Chapter XIV

The abandoned dorm

Edo stares intently at the cards spaced on the table, they're placed like in a table duel, some set cards and monsters on the field, Jonouchi grins awaiting for his insight.

"It works. I'm sure it won't be a challenge."

"Hm… Even if they are young, we shouldn't underestimate them." There was this eerie tone on the last part of his sentence that bothered his partner.

"I have a question. Why did you choose those traps and spells? Some of them seem dangerous. Did you put them in because it's a tag duel against students?" His eyes lift inquisitively.

"Hah, you noticed it!" He scratches his nose abashedly. "It's a silly reason, but I wanted those cards to have some more exciting moments in the duel. I want to see how they'll react to this and what they can come up with!"

"They'll probably lose regardless. I'm surprised you chose such an aggressive approach, that is not your style in the leagues."

"Since I came all the way here, I could profit from learning new styles, don't you think?" He smiles candidly.

"Yeah…" The uncertainty in his tone carries irony, he checks the clock. "I have classes now, I hope you won't be too bored…"

"Nah, I'll take a walk around the island!"

"I'll see you later then."

The silver-haired is always elegant and polite, despite all the sarcasm and the usually aloof expression. As soon as he leaves, Jonouchi puts his hands in his pockets and walks to the balcony, watching the trees shaking and the students coming out of the dorm in a placid manner.

"Now, let's start what we came here for…"

On the walkway to the main building

There are only a few students on the path at that time, Edo walks behind them all to avoid as much attention as possible, an unsuccessful wish, a familiar voice summons him.

"I thought you'd skip classes because of that visitor."

"Good morning too." He casts a side glance at Asuka. "I don't intend to change my whole schedule and it was agreed upon."

"It was the talk of the morning, your fans were trying to guess who the person was. They panicked a bit when they considered it could be…" She sniggers before saying as if it was a ludicrous theory: "... A boyfriend of yours."

Edo's piercing blue orbs land on her again, staring in disbelief with a "really?" stamped on his face, she recomposes.

"And why is that a laughing matter?"

"Because it makes no sense. Even if you had a boyfriend, do they really believe the school would let you two sleep in the same room?" She shakes her head off. "But who is this mysterious person? Your manager? You seemed rather in a rush yesterday."

"You're a curious one, aren't you?" He huffs, but answers anyways, a sign he doesn't bother with her questions anymore. "He's not my manager… He's a guest and you know him too. The person staying in my room is Jonouchi Katsuya."

"Jono-" She stops and covers her mouth upon seeing him put a finger to his lips, averting his gaze all around to check if someone heard her voice.

"You shouldn't make a fuss about it. He came a few days before the tag duel and wanted to prepare as well as see the academy, that's all."

She couldn't help but feel a bit excited about it, Jonouchi is such a famous duelist, but from Edo's perspective, seeing famous duelists might not be an uncommon occurrence, maybe that's how he can be so collected about it. Plus, to think someone like him would duel her friends brews conflicted feelings.

"I hope you don't intend to ask me to get you an autograph now."

His tone suggests he'd feel betrayed if she did so, but at the same time, if she was that type of person, he wouldn't have told her in the first place.

"I won't." She replies shocked at his light-hearted joke. "But… Isn't it risky for him to be walking around the school? I know you also have fangirls, but he's on a whole new level, right?"

"He'll be fine. He's well versed in avoiding reporters and fans in the pro-league."

"What about you?"

"Me?" His brows raise, positively surprised by her question. "You saw my fans around here, it's the same outside, but on a larger scale and with the difference that most of the time there are bouncers, except on autograph and greeting sections."

"This sounds like… A lot of work. but like any other job, it's expected of you…"

"If you're planning to enter the pro world, you'll have to get used to this type of tasks, including interviews, dealing with sponsors and schedules. But why do you ask? Are you also interested in becoming a professional duelist when you graduate?"

"I was just curious…"

She evades the topic with a wave of hand and a slightly nervous smile. He noticed that, but it felt rude to ask more. In truth, not even she is sure. At first, she wanted to be a duelist because like her brother, she loved dueling, but after she came here, between studying and searching for Fubuki, that dream of entering the pro world dimmed out inside her.

Lately she's been thinking whether that's what she really wants. She does love duels and dueling, but is becoming a professional duelist her final goal?

"There are many options, Asuka, you should think carefully. You don't need to be a duelist to work in the dueling world. It's a vast universe and there are many professions involved." He reassures in an all-knowing, but calm tone, much to her astonishment.

"I know… I just… I need to think about it, but isn't that what us students came to the academy for?"

"Maybe you, but not for everyone." He trails off on the last sentence, deep in thought.

He had an all-mighty attitude at times, but at other times, this mature air surrounds him, and he did raise interesting doubts in her, things that she has been avoiding considering. Was she afraid of not finding an answer or too anxious to get one? Whichever it is, she appreciated how straightforward he could be, it gave her a wake up call.

"Outta of the way!" A voice yells.

She's snapped out of her daze, Edo's hands land firmly on her shoulders from behind, pushing her kindly to the side. A student runs past them, clasping his hands in an apology for almost stumbling onto them.

"Hey, the road is large, you know?!" The grey-haired complains glumly. "What's wrong with that guy?"

His eyes squint for a moment before he looks at her, her eyes are wide open, staring at him in some frozen state while meeting his orbs, wordless. His hands let go of her shoulders in reaction and he steps back.

"I'm sorry, that guy was about to bump into us."

"It's fine, I should've paid more attention…" She turns her face away, hiding the slight pink color on her cheeks. "I need to get going too, it's still early, but I have to check some things. See you around."

She walks ahead at a fast pace, waving with the back of her hand, he opens his mouth somewhat stunned at her sudden leave, but seals it right away. He doesn't understand how she works.

At the Osiris Red dorm

Inside the small room, Shou and Judai sit on their legs, Ellis stands in front of them, his eyebrows making a bridge down, his arms crossed as his finger taps on his folded sleeves reaching up to his elbow.

"I understand you two are curious and young, but that's no reason to go overboard and break school rules!"

"Haha, my bad! I didn't want to get us in trouble, Shou's dad!" Judai scratches his head, troubled at the scolding. "We just wanted to know because our teacher told some interesting horror tales and we wanted to see it in person!"

"Your teacher?" He glares at Daitokuji that jolts in place, he'd be next in the line for the reprehension.

"Erm, well, those were just some horror stories, boys, I didn't expect you would actually go there…" He gulps dryly, his hands fussing while he justifies himself.

"Regardless of what the teacher said, you two are old enough to know what to not do! And I'm sure your professor wouldn't be incentivizing you to do it either." He glares at Daitokuji again in the last part, as a warning to stop feeding fantasies into their heads. "That said, I'm glad to see you're healthy, but this place is a bit…"

A drop of sweat forms on Ellis' face, his eyes scanning around, the difference in the structure is just too much, albeit he'd say this is more what he would expect when he heard the school had students' dorms. He may have gotten too used to visiting Ryou's fancy dorm.

"It's great, isn't it?" Judai stands up, beating the dust off his pants and guffawing.

"I'm proud you entered the academy, Shou."

His younger son also gets up, furrowing his brows worriedly, his head tumbling down. Daitokuji lands a hand on Judai's shoulder and calls him out.

"I have to prepare some things for the classes, I'll be taking Judai-kun to help me!"

It was such an obvious excuse, but he appreciated the gentleness in letting him have a minute with his son. When the door closes, Ellis undoes his stern posture.

"Why did you come here, dad? Did you also talk to my brother?"

"Yes, I already gave Ryou an earful. But I didn't expect this from you, Shou. You just entered the academy, this has been all you wanted for a few years and suddenly, you're letting your opportunity slip because you were 'curious'? This doesn't sound like you at all, you were always such a frightened kid." He sighs. "But I didn't come here to lecture you and put you down. I'll help you if you need."

"Help me? What do you mean?" He finally looks his father in the eyes.

"I mean, I can help you find some balance in your decks and I can tell how they'd work together, though I can't guarantee if I'm still very good at it, I may have gotten rusty, haha."

"Y-you mean help with the duel? Isn't that cheating?"

"Aren't they pitting you against professional duelists?" He retorts, adjusting his glasses a tad annoyed.

"T-That's true, but-" He sweats aplenty, a chill runs on his stomach when a mental image of Jonouchi's and Edo's faces looking at him somberly. "Did you really need to use the word 'pitting'?"

"It's clear the school wants to see if you're both determined to go through even if the opponents they chose are giants, but you'll never know whether you'll lose or win until you try, right?"

"But…"

"Don't just mope around, Shou." He pats his son's shoulder. "You came here to become a great duelist, didn't you? You won't do that by always thinking you can't."

"I know that…" He replies in a low, depressed tone.

"Then, I'll be waiting for your return once your classes are over, I want to see which kind of deck both you and your friend have."

"Are you really staying here until the tag duel?" A smile twitches on his lips, remembering they barely had space to fit him on the ground of the room on a futon. "Did my brother not have anything to say to that?"

"Why would he? I'm staying here, not in his room, besides, he might be too busy with other matters to even spare some time…" He says, his greyish orbs drifting off to distance in a thoughtful stance.

"Ieek! It's very late, I have to go or I'll be late for the classes!"

His yell soars in the room, startling his father, the boy takes his red coat in a rush, wearing it over his yellow long-sleeved shirt and hurries out of the dorm, quickly beckoning before darting out into the world.

"Maybe I should take the chance to have a stroll around too…"

Inside the main building

A first-year obelisk student handles pamphlets to everyone walking in the corridors, He offers one of them to Rie, she takes it while standing, her back turned to her locker, but before her eyes can read it, a hand slaps the paper away, it dances on the air, falling flat to the ground.

"Ooops, my bad!"

It's the same boy that pushed Ryou the other day, Sakamoto was the name, he smirks as if that was the funniest joke in the world, she frowns at him with a grumpy pout, following with her eyes in contempt as he walks past. She's about to retrieve the paper, but a hand reaches it first, almost bumping into hers.

"Ryou…?" Her eyes lift stunned at the sight.

"What is this?"

He hands it back, she takes it and gives a brief look, raising a brow, perplexed. He comes closer, standing beside her and leaning slightly over to take a look too, his chest a millimeter from brushing on her shoulder. She is startled for a moment, her cheeks reddening a bit, then she moves the paper an inch to the side so he can take a better look.

"An autograph and hand-shaking section with Jonouchi Katsuya and Edo Phoenix after the tag duel?" He reads in a dubious tone, straightening up his posture after.

They exchange a confused glance. Why is this being advertised? Another pair of curious eyes approach them to check.

"What are those pamphlets about?"

It's the silver-haired duelist in person. Rie flips the paper over for him to see, his nonchalant expression converts into an indignant knot on his brows. He yanks the paper out of her hand, she flinches as he crumples it between his fingers.

"Who gave you this?"

Her lips waver trying to form a sentence before she points at the obelisk student that's still walking around distributing it on the long corridor. He trudges angrily towards the boy, they can see from afar as he approaches and starts dissing him out.

They can't hear the discussion. Ryou lets out a deep sigh, who would dare to make such marketing behind his back? Shaking off those thoughts, he opens his locker, settling some books inside. His hands halt upon noticing Rie is just standing there, still watching the scene, her eyes so focused that it looked like she couldn't see anything else but Edo.

A drop of sweat rolls down his face, his eyes stop on Edo's silhouette. It's obvious at this point she's paying more than just a bit of attention to him, now whether this is because she's a fan or not, he can't tell. If he knew that before, maybe he could have asked Edo to convince her to join their pursuit for the missing students, but he ditches the possibility. Had he not been the one approaching her, it's likely they'd not be on good terms now after all his fans have done, plus it's not guaranteed that Edo would have a better time convincing her just because she took a liking to him.

"Rie…" He calls without a second thought, snapping her out of the trances lips just moved on their own. "Are you interested in…"

"Kaiser!"

A voice yells interrupting the sentence in the middle, three younger students come closer, they're a first and two second years, they're from Ra yellow and smile somewhat expectantly.

"Can you help us in our group study today at the library in the free period?"

"I…"

He hesitates for a moment, his eyes discreetly directing to the pink-haired girl, she smiles ruefully and waves her hand, evading the scene as skillfully as usual. At this point he curses those inconvenient strikes of bad luck that seem to play whenever he attempts to talk. Perhaps it's a cue for him that he shouldn't be asking about such topics.

What does he expect to be answered anyways? That she's a fan of Edo Phoenix? It didn't look like it at the start, she was even ripping apart their posters deposited on her locker by random fangirls, but something seems to have changed in the way she looks at Edo, or at least, he thinks so.

"It's fine by me." He finally blurts out with dismay.

Unlike him the boys are overly excited about getting his help. Why does he even want to know such things? It's unusual for him, but he got intrigued for some reason, maybe because he thinks he noticed something that neither Asuka or Edo seem to be aware of.

Or is it because he's taking Asuka's scolding too seriously? There are things that others, especially someone as sheepish as Rie, would not feel comfortable to tell everyone, right?

He can still remember Fubuki asking all sorts of questions including some that troubled him, as if his curiosity wouldn't be sated with just one answer at a time, in contrast to him that had a slower and more rational take in many situations. It worked for their friendship, but it doesn't have to be the same with everyone. Sometimes he and Asuka would not barter a word or discuss the most unimportant topics, that didn't mean they weren't friends either.

A few minutes before this, Edo pulls the shoulder of the student handling the pamphlets. The boy smiles at him brightly, failing to notice the tenseness on Edo's posture.

"What are you doing?! Who told you to spread those pamphlets? I didn't sign in for any autograph section!"

"Eh?" He blinks confusedly for a moment. "But your manager said to do it."

"My manager? What are you talking about?! My manager isn't here! Don't come up with those excuses!"

"N-no, I'm serious!" He fidgets, sweating at the accusations. "That guy who was in your room, the one in black, came to me earlier today and told me to spread the word that your and your tag duel partner would be holding an autograph and greeting section after the tag duel!" He gulps dryly after seeing the wrinkles on Edo's face increase.

"You have to be kidding me!"

"I'm not! He really did, he told me to make sure everyone gets a copy of the pamphlets and you'd be grateful if I could help! I even glued some on the notice boards!"

"What?"

He steps back, appalled at the revelation. His fists enclosing around the sheet he holds even more, turning it into a messy ball of paper, his teeth clenching with it. That boy would gain nothing from lying and he really did have a stack of papers. Why would he waste his time in a prank like this? It had to be true.

Did Jonouchi deliberately schedule appointments for him without asking him first? While it sounds unbelievable, from the little he knows of his partner, it made sense. It sounded very like Jonouchi to come up with such an idea.

Now that's something that riles him up. How could he be so carefree, inconsiderate and oblivious to how his actions affect his surroundings? Is that guy even a proper adult?! He seems so unprofessional, despite his good fame in duels.

"I see… Thank you."

His words come out harsh, the obelisk student shrivels under the intense and annoyed aura pouring out of him. He stomps out of the place, leaving the astounded boy behind, unsure of whether he should stop delivering those or not.

At the abandoned dorms

The crunching sound of small rocks crumbling apart startles the animals in the area. The blonde duelist adventures inside the forbidden zone.

"Now, we're finally here. I wonder how Edo is reacting now, he will be pissed about the ads." Jonouchi giggles with his mischief, his eyes becoming sharper and his smile diminishing with the next part: "But this distraction is something necessary… In order to take care of the real business…"

He takes out a phone from his pocket, dialing a number he knew by memory and starting a call while his other hand rests on his pocket. It rings a few times before the other side picks up.

"Hello, it's me again, Mai!" He grins. "So, have you found anything? What? I only call to ask about that? It's an important job! I… yeah, yeah, I get it, listen, once I'm finished here, I'll find some time so we can go out… Buying you? No, no… I'm just… Ugh, fine, you're right. I'll make up for Valentine's day. Just tell me if you got it…"

His eyes open immediately after listening to what she says, his lips closing in a line, an ominous shade cast over his face.

"I understand. This is different from what we had at the Kaiba tournament, but I can see some similarities… Thank you for your help, Mai."

With a click, he finishes the call, his gaze fixated on the entrance of the abandoned dorms, drawing closer as he walks towards it under broad daylight. The air dusts up when he forces the door open with a creak of the wood.

He coughs, before swaying his hand to blow the dust away, his eyes squinting and looking around in search for clues. The structure needs some maintenance, but the rooms are as large as an obelisk room, lit by faint sunlight.

"The information Mai told me does say this used to be the obelisk dorm a couple years ago…" He notes mentally while keeping an eye open for vestiges.

He opens room by room and enters every single one of them, nothing stands out besides some of them having old books that probably belonged to the students. Jonouchi sighs disheartened, his mind coloring the rooms with life as he imagines how it would have been, he can see the students chatting on the corridors, and walking by, but he awakes from the daydreaming in a flinch.

A sound of a plank dropping from the corridor. His body stiffens, he leans his back against the wall, right beside the door, with a quick movement, he jumps to the corridor, closing his fists in a fighting stance, his wariness lowers as he scans around, seeing no one or anything.

"I'm sure I heard…"

His eyes are surprised again when a shadow dashes from one side to the other of the corridor, leaving an open room and entering another. He runs there, stopping so abruptly his feet skid, making a cloud of dirt arise, his eyes squinting at the inside of the room. He takes a deep breath, bracing for any sort of confrontation, then…

"Meow…"

There is a strange fat cat with tiger stripes on its skin, it's scratching the window, supporting its legs on some old planks, its tail wagging but as soon as Jonouchi arrives, it bristles and makes a hissing sound.

"Ah, it's just a cat…" His hands flop down, a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here, little one?" He grins amicably and steps closer, slowly, but the animal keeps hissing and jumps with its sharp claws. "Wait-"

It uses a razor move, he turns his face in time, but not fast enough to prevent three cuts from opening on his cheek, the cat flies over him and lands with a thud, hissing a last time before running in an inhumane speed towards the entrance.

"Ouch! Damn, what was a cat doing here? How did it get in?" He grimaces in pain, sliding a hand over the cuts and painting his cheek with carmine blood. "Well, better than an actual enemy. Is there any mirror around…?"

He glances over the room, but no sign of one, using his bandana to press the cuts, he walks on the corridor, until he sees some sort of sparkle from the depths of the dark place. Toggling his flashlight on, he follows it until he gets a sight on the object, it's a man-sized mirror hanging on one of the walls.

"That will do."

When he steps closer, a chill runs down his spine, as if the air became thicker and harder to breathe. That sensation… He gulps, warily scrutinizing the surroundings, his brows coming together. He gasps at the realization: there are many mirrors around, three sets of two mirrors spaced equally on each of his sides and a single, bigger mirror ahead, at what seemed to be the dead end of the corridor.

"This is getting creepy…" He exhales, his breath makes a white cloud, what's with the cold?

The wood squeaks under his feet, he passes by the first set of two mirrors, his image reflected from different angles, however, when he's passing by the second set of mirrors, his peripheral vision catches a glimpse of an unnerving image, his hand that pressed his cheek lowering.

Suddenly, his feet halt, his eyes tremble, sliding to the right to find not his image on the mirror, but a young man fully clothed in dark, his brown hair falling over his shoulders and a pointy mask occulting his eyes and nose, as his head shifts to take a look, the young man in the mirror mimics his action, as if it was his own reflection.

His pupil thin out in a rush of fear and adrenaline, the blue-jewels that served as eye on the mask of the man staring deeply into him. His fingers tremble, letting go of the bandana, it drops to the ground before he turns his torso towards the reflection of the stranger. A flash of rationality striking him on the millisecond after:

"Wait, there were two mirrors-"

Too late, from behind him a hand grabs his shoulder, he can see the dark-cloak. He panics instantly as the hand tries to pull him.

"This is crazy… Is it coming from inside the mirror?"

He tries to make sense, but it's impossible to keep concentrated when his back hits some sort of soft matter, the mirror ripples like a liquid, his back starts being engulfed by it. He was never the brightest among his peers, why is he trying to understand all this? He would just do what he does best.

Getting rid of his fear, he grabs the arm and with a movement, he throws it over his head along with the mirror, the arm gets free from his grip sinking into the glass again, however, he manages to throw one mirror against the other, breaking both, the shards reflecting a thousand images in different sizes of him as he wheezes.

"Is he gone?"

His brown eyes cautiously dart around the room, stopping on the bigger mirror ahead, he dedicates his attention, the man steps one leg out of the glass of that main mirror, like in a horror movie, he shudders at the sight, grossed out by it, the cold-stared mask facing him again.

"Who the hell are you?!" He shouts in demand.

"I am Darkness."

The young man fully comes out of his glass prison, one of his hands displaying some lines of fresh blood, the droplets rhythmically trickling down with a soft plop, forming a small puddle.

"Darkness? I've never heard of-"

"Heed not my presence, soon all will be forgotten, duelist."

He stretches his bloodied palm, Jonouchi's breath hitches on his throat, whatever it is the man will do, he doesn't want to be there to see it, his eyes narrow and his hands clench together in an attempt of self-defense. Before anything happens, a transparent figure rises behind the blonde: A dragon whose skin was like tar, eyes red like a ruby.

Its coiled body undoing itself, straightening up and standing tall, hovering behind Jonouchi's silhouette, breaking the ceiling apart, the height was not enough to contain its size. The duelist covers his face with an arm, from the debris and dust falling.

"Red-Eyes…?" The brown-haired man is so bewildered by the sight he just stands, arm stretched, his eyes up to look at the magnificence of the dragon downsizing him with a glare.

A piercing howl echoes from the dragon's mouth, and the sound wave so strong, it sends the man flying towards the wall, his body collides with the main mirror and breaks it with the strong impact.

"What just happened?"

Jonouchi looks around, but there's no sign of anything, he can't see the Red-Eyes Black Dragon that just protected him, in a quick motion, he slides his feet to walk onwards, but leaps back when a sudden piece of stone falls in between him, more debris and some pieces of wood and ashes following right after, making the way half blocked in a minute. The first floor of the house is unstable, it shakes noticeably.

"I have to get out of here, but that man…"

He looks over the other side, his eyes open wide, there's no sign of anyone there anymore. His veins become cold, his blood freezing in place. There is no mistake, there are supernatural forces in place here. Where did he disappear to?

On the outside,

Ellis walks to the main building of the academy, the sound of birds cawing and flying away from the middle of the forest attracts his gaze, lingering on the scene, he had the impression he heard a roar right before.

"Mysterious."

His curiosity is piqued, but if there's something making him even more restless it is… His son. The teal-haired boy comes out of the main building accompanied by some students. They looked at him as if he was their idol. He had to chuckle at the sight, but that smile dwindles as he thinks whether Ryou is happy with that or not. Does he really enjoy his popularity or is it a burden to him?

Ryou senses someone is gazing at him, it takes but a moment for him to see his father beckoning at him from the sides of the road.

"You all can go ahead, I'll meet you in the library soon."

"Alright!"

They nod bemusedly and leave with some worried smiles. Ryou glances over to the side, walking there after the students are gone, his father again greets him with a kind smile.

"Are the classes over already?"

"No, it's a free period, the classes will resume in about one hour, in the meantime, those students asked me to tutor them."

"That's quite a feat, but I do remember you were surrounded by people ever since your first year here." He puts a hand on his chin, bobbing his head proudly. "Are you not bothered by it? To be so requested, I mean…"

"Why should I? I can fit tutoring in my schedule, as long as it doesn't interfere with my own studies and training, it's fine."

"I see you are dedicated to your career, but that also kinda worries me. Are you even having enough time to hang out with your friends?"

"I see them often enough."

His short answers make a drop of sweat form on Ellis' face, he used to be better at extracting information when his son was a kid, but he's gotten so much more reserved and icy over the years. If he tries a more direct and honest approach, will he get a better reply?

Before he can formulate another question, his sight locks on a familiar face as he looks over Ryou's shoulder. It's the same pink-haired girl from before, her expression is indifferent as she walks, empty even, there are some boys behind her, a group of three. One of them casts a glance over his direction, Ellis' brows twitch in reaction. Is he looking at him or…?

"What is it? You got quiet all of sudden…"

"Erm… It's just…" He shifts his attention between his son and the group of boys that approach the girl suspiciously. "Isn't that your friend?"

Blinking in surprise, he whirls back, the group of boys that were approaching finally caught up to her, he knows the face of one of them, Sakamoto. He sleazily puts an arm around her shoulder, glancing at Ryou from the distance, as if that was an open provocation.

"Not this again…" His eyes squint, some wrinkles appearing on his face.

"Again? What are you talking about? Ryou?! Wait! Where are you going?"

Ignoring the question, he threads closer to the group, two of the boys are in front of Rie now, blocking her way. Ellis gawks concerned.

"Is he going to pick a fight? He wouldn't… Would he?" He tags along, to make sure he's not getting into trouble now.

The two boys standing ahead of Rie have conflicted expressions, but Sakamoto seems to be having fun, his hand hanging down her shoulder. She grabs his wrist and pushes him away, scowling at him and stepping ahead. The two boys exchange a glance, not moving from her path.

"Don't be so abashed. I promise I won't bite."

He chuckles amusedly, taking a strand of her hair and curling it around his finger, she bends her neck away to escape his grip, they're distracted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"You never learn your lesson, do you?" Ryou snarls.

"Here we go. It seems your knight riding a Cyber Dragon came after all." He jokes, receiving an annoyed glare. "What, am I also forbidden to engage in conversations with her now, Kaiser?"

"I doubt you know how to hold a conversation with anyone, the only thing you're committed to here is harassing her. How about you grow up some more and leave her alone, idiot?"

"Whoah, so mean as usual. Fine!"

He raises his arms in defeat, smirking victoriously as his only objective here was to upset his rival. Tilting his head, he orders his friends to open the way and they comply.

"Not like I can talk to her, and you already had your fun with her anyways!"

Landing a solid and soundly slap to her back, she is pushed onward, stumbling some steps to the front to the teal-haired teen, her face collides onto his chest, her nose becomes red with the bump and she stumbles back, his arm hovers behind her shoulders, not touching it, but helping her stabilize.

Her lips curve down, looking back at the boys as her eyes quiver afflicted. He steps ahead, putting his arm in front of her and standing in front, in a protective stance. Tension swells up in the air, the three boys gather.

"I told you to leave her alone." Ryou's voice is a tad graver, the intensity of his glare increasing.

"What's the problem? It was just a friendly push! She's fine, she didn't even complain, see?!" He mocks, putting a hand to his stomach.

"I didn't expect less from you, Sakamoto, someone who has to trash talk people in duels, and now you're just decaying as low as bullying girls to pat your ego."

Ryou quells his closed fist upon feeling a firm tug on his sleeve, Rie covers her red nose with one hand, her delicate fingers keeping his fist in place, she swings her palm briskly to convey the message that he should let it be.

The scene strikes Ellis with fascination and he's not the only one stunned at the gesture. He has to acknowledge his son is quite brave to take on three bullies at the same time. He'd probably win the fight. If this continues, then…

"A bit too obnoxious, aren't we?"

His voice drags their attention to him, his peaceful smile is there, but there's something more to it, as he adjusts his glasses slyly, looking at the trio of boys.

"So what?" Sakamoto defies, uninterested in his babbling.

"As a school inspector, I might have to report this to the principal, as well as your unseemly sense of humor, so, your names?" He asks while taking a block of paper and a pen out of his pockets, smiling at them.

They have a shiver when he mentions the title, while Rie and Ryou simply exchange a glance looking at him amazed at his sudden intromission.

"Names?" The sunlight reflects on his spectacles, they can't see his eyes as he scribbles something on the paper. "Hm… Since you don't want to tell me, I'll add that to the offenses, but don't worry, I have a good photographic memory, I'm sure that with a list of students, I'll remember your faces well."

"Here how much I care:"

Showing his middle finger at him, Sakamoto turns away curing under his breath, putting his hands on pockets and leaving the scene, followed by the other guys. Ellis crosses his arms and shakes his head in disapproval, soon his posture soothes as he turns around to face the other two teens.

"Are you fine, young lady?"

She is baffled at the question, blushing slightly and nodding slowly at him. The man stretches his hand, taking the chance to introduce himself.

"I'm Ellis Marufuji, Ryou's father, nice to meet you!"

The handshake is a bit nervous, her hand is cold, soon she retracts it and fumbles into her pockets until she takes out a PDA and types something, showing the screen of the device to him.

"Rie Kinomoto. A classmate of his. Thank you for helping before."

He opens his mouth, taking air to ask something, but stops himself and stares confusedly at his son as if trying to understand what's going on. Ryou interrupts, folding his arms, it felt like some sort of scolding:

"Won't you get into trouble for threatening students if they find out you lied about being an inspector?"

"It was a harmless bluff to solve the conflict. I couldn't just stand and watch some brats do that." He wiggles his hand in a dismissive tone. "And even if I do get in trouble, your mom will bail me out. You stay out of trouble."

The girl proceeds into typing another message, they both stop talking upon hearing the clacking noise of her typing, she displays it only to Ryou.

"I need to go now, I hope you have a nice time with your father. Thank you for helping."

"Are you sure you're fine? If you got hurt you should go to the infirmary and talk to professor Ayukawa about it."

He asks one last time, his eyes softening when he looks at her. A faint smile sprouts on her lips, she confirms with a confident move of her head and replies with a short message:

"It may not look like it, but I'm made of tough stuff."

She pronounces a silent "goodbye" which they can understand perfectly, her cheeks reddening while beckoning at Ellis and leaves with hurried steps. They follow her with their eyes, but his glance travels back to Ryou. For someone so loved in the academy, he seems quite troubled.

His father could only think of this odd conversation and wonder what was going on as all he could see was his son exchanging glances between her PDA and her face and answering accordingly to whatever was written there. There was this subtle care and fondness in Ryou's mannerisms even as he stares into the distance, he rarely has ever seen him act like that.

"Your new friend is very pretty and quite timid too." He scratches his face a bit guilty that part of her running off might have been influenced by his presence here. "She seems to be a nice girl, it's a pity she didn't say a word… Regardless, I'm proud of you for standing in for someone who needed help."

"True, she's shy. And she's also mute."

"Ah, she's… What?" His eyes bulge out in response. "Do you really mean…" He puts a hand to his throat in reflex.

"She can't speak."

"And you were locked with that girl?" He slaps his own forehead for not noticing it before. "I get why it was such a big problem… No wonder the principal was worried, what about her parents?!"

"I don't know about them, but the person responsible for her is a teacher here. Her uncle."

"You were locked with the niece of your teacher?" He repeats in a tone of disbelief, sweating as his blood simmers a bit too much.

"I thought we got over that."

"Yes, you're right. You… I was just dazed here for a moment. I get why you were furious at those brats, this… This is too much."

"Furious?" He repeats puzzled. "Ever since the incident at the hut, it seems they made a hobby out of pestering me and harassing her. I addressed the issue before, but as you can see, nothing has changed."

"Ever since the incident? Hm…" He ponders, a small crease forming on his forehead. "Just keep your head cool and don't fall into their game, they're provoking you to make you react badly, that said, physical assaults to her are happening and you should try seeing that with the principal, even more if this has happened before. And don't use whatever you learned with your martial arts against them, all you'll get is another warning and possibly, expulsion."

Ryou averts his gaze, reminding how he actually reacted the last time that boy dared to push him onto Rie, his memory throwing the scenes of the part he toppled over her in a confusing order and fast forwarding it to the part he did a leg sweep, his cheeks flush slightly, he clears his throat.

"I'll keep my composure."

"I know you can be very responsible, I'll drop by the principal too today. But why don't you and Rie tell him what's going on?"

"I did, my warning was refused as Rie never spoke directly with the principal about any of this."

"But why?"

"I… Don't know."

"Hm… If you're friends, aren't those all questions you should be asking her? What she thinks and why she won't ask for help. No, more than that, with this level of harassment, if you care about your friend, you should incentivize her to speak up." His brows coil up in consternation. "As a friend, it's also your duty to understand your friends better and help them if they need. I'm sure you know that already."

"You're right." He gapes briefly, impressed at how his father always knew the right words to speak. "I'll ask her and attempt to bring it to light with the director too."

"Good!" A smile brightens up his expression. "Now, I should let you be. I'll explore the school more! See you later." He waves his hand enthusiastically, then stops. "Ah, by the way, next time you go to the city with Asuka, ask your brother to come, even that friend of his, Judai-kun if he wants and make sure to bring Rie too! You should all come to our house, I'll cook something nice!"

He states, drifting off into the main building, his son doesn't even have a chance to deny the request before he vanishes from sight.

Time flies by, Ryou sits at a table in the library, many open books are open over the surface, he points at the sentences and explains it to the second years, they all listen attentively. While they discuss the subject among them, his greenish orbs divert to the window, his mind still back on what happened before when Sakamoto assaulted Rie.

"Kaiser, what about this?" One of the boys breaks his concentration.

"Let me see…"

His uninterested eyes read the page, even though he's effectively helping and explaining as proficiently as he can, his mind is fast to escape from the place, wondering if those episodes with Rie being unjustly chased will ever end.

At the beginning of the night, Edo huffs, barging into his own room, his gaze searching everywhere for Jonouchi. He feels an urge to strangle him, literally. His orbs flinch when he sees a note on the table.

"I went out for a stroll, buddy, so don't worry about me! If it's late, I probably got lost, but I'll find my way around and be back in no time! See ya!"

He crumples the paper, grinding his teeth. "Don't worry"? If he can't have his eyes watching over Jonouchi every move, he won't be able to have a restful sleep just by imagining which other mischief he would cook up next.

From behind, the door clicks open, Jonouchi arrives, messing his hair with a guilty smile, the scratches on his face are visible as he explains a strange story of being attacked by a cat on his way here after he got lost.

Far away from there, Pharaoh scratches the door of Daitokuji's room and meows until it's open.

"Where have you been?" He picks the cat up, it fondles on his chest. "Ahah, don't wander off too long. Here, I'll feed you now…" He closes the door, unaware of where his cat has been during the day.

Ellis is sitting down at the small table inside Shou's room, the cards of both his son's deck and Judai's deck are spread out in orderly lines, he points at them and happily talks about combinations, their eyes widening in amusement and sparkling with how much he could think ahead.

Izanami and Ayako dig a hole nearby the girls dorm and put a wooden box, they both snicker while burying the box.

At the same time,

In a dark cave near the coast, the waves crash against the rocks, making water splash inside, the drops hitting the people inside.

"Someone was there today. I failed to erase his memory."

The young man reports to his companions that are occulted by the darkness, his tone is low and collected, as if the matter was trifle. But his hand still bleeds.

"It seems you even got a wound, who was it?"

"There was a card spirit, it protected him voraciously. A Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"Now, that's interesting…" Another man whistles.

"Your blood smells really sweet, may I try it?" A woman whose lipstick was as red as his blood grins, her protruding canine teeth at display, she licks her lips in anticipation.

Her hands inadvertently grab his wrist, her long nails almost piercing his skin, purposefully as she slowly brings her mouth close to his blood.

"It will heal."

He jerks his hand out of her grip, from the lines of the dried blood and the fresh blood that had a trail there, smoke arises, as if his wounds were being burned, but there's no pain, he simply looks at his hand until the blood stains are completely gone and no sign of wounds, his skin untainted.

"We may have been slowed down by the efforts of that man, he hid the keys very well, he knows we won't be able to acquire the cards without it. However, time is nigh and we will act upon the right time. You all must keep an eye on the newcomer, his spirit is strong and bestial, it was ready to kill me."

"But here you are." The man with an eyepatch snorts. "It can't be that bad…"

"We'll see that. I won't get caught by surprise next time."

He turns around and walks out of the cave, the other shadows exchange a glance and vanish into the night. The day of the tag duel draws near.