So finally an Asuka-centered chapter! And a lot of Edo sassiness!

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Chapter III

Memories

A hand pulls the zipper of the overcoat up, it is a white and blue overcoat, the brown-haired boy buttons the last part, and spreads his arms showing off his brand new uniform:

"Ta-da! Asuka! Don't I look good on it?" he puts a hand to his chin, trying to come off as more charming, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, the colors are good on you. I didn't think you'd be this happy with just a uniform." her cheek folds when she supports it on her hand, her elbow on a table and her eyes a tad bored, it wasn't the most interesting topic for a thirteen year old girl.

"Just a uniform?! It's proof I was accepted at duel academy! I worked hard to get there! And I heard many pretty girls will be-"

"Ah, so it was about girls after all." she cuts him off, crossing her arms "And here I thought it was your dream to be a professional duelist."

"Yes! It is! But I also want to be popular! After all, all duelists should be popular!" he makes a point proudly affirming with a confident nod.

"I'm not sure how happy our father will be with all the sleeping on an island, especially with how flirty you are. Do us a favor and don't get him grandkids too soon."

"He'll get used to it at some point, I'm not running anywhere, but I can't promise I won't give the love and attention my fans deserve! Haha." he jokes and takes a sports bag, throwing it over his shoulder. "Well, it's time to go, the boat will leave soon and the taxi is waiting outside. Come visit your bro, will you? I'll try to visit you all too when I have time and I will tell you if the academy is all worth it!"

He flapped his mouth more about many things as usual that day, a troubled sigh coming out of her lips, but that gave place to a faint, fond smile after watching her brother so enthusiastic for his new life.

For some reason, when he opened the door to the outside, the sunlight enveloping his figure seemed brighter than usual, it made his smile shine, it was contagious. He was so hyped about it, she felt a bit jealous she was being left behind, but maybe she could try it too, one day.

"Asuka."

A voice calls her out a bit louder, making her ears ring inside, awakening her from that memory with a startle.

"You haven't touched your food yet, if you don't hurry, you won't finish before meal time is over." Momoe stares idly at her, supporting both arms on the table.

"Are you worried about something, Asuka?" Junko also jumps in, noticing the times her friend has been absent minded were increasing.

"I'm fine." she forces a smile, stuffing a spoon of food into her mouth begrudgingly, it doesn't seem like her stomach wants any food, but she knows better than that.

"That new student is such a dream! Edo Phoenix! How can he look good, duel so excellently and still have time for sports?" Junko numbers all good points counting with her fingers.

"He will give autographs to the fans later this afternoon, maybe we can catch one… I'd give anything to get a handshake too, I bet he has firm hands." Momoe puts both hands on her flushed cheeks with bubbly eyes.

"Okay, now I feel like puking." The blonde drops the spoon on the plate.

"What's the problem? You have to admit he is a piece of art."

"Have you seen his eyes?"

"Yes, I have seen his eyes, what's so good about it? He doesn't respect any duelist here and this is no secret. The other day he was humiliating a student for not knowing some basic rules of dueling. Even if what he said has some truth to it, his attitude is a big problem." her tone and expression are so serious, her friends giggle a bit with how she'd go into analysis mode in such trivial talk.

"I get it. Still, he's handsome. But I almost forgot you and Kaiser are good friends, I'm so jealous, you get to walk around with the most popular boy in school and he is such a prince, but you have no intention of making any move. You're missing an opportunity here, Asuka."

"Us, peasants." Momoe puts the back of her hand to her forehead, making drama and they both chuckle.

"Ryou and me, we're not like that… I already told you, he's Fubuki's best friend, that's how we even know each other and Ryou also dislikes all the fangirling, it's just too annoying for all of us, he has better things to do than give autographs and handshakes like certain people…"

"Ouch. You don't need to be mean, he's a professional. I'm sure the Kaiser will also have to do this stuff when he becomes one."

Asuka stands up, astonishing the girls as she seems to have completely given up on her food. They exchange a glance, feeling bad for it:

"I'm sorry, Asuka, was it all the boys talk?"

"Yeah, we will stop it now, we are just happy we have a celebrity in school, we're big fans, but we can avoid those topics if you don't like."

They both drive over their own words making arguments with the impression they need to make up, she smiles as a response, also struck with responsibility for making them feel wrong about speaking honestly:

"No, it's not your fault at all… I just don't feel like eating today, I have so much to do… I'm sorry for ruining the talk, I don't really mind, you can always tell me things."

"Asuka…"

"I have to go now…"

She beckons before leaving, the two girls feeling dejected and concerned for well being.

"She looks thinner, don't you think?"

"She has been skipping meals like this more often lately, I wish she'd tell us why… There's definitely something going on…"

They frown while meditating deeply, seeking for a plausible solution and how to best get her to tell them what's wrong and let them help, Momoe then gasps in enlightenment, hammering her own hand as if she had the perfect idea:

"Jun, I know exactly what to do!" She comes closer and whispers something on the ears of the other, they both giggle excitedly.

"That's great! It's been a while, so I'm sure she will appreciate it."

They nod in unison and also leave the meal hall from the dorm, going to their usual routine with classes.

Outside the academy building

Edo walks on the main path, passing by the duel monsters statues at the entrance, he hears the burbling noise of comments in the background, but he couldn't be less interested in it. His hand on his chin, a thoughtful semblance.

"SAL… That was some sort of lab… But what were they doing there exactly? I didn't get any results even after searching through some school files… Otherwise everything seems proper, aside from some exchange students programs, the list of students was in order when I rechecked, that transfer girl was included in the system too."

"Edo!"

A male voice calls him out, disrupting his mental examination of the facts, he just blinks in response, halting his steps and looking at the standard student, the boy was an obelisk student, not that the ranks in the school meant much to him, even though they were using the same uniform, there was no sense of camaraderie there. Edo knew he was many levels above anything the school considered as "good".

"Do you need something?" his tone came out rude, but the boy didn't matter.

"Y-Yes!" he scratches his head, his eyes jumping frequently from the ground to the face of the other duelist, searching for words "I was thinking if you could duel me and give me some tips… Y-you are a pro, right? Do you think you can tell me what I can improve after we duel?"

His blue eyes squeeze subtly. Ever since he has arrived, many of his fangirls didn't shy away to come and greet and asks for pictures, handshakes and everything, but he figure the boys hated the attention he was getting, surprisingly, it seems he had his share of male fans too and like expected, they'd want guidance from him.

"Fine. Let's duel."

"R-really?! That's great, thanks! I-I'll prepare my deck."

It wasn't long until a crowd formed around them, both with their duel disks ready. The student was overly excited with the fact he'd been dueling a professional, if only everything went accordingly to how he imagined. At the same time, two familiar faces walk towards the main building.

"You look pale, Asuka." Ryou crosses his arms, his stare is blank, but she feels concern underneath that gaze of his as they walk side by side.

"I'm fine, I just had some nightmares. It doesn't help that all I hear about nowadays is how awesome that new student is… Do people really have nothing better to talk about?"

"He's talented to be in the pro leagues this young, but I've never seen him duel in person, though I'd love to."

She stops upon barging into the hectic crowd and seeing the holograms standing tall ahead.

"Well, it seems you hit the jackpot."

They both give their attention to the scene unfolding: the unnamed obelisk student pants, his hands trembling and sweating aplenty, he looks at his cards and at the imposing figure of his opponent. Edo had some sort of aura, similar to Ryou, but maybe even more menacing.

"So… Will you finish your turn today or are we gonna get late for classes?" he sneers, a disdainful look in his eyes.

"What's wrong with him?" Asuka frowns.

"Intimidating and provoking your opponent is also a tactic many duelist use in real matches." the teal-haired explains unaffected by the display.

"Still… That's just…"

The boy proceeds by playing a monster out of exasperation, Edo yawns and destroys it in a turn and in the following turns he keeps destroying everything the student can come up with to the point the boy falls to his knees at the verge of a mental breakdown.

"You said you wanted me to give you some advice? I will give you some: You should drop being a duelist, you can't do it at your level. You miscalculated everything from beginning to end, it's pathetic, I'm surprised they put you in obelisk, but I fear the school ratings don't matter much to people like me."

"B-But I… I gave my best, my traps, my monsters… How could you just avoid everything?"

"Your best? Don't make me laugh, you misused the effects of your monsters and timed your traps wrong, had you waited a turn more to activate your last trap, I'd be in trouble, but instead you rushed the duel and didn't think ahead, I'm afraid your problem goes deeper than motivation, you can't win like that. Sincerely, you won't be a good duelist, but don't worry, for people like you there are always other careers to pursue. "

The spectators are shocked, watching him dissing the boy for no actual reason, the obelisk student breaks into tears, wiping it with an arm. A hand appears in front of him, he raises his eyes to see a Ra yellow student.

"You did well, he's just better at this because he's a genius and has more experience." A faint smile comes to his lips.

"I… I don't need help from a Ra yellow!"

The obelisk boy shoves Misawa's hand away, much to his surprise and Misawa watches half-flabbergasted while the boy runs off in tears.

"There you go…" Edo thinks, his eyes squinting subtly in disgust "Elitist students who can't even overcome the frustration of losing a duel, I don't know how they call this the best school of dueling, they're only pretending those rich kids can become true duelists."

The duel is over and the mood of the crowd is tense, Edo looks around unfazed by the attention:

"What are you all looking at? The show is over!"

He shouts while looking around defiantly, people disperse slowly, he huffs at the sight. They had no idea about his life or how much he struggled to get where he stands, it annoyed him that those people thought a session or two with him would fix all their troubles as a duelist.

"Ugh, look at that insufferable expression of his!" Manjoume munches his own teeth, clenching his fist "He has the skill and knows how to put people in their place, but I will never let him mince me in a duel like this. That obelisk guy needs some pride, obviously, asking for an enemy to teach him? This is just ludicrous!"

"Of course you wouldn't lose to him, Manjoume-san!" Raizou closes his fists enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you're the crop of the obelisk dorm!" Taiyou taps Manjoume's shoulder in an attempt to not be left behind in terms of motivation.

"You both can stop it now, I will have a duel with that guy soon, his mistake was to show off his Noble Knights deck, now I know how to prepare against him."

A shade covers his face partially and a smirk creeps to his lips a muffled laughter making his chest pump, it becomes a guffaw, then he walks away followed by his loyal companions one by each side, attracting some attention from the crowd. From afar, Edo feels a shiver run down his spine, his hand coming to his nape, his eyes wandering among the people who still comment about the duel, none of them stand out.

"I just had a nasty feeling like when that stalker girl was following me…"

He takes a deep breath, ever since he came to this school he had to deal with fans on a daily basis and with those boys who like to dream they can be good duelists with their low rate techniques and abilities. Not that it was very different in the pro-world with autograph sessions, interviews and preparations in between duels, it's just that he found himself more tired from this school life than of his more hectic and professional life.

Someone comes ahead of him and stops in his way, a blonde girl, he halts on his track. Ryou is right behind the girl, Edo saw him stretching a hand worriedly as if to stop her, then sighing heavily at the futility of the attempt.

"You didn't need to do that! Was there really a reason to talk like that to him?! Look, all of us here are still students, it doesn't matter if you came from the pro leagues or whichever hole you value so much, everyone is here to learn."

"The obelisk queen, isn't it?" his eyes are droopy as if he's uninterested in the scolding. "What is the problem? He asked for the duel. It's not my fault the school rankings allow such mediocre people to be put at the top dorm."

"How can you live with yourself like this? How do you even have fans?"

"I'm the best, how could I not?" he crosses his arms, his chest stuffed with arrogance, a somewhat imposing posture. "If you're that interested in me and my skills, we can settle it in a duel. I'm sure we can finish before classes start." his eyes displayed utmost confidence in those words.

The few people that were still around sweated bullets with his affirmation and at how Asuka gaped indignant at his sassiness, a dense air swelled up instantly, her brows slowly coming together.

"What? Are you too afraid now?"

"I-"

Before she spat out the reply to his provocations, a hand lands on her shoulder, she looks back in reflex.

"Ryou…?"

"This is not the time for this Asuka, come, let it be."

His serene voice had an immediate effect, her shoulder relaxing and her posture toning down from the simmering wrath, Edo didn't lose the opportunity to be sardonic.

"So despite being called a queen you still listen to the orders of the Kaiser, huh? I see you can't decide things for yourself."

He smirks conceitedly hearing as a nerve snaps on Asuka's forehead, his smirk vanishes when Ryou glances at him, sharpening his eyes, his tone had defiance despite the calmness imbued in it:

"If you want to duel so badly, I can take you on. Leave her alone."

He is startled at the challenge, is the Kaiser really up to take him in a duel? He doesn't want to admit it, but it made his duelist blood boil a tiny bit.

"Though, I'm not sure how much you will be able to duel with this makeshift deck of yours. Or would you show me your real deck if we duel right now?" the blue-haired boy squints his eyes, Edo is bewildered at his words, soon a smile crossing his lips.

"It seems you're as smart as people say."

Ryou stands fearlessly across him, his arms crossed and a straight, composed posture. Edo Phoenix can tell that guy is different from the other duelists around from the aura he has. The smile on his face grows, this could be the opportunity he is waiting for, unfortunately the bell of the school rings. It's time to start the classes.

"Well, it seems we will need to have our duel another time. Too bad."

The blue-haired duelist uncrosses his arms and walks off, giving a light tap on Asuka's shoulder, she follows him, casting a last look back, her irritation stamped in her expression while looking at the silver-haired.

Asuka stomps her way inside the academy building, a consistent furrow on her brows, her arms crossed in an unusual annoyance as she fumed from the top of her head:

"I can't believe that guy. It doesn't matter whether he is a pro or not, his attitude is just over the top! How can people like him?!" her fists clench.

"He disrespected his opponent from the start, he never dueled considering they're on the same level, but what he said is not all a lie."

"You're telling me this justifies that he just humiliated a student for no reason at all?"

"I do think his behavior is an issue, but for people like him getting angry and losing your mind will just fodder their arrogance. You shouldn't take him lightly and you shouldn't let him get on your nerves this much."

"I know, but ugh, now my morning just got worse thanks to him, such a disgusting duel. Plus you seemed interested in dueling him yourself."

"Indeed, I'd like to, but I also did that to stop you. He'd just disrespect you further and nothing would be solved the way you wanted."

"You're right that was not the moment, but I'm yet to give him a good lecture and you won't stop me next time!"

Ryou raises a brow and walks a few steps behind, trying to maintain his distance, she was usually a level-headed person but there were a few occasions and there are only a few times in which he'd rather not approach her under any circumstance and keep a safe distance of at least a couple meters away.

They go separate ways to their respective classrooms, the blonde casts a narrowed glance at the silver-haired duelist that sits calmly, not a sign of remorse or even conscience, he nonchalantly types on his phone, she rolls her eyes, shaking off her head in disapproval listening to his fangirls squealing.

Her mind drifts to another realm after listening to the squealing, it reminded her Fubuki would often spur this same reaction on girls. How would it be if that was her brother instead of him? Would she be seeing this same scene, but with a smile rather than an enraged trail of thoughts?

For some time she wondered how it would be if Fubuki was still studying here. He'd be in his third year now. When he first left, he'd send messages often and talk about a lot, at some point he invited her over to the island and that was the first time she'd met Ryou, they gave her a tour around, she decided she also wanted to come here by then.

Other times, Fubuki visited their house, their parents had so many questions and kept him a full night awake, she misses those moments. It happened then, she remembers it clearly, the soundtrack she was listening to, some classical music to keep her mind tranquil, the sound of the pencil rubbing on the paper as she took notes while reading a book she borrowed from the library in the city.

Her father just opened the door, he is a bulky brown-haired man with a defined beard on his chin and around the mouth. She'd complain he didn't knock before entering, but her eyes opened wide upon seeing the figure behind him: Ryou. She knew something was wrong by then when he came alone.

It was written in their expressions, her father had such weary eyes, she'd not seen it ever since her mother died a few years ago, and Ryou had crossed arms, a dim glint in them, he was bothered to the core. She could only think how her brother would often call him a closed book that would never display emotions so easily and you must read many pages into it before getting to see who he is, but seeing him now made her doubt those words.

"Asuka, it's Fubuki… Your brother, he…" her father started.

After taking off her headphones, their lips moved, it was just a few sentences, her orbs quivered wildly and her mind went blank. They kept talking, but she couldn't listen to more of it. Why did this have to happen to her brother of all people? He was such a good person and had a big heart, his silhouette shined with cheerfulness and everyone felt attracted to this light he seemed to emanate from inside.

Wasn't it enough that her mother was not with them anymore? Her father was crying that whole night in his room while she sat down at the kitchen and had a cup of tea with Ryou as he explained more details of what he knew and how he felt it was his duty to tell the family what happened as a friend.

Her tea cooled down, she couldn't swallow a single drop of it, even after Ryou left the house, she sat there in the kitchen, the lights off, hearing the sobbing of her father in the room nearby and that disturbing quietness of the house. She'd never see herself in such a situation again, but there she was.

For many, many hours she was idle, her mind vacant, traveling in a myriad of memories and scenes, lost in her own thoughts. When she noticed, it was morning, the light and warmth of the sun sipping through the window awoke her from that state. If something happened to her brother, if he went missing and no one knows where he is now, then she can't stand still. She can't stay and cry like her father, mourn over someone who isn't given as dead yet, they're not even sure of what happened.

There was hope he was still somewhere and she would cling to it, she would take any bit of it right now. If the school is trying to hide something fishy, she will find it out. When she got up from that chair, she was determined to find him.

The bell of the school soars, the classes are over, she finds herself in this place she dreamed to be long ago, a loneliness only she could understand, despite being surrounded by friends and admirers.

"Asuka! Are you free tonight?" Momoe places a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Tell us you're not studying again." Junko pleaded with a clasp of hands.

"What are you two scheming this time?"

They both exchange a grin after looking at each other and hop in place excitedly while saying in unison:

"Pajama party!"

"Yes, we even talked to Ayukawa sensei, she said we can do it as long as we're not noisy and remain in the room after curfew!"

"We have to do this, Asuka, it's been so long, we can talk and watch duels and check our decks, there's lots to do together!"

The way they kept listing ideas and what they were planning elicited a chuckle on Asuka, for the first time that day she was having fun or at least felt her heart flutter happily her friends wanted to spend time.

"Right, it's been a while. But I will really snap if you two start talking about boys again."

"We'd never do that to you!"

They laugh a bit louder than expected, some glances over them, one of the people looking is Edo, he sighs heavily in a grumpy mood, how can girls be so loud sometimes? As soon as a fangirl approaches, he puts on his best vibrant smile, burying his annoyance on the depths of his chest. Keeping the mask on could be tiring, but it was part of his job as a professional, or so he thought.

Meanwhile

Rie opens her locker carefully, a pause as nothing falls over her feet. She steps back, looking at the ground to make sure he didn't miss any letter or note, then swings the door open to check all sides for possible drawings. Lastly, she stares deep into the locker, but nothing besides her belongings are there.

She folds her arms, a baffled furrow on her brows, her gaze hovering somewhere in between reality and a world of her own. Did her haters finally give up? Is she free from persecution?

Ryou casts a brief glance to the side before concentrating on his activities the reason being he didn't hear any creaking noise or the sound of the mounds of paper dropping to the ground, not even he unbearable strident noise her locker would do while opening, it felt like it would actually pierce his ears since it came from right beside him. He is glad he won't be hearing it anymore.

"We're through with the bullying saga, it seems…"

He voices in his thoughts, sighing inwardly, closing his eyes and finding some peace, she is nowhere to be seen when he looks around, that one sure disappears fast. While he passes by the corridor, he hears some squealing inside one of the classrooms, it's where the first years have classes.

His eyes open in a faint curiosity, his feet stopping on their own. There is a crowd of girls having hearts instead of eyes, they all wiggle and shout loudly. It's not difficult to find out the source: Edo Phoenix writes down some autographs on some plates, books, notebooks and stuff the girls bring with a salesman smile.

"Can you believe how many fans he has?"

The familiar voice calls Ryou's attention, Asuka stands beside him, a pout and folded arms, she closes her eyes to not have to look at the disgracefulness of the scenery. He answers slightly puzzled:

"If you dislike it so much, why are you still here?"

"Asuka, it might take a while to get the autograph, so you can go ahead and we meet at the dorm!" Momoe puts an arm around her friend.

"Yes, we can- Ah, hello!"

They blush and beckon, greeting him and almost squealing inside with shiny eyes, his brows furrowing troubled with the sight. Before they can say anything else a surge of girls comes into the queue, Momoe, Junko and Asuka are pushed around inside the crowd. Ryou can only stretch his hand and observe astounded, stepping back to not get caught into it as the three girls are swallowed among the fangirls.

Asuka is thrown around while trying to escape the swarm of frantic people, until she staggers a step out of that nightmare, unfortunately, she is on the wrong side, surrounded by fangirls and right across her is…

"What a surprise. Did you finally decide to give up to my charms and admit you're one of my fans or what?"

His voice carried irony through her ears, causing a scowl on her. His expression changed from the slight evident disdain to her to a perfectly bright and polite smile he casts onto his fans. Could he be more fake than that?

"It's not my fault your fans behave like animals, I was pushed here against my will."

Her words extracted gasps from some of the girls around, and she made sure they heard it, obrs all over are cast unto her. He folds his arms, a short sigh as if that situation is gonna give him a headache.

"Now, now, you shouldn't be mean to the girls. If you don't want to get an autograph, make space for the people who want."

"You're just jealous because he's more popular than you!" One of the fans starts, the others start to follow.

"Yeah! And that he is better than your brother was! Just because you're the queen doesn't mean you can badmouth Edo! Go away!"

"Go away!"

The mood starts to escalate quickly into a fight, he's bracing himself to stop the conflict before it becomes something out of hand, his lips open to try soothing it, but someone else calls out to him.

"Wait, excuse us!"

Momoe and Junko get out of the crowd, they pant, supporting their hands on knees, one of them raising a finger asking for a minute. Junko glances briefly at her blonde friend standing annoyedly on the side and covers the side of her face to speak without being spied on.

"Please, don't be offended, she is very worried about her older brother lately and-"he raises a hand in a sign for her to stop speaking.

"I really would advice you to leave before you get lynched… Asuka Tenjouin… That's the name, right?" He says as if he isn't sure out of spite while disguising it with his calm voice, because he had the names of all students properly recorded in his brain. "Or will you just stare at me to death?"

"You…"

The scrunch on her face accentuates, a drop of sweat forming as she hears "Go away" from many directions with angry fans demanding their time with the idol, everyone around seems to be on his side, the curve on his lips is so smug she'd wish to punch his face right now.

"What? The last time you had Kaiser Ryo stand in to duel for you, will you call your big brother next? Can you even think for yourself in a duel?"

He closes his eyes, shrugging his shoulders and putting a hand to his waist victoriously, though his expression changed to bemusement upon seeing her face, she seemed thunderstruck, her eyes flickered for a moment while looking at him wordless as if he just stabbed her chest to kill her, tears accumulating on the corners of her eyes, the glint in them was almost… Fearful.

"You're such a jerk."

She whirled around, pushing away some girls, they stepped to the side and made space for her to leave, Momoe and Junk exchanged a glance, going pale, shoving their notebooks onto Edo's hands.

"Please, give us your autograph, we need to go now, so we can pick it up later!"

"Y-Yeah!"

They rush out, leaving him even more puzzled with the whole situation, his eyes following the scene on their own, he watches as the blonde gets out of the classroom, the Kaiser says something, but she just gestures with an arm aggressively and walks off on her own.

Ryou glares at him subtly, some sort of disapproval in the air, a scolding frown, it looks like he's almost losing his patience too. He then follows the blonde and soon after her friends do the same.

"Ignore her, she's just jealous, her brother used to be a popular boy in our school until he transferred to America!"

A fan practically throws herself into Edo's arms, there are some complaints on the side, his hands carefully taking her wrists and moving her hands away from his chest.

"Is that so…?" he raises a brow "She is more delicate than it's apparent, then."

He comments with a chuckle, but his thoughts are far more centered in seriousness. Why did she have such an expression when he said that? No matter how much he considers it, that's not a reaction someone makes when their relatives just traveled somewhere else. Girls can be dramatic, he knows that well, however there's more to it and now he is left wondering what it is.

Later, at night

Momoe and Junko look at each other worriedly, they're fully dressed in their long sleeved pajamas inside Junko's room, sitting across them is also Asuka she has a long sleeved light-blue pajama with a cute coilly wing pattern all over.

The folded arms and curve down her lips added to the closed eyes in a pensive semblance is enough to give them all the warnings they should be starting a talk here:

"Hey, Asuka… Are you still mad about earlier today?" Momoe starts, forcing a twitchy smile, afraid she'd be burned by Asuka's intense glare alone when the blonde looks at her.

"Y-yeah, please ignore what he said. He is a celebrity and he doesn't know much about you, he was just doing his job."

"Doing his job? Does he humiliate people unwarrantedly just because he can? He knows nothing about me, my brother or Ryou, but that smug, insupportable face of his…"

They're not sure if they should be happy Asuka is talking about boys finally or sad that the only reason she is doing it is to complain and vent her anger.

"Come on, let's not allow this to ruin our girls' night!" Momoe jumped in to stop the angry mumbling of the blonde.

"We have so much to do!"

Junko supports with a smile, bringing a box with some manuals, books and a few board games. Her chest tightens a bit thinking on the efforts her friends are making to help her feel better.

"You're right. It doesn't matter. Thank you, both of you."

They almost hop out of happiness and start their plans for the night, among playing board games, checking cards and reading duel magazines, time goes by. Asuka is always checking the clock, she didn't forget about her meeting with Ryou at the lighthouse for their daily investigation, nonetheless, she has to wait for now.

It's around midnight when she can hear her friends snoring softly, one on the bed and the other one on the ground, on a futon. Asuka slides the blanket down smoothly and gets up, changing to her uniform. On the way out, she sees a vase with a rose bouquet on the chest of drawers beside the door.

Her eyes waver, casting a last glance back to the friends sleeping unaware of her true problems. Even though this night was supposed to be for them to talk, she didn't tell much besides she was missing her brother, after that they made even more of an endeavor to keep her mind occupied and cheer her up.

Her hand grabs one of the roses in the vase, taking it out, she opens the doorknob so silently they do not wake up and thus, she leaves the dorms. From a room nearby, Rie stands in front of the glass framed window and observes as the blonde student goes out of the dorm, her eyes partially covered by the shadows in the room, a blank, icy gaze.

At the same time

The sound of steps cracking branches pollutes the air, also of hurried footsteps, then a voice soars nervously:

"A-Aniki! We shouldn't go there! Please, listen to me!"

"Ah, come on, Shou!"

Judai guffaws with an excited grin, his fists closing as he looks to the path ahead, his eyes oscillating imagining what he would find there. A true dreamer. Shou talks even harsher and louder:

"Like I said! This isn't a good idea, if we're caught, we will get into trouble, Aniki, please!"

"Oh, look! It's there!"

They finally get out of the woods, an eerie breeze flows, brushing past them, Shou has a shiver looking at the ruined building sealed by a "keep out" warning in a wood signboard. Judai's smirk grows exponentially, the smell of an adventure hovers around them.

While Asuka trails towards the abandoned dorm, she is followed secretly by Rie; Edo again makes his way in the woods, looking around for clues and mapping the island; Ryou stands silently at the rocky bridge, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon, the light from the lighthouse flashing the scenery.

Professor Chronos stands silently on the harbor, hidden from prying eyes as a tall and suspicious looking man meets him, he smirks victoriously, it's about time he does something about that boy who defeated him and thinks he is above rules!

That night, many paths would cross, would they find what they want there on that island? Or would that be yet another failure?