Chapter XXVIII
Exams
A strong trudging flares in the air, the students glance, muttering in hushed voices, getting out of the way. The person going past, the Kaiser. His brows angled obtusely, exhaling an intense aura, if they didn't know his stoic, cool demeanor better, they'd think he was up for a fight.
His memory sparks a scene as he talked to Edo, Asuka and Rie a few nights ago, a saddened expression on the latter as she affirms how little she knows about whatever her uncle was doing on the island before she came, his fists clutching tightly.
He tried to wait and observe Daitokuji's moves, but the man never slipped or said a word. He couldn't restrain himself anymore.
Stopping by the front of the school's lab, still watched by the curious eyes, he slides the door open, his frown accentuating as he looks at the back of the man in there. Daitokuji turns around clumsily, his typical smile on his face as he supports his hands on the counter.
"Marufuji-kun, to what do I owe the visit?"
Ryou slams the door closed, startling everyone outside, marching until he's front to front with the professor, unfearful at the difference in height.
"You know about the missing students."
He states not giving room for avoidance, folding his arms, an inquiring, strict posture, his teacher but chuckles.
"I see, Rie-chan probably told you I know something… Hmm, let me guess. It's about Tenjouin-kun, Asuka-chan's brother, right?"
"What do you know? Were you involved in their mysterious disappearance?"
"Away from me, Marufuji-kun. I think Rie-chan misunderstood my place here."
"She said you induced Shou and Judai to visit the abandoned dorms, they were almost expelled for that, it could have been dangerous for them too. What were you planning?"
"I merely told an old story to them, their curiosity guided them there. Of course, I took responsibility for this later as I understand the influence my words hold, and they are underlings of the Osiris dorm that I manage after all."
"You're lying," he pulls a paper out of his pocket, a crumpled page "You know about this, don't you?"
His mind again brings to surface as Rie shook her head in denial, a tad afflicted as she saw the page and all she could tell about it is how it reminded her of the alchemy books of Daitokuji.
For the first time in that conversation, he spurs a reaction, his professor seems puzzled, fascinated even:
"Where did you find that?"
"So you know it."
"Unfortunately, I don't recollect what this is about, but I can tell you it has to do with alchemy. I don't know where you found it, but if you don't want to end up missing, you'd rather not involve yourself with it, it's high alchemy."
"What are you talking about? This was in your hut, the one where you hid those damn potions!"
"You didn't seem to be unhappy with my potions before when you were alone in that room with my niece."
"No, you're not using this argument on me," he huffs furiously, pointing his finger, his eyes narrowing "If you made those potions, you knew what it could do and you sent Rie there alone."
"Yes, I did, she probably told you that, right? Did she also tell you how I had prepared an antidote for that potion and she never drank it? And how she was sick for days thanks to that little act of rebellion?"
He snickers at the soundly gasp coming from the teal-haired boy, standing up straight and walking a step ahead:
"It seems you didn't know, well, I guessed there's much you don't know about Rie yet."
"Stop twisting the subject."
"You already stole Rie-chan's heart, what else do you want from a poor man like me? I have nothing to offer. I already said I don't know where the missing students are, do you think I'm lying?"
"Don't play dumb, you used her and you know more than you're willing to admit."
"Perhaps. But can you prove it? Can you make me talk? Can you link my previous task to the disappearance of the students? You're smart, think, Marufuji-kun."
"You were one of the supervisors of the obelisk dorm before coming to the osiris! I can't even believe I never distrusted that! Right under everyone's noses too!"
"Isn't it normal I'd be reassigned since something bad happened under my watch? From all I know, they disappeared without leaving a trace."
Ryou's forehead wrinkles at the provocative question, forget being student and teacher, this man is sly and he doesn't care about the accusations, there's no proof against him.
"Are you frustrated? Was this talk not what you expected?"
His placid tone strikes a nerve, Ryou's fists that have been clutched now open slowly, there's no point in being angry at the man.
"What are you planning to do in this school? Do you really not care what happens to any of the students, even to Rie?"
A sincere questioning, but his attempt to reach out to Daitokuji's true feelings was foiled, a cold, uninterested reply:
"A word of advice: stay away from the occult and things you do not understand and stay out of my way," his tone becoming graver as he spoke, then soothing at the last part "Ah, and you'd do well in keeping Rie-chan away from those too, if you care about her, that is."
"We're not done yet-"
The door is open from outside, a couple students barging in, their eyes bulging out as they both see the Kaiser there and sense the palpable, tense atmosphere.
"I'm sorry if we interrupted-"
"Ah, don't worry, we're finished here. We can continue this dialogue another time, Marufuji-kun."
"Right. Until next time, professor."
The students exchange a glance, gulping as they can't deny they felt a certain tone of contempt from him as he left.
Outside the lab, Ryou walks away aimlessly, his frown accentuating the grumpy lines on his expression a bit until he halts in reflex as a person stands in front of him, his lost sight refocusing.
"Rie?"
"You look upset. Is there anything wrong?"
"Can we talk for a moment?"
He continues his way past her, casting a side glance, she follows without questioning, but apprehensive until they arrive at the outside of the building, near the duel monster statues disposed in lines, further from prying gazes. When he turns around to look at her, a message is almost shoved into his face:
"Did you talk to my uncle?"
The accurate guess elicits a sigh on him before he recomposes enough to answer, his emotions cooling off. If anyone should be nervous here, it's Rie.
"Yes."
"Did he still not tell you anything?"
"No, he won't budge. But that's not what I wanted to ask about."
He pauses, gathering the words, but quickly concludes there's no better way to approach this other than being forthright:
"It's about that night, in the dorms…"
Her body shudder inwardly at the mention, her eyes widening open and a flush on her cheeks, why is he asking about that? She thought that was a case of an incident that shan't be named ever again. Her hands quiver subtly, unsure of what to type about, petrified.
Ryou takes a deep breath, swerving his gaze, to give her a more comfortable sense of space, elaborating:
"You had a 'cure' to that potion, something that should have prevented your sickness, didn't you?"
"That's what you mean," her chest decompresses in relief, then she flinches in awareness "Wait, how do you know about that?"
"Professor Daitokuji said when he sent you there, you had something to counter the effects of the potion, if you had it, why didn't you just take it that night?" he folds his arms, his stern posture brings an intimidating air around him "We both know it could have avoided many troubles."
"It's true, I had something like that," her orbs fixate on the screen of her device, she doesn't look up at him even when displaying the text "But I couldn't have drank it in front of you there because you were already suspicious of me and I thought it would only make it worse. Plus, I was clueless as to the actual effects of the potion, I thought it would mostly make us sick."
"If you had it and didn't drink it, then explain to me what happened to it. From the way he worded it, you shouldn't have been sick for so long."
He faces her straight in the face, his sharp eyes have an anxious, but consternated glint abiding them as they falter. She knows she disappointed many people and lied, Ryou asked her to tell the truth and he's now probing her intentions to see whether she'll fulfill her vow or if she's again hiding behind a fake tale. Her lips unseal as if to make an argument before she types again, slowly:
"I couldn't have drank it because I gave it all to you after you fainted."
"You… Gave it to me?"
His arms uncross in shock, almost taking a step back, gaping at his own imagination painting the moment as something far more romantic than the truth, a scene of Rie kissing his lips, transferring the medicine directly into his mouth as he sleeps. Suddenly, he feels a bit too hot.
"Why?" he pulls the brim of his collar, there's too much blood flowing up his head, his throat narrowing with words stuck in there "Why would you do this? You could've… You could've drank it and escaped, then pretended as if all of it was a dream. You wouldn't be sick and it would be hard to contest your claims to disprove you without any evidence, you could have deceived me so your plans would be unchanged and ongoing."
"Do you really think I was that cold blooded?" she lifts her gaze for the first time, her eyes tearing up afflicted "After all you said that night, I couldn't do that. You told me to be honest and tell the truth."
"You could have shared and drank half of it at least, wouldn't that have also helped you?"
"You fell sick in that bed and it was my fault. I was desperate and worried, you looked really ill and I only had one dose, I just didn't want you to get hurt," with a lowered head, she admits "So I gave every last drop of the antidote to you."
His eyes open wide, astonished. She was thinking of him even back then? They should've been enemies, but she still put his safety above hers? Why? He even avoided her for days after that. Of course, he can guess why. Rie is awfully unsuited for her previous occupation as a spy, she shouldn't be involved in any of this, she never intended to hurt them.
Those words hit his heart like an arrow, he just can't maintain the distance now. His voice comes out as an infatuated whisper:
"Rie…"
She nervously runs her fingers through the keyboard of her PDA to type a new message, fidgeting while at it, before she can finish it, she's hauled in an embrace, dropping her device with the scare she got, her whole figure easily enveloped in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Rie, I didn't know…" his face sinks onto her shoulder, the warmth of his skin spreading to hers "That's enough. You don't need to keep explaining yourself over and over."
He strengthens his grip, bringing her even closer if that was feasible. Her hands fling in the air before accommodating on his back, she panics wondering whether he could feel her abnormally fast heartbeats with how close they were.
"I appreciate your feelings, Rie. Thank you for taking care of me."
Those hectic emotions of hers settle down at his warm words, her hands slowly gliding up on his back, hugging him back as her face lands on his shoulder, closing her eyes briefly. She's startled when his hands drag her shoulders slightly away to look into her face, his hand coming along, his thumb sliding on her pink cheek caringly.
"Please, think about yourself too next time."
Her heart skips a beat as he leans on, gently brushing her bangs to the side, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. After he lets go of her, taking a step back, he notices her static blue orbs, as if she was frozen in time. Grumbling internally, he berates himself, did he overstep his boundaries?
"Huh, we should go back, classes will resume soon."
She blinks awake at the sound of his voice, nodding vaguely, he catches her PDA on the ground, giving it back. They walk back to the building without exchanging another word, she's lost in thought and he has the impression he shouldn't be interrupting it, his feet stall as they near the entrance of the classroom.
"Rie," she flinches again at the call "Do you have time after classes?"
With a brisk swing of her head, she answers wondering if he will again ask for some of her time, like when they went to the garden.
"Then, would you like to drop by the library with me?"
"The library? What are we doing there?"
"I thought I could recommend some good dueling books to you if you want. The tests are coming soon and so is the winter break."
So they're studying? Isn't that the same he does with those students he tutors? Does that mean he wants to tutor her so she's a better duelist or what? Or is it one of those cases the boy is just using an excuse to spend more time with the girl? She's seen it in some magazines, but she didn't know how reliable the information was and Ryou hardly fits the descriptions of those anyways. The corner of her mouth twitches up, confused at the sudden invitation again.
"Sure."
"I'll see you later at the library, then."
He walks ahead, entering the classroom first, leaving her there, wondering what to make of it, Ryou can be such an enigmatic figure.
Later, on the school corridors
Asuka stops upon seeing a duo of girls smiling at Edo as he scribbles on some sort of paper, a faint, polite smile on his lips, she'd learn how to discern when he was smiling for real or when he was wearing his pro-league persona and this was the latter.
He beckons to the girls as they leave. Her hazel eyes follow them and they reply with a glance back at her as if she's the weird one. She starts once they're out of sight:
"I thought you had given autographs to all the girls in this school by now."
"You didn't get my autograph yet," he quipped, getting a sneer and a negative shake of head as an answer "Since you came to see me, I assume there's something important to talk about."
"Ah, not really," she wobbles her hand a tad clumsily "I just saw you around and I thought of asking something."
"Go on."
His arm stretches onwards to the path ahead, in a chivalrous gesture for her to walk, she raises a brow but walks ahead and he follows beside her.
"Did you know winter vacation is right around the corner?"
"Ah, right, there's that after the exams. Yes, I will probably be out of most of the pro-league, since that's the best time to have my duels without compromising my studies here. What about you?"
"I'm still thinking, but my father wants me to visit and spend the whole vacation there."
"You don't want to?" he takes a peek at her face, her mouth curving down sourly as if she won't admit it "You can negotiate, but won't most people visit their families at that time?"
"It's possible I can bargain, but I heard from Shou and Judai that they're staying. I guess Ryou will stay here too."
"He will?" his eyes have a twinkle of an untold curiosity "I know this is a boarding school, but it's not that rigid. Doesn't he have a family to visit? Or is he that unsocial?"
"From what I've heard, he always stays during the winter vacations, but goes back to his house to visit the family at the end of the year, though, this will be his last year here, so things are different."
"What is he even doing on a lone island?"
"Practicing his dueling and studying apparently and he told me it's surprisingly more peaceful here without too many people around."
"So it is about him avoiding people," he concludes in a sharp, almost mean tone "Not that I can't relate to taking a break in quiet places. But won't his family miss him?"
"His father came over to visit during past years, so it's fine. I think he always arranges a room with the principal and stay over for some days."
"Does he not have a mother?"
"That's… Complex. I heard Ryou isn't on the best terms with his mother, his father is a very nice person so I don't really get it."
"Did he also tell you that?"
"Ah, no, it was Fubuki, he got along well with Mr. Marufuji, so much so our fathers ended up meeting each other and befriending too, Fubuki convinced my father to get more parent-friends as he called, but apparently Ryou's mother wasn't very happy, I guess not everyone deals well with… Fubuki."
She sighs, putting a hand to her forehead with how silly her brother sounded, but Edo didn't sketch any particular reaction or laughed, instead his gaze was transfixed on her expression, she had such a bright smile while speaking of her brother so fondly like that. She flinches upon realizing his long stare.
"Hm, did I say something wrong?"
"No, it's not you. I'm just intrigued by this brother of yours. He seems like a nice guy from what you tell, but I wonder which type of duelist he is and how good."
"Both he and Ryou were around the same level, he even bragged about their 'friendvalry' that's apparently a mix of being best friends and rivals, Ryou was so annoyed at him for inventing those stupid terms that he won a duel against Fubuki just so he stops saying that. And as unbelievable as it looks, many people regarded my brother as one of the best obelisk students that entered that year."
"So, will you stay on the island and try finding your brother?"
He asks, his eyes drifting off as he shifts the focus to a more earnest conversation, she ceases her steps altogether, her brows coiling up in angst at the possibility of disappointing her poor father.
"I don't know. I think I might do just that and visit my dad for a shorter period…"
"I see. But don't go adventuring yourself alone, if Ryou is around, drag him with you, I'm sure he'd want to help too," he stops in consonance with her, "And let me know when you decide what to do."
"O-okay?"
She stammers unintentionally, baffled at his request, why does he want to know what she decides? If he's going on the pro league then, there's nothing he can do to help her, he can't support anyone from afar. Perhaps he just wants to keep in touch to be updated on news if they find more clues for his own goals too?
There's a long, pensive minute of silence, Edo's eyes wandering to the outside landscape through the glass windows, narrowing ever so slightly as he finally declares:
"I need to settle some business for my career now, if you excuse me."
Spinning around with a bow of head, he disappears before she has the chance to ask anything else, what has gotten into him?
At the library
Rie scans the surroundings quickly the people sitting at the tables in the library flashing like a blur of colors, tapping her feet on the ground, her anxiety growing by the minute, giving an hesitant step ahead into the room filled in hushed whispers, a voice makes a chill run down her spine as she turns around in haste:
"Why are you standing here?"
Her tense shoulders lower as she almost bumps into Ryou, staggering a step back, putting a hand to her fast paced heart. She was too distracted and absorbed by the ambience to listen to his footsteps. Since when did she become so careless? She used to be able to tell someone is approaching by their presence alone, even more someone like Ryou whose aura stands out among others.
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" he blinks amused at her reaction.
"It's fine.. I was about to enter because I didn't know when to expect you'd come."
"Sorry, I should've made that clearer. You could've taken a seat anywhere, you didn't need to stand here."
Her lips babble some unknown words hectically, as if she's trying to explain herself, but she ultimately gives up, spinning around, shyly walking inside the place.
Some glances rush over them as they take a seat on an empty table, that does not disrupt Ryou's composure or even seize his attention for a mere split second, she on the other hand, shrinks even more on her chair after the chattering on the nearby tables grew louder.
"Is there anything troubling you?"
Her eyes squint softly at the question, at last, he realizes the boys and girls from the nearby table immediately turning their eyes back to the books and pretending they weren't looking up until now. Ryou didn't even say anything, but they were frightened of him.
"Don't worry, you know how rumors go, they'll die out in a while and if someone bothers you, you can tell me," his voice softens a tad on the next part, being considerate "I'll bring some books I know, feel free to check books that interest you too on the shelves."
He stands up, but goes to the counter where the librarian is, instead of the giant bookshelves in the background. Her ears catch the whispers resuming, some people still take a look at her, do they have nothing better to do?
He said he'd help her to prepare for the exams, but will even his help change anything? Her grades are not terrible, neither exceptional in written tests, the main problem is… Practical dueling.
Lost in thought, a hefty thud startles her as Ryou drops a mighty pile of books, he has to divide it in smaller can't decide which one to look at first.
"Are all those books related to duels?"
There's a few seconds delay before he answers, as if calculating his words. "No, to tell the truth, some of those are sign language learning books."
He skims her reaction, her eyes widening impressed as he slides one of the piles down, she can see a picture dictionary and a few other names that are related to language learning.
"Where did you find those? I didn't even know our school had this type of literature. I thought we only had normal subjects we see in classes and dueling related ones."
"The school didn't," he occupies himself agglomerating the similarly titled ones, avoiding looking into her eyes, as if in a veiled shame "Those are recent. They arrived today."
"How?"
"I asked the librarian if she could get some new books."
He blurts out, nonchalantly sitting beside her, taking one of the thick books and skipping pages, many images of hand signs on it. Her fingers reaching out to one of the books too, before she lays it to the side and types:
"Why?"
"Why?" he stops enrolling into the book, casting his neutral gaze at her "You told me before you were thinking about learning it, but that it wasn't worth it if you learned it alone, right? I thought if we studied together that would motivate you to learn it."
"Ryou…"
Uttering silently with her lips, she turns on her seat to face him, her blue orbs seem as if they could melt at any moment. Did he really do this for her? Ryou was a cold-looking person, but when it came to those close to him, he had such tender feelings.
"I'm sure Edo and Asuka could learn some too," he supports an arm on the table, idly flipping more pages of the open book on there, diverting his own attention "Moreover, you can improve your dueling by reading some other books that I brought, it will help you get through the midterms, at least."
"How did you manage to convince the librarian to get new books?"
"I told her it would be good for the school if we had some sign language books since we have a mute student, it would be a more inclusive approach. She commended the idea saying it was 'wonderful' and arranged it quickly."
Rie snickers, imagining the librarian swooning over Ryou and praising him with heart-shaped eyes, although that isn't exactly the truth, it's not too far off. He does have a way to convince people to follow him, an admirable trait of his.
"Thank you."
She pronounces again without any aid from the device she had, he watched star-struck as a radiating smile blossomed on her lips. For an ephemeral moment, Rie forgot about all the unwanted attention and the people around, as if that moment belonged to the two of them alone.
The heart that beat in a fuss inside her soothed, her eyes lingering on his a bit longer before the voices that were nothing more than background noise turned louder, their gazes departing from each other. Ryou pushes the book between them, his mind allured by many inner questions. Whatever he's doing, if Rie is smiling like this, then he must be doing it right.
At the entrance of the obelisk male dorm
A message blinks on Edo's PDA, amaze of creases forming on his forehead, with his eyes quickly scrutinizing the surroundings, he walks off, into the woods, flinching as he senses a presence approaching.
From some bushes, Jonouchi and Honda come out, the blonde man opening up a cheerful smile:
"Yo! Pal! How are you doing?"
"Jonouchi, you were the one that called me here. I assumed you would explain yourself."
"Don't be so cold, we helped you out a bit back in the lab, didn't we?"
"Since you mentioned, what were you doing there? I thought you were far gone from this island."
"Hm, just some personal investigations,"
"Do you have permission to be here? Or are you dawdling around on your own? Who sent you?"
"Come on, this isn't an inquiry, pal! Of course I'm here for a reason and that someone asked me to do it, but I also decided to do it, if you get what I mean!"
He guffaws as Edo is more riled up at his statements, it was on purpose he worded it in a confusing way, the typical Jonouchi way of avoiding his questions.
"Don't you think this island is a bit odd? Many supernatural phenomena happen all the time."
"Jou," Honda scolds him, as if trying to tip he's giving too much info "Are you sure you wanna talk like this?"
"Calm down, Honda! Edo is my trusty pal! He'd not tell a secret unless you're a murderer, then he will hammer you with justice, haha!"
"I'm elated you have such impression of me," he retorts sarcastically "But would you tell me more?"
"Hm, where is that blonde chic from the other day?"
"You mean Asuka?" he raises a brow in doubt "Why would I bring her here? This is between you and me."
"Whoa, ease there, no need to give me the mean look, it just seemed as if she was in on it with you."
"In on what exactly?"
"Aren't you also snooping around the island?"
Edo's nerves chill at the sudden accurate revelation, how does he know about it? He was only caught in the lab, but did Jonouchi see him somewhere else?
"Why the long face? You think I'd be investigating around and not be aware of who is doing what on this island? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but different from what people say, I like to do my job properly."
"What he means is that we know you've been having night walks," Honda cuts off before his friend reveals more "And we're worried that you do not understand the scope of the problem, so we'd prefer if you'd tell us why."
"I have my own reasons."
"That much we know, but for what reasons? This island is not friendly, there are many places here you'd rather not set your foot in, like the ruins, for instance."
Jonouchi raises his finger, calmly explaining contrasting with the harsher, more grave tone of his friend, as if to mediate the burbling conflict.
"The ruins? That's the most harmless place on those lands. There's nothing there."
The two adults exchange a concerned glance, sighing deeply before the blonde duelist continues, a polite, aloof smile on his lips:
"Is that so? Well, you would do well in staying away from there and keeping your friends away from there as well, with duel monster ruins involved, you can never be too careful. Plus, try to be more discreet when going to other spaces too."
"They're related to duel monsters…?" he ponders to himself only, there was no vestige of that when he searched, finally mustering another question "Why are you warning me about some old rocks? And to be careful? Shouldn't you be trying to scold me and stop me?"
"Nothing in particular, I see you're still not willing to tell us your reasons, but you know what? I respect your decision, all I can tell you for now is that searching around aimlessly like you do won't get any result and you should plan your moves more carefully, Edo, you must be aware we're not the only ones keeping tabs on what happens at this island… if you even got that far in your investigations..."
"You know more?"
Daitokuji's face comes to Edo's mind, he was behind Rie's tasks, but she said more people were allied with him and she never met the rest of them.
"We're dealing with dangerous people, but I know telling you to stop won't help, so I would ask you to redouble your care."
He lands his hand on Edo's shoulder, much to the surprise of the silver-haired duelist, whose fists clench, a frown of annoyance for being a step behind and a certain perplexity at the same time. Is he being treated like a kid now?
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Come on, you're my pal, I wouldn't want you getting hurt. You should make sure your friends don't get hurt too, but if it comes to that, we will try to help, so don't be shy on texting or even calling this number on your phone, got it?"
"I think you've said enough, Jonouchi, we need to get back to work!"
Honda pulls him by the collar, lifting him and dragging him, casting a last glance at Edo, reading the atmosphere change as Edo becomes thoughtful.
"Ah, wait a moment! I have so much to say! Honda!" he scuffles, but it's useless, clasping his hands together, he blurts out loud "Hey, pal, don't tell anyone we're still here! We'll be in big trouble if you do!"
Edo simply beckons, uninterested in the antics of the other. The two men vanish after entering the woods again, they didn't say much, but the pieces are coming together, Daitokuji, the other people interested in the cards, Jonouchi and Honda investigating those same people as him.
Taking his cellphone on hands, he dials a number, the call trying to connect to his friend's office again. The voice on the other side of the line amusing him:
"Edo."
"Saiou? You haven't picked up in a while, I thought you'd be busy again."
"True, I have been busy, but so have you. Tell me, did you find anything new?"
"I'm getting close to the identity of the ones trying to get the cards, I know one of them already, but it'll be hard to corner him as things are, still I'll observe and make a move when I know I can discover more."
"Good. But that's not all you've called me for, is it?"
"No," he isn't even amazed at his friend's prediction "To tell the truth, there's something I'd like to ask you, regarding the pro leagues…"
On the other side, Saiou smirks satisfied, flipping the arcana card The Hanged Man, meaning a change at a cost. A foreseen circumstance for him, he replies blandly:
"Go ahead."
The talk is dragged for a long time, the favor he asks yet to be realized. As the days pass in peace, with Edo and Ryou keeping an eye on Daitokuji who seems to be doing nothing more than his school duties; Rie is challenged by some students after they heard about her duel with Koji and people kept challenging her after that, much to her disgruntlement.
At last, the exams happen, the students all look at the big screen in the auditorium, waiting to see who had the top grades, cheers roaring in the room, a smile spreading on Ryou's face as he sees his notes as the student with the highest grades, keeping his position as the top third-year student. Some admirers come from the sides to congratulate him, his eyes darting around, but he couldn't find Rie.
Outside the classroom, the pink-haired teen checks her grades on a paper, startled as someone approaches. It's Ryou, he opens a tiny smile to greet her:
"So, how did you fare in the exams?"
She flips the paper for him to see, grabbing it carefully he checks with a nod of approval.
"It seems like the time in the library paid off."
"It's not great," she types in a finicky way "But still better than my first grades."
Some people pass by, casting glances, but no one comes closer. Rie looks around, noticing not many people are around.
"Where are those followers of yours? I thought you were busy talking to others."
"I dismissed them for a while, they only came to congratulate me quickly anyways. Plus, I was curious to know how you were."
The last part causes a flinch on her as she fidgets to type a message, seems like he still has a lot of work ahead of him to make Rie a bit less shy, but he's happy they're seeing each other more often now.
"Are you free now?"
"Huh," he's momentarily astounded by the question, she would not start many conversations on her own "Yes. Why?"
"Do you think we can go to the library and see what I did wrong in the exams so I can improve for the next ones?"
"Of course."
It's just a silly excuse to spend more time with him now, she knows that, but there's no help, in the class she could see the popularity of his sparking again, but she has this very petty feeling of wanting just a bit to have this undivided attention, for once. Is it wrong of her? And why in the world is she even thinking like this? She's ashamed of herself, but compared to before, this shame feel much lighter.
On the first years classroom, some girls squeal as they see Edo's name at the top, Shou sighs in dismay on the background, disappointed with his barely passable grades and Judai scratches the back of his head, he doesn't even have enough points, so he'll be doing extra activities.
The silver-haired teen is lost in thought, leaving the classroom while reflecting, his arms crossed and his gaze distant. A hand taps his shoulder and waking him up from all the daydreaming, he stops.
"Asuka?"
"Why do you look so unhappy? You got first place."
"Not much of an achievement, if you ask me."
"I guess, if you're a pro, you wouldn't feel that great about ranking high in school when you're having great results in the professional league already."
"You seem to be in a good mood."
"Unlike you, I appreciate my rank. And you seem to be in a bad mood."
"I'm not in a bad mood, I'm just thinking."
"If you're this grumpy looking even as you're thinking, I think you'll be getting wrinkles earlier than other boys," she snickers, "I have to go now, Momoe and Junko are waiting for me, bye!"
He waves his hand back at her, his expression unchanged from the stale, long lines of thoughtfulness. Was his choice right? Saiou didn't disagree, but he feels iffy about it all, it's possible their enemies will make a move during those times the school is less crowded and Daitokuji is laying low for now.
A week after the exams, winter vacation starts
Inside the dark, empty library, a group of three students in white robes play with an Ouija board, chanting the name "Psycho-Shocker", their voices echoing as the candle light flickers.
Silence follows before the wood of the shelves crackles ominously, they shiver at the chilly gust of wind coming from behind, there are no windows open. Suddenly, the arrow at the Ouija board moves on its own, their hands don't prevent it from haphazardly making a sentence.
"Three sacrifices," one of them gulps, "and I'll be reborn in this world."
They exchange a glance, their hands sweaty at the occurrence, smiling as their little experiment could be considered a success.
"We understand! Please, come to us! We'll give you the sacrifices!"
The arrow on the Ouija board flies away, escaping their grips darting towards a shelf so strong it knocks some books as it clashes, they release a scared "iiek!", looking around to see no one else there.
Fear gives place to a sense of accomplishment, if they summoned a real duel monster spirit there, they're gonna become very famous, a breakthrough for the occult! As they leave the library, they part ways as one of their friends forgot something at the table they've been using.
A single boy in the obelisk uniform returns to the vacant library, using the flashlight from his PDA to help him find a small notebook in which he took some notes from their latest discoveries, footsteps draw close behind him. He hears it, but doesn't react immediately, smirking, is one of his friends trying to scare him? He sneers confidently, turning around by surprise:
"You won't frighten-"
The words escaping his mouth, a figure much taller and menacing greeting his gaze, a man in a black coat, his big hand stretching over his face as his shadow covers the silhouette of the boy, a muffled scream soars.
While walking, the other two boys outside turn around at the low, distant sound, exchanging a glance and shrugging their shoulders as they hear nothing else, thinking it was just their imagination. That night, another student went missing without an explanation.