Chapter XXVI

Chosen Path

Water pours heavily from the skies, striking the walls and ceiling, splashing to the ground in streams, pools forming on the narrow paved street. Under a lamp post among many, there's a fully soaked cardboard box and a small cat with tiger stripes is in there, both his meows and body shaking from the cold.

A transparent umbrella blocks the raindrops, the animal replies anxious, stumbling inside its space, looking at the person standing there. Rie's hair is shorter, tied in a ponytail; her body, much slimmer and having almost no curves compared to her older self, a sailor uniform with a blazon of a middle-school patched on her upper sleeve. She kneels down, holding the umbrella over them both, the cat comes over to the edge of the box, scratching it hectically.

Offering it a single finger, the small paws soon find a playground, clumsily tugging it and pressing it from all angles. A shadow stretches over their figures, her eyes hastily turning around to find a man hiding behind his smile.

"Uncle," her unfazed, low and smooth voice elicits a chuckle on him, her attention diverting back to the pet.

"Do you plan on taking it home?"

"I'd like to. But… It's impossible."

Getting up, she looks down at the cat that climbs the box, tumbling out and rolling on the ground, coming to her feet, scratching her shoes and reciting a frantic symphony of meows.

"Why not?" his brow raises, intrigued and a tad concerned by her serious, fatalist tone "I don't think your mother would have a problem."

"What is the point? We will move again soon anyways, not all places accept pets, and mom would probably tell me to get real friends instead. Plus, don't you think he would be unhappy moving the whole time? It's better if someone else that can take proper care of pets adopts him."

For a thirteen year old girl, she had an admirable amount of insight, at the same time he can't help but notice the gloomy expression she has. He squats down, gently stroking the head of the kitten.

"That's a pity."

"I'm sure someone else will take it."

There's a sketch of disappointment in her expression, as if the argument was more to convince herself to relinquish the idea. He ponders deeply, his smile vanishing momentarily until he reaches a conclusion:

"Hmm, how about this," he picks it up on both his hands, the cat's tiny legs dangling into the air "If I take it you can always come see him when you visit me or when I visit you, right?"

"Uncle, would you really do this?!"

Her blue eyes twinkle in joy for the first time, he could hardly tell it was the same sad girl from before. With a nod, he affirms:

"Why not? I could use some company in my house."

"Thank you so much!"

A grateful smile opens up, brightening her face, her voice and expression are etched into his memory. That scene replays in his mind as the door of his room creaks, his consciousness escaping that distant memory. Turning away from his alchemy counter, his hands find support on the table.

"Rie-chan, are you feeling better?"

"Uncle, we need to talk."

"I thought the same."

He closes the door, making sure they will have a private space. There's not a second spared before her first message:

"You have to tell me who are those people who work with you and why they're interested in the cards."

"I'm afraid I can't."

His smile is unchanged, a mask he wore for the students, but for her to see only this side of him, it hurt. He folds arms, looking strict, trying to make his stance on the matter come across.

"Why not? I understand why you want the cards, but we don't know those people's intentions, you're putting yourself in danger! Why can't you just tell me what's going on? I would help you if I knew!"

"There's no need to help me." he cuts off her typing of the next message before she has the chance to elaborate her stance.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, Rie. It's true I've kept you oblivious about many things, for a reason."

"Telling me that won't change that this is wrong. Uncle Daitokuji, I'm sure there might be a way to help you without doing this…"

"You think that, but I've tried many other options before, believe me."

"Even if it's an unknown sickness, I'm sure there has to be a cure for it somewhere!"

"The case is," he interjects once again, making her grumble silently at his persistence "I don't think you're prepared to do any of this, Rie. Neither you wish to. My mistake was to assume you could and would willingly do it, but… I was wrong. This type of job doesn't suit you, your heart is too soft."

"This isn't about me or who I am. No matter what you say, those people you're working with, they're shady and they might be lying to you too. Why would someone want to mess with an ancient power? If those cards are really as powerful as you believe, this can't be good! They're kept hidden for a reason! How would they even know about the cards? Think, uncle!"

He scoffs in a mix of pity and disgruntlement, not at her, but at himself. She still doesn't know a lot about her own past or what her family has been involved in, who he is or even the truth about her mother's accident, he has been a bad example of a guardian, a parent and all the other titles he was bestowed upon the years, yet…

"Despite all that I asked you to do and of forcing yourself through excruciating tasks you never felt were correct and often got you in trouble, you still came here to dissuade me. I'm elated that you're such a good girl, Rie-chan."

"I was mad at you, but I'm not anymore," her head lowers, a contrite confession, her orbs gleaming sorrowfully "Please, uncle, you have to stop. I understand you must feel pressured, but those people, you shouldn't trust them, we can find a way together."

"Rie," Daitokuji's tone is harsher, blunt even "You don't need to spy, break into places, use strange potions, retrieve them or do anything for me. From now on, you can just live your normal school life, hang around with your friends, study and think about your own future, like it should have been."

"Normal life? The only normal life I want is for you to be healthy and stop doing this. You don't need to play the villain, we can find a solution."

"At this age, you ought to understand people act out of their best interests, there's no such thing as 'villainy' or 'heroism', the world is not as white and black as it may sound."

"People will get hurt. You know that. You could get hurt too. This is enough of a reason to understand it's bad. You can't partake in this."

He adjusts his glasses, a recollection piercing his mind as he pronounces in a husky voice:

"Of course they can get hurt, but this is just life, Rie. People harm others and trample on them for their own benefit, the world doesn't know better. Whether you condone my actions or not, people will still be hurt, this isn't in our control."

"No, it doesn't have to be like that. You can stop now. We'll find a way. I'm sure if you tell all you know, everyone will try to help you. Judai, Shou, Edo, Asuka and even Ryou…"

In a plea, she entwins her fingers together, his brows arching up in hopelessness. For a long time he judged what would be better for her and considered what would be bad.

He thought helping him was the best way. He's the only family she has left, ironically enough it was his egotistical wish that shackled her, impeding her growth. In hindsight, it was much simpler: Rie isn't a small kid anymore. Rather than always judging what's the best on his own, he forgot to ask the most important person about it all to take her viewpoint into the equation. To decide things not solely based on his experiences or aspirations, but on what truly mattered for her future and weight if that would fit her needs, giving guidance to her if required.

That was a duty he failed to oversee as a parent because he was too bewitched by his own problems. It would have been better if she didn't know a thing about his degrading health. If instead of treating her as a tool, relying on her capabilities, he had thought about her first, for a change. Maybe he will have more regrets than he initially gauged, if he departs from this life.

"There's no convincing to do here, Rie. You have chosen your path, I also chose my own. We disagree on how to approach the situation, that's all. Nonetheless, I'm your guardian, so if any matter arises, I will take care of it, even if we are on different sides, I'll be here if you need, so you can call me anytime, albeit talking to me doesn't inspire you confidence unlike to certain people…"

There was an acidic irony at the last part, is he talking about her friends? She doesn't grasp he was referring to Ryou, but dwells no further in the subject to disclose it:

"This can't be how you feel, uncle. Would you really…" her fingers hover long above the keys before texting the next part: "Keep doing this?"

"I will," his declaration deals a punch to her heart, her brows coiling up in angst "I would politely ask you to not tell this to anyone, but I know you won't listen. I do not mind, however, let's make it clear, Rie: next time you stand in the way of my objectives, it will be as two people from opposing sides, remember that. This is an important part of accepting the consequences of our choices."

"Uncle." she utters silently.

"It's fine, I'm glad you thought of yourself and decided your own path and that you're growing to be a fine person," with a hand to her shoulder, he smiles, not cynically like usual, but kindly "You make me proud."

"Uncle, please." she repeats with her lips in a last attempt, he lets go of her.

"You can go now."

"No!"

"I think we've talked all we needed to, you'll oversleep tomorrow and miss classes if you stay much longer. No more night rounds for you, miss."

He sends her off smoothly pushing her out of the room, she looks over her shoulder, whirling around, her mouth preparing a sentence, the door is closed with a dull and low thud, near her face.

She'd growl out of frustration about now if she could, pouting at how he quickly sent her away, knocking at his door, waiting a few more minutes there, in hopes he will come, but he doesn't answer, water coming to the corners of her eyes.

On the other side, Daitokuji sighs heavily, resuming his alchemy experiments, his mind adrift.

"This is the best I can do for her now, Emily, that girl doesn't need more sad memories. She's free to choose her path."

At the lighthouse,

Morning sprawls its light all over the pier and the stony bridge, the colors reflected on Ryou's green orbs, they flash to the side by instinct, noticing a presence drawing closer. Rie stops beside him, her gaze cast forward forlornly.

"You missed the sunrise," his nonchalant comment spurs no reaction, a wrinkle of worry appearing on his temples "Why come here so early in the morning?"

"I promised I would tell you everything,"

The screen of her PDA greets him instead, her eyes are avoidant. He turns slightly to the side, unfolding his arms, dispersing the severity of his whole posture, his orbs sharpening cunningly:

"Did something happen? You seem distressed."

"I'm thinking on how to best start."

"I see. If you don't mind, I have a few questions you could begin answering…"

For the first time, her eyes lock on his, there's a reluctant, scared glint in them, but if it's true she has been involved in some incidents on the island and knows more than the other students… He can paint the tales of where her fears hail from.

Later,

Edo plies the sleeve of his uniform checking the time on his inverted silver wristwatch, his foot dangling from above a crossed leg, his blue orbs scanning the surroundings a tad anxious, some people wonder what he's been waiting for as they pass by the bench he's at, outside the school building.

He acknowledges the popularity, but simply disregards it with a faint, polite smile, an advice from his management team from early on when his career exploded into fame. Everyone else is going back to the dorms or staying in the library for group studies, he hasn't seen the third year duelist near his locker this morning, an uncommon occurrence.

There's a slight change in his distant gaze after visualizing the one he's been waiting for, a tranquility he couldn't explain. Standing up elegantly, he directs his voice:

"Do you usually come late for appointments?"

His snarky remark elicits a guilty smile on her lips, she clasps her hands together in apology.

"I'm sorry, my friends wanted to tell me something and I ended up caught up in the talk a bit."

"It's fine, not like I had anything else scheduled anyways," he turns around, casting a glance at her, indicating she should follow "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not hurt and I just fainted for a while yesterday, so… I'm fine."

A sudden moment of silence succeeds, she watches from her peripheral vision as students cast looks at them and tatter, with low giggles, no matter what they have to say, it's not important, she vouches to herself.

Rather than the usual bench near the obelisk dorm, their destination is the snack bar near the beach. Fubuki always dropped by the place after surfing as far as she heard from him, he babbled so much about it being a perfect place to rest and talk to his fans.

Now she feels like she's a fan of Edo following this logic, thanks to her brother ruining the image of the place. They take a table set on the external area, the salty wind blowing by.

Curious glances fall upon them, but again Edo acts as if that's just another day, it's enthralling how he can keep his composure like that. They order a drink each:

"It's on me today, like I told you before."

"I'm surprised you'd want to come here, the last time we only ordered food but you were worried about being swarmed by fans."

"It's fine, I will just have to stop and give some autographs at worst, but if people see we're having a conversation, they won't interrupt," he nods confidently, a way to assure her "You have other questions to ask, don't you?"

She admires this forthright way of his, something many of the obelisk boys either didn't have or paired with overconfidence without actual skill which came off as cocky. In his case, he had the skills to boast about.

"First, is everything fine with your career? I mean, the news with your name printed on it wasn't so good…"

"This happens all the time at the pro world, some magazines will do about everything you imagine to get attention, my manager will take care of those most of the time, but I was trained on how to deal with it and it does not involve getting flustered or angry at it and acting on impulse."

"I don't know if I'd have this amount of coldness or just outright tell those people off."

"You shouldn't do that if you intend to keep a good image for your fans. Liking or not, they are a great part of what makes a duelist popular and you should treat them well equally. Of course, a few nuts with screw loose will come, but those are more rare cases."

"I don't know, it seems our school would have more of those people with loose screws." she contests it, remembering all the moments both Edo and Ryou were fangirled "Though, you seemed pretty upset when I mentioned that tabloid to you."

"I was angry, but it wouldn't solve anything, sometimes you just have to be patient."

There's a small interruption as the waitress brings their juices, some other people from a nearby table looking at the couple, gossiping.

"Why are you interested in those boring parts of fame, are you planning to become a professional duelist too?"

She twirls the straw on her cup, gaping for a long minute before arranging her thoughts enough to speak:

"I'm not fully sure yet, but the teachers encouraged me to know more about the possible careers after we graduate."

"I see, in my opinion, you have potential," with a hand to his chin, he recites an essay: "A few things aside, you would do well in the pro league, but like many others here, you probably didn't get the chance to duel a professional and have feedback on what you could improve. Your deck seems well planned and the bit I could give would be having spare cards you can quickly shuffle into it to deal well with certain archetypes that might counter you. All of this technical part, you can hear from any professional duelist or even for the teachers, though I wouldn't give that much credit to some of the teachers here."

It felt like receiving a whole review on her performance, a bit too formal from what she expected of their encounter, however there were other questions to be asked that could change the lighthearted mood.

"What? Did I say anything wrong?"

He peeks at her in genuine curiosity, her expression telling more than a million words that something was bothersome, words stuck on her throat, her gaze focused on the reflection of the cup, showing her prematurely repentant crooked brows:

"You said before you were looking for someone in the academy, a criminal. May I ask, who are you searching for?"

It caught him unprepared for a moment, he wasn't expecting to have this type of conversation when she mentioned having queries.

"Is it not someone that studies here? Or someone from the staff?"

Her eyes lift hesitantly to look deep into his, a conflicting glance that shows how much afraid she is of getting answers, but wants to know regardless.

Reserved as he was about his objectives, lately he's been falling into this zone of doubting how much it'll help him to keep those hidden even from the people closest to him, not long ago Ryou was grumbling about being "left aside".

Had it been earlier when he just entered the academy, he wouldn't flinch, but now… He can't help but recognize it provoked him. Here he is, answering questions he never thought he would, at least, he believes he can trust Asuka, she'd never spread about him without his consent to open to others about the subject. It makes answering to that easier:

"No."

He can hear her gasp of astonishment, as if she'd been holding a long breath from tension until he spoke, wondering why he'd be searching for someone if the said individual isn't even here at the moment.

"Then…"

"This is a complicated question, but the gist of it is that," a deep sigh leaves between his lips, unwilling to reveal too many details "There's more than just missing students going on in this island, and that's why I think this person is bound to come here eventually."

"So, you're waiting for someone based on a prediction? How can you know they'd be interested in such an odd, quaint place like this?"

"Calling it quaint is an euphemism, there are more secrets to it than you know and that person I'm searching for, this criminal, he'll come for what they've been hiding here."

Her shoulders stiffen, dreading the hypothesis of dwelling in the same subject and testing his good will, it was difficult to portray a person who Edo could label like that. And who is the "he" or "they" aforementioned?

"Who is this criminal?"

"He's the man who murdered my father."

A soft breeze blows between, her flickering eyes ensnared by his icy gaze. A topic she shouldn't have mentioned, now it's impossible to look directly at him, shame and sadness covering her face.

"I didn't mean to pry in this," she clears her throat, unsure whether her questions came off as too nosy "I'm sorry."

"There's no need for the grim face. It's everywhere on the magazines that my father was murdered anyways and the criminal is at large, no secret. You could have suspected this much on your own too."

"Why do you think that person would come here after so many years? I mean, didn't it happen when you were a kid?"

"I was too young back then, but now I can finally search for him myself and that's exactly what I'm doing."

To have a life-changing event at such a young age, she can only feel sympathy for him, having no words to express it, her lips remain shut.

"Why here? I mean, it's just a duel academy, not even the only one in the world."

"That's an entirely new matter, let's keep it at this for now."

"Who are the others you mentioned?"

"This academy has people who hold secrets and I'm here to unveil those secrets and find out who's behind them."

A chill runs up her spine, the way he spoke earnestly convinced her that he wasn't just a duelist or someone fond of radical sports, this would explain his talent for intruding places, a part of him she failed to see before, knowing his motivation both amuses and thrills her.

"You mean there are people like this criminal you mentioned in the academy?"

"It's early to assume it, but… You see, the missing students are part of those mysteries too."

"Is that why you have been investigating it since back then…?"

Her voice tones down, an encompassing unpleasantness stirring in her chest. What if this whole time all the dedication he had was not to help her or Ryou in their efforts, but only because it was convenient for him to do so?

"That's just one of the reasons, I told you I'd help you, right? I have my personal motivation to do what I do too. To tell the truth, I don't even think the criminal and this case are related, but I'd like to know what happened to the students. There's no hope for a dead man like my father to come back, so all I can do is chase after the shadow of a criminal, but your brother might be alive somewhere." a faint curve forms on his lips at the last sentence.

"Edo…"

Her voice mellows out of the worry imbued in it before, he not only wanted to believe, but he had hopes, like her and he was working to make those hopes not be forfeited.

As for him, he could confide in Asuka, at least a portion of what's been bothering him and the effect of that was surprisingly relieving. To share some of his doubts and concerns compared to always having to do it on his own, Asuka always stretched a hand to make a bridge there, not only for him, but for Ryou too, that was a beautiful side of her, but he wouldn't admit out loud just yet. At the same time, there was a nagging thought that this was making him too relaxed for the good of his investigation.

"Unfortunately the lab didn't have any clue. It was a separate group doing experiments, they aren't related."

"Do you think Fubuki and the others were caught by those people you've been checking?"

"I can't know yet."

He trails off until both his phone and Asuka's PDA vibrate in unison, they exchange a glance before checking their respective messages, which is a similar text sent by Ryou for them to meet at the usual spot during sunset, which happens soon.

Slapping the money on the table, Edo stands up and leaves along with the blonde girl. The message had a serious tone, or perhaps that was just the normal Ryou sending urging and strict texts.

Their conversation had to come to a hold, although the topics were not the most happy, she enjoyed her time with him and for once, it was clear he enjoyed likewise. Edo would never disclose this many details before, they're reaching somewhere with the progress on their dialogues is what she believes.

At the cliffside,

Near the ocean

The hurried steps draw the attention of both students present, Ryou's stern gaze land on the first-years, Rie simply stands there looking at the ground, Edo takes the initiative:

"So what is this about? Will you say anything or not?"

"Not me."

The teal haired turns to the side, sighing deeply, casting his orbs unto Rie, pressuring her to start telling the truth, something she agreed not long ago during their talk.

"Why don't you explain to them what you just told me?"

An unspoken density explodes into the mood as she starts typing, the newcomers trying to guess what exactly happened for Ryou to be acting so strictly.

"I know what you came to do on this island, Edo."

His eyes widen subtly, a distrustful glint in them as he stares at her, demanding an explanation:

"What do you mean?"

"I was told to keep an eye on you, because you were dangerous. I know you're aware about the mythic demon cards and their powers. That's why I had to watch you closely. I'm sorry, the reason why I approached you all wasn't to be your friend, I had instructions to do all that, though, I can't keep doing it."

"Rie, what are you saying? Who told you that?" Asuka gasps in disbelief.

"There are many people involved, I don't know who they all are, but one of them is my uncle."

They freeze in place, their minds taking a second to cope with the reveal, Asuka stutters the next sentence a few times to get it right:

"You mean, professor Daitokuji?"

Rie simply nods, a consternated crease on her face as if she's herself unwilling to admit that's the truth.

"Does that mean you transferred here because you were working with them?" Edo raises a vital question.

"Yes. It was part of the plan, since being a student could make me have easy access to the school."

"How come you don't know who they are?" his eyes narrow in distrust, now that the interrogatory started, he's going to be fastidious about it.

"I was never told who they were, everything was going through my uncle and I only spoke to him directly when getting orders. Their final goal is to acquire the mythic demon cards hidden somewhere on this island."

"I'm sorry, Rie, this is hard to believe. Professor Daitokuji has been here for many years… Why would he work with people who want to steal something? And why are those cards so important? Also, he defended Judai and Shou when they were about to be expelled, for him to be involved with dangerous people… It's hard to swallow."

"Do you know the god cards said to be used during the city finals of the Kaiba corp tournament?"

"Yes, they were cards created by Pegasus himself, only one copy of each. No one knows what happened to the cards after the tournament." she ponders, doubting her own statement.

"They were sealed away. Those mythic demons are said to be on par with those other three cards, in fact, the people searching for them also believe they have supernatural powers, so immense it could change the world as we know and alter the course of destiny."

Back when he was a kid, Edo would take those tales as silly, but after witnessing Saiou's prediction powers and having other experiences, he started understanding this supernatural world better and grew accustomed to it. His brows twitch at the mention of "altering destiny". Is the power of those cards as strong as they say? Even more than his Destiny Heroes?

"That still doesn't explain why professor Daitokuji would be involved."

The blonde retorts again, her gaze roaming, stopping on Ryou as if calling for help, he simply closes his eyes, a deep sigh coming out of his lips as an answer.

"Uncle Daitokuji is very sick."

"What? But… he looks healthy… this doesn't make sense."

"Listen until the end, Asuka." Ryou pronounces firmly, a hint of distraught in his expression.

"What is his illness?"

"I don't know, but he said it's serious and there's no cure. That's why he joined their group, he thought maybe with the power of the cards, he'd be cured."

"I just can't believe it…"

"What about the missing students? Do you know about it?"

"I think uncle Daitokuji knows something, but he won't tell me wherever they are and he claims to not know what happened, just that they were gone suddenly and that's all he knows."

"He knows about it? And you knew it too?"

More than disappointed, Asuka feels betrayed, for so long Rie has been with them and if she knew about it this whole time, does this mean she was only with them to really spy on them and keep an eye on their moves?

"I don't know anything, uncle didn't tell me, he never tells me the details." her eyes gleam in consternation at her own words.

"Why of all the times you decided to tell us this now?"

"I think you deserve to know the truth and I'm tired of being in the dark."

Her head lowers after the last part, in deep thought, they can't fathom what goes through her head, but at this point, they're all having questions about the facts. What happened to the missing students? Is this group that wants the cards involved? Was Daitokuji a cold paneer like Rie told them?

A reminiscence comes to Asuka's mind, when she visited the pink-haired teen at the infirmary, she was asked by Rie what she'd do if she was lied to, if she'd be angry. Was she intending to tell them this even back then?

"I want to investigate and make my own conclusions. Moreover, with how dangerous this group seems to be, I'm afraid people might end up hurt and I want my uncle to stop, he could get hurt too."

"I can't say I trust your words because you just admitted to be lying to us this whole time, but telling this proves that you dislike the state of things and want to change, this is why you called us all here to hear it, wasn't it?" his blue orbs land on Ryou, accusing him of being the mastermind behind the confessions with a single glance.

"It's true that Ryou called you two here, but I wanted to tell you, that's the right thing to do. After all, you've been trying to find clues and what is happening around the school, seeing that, I can't help but want to find the truth too."

"How can we be sure whether you're still releasing information to the professor or not?"

"I'm not important in the scheme, so it's easy to just kick me out of the plan, since I don't influence it all that much."

"What do you say, Asuka?" the silver-haired teen skillfully throws the question at her, she felt probed under his gaze.

"Rie, for how long did you know about this plan? Have you really been searching around the island all alone this whole time?"

"I was told about it a bit before the school year started. And that's right, since uncle couldn't expose his identity or raise suspicion, I was doing the investigation on my own, though I was caught out a couple times."

"Like in my room… Well, now that we have arrived at the topic, do you mind telling us what you were really doing there?"

Ryou gulps dryly at the mention, his eyes opening tad in bewilderment, casting a side glance at Rie, she quickly answers to his glance before typing:

"Do you know about the potions from the hut?"

"Ah yes, you two mentioned it before."

"They were all from my uncle, but one of them was stolen by some girls who were Ryou fans. I don't know how, but after my uncle retrieved those potions and noticed one was missing, he asked me to find it. That night, the girls who stole it had sent the potion to your room, Edo, they didn't know you had switched rooms that night, I didn't either, that's how Ryou saw me there and I got sick."

"What was in that potion? And why would those girls target me if they were Ryou fans?"

"That's not important right now."

The teal-haired boy interrupts in a rush, causing adverse reactions, Edo senses some nervousness under his collected voice, Asuka is still lost in thought and Rie flushes, her fingers typing so quickly they get distracted by the sound of the key clicking.

"Why are you getting so jumpy? Let her speak."

"I don't know what was in the flask, my uncle never fully explained it besides telling me to retrieve it fast and that it could be dangerous, I got sick after inhaling some of it, so it wasn't anything good."

"I take it you were unaware of her agenda as a spy that night?"

"Yes, I had my suspicions, but I only confirmed it then."

"Why did you not tell us any of your suspicions after calling us there?"

"I wanted to hear the story from her first."

"After you knew she was lying?"

A prickling doubt is raised by Edo, a scowl changing his expression and shifting a heavy mood into the scene.

The blonde student reminisces how she also talked to Ryou and how hesitant he was on visiting Rie in the infirmary, perhaps he had more to think about than she calculated, even more, he was confused about his own feelings for Rie, of course he would avoid talking to anyone else but to her first, he'd want to know from the person he cares about their version of the story too, and he trusted her enough to try and appeal to her righteousness, this is a proof of how seriously he took her advice to heart.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed or surprised with all this," Asuka says, amusing the boys who were about to start a staring contest "But all things said, I'm glad you decided to be honest with us, Rie and that you're determined to find the truth now. It takes a lot of courage to admit to your mistakes and even more to fix them."

"Asuka…" her lips move in reflex, even without a sound, they can sense the affectionate tone she used.

She'd prefer if the pink-haired knew more clues about the missing students, but in hindsight, that's for the better because she'd be hurt if Rie hid it from her.

"This seems like a whole complicated plot, I don't even know where to begin. Magic cards? And there are many people behind the curtains wanting them? If you want to help us this time, I'm fine with that, but I want to hear everything about which assignments you had and we have to decide how to best talk to professor Daitokuji too."

"Asuka, will you really…"

The silver-haired never finished the sentence, but she understood as if telepathically communicating:

"Why not? Rie came to tell us because she wanted to change. I see no reason to not forgive her for that."

At light steps, she cuts the distance between them, inadvertently wrapping her arms around Rie, enveloping her in a warm hug. They're struck in admiration for a brief moment as Rie corresponds to that embrace, at the verge of tears.

"You also have plenty to explain about why you're investigating the island, Edo." Ryou rebukes, earning a frown from the friend.

"We'll have time to talk about all this as long as you're willing to tell us too, Edo."

Asuka interrupts the start of their discussion with a timely sentence, soothing the animosity with a faint smile.

"I think for now we heard enough, but I have one condition for you Rie: I want to talk more to you later in the dorms and hear everything in detail myself." she receives a brisk nod from the other as a reply.

Unlike what Rie expected, both Asuka and Edo took it so chill, she'd figure they would not want to look at her or listen to her immediately. As she takes her leave with the other girl, waving her hand at the boys, Ryou tilts his head subtly forward as if approving her decision, a tine smile on his lips, their eyes meeting for a second before she flashes her sight away, embarrassed.

As promised, she spent a night talking to Asuka, about everything from the moment she was contacted by her uncle to now, omitting a few details like what truly happened at Edo's room that night. In the meantime, Edo contacts Saiou, but his call is never answered, he looks at the phone, a frown wrinkling his face, wondering why; The Kaiser racks his chest of drawers, taking out a paper, the one he found at the hut, strange inscriptions on it, his orbs lost in that page. Does Rie know about this too or…?

Shadows are cast on Daitokuji's tall figure by the bright screen of a computer, his lenses obscured by the reflection of the video displayed.

"She's out? Well, nothing we can do, if she interferes in our plans, you'll know how to deal with it. I do expect your impartiality on this and if the others find her, they'll take care of it."

"Even if she tries, she won't be able to affect anything, I never told her much anyways."

"Are you sure about this? Out of the organization, we can't offer her protection from them."

"You see, I'll keep an eye on her as her guardian of course, plus even if they try, we'll end up confronting them for it, we do want to have our hands in the cards first."

"I understand, if that's what your consciousness tells you. Proceed with the plans of recognition and watch the possible threats."

"I'll do just that."

With a keen smile, he ends that video call, there's so much more he didn't tell Rie, things she could never imagine, but for now, it's fine to let those secrets be, they'll come to light, in time.