Still have Covid, so here is another chapter :) Now the story can really get going!
Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoy it
Getting home didn't ease the tension. Yugi spent the short walk shuffling his feet in silence while having difficulty looking his parents in the eyes. They gently nudged him through the entrance of the game shop after multiple failed attempts to get him to talk. Not that Yugi was really listening to anything they said.
But now they were off the street and out of public view, his mother closing the door to the shop and whispering in hushed tones to his father as they walked ahead of him, leaving Yugi to think for a few seconds while looking out the glass doors of the shop's entrance.
"What a day," said his father, trying to lighten the mood. "I could use a late-night coffee. Doubt I'm going to sleep after everything that happened."
"I'll pass on the coffee, but a biscuit sounds nice. What about you, Sweetheart? Would you like me to cook you some dinner? You must be hungry after everything that happened today." said his mother, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder.
Yugi didn't respond, causing his father to let out an exasperated sigh, no doubt related to their conversation that morning.
Glancing from the street and back to his parents, Yugi took in their tired forms. His fathers old gray trench coat and his mother's standard tortoiseshell hair clip appeared slightly out of place, and their overall general demeanor which - despite what they said to his friends earlier - seemed more cautious rather than fearful.
Knowing what he was about to do, he took a deep breath and begun to channel Atem's confidence. Once again wishing he were here to do the talking.
"Yeah... So now we are home..." Yugi raised his head to gaze at them directly, eyes flashing with seriousness. "Those guys ... the ones who kidnapped me. They mentioned something about you two being 'hunters'. What was that about? I've already mentioned it to Grandpa on the phone so don't try and get out of it."
His parents stopped, right in the middle of the shop.
"Are you sure you're okay?" said his father, tilting his head to face him with a blank expression.
Yugi clenched his fist, seeing right through the act. "I'm not stupid! Spirithunters... Exorcists... Supernatural stuff! The people who kidnapped me said that is what you did. That I knew nothing about who you are. I mean, they're not wrong but I didn't think it was related to your work. On top of that - what was that with my friends? I've gone through hell with them, and you just brushed them off. Not cool!"
"Hayate! Atsuko!" called his Grandfather's booming voice from upstairs. "The kitchen table... Now!"
Yugi could see his parents sweating beneath their shirts as they turned to head upstairs. Perhaps there was some truth to what his kidnappers had said after all, and he could finally have an answer to six years of absence.
...
They sat round the table. Yugi and his grandfather on one side, and his parents sweating through their clothes and holding smiles in weird angles on the other. It was almost as awkward as the night his parents returned home, just without the food to sweeten the situation.
Yugi tapped his fingers on the table, not exactly impressed at the prospect of a secret profession that almost got him killed, or possessed, or whatever. His Grandfather had his arms crossed and was staring at his father with a legendary glare.
"I take it you are not a banker, Hayate," said his grandfather, starting the conversation. "Care to explain? I nearly lost my grandson due to whatever it is you actually do. I also believe Yugi deserves an explanation for his ordeal."
Watching, for the first time, his grandfather exerting his power as a parent caused Yugi to inwardly chuckle. The glare was a true sight to behold. Across the table, his father seemed to shrink, with Yugi noticing a light drop of sweat on his forehead.
"How do we begin?' said his father with nervous chuckle.
"From the beginning," demanded Grandpa, not amused. "I never approved of you leaving Yugi behind for America. Now I want the true reason you left."
"Well... yes," said his father, tapping the table. "I am not a banker. That is a cover. Atsuko and I actually work as spirit hunters."
"And what does that mean?" grumbled his grandfather.
"We... track down dangerous spirits who try and use the living for their own personal gain," he turned to Yugi, gaze apologetic. "The family who kidnapped you, Yugi, they are from an old clan of medians in the USA. They were one of the families we were working against for the past six years. There were several we had dealt with, but the Pelorsi family is one of the most aggressive."
His mother spoke up with a nervous tone, her hands rubbing together. "They had the spirit of one their elders leading them. He had an interesting practice of... well... taking over the bodies of the living. Innocents who had nothing to do with the clan's business. We were assigned to force him to move on to the other side or destroy him."
"We succeeded in the former," muttered his father with a grumble. "Which means there is always a chance he can come back. Your mother and I suspect they were trying to use your body to host the spirit of their great grandfather to get back at us. They aren't exactly known for playing nice. It's why our organization was working so hard to remove their source of power in the first place."
Yugi couldn't mutter out a single word, it all sounded absurd. But who was he to speak after everything he had gone through over the past six years. The very experiences his parents didn't know about and in turn, saved him tonight, were equally as crazy. He looked down at the red marks on wrists. Trying to figure out what to say next.
"So," said his grandfather, arms crossed. Not waiting for Yugi to respond. "Those hooligans are enemies of yours. Looking to restore a dead relative you sealed away, and they targeted Yugi for some mumbo magic reason, which clearly failed. What happens now?"
"They shouldn't go after you again," said his father. "There is no need for them to come back. If the circle failed once, then it will be a waste of time to try again. Your mother and I will deal with the rest. We have contacts who can help us investigate... You'll be fine."
"Yugi... Did they say why it failed? Anything at all?" said his mother, staring at him in earnest. "These things can be important! The kind of enchantments used by their family can only be blocked by another, more powerful entity. You could be in a-lot of trouble, Sweetheart!"
"Not sure..." lied Yugi. Keeping his eyes on his wrists and the blistering red marks from the rope. "Didn't sound bad at the time. I wouldn't worry about it."
"We will worry about it," said his father frowning. "I know you wanted to be with your friends, but this takes precedence. We'll bring you to the institute on the weekend. I'm sure one of our colleagues wouldn't mind checking you over. Who knows what you picked up on your trip to Egypt..."
"I'm sure it's nothing! As if the spirit of a mummy would latch onto me," said Yugi. But that nausea returned to his stomach.
His grandfather winked at him from across the table.
"Could just be your grandmother, my boy. She was scary enough on a good day and would be happy to fight on your behalf."
His father winced at the comment. "That would be the most terrifying result of all."
"Why? I'm sure there must be at least one spiritual ancestor willing to protect my grandson."
"Because the last thing we want is to hurt our own family in the afterlife, " said his mother with an awkward chuckle. "And considering the level of spiritual power to make such a barrier... It must be someone who was familiar with magic in their waking life. It would not be pleasant to find out Mariko was involved in such things."
"Says you two..." huffed Grandpa, leaning back in his seat with an amused smile at Yugi. "She would have been thrilled to have been that interesting."
The comment made Yugi chuckle, easing the tension in the air. "Well, grandma's potential actions aside, I suppose we should just be happy you both came back home safely. Though I'm not going to pretend I understand it, or am happy about it."
His father's expression softened, hands reaching out to Yugi's own. The warm contact shocking Yugi to look up at him. "That's all we can ask. I'm sorry it affected you at all... it's not what we wanted. You deserve a normal life. Not this... In our line of work we stop spirits interfering with the lives of innocent people. It's a never-ending job that puts all hunters and their family in the firing range of spiritual attack. We... wanted to avoid that for you as much as possible but I guess it had its limits."
"We'll get in touch with the institute, Sweetheart," said his mother, almost in tears. "We'll make sure not a single spirit ever uses you and we'll get you checked over to make sure they didn't do anything to you. Okay?"
Yugi's breath hitched at the irony. Looking back down to his hands that his father was still holding. They left to protect him from being controlled by spirits... and in doing so he formed a bond with one and occasionally let him control his body. He paled as a realization hit him. Atem was lucky to have passed over when he did. His parents wouldn't tolerate the truth.
"Whatever we need to do, I suppose," said Yugi, almost squeaking the words out and hoping it came across as shock.
"Thank you," said his father. "We'll be able to get you assessed as early as tomorrow. I think Miyuki herself will want to take a look at you."
Miyuki?
"You'll be fine, Sweetheart," said his mother. Though Yugi decided he would be the judge of that.
...
It turned out Yugi's Saturday was about to go as well as last Saturday, when he and his parents went out on that hike. In other words, not good.
He only figured this out when he was sitting down for breakfast. But not because of the obvious reasons.
Waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday should have been the first red flag. His mother's awkward high pitch when waking him a second, and his father, an avid coffee drinker from what little Yugi knew of him, preparing a strange mix of tea as soon as his mother dragged him to the kitchen should have been the third.
His parents frantically spoke about their different options while sipping on tea - none of which Yugi understood.
"Perhaps the Warren's method?" suggested his mother.
"Too invasive. Especially when we know a spirit isn't present currently. Miyuki's sight should be our starting point and we will figure it out from there," said his father, putting a cup of the strange brew in front of Yugi and signaling with his hand for him to drink.
"But will it be enough? I've never heard of a barrier existing post spirit," said his mother, a hand resting on her cheek in concern.
"Like I said, it will just be a start..." continued his father.
And on and on they discussed. Yugi only half paying attention but his nerves rising in the pit of his stomach. The real reason he knew today wasn't going to go well.
On a hunch, Yugi quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted Joey - 'Call me in 2hrs. I might need to get out of something.' While munching on his toast. Sliding it back into his jacket and drinking the tea as soon as his parents turned back to face him.
Yugi gagged - the tea tasted like a strange mix of liquorice and musk. Similar to that overpowering smell in a perfume store.
"What does it taste like?" said his father. Though the look on his face suggested he knew the answer.
"Old lady perfume..." coughed Yugi. He lifted up the cup. "What is this?"
"A special blend that would not have tasted like that if you were free of spiritual influence," he said vaguely.
Yugi screwed up his face at the secretive response. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Yugi sighed. "I don't know what to say to that. I'm not being haunted, am I?"
"That's what we are going to find out," said his mother sipping the tea herself but without the gag reflex Yugi had.
He tried to smile, but the serious expression on his parent's faces made him consider otherwise.
His shoulders slumped. "If it means anything, I don't feel haunted. Or possessed. Or whatever it is you guys are looking for. It would be obvious if it was happening, right?"
"In most cases, yes," said his father. "Like we said earlier. It is an anomaly for a Spirit to place a barrier on a living soul they don't have current contact with. Think of it like..." he waved his hand in the air while thinking of a comparison. "Burying a million dollars on an island that's impossible to access. It's a costly practice for spirits - takes a-lot of power and makes them vulnerable."
"Why a spirit would do such a thing and what was exchanged to create it... that's what is concerning," said his mother, her frown deepening.
Because he's overprotective and tends to worry, thought Yugi. Daring not to say it out loud. It didn't seem like his parents had many positive experiences with the otherside - and he sensed they had many.
"How are we getting there?" said Yugi. His face contorting into disgust as his father gestured for him to drink the tea again.
"We'll walk a designated route," said his mother. She smiled as Yugi gagged - this time after finishing the tea in one gulp so he didn't have to drink it a third time. "This one we're certain the Pelorsi family won't be able to follow."
"You can't tell me why, can you?" said Yugi. He wiped his tongue on a napkin.
"Maybe one day," chuckled his father. "Once all this is cleared up."
It took a good hour of walking before they got there. Yugi thought he had a good grasp of Domino city, but his parent led him through nooks and alleyways he had never seen before - and neither the rest of Domino's residents considering how quiet this trip was. No businessmen or rogue teenagers in sight.
But he did recognize the central business district once they got there. Yugi knew where he was the moment he saw the old beat-up apartment buildings which now served as offices. The fancier buildings for the large corporations - like Kaiba Corp - was the next street over.
He followed his parents to one of the old buildings. They gestured for him to come inside.
Yugi did his best not to look disappointed as he walked the cracked doorway into an unmanned reception area. With a 'currently away on business, please call back later' sign on the top desk. An old water fountain stood in the corner next to what Yugi was certain had to be a fake plant.
The 'Institute' was a rather boring looking place, especially when considering the occupation of the people who made up its members.
It's like a 1950's office building, thought Yugi. As he dragged his feet up the worn-out steps while being towed by his parents to the main area.
The lack of air con was comparable to suffocating. On top of the strange lack of decorations and minimal windows capable of sliding open, causing Yugi to wonder when the office last tasted fresh air. There were no skulls or strange artifacts, nor candles or symbols or anything that would make a person think this place was an official spirit hunter headquarters.
This was nothing like his experience in Egypt or the events concerning the Oricalchos. What on earth did his parents do to make those kidnappers upset when their only source of technology was an 1980's fax machine that somehow still worked? A fact that made Yugi's eyes pop when he saw a piece of paper print out of the machine.
It was the most action happening in the cramped, musty space.
"Where is everyone?" said Yugi as he looked around the empty desks.
"On their way," said his mother with a smile. "Miyuki has offered to have a look at you after I explained everything over the phone. We're not the only ones worried about you."
"And I still think you are wasting your time..." said Yugi, walking up to one desk to tap an old Astroboy bobble head. Deciding the little figure gave the place most of its character.
"This is extremely important!" said his father, he had gone to a small pile paperwork and was rummaging through it. "A spirit placing a barrier on your soul means they have chosen to maintain a connection with you beyond the grave!"
Yugi frowned. This 'barrier' was a safety measure. It was the kind of forward planning Atem would do. And a bit of magical protection, perhaps, to keep Atem's mind at peace during the ceremonial duel. Knowing Yugi was going to be safe if he were to be targeted by a magical force post passing over.
He was right - like had almost always been. The magical force just had nothing to do with him this time. A completely different group and entity who had targeted him for some revenge plot with no connection to Egypt or the millennium items... or even Kaiba. Which was odd.
But he couldn't talk about these theories to his spirit hunter parents. Who looked more and more concerned as Yugi wandered about the place. So, he said the only thing he could say in response.
"If you say so," he shrugged. "It's not like I had plans today."
His parents frowned, for what must be the tenth time that morning. His father's searching turning more frantic.
"You do realize how serious this is... right son?" said his father, pausing his searching to look at him. Sweat forming on his brow.
"No one has explained much to me, so no," said Yugi shrugging again. "But I'm happy to do whatever keeps your minds at ease. I know I'm okay."
His father continued to stare at him as Yugi proceeded to look at the objects in the room, unimpressed with the answer. His eyes focusing on an old Egyptian scarab on the wall. The beetle encrusted with jade and outlined in gold.
A tinge of sadness welled up in Yugi at the sight. Before his regaining memories, Atem would have found such an artifact fascinating and would have made Yugi look it up at the library in his spare time. Why was it that the small memories always crop up at the most inconvenient times?
"You're taking this well..." said his mother. She walked over and stared at the beetle with him. "What on earth happened in the past six years to make you so calm?"
"If you really want to know," said Yugi, spinning on his heels to look at anything else. "I had to save Joey from a nasty gang a few years back. Then Tea was stalked a few times, so we needed to deal with that... I also have friends at school who I had to help through way worse than this," images flashed in his mind of Bakura and Kaiba. "The living just seems so much scarier than a spirit ever could be. But I guess I don't have enough experience to with spirits to gauge that."
Which was an outright lie. He was well aware spirits could be downright malicious. But that would freak out his parents, so ignorance it was.
"Fair enough," sighed his father, pulling out whatever files he had been looking for and putting the pile away. "Just take it easy when you meet everyone. They... are an interesting group."
Couldn't be more 'interesting' than Kaiba, as Joey would say. So, Yugi smiled. "I'm sure they'll be great. If I can handle Joey's dad on a bad day, I can handle anything!"
"Another thing we should be concerned about?" grumbled his father.
Yugi shook his head. "No. We now have an agreement he can break in through the laundry window and help himself to the couch if it gets that bad again. But he's moving out in a few weeks, so I doubt he'll make use of it... Then again, this is Joey, so he might anyway. But you get my meaning."
"Not really," said his father. He tapped the papers evenly on the desk. "We need to meet these new friends of yours properly."
With his father's attention back to the paperwork, Yugi turned his own attention back to exploring the office. Noticing an old Devilman poster on the back wall and another Astroboy figurine. An employee must be - or had been - a fan of the old anime. They didn't have bad taste.
"Oh... and Yugi?" said his mother, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Just so you are aware, Miyuki has a unique gift. We call it 'All sight'. It allows her to sense all sorts of things when she talks to someone. Like whether or not it is the host or spirt talking, if they are lying and even the depth of their intentions. It is quite the power. She will let us know if the spirit who marked you is still using you."
Yugi had to stop himself from tripping over as he stepped around a desk. Doing his best to maintain his previous expression as his parents continued to stare at him.
He would need to be careful how he worded his answers, for Atem's sake if not his own. His otherself had gone through enough to earn his place in the afterlife and certainly didn't need to be dragged back for any reason.
The sound of heels clipped up the stairs, causing his parents to relax. "Ah, good. They're here."
'They' were three people. A middle-aged man, wearing a loose suit and cocky grin, who nodded his head in Yugi's direction as he walked into the room. A young woman, just older than Yugi himself, who seemed nervous and fresh into training. Finally, the one Yugi was most concerned about, a sharply dressed middle-aged woman who scanned him with expert precision the moment she saw him.
"Yugi, this is Suzuki," said his mother gesturing to the man in a suit. "He is our commander in chief of the Japanese division. He prefers to be informal when interacting with staff. This is Anya, the newest recruit to the team... and we already told you about Miyuki, who will be looking after your examination."
His mother sounded so professional in the introductions, as if she has done it a million times before.
"Thank you for coming out to see me, " said Yugi with a small nod of respect to the three, trying to be polite and very aware these were his parent's colleagues. "I hope it wasn't too much of hassle for you."
"Nonsense! This job is mostly on-call anyway," said Suzuki. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yugi. Not every day we have a dueling champion grace our humble institute." He stepped forward and gave Yugi's arm a rough shake. "Hope you don't mind the new recruit watching the examination. Not many opportunities come up that are relatively safe, you see."
"It's fine," said Yugi with a light nod towards Anya. "Have to start somewhere, right."
"That's the spirit - pardon the pun. I'll leave you in Miyuki's capable hands."
The older women eyed Yugi up and down, her pointed nose curling in disdain. "Well, he certainly has something attached to him. He'll have to be examined if we want more details," she leaned forward, closer towards Yugi's face. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," said Yugi, screwing up his face and leaning back. Now able to smell the women's overbearing musk scented perfume, reminding him somewhat of the tea from this morning. "Mum and Dad are more concerned than I am. I don't even understand why I'm here."
"Really?" she said. Leaning closer still. "No sudden headaches? Nausea? A dark sense of foreboding or dread that follows you? A sense of being watched? Or paranoia? Perhaps recurrent nightmares?"
"I get bit nauseas when I eat too much, but other that not really," said Yugi with a shrug, assuming the sensations he had earlier were from his kidnappers and not because Atem was haunting him. "Didn't know about this barrier until those weird guys mentioned it. Something about them 'not being successful here'. I don't know what they were trying to do in the first place. Mum and Dad said they were trying to summon their grandfather and it didn't work."
"And they didn't mention why? Even the smallest detail could be useful."
"Vaguely? It made them frustrated though. They couldn't do anything to break it, brought out all this equipment and everything. I can point at pictures of what they had if you like, but I don't know what they were called and have never seen them before. Except a skull - that I recognized."
She frowned, her eyes darting over him, then focusing on him again before nodding. "Get him in the inquiry room. This will be interesting."
Yugi was dragged to a small room by the strong arm of his father. It was held at the back of the office, but didn't match the old aesthetic from the 50's. The walls were painted in a modern gray and the plastic office seats looked like they came from a nearby furniture store. There were no posters or vintage machinery - but there was a small table on the side Yugi assumed where Miyuki was going to sit.
"Take a seat," said Miyuki, gesturing to the seat away from the table.
"Go on," said his father, pushing him into the room. "She doesn't bite. I promise."
Yugi held back his nerves as he sat down, giving one last look at his parents behind him before facing Miyuki, who took a seat herself.
Miyuki pulled out a notepad and pen from her blazer pocket and sat down her. Her sharp eyes scanning Yugi over, making him squirm in his seat. He briefly checked the clock. Joey would be calling him in twenty minutes. He just needed to last through this until then...
Miyuki tapped her pen on the notepad making a clicking sound as her eyes finished her scan. Finally blinking and tilting her head once she was done.
"Well," said Miyuki. "It's definitely a barrier from a powerful spirit. Doesn't seem to be feeding off your life force, which is good," she pursed her lips. "What happened in Egypt, exactly? Please be as detailed as you can. Include what happened that made you decide to travel there to begin with."
So, his parent's had already mentioned his trips to Egypt? Guess he shouldn't be surprised.
"Uh..." said Yugi. He needed to keep Atem's involvement to a minimum, but still remain honest. He took a breath; this was going to be tricky. "It was after the battle city tournament. Two of the contestants were the leaders of these Gravekeepers in Egypt. Apparently, the millennium puzzle - uh, this old pendent I put together. It was in my grandpa's shop since I was little. Anyway, they think it used to be worn by a pharaoh a long time ago... but his soul was never put to rest. They asked for my help. It had something to do with the millennium puzzle and certain requirements being met, which I still don't fully understand. There was a big ceremony... Then it was over." Yugi waved his hands around as he said this, trying to appear normal.
"Did you have any involvement in the ceremony?" said Miyuki, her eyes narrowing. "Even so much as setting an item on an altar. Spirits can be influenced by the smallest of actions."
Yugi kept his poker face but nodded. He couldn't 'lie'.
"Sure did. Since I solved the puzzle, I had to act as the pharaoh's 'champion' or something similar to that. Pretty much had to win a duel in front of this big tablet in this old temple... or was it a tomb? Anyway, duel monsters was actually based on an ancient game played by the ancient Egyptians. Have to say, dueling in that environment is really something else."
"Were you treated any differently once the ceremony was completed?" said Miyuki, frowning at his opinion on the duel.
"No... They were less formal, actually. Their duty ended after the ceremony was completed and they were now able to interact with modern society. It's pretty cool. I'm still in contact with them."
Miyuki pursed her lips. "Whether it is 'cool' or not is beside the point. I think what happened is clear. You acted as a temporary vessel for this pharoah during the ceremony. I'm sure of it. He clearly is no longer within you, but it seems he left his mark."
"Maybe he wasn't a bad guy," shrugged Yugi. "The Gravekeepers regarded him as a hero."
"A spirit being 'good' is unbelievably rare. You were, at one point, connected to a powerful spirit who placed a protection spell on your soul. That doesn't happen for free. This only occurs when you either do something beneficial to the spirit or they take something from you and offer protection in return. Usually the latter. Am I making myself clear? We don't know what exchange occurred, and that is the cause for our concern."
"Okay then..." said Yugi, frowning. "So, I was a temporary vessel for the spirit of a king who couldn't pass over. He was so grateful for the help he placed this protection thing on me as thanks, then moved on the afterlife. Doesn't sound so bad to me.'"
A silence followed from the women in front of him. She clicked her pen on the side of the clipboard in puzzlement, before tilting her head in contemplation. Her large eyes making Yugi squirm underneath her stare. Only now did Yugi realize that she hadn't written down a single word.
"The fact you may have been a vessel... doesn't bother you?"
Yugi tilted his head back, attempting to mimic her puzzlement. "I'm just more inclined to believe the gravekeepers. The ancient Egyptians greatly valued the afterlife, especially if they were a pharaoh. Apparently, they continue to rule on the otherside. Poor guy must have felt as if he failed his people... even the Gods... because he couldn't join them. He was probably just grateful to move on..." he then offered a small smile. "And I was happy to play a part in helping that happen. It wasn't as if it hurt me. I didn't notice a spirit inside of me during the duel. It may have even saved my life this week."
"Another spirit used your body for its own purposes. I'm concerned about your reaction to such news."
"You haven't told me anything to be concerned about," said Yugi, his voice getting on edge. "My soul is fine. The exchange has already occurred and no longer affects me in a negative way. Your panic, honestly, feels like it is wasting my time. Give me a reason to be worried now and I might share your concern."
He felt a buzz in his pocket and a wave of relief washed over him. "Uh... sorry. One moment."
The phone felt almost holy in his fingers as he brought it to his ears, giving Mizuki and his parents an apologetic nod. "Hi, Joey? That you?"
"You know it's me man. What did ya need?"
"You need help with make-up homework and it's due tomorrow! Of course, I'll be at your place in..." He made a show of checking the clock behind him. "Half an hour. Does that work for you?"
"You need an out? I gotcha back, Yug's. Meet at me Burger World in 30."
"Alright, Joey. Don't stress. I'll see you soon."
He hung up, then put a hand on the back of his head what he hoped appeared to be a bashful smile to the concerned faces staring at him. "Friend of mine needs some help. He needs a pass in English if we both want to graduate on time," he shrugged. "I should get going. He's my best friend."
"I see..." said Miyuki with a disapproving scowl. "Do you normally help people with homework?"
"Only when they ask," said Yugi, trying to act nonchalant as he stood up. "Joey's a special case though. Graduating is a big deal for him."
None of that was a lie.
He offered a polite nod to his parent's colleague and stood up. "Thanks for doing this assessment. Let me know if something I should be concerned about comes up or if you need me to come back."
With a quick wave to his parent's, he made a direct line for the steps and the door. Planning to take the route to burger world which passed the library - just in case his parents look out the window.
Nerves held up in his stomach until he passed the reception door and the fake plants with his feet firmly planted on the otherside of the street. His parents were going to pick a fight when he got home for leaving so early, but he had leave before they started to tear apart his story. One factor in particular was all that stood between Atem being left alone and the truth.
He just prayed no one in that room knew enough about duel monsters to figure it out.
Whelp! That's that!
First half of next chapter will be from a different perspective... Will change things up a bit.
Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! :)