prompting him to grab his wrist. It was a natural instinct of him to do whatever it takes to preserve his perfect image; it was most likely the reason why he was sent to solitary confinement at the Facility back in the Synchro Dimension because there was no way Sector Security was going to give him a criminal mark on his face.
"My goodness," Declan said. "Are all Obsidians that obsessed with their perfect images?"
Shay sheepishly let go of Declan's wrist. "I don't like it when other people touch me," he admitted. "Mother and father raised Lulu and I with the mindset of making sure no one would muss up how we look."
Declan sipped on a spoonful of his ramen soup before speaking. "How peculiar," he remarked. "Even your sister?"
"She has a good reason why," Shay explained. "When she was younger, she wanted to have long hair similar to the ones movie actresses have. With mother's permission, she learned how to properly maintain long hair." He ate a forkful of his lobster salad after speaking.
"That would explain why she would still have long hair after Duel Academy's attack," Declan said. "With any other girl, all that hair would have been long gone after such an event."
"That's Lulu for you," Shay said. "She's probably the most stubborn girl on the planet."
He wasn't wrong; her stubbornness was one of her most defining traits and they have Ray to thank for that. Lulu was stubborn about a lot of things: wanting to have long hair, willing to help out the Resistance despite a serious spinal injury, tackling Yuri head-on in a duel, actively fighting back a brainwashing insect to save her brother, and even her boyfriend preferences. Maybe Ray herself was just as stubborn prior to the dimensional split.
Several minutes later, the two had finished their dinner. Shay's plate was clear without any traces of lobster or salad remaining while Declan ate all of the noodles and deciding if he should have the rest of the broth; it did taste scrumptious.
"Thank you for inviting me out," Shay said, reaching into his jacket pocket for his wallet. "How much was the lobster salad?"
"No need," Declan said. "I will pay for both of our meals."
Declan took out his own wallet just as the waitress came out with the bill and handed it to him. After checking what the total price was, he pulled out his debit card and brought them to her to pay for dinner. This was a dating tip Shay learned; people who set up dates are the ones who pay for all their meals. Deep down, he had almost forgot this was a date, much to his dismay.
Declan noticed Shay's slightly uncomfortable expression. "Are you feeling alright?" the grey-haired teen asked.
"Is this really a date?" Shay asked in response.
"Of course," Declan answered without a second thought. "Like I said, you're quite handsome and I have had my eyes on you for a while. Why do you ask?"
"I wanted to make sure," Shay lied, not wanting to hurt his friend's feelings.
He knew it. He knew this was a date and it is becoming clearer that Declan is gay. He had a feeling about it ever since the phone call and the latter's compliments on his handsome appearance and his well-kept hair were a dead giveaway. Despite being uncomfortable about it, Shay still kept Kameron and Lulu's advice about this being a friendly get-together instead of an actual date.
"Tell me, Shay," Declan said. "Have you ever attended a fireworks show?"
"A lot," Shay answered. "I attended numerous Heartland festivals with my family, so fireworks were always involved."
"But have you seen a Paradise City fireworks show?" Declan asked. "Because there is going to be one tonight to celebrate the restored Original Dimension."
Shay raised his eyebrows in surprised intrigue, indicating that he has never seen a fireworks show in Paradise City even though he has been there multiple times. How did Declan even found out about this?
"How do you know about that?" Shay asked.
"Because I was hoping we could attend the fireworks show after dinner," Declan explained. Was he…blushing? Why was he blushing? Does he wish to have someone accompany him when the fireworks go off?
The waitress returned with Declan's debit card. "Here you go," she said. "Thank you for visiting us. We hope to see you again."
As Declan thanked her for returning the debit card, he analyzed the receipt to see how much he paid and calculated what her tip was. He wrote down the amount he was tipping her and the sum of that and the subtotal on the receipt with a pen she had provided.
"Shall we continue with our date?" Declan asked.
"Sure…" Shay replied, still feeling uncomfortable about this being a date.
They got up from their table and headed to the front doors to leave the restaurant. Once they were outside, Declan led the way to where the fireworks were going to be held since Shay wasn't sure the place where Paradise City's fireworks shows usually take place.
"Come," Declan said, gently holding Shay's hand. "The fireworks show will take place at Heartland Park."
Shay glanced at their intertwined hands. "Why there?" he asked.
"For scenic purposes," Declan answered.
That was an odd place to watch the fireworks because that was where all of Heartland's festivities occur, so wouldn't that limit their chances of seeing the celebration? Regardless of where they were viewing it, Shay still doesn't feel anything with his hand being held by Declan's.
"But I thought it was a Paradise City fireworks show," Shay pointed out.
"True," Declan said. "But this is to celebrate the restoration of the Original Dimension. The fireworks from Paradise City are simply a lot more entertaining than the ones from Heartland."
How does he know that? He has never seen Heartland's fireworks in the entirety of his life; fortunately, Shay has seen them multiple times, so he will be the judge of that. "I'll take your word for it," he said.
They spent the next half hour taking a walk from the Paradise section to the Heartland section of the Original Dimension city, where they headed over to the park with Shay leading the way this time. Upon arriving at Heartland Park, the two noticed a lot of other people were already there. It seems the dimensions fusing back into one was a cause for celebration among everyone throughout the four dimensions.
Whether they were in the revived city or in other parts in the world, it was truly a time for rejoicing back into one after spending approximately fourteen years split apart. In Declan's case, this was a nice way to continue his date whereas Shay was more focused on checking out what makes this fireworks show more entertaining than Heartland's. The two were able to find a comfortable spot that was in between the crowd and a few scattered trees.
"What makes Paradise City fireworks better than the ones in Heartland?" Shay asked.
"Simple," Declan answered. "Yusho was in charge of the fireworks show."
Yusho? The same Yusho that founded and used to teach at Heartland Duel School? This just got interesting for Shay because that means his former teacher was the one putting together tonight's festive bash; it was definitely going to be his first one in three years.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and people not native to the former Pendulum Dimension, get ready for a spectacular fireworks show you have never seen before!"
Everyone directed their attention towards the speaker, leaving Shay and Declan a bit stunned at who was the one giving out the announcement. It was none other than Yuya Sakaki himself. Since when did he start helping out with hosting and putting together his hometown's fireworks show?
"Now before we begin, I have an important announcement to make," Yuya continued. "Ya see, me and my dad had to make some…modifications to the fireworks show." He rubbed the back of his head. "Let's just say I kinda developed a fear of loud explosions."
He quickly looked at Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri, who all knew exactly what he was referring to. After merging back into Zarc, they were all traumatized by the incident and have recently discovered prior to their separation that they are easily triggered by loud explosives because they reminded them of Supreme King Dragon Zarc and the destruction the demon-beast caused.
"I also asked my dad to remove all of the green fireworks for the sake of the girls," Yuya sheepishly added.
The Bracelet Girls, standing next to Yuya's counterparts, knew exactly why Yusho would remove those specific fireworks. Any light emitting a bright neon green tint was a trigger for them because they couldn't stop thinking about ARC-V powering up and how they were all forcefully transferred into it to help revive Ray.
"So without further ado, let the annual Sakaki Fireworks Show begin!" Yuya announced.
The audience applauded as he went back to where his family was. As the clapping subsided, fireworks started to blast off into the sky and quietly explode in a variety of images that were each colored differently and can actually move, coming off as more of a light show than a fireworks show. The show included Yuya's Performapals as Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra playing in the background, the images moving in time with the music.
The imagery of the fireworks was categorized into two groups: the Performapals that Yuya used over the years appearing and disappearing to the rhythm of the song while the monsters he recently acquired (like Tuning Magician) performing by feeling the flow of the lyrics. Everyone was blown away by what they saw, especially the Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ residence. They have never seen a performance this stunning before, so they were all thinking that this was the best one they have seen. Everything from the choreographed images to the cheery atmosphere of the selected song, which makes sense because this was a special kind of day where the people of all four dimensions can begin living with one another. Even Shay couldn't help but have his jaw drop at what he was watching, leaving Declan with a smirk on his face.
"This is incredible!" Shay exclaimed. "How…?"
"The fireworks in Paradise City are infused with Solid Vision," Declan explained. "Because of this, the enhanced technology can create various imagery that actually move."
Shay continued to stare in awe as the Performapal fireworks quietly exploded to Mr. Blue Sky. If that was the case, then why didn't Yusho introduce that during his time at Heartland? From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lulu cuddling with Yuto and sharing a few kisses although it felt rather different to them, mostly due to them finally being back in their own bodies. The Obsidian heir then found himself thinking about how much his sister has grown; it was actually quite unbelievably fascinating to see her mature prior to the Invasion. Originally a toddler with a strong desire to have long hair like the actresses in movies and to pursue her dream of being an actress herself, she was now but a beautiful, polite, and feminine young teen who has plans to marry a noble, chivalrous gentleman whom she met months ago. He was completely okay with their arranged marriages yet he still couldn't stop thinking about how much she has grown. …It was a bit heartbreaking for him.
"Are you alright?" Declan asked.
"It feels as if it was only yesterday Lulu was a bright-eyed little girl," Shay said. "I remember when I brought her to the Heartland Spring Festival for the first time."
Lulu was only as young as a preschool student when she attended her first Heartland Spring Festival. She had always wanted to go there when she was a toddler and that moment was her big chance.
"Come on, Shay!" Lulu had exclaimed, dragging him over to one of the festival booths. "I want a plush Rainbow Kuriboh!"
Shay let out a laugh. "Alright," he said. "I'll win one for you."
The booth she took him to with the Rainbow Kuriboh plush had a classic game set up: knocking down all six bottles that were stacked on top of each other. "Step right up and win a prize!" the booth owner announced.
"I'll take that challenge," Shay said, giving the man a few coins.
"Splendid!" the booth owner said. He gave Shay a small ball. "You only have one shot, so make it count!"
Using the ball he was given, Shay aimed at the stacked bottles to see where would be a good point to knock them down. He has been given private lessons to enhance his smarts and athleticism, so this was a perfect opportunity to put them in use. He chucked the ball towards the lower leftish-center section, knocking the bottom two down, which caused the upper three to fall and topple over the last standing one.
The booth owner was amazed. "Incredible!" he exclaimed. "I have never seen such precision from a boy that young! How-" He looked closely at Shay and Lulu. "Wait a minute… You're the Obsidian kids, aren't you?"
"We are," Shay answered. "And I promised my sister a Rainbow Kuriboh plush."
"Of course," the booth owner said. He gave a Rainbow Kuriboh plush to Lulu. "Here you go."
"Thank you!" Lulu happily said, hugging the plush.
She has had it ever since because she never forgot the day her brother won it for her. She always took care of it and made sure it was in good condition just in case the time comes to pass it down to her potential offspring. Shay cherished that memory for years now and still found it hard to believe that the long-haired girl cuddling with Yuto and watching the fireworks show with him was the same bright-eyed young child he took with to the Heartland Spring Festival.
"She grew up so fast," Shay said, sounding a bit sad. Here she was now, reunited with her boyfriend and family, and she can now look forward to continuing her acting lessons without any sudden interruptions. And in a few more years, she will marry Yuto and they will have kids of their own. She was growing up right before his eyes.
"At least you actually get to grow up with your younger sibling," Declan said.
"What about Riley?" Shay asked.
"Recently I discovered she had all of her previous memories retained," Declan explained. "Her not smiling wasn't because of Zarc. It was because she remembers how mother treated her. Yuya's Dueltainment only distracted her. I decided it would be better for Moon Shadow to raise her."
It was going to be weird not having Riley around Leo Corporation because Declan had developed a caring sibling bond with him/her, especially after learning Henrietta took advantage of her adopted child's trauma. He knew what his life was like, and thanks to Declan's tutelage, Riley became a strong Duelist who helped put a stop to Zarc's madness, even if it reverted him into a baby girl. He figured having Moon Shadow raise her would be perfect since she has looked up to him and he has protected her on certain occasions. Surely, the two will come up with a plan for her new life.
"I did give Riley's deck to Moon Shadow for when she's older," Declan continued. "If all of her memories really are left intact, she'll have no trouble relearning her C/C strategies."
Despite initial hesitation, Shay gave Declan's hand a gentle squeeze. "You made the right decision," the Raidraptor user said. "Moon Shadow will make a perfect parental figure for Riley."
"Thank you for the reassurance," Declan said. Then suddenly, he pulled his hand away from Shay's. "But you can drop the act. I figured you weren't gay."
Wait, he knew all along?! How? When? Shay was more confused than relieved by this sudden revelation. If that was the case, then why did Declan even ask him out in the first place?
"If you knew, why did you ask me out?" Shay asked.
"I didn't know at first," Declan admitted. "I wasn't sure if you were that kind of person, but I did notice how handsome you are. Yey I realized you seemed uncomfortable at the restaurant, which made me come to the conclusion that my suspicions are correct."
"What suspicions?" Shay asked.
"That every handsome man is either fictional, taken, or straight," Declan answered.
Those were his suspicions? Well, he isn't entirely wrong about people having fictional crushes or learning their crushes are taken or have different sexualities. It is a thing that constantly happens.
"But at least I now know Dextra won't be disappointed," Declan said. "You're a perfect fit for her."
Shay was surprised to hear that. "How do you know Dextra?" he asked.
"Mother always invited the Papillions to family parties," Declan explained. "As a result, Dextra ended up becoming one of my closest friends."
Shay never knew Declan and Dextra were close friends with each other; it did seem interesting about how a family from the XYZ Dimension was invited to parties in the Standard/Pendulum Dimension. That must have been happening when he discovered there were four dimensions. At least he was glad to know his friend accepted him being straight and his upcoming marriage.
During the fireworks show finale, an image of Xiansheng Magician appeared and shot an arrow, causing the image to quietly explode into light purple hearts with white angel wings. Then the words 'Congratulations on your arranged marriage, Yuto!' appeared in the sky, causing the eggplant-haired teen to blush heavily.
"Yuya!" Yuto called out. "People don't celebrate arranged marriages!"
"Aw, don't be such a bummer," Lulu said. She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "It's probably his way of celebrating."
Yuto couldn't stop blushing at how embarrassed he was about everyone learning of him getting married to Lulu, but a smooch from her did ease him down. As for Shay, he got a slight chuckle at the finale because Yuya must have found out earlier today or prior to the blood separation. Even after the initial struggle against Duel Academy, it looked like the Obsidian siblings have bright futures ahead of them.