Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Divine Record

by Frost190

At the age of 7, Kento Hijiri was kidnapped. Ten years later, Kento receives an anonymous package containing an avatar and coordinate that leads him to the destroyed Cyberse World where he encounters a Duelist who urges him to fight alongside Playmaker if he wants to move on from his past. Taking the name Holysaber, Kento's battle begins. OC insert and partial rewrite.

9. Fumito Tohdo

RESPOND TO REVIEW:

Big thanks to tsukikami02, Ulrich362, Hikari Ignis, HunterHQ, Elfianna, Unknowedz, Guests for reviewing the previous chapter.

tsukikami02: Yeah, that part is also my favorite to write. Hehehe.

Ulrich362: Trust me. I wholeheartedly agree with you when it comes to the female characters in YGO. SEVENS and Go Rush handled their female characters much better now, so I hope in the future they learn from this and improve how they're writing the female characters. Oh, you don't need to worry, I have no intention to make Aoi moping for a long time. And thank you for pointing out that mistake. I forgot to revise that part.

Hikari Ignis: No. I'm not going to quote that line.

HunterHQ: Bohman is too focused on dueling Playmaker, so even if he knew, he couldn't interfere because he's too busy dealing with Playmaker. Divine Attribute in my story works differently from the original. I can't explain further without spoiling the story. And no, controlling a monster and taking their Attribute and/or effects are two different things.

Elfianna: Thank you for reading. I'm glad you like this story. But VRAINS fanfic with OC-insert that I know all have male OC as protagonists, is there a VRAINS OC-insert fanfic where the protagonist is a female?

Unknowedz: Yes, it is. You'll learn more as you read the story.

---

Chapter 9

Fumito Tohdo

藤堂風海人

(Tōdō Fūmito)

---

Cafe Nagi – Stardust Road – Den City

Once they logged out from Windy's world that had collapsed, Kento and the others gathered at Cafe Nagi to share information that they got. From Windy's story, their encounter with Blue Girl and Ghost Girl that revealed Akira wishes to meet the Ignis, Kento Dueling against Haru, and finally Yusaku Dueling Bohman. The most surprising thing was how Bohman claimed to be the real Yusaku while Yusaku himself was a copy. However, Yusaku disproved Bohman by confirming the discrepancy in his story after asking him one crucial question.

"You asked him who kidnapped you and he answered Dr. Kogami. That's how you're convinced that Bohman's story is false?" Kento repeats what Yusaku told them, still a bit confused how does that proved it.

"Dr. Kogami might have been the true preparator of the Lost Incident, but do you think that he is the one personally kidnapped all the seven children? I doubt so." Yusaku explains, pointing out that one fact.

Kento and the others understand now. The point of the question was who exactly brought them to the place of the incident, not the one behind the incident. Dr. Kogami had assistants with him when he enacted the Hanoi Project. It's possible that Dr. Kogami had his assistants capture the children in his place. But Bohman only named Dr. Kogami and didn't divulge any further details, which means that he couldn't have been Yusaku's copy let alone the real one.

"Come to think of it, though I can't remember well, the one who kidnapped me has lighter skin than Dr. Kogami." Takeru doesn't remember the face of the person who snatched him away, but he is sure that person was not Dr. Kogami from the color of his skin. He had seen the photo of Dr. Kogami from the one shown by Flame, and he was sure of it.

"What about you, Kento? Do you remember anything?" Ai asks Kento, the latter being a victim as well.

Kento goes silent. He tries to remember. That day, ten years ago, he remembered running out of the house and taking a walk around the street. The street was damp after the rain. Though the rain had stopped, the sky was still covered by clouds, blocking the sunlight. He was walking while crying because he missed his parents. He sniffled and wiped his tears many times with his sleeve. He was so absorbed in his sadness that he didn't see someone was in front of him. He bumped into that person and fell on his butt. The person he bumped into quickly turned to him when he felt the bump and heard Kento's cry.

However, after that, Kento can't remember anything. Everything turned blank the moment Kento tried to recall that person's face. The psychiatrist that Kento talked to before told him that it was some sort of defensive mechanism. His mind blocked out certain memories due to his trauma. Though Kento has decided to face his past, a part of him is not yet ready to fully remember what happened.

"Sorry... I can't remember yet..." Kento says dejectedly.

"No need to push yourself. We all know it's not a pleasant memory." Kusanagi kindly tells Kento.

"Listening to your story, this means that Bohman knows about Fujiki-kun's past." Kazue stirs back the conversation to the main point. "He must've investigated Fujiki-kun somehow."

"And in detail." Takeru adds.

"We also must be prepared for the possibility that he had investigated all of you. He may have known your real identities all along." Flame says. If their enemies had thoroughly investigated Yusaku to the extent of knowing about him being the victim of the Lost Incident, it's likely that they had also investigated Takeru and Kento.

"That's concerning..." Kento would hate to think that their enemies right now are watching them from somewhere.

"But he's our only lead to retrieve Kusanagi-san's brother's consciousness." Yusaku reminds. Whoever Bohman and Haru are, the fact they had stolen Jin's data remains unchanged. They must find them.

"But the gate has vanished. For now, we have to wait for it to reappear." Kusanagi is frustrated, but there's nothing they can do but wait.

"Sorry, Kusanagi-san." Yusaku apologizes. His shoulders slump down. His expression looks neutral at first glance, but if you look closer, you'll see the self-disappointment and guilt in his emerald-colored gaze. "I couldn't find a lead."

"Don't sweat it. I'm just glad you came home safe." Kusanagi places his hand on Yusaku's shoulder to assure his partner. While it's upsetting that Bohman got away again, Kusanagi is not angry at Yusaku in the slightest.

"Because I still need you guys!" Kusanagi then points to the Ignis algorithm on screen that he got when investigating SOL Technologies' restricted area. "Look at that. By analyzing the data we acquired near the gate, we might learn something."

"Better than doing nothing. Let's try it." Yusaku begins to analyze the Ignis algorithm.

"Wait, you're doing it right now?" Takeru looks at Yusaku worriedly.

"I'll just try to analyze it for a bit." Yusaku replies without moving his eyes from the screen.

"I'll help too." Kento joins in, also assisting Yusaku in analyzing the algorithm.

"Ai, Flame, you are Ignis, can't you solve this data?" Kusanagi asks the two said Ignis.

"We're using the same algorithm, but in the end, each of us has our own quirks in writing the algorithm." Flame reveals. Just like any programmer working on their data, Ignis have their own distinct individual style. It shows from how things are tested, how a design is split up, how things are named and a lot of other details which are decided by each Ignis.

"Windy's coding habit has nutty scope of variables and long. Even for us, it won't be a walk in the park to crack it. All of us will have to work our brains together." Ai begrudgingly admits.

Behind them, Kazue is watching her male companions concernedly. It hasn't been that long since they logged out from Windy's World and they're already working again. Yusaku, especially, is working the hardest of the bunch. No matter how many times Kusanagi tries to assure him, Yusaku's sense of responsibility won't allow him to take a rest just yet if it means getting a clue to find Bohman, and eventually Jin. And Kazue also notices that Kento seems to have something on his mind. Judging from what she saw during the confrontation between him against Blue Girl and Ghost Girl, it wasn't difficult to figure it out.

She understands the need to find Jin as soon as they can, but they can't keep going like this. They're pushing themselves too hard. They need to rest even if it's for just one day. But there's no way they'll listen to her if she just tells them to take a break. She must come up with a plausible excuse to get them to rest somehow without rousing suspicion...

A light bulb then switches on in her head.

She quietly goes out from the truck, turning on her mobile phone to make a call, pressing her father's phone number.

"Hello, Father? I have a request about one of our projects..."

---

Cafe Nagi – Central Plaza – Den City – Next Day

"You want us to help you test Hibiki Enterprise's new project" Yusaku asks his senior, who is smiling at him, Kusanagi, and Takeru. Her palms pressed to each other in a requesting gesture.

"Yes. The people we originally requested for help can't come because of a clash in their schedules, so my father is looking for new people to help." Kazue explains. That was a lie, of course. The people whom her father originally requested for help have their schedule delayed to another date at her request.

"But why us? I thought Kento is helping you too." Takeru asks, briefly glancing at Kento.

"This project is partly aimed for Dueling, so we'd like to know the opinion from several Duelists, not just one." Kento adds. Last night, he was surprised when Kazue suddenly came up with the idea and told him. At first, he thought it wasn't necessary to go this far, but when Kazue brought up Yusaku, Kento couldn't decline.

"And to be honest, other than Kento, you are the only ones I can trust with this. Other people would have an ulterior motive. Please? Just for one day is enough." Kazue looks at them pleadingly, doing her best to show her sparkling face that has melted the heart of many people.

Her attempt is not in vain.

"Yusaku, why don't we just go for it? It's just one day." Ai asks Yusaku. It sounds fun, and it's hard to refuse seeing Kazue beg like that.

"Hibiki Enterprise must have high-quality programs written for their server. If we go, we can learn a thing or two to improve our skill." Flame agrees to the idea for a different reason.

"Flame, we can't just peek at confidential information of Senpai's company like that." Takeru scolds his partner. Does he not consider himself being rude for saying his intention so blatantly right in front of Kazue herself?

"I don't mind at all. As I said, I trust you. You won't misuse what you learn for something malicious. If you like, we'll provide new equipment for this truck as payment for helping us." Kazue proposes. Other than giving them a much deserves break, her father is also planning to pay them for their help. It's only fair for an employer to give payment to their employees for their work.

That proposal surprised everyone, especially Kusanagi. True, the equipment that he has in his truck and back at home is not high quality compared to the equipment that Kazue has. The income from his hotdog truck and his parents' work together are not high enough to buy first-rate equipment. Having equipment of the same quality as the ones belonged to a big company like Hibiki Enterprise would undoubtedly be helpful for their work. However, getting that equipment as payment for whatever work Kazue has for them is too big of a payment.

"Kazue-chan, I appreciate your intention, but–" Kusanagi is about to refuse until Kento leans closer to him, enough to whisper to his ear.

"Kusanagi-san, read the room here. Yusaku-kun is still bothered by what happened yesterday with Bohman. It won't be good for his mental health if he keeps beating himself up like this." Kento whispers so that the others won't be able to hear them. Of course, it's actually not just Yusaku, he and Kazue also want to cheer up Kusanagi, but they won't tell him that.

Kusanagi pauses at that. It's just as Kento said. Yusaku did look down yesterday. Yusaku always has a big sense of responsibility. He already failed to catch Bohman the first time, and yesterday he failed for the second time. Kusanagi thought he did well in hiding his insecurity for his inability in finding Jin. That's not even possible to begin with. Because Yusaku already knew how much Kusanagi loves his brother. His attempt to look normal may have inadvertently put pressure on Yusaku to work harder to find Jin. Yusaku isn't just helping in finding Jin. He's also the one doing all the fighting. Yusaku does a lot more work than Kusanagi.

He doesn't want Yusaku to overwork, burdening himself for his sake. No matter how much he wants to save Jin, Kusanagi can't bear it if it takes a toll on Yusaku's condition. If this can help to momentarily distract Yusaku and put his mind more at ease, that'll be more than enough payment to do whatever work Kazue is going to give them.

"I think it's a good idea. We could only get second-hand equipment within our budget, so having new equipment to replace it would be good for our work henceforth. Let's give it a try, Yusaku, Takeru." Kusanagi quickly retracts his intended refusal and accepts Kazue's proposal. He tries to look as excited as possible at the prospect of getting new equipment to convince Yusaku.

And it works.

"Alright, since you said so, Kusanagi-san." Yusaku finally relents. Kusanagi does have a point, so there's no reason to refuse a good deal.

Kazue, Kento, and Kusanagi beams bright at Yusaku's answer. They exchange thumbs up and smiles of victory in their minds.

"Gather here the day after tomorrow. I'll have someone to pick you up." Kazue says before going out to call her father again, confirming that her friends will help them.

---

Hibiki Research Facility – Outskirt of Den City – Two Days Later

When they were told that the research facility is on the outskirts of the city, they imagined it would be a small building that doesn't stand out among the other rural buildings or houses around it. True to their expectations, at first glance, the building is no different from any ordinary house. The house is all concrete and has tall glass windows that give a view of the neighborhood.

That is how it appears on the outside.

The door is equipped with a retinal scanner. When they open the door, they are greeted by a security guard. Each of them is required to undergo a series of rigorous security checks. The moment they pass through the living room after the security has deemed them clean, they are welcomed by a completely different view. Opposite its humble exterior, the inside is filled with high-technological equipment. And there's an underground laboratory and testing grounds where they test out the prototype products. To make it even better, the facility is self-sufficient, housing its own: ventilation, cold and hot water, central heating, sanitation, drainage, and power generation systems.

"You really can't judge a book by its cover..." Takeru says in amazement.

"I thought this is something that we can only see in movies!" Ai is trying his best to refrain from coming out from his Duel Disk due to his restrained excitement.

"I'll show you around after we're done. We're going to the testing room." Kazue says as she escorts them to the underground.

"Is it necessary to make the testing room underground?" Takeru asks as they descend the stairs.

"It's a precaution to prevent outsiders from peeking and to not bother our neighbors. We also made it soundproof to avoid bothering our neighbors with loud noises from our experiments." Kazue explains. When this facility was first opened, they conducted various experiments with their machines that caused loud noises to the point the whole block heard it. They received complaints from the other residents. They learned their lessons and built an underground laboratory and rooms with soundproof walls to prevent noises reaching outside.

"Here we are." Kazue stops in front of a door that she opens with a keycard. She already reserved the whole room just for her and her friends, so no one can enter without her permission and no one can watch what they're doing. This will ensure Kento, Yusaku, and Takeru's identities as Holysaber, Playmaker, and Soulburner hidden.

The room has nothing but a single bench, and at the ceiling there's a huge round machine. There's another separate small room on the other side. From the window, they see machines and equipment inside the small room.

"I'll go inside that room, all of you stay here for a minute."

Kazue runs into the small room across from them. Kento and the others don't know what she's doing, only able to see her standing in front of the device and moving her hands. Based on her position and movement, they assume that she's fiddling with the device inside.

"Ahem. Testing. Can you all hear me?" Kazue asks through the speaker while looking at them through the window. When Kento and the others replied with a thumb up, "Okay, prepare your Duel Disks and your card."

[DUEL DISK DETECTED]

[REAL SOLID VISION ACTIVATED]

The round machine above them starts to make noises and emits reddish white light throughout the whole room. The light then disperses into tiny particles.

"What's this? What's going on?" Ai looks around at the particles around them.

"I don't feel or see anything changes." Flame comments while looking at their surroundings. Save for these particles, there's nothing specific that changes from normal.

"Now, Kento, try to summon one of your monsters with your Duel Disk now." Kazue instructs her childhood friend.

Kento exchanges confused glances with Yusaku and the others. Kento did agree with Kazue's suggestion, but he himself doesn't know what kind of test they're doing. She insisted on keeping it a secret because she wanted to surprise them all, including him. They're not Dueling right now, and she wants him to summon a monster?

"Just do it and you'll know." Kazue tells them with firmer tone.

Kento blinks in confusion but does as he was instructed. He picks Saint Kuriboh to summon. Without a word, he places Saint Kuriboh on his Main Monster Zone like he does whenever he's Dueling. Suddenly, the red particles glow and disappear as Saint Kuriboh is summoned. Saint Kuriboh looks blinks, looking at itself with gaze of curiosity. When it touches its own fur with its hands, its eyes widened as if it feels something unbelievable. It turns to Kento with its eyes lit up. Saint Kuriboh flies ecstatically towards Kento.

Kento stays silent on the spot, expecting for Saint Kuriboh to pass through him since it's only a hologram, and thus, cannot be touched. That's what everyone thought until...

"Kuri!" Saint Kuriboh latches itself to Kento, hugging him tightly.

"Huh...?" Kento blinks many times while looking at Saint Kuriboh that's still latching on to him. Slowly, carefully, his hands reach for Saint Kuriboh's fur. Upon contact, he begins to caress his ace monster, moving his hand up and down its fur many times to make sure if what his hands are feeling is real. And it is, "W-wow! It's real! I can touch Saint Kuriboh!"

"Kuri! Kuri!" Saint Kuriboh hugs its master tighter.

The other occupants of the room who are watching all gasps when Kento finally said the words that's stuck in their mouths.

"For real?! Like, seriously?!" Takeru finally let out after a struggle to form words. He points at Saint Kuriboh in disbelief.

"No way!" Kusanagi can't take his eyes off Kento and Saint Kuriboh, and so did everyone else.

"Saint Kuriboh! Oh, you're so soft!" Kento pulls Saint Kuriboh into his embrace, enjoying his ace monster's soft fur.

"Kuri~" Saint Kuriboh happily returns its master's embrace.

Unable to contain his curiosity anymore, Yusaku walks to Kento and Saint Kuriboh, hardly hesitating in touching the little monster.

"He's right... I can touch Saint Kuriboh..." Yusaku's voice may sound flat, but listening carefully, there's awe in his tone.

"Amazing...! How did you do it?!" Ai asks with a curious yell.

"Real Solid Vision." Kazue tells them, still working on the device inside and speaking through the speaker, "It's a technology that materialize the holographic projection by creating an artificial virtual dimension in the real world and then making mass particles stored within it compatible with Solid Vision, drawing them out and materialize them."

"That kind of thing is possible?" Takeru says while still petting Saint Kuriboh who enjoys his touch, still having a hard time believing this is real.

"This is still a work in progress, so we're not sure how far we can go with this materialization. That's why we'd like you to try it. You are the first people to get to experience interacting directly with your monsters in real life." Kazue smiles victoriously. Her plan to surprise them is a big success. But this is not the end of it.

"Now that we've concluded the first test, I'd like you to do a demonstration through Duel." Kazue comes out from the room for a moment. Her victorious smile is replaced with a cheeky smile. "I have an idea to make this more interesting."

---

In hope of making the Duel more exciting as Kazue put it, she proposed for them to switch each other's Deck and Duel using them. She'd like to see how well they adapt as Duelists when using Decks that are not their own. In Ai and Flame's case, they will partner up with whoever got their partner's respective Decks. The switch is decided through reaping. And the result of the reaping for the first demonstration is...

"Don't worry, Yusaku. With a brilliant A.I. like me, our victory is guaranteed." Flame proudly tells Yusaku, pounding his chest with confidence at his temporary partner.

"I'll be in your care, Flame." Yusaku never expected he'll team up with Flame like this. It never crossed his mind to try out other Decks either. Though he has no intention to do the same in real battle, he has to admit that this arrangement stirs his fervor.

On the other side of the field, Kento is standing facing Yusaku, wearing the latter's Duel Disk.

"Let's kick their butt, Kento!" Ai encourages his temporary partner.

"You're okay going against your own partner?" Kento asks with a sweat dropped at Ai's eagerness.

"This is this! That is that!", is Ai's only response.

Kento looks at Yusaku. From his gestures and expressions, he's loosening up. That's a good sign. Not just Yusaku, Takeru and Kusanagi also have their eyes on them with anticipation. Kazue's plan to get them to have fun seems to be going well. Inciting their interest with Real Solid Vision and then stir their newfound interest into excitement through Duel demonstration. Now, it's up to him to liven things up. Just for this one day, they'll forget about chasing after Bohman. They'll do their best to relax and enjoy their break with nothing at stake.

"Duel!"

Kento Hijiri LP: 4000

Yusaku Fujiki LP: 4000

Kento reads the cards in his hand. Though he had seen Yusaku Dueled as Playmaker, there are cards that he hasn't seen him using yet. And to be sure that he remembers it right, Kento reads the cards again. This is Yusaku's own Deck, so Yusaku knows fully its capabilities. Even if he's using Takeru's Salamangreat Deck, as long as he understands how his Deck works like the back of his hand, Yusaku can form a counter strategy.

"Don't be pessimistic, Kento! You have me here! I can tell you everything about this Deck!" Ai says boastfully, pounding his chest to emphasize his pride.

"Is there a way to surprise Yusaku-kun? This is my first time using his Deck, so even if he doesn't underestimate me, he'd still think that I'm new with Dueling the way he does." Kento asks.

"Of course, there is! No matter how much he knows all the cards in this Deck, you can still surprise him if you use a strategy that he never thought of!" Ai pulls Kento to him, whispering the said plan into his ear. Kento blinks as he looks at Ai who is confident.

"You're Yusaku-kun's partner, so there's no harm trying that." Kento agrees to try out Ai's idea. And he himself also likes that idea.

"I'm taking the first turn. Since I control no monster, I can Special Summon Linkslayer from my hand." Kento summons Linkslayer to the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Linkslayer (CYBERSE/EARTH/EFFECT/ATK: 2000/DEF: 600/LV: 5)

"And then I Summon Storm Cipher." Kento Normal Summons Storm Cipher to the zone next to Linkslayer in Attack Position.

Storm Cipher (CYBERSE/DARK/EFFECT/ATK: 2400/DEF: 0/LV: 4)

"As a Cyberse monster was Normal Summoned to my field, I can Special Summon Boot Staggered from my hand." Kento Special Summons Boot Staggered via its own effect to the zone next to Storm Cipher in Attack Position.

Boot Staggered (CYBERSE/LIGHT/EFFECT/ATK: 2300/DEF: 500/LV: 5)

"I set a card and end my turn." Kento concluded his turn.

Yusaku wonders why Kento didn't perform Link Summon. With those monsters on the field, he could've summoned Decode Talker or other Link Monsters. Ai is also with him. Ai may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but they've been fighting together long enough for Ai to understand his Deck and how to use it. Are they planning something? Waiting to see how he's going to use Takeru's Salamangreat Deck?

"Yusaku, you've seen Takeru Duels, but should I explain to you about this Deck?" Flame asks his temporary partner.

"No. I appreciate you're trying to help but let me try this out by myself. I want to know how much I can do on my own first." Yusaku politely declines Flame's offer. As a Duelist, he himself is curious to test how he can adjust himself with using Salamangreat Deck.

"I'll ask for your assistance when I need it. I'll be counting on you when that happen." Yusaku smiles at Flame.

"Rest assured. I'll give you, my guidance like I did to Takeru." Flame promises.

"My turn. I activate Salamangreat Meer's effect from my hand. By sending a Salamangreat Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it." Yusaku sends Salamangreat Falco and then Special Summons Meer in Attack Position to the Main Monster Zone

Salamangreat Meer (CYBERSE/FIRE/EFFECT/ATK: 800/DEF: 600/LV: 2)

"I activate Falco's effect in the Graveyard. By returning a Salamangreat monster I control the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Falco." Yusaku returns Meer, summoning Falco in its place.

Salamangreat Falco (CYBERSE/FIRE/EFFECT/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1600/LV: 4)

"As Meer was added to my hand other than my normal draw, I can Special Summon it." Yusaku summons Meer again via its own effect to the zone next to Falco.

"And then I Normal Summon Salamangreat Jack Jaguar." Yusaku summons Jack Jaguar in Attack Position next to Meer in the Main Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Jack Jaguar (CYBERSE/FIRE/EFFECT/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200/LV: 4)

"Appear, the circuit that guides the future!" Yusaku summons the Link Portal, setting Meer, Falco, and Jack Jaguar to the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 3, Salamangreat Heatleo!" Yusaku summons Takeru's ace monster to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Salamangreat Heatleo (ATK: 2300/LNK: 3/LM: Bottom-left, Top, Bottom-right)

"Oh! Yusaku summoned Heatleo so quickly!" Takeru exclaimed in amazement. It feels quite strange to see someone else other than him using his deck and summoning his ace monster. But seeing that it's Yusaku who is them, Takeru also feels honored.

"And he even summoned it through the same procedure as you did before." Kusanagi comments, also impressed for Yusaku able to grasp the essence of Takeru's Deck so quickly.

"I activate Heatleo's effect! When it was Link Summoned, I can shuffle a card in my opponent's Spell & Trap Zone into the Deck! Resounding Roar!" Yusaku declares, urging Heatleo to roar, unleashing sound wave that blows away Kento's Set card back to the Deck.

"And since Heatleo was Link Summoned, I can activate Jack Jaguar's effect in my Graveyard." Yusaku shuffles Falco and Special Summons Jack Jaguar to the zone the bottom-left Link Arrow of Heatleo points to.

"Battle! I attack Linkslayer with Salamangreat Heatleo!" Yusaku declares Battle Phase.

Heatleo whirls its body while enveloped in its own flame, forming a blazing tornado that explodes at the moment of contact, destroying Linkslayer. The impact of the explosion causes the whole room to shake and pushes back not only Kento who controls Linkslayer, but also Kusanagi and Takeru who are spectating.

Kento Hijiri LP: 4000 = 3700

"I set a card and end my turn." Yusaku concludes before turning to Kusanagi and Takeru. "Kusanagi-san, Takeru, are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah! We're just surprised!" Takeru responds, still taken aback by the blow from the explosion.

"For a second I thought I was going to be blown up." Kusanagi states while holding his chest. His heart is pounding from experiencing directly with his own body the impact of a monster's attack.

"Kento, are you okay?!" Yusaku shouts at Kento who is quiet.

"I'm good! Just give me a second!" Kento replies. He said that, but his hands are trembling from the blow. It feels surreal. What he thought he could only feel in LINK VRAINS, now he experienced it in real life.

"Kento, are you sure you're okay?" Ai asks concernedly.

"Hahaha... Sorry for worrying you. I'm really fine. I'm just still getting used to this. It's almost like a dream to Duel with this much realism, you know." Kento assures Ai.

"I'm sure Yusaku feels the same. He has that stone face, but inside, he is as shocked as you are." Ai says confidently. There are times he still can't fully tell what Yusaku is thinking, but Ai can tell that right now Yusaku shares the same sentiment as them. Only that he's better at hiding it.

"Come on! It's time to continue our plan!" Ai encourages Kento.

"Here we go!" Kento stands straight again, continuing the Duel.

"My turn! I summon Dotscaper from my hand!" Kento summons Dotscaper in Attack Position to the Main Monster Zone.

Dotscaper (CYBERSE/EARTH/EFFECT/ATK: 0/DEF: 2100/LV: 1)

"Appear! The circuit that lights up the future!" Kento Sets Dotscaper to the Bottom-Link Marker of the Link Portal.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 1, Linkuriboh!" Kento summons Linkuriboh in Attack Position to the Main Monster Zone.

Linkuriboh (CYBERSE/DARK/LINK/ATK: 300/LM: Bottom/LNK: 1)

"When Dotscaper is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" Kento revives Doscaper in Attack Position.

"Appear again, the circuit that lights up the future!" Kento Sets Storm Cipher, Boot Staggered, Linkuriboh, and Dotscaper to the Link Markers, combining the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 4, Firewall Dragon!" Kento summons Firewall Dragon to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Firewall Dragon (CYBERSE/LINK/LIGHT/ATK: 2500/LNK: 4/LM: Left, Top-Center, Right, Bottom-Center)

"Kento is summoning Firewall Dragon already?!" Takeru thought that it'd take time until Kento could summon Firewall Dragon. But he already did it in his second turn.

"If he can use Firewall Dragon's effect, then Kento can inflict huge damage to Yusaku." Kusanagi has a hard time predicting how this Duel will go.

Kento is ready to enact the plan that Ai came up with.

However...

[TIME LIMIT REACHED]

"What?" Kento looks up at the sudden announcement. Everyone else is also looking around them following that announcement.

The particles that materialize the cards start fading away.

[SOLID VISION TERMINATED]

All of the monsters on both sides disintegrated, ending the Duel so abruptly.

"They disappeared! Why?!" Ai looks around in confusion.

"Looks like this prototype Real Solid Vision can only work for a limited time." Kazue notes down in her report about the error. They had similar problems before, so the sudden deactivation didn't surprise her much. She's still glad because unlike before, Real Solid Vision has been working for a longer time and not just several seconds.

"I'm sorry. We'll have to cancel the Duel. I must report this to the staff." Kazue comes out from the room with her report in hand. She turns to her childhood friend, "Kento, take everyone to the park. I'll bring our lunch there after I hand over the report."

Kazue leaves the room in haste, leaving Kento and the others by themselves. Kento already knows the crook and nook of this place, that's why she's not worried about leaving them because Kento can guide their friends safely in her place without getting lost. It's a pity that they can't enjoy themselves with Real Solid Vision for long, so she'd make sure they'll have a splendid meal for their lunch.

"What a letdown! Just when Kento and I were going to use our trump card!" Ai pouts.

"Nothing will change. Whatever card you have, Yusaku and I would deal with it without breaking a sweat." Flame retorts smugly.

"Oh yeah? Let's continue once they finished the Real Solid Vision!" Ai challenges the Fire Ignis.

Kento claps his hands together now that everything is settled.

"It's lunchtime. Let's go to the park. Kazue will meet up with us there."

Park – Hibiki Research Facility – Outskirt of Den City

After seeing the inside of the facility, Yusaku and the others thought there's nothing else that will surprise them. They are quickly proven wrong when Kento takes them to the park at the back of the facility where they're going to have their lunch.

What they expected to be a small but beautiful garden turns out to be a spacious park that almost as wide as a public park found in the city, decorated with three kinds of trees, which consisted of Ginkgo biloba, Japanese cherry, and camphor tree. The benches and tables are fashioned from a wind-felled tree, the legs being sections of the trunk still clothed in bark and the top was a fine long plank rendered a deep soulful brown by the varnish. There are cats, dogs, birds, and even bunnies freely roaming around, and a few robots tending to the park.

While Yusaku and the others are still enjoying the scenery, Kento spreads the tablecloth at one of the tables. One would think that they're having a picnic. This isn't the first time he has been to this facility, so he's hardly surprised by anything. Still, watching his friends react the same way as he did is an amusing sight. Yusaku is surrounded by cats and bunnies who are closing on his Duel Disk, curious of Ai who is shooing them away to no avail. Takeru is petting one of dogs that leans close to his leg with Flame trying to give it a command to sit down, only to be met with a disobedient bark that forces Flame to retreat into Takeru's Duel Disk. Kusanagi is feeding the birds with breadcrumbs that are provided in the park. Kento wishes he can capture this scenery in a picture.

A few minutes after their arrival, Kazue comes in with a basket of lunch for them, prompting them to sit on their prepared benches as Kazue places their foods one by one. There are Ajitsuke tamago, karaage onigirazu, soboro onigirazu, tuna onigirazu, miso soup, and fruits. She also carries a water flask filled with matcha tea.

"Dig in, everybody. Don't hold back. There's still a lot more if you want seconds." Kazue tells her friends who are eyeing the lunch she brought for them.

Everyone, minus Ai and Flame who doesn't eat, starts to enjoy their lunch.

"This place is amazing, Hibiki-senpai. You have many facilities like this?" Takeru asks. His curiosity grows for each second since they arrived here, so he couldn't help himself to ask.

"We have around five more facilities like this. Each one develops different projects." Kazue answers while serving tea for each of them. "By the way, aside from the bug from earlier, can you tell me what you think about our Real Solid Vision?"

"I think in terms of giving the mass to cards, you already implemented them enough. When we touched them, it's like touching a real thing." Takeru didn't Duel, but when he touched Saint Kuriboh and when he felt the blowing force of the wind when Battle Phase occurred, Takeru felt he was experiencing a real battlefield. Though he was only watching, he was exhilarated by the sheer reality the monsters formed through their exchanges.

"But that materialization also concerns me. Because the monsters take physical form, their attacks will also physically affect us. We may get hurt from the monsters' attack." Yusaku felt the impact directly on his body from the Duel earlier. When Kento retaliated, Yusaku's body reflexively moved away from the attack. He instinctively knew that he might get hurt had he taken the attack head on. If they summon a monster with huge size or sharp weapons, they'd get injured even worse. Kento, being Yusaku's opponent in that Duel, also agreed with his point.

"How about adding a damage setting? By adjusting the damage of the Solid Vision, you won't need to worry for the players to suffer severe injuries." Kusanagi suggests. Since they are aiming for a realistic approach, rather than removing the damage altogether, they can set the damage to properly adjust with the situation and condition.

"That's a good idea. I'll keep a note for that." Kazue writes down her friends' opinions in her notebook. Though inviting them here was supposed to be an excuse to get them to take a break, everyone provides important input to improve the Real Solid Vision that she can't miss. They're still enjoying themselves, so it's mutually beneficial for them.

"Hey! Hey! Do you think you can set that Real Solid Vision to my Duel Disk? I can get myself materialized at anytime and anywhere I want with it!" Ai asks excitedly, already imagining himself gain physical body in the real world that'll allow him to do many things that he can't do by himself. He usually must ask Roboppi to do it in his place.

"That's a good idea. For once, we're on the same page." Flame agrees with the Dark Ignis.

"We can, but as you've seen, since it's still incomplete, you can only materialize for a limited time. Are you okay with that?" Kazue asks. She already planned to install the Real Solid Vision program in all their Duel Disks, but her plan was to wait until the program was perfected to allow them to use Real Solid Vision for an indefinite amount of time. Installing that program now while it's still in the early stage doesn't sit well with her.

"It's fine! We can just install the final product again later after you finished it." Ai doesn't look mind with only being materialized for a limited time.

"That's not for you to decide. Don't you have any shame asking for that?" Yusaku reprimands Ai. They already troubled Kazue who had prepared so much for them today. "Senpai, you don't need to listen to their whims."

"I don't really mind. I do plan to install Real Solid Vision to you once it's completed." Kazue reveals. She was planning for it to be a surprise, but a bit too bad Ai brought it up first. "But if you still insist wanting to install this prototype, I'll install it later for you."

"You shouldn't spoil them, Senpai." Yusaku feels bad for receiving this technology without paying anything, even if it's still in the prototype stage.

"Oh, it won't be for free, of course. I'll have you fulfill two requests." Kazue raises her two fingers, "First, I want you to update us if you notice something about this prototype. Second, I ask that you're not disclose this to outsiders except everyone here."

"Roger! Hehehehe...if the other Ignis knows, they'd be jealous." Ai snickers, imagining how the other Ignis would react.

"Maybe Windy and Divine Ignis will, but I don't think Earth Ignis, Water Ignis, and Light Ignis will." Flame comments.

Speaking of which...

"Say, what's Divine Ignis' name?" Kento asks. All this time, they never refer to the other Ignis with proper names. "There's Ai, Flame, and then Windy. What about Divine Ignis?"

"Our real names in Ignis language are too difficult for humans to pronounce, so we came up with alternative names that would be easier for humans to understand." Flame explains. That's why he already came up with his own name before meeting Takeru to make it easier for his partner.

"So, Ai and Flame are names for you to use among humans?" Kazue asks to make sure she understands it right.

"That's right! I got mine from Yusaku!" Ai confirms.

"As for me, I came up with my own name. Unlike a cutesy name like his, mine is cool, isn't it?" Flame says boastfully. Had he had a nose, it would've grown longer due to his pride.

"It's cute because I am cute!" Ai argues. This is already like the third time Flame has made fun of his name. Whatever the reason behind his naming, he loves the name given by his partner. Though he does have a reservation of the simple meaning for his name.

"I don't see anything wrong with the name 'Ai'. Honestly, I like Ai better." Kento tactlessly shares his opnion. Flame's name is by no means inferior or the sort, but if he has to pick between the two, he personally prefers Ai's name.

That comment surprises the two Ignis.

"Really?!" Ai looks at Kento expectantly, hoping he didn't hear it wrong.

"What?! Why?!" Flame asks incredulously.

"Of course, I think Flame is a good name. A cool one too. But, if it's written in kanji, 'Ai' means 'love', right? It's a kind and friendly-sounding name. It described Ai himself. Don't you think so?" Kento smiles down gently at Ai. Everything he said is genuine, coming from his heart. Everyone present can tell that he's completely wearing his heart on his sleeve now.

"Kento..." Ai is deeply touched that few tears leak out. He never thought that his name could be interpreted that way as opposed to how he was at first only named so because he is an A.I.

"I'll admit it's a good name when you put it that way, but saying that Ai is kind? He's not a bad guy, but that's too much of a compliment. You don't seriously think he is kind, right?" Flame raises an eyebrow, looking at Kento like the Olympios Stratos user has grown another head inside.

"You're just jealous because Kento likes me more than you." This time, Ai is the one who raises his head and chest boastfully.

"He only said that he likes your name better. That doesn't mean he likes you more than me." Flame argues back, emphasizing the name part, refusing to back down.

"A-anyway, what's Divine Ignis' name?" Kento quickly intrudes before they can argue off the topic they're supposed to be having. He wants to avoid the argument escalating into the two Ignis asking him which one between them that he likes better.

"We only came up with our names recently after leaving Cyberse World, so we don't know. Maybe Divine Ignis came up with his own name already or not at all." Ai finally answers.

"Usually, at this moment, you're going to come up with a name for him." Flame states. He expected Ai to come up with names for their Ignis friends on his own whether they like it or not when Kento asked.

"Nah. He won't like it if I decide his name for him. I won't give him a name without his approval." Ai shakes his head. If it's the other Ignis, he'd do so if they don't have names yet. But since Divine Ignis is his best buddy, he'll refrain himself and wait until they meet again to decide his name.

"That's strange coming from you. Knowing you, you'll give a name to anybody as you like it." Flame knows how selfish and careless Ai is, and even with his friendship with Divine Ignis, he thought Ai would still name the said Ignis regardless of how the other guy feels.

"Even I know when to be considerate!" Ai is hurt that Flame thinks that way about him.

"A wise decision. Who knows what kind of weird name you'll come up with if we leave it to you." Flame doesn't want to imagine what kind of name Ai will suggest for him had he not come up with it first. Fortunately, he knows when and how to pick his own name.

"Just what do you take me for?! The names I came up with are simple!"

"You're always very simplistic."

"There's a beauty in simplicity!"

Despite Kento's attempt to end the argument, it was a pointless effort in the end with Ai and Flame bickering back and forth with neither willing to relent. Kento deems it best to just leave them be and continue enjoying his lunch with the rest.

"Better just ignore them when they're like that, Kento." Yusaku advice the Olympios Stratos user who is glancing at Ai and Flame once in a while.

"I don't mind at all. They look like they're having fun." Kento replies. The bickering between Ai and Flame is nothing serious. If anything, that bickering is an expression of their friendship.

"You think so?"

"You don't look you hate it either, Yusaku-kun." Kento remarks. Though Yusaku said it like it's an annoyance, Yusaku's relaxed gaze is evident proof that Yusaku is relieved to see Ai and Flame getting along so well.

"It's getting noisier ever since Flame joined in." Yusaku retorts, trying not to look like he cares. His effort, unfortunately, is meaningless thanks to his hacker partner's interference.

"Don't mind him. Sometimes, it's difficult for Yusaku to be honest. He's still work in progress." Kusanagi intrudes between them, snickering as he did so.

"K-Kusanagi-san...!" Yusaku turns to Kusanagi. Unlike his usual cool and calm demeanor, there's nervousness in his tone and his ears turn slightly red.

"Yes. I can see that." Kento quickly catches on to Kusanagi's intention and plays along. Not just him, Takeru and Kazue also did too.

"He is what you usually called a 'tsundere', right?" Takeru adds. It hasn't been that long since he got to know Yusaku, but Takeru can tell from his observation that Yusaku is the type that is difficult in expressing how he really feels, particularly happiness.

"My, how unexpectedly cute of you, Fujiki-kun." Kazue giggles seeing Yusaku who is trying his best to compose himself from the onslaught of their comments.

"Cut it out, everyone..." Yusaku can't handle their stares and looks away in embarrassment.

"What's this? Yusaku-chan is being a coy~? Come on, be honest with us~" Ai doesn't miss the fun, quick to notice the redness in Yusaku's ears. He's all forgotten his bickering with Flame in favor of using this chance to tease his partner.

"Shut up." Yusaku quickly returns to his so-called robotic face to silence his Ignis partner, earning him laughter from everybody else.

"It's been a while since I have had this much fun. The last time was when we went with Fumito to Hokkaido during our school break." Kento says while rubbing his stomach from too much eating and laughing.

"Yes. That was fun." Kazue agrees.

"Fumito?" Takeru repeats the name in question.

Kento and Kazue stop whatever they're doing as they realized what they just said. Facing their friends' curious stare, there's no turning back now. And it's not really something to be kept a secret. Kento and Kazue are simply having a bit difficulty talking about him because they're still processing what happened to Fumito two months ago. But it would be awkward if they changed the subject so quickly at this moment. It might ruin the atmosphere.

And... Maybe talking about Fumito to their new friends will make them feel better...

"Fumito Tohdo. He's my best friend. We used to attend the same school before I moved to Den City." Kento brings out his wallet from his bag. He shows them a photo of him together with Kazue and a brown-haired young man with darker shade of green spikes and fair skin.

"He was the one who helped me to get back to Dueling again." Kento's mind drowns in memory lane as he recalls his time with his deceased best friend.

---

Tokyo Gakugei Koganei Junior High School – Tokyo – Two Years Ago

Back then, Kento was a quiet student. He was not particularly loved or hated since he went through school life in a withdrawn state, preferring to observe everything from afar, neither too close nor too far from his schoolmates. During afternoon breaks and such, other students would talk in the classroom or play in the courtyard, but since Kento would always be in the backyard having a nap, he gave people the impression that he was a loner.

Kento never bothered trying to correct this impression. He didn't mind his solitude in school so long as nobody bullied him. He enjoyed being a step away from his surroundings. He thought that his school life would continue this way until he graduates.

During one of his routine naps during lunchbreak, he found a Duel Monster card on the ground while he was on his way to his usual napping spot. Not too far from where the card was, he saw three students. One standing and the other two sitting. The one who was standing had brown hair with a darker shade of green spikes. The other two who were sitting, one had messy brown hair and wore glasses, the other one had short black hair that reached past the neck.

Seeing them wearing Duel Disks and there were no other people beside them, Kento assumed that one of them most likely dropped this card. He picked up the card and then walked towards them.

"Excuse me. Did one of you dropped this card?" Kento asked one of the three students, the one who was standing. The other two are busy looking at the screen of the iPad that seemed to show a Duel.

The spiky haired boy looked at the card that Kento showed, and he gasped as he recognized the card.

"Oh! Right! That's my card!" The boy accepted the card held out by Kento. He blinked when he saw Kento's face. "You're Kento Hijiri, right? From class A."

Kento nodded, a bit surprised. He didn't expect someone from a different class to recognize him. Since he hardly talked with anyone at school, he wouldn't be surprised if the students from other class didn't even know him.

"I'm Fumito Tohdo. I'm from class B. Thanks for picking up my card." The student, Fumito, introduced himself while also expressing his gratitude.

"Agh! I failed again!"

Kento and Tohdo were startled when one of Fumito's two friends yelled with his hands pulling his hair.

"This Duel Puzzle is tough." The becspectacled boy ruffled his hair while lamenting his failure before turning to Fumito, "Fumito, can't you solve this?"

"You already saw me failed once just a few minutes ago." Fumito retorted, earning him a whining from his two friends.

Out of sheer curiosity, Kento looked at the Duel Puzzle shown on the screen. The player must win the Duel in this one turn with available cards.

The player's LP is at 1000. There is one Set card in the player's Spell & Trap Zone which is,

Fine (Trap Card): Discard 2 cards.

There are five cards in the player's hand, which consisted of:

Naturia Rock (ROCK/EARTH/EFFECT/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200/LV: 3): Once per Chain, when a Trap Card is activated (Quick Effect): You can send the top card of your Deck to the GY; Special Summon this card from your hand.

Naturia Bamboo Shoot (PLANT/EARTH/EFFECT/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000/LV: 5): While you control this face-up card that was Advance Summoned by Releasing a Naturia monster, your opponent cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards.

Spore (WIND/PLANT/TUNER/ATK: 400/DEF: 800/LV: 1): If this card is in your Graveyard, you can remove from play 1 other Plant-Type monster from your Graveyard to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard, and if you do, increase its Level by the Level of that banished monster. You can only use this effect of Spore once per Duel.

Genex Ally Birdman (DARK/MACHINE/TUNER/ATK: 1400/DEF: 400/LV: 3): You can return 1 face-up monster you control to the hand; Special Summon this card from your hand, but banish it when it leaves the field, also it gains 500 ATK if the returned monster was WIND on the field.

Supervise (Equip Spell): Equip only to a Gemini monster. It becomes an Effect Monster and gains its effects. If this face-up card is sent from the field to the GY: Target 1 Normal Monster in your GY; Special Summon it.

Meanwhile, on the player's field, in the Monster Zone, there is only one monster,

Gigaplant (PLANT/EARTH/GEMINI/EFFECT/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200/LV: 6): This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Insect or Plant monster from your hand or Graveyard.

And the extra Deck, there's one Synchro Monster,

Red Daemon's Dragon (DRAGON/DARK/SYNCHRO/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000/LV: 8): After damage calculation, if this card attacked an opponent's Defense Position monster: Destroy all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls. Once per turn, during your End Phase: Destroy all other monsters you control that did not declare an attack this turn. This card must be face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect.

The opponent, on the other hand, has 5800 LP, has three Set cards and three monsters with the same name and all three in Defense Position,

Marshmallon (FAIRY/LIGHT/EFFECT/ATK: 300/DEF: 500/LV: 3): Cannot be destroyed by battle. After damage calculation, if this card was attacked, and was face-down at the start of the Damage Step: The attacking player takes 1000 damage.

He hadn't Dueled for years, but he could still solve a puzzle at this level. Seeing his three schoolmates looked so frustrated by what seemed to be their repeated failures, Kento felt bad for them. Maybe it won't hurt to lend them a hand for this once.

"Activate Supervise to equip it to Gigaplant." Kento directed the becspectacled student who is still holding the iPad. Reflexively, the said student followed as he was told, equipping Supervise to Gigaplant.

"Activate Fine, then Chain the effect of Naturia Rock." Kento activated Fine, discarding Spore and Naturia Bamboo Shoot and then summoned Naturia Rock to the field in Attack Position.

"Activate Gigaplant's effect to Special Summon Naturia Bamboo Shoot from the Graveyard." Kento revived Bamboo Shoot from the Graveyard in Attack Position.

"Activate the effect of Genex Ally Birdman to return Naturia Bamboo Shoot to the hand to Special Summon it." Kento returned Bamboo Shoot that he just summoned back to the hand, and in exchange Special Summoned Genex Ally Birdman to the field in Attack Position.

"Release Rock and then Advance Summon Bamboo Shoot." Kento summoned back Bamboo Shoot again to the field, this time through Advance Summon. And since Bamboo Shoot was Advance Summoned by Releasing a Naturia Monster, opponent cannot activate Trap Cards.

"Activate the effect of Spore in the Graveyard to remove Cursed Fig from play to Special Summon Spore and increase its Level by 1." Kento activated Spore's effect, banishing Cursed Fig and then Special Summoned Spore in Attack Position with its Level increased to Level 2.

"Synchro Summon Red Daemon's Dragon using Spore and Gigaplant as Synchro Material Monsters." Kento summoned Red Daemon's Dragon in Attack Position.

"As Supervise was sent to the Graveyard, its effect was activated, Special Summoning 1 Normal Monster from the Graveyard." Kento revived Gigaplant in Attack Position.

"For the Battle Phase, Attack a Marshmallon with Red Daemon's Dragon." Kento declared Battle Phase. Red Daemon's Dragon destroyed one of the three Marshmallon. And due to Red Daemon's Dragon's effect, after damage calculation, all Defense Position monsters the opponent controls were destroyed following the first Marshmallon's destruction, destroying the remaining two Marshmallon.

"Lastly, Direct Attack with all of the remaining monsters." Kento declared the last step.

Gigaplant, Bamboo Shoot, and Genex Ally Birdman attacked the opponent directly, shaving the remaining LP until it reached 0.

[YOU WIN]

"You did it! You solved it!" The becspectacled student cheered upon seeing the notification on the screen.

"You're amazing, Hijiri!" The black-haired student patted Kento's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

"I didn't know you play Duel Monsters too!" Fumito heard once that Kento was wearing the Duel Disk for no other purpose other than for communication and school works, so he assumed Kento was not interested in Duel Monsters game itself.

"Yeah. You always wear your Duel Disk but there's no card inserted." The becspectacled student said and then looked at his Duel Disk on his wrist.

"Not anymore. I only played when I was little." Kento admitted. He better make it clear that he had stopped Dueling for good before there's a misunderstanding.

"Why not?! You're good at it!"

"Yeah! We can play together if you want!"

Kento felt overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of questions directed at him by two of Fumito's friends. From how their eyes were sparkling, they were undoubtedly passionate Duelists. This won't be good for him if he lets them continue.

"No, I–"

Fortunately, Kento was saved when the bell that announced that lunchbreak would be over soon was heard throughout the school.

"It's about time for us to go back to class." Fumito stated after hearing the bell.

"What? Already?" The bespectacled student checked the time and was surprised that so much time had passed. They were so focused on solving the Duel Puzzle that they didn't realize the time.

"We better go back now." The black-haired student ushered his friends to go back to their class.

Walking towards the school building, Fumito turned back, facing Kento.

"See you later, Hijiri!" Fumito said while waiving his hand at him for a second before catching up to his two friends who walked ahead of him.

Even though Fumito said so, Kento thought that would be the first and the last time he'd talk with them.

The next day, he learned how wrong he was.

---

"Hijiri, help me with this Duel Puzzle. Me and my friends have difficulty solving this one too." Fumito requested. He visited Kento's class, sitting so casually on the chair in front of Kento's desk. He was holding an iPad showing another Duel Puzzle that was different from the one that he solved yesterday.

"...Why...?" Kento asked the enthusiastic Fumito.

"Because you're the only guy I know who can help me solve this. Come on, help us, please? I'll treat you to a lunch as thanks." Fumito pleaded.

"You'll never be a good Duelist if you keep asking someone else to solve the puzzle for you." Kento replied calmly as his way to refuse without hurting the other guy's feelings.

"Then teach us. Give us a clue to help us improve. Come on." Fumito leaned closer as he pleaded, eyes brimming with passion that unnerved Kento.

"Fine. Fine. I'll help. Just this once." Kento finally gave up and agreed to help.

Unbeknownst to him that time, the moment he consented to it, it didn't become a one-time thing.

Since then, Fumito, and sometimes together with his two friends, always played Duel Monsters against each other or solving Duel Puzzle every lunch break. And soon, they, or to be more precise, Fumito, soon were forcing his way into Kento's private time on a daily basis. Kento's quiet world of solitude had been intruded upon by a Duel enthusiast (and his two friends), who would drag Kento into their circle with the excuse of giving them advice to become a better Duelists.

By the time they realized it, ten days had passed since Fumito's first request.

"Tohdo-kun...isn't it about time you give it a rest?" Kento finally told Fumito was sitting in front of him like usual.

"About what?" Fumito asked nonchalantly while arranging his Deck.

"Do you really need to ask when it's obvious you came to me every single day." Kento sweat dropped at Fumito's audacity to play clueless when he visited and asked the same thing without missing a day.

"I've made my decision, I won't stop until you play one game with me." Fumito answered, smiling so innocently with tinge of excitement oozing out from his cheerful aura.

"Why?" Kento asked again, close to feeling exhilarated.

"If you don't want it that much, give me one good reason why you don't like to Duel with me. Maybe I'll stop. Maybe. Just maybe." Fumito repeated the 'maybe' part three times to make it clear that he didn't promise he'll stop for good.

Kento groaned tiredly. He didn't want to tell him about what happened to him eight years ago when he was kidnapped. It wasn't a pleasant experience that he wished to tell to just anybody. And he didn't want to ruin Fumito's passion for Dueling with his story. But if he didn't tell Fumito, he'd never give up. Even though Fumito didn't make any promise, he'll take the chances to convince him to stop bothering him.

"I used to like Dueling...but I don't anymore..." Kento answered hesitantly. That was the only thing he could tell him without spilling the details.

"You used to like Dueling but now not anymore? But what about your Duel Disk?" Fumito pointed at the Duel Disk on Kento's wrist.

"I'm wearing this Duel Disk because it was a memento of my parents... We used to Duel a lot together..." Kento turned somber as he remembered his parents. Those days were one of his happiest. He enjoyed learning how to Duel from his parents and how they were proud of him when he won his first ever Duel against another kid. He loved Dueling back then. But now...

"But you're wearing that Duel Disk everywhere. That means you really don't want to hate Dueling, don't you? Because it holds your memories with your parents." Fumito said, his voice gentler than usual.

Kento's eyes widened, and after looking away from Fumito for a while, he faces him again, their eyes met. To Kento's surprise, what he saw in Fumito's gaze was neither pity nor sympathy but understanding and acceptance. Almost as if Fumito understood what exactly Kento was going through.

"Whenever we asked you to help us, you could've ignored us outright, or lashed out at us to leave you alone, but you never did. Why?" Fumito asked then.

Kento couldn't answer him. He couldn't deny what Fumito said. Because he sensed the truth in his words.

"Though you don't enjoy it anymore, deep down you can't bring yourself to hate Dueling. Isn't that why you never pushed us, never pushed me, away?" Fumito stood up from the seat to stand next to Kento.

Kento looked up to Fumito. Again, he couldn't deny what he said. It was as he said, even though he was afraid, even though he couldn't enjoy it anymore, in the end, he never hated Dueling. If he had, he would've already thrown everything away. His Deck. His Duel Disk. But he couldn't. Because he never hated it.

"Let's do it step by step. It'll take time, but I'm sure you can enjoy Dueling again like you used to." Fumito gently grasped Kento's arm and then pulled him up, making stand from his seat. His gentle smile turned brighter.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out! Let's try enjoying Dueling together!"

---

Park – Hibiki Research Facility – Outskirt of Den City – Present Time

"That's how we started becoming friends." Kento couldn't refuse Fumito at all. He was always pulled into Fumito's pace, and gradually, he enjoyed his and his friends' company.

"But the most surprising was when he and Kazue met. Never thought he'd fall for her at first sight. It took six months to get the two of them together." Kento sighs pleasantly as he recalls Fumito's face that became a blushing mess that time when he first introduced him to Kazue.

"Fumito was a nice and sweet person. It didn't take long for me to fall for him too. We were happy back then." Kazue giggles as she remembers the first time she met Fumito.

---

Den Station – Den City – Two Years Ago

Due to her study to become a successor of Hibiki Enterprise when her father retires, Kazue and Kento couldn't meet up for a whole week. Today, she finally got free time to hang out with him. When she informed Kento about this, Kento told her that he had someone that he wanted to introduce to her. This was unexpected since Kento never brought anybody else whenever they hung out together. She wondered what kind of person Kento was bringing with him.

As usual, she was picking him up at the station. When she noticed him, she was surprised to see him grabbing someone's hair. He was not the type who'd usually go physically violent in the open, so what was he doing? Kazue couldn't let this slide. She ran towards him and delivered a smack on the back of his head.

"Kento! Don't bully someone like that!" Kazue scolded her childhood friend who was rubbing the back of his head that she smacked. But she wasn't finished with just a smack, she then pinched his right ear.

"Ow! Ow! That hurts, Kazue! He started it!" Kento whined between his wincing.

"Doesn't matter! Don't use violence like that!" Kazue firmly retorted.

"But it's okay if you are the one being violent?" Kento argued back with the fact that Kazue was pinching his ear.

"Umm...it's nothing serious, really."

Kazue gasped when she noticed that the person who spoke was the one whose hair Kento grabbed. He was still standing behind them. Kazue quickly let go of Kento's ear to properly face the person behind her.

He was a boy of their age. From the uniform he was wearing, she assumed that he also attended the same school as Kento, and the one that Kento wanted to introduce to her. He has brown hair with dark green spikes. He has fair skin and a pair of teal-colored eyes like an aventurine gemstone. And when their eyes met, his cheeks suddenly turned shades of pink.

"I'm really sorry about that. Kento can be a bit rough at times, but he is a good boy. Are you all right?" Kazue asked, looking quite concerned at the state of his messy hair as the result of Kento grabbing him. She bowed down in apology, "Please forgive my friend here."

"Wh-what? Oh, I, u-uh..." The boy stuttered and flailed before finding his words, "Not at all! We-we're just joking around! You know, the usual guy friends' joke!"

Kazue blinked when she heard him. Did she just hear him right? Did he really say what she thought it was?

"Friend? You're Kento's friend?" Kazue looked at the boy eagerly, taking a step closer to him, which made his face even redder.

"Yeah! We're best friends, in fact! My name is Fumito Tohdo!" The boy introduced himself.

Kazue looked at Kento, silently asking, 'is what he said true?', and when Kento nodded his head, Kazue teared up.

"My baby brother... Finally made a friend..." Kazue, as quick as a wind, brought out her mobile phone and started pressing Kento's aunt's phone number. "I must report this to Auntie and Uncle! Kento finally brought home a friend! This is a day to celebrate! We must throw a huge party!"

After eight years of living in solitude with her as his only friend, Kento finally made another friend from his school. He even brought his friend to be introduced all the way from Tokyo. Their lifelong wish has finally come true. Kento's aunt and uncle would be ecstatic once they knew that Kento brought his new friend.

"Stop it, Kazue! You're overreacting! And I'm not your baby brother!" Kento restrained his childhood friend by grasping the hand that was holding her mobile phone and then snatched it from her, his face blushing hard from embarrassment.

"Oh, please. I can still remember how you liked tailing behind me while calling me 'Big Sis' when we were little." Kazue teased and patted his head.

"D-don't bring that up here!" Kento moved away from Kazue to avoid further embarrassment, still holding her phone.

"I'm so relieved that Kento has a good friend like you. Please continue be his friend." Kazue held Fumito's hands together, unable to contain her happiness at the good news.

"D-definitely!" Fumito replied, face still red.

"The car is already waiting outside. Let's go." Kazue walked ahead of them, gesturing to them to follow.

"Kento...is she your girlfriend?" Fumito asked while they were walking behind Kazue.

"Would a girlfriend ever refer her boyfriend as a baby brother?" Kento sighed tiredly. He couldn't imagine him and Kazue ever becoming a couple.

"Then, do you have a cru–"

"She's a childhood friend who is like a big sister to me. That's all." Kento firmly stated before Fumito could finish the 'c' word. Fumito let out a sigh with a smile when Kento answered, which didn't go unnoticed. "Did you just sigh in relief?"

Kento turned to his best friend and blinked when he saw Fumito's face gradually turn from shades of pink to full red, almost as red as a tomato. Kento was no expert, but he wasn't that dense not to know what that face meant.

"No way. Don't tell me that you've–" Kento's mouth was covered by Fumito's hand before he could say it out loud the meaning of Fumito's expression.

"Q-quiet!" Fumito gestured to Kazue who was looking back at them, and Fumito shook his head to tell her that it was nothing important, an answer that Kazue accepted, and she proceeded to walk ahead again. Only then, Fumito finally removed his hands from Kento's mouth.

"Wow... Love at first sight is real..." Kento was honestly shocked. He had heard a lot about love at first sight, but believed it was just something that happened in fiction. Now, like it or not, he got to believe that love at first sight is something that can really happen in real life.

Kazue was popular, but she was hardly interested in anybody. She preferred to keep her distance because there were many people who approached her with no-good intention. Since she's so passionate about her studies in machinery, she never really thought about romance. Maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to give Kazue an experience in romance. Since they were children, Kazue was only focus on taking care of him due to the incident, and he always felt about it because he felt he robbed Kazue her chance to form relationship with people other than him. Now that he has gotten better, she shouldn't worry too much about him.

Just as she had helped him, now it was his turn to help her. Fumito was his best friend, a kind-hearted guy, friendly, and open-minded. His honesty and willingness to understand would make it easy for him to get close to Kazue. With those qualities, Fumito would be a good match for Kazue.

"I don't mind if it's you. I can help hook you up with her." Kento told Fumito, grinning when that caused Fumito's face to redden again.

"W-what?! I-I never said that I-I want t-to g-go out with h-her!" Fumito lamely denied. His words didn't match his expression.

"Sure, you are~" Kento's grin widened. He was going to have so much fun with this.

"Kento!"

---

Park – Hibiki Research Facility – Outskirt of Den City – Present Time

Everybody suddenly falls silent at that. They are staring at Kento and Kazue with a surprised look.

"Something wrong?" Kento asks, confused by the look his friends are giving him and Kazue.

"You and Kazue are not dating?!" Ai finally exclaims while pointing to the two of them back and forth.

"Huh?!" Kento and Kazue react at the same time with identical expressions.

"We always thought the two of you are dating." Kusanagi tells them.

"You two always stick like a glue." Flame points out.

Whether it's at school or outside school, they always see Kento and Kazue together. At school, before finding out Yusaku and Takeru's identity, Kento and Kazue always have their lunch together. And then after school they walk home or ride Kazue's car together. And going to Cafe Nagi, Kento and Kazue hardly without each other's company. Can anyone blame them for believing the two of them are in a romantic relationship?

"We are not. We are childhood friends. Nothing more, nothing less." Kento had lost count of how many times he had said this to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Yes. Kento is strictly my baby brother and my boyfriend's best friend." Kazue states. She's getting a bit tired of having to clarify for who knows how many times already that she and Kento are not in an intimate relationship. Kento is a good person, and she has no doubt he'd make a wonderful boyfriend himself, but as someone who grew up together with him since toddler, Kento is more like a family to her.

"Eh, no, I'm not your baby brother. Cut that out." Kento lightly hit his childhood friend's head. He does consider Kazue like a sister, but he has grown passed the age of being called a baby. Seriously, how long is she going to treat him like a little kid?

"Wait, you said 'were', so Kazue is not dating this Fumito guy anymore?" Ai asks, noticing the use of past tense.

Kento and Kazue freeze. They got caught up in the atmosphere that they forgot the fact that they inevitably must reveal should they talk about Fumito. They can't avoid revealing everything now.

"Fumito died in an accident two months ago..." Kazue is the one who answers first. Her excitement dies down as she's reminded of the cold fact.

"Often times we still can't believe that he's already gone. It's only thanks to Fumito that I can muster up the courage to start Dueling again." Kento lets the words out painfully. He never meant to say this, but it just naturally comes out and he can't stop himself.

Back then, being with Fumito was always fun. He was never bored with Fumito by his side. But that happiness made him forget an important fact...

There's nothing that lasts forever.

When Fumito died, Kento was painfully reminded of that fact. He mustn't assume that people that he loved will always be there with him. Anything could happen that'll take them away from him. What happened to his parents and Fumito was undeniable proof.

"I know that Fumito wouldn't want me and Kento to be depressed over him. It'll take time, but I'm sure we'll come to terms with it eventually." Kazue smiles, trying not to let her sadness shown. They're supposed to be having fun today, she mustn't ruin it with her emotional outburst.

Takeru knows those faces. He had made that face before. Because he had experienced the same feeling at Kento and Kazue. No. That's not right. He is still feeling that way to this day.

"He must be a really great friend." Takeru smiles back at Kazue and Kento, trying to lift the atmosphere again without having to avoid the topic of the conversation. "Did you often Duel with Fumito-kun?"

Simply changing the subject won't help. And Fumito is a precious person for both Kento and Kazue. They mustn't avoid it. It honors the deceased and the people who are still alive to share memories of the friend who have passed on, whether long ago or more recently. They shouldn't specifically talk about the moment of his death, but the happiness they shared with him when he was alive to not let it be forgotten.

"Yes. But without using our Duel Disks and not in LINK VRAINS." Kazue answers, appreciating Takeru trying to prevent the atmosphere from getting colder.

"How skilled he was?" Kusanagi asks as well.

"I think he was pretty strong. More than average Duelists. He was a fast learner if he actually put his mind to it. He was the type who prefers having fun than caring about winning or losing." Kento explains. After he got to know Fumito, he realized that Fumito could've solved the puzzle himself with a couple more tries without having to ask him. There were two reasons why he pretended that he couldn't: First, to encourage his two friends to try solving it on their own without depending on him. Second, as an excuse to get Kento to talk to him. Once they finally started Dueling, Fumito didn't go easy on him.

"What kind of Deck he used?" Yusaku chimes in to keep the conversation flowing naturally, seeing Kento and Kazue's faces lit up when talking about Fumito again.

Before they know it, Kento and Kazue start to talk more and more about Fumito. What he liked, moments they shared, everything they remember. They can't stop themselves. Strange. Before, they avoid talking about Fumito as much as possible because they're afraid that the emotions coming out from remembering them would sadden them. It would make it harder for them to forget, to move on. But somehow, now, they keep talking about Fumito.

Without anyone noticing, Takeru watches Kento and Kazue who are happily sharing their stories about Fumito. He looks down at his own clenched hands. His heart aching from the feelings he had long bottled up and not yet ready to open out of fear he'd break down from the overwhelming sadness and regret. He must endure it a bit more.

"I... need to pull myself together..."

---

Guest Room – Hibiki Research Facility – Outskirt of Den City

After lunch, the whole day was spent touring the whole facility and dinner. While touring the facility, Kazue allowed Kusanagi and Yusaku to try out the available equipment and take a look at the facility's system to study them. As she promised, she set the prototype of Real Solid Vision to each of their Duel Disks and promised she will install the final product once it's completed. By the time they finished the tour, it was already nighttime, so they had dinner together before being escorted to the guest room.

The facility is not small but it's not that big either, so there are limited guest rooms available that aren't used. Kazue arranged for the four guys to share a room with two additional beds provided for them. Exhaustion from all the activities during daytime finally caught up to them, sending the guys to the world of dreams the moment they're lying comfortably on their beds.

For half of them, at least.

Kento wakes up when he hears low voices near the balcony. Fighting back dizziness, he rubs his eyes and forces himself awake. He looks towards the opened balcony, the moonlight shines through the door, showering Yusaku and Ai with its light. The pair are on the floor with cards spread in front of them.

"You're not sleeping yet, Yusaku-kun?" Kento approaches the duo.

"I can't sleep, so I thought about adjusting my Deck." Despite all their activities, Yusaku doesn't feel sleepy. When he closed his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to drift to sleep no matter how hard he tried. Rather than forcing himself to an uncomfortable sleep, Yusaku thought that doing something until he finally wanted to sleep would be better.

"It's too bad that our Duel was cancelled." Kento says, also sitting on the floor next to Yusaku.

"We would've kicked Yusaku and Flame's butt with our combo." Ai says haughtily.

"I see, looks like you prefer to be with Kento. Okay then, goodbye, Ai. Have fun with your new partner." Yusaku pushes Ai closer towards Kento.

"I'm just kiddin'! It's a joke! Jest! You're my one and only partner! I'm sorry!" Ai desperately clings to Yusaku's sleeve, eliciting a chuckle from Kento.

"Kuri..." At the mention of Duel, Saint Kuriboh, who is back to inside its robotic body, is rolling in disappointment. It was excited at the prospect of joining the Duel with Real Solid Vision, only for that chance to be crushed because of incomplete programming before it could get its turn.

"You'll get your turn next time, Saint Kuriboh. There's no way I'm going to let one of my aces missing this opportunity." Kento picks up his ace monster, patting it gently to comfort it.

"Saint Kuriboh is your ace?" Ai repeats in surprise and confusion, "Why? You already have Elpizo Harpe. And you have other monsters that are stronger to be your ace."

Ai didn't say it with the intention of demeaning Saint Kuriboh, really. He only said so based on experience and facts. Yusaku's Decode Talker and Firewall Dragon, Revolver's Varelload Dragon, Takeru's Salamangreat Heatleo, all of them are powerful monsters with high ATKs and strong effects that help them from time to time to achieve their victory.

Yusaku looks like he's going to reprimand his A.I. partner, but Kento raises his hand, gesturing to Yusaku not to say anything as he wants to say.

"Ai, what do you think an ace card is?" Kento asks back. His voice soft, not hinting any anger at Ai's earlier remark. Kento understands where Ai is coming from. When he said so, it was purely out of curiosity, and he doesn't blame him.

"Is it a card that has a high Attack Power? Is it a card that has a special ability? Of course, that may be one of the factors, but I don't think that's all." The Duelists that Ai had encountered all have powerful monsters as their aces, including his own Elpizo Harpe. It's understandable that gave Ai the perception that ace monsters must be the strong ones. Not just Ai, he is sure that's how people generally think. However, Kento thinks differently. And it becomes all the more true after he developed the ability to communicate with monsters.

"All Duelists put their souls into crafting decks with their hands. Among them, there are special pieces that we can fight together and trust from the bottom of our hearts. Sometimes, it may get destroyed. It may be taken advantage of by our opponent. Even so, there's a bond that cannot be broken." Kento can sense it every time he's fighting together with his monsters by his side. They wholeheartedly support him. And among them, the ones who support him the most, are Elpizo Harpe and Saint Kuriboh. And not just in Duel, Saint Kuriboh has been helping in many little things since the very beginning. That's why he can trust Saint Kuriboh.

"And if you truly believe them, that cards will respond. Those special pieces. The same goes for Yusaku-kun and Takeru-kun's ace cards. Am I wrong?" Kento turns to Yusaku. He nods, agreeing with his point. Maybe he can't communicate with monsters the same way Kento does, but he can sense their monsters' intentions and believe in them.

"Ai, we will become stronger. We will fight against various opponents. And to become stronger, we mustn't forget that the other person has the same feelings as we are. Our opponents will challenge us with a deck full of soul. And we'll have to do our best to respond." Yusaku believes that only if they can do that will they be true Duelists.

Ai goes silent in contemplation. As an A.I., it's his nature to think logically based on available data. That's why it feels natural for him that only the exceptionally strong monsters can be considered as aces. Though Ignis have free will, the spiritual notion of bonding with their monsters is something they're still learning. Perhaps, for the exception of Divine Ignis who can communicate with them. Ignis can connect with their human partners like they do their fellow Ignis, but it never crossed their minds of doing the same to their own monsters. Just because they don't speak, just because they don't behave the same way, it doesn't mean they don't feel anything. Ai realizes now that they've taken their monsters for granted.

"I'm sorry, Saint Kuriboh..." Ai bows his head down apologetically, feeling ashamed.

"Kuri." Saint Kuriboh jumps with a smile, forgiving the Dark Ignis.

"As long as you understand, Ai. Now, back to your deck, do you have something in your mind?" Kento turns to Yusaku again, looking at the cards he placed on the floor.

Yusaku has been brainstorming of what strategy that would work against Bohman's Hydradrive. Along with the new strategy, he also must consider the cards he's going to use that requires taking out the cards originally on his deck and replacing them with new ones.

"I'll add this and take this out, then if I pair it with this card..." Yusaku mumbles while rearranging the cards for his Deck.

"Oh! This is good!" Ai is impressed by Yusaku's idea, confident that this would be a good addition. "We can use this in the next Duel, Yusaku–"

Ai pauses as he looks at Yusaku. The sudden pause prompts Kento to follow towards the direction where Ai's eyes are looking. His eyes widen as he sees what made Ai go quiet.

Yusaku is smiling down at his cards.

It's not the calm smile that he occasionally shows. It's not the kind that is loud either.

It's a smile that bursts with life purely in the joy of Dueling.

"EEEHHH?!"

Ai shouts in shock, startling Yusaku and Kento, and waking up Kusanagi and Takeru who were already asleep. Kusanagi and Takeru sit up on their bed when the shout reaches their ears, Takeru quickly scrambled for his glasses to see what's going on while Kusanagi grabs his pillow as he stands up from his bed, looking around the room cautiously.

"What's wrong?! Is there an enemy attack?!" Takeru readies his aikido stance.

"Are you okay, Yusaku, Kento, Ai?!" Kusanagi asks concernedly.

"C-calm down you two! We're fine! Ai just suddenly shouted." Kento tries to assure their friends who are still half-asleep.

"What's with you all of a sudden?!" Yusaku frowns at Ai, shooting him an annoyed glare for the disturbance he caused.

"Oh, uh...you see...I... saw a ghost!" Ai lies lamely. He doesn't particularly feel the desire to comment on the cause of his surprise. If he points it out, he is worried that would make Yusaku avoid of showing such expression next time out of embarrassment.

Yusaku and Kento resist the urge to slap their foreheads at the utterly transparent lie. Since Kusanagi and Takeru are still in the state of coming in and out of their sleep, they can't comprehend properly what Ai is saying, only that they've lowered their guards.

"At least came up with a better lie." Yusaku retorts flatly. Not feeling like arranging his deck anymore, Yusaku goes out to the balcony to get some fresh air.

"Sorry for disturbing you. Come on, go back to sleep." Kento ushers the half-asleep Kusanagi and Takeru back to their beds. Since they're half-sleep, they're quick to return to their slumber the moment they slump back on their beds.

Kento picks up Ai who is still on the floor inside Yusaku's Duel Disk. The two of them pass a smile at each other. Kento understands why Ai reacted the way he did. From his observation of Yusaku since they first met, which was only several days ago, Yusaku is not the type who can properly express his emotions like they are, especially the positive ones. The expression he wears most of the time is neutral. He does smile occasionally, but those smiles are nothing compared to the smile they just saw. It was truly a rare sight to behold.

Yusaku couldn't enjoy Dueling after the Lost Incident. To him, Dueling is a tool for survival. And because of that incident, forming a relationship with people was a hard task, something that Kento knows all too well. He has gotten better after defeating Knights of Hanoi. However, judging from the little conversations Kento heard while they're together, and Ai's reaction earlier, confirms to him that expressing his joy in Dueling and everything else in general is still something that Yusaku is trying to get accustomed to. That's why, to see Yusaku making that expression was a big step towards improvement.

Kento brings Ai together with him to the balcony, standing next to Yusaku who is looking at the stars-filled night sky.

"Sorry for the fuss, Yusaku-kun. Ai didn't mean anything bad. We're just glad that...you seem to be having fun." Kento tells Yusaku, apologizing on Ai's behalf. The said A.I. is fiddling with his fingers nervously.

Yusaku blinks at them. Come to think of it, it was odd that Kusanagi suddenly changed his mind when Kazue offered to give him the newest equipment in exchange for their help. Kazue also made that offer a day right after they returned from Windy's world. She asked for their help, but other than that one Duel that got cancelled, Kazue didn't ask anything more. Instead, they spent the rest of the day having fun. And this place, the preparations are too accommodating for people who are tasked with assisting in testing new products. It's more like they're having a vacation.

"Could it be...they're doing all this to help me relax? Not just me, but Kusanagi-san and Takeru too?" Yusaku finally realizes their intentions. They must have been worried about him after he focused on solving that data they found immediately right after he just logged out from Windy's world. Helping them with testing Real Solid Vision was just an excuse. This was their way of telling him to take a break.

Yusaku scolds himself for being stupid. Of course, his friends would worry about him if he's pushing himself like that. Kusanagi is already worrying about his brother, and now Yusaku made Kusanagi worried about him with his overeagerness to find a lead. And his action urged his friends to push themselves as well to ease his burden. He must stop acting this way. Carrying all the responsibility all by himself. This is not just his fight. Everyone is in it.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for worrying you." Yusaku smiles softly both in apology and gratitude.

"Not a big deal. Seeing you happy is more than enough." Kento smiles back.

Yusaku stiffens hearing that. Happy. Does he look happy? For the past ten years, happiness was something that he didn't even dare dream of. He never imagined that he'd be happy. When was the last time he had played with his friends? When was the last time he felt happy? He had forgotten how it feels to enjoy spending time with friends.

Ever since the incident, he couldn't interact with his peers. He distanced himself from everyone. Even with Kusanagi, they never hung out together like friends should because they dedicated themselves entirely to fight against Knights of Hanoi. When they defeated Hanoi, Kusanagi was mostly busy with taking care of Jin and Yusaku just passed his days as usual while occasionally helping out Kusanagi with managing his food truck. This would be the first time that he hangs out with his friends. Normally like any other person his age.

"Hey, Yusaku..." Ai looks up to his partner.

"What?" Yusaku looks back. It's unusual for his A.I. partner to be so nervous like this when talking to him.

"Do you think...you're enjoy Dueling now...?" Ai asks hesitantly. He wants to make sure if that is truly the meaning behind the smile Yusaku made. But he is also afraid that this would be an insensitive question for his partner if it turns out he's wrong.

Ai is prepared to receive a scolding from Yusaku or a glare at the least. On the contrary, Yusaku stays quiet, seemingly lost in thought. When Yusaku first Dueled Onizuka, he wanted to Duel him a bit longer, and that's why he didn't run away even though he could. Today, he also felt the same way. Was that desire spurn from excitement? From enjoyment of the Duel itself?

"...It's just...in that moment, in that instant...all I could think of is that...I want to Duel more with this Deck." Yusaku answers honestly. His chest was pounding at the mere thought of trying out his new strategies in his Duel. There was something warm that came to his brain roaring his body into the purr of anticipation. His smile grew of its own accord when the thought crossed his mind.

"Fumito once told me, though you don't enjoy it anymore, deep down you can't bring yourself to hate Dueling. That must be how it was with Takeru-kun, and so are you now, Yusaku-kun." Kento clenches his fists and raises them up to his chest, "Let's do it step by step. It'll take time, but I'm sure you can enjoy Dueling again like you used to. I'll help you out. Let's enjoy Dueling again together."

Yusaku stares hard at Kento. Spending time with his friends this whole day made him feel completely at ease. He wants to spend more time with them. If he is to describe that feeling, that desire, then yes, joy is the best word. Since he felt this way, that means, that feeling he had when he started to Duel Kento together with Flame and disappointment that followed when the Duel was abruptly cancelled, that was enjoyment. It's still small, but it has begun to sprout. The feeling that he had forgotten is slowly returning.

This is only possible thanks to the friends he has made.

"I'm glad that you look happy too now, Kento." Yusaku replies. He was worried when Kento and Kazue looked a bit down when they spoke about Fumito, but thankfully, Takeru managed to encourage them to talk more by focusing on the positive side of things.

"Yeah. I was afraid to talk about Fumito before because it caused so much discomfort for both me and Kazue. There was a time when we couldn't even dare to mention him for a week. But after a talk we had this morning, I realized that was wrong." Kento finally understood after he talked about Fumito, sharing his experience with his late friend. He was being immature by avoiding talking about Fumito. Death and loss scared them, and fear make them feel awkward and uncomfortable. It's completely natural - but it's important to feel the discomfort and push beyond it, for himself and Kazue.

"After all, we are the holders of Fumito's memories. Who else remembers Fumito over time? We received his love, celebrated milestones, benefitted from their interest in us, shared life experiences. Our memories together are valuable and life-affirming." In the future, Kento will experience another loss like all human beings inevitably. He'd be sad, he'd cry, but he won't forget.

"You told me before, Yusaku-kun. That you are willing to help me until I can break free from my nightmare. I want to help you too. Don't hesitate to rely on me. I'll help you in any way I can to the best of my ability." Kento reminds Yusaku of the time when they first Dueled. Kento was happy and deeply moved when Yusaku said that to him. That's why he wants to do the same for Yusaku.

"I'll be counting on you from now on, Kento." Yusaku extends his hand to Kento, hoping for a handshake.

"Likewise, I'll be counting on you, Yusaku-kun." Kento accepts the hand, firmly handshaking with Yusaku.

Kento had always admired Fumito. His best friend had pulled him out from his shell, showing him a new bright world. Whenever he was with his best friend, he always felt inspired to be someone who can help others the same way Fumito did to him.

This time, he wants to become that person. He wants to become someone that can help his friend.

"I'm here too! Don't turn me into a third wheel here! You have me, your partner, by your side!" Ai intrudes, placing himself between Kento and Yusaku, huffing at them for forgetting his presence and leaving him out.

"Being a hostage suits you more." Yusaku then he looks away, much to Ai's dismay.

"I got rejected!" Ai says dramatically.

Kento laughs softly at the exchange between the two. Seeing them bickering reminds him of his time with Fumito and their other friends. Even if nothing lasts forever, he wishes to be with his friends for as long as he can. That's why he wants to protect this moment. He wants to protect this everyday life.

No matter what the hurdle is, no matter who his opponents are, Kento will fight.

---

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

Chapter 10 – Menacing Scent:One of SOL Technologies' associates visit Hibiki Research Facility for further discussion about the two companies' joint project. During discussion, someone hacks into the facility's server and causes chaos to the whole building. Kazue logs in to handle the intruder.

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

As promised, I finally gave you more info about Kento's best friend and Kazue's boyfriend, Fumito. What do you think of him? I hope you like him enough for his first impression. As someone who has a big impact in both Kento and Kazue's life, Fumito would be frequently shown in future chapters and not just this one.

You might think this chapter is a filler, but I personally believe it's not. One of the gripes I have for Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS is that it jumps too quickly from one action to another, not giving the characters more time to just relax and hang out like friends would. It felt like they really didn't have a true relationship with one another besides coming together for a common cause. The anime failed to present better opportunities for some of the characters to properly socialize with one another as friends, and that's why I wrote this chapter.

My decision to add Real Solid Vision technology from ARC-V to VRAINS is because on some occasions in the anime, Ai is shown capable of physical touch in real life even though he is supposed to be a data. There's no explanation whatsoever how he managed to materialize physically in the real world. Also, at the end of the Duel between Ai and Pandor, when the former defeated the latter, Pandor suffered physical damage as if being hit by real flame. Again, without an explanation. That's why I decided to include Real Solid Vision Technology as the explanation. And sci-fic is not my expertise, so please understand.

The next chapter, after quite an absent, Kazue will once again take the spotlight!

---

TRIVIA

1. The school that Kento and Fumito used to attend is based on the real-life Tokyo Gakugei Koganei Junior High School in Japan.

2. Ajitsuke tamago or Ramen eggs are Japanese soft-boiled eggs marinated in a sweet and savory soy marinade. You'll find these commonly placed on top of ramen.

3. Onigirazu is a type of Japanese sushi sandwich that can be prepared quickly and with various fillings.

4. The Duel Puzzle included in the flashback is one of the Duel Puzzles from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2011: Over the Nexus.