Chapter XII

Jonouchi Katsuya

Edo shudders internally. Is Jonouchi serious about spending some days at the duel academy? For some reason, he has this irking sensation that he will not get along well at all with his partner.

This wasn't in the schedule and just what is he thinking by coming to a duel academy, does he not know the fans will be flying over him? Won't he be followed by the press? How does he plan to stay here exactly? His brow twitches once, overwhelmed by many concerns he does not voice.

"Does the press know about your arrival here?"

"Nope! You don't need to worry, I didn't even tell my manager!" He zips his lips with his fingers. "I also have a disguise prepared! I'd like to go around and see the academy. Man," He puts his hands on his pockets. "I gotta see what Kaiba invested in here! He plays all cool and cold, but he's using his money to fund kids that want to duel, he's such a softie!" His eye squinting like a jester giggling to himself, as if he's planning to use that to mock Kaiba later.

"Could you give me a minute? I would like to talk to chairman Samejima for a moment…" Edo's eyes dart coldly at the principal that smiles.

"Sure!"

The blonde takes sunglasses out of his backpack, putting it on as well as a black bandana that he wraps to cover most of his blonde hair, walking out of the office full of pride of his art in disguises.

As soon as he is out, Edo crosses his arms, a menacing gleam into his sharp blue eyes, glaring at the director.

"Why was I not informed about this earlier?"

"I apologize, but I was informed in as much of a short notice as you. In fact, he appeared at my office just half an hour before you came in without any previous appointment." He smiles placidly.

"What about the press and fans and where will he even stay? I doubt he'd be able to sleep with how beloved and requested he is! Everyone will be around him if they find out."

"You are also popular, you can live with that, can't you?"

"It's different. And I'm not as popular as him."

"As for where he will be staying… Well, he asked me in person if you would let him stay in your room. He thinks if you two will be dueling together, you need to talk and bond and I had to agree it makes sense."

"No." He raises his index finger as if saying that's a limit he shouldn't dare cross. "No way."

"You will need to tell him that, but I must say I didn't prepare any accommodations for him, it would be very nice if you could help him while he's here, I'm sure he will appreciate it." There was this cunning air in his smile that didn't please Edo in the least.

"I already have troubles enough as it is, if a legendary duelist like him stays near me, it will just summon endless attention to us and this isn't…"

"I understand your concerns. However, as his partner, I think it's important to enforce that you two have time to plan your strategies and acquaintance with him before the big day. I also believe meeting a duelist like him carries a great weight and listening to the perspective of someone who has been in the world league in an ambience outside the pro world will be good for you, likewise it will be an experience for him."

"In other words, you think I could learn something from him."

He blurts out thoughtlessly. It's not that he doesn't understand who Jonouchi is, but he dislikes this shrewd and indirect way of saying that he can improve.

"This is an academy, after all, professional or not, you're one of our dear students, so I'll make sure you get as many experiences to nurture your growth as you can have."

The door bursts open, Jonouchi holds the handle, barging into the office rashly and waving at the two inside.

"Hey, I see a lot of students walking around the corridors, do you have classes now?"

Edo stares at the principal, his eyes drifting away from reality almost asking for help there, Samejima smiles kindly to the guest and declares, looking at Edo in almost a cynical undertone:

"I'm sure professor Chronos won't mind if I send him a note explaining everything, you're free to guide Jonouchi-kun through the school, Edo. He's in your hands now."

"Hah, sorry for that, it ain't good to be skipping classes, but I heard you're a genius, figures it won't make the difference for you!" He pats Edo's shoulder enthusiastically.

"Yeah."

He clenches his fists slightly, resisting the urge to snap at the careless duelist and at the principal for being roped into the mess. He has to stop being annoyed, Jonouchi is his partner and like the principal said, he should make the most out of this.

Inside the first year's classroom, Asuka scribbles down some notes from Chrono's lecture until the teacher is interrupted by a guard that brings some sort of paper, the teacher jumps in place, visibly astounded by something.

The blonde stops her hectic fingers from writing more, her hand making a fold on her cheek as she supports it. Her idle eyes wander around the classroom, Judai is sleeping as usual, Shou is checking his deck while having a book standing in front to cover the fact he's not paying attention to the classes and Hayato is drawing, just one more monotonous day.

Another look around and she notices the empty spot on Edo's seat, her hand unwittingly moving away from her cheek.

"He's not here? Is he busy with the pro league with some special permission or what? So much about him not running away from school… We still need to clarify with him what exactly he is doing here…" She supports her face while pondering, bored again.

"Ah, right, Edo didn't come today, but I'm surprised you noticed Asuka!" Junko giggles behind her ear, she jolts on her seat for being caught, despite not saying a word, turning around to her friend.

"It's hard to not notice, he stands out."

"You two really left a bad impression on each other, I guess. I can't blame you, he was very mean." Momoe smiles worriedly.

"He's too conceited and he's not the most friendly person either, but it doesn't matter."

"He's an idol, you know sometimes people let fame get to their heads, it doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings. I'm sure he's a nice person inside and outside too with his good looks." Junko's cheeks become pink at the last part.

"Yeah, you should put it past you and not keep hating each other, that's not good for your heart."

"I'm not hating anyone. You two, sincerely…"

She sighs heavily, she wouldn't just tell those two that Edo recently joined her search for the missing students, or at least, they all agreed to keep it a secret between them.

After the first period

In the third-year's classroom, the students are all scattered over the class, the amalgam of voices making a buzzing noise. Rie's keen eyes land on the two girls, unknowingly to her that they were also the ones who trapped her there.

Glancing over the place, she spots Ryo on a few rows below, he's occupied by some other students asking him questions. He's always so busy, talking to people, studying or dueling, but to be the top student of the academy, he probably has to dedicate himself a lot, she infers.

Her eyes drift back to the girls, they're leaving the classroom, the pink-haired girl stands up calmly and inconspicuously, casting a glance at Ryou as she passes by, a discreet call. His gaze darts to the side upon having the sensation someone observed him right now, his eyes widening a tad after noticing who just walked past.

"If you excuse me, I'd like to discuss this another time, I have some matters to settle now."

He stands up slowly, his stoic expression not letting a single tip of what he has to do. They watch bewildered as he walks out, some imposing aura exhaling from him, it leaves them wondering whether they will ever be able to be close to his level one day.

Outside the classroom, he takes a look around quickly, the people transiting around becoming nothing more than indistinct shadows, stopping as he catches a glimpse of pink, Rie stands beside the corner of the corridor, her back leaning against the wall, she straightens up after noticing his presence, her head tilting slightly as if to call him closer, he promptly answers to the call, approaching tensely.

"Why are you standing here? Did you see them?"

"Yes, I saw the girls, they stopped by there." She bends subtly to look at the left part of the intersection of halls, pointing at the two unadvised bullies.

Ryo's eyes narrow by so little it's almost imperceptible, his arms cross in a thoughtful stance, considering how best to broach them and ask about the hut. It's possible they'll ignore Rie and not listen to him either. There's some movement in front of his distracted orbs, A PDA lifted to his eyes-level with a message:

"Who goes and asks them?" She grimaces in some sort of unwillingness to be the first.

"We should both go."

He concludes firmly, taking the first step ahead. The two girls talk unpreoccupied and chuckle until they hear the pairs of footsteps drawing close, their attention shifting to it. Their eyes open wide and they have an immediate flush as they see Ryou stopping right in front of them, with but a meter distance between them, his tall figure making a shadow over theirs.

"You two, we need to talk." He folds his arms making it sound like a demand, not a request.

"Kaiser-sam… I mean, Kaiser?" Izanami's lips wobble, stuck with the words, gulping down in anxiety.

The girls exchange a confused glance, their cheeks still red until they see another person, from behind him, Rie steps to the side, her blue orbs cast slickly unto the girls.

"You-" The short-haired Izanami squints her eyes in annoyance, her expression told she was about to gobble Rie whole.

"You two were the ones that guided the teachers to the hut that day, weren't you?" Ryou interrupts her before she spits an insult, stepping ahead as if to make himself noticed again.

"Y-you remember us?" She blushes instantly again, her daydreaming is shattered by his composed, yet harshened tone:

"How were you so sure Rie would be inside that hut? What were you doing there that morning?" His inexpressive and intense gaze lands on her inquisitively.

"We told the teachers everything, why do we have to explain anything to her again? She knows what she did." Ayako enters the fight.

"That's right, it's not our fault if she's scheduling secret appointments with boys in strange places, we just saw it and did our job as students." The leader averts her head to the side, pettily pouting. "We don't know how you got involved in all this mess, Kaiser. I feel bad for that."

"Why the surprise? Is it a problem if I went there on my own volition? Or are you shocked because you were expecting someone different would be there with Rie?" His eyes sharpen, a dim shade over them as he throws the accusation.

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" She struggles to find the words, berating herself inwardly for letting her tongue go too loose. "I just didn't expect that our model student would be… I mean… Breaking rules and stuff… T-This doesn't sound like you at all. That's what I thought. B-but whatever you do, it doesn't matter, you're still the Kaiser!"

"What do you even know about me?" The words plunged like an arrow, he sounded unsettled.

"I just… I don't know, I just didn't expect you to be there!"

"You're lying."

The irritating sound of typing coming from the pink-haired girl as she frowns at Izanami just riles the other one more.

"You don't have proof I'm lying, you were inside the hut after all, weren't you?" She defies with a vile smirk. "I don't know how she convinced you to enter that place too, but you should not listen to the little vixen. It'll just get you in trouble, Kaiser." She puts both hands on her waist, looking down on Rie.

Rie is about to step onwards, but an arm blocks her way, Ryou casts a brief side glance at her, his lips curving down, showing he was not less bothered by it than her, but they should still keep it civil.

"You didn't answer my question. How did you know? And what were you doing there?" His strong voice slaps Izanami's attention back at him with a flinch.

"I-I don't get why you're questioning me now, Kaiser-sama…" She stutters nervously. "Like I said, we saw her going out that night, and we saw some sort of message addressed to her asking for her to go to the hut at a certain time, now what she was doing, I don't know, you should ask her that. I don't know anything else."

"When you were there before, did you also enter the hut?" He continues the questioning, driving over her attempts of dismissing the subject, putting an unbearable amount of pressure on her, he can see her face sweating.

"Why would we? We were too shocked with the truth to even dare step in there." Ayako steps up again, a smile twitching on her lips.

"You're saying you saw your idol in there with a girl and you didn't even have the curiosity to enter and investigate further?" Rie displays the text on her PDA, her eyes sharpening in distrust.

The two girls almost shiver at the question, sweating more. What is going on? They thought Ryou being trapped in there was an accident or miscalculation, they have no idea how it happened, but they didn't expect both of them would actually come to confront them. Did they figure out that it was their plan to lock Rie in there? Even so, why is the Kaiser being so friendly with this girl?

"I don't understand why you're asking so many questions, we know where the hut is because everyone talks about it, you probably heard about it from others too." She retorts, directing her contemptuous tone at her rival. "Of course we didn't enter after all that happened, why would we? Just because we're his fans, doesn't mean we're that crazy. I'm sorry, Kaiser-sama, sincerely, whatever you did there, just keep it to yourselves, but don't come forcing us to justify anything about matters that do not concern us because you got into trouble for that."

Her hurried way of speaking and wide open eyes denounced that was a stop to the discussion, her feet tapping impatiently on the ground, her eyes avoiding looking directly into his, so obviously weaseling her way out of the situation. He sighs deeply.

"I understand… But if by any chance, you are behind whoever locked Rie in that hut, or me, we will find it out and you will be the one in trouble."

They feel a chill run down their spine, his voice piercing their ears with a warning they didn't expect to hear at all from him, his orbs shadowed by a glint of doubt. He whirls around, coming back the same way he came from, leaving them flabbergasted.

"Why is he trying to help her? No, you're thinking wrong, Izanami… Maybe he's upset because he got into trouble? But what was he doing there anyways and why does it look like he's defending her? This isn't good at all…" She grits her teeth. "Ayako, we have to speed up our plans before they find out we entered the hut… We need to test that thing for good and dispose of the evidence as soon as possible…"

"You can't mean…" Her friend panics. "Iza-chan, what if they find out? They pretty much look like they know we did something, though I was too busy staring at the Kaiser, he's so handsome even when he's angry."

"Shut up! I'll make a list of things we will need and we both get a hold of those, okay?"

"R-right!"

At the same time, Rie tags behind Ryou, a disappointed furrow on her brows as she types, walking beside him:

"Thank you for stopping me back there, I was about to snap at them…"

"Don't. It won't solve anything and this would give you a second warning if they turn the situation against you…"

"You're right, they're not worth the trouble. They clearly know and did something, but they won't admit or tell if someone else is involved."

"Yeah… Their story doesn't hold up. Maybe they were the ones who…" He looks at her profile, his mind traveling to another world for a moment. "... Locked you there…"

"Do you think so?" She gives it a thought, but ditches it out of her mind. "It doesn't matter anymore, whoever put me there is not important now, but I don't believe them a single bit." She takes a pause, clicking the keys indignant. "I mean, you're their idol, if they're really in a fan club, wouldn't they immediately enter the hut and try to smell your scent or something or even see if you dropped any object there to have a chance to give it back to you or find out what really happened between us there. Isn't that what those fangirls do?"

A drop of sweat trickles down his face at the statement, just what is she thinking fangirls are? He's worried about which wild impression she's having of his fans.

Nevertheless, there's some truth to what she said. It's not like he didn't have bad experiences before like that case in which some fangirl simply jumped in front of him on his way back to the dorms and smacked her lips onto his out of nowhere.

Now that was uncomfortable as he could neither hold her back in time and had to turn her down as politely as possible after it happened. He made sure to keep a safe distance from her until she burst into tears and left calling him a "heartless duel freak" after he told her off for her whimsical actions. After his long one-hour scolding, she couldn't understand why he'd refuse her feelings and he couldn't comprehend why she thought kissing him would make him instantly fall in love with her.

Fubuki was shocked when hearing about it and berated him for not "enjoying" his opportunity, likewise he could never understand why Fubuki would be fine in flirting with all fans, but never think seriously about relationships, so he concluded he was just fooling around as he pleased.

Dueling has been what occupies his mind for most of the time, even as he hanged out with his friends, this certainly didn't make it less embarrassing to have to deal with hormonal fangirls, not before and not now.

Rie would type more, but stops herself after hearing a nervous grunt coming out of his throat as if she triggered some post-traumatic flashbacks, she could also swear his face reddened a tiny bit, was he flustered by something?

"Ryou, what do we do now? The fact they're covering it up is very telling, but we can't do much without catching them doing something wrong…" She pulls his sleeve briefly, snapping him out of his memories, composure wearing his face once more.

"Let's just keep an eye on them for now, but maintain options open and question the teachers too."

He halts his steps on the intersection, she mimics him, her eyes opening more, intrigued as he speaks first.

"If they are the culprits, they're bound to slip somewhen, but let's focus on what we have at hand. You take care too, it's possible they'll come for retaliation if they think you're somehow behind our questioning today, which isn't that far-fetched. Just tell me or Asuka if they cause you any problem, we'll do something about it. Now, we should go back to the classroom, the next period will start soon."

He walks off, she stands there gaping in awe for a moment, his attitude is so different from before, he stopped her from getting into trouble and was the whole time cutting off the speech of those mean girls as they dissed her. Who'd think he could be such a considerate person underneath that reticent and cold façade.

Her feet follow him with a delay as they both come into the classroom at different times, something they'd combined beforehand as the best way to avoid prying eyes and tumultuous rumors. They resume their school schedule like that.

Somewhere in the academy

The rhythmic and soundly steps soar in the corridor, Edo's elegant posture never changes for a second, the sunlight shining on his figure at disparate intervals, coming from the glass windows on the side.

A thin and grumpy knot on his brows, leading the way to Jonouchi that tagged behind, looking around as if that was the first time he'd ever seen a school in his life with a big and goofy smile on his face.

"Man, that Kaiba really built something here! I never imagined the academy would be so big, but that's Kaiba, such an extravagant guy! Haha! You also said there are some sort of elites here and you're part of the Obelisk? He's a real bad loser…" He laughs loudly, putting a hand to his stomach.

The silver-haired duelist is silent, listening to him and wondering when the tour will be over so he can contact Saiou, he's in some big trouble with his night plans and he'll need to figure out how to fix this problem.

They're half done with the main building, but there's much more to show around and he's unsure if he has the patience for it.

"I heard you're a genius, you're already a pro at such a young age, I'm ashamed of admitting it, but I was never the sharpest tool in the shed, haha! I didn't even know how to duel at your age, really!"

"You've come quite a long way since then, if that's the case."

"Heh, that's true, but I didn't achieve all this alone, you know? I always had my friends to support me, that's what gets me so excited about dueling, it brings me back some nice memories."

"For someone this famous, I didn't expect you to be so humble. Many people in the pro league aren't."

"I'm not that modest. Anyways, this looks like a very nice academy. Why did you come here? As a professional, I thought you wouldn't need more education than your experience at the pro league, not to tell you already have some PhDs." His eyes have this sly gleam to them, his voice is less boisterous.

"Why do you want to know?" His cautiousness surfaces.

"Ah, come on, I told you we gotta know each other better, I'm just curious about which kinda person my pal is! Moreover, I've never had a tag duel with someone much younger than me, not that your age matters."

"The academy was a suggestion of my manager, it's good publicity. What about your manager, won't you contact him and tell you're here?"

"Nah, I left a note telling I'd be on a short vacation, he'll find it out in no time."

"Why did you not consult him beforehand?" He let his tone slip how absurd he thought that was.

"He'd just deny me some free time, but sometimes you just gotta take a break and escape the highlights."

A break? Edo huffs. Such a carefree attitude, it pisses him off. He's been drowning into work ever since his debut to achieve this amount of popularity, compared to a guy that dueled well and had certain fame due to some tournaments, it looked like Jonouchi was not working as hard. He shouldn't judge, but the more he thinks about it, the more his blood pumps, his pressure becoming high.

All he has been doing ever since his father died is attempting to find the killer, and dueling, he has given his sweat, blood and tears to reach this status of glory, not once it was for his career, he had no friends besides Saiou and Mizuchi to help him, DD taught him everything he knows and the few recollections he had of his father were the fuel keeping him going.

As a world-wide known duelist he had access to many places and could fight many duelists, thus ascertaining who had the card of his father but not once, not even once he succeeded in this endless chase that caused him nightmares. When was the last time he had a break? He couldn't afford one and the idea just sounded so despicable when he had so many issues to take care of. Perhaps he was drowning into work to not feel vulnerable, to keep his eyes open in a strong state of mind.

He knows, deep down, if he ever had a moment to rest and he enjoyed it… He'd never forgive himself for not using that time to finish his business with whoever sealed his father's fate.

Jonouchi's careless way of behaving just aggravated his repulse to the idea. He doesn't want to lower his guard, not until he finds out the Ultimate D and the one who holds it.

He spends a whole day and a long part of the afternoon showing the facilities around and observing unwillingly as Jounochi runs around and looks at every possible object and room he can. By the time the sun is setting, Edo sighs tiredly, all left to show is the Obelisk male dorm.

"This is the dorm I belong to and where you'll be staying for the time being."

"Wow, this looks like a mansion!"

From the entrance to the corridors and floor and the meal hall, he was marveling at the structure and making random comments about how this is a lot better than Pegasus' castle.

At last, they arrive in Edo's room, which is just the same as everyone else's, a spacious place with a single bed, a couch, a bathroom and a balcony. Jounochi drops his side bag with a thud.

Edo opens the closet on the corner of the room and takes out a clean set of blanket and pillow, placing them on the couch.

"Unfortunately, there's only one bed and you'll be taking the couch. I hope it's comfortable enough for your tastes."

"This is still way better than in the duelist kingdom! We didn't even have a bed there!" Jonouchi drags a chair from the small study table and flips it the wrong way around to sit, his eyes wandering around the room, until the younger one stops.

"I thought you had another partner for the tag duel, but I was suddenly told they'd need my help."

"Ah, that… Let's say my other partner had some urgent matters to attend to."

"You could have refused, why did you accept to duel with someone else? Even worse, with someone you didn't personally know…"

"Hm, I was curious to come and see the academy, and I hear a lot out there about you as a prodigy kid, so I thought it'd be an interesting experience. Plus, I couldn't help but want to look into the faces of the ones we will duel. I gather they got into trouble because they broke rules." He snickers, but Edo sees no fun in the situation.

"Yes, they broke some school rules and it was decided they'd be dueling to avoid expulsion. As you can see, the ones choosing his opponents were very ruthless."

"Ah, I was a delinquent too in my days, beating gangs and stuff, breaking a few rules is nothing compared to that, didn't they just get out during curfew hours? That's not so serious."

"Indeed, but the school is strict about rules. You have to understand this is an island isolated from outside, their parents expect a certain amount of discretion from the institution." He folds his arms. "That said, I believe we're done with your introductory walk. Is there anything else you would like?"

"Hm… That place the students went to… I want to see it." The last part is pronounced more earnestly than the rest.

The silver-haired student gapes for a second before steadying his posture, with a firm frown on his face. It was almost as if Jonouchi's intent by the random talk was to reach this exact point.

"No. I'm sorry about this, but I'm not interested in being caught breaking rules, either. It's a forbidden zone for all students and off-limits even for you. If you're interested, ask the principal."

"Ah, I can't go, haha, I thought so." He scratches his head nonchalantly. "I was just a bit curious."

"You'll have to keep it only as a curiosity then. The abandoned dorm's fame is all about creepiness and danger, but most of it it's just a bunch of rumors and student talks."

"You seem to be versed in the matter."

"I just did my research before coming to an unknown island, like I said, only rumors." His blue orbs squint acutely.

"What rumors?" He insists on the subject.

"Just what you'd expect from teens: a creepy house, ghosts and shadows appearing and stories about people getting lost and seeing things there. I say they're watching too many horror movies." A drop of sweat rolls down as he attempts to make it look as normal as possible.

"Like shadow games? And this sorta stuff?" He supports his arms on the top of the chair back, his eyes lifting shrewdly.

"This guy… Is he testing me…? Probing how much I would know about it…?"

Edo scowls at the thought, the man he sees now is utterly different from the boastful duelist he was acting as during their whole trip.

He's not dumb, everyone with ears has heard about the infamous "shadow games" that the king of duelist and his friends, Jonouchi included supposedly had taken part into. Whether it was true or not, he always accepted the supernatural powers of duel monsters as something intrinsic to it.

Is the legendary duelist trying to find out if the abandoned dorms have any correlation to shadow games? He isn't staying many days here purely because of the tag duel, is he? But what are his reasons? His deep pondering is broken by the cackling of his partner, Jonouchi stands up and pats his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"You don't need to be so taut! I was just asking, you don't need to respond! Tell me something else instead, are your parents fine with you being in the pro league even though you're so young?"

"Do you not read any duel magazines?" He blinks bemusedly, but he notices that maybe he shouldn't be surprised at all.

"I do sometimes, but I leave that mostly to my manager, I don't think Honda is very happy about it, though! Why?"

"My parents died long ago, I was raised by a professional duelist that was a friend of my father, this is all reported in magazines."

"O-uoh! I'm very sorry, I didn't-" He swings his hands frantically.

"It's fine." Edo raises his hand, shaking off his head to end the excuses there. "I'm legally capable of participating in the young league. So there are no issues with that."

"Aw man, you really work hard, don't you?"

"It's my job, why would I not give my best?"

The blonde smiled faintly at the composure of the younger duelist, but his brows furrowed compassionately for Edo.

"I take it you don't have much time for yourself. Don't you think that's bad for you?"

"I have enough, thank you. Now, wouldn't you want to settle properly?" He breaks off the engagement in the conversation yet again, his partner has to forsake at this point.

After this, Jonouchi showers while Edo brings him dinner from the meal hall with both of them considering he'd call too much attention if he went there in person. He blabbers so much, the silver-haired is about to tear off his ears, but it stops eventually when his partner gets tired and retires to the couch, sleeping with more than soundly snores.

In the middle of the night, Edo slides off the bed sheets, quietly reaching out to the door, a last glance back before he leaves the room. Once he's out, his feet lead him to a vending machine outside the dorm, he takes a seat on the bench nearby after buying a bottle of green tea.

"You have to be kidding me that I will need to endure days of this… I don't know whether I should consider him smart or not… He's keeping me on the edge with all the questions…" He takes a sip, his fingers moving automatically to start a call, it's quickly picked up. "Saiou, it's me. We have a problem. That duelist, the one who will be my partner in the tag duel, he's staying in my room currently and he will ruin my investigations for at least a couple days… I can't get him off my back, it will be hard to do something about it because I was entrusted to watch over him while he's here…"

"First, have you found out anything useful yet?"

"No… At most I can tell that someone has been watching over the students on the island… The hut I talked about before, it seems there were some things in there that disappeared after they were found… I don't know what's going on here, Saiou, but just like in your predictions…"

"You don't need to hurry Edo, there's time. Like I said, a chain of change will come across you soon, whether that will lead you to the right track or not, we will see. However our enemies cannot stay hidden in the darkness for longer because light will always shine upon it." He smirks on the other side of the line, the intricacies of his speech untold to Edo. "Take it slowly, but be steadfast. Your partner won't interfere in our business, rest assured and make sure to not raise any suspicion around you."

Finishing the call, Edo looks up to the sky. He isn't worried about the duel at all now, but on how he can best avoid Jonouchi and conclude his investigations. He seemed a bit too interested in the abandoned dorm.

"Ugh… I don't know how I will deal with this… Maybe I should just get a boat licence and buy a yacht so I can have some peace whenever I want instead of sleeping here…" He gulps the tea angrily, startled when he hears leaves crumbling.

His posture switches to alert mode, he stands up fast and his eyes scan all directions until they land on the figure coming out from beyond the net of trees.

"I didn't think you'd be here complaining alone."

His eyes widen slightly, it's Asuka coming closer, But what is she doing here at this hour?

"What about you, having illegal night strolls again?" He makes a snarky retort. "Isn't it too late for a young girl to be out?"

"You don't seem like you're on a night walk, though." She replies calmly, it seems he can't irritate her more despite his mean tone. "Ryou was in the library, I talked to him earlier, but I wanted to discuss more. Thought he might be here, but when I sent a message to meet him, he told me he won't be coming so soon. Then, I heard a voice complaining in the heavens…"

"Such a dedicated student." He drinks the tea uninterested. "Did he find out anything new?"

"No…" She shakes her head in dismay, taking a seat beside him on the bench. "Apparently those girls seem to know something, but they won't tell him or Rie."

"Even if they did something, they won't just admit to it. Just catch them while they're doing it. It's that simple."

"That's why he's keeping an eye on them, but his new curfew rules make it hard for him to go out at night. I didn't think you would be staying here in the dorms. Aren't you also searching for something?"

"You should worry about finding your brother. What I want here doesn't matter."

He cuts off the chat, she gasps for a second before glancing at the ground. It takes him but a minute to notice he might have just discounted his annoyance on someone completely unrelated, again. A rueful sigh.

"Do you want something to drink?" He offers, much to her surprise, her eyes landing on his, puzzled at his sudden change of attitude. "I wouldn't advice staying here longer, you would be in trouble if you're caught too, but a drink is enough."

He stands up, stopping in front of the machine, checking the options before asking.

"We have tea, coffee, soda and some juices… Which one do you want?"

She still seems stunned at his suggestion as if that was so unexpected her brain glitched at the sight. He stares at her as if still awaiting for any response until she flinches awake.

"I don't really need anything."

"Okay, I'll pick something, then."

Her eyes blink confusedly for a moment, a tad amused he's actively resolute in everything he does and not just dueling, her refusal was not enough for him to give up. Perhaps he was trying to be a bit more friendly? Even though she retcons had he done this any time before, it would rub off as rude to her.

"I'll have some tea." She decides before he does it.

He sits down before handing the bottle to her, both of them staring ahead, into the woods, and the stars, a serene silence with crickets as the main background noise.

"What was that about buying a yacht? Do you have a problem living in the dorm like the other students?"

She looks at him, there's this genuine curiosity in her golden orbs that reminds him of his own self when he was little asking his father about heroes and duel monsters.

"You were listening." He sips more tea, inwardly ashamed he made himself heard.

"Well, I did, but… We don't need to talk about that if you don't want to…" her brows arch disappointedly.

Asuka experienced this understanding of when to talk and when to not pry too much after befriending Ryou. Unlike her outgoing brother, Ryou was so closed and reserved it would be hard to converse with him sometimes, fortunately, given some time, he opened up and a friendship blossomed there. She could see some similarities here with how Edo has been simply evading more personal questions, but for different reasons.

"If I have a yacht I'd be able to take a break from the dorms and have a place for myself, this would also make it easier for me to go out of the island compared to using the ferryboat or a helicopter. It's a practical improvement."

"Ah." She's shaken by the fact he actually answered her question.

Edo raises a brow, why is she looking at him as if he never talked to anyone in his life? Does she think he cannot hold a normal conversation fluidly? Or what is her problem, his brows slowly start angling down.

"Why were you not at the class today?"

"It amuses me that you noticed."

He says ironically. She just stares blankly at him, a hint of annoyance, did he need to sound so irritated at all times? He quietly sips the tea before answering, a calmer and more proper tone to his voice:

"I had some things to take care of, but I got permission from the principal. He was the one kicking me into the pit after all…" He says the last part in a lower voice than the rest.

"What would he want with you? Don't tell me he knows you're also walking around during the night…? Are you in trouble?" Her eyes wide open in alert.

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm more careful than our 'dear' senpai. It's you both that should avoid getting caught."

His blue orbs meet hers for a moment, his lips opening in some sort of awe, she flinches at him, wondering why he suddenly stopped to admire her face now, now that she sees him from close, she can get why Junko and Momoe would admire him as an idol, he's very pretty.

His hand stretches in her direction, her heart beats a bit faster, she couldn't help but flush, his gaze wasn't directed into her eyes anymore at that moment. What is he doing? His hand goes past the side of her face, she feels a tug on her hair before he recoils, showing his open palm.

"There was a leaf on your hair."

She snaps out of her dazzled senses, shaking her head a bit and messing her golden strands to make sure there`s nothing else. She didn't expect to have a normal conversation with him, but it wasn't all that bad.

"I don't think there's more, but this is what you get for sneaking around in bushes. You better not let this happen in front of teachers or they will ask you many questions. You should get going before it becomes too late. I have enough problems as it is, I don't want to repeat the Kaiser's level of problems."

He throws the leaf away, letting it be blown by the night breeze, then stands up, a signal they were done with the chattering, she worriedly jumps out of her seat, it's true she should have been back to her dorm long ago, not that she regrets stopping by. She bids goodbyes without looking into his face.

As she makes her way to the female obelisk dorm, her heart still pulsates a bit faster. She almost pouts while her heartbeats decelerate.

"What's wrong with me?"

Both of them thread their own way, at the same time, from the balcony of Edo's room, Jonouchi supports his elbows on the rocky railing, holding a phone to his ear, a serene, but cunning glint in his eyes, his lips slightly curved up.

"Yes, he waited for me to sleep. Kids nowadays are scary, I'll tell you." A muffled chuckle comes out of his throat. "But the more I hear about it, the more I want to know… So, can you please check what I asked, Mai?" He brings his hands together, clasping them hard, still holding the phone so she hears on the other side. A pause. "I-I know you didn't want to do a detective's job, but it's important! I swear! And no, I didn't stop you from coming to use you as an outside investigator, you're just so smart and- O-okay, I will stop the flattery!"

He stays a minute long hearing some sort of mumbling with a worried semblance, then he ends the call, she could be a handful when she wanted. His posture becomes more serious as he whirls back into the room, closing the balcony and assuming his sleeping position on the couch. A few minutes later, Edo enters, halting by the threshold.

"The room feels… A bit chilly…" He thinks, looking around, but there is no sign of any open window. His brows coiled in puzzlement.

Meanwhile, Rie watches his balcony from inside the forest, her impartial eyes patiently awaiting for any move.

"He didn't leave his room for long, neither did he walk his usual paths, but only sat down and talked to Asuka… Is there any different circumstance that prevented him from investigating? Why did he not come out?"

Her analysis is interrupted by the sound of footsteps venturing in the darkness, her body reacts by reflex, she hides behind a tree trunk and observes as someone passes by, a bit further from her position.

The silhouette illuminated by the faint beams of moonlight is Ryou, her eyes open a tad, surprised. His expression is carved into that permanent inexpressiveness, a deep frown accompanying it. What is he doing outside so late? Was he investigating again? The last she saw him, he was in the library, but it doesn't matter now. Her tension dwindles, her shoulders relaxing, her lips letting out a small sigh of relief with a hand to her chest, it's just him.

She jolts at her own thought, "It's just him?". No, this isn't right, whoever it is, she shouldn't be lowering her guard to him, or Asuka, or anyone else. Ever. Softly slapping her own cheeks, she disperse that illogical assessment, making her way back to her dorms.

They all part ways that night, each to their own concerns and doubts, more pieces join the battle, with Jonouchi bringing his own interests along, The tag duel draws near, which outcome did Saiou predict for Edo and his partner? And which changes will it ensue for his future in the academy?