Mieru, who was now adorned with a black cloak she had picked up along the way, led them through the twists and turns of the school's halls. Although the dark shadows and dim lighting gave the place a gloomy feeling, the numerous paintings, carpets, and decorations that lined the halls were well maintained and clearly expensive.
If LDS was a modern display of new money, Unno Divination School was a product of old money that had been around for generations.
"We've arrived."
Mieru's voice brought Tetsuro's attention to the carved, wooden door before them.
With a creak, she pushed the door open.
The interior, while lavish, had several other things that drew Tetsuro's interest. The floor was no longer wood or carpet like other portions of the mansion had been, but instead they stepped onto bare stone as they crossed the door's threshold. Not only that, but the floor was covered with grooves that must have been painstakingly carved, forming a massive set of intersecting circles.
The room was dimly lit by several lamps that hung from the walls like glass torches.
At an initial look, Tetsuro counted nine circles in total.
The only piece of furniture in the room was a table in the very center, also made of stone. Observing more closely as they approached, the table actually seemed to be connected to the floor by its four, thick legs. Several lines ran up from the formations on the floor, traveling seamlessly up the table's legs, and forming a small magic circle on the top of the table.
At least, Tetsuro could only assume they were magic circles. They sure as hell looked like they'd fit the bill.
Was the whole room carved from one massive piece of stone just to form this table?
That was impressive if it was true.
"Here." Mieru walked behind the table, gesturing with her hand for Tetsuro to stand on the opposite side.
Adhering to her instructions, he positioned himself where she pointed. Getting a closer look, the grooves carved into the stone created a series of channels that all flowed into one another. It wasn't just lines that started and stopped, but rather like the entire series of markings was one long, continuous depression. If enough liquid were poured into the center, it would probably flow down the table's ramp-like legs and spread throughout the entire room.
What sort of liquid would they use for this kind of thing?
"You, uh, aren't gonna need my blood for this, are you?" Tetsuro gulped, not too keen on the idea.
The dry look Mieru shot at him made him feel both stupid and relieved in equal measure.
"Of course not," she snorted, "We're trying to find people who are virtually strangers to you, what on earth would your blood help with?"
"Oh," he scratched his head, "I guess that makes sense."
Her words raised a new question, however, that gave him pause.
"…My blood wouldn't do much good for this, but does that mean you use blood for other rituals in here?"
The lamps in the room flickered briefly, causing Mieru's eyes to flash with an unknown color. Tetsuro felt a chill crawl down his spine like a centipede. It's not like he was afraid of the supernatural, but the mood here was particularly dark. He was maybe, slightly, just a little bit put on edge.
He definitely wasn't scared though.
Definitely.
For sure.
"Hmmm," Mieru's face was suddenly blank, "It fell out of practice in recent years, but in the past it was common practice to offer a sacrifice before conducting important rituals. Why? Are you interested in reenacting the past? While I said your blood wouldn't be needed, it's not like adding a little…extra insurance…would hurt the process."
"No, no!" Tetsuro retreated. "That definitely won't be needed!"
"Are you sure?" Mieru stepped around the table, approaching him with slow, measured steps.
Tetsuro moved in step with her, charging bravely in the direction of backwards.
"No! Seriously! I'm good! I, uh, have a disease that acts up whenever other people try to take my blood, ya know? It'd be real messy to clean up, so don't worry about it."
"Oh?" Mieru tilted her head, blank expression still in place. "It's not a problem, this room is made specifically to ease that kind of "clean up." Unless of course…that disease you're talking about is a case of cowardice?"
Her steps continued as Tetsuro kept backing away.
"C-Cowardice?! Of course not! I ain't scared of nothing! But I'm a guest here, so I gotta look out for my host, right? Wouldn't want you going through all that trouble for little ol' me, so we really ought to- GYAAAAA!"
As he was doing his best trying to talk his way out of the situation, a pair of cold, clammy hands grabbed his shoulders from behind. Even through his leather jacket, the grip was like iron as it denied his escape. Instinctively, he tried to rush forward away from the stranger's grasp, but he wasn't able to gain even an inch of ground. Unable to stop himself, Tetsuro screamed in fright as he tried to run.
Meanwhile, Mieru hopped back as he screamed, though she was startled for a reason beyond Tetsuro's sudden, high-pitched shriek.
"What is that?!" she couldn't help but shout.
The being that had Tetsuro in its grasp was some kind of ghost. It had just appeared out of nowhere, and now it was staring at her guest with its eerie, green eyes as he squirmed in its grasp.
"Ohgodohbuddaohredwhiteshrinemaidenhelpme-" in full panic mode, Tetsuro clasped his hands together as he tried his damnedest to pray his ghostly assailant away.
A hot breath tickled at his ear, causing him to freak out even further.
"EEeEEEEE!"
Convinced that he was about to become a sacrificial lunch for some ghost demon, Tetsuro clenched his eyes shut tightly, waiting for the end to come. It wasn't a long life, but he'd had a good run. There were many more things he'd wanted to do, but it looked like this was the end of the road for him. Maybe he'd get isekai'd somewhere better this time since he technically hadn't claimed his 'isekai after death' ticket yet. Maybe somewhere safer had openings, like a nice, cozy, slice of life series?
Something warm settled on his shoulder. He suppressed a flinch.
After nothing happened for a few more seconds, he dared to open a single eye just a crack, ready to squeeze it back shut if the sight before him was too gruesome.
Ze Amin's expressionless gaze met his from where she was resting her chin on his shoulder. He could practically feel the amusement coming off of her in waves.
"…"
For a brief moment, he was stunned speechless.
Then reality caught up with him.
"YOOUUUUUU!"
Like lightning, his hands grasped Ze Amin's cheeks and pulled. Had he shown such speed and dexterity before, he never would have been caught in the first place, but that was far from his mind at the moment.
Flipping their roles, Ze Amin flailed in his grasp as she tried to escape his grip.
"You just damn near gave me a heart attack! I must have lost ten years of my life from that stunt, you little troublemaker! Stop! Don't you dare try to run away, I'll give you a lesson you won't forget!"
He was hopping mad as he lectured his duel spirit, not letting up his hold at all.
"W-What on earth is that? A ghost?"
Mieru, who had been sidelined as Tetsuro gave Ze Amin a piece of his mind, spoke up in shock. She looked back and forth between her guest and the spirit a few times to verify that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.
At her question, Tetsuro finally stopped trying to pull Ze Amin's cheeks from her face, releasing her.
"A ghost?" he parroted, scratching his chin. "Sorta? Ze Amin's a duel spirit. Nothin' spooky about her, but she's ghost adjacent I guess."
As she was freed, Ze Amin floated away quickly, not willing to miss the chance to escape.
Her eyes showed her dissatisfaction as she rubbed her pained face, but Tetsuro didn't show her any sympathy.
"A duel spirit, you say? I've heard of them, but I had always thought they were nothing more than tall tales told to children."
With growing interest, Mieru continued to watch Ze Amin.
Tetsuro shrugged.
"With how into the occult you are, I'm surprised you didn't know about 'em already." Tetsuro expressed his skepticism, "Duel Monsters is kinda a big deal, and with the spirit world and everything being so close to our world, I'da thought spirits would be a big part of divination and what not."
"Spirit world?!"
If Mieru's interest was piqued earlier, now it had positively skyrocketed with Tetsuro's latest revelation.
"Ya didn't know?" he was shocked.
Oops? This wasn't the sort of topic he'd bring up in casual conversation to a normal person, but how was it that a school full of mystics and fortune tellers didn't have some insight into the spirit world? Well, the cat was out of the bag now since Ze Amin had blown her cover.
"Actually, wait a sec!" he realized, "Ze Amin can't normally be seen by people, so how can you see her?"
Taking his question at face value, Mieru's brow scrunched as she considered it.
"They can't be seen? I see…" she toyed with her crystal apple as she ruminated, "If only specific individuals are capable of seeing and interacting with duel spirits, I suppose it makes sense that they'd be treated as imaginary beings. But then why…"
She lit up as she realized something.
"Ah! I've got it. It's this room!" sweeping the place with her eyes, Tetsuro followed her gaze, "Without getting into the specifics, the formations in this room have several purposes to help with scrying and divination. Two of the important ones are, "to reveal that which is hidden," and, "to grant unobstructed vision." While it isn't normally relevant, they apply not only to the divination taking place, but also the the individuals in the room."
Trailing off, Mieru muttered under her breath as she continued her line of thought. They hadn't known one another long, but it was the most excited Tetsuro had seen her, and he had the distinct impression that this sort of reaction wasn't a common thing for the fluffy-haired fortune teller.
Honestly, her explanation mostly went over Tetsuro's head, but he'd got the important bits.
The room was magic.
Magic can make people see spirits.
Thus, the room can make people see Ze Amin.
Simple.
But, he'd come here for a reason, and they were beyond distracted at this point. He watched Mieru for a moment as she alternated between muttering to herself and staring fascinatingly at Ze Amin. The duel spirit in question was ignoring the room's human population in favor of curiously drifting around the stone table, observing the intricate work atop it.
"So," Tetsuro interrupted Mieru's concentration, "I know this is something new for ya, but how about the reason we came here in the first place? Finding those guys is a pretty big deal for me."
"H-Huh?" as if she'd forgotten he was there, Mieru looked at Tetsuro in surprise before her mind caught up with his words. "O-Oh, yes, you're right. Yes, we can proceed with the scrying session…"
Her eyes kept flickering back to Ze Amin as she spoke. The internal conflict between doing what she'd promised and continuing to chase this new revelation was clear.
Being the kindhearted, thoughtful guy he was, Tetsuro dangled a carrot in front of her so she'd get this show on the road.
"Ya can always chat with Ze Amin later, if you're interested," he offered, as if her being interested wasn't the most obvious thing in the world, "she's been my partner for a while, so it ain't like she's going anywhere."
The hope and excitement on Mieru's face almost made him want to take back the offer, just to see how she'd react.
Like a person playing keep-away with an excited dog.
But, he managed to suppress the urge. Yup, as expected of an upstanding guy like him, he wouldn't casually bully his new friend for a laugh…
"Ahem." Mieru cleared her throat as she realized how she'd been behaving for the last few minutes. In an attempt to regain her earlier air of professionalism, she moved back toward the table as she spoke.
"In that case, we'll continue this topic at another time." She still watched Ze Amin as the spirit went back to Tetsuro's side, "For the present, let us begin the scrying session."
With great care, Mieru placed the crystal apple she'd been so attached to in the very center of the table's formation. It sat motionless for a few breaths, before a change started to happen. A steady glow began to emit from its center, growing brighter as the seconds passed.
The light was a dull, sky blue. It wasn't painful to look at like like staring directly into a light bulb; instead, it resembled a blue lava lamp. As the surroundings were illuminated by the apple's glow, it slowly lifted itself off the table.
Tetsuro watched in interest.
Duel spirits aside, this was his first look at this world's magic. Of course, he knew that pretty much all Yugioh series had some flavor of 'magic,' but it was usually focused on the cards themselves or super special protagonist powers. Actually, outside of Duel Monsters, he couldn't think of any examples of more normal magic. He'd just assumed it would work out.
Good to see that his well-placed conjecture was true.
"Place your hand over the crystal when you're ready." Mieru ordered, "Make sure you don't touch it."
Following her instruction, Tetsuro's hand hovered over the apple.
"Now," she went on, "close your eyes and picture one of the individuals that you're searching for. Focus on not only their physical appearance, but also on their inner selves. The more detail you can picture, the better. Their goals, motivations, and so on. Try to focus only one one of the individuals, not both."
With his eyes shut, Tetsuro did his best to imagine a picture of Yuto. A face like the protagonist, with purple and black hair. His friendship with Shun. His serious demeanor and the impact that war caused to his life. A desire for…revenge? Freedom?
He tried to stick only with the facts, not allowing his own opinions to color his image, but it was surprisingly hard.
"Hmm, I see." Mieru uttered a classic line. "I can see darkness and metal. The wind carries a trace of salt blowing from the east. One…two, no, four faces? Strange. I'm being pulled in multiple directions, but only one seems to be right…"
Curious, Tetsuro cracked open an eye to see what was happening.
The sight was interesting, but didn't quite live up to his imagination.
Mieru was gazing intently into her crystal apple, which was glowing with a white, swirling energy. However, as far as Tetsuro could tell, it was just a mess of movement without meaning. Kind of like slow moving, liquefied TV static.
'Guess I don't got the eye for this kinda thing. Shame.'
Disappointed, he closed his eyes again as he waited for the little fortune teller to finish.
It didn't take long.
"I've found something. It's a bit unclear, but the response seems correct!" Mieru crowed.
"For real?!"
"Hmph, of course." Nose raised in the air, Mieru gloated, "There's no way I wouldn't be able to accomplish such a simple task. For you to be surprised just shows your lack of experience."
Tetsuro rolled his eyes at her attitude, but didn't rain on her parade. She'd helped him out, so she could get a big head if she wanted.
"So, where to, boss?" he asked, ready to finish his search.
"The east end of the city, near the water."
Tetsuro waited for her to go on, but she ended her statement there.
"…I don't mean to be ungrateful, but can't ya be more specific than that? The east end covers a couple dozen miles at least."
Mieru shot him a look like she couldn't believe the words he'd just said.
"More specific?!" she exclaimed, "Do you think I'm some sort of bloodhound who can sniff out a tiny trace like that? This has narrowed down your search radius significantly, yet you still ask for more?"
He couldn't deny her words, but he was still disappointed.
'I was really hoping for an easy-to-follow quest marker.'
"Guess you're right," he ran a hand through his hair, "Ya still helped me out a lot, so I should at least say thank you. It'll still be a search, but that makes it easier. Thank you, Mieru."
"Hmph, y-you're welcome, I suppose."
She suddenly got shy when confronted with a direct show of appreciation.
"Guess I ought to get started, then." Tetsuro was ready to continue his search. He still had a few hours of daylight to burn, so may as well put them to good use.
"But before that," he went on, "Lets swap numbers. Since ya helped me out, if you wanna talk spirits or something feel free to hit me up."
Mieru looked surprised at the offer, but she quickly agreed.
"Very well." She hedged, "I'm certainly interested, so I'll contact you at a later time. First, I believe I'll have to do some research on my own to get a baseline to work off of. I wonder how much truth is hidden in all those old fairy tales…"
Trailing off, Mieru's gaze clouded as she mumbled under her breath.
Seeing that she was getting lost in her own little world, Tetsuro decided it was time to go.
"Welp, on that note, see ya around." With a wave, he turned to exit.
"Ah. Wait." Mieru followed behind him, putting her distraction aside. "I'll need to walk you out so that you can sign out at the reception center."
The walk out of the school was quiet, as both Tetsuro and Mieru were content to focus on their own thoughts. Both of them had gained new insights from the scrying session, and they were ready to take their next steps forward.
The walk back to the gate was uneventful.
As he was about to pass the threshold of the school back onto the sidewalk outside, Tetsuro paused, glancing back at his companion who had stopped just a step behind him.
He held out a fist with a smile.
Mieru looked at him like he'd suddenly turned into a green-skinned Namekian.
"Nn?"
The earnest confusion on her face made him want to tease her, but he held back.
Barely.
"Ah, c'mon, Mieru. Ya know what a fist bump is, right? We're pals, so you won't leave me hanging right?"
"O-Of course I know!" She harrumphed, before looking down at her hand as she formed a fist. With a tentative motion, she brought it up and bumped it into Tetsuro's. The motion seemed alien to her, but she managed it just fine.
"There! See ya next time!"
With that, Tetsuro swept around and had taken the corner in a few breaths.
Mieru watched her new acquaintance leave, various thoughts floating through her head.
What had started out as a collision on the street ended up with her performing a reading for someone she barely knew. She could count the number of times she'd done such a thing on a single hand, even when her mood was good, and it certainly wasn't back when she was run over.
Then came the duel, and her subsequent defeat. It was annoying. Really annoying, in fact. To lose to such a brash man, she almost wanted to demand a rematch immediately, yet she managed to keep herself in check.
Finally, the world-bending revelation that was still spinning through her head even now.
Duel Spirits.
Actual spirits that apparently had a whole world to call their own. It was so bizarre that she'd never believe it had she not seen it with her own eyes. Her own skills in the mystic arts only made her more skeptical when it came to unproven supernatural phenomena. In fact, she was used to being on the receiving end of doubt from others for her abilities, but this was the first time she found herself with the shoe on the other foot.
It was hard to understand, even after seeing it!
She'd need to go talk to the headmistress as soon as possible.
She gave one last look in the direction where Tetsuro had vanished from view, before turning and heading back to the mansion.
The iron gate creaked shut behind her with a clang.
With his search area cut down several fold, Tetsuro was more motivated than ever to find the pair of Xyz duelists.
He'd been running around for a few hours at this point no closer to his goal than when he'd left Mieru's school, but he didn't get hung up on his lack of success. It was still a lot of ground to cover, and he'd need some luck on his side to get the random shiny encounter he was hunting for.
Hell, for all he knew, they might be hiding in the back of a warehouse or something, which would make finding them all but impossible.
But he wasn't interested in "what ifs."
He had the free time to spare, so in the worst case where he isn't able to find them, he'd at least be getting some exercise by doing laps around the eastern part of the city.
Taking a brief break, he stopped at the edge of a pier, watching the water glint as the sun slowly began its decent below the horizon. The waves licking on the concrete below created a pleasant spray that tickled on his skin.
The day had flown by.
He had probably another hour of light left. His search would continue for a bit longer, but once it got properly dark he would stop for the day.
"You look as if you're searching for something."
A cool voice rang out behind him, taking Tetsuro out of his thoughts. His gaze swept away from the water he'd be watching in order to take in the person who approached him from behind.
For a brief moment he thought it might have been Yuto or Shun who found him, but the reality of the situation turned out to be different.
Reiji Akaba calmly observed him, waiting for his response.
Tetsuro couldn't guess at what he was thinking, but there was no way a person like Reiji would be out here shooting the breeze by mere coincidence. Although his knowledge of Arc V's plot wasn't particularly deep, he definitely remembered the strong impression that the Akaba heir had left.
A cold and calculating man who would sacrifice his flesh to cut the enemy's bone.
"That's right." Tetsuro confirmed, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "I heard there was an interesting guy around these parts, so I came lookin' for a duel. Haven't had any luck so far, though. Nothing but seagulls and empty shipping containers as far as the eye can see."
With a shrug, Tetsuro didn't hold back his disappointment. Rather than try to lie his way out of his situation, he opted for a version of the truth.
"You're searching for another duelist?" Reiji adjusted his glasses as he considered the answer. "Given your earlier victory over the top student of another school, I'm surprised to see you pursuing another challenge so soon. It's quite different from what I would have expected based on your records from your previous year in LDS."
"Ya been keepin' tabs on me?" Tetsuro didn't need to fake his displeasure as a frown took over his visage. He didn't realize he'd gotten on this guy's radar, that could be a potential issue depending on how much Reiji had figured out. He didn't think he'd let anything too crazy slip over the past couple months, but it's not like he was on guard 24/7.
"Indeed." Reiji admitted, not seeming to think much of it. "The fusion energy in your confrontation with Masumi Kotsu was notable. Now, you've also demonstrated an even higher mastery of synchro energy. And finally…"
His eyes grew hard. Where before there was a cold, analytical look, now Reiji was showing his fangs.
"Finally, you've changed your deck entirely. Not even a single card loaded into your duel disk was something you'd used previously. While not entirely without precedent, your elevated performance along with your new deck is…worthy of note."
"If you're tryin' to say that you suspect me of something, ya can just spit it out." Tetsuro snarked back.
Losing his position in LDS would be a pain, but he wasn't willing to roll over for anyone.
Could Reiji even figure anything out beyond what he already knew? A change of personality and a change of deck? That wasn't anything he couldn't explain away by claiming he'd turned over a new leaf, so unless the heir managed to figure out his actual origin he'd handle whatever came his way.
Surprisingly, Reiji was the first to back away.
It was unexpected.
"No." The gray haired teen shook his head, "It is simply as I've said. Your performance is noteworthy, but Leo Corporation is not in the business of placing false suspicion lightly. There are consistent records dating all the way back to your birth, and you haven't had any contact with those we would describe as…suspicious. It is only recently that you've become someone of interest to LDS."
Tetsuro didn't even attempt to hide his confusion.
"Then, what are ya here for?" he questioned, before continuing, "Are ya looking for a duel to test out my new-found super powers or somethin'? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for lil ol' me."
Reiji's pokerface was good, but it was nothing compared to Ze Amin's, so Tetsuro managed to see the gleam of temptation in his eyes for just a brief moment before it was ruthlessly crushed down.
"Our meeting here is simply a coincidence." He stated calmly, "Something out of the ordinary was identified by Leo Corporation's monitoring system in the area, so I came to investigate. That I'd run into one of our students is nothing more than chance."
'Something out of the ordinary?'
Although he didn't reveal much of anything, there weren't very many things that Reiji Akaba would come out himself to look into. Normally, wouldn't he just send out one of his hundreds of subordinates?
It immediately made Tetsuro think that Mieru's guidance had been on point.
The Xyz duelists were around here.
Whether or not Reiji realized they were looking for the same target, Tetsuro wouldn't be the one to spill the beans first.
"Oh? You have any luck finding what you're lookin' for?" he fished.
"Unfortunately not." Reiji revealed, "Though, it will only be a matter of time before we manage to track down the source of the readings."
He paused for a moment to look at his watch before continuing.
"However, for now I should be taking my leave. It was an enlightening meeting. Until next time, Tetsuro Yamaguchi."
Without further word, Reiji turned his back and began to walk away. He behaved just like the genius CEO he was said to be, good old Mr. D/D/D.
Tetsuro had just relaxed his shoulders when the heir of Leo Corporation suddenly stopped.
"Oh," he began, not turning back to look at Tetsuro, "It has not been released to the public yet, but soon LDS will be hosting a tournament for talented duelists within the city. If you keep up your current performance, I'm sure you'll be receiving an invitation to participate. The winners will be…instrumental to Maiami City's future."
Dropping that final nugget of information, Reiji resumed his exit. It didn't take long for his footsteps to become nothing more than light taps in the distance, and even those faded quickly afterwards.
Tetsuro remained where he was, looking in the direction that his surprise visitor had vanished in.
'Why'd he reveal the tournament? Is it that he wants to set me up as a useful chess piece, or something more?'
No matter how many times he turned Reiji's words over in his head, Tetsuro was unable to come up with a clear answer as to the heir's intentions. Their encounter had been brief, but his gut was telling him something was up.
"Was it really just a coincidence?"
He asked the question out loud as he looked back out onto the water, where the last reflection of the sun was disappearing as its body sunk fully over the horizon.
No answer came.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue. "This kinda worrying ain't like me."
Attempting to shake off his latest experience, Tetsuro decided to call it quits for the day. It was a fairly long walk back to the dorms from here, and he still had some energy to burn today.
The smell of sweat and metal filled the air.
Both to clear his head and because he was a creature of habit, Tetsuro once again found himself in LDS' gym.
A few treadmills hummed in the background. Combined with the occasional clank of heavy plates being loaded and unloaded, along with grunts of effort, it made for a relaxing atmosphere. Having foregone a set of headphones for the day, Tetsuro was content to just listen to the ambient noise around him.
"…nine….hff…ten!"
With a heave of effort, he brought the bar back up to rest.
"Hoo." Letting out a deep breath, he laid on the bench for a moment just basking in the burn.
A good workout an hour or two before bed always got him to sleep like a baby, but right now he was still full of energy.
"You look like somethin's on your mind." A voice called out.
Glancing up from where he lay, he saw that Yaiba had approached him while he was lost in thought.
They had chatted a few times over the past week. With Yaiba being a total gym rat, he was there nearly every time that Tetsuro himself decided to get a workout in. Though, the synchro duelist seemed to prefer body-weight exercises and doing hundreds of swings with the wooden sword he carried around with him, rather than use machines and weights like Tetsuro himself liked to.
The consistent contact led them to strike up a sort of camaraderie. They probably couldn't be called friends, but they'd become gymbros over the past week.
"That obvious, huh?" Getting up, Tetsuro frowned as he grabbed the small hand-towel that hung beside him. As he wiped the sweat from his face, he considered what to say. He couldn't just dump his baggage on his gymbro, for a variety of reasons, but the guy cared enough to ask so he didn't wanna leave him hanging.
"I ended up running into Mr. Big Wig himself, Reiji Akaba, while I was out today." He started out.
Yaiba raised a brow and whistled in response.
"He doesn't usually leave the campus, so that's surprising. We've met a few times over the past two years, but the guy almost always has his guards with him when he's out and about." He toyed with the handle of his wooden sword, "But, something tells me that a simple run-in wouldn't have you thinking about it hours later. Ah, unless he's your type, I guess?"
The last part came out as a question, though the teasing tone of voice Yaiba had adopted was clearer than day.
Tetsuro rolled his eyes with a huff.
"Yeah right." He mocked, "That damn ice prince ain't someone I want sweeping me off my feet. Hard pass."
Yaiba simply shrugged as he laughed, unapologetic.
"Nah," Tetsuro went on, "He ended up talking to me about a tournament that he's runnin' soon. Said he'd been keeping tabs on my improvements this year, and that I may be getting an invite if I keep being awesome. Which isn't something I can stop, by the way, so it's gonna happen. It just kinda came outta nowhere, ya know? I didn't even realize I was on the guy's radar and suddenly - BAM! - he's popping up in the middle of my day off. If I didn't know his face I'd have run outta there screaming stranger danger."
The synchro duelist snorted at the image.
Still, he considered his response.
He hummed briefly, rubbing his chin in thought as he rolled Tetsuro's words over. While no one had ever accused Yaiba of being a master of subtlety, even he could see that there was something off about the situation. How many people had a random meeting with one of the most popular figures in the city, and are then offered access to a hereby undisclosed tournament? How'd Tetsuro even draw that guy's eye?
"It's weird." Yaiba commented after wracking his brains.
"Ya don't say?" Tetsuro rolled his eyes.
"Shaddup!" Yaiba complained, "I wasn't finished! It's weird that he's keepin' tabs on you, for sure, but it's not like you can really do anything about it right?"
Getting a nod from Tetsuro, Yaiba continued on.
"So what are you worrying about? You won't be able to get him to stop whatever he's up to. Plus, if he's planning to invite you to a tournament like that, it doesn't sound like he's up to anything nefarious, right? You're getting all antsy over something you can't muscle through. It's pointless worrying!"
"Ya would say it's pointless to worry about something ya can't use muscles to fix." Tetsuro snarked, before plopping himself down on the bench and letting out a sigh, "But I guess yer not wrong, either. No sense gettin' myself bent outta shape. If I end up in the tourney I'll just push through and win it."
"That's the spirit!" Yaiba clapped him on the back. "Now then…"
As he trailed off, Yaiba's expression grew competitive. This was an excellent opportunity for him, and he wasn't willing to miss out on it.
"Since you've got Akaba's eye, that means if I beat you he'll be paying attention to me instead."
"What? Now that you've confirmed I ain't interested, you're planning on going the CEO romance route instead?" Tetsuro returned the earlier taunt he'd received.
"Say what you want." Yaiba shrugged, "But the guy may as well have the key to the city with all the doors he can open. Getting a sponsorship, or even an endorsement, from someone like that is a sure-fire ticket to the pro leagues. It'd skip years of effort trying to claw your way up through the semi-pros. I'd be stupid not to go for a chance like that, even if I gotta step over a new buddy I've made."
He wasn't shy about his intentions to get to the top, that was for damn sure. Tetsuro couldn't help but respect Yaiba's mindset, even if he was on the receiving end of his ambitions.
Tetsuro couldn't stop a fierce smile from breaking out on his face as he gave Yaiba a hard stare.
"Hope ya don't think I'll just roll over."
"Of course not." Returning fire with a glare of his own, Yaiba looked particularly happy. "I expect you to struggle for all that you're worth. Only a hard-won victory is worth having."
"Then, shall we head out to the duel pitch?" Tetsuro asked, ready to throw down.
He was surprised when Yaiba denied his request.
"No." The spiky-haired duelist shook his head, "Since I'm doing this to draw the CEO's eye, we'll do this prim and proper. I'll issue you with a formal letter of challenge tomorrow, make a big stink about it, and we'll set the date of the duel a week from now. It's better for you this way as well; even when you lose, as long as you put up a good fight it'll be good for your reputation to take a loss from the number one synchro duelist in the school."
"Seems like a pain in the ass. Ya sure?" Tetsuro, reluctant, could only ask why his gymbro wanted to do this so old school. A letter of challenge, for real? That seemed like a waste of time, especially since a duel now would help him work out some pent up aggression. Waiting a week wasn't his idea of a good time.
Patience was a virtue, but satisfaction sounded like way better music to his ears.
"That's the way it has to be." Yaiba stood his ground, despite the fact that he was just as interested in the duel as Tetsuro, if not more-so. "I won't say every duel has to be an advertisement for yourself, but if you have a chance to spread your name you should take it. The pro circuit is a battlefield in the truest sense, so we need to be prepared for when it's our turn. It's not just about winning, but about setting up the conditions for victory. Reputation is a key part of that, which means we gotta make ourselves known."
"That's…" Tetsuro considered his words, absent-mindedly toying with his gym towel.
The words and methodology were different, but Yaiba's underlying intentions weren't too different from what Masumi had been talking about when they went out for coffee.
Duel Monsters, at a professional level, wasn't just about winning a bunch of duels. It was a whole ecosystem. The comparison to a battlefield wasn't actually a bad one; it was easy to get caught up in the actual fight taking place, but there was more to it than that. Supply lines to keep your people fed, production of weapons, gear, and many more things were all instrumental in achieving victory. So what if you could fight harder than your opponent? If you never rested, had shit leaders, and were half-starved, how were you gonna win the long game?
It was a bit out there, but the parallels to dueling could be drawn.
Thinking along that way, Tetsuro agreed with Yaiba's method.
When in Rome, after all.
"I got it." He told his challenger, "In that case, send me your damn letter. We'll make sure we really rile the school up and make a show of it."
Yaiba's excited look told him all he needed to know. The dude was a battle junkie for sure, even if he knew the political game better than Tetsuro himself did.
"You don't gotta tell me." He agreed.
Having apparently gotten a second wind from his motivation to thrash Tetsuro, after their conversation finished Yaiba practically ran over to the weighted duel disks. He threw his deck into one and started shouting "DRAW!" as he he practiced drawing his cards from the heavy disk.
Tetsuro watched him for a moment before he shook his head.
Dude was cool, but he couldn't bring himself to watch that kind of embarrassing thing. Honestly, what a ham.
Departing the gym, Tetsuro made his way back to his dorm room. His original goal of wearing himself out had sort of backfired. His muscles ached after his workout, for sure, but with a big duel looming over his head he was now more excited than worried.
Hopefully he'd be able to sleep after he settled down.
Stay up? Hell no.
A man needs his goddamn rest.
