This was somewhat of a challenging chapter, but I'm glad it turned out well in the end.

I wanted to get this done much sooner, but there was a huge bathroom renovation happening in my parents' apartment below mine, so I had to move temporarily to my mother's cottage. I tried writing some out there, but it didn't work out so well as at home.

Special thanks to CitrusUnshiu who is my beta-reader and suggested ideas for this chapter!

The chapter begins in normal point of view.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 11: New Year Challenges

A chilly breeze ticked Yusei's stiff hair while he walked down the streets in the early noon, instinctively tugging his winter coat closer to his body to keep himself warm and cozy. Today was the first day of the New Year 2032. He and his friends had made plans for a gathering by a Shinto shrine close to the Fountain Plaza. Crow had gone ahead to deal with some personal stuff so the leader of the Signers suspected he was the last one to show up. The closer he got to the shrine the more crowded it got on the pavement as the people of New Domino wanted to start the year by giving their prayers to the gods.

Yusei made sure to walk up the stone stairs next to the railing so he could hold onto something in case somebody accidently bumped into him. Families, big and small, crowded the area of the shrine along with a couple of vendors that sold good luck amulets, hot drinks, ema, omikuji and talismans. Yusei stretched his neck to catch a glimpse of his friends in the colorful crowd of casual clothes and kimonos. He caught the sight of Crow's recognizable hair and hurried to his foster brother who was waiting in a corner with Aki and the twins.

"Hi, guys", Yusei greeted as soon as he managed to escape the prison of a crowd.

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna called out in joy and rushed to him to give him big hugs. "Happy New Year!"

The man chuckled and patted the twins on their heads. "Happy New Year, Leo, Luna. Sorry I'm late."

"You're not late at all, Yusei", Aki reassured him while she adjusted her dark purple, close to a blackish color, kimono with a detailed embroidered pattern of sixteen light yellow moons. She had inherited the kimono from her mother who had sewed it shortly after she married her husband, wanting to have a kimono with a family pattern, hence the sixteen moons. "We were just here early."

"I see", Yusei nodded while the twins let go of his waist. "Were you able to finish your errand, Crow?"

"Yup, so all's good now", Crow replied with a wide grin and thumbs up.

"Is Estelle able to join us today?" Luna asked concernedly. She hadn't seen the brunette for a while due to the flu, so she was a little worried whether the Priestess was getting better or worse.

"I'm afraid not, Luna", Yusei shook his head. "At least…not physically."

"What do you mean?" Leo tilted his head confusedly.

Yusei picked up his smartphone to make a facetime call. The device buzzed a couple of seconds before the screen revealed Estelle's face. She had tidied herself up a little and looked a lot better compared to when Yusei visited her on Christmas Eve. "Hi, Yusei", she greeted with a tiny smile.

"Hi, Estelle", the boyfriend returned the greeting, relieved to see his lover up and about. "How are you feeling today?"

"A lot better compared to last week", Estelle replied before she turned away a second to let out a cough. Her voice sounded clearer, but it was obvious she still had to deal with the aftermath. "Excuse me."

"It's okay", Yusei said before he turned the smartphone around to their friends. "Everyone is here."

"Hi, guys", Estelle waved to the Signers.

"Hi, Estelle!" the twins eagerly returned the greeting.

"Happy New Year, Estelle", Aki nodded to the brunette.

"Happy New Year to you too."

"Hiya, Estelle! Sad you can't join us today", Crow greeted with a soft tone.

"Yeah, I would have loved to join you, but I still feel a little too weak to go outside for a long rendezvous. So that's why Yusei and I came up with the idea of him having me on facetime so I can virtually be with you and see the shrine and give my prayers to the gods."

"That's a smart idea", Aki nodded.

"So we're ready to say our prayers?" Leo asked.

Yusei nodded and put his smartphone in a chest pocket of his jacket and made sure the camera was sticking out. "Let's get in line before we have to wait the whole day."

The group had to wait for a long time before it was their turn to stand in front of the shrine. Leo and Luna decided to ring the bell together. The Signers bowed to the shrine twice and clapped their hands before they closed their eyes to send silent prayers to the gods watching over this particular shrine. Estelle did the same and prayed at the other side of the screen.

Once they finished their prayers, they each grabbed a cup of hot amazake to warm themselves up in the chilly weather. With newfound energy, they decided to look around the vendors to see what they had up for sale. The first things they bought were omikujis to check their fortune. Yusei bought an extra for his girlfriend that he was going to deliver later that same day along with a good luck amulet for their upcoming exams.

While everyone got a good fortune, Leo got bad luck which threw him into panic. Luna told him to calm down and not take the fortune seriously. Leo begged Yusei to go with him so he could tie his omikuji to a pine tree that was already decorated with other misfortunes. Luna went with them to supervise everything, leaving Crow and Aki alone by a bench. Aki slowly drank another cup of amazake while Crow sat next to her.

"The twins really like Yusei, huh?" the Blackwing Duelist commented with a chuckle.

"Mm, and I can see why", Aki nodded. "He's a great big brother figure."

"And he's got a charisma that attracts people to him", Crow grinned softly. "He truly lives up to his name." He turned to his friend and rested his jaw against his knuckle. "Hey, Aki?"

"Yes?"

"Did you ever have a crush on Yusei before?"

Aki almost choked on her drink and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth and chin clean from the spilled amazake. "Where did this question come from?!" she asked, staring at Crow with wide eyes.

"Relax, I'm just curious", Crow replied. "Were you once attracted to him in a romantic way?"

Aki raised a confused eyebrow at the question. "No, not really", she replied while she threw away her tissue and empty cup in a trash can right next to the bench. "I once thought I had a crush on him, but I quickly realized what I felt for him was familiar to what I felt for Sayer before. He was a father to me. And Yusei… He's the embodiment of a big brother. I guess it's because I was yearning for familial love."

"I see…", Crow hummed. "So Yusei is like family to you?"

"Yes, and so are you, the twins, Jack and Estelle", Aki quickly added.

Crow noticed the burgundy girl left out one specific name. "What about Sherry?"

Aki's cheeks flushed at the mention of her secret crush's name. She cleared her throat before she answered the question. "Sherry is special. She is my teacher and senior in Turbo Dueling and she is…" Her eyes softened when she thought about the blonde girl who was continents away from her. Oh, how she wished she could have joined her on this beautiful day and send their prayers to the gods together. She could have helped Sherry pick out the perfect kimono and wander around the vendors together and buy good luck charms to each other.

'The woman I've fallen for',she thought to herself but decided to not confess her feelings for Sherry to Crow. "…a very close friend", she finished her sentence.

Crow noticed the fond gleam in her eyes, knowing she was yearning for her special person, and he had a good feeling who it was. "Right… Everybody has a person in their life that is special", he nodded, his eyes shifting down to the ground where he lightly kicked some dirty snow. "You know… Yusei and Jack made a big impact in my life when I first met them as a kid. It was thanks to them I found a home and family and I'm forever grateful to them, 'specially Yusei."

"Is it because he's not coldhearted as Jack?"

"That too", Crow chuckled. "Yusei was patient with me and gladly shared his few toys with me. Heck, even during our Enforcers time, he happily fixed the toys for the kids I sometimes looked after and played with us. He interacted with them more than Jack."

Aki caught the glimpse of a gentle smile when Crow spoke about his foster brother. It was similar to the smiles Yusei gave to Estelle whenever they met up and even the times when the brunette didn't notice the young man stared at her before they became an item.

"Jack, Kalin and I thought Yusei was a slow bloomer because he never paid attention to girls who were interested in him", Crow said, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "It worried me a lot."

"Why is that?"

"Yusei might not look like it, but he carries a lot of emotions and barely expresses them. He told me and Jack how he started suffering from nightmares after we defeated the Dark Signers…how he felt responsible for Zero Reverse. We feared he might never open his heart up to somebody who could help him carry and share his burden. But now…we can both be at ease knowing he's in safe hands."

"It sounds like you and Jack were acting like dads who want nothing but the best for Yusei", Aki said warmly.

"I guess you can say that", Crow grinned and leaned back against the bench, resting his hands on the back of his head. He stared at the clear sky and a few birds chirping a winter melody welcoming the New Year. "Though I wish he could have depended on us more. I'm happy he found somebody, but at the same time… I'm a little jealous."

"You? Jealous?" Aki asked, surprised to hear that. From what she had observed, Crow wasn't exactly the jealousy type. "Why?"

Crow was reluctant to tell the truth. It was a little sensitive to him and he didn't want to reveal it just yet. He had to beat around the bush without being suspicious. "I feel left out. Yusei's got Estelle and while Jack says he is not interested, I know he's got feelings for Carly. Kalin recently hooked up with Misty, so…that leaves me the only single among the Enforcers."

Aki reached out and gave Crow's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure you will find somebody, Crow. You are still young so you have your whole life ahead and a large sea full of fish."

"Right… I do", Crow grinned lightly. He turned to Yusei who was carrying Leo on his shoulders so the boy could reach for a branch that had no fortunes tied on. Luna was watching next to the young adult while her brother folded his omikuji and started tying it to the pine tree branch. The orange boy sighed loudly. "I actually had a crush before."

Aki snapped her head at him in surprise. "You did?" She got a little eager to hear a love story from one of her friends.

"Yeah… A long time ago", Crow nodded with a soft gloomy gleam in his eyes. "It was back in old Satellite while I was still living in Martha's place. I met somebody there who became very special to me."

Aki tried figuring out who Crow's crush could have been. It could have been anyone from the orphanage, but the only people she know who used to live there was the Satellite Trio. "Did you ever confess?"

"I never did", Crow replied. "'Cause I knew my feelings were one-sided and never going to be reciprocated. I tried getting their attention by bringing them tiny gifts I knew they were going to appreciate, but they never noticed my affections 'cause they were quite thickheaded and lived inside their bubble. I got a little sad when I learned they found somebody they fell for, but I let it go and now wish them nothing but happiness."

The burgundy girl noticed Crow used a gender-neutral pronoun when he described his crush, like he wanted to hide the gender of the person he used to have feelings for. The cogs in her brain started moving as she slowly pieced the hints together. He had mentioned Yusei's name multiple times and spoke fondly about him. Even now he glanced at said Signer who smiled and laughed at the twins' antics now that Leo had finished tying his fortune. And Yusei was one of the kids who grew up in Martha's orphanage.

Aki's heart started pumping a little faster in her chest as she felt a little bit of hope grow in her soul. She swallowed deeply to calm her nerves down. "Um… Crow."

"Hm?"

Aki lightly tugged the skirt of her kimono to divert her nervousness. "A-Are you…perhaps…you know?"

Crow made a soft shush noise while holding an index finger to his lips that broke into a tiny smile. "I haven't come out yet, but I plan on doing that soon. So can you keep it a secret until then?"

"Absolutely", Aki nodded, sensing the tension in her body fade away. Her face broke into a gentle smile. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Aki", Crow smiled back to his female friend, relieved to know that somebody was supporting him. "If you have any questions, you can rely on me."

"Thank you, Crow", Aki said and twiddled her fingers. She had many questions she wanted to ask him, but perhaps it wasn't exactly the best place to have such a deep talk. "Do you have…any kind of advice?"

Crow stood up from the bench and stretched his arms before he settled his hands on his hips. "Just stay true to yourself. You don't need to hide behind a mask."

"Hey, guys!" Leo called as he rushed to the duo, Luna and Yusei calmly following him. "Let's get something to eat! I'm starving!"

A growl erupted from Crow's stomach at the mention of food. "Guess my stomach agrees with you, buddy", he grinned and roughly rubbed Leo's hair.

"Hey!" Leo yelped and slapped away the hand messing with his hair.

"I saw a vendor where they sell steamed buns", Luna spoke up and pointed at the direction where the food stalls were set up.

Leo ran ahead to the food vendors with Luna and Yusei calmly following him, the twin girl laughing sheepishly at her brother's eagerness. Aki and Crow walked behind them since the burgundy girl had one last question for her friend. She leaned in closer to Crow to whisper in his ear. "Do you have somebody you like now…?"

"I do…", Crow replied with a wide grin. "And I think he's interested in me too, but I'm still keeping my hopes low in case it won't work out…"

Aki thought back at the people she had seen Crow interacting with before. He spent lots of time with Brave shortly after the Grand Prix, at least that's what she saw when their teams hung out together and even at the summer villa during the scorching heatwave. She could actually see them being compatible as they both had a playful personality and a soft spot for children.

"What are you two talking about?" Yusei wondered, hearing how his friends were whispering between themselves.

"I was asking Aki a couple of things about school", Crow immediately responded. "You know we never went to a real school, so I was curious about some things."

Yusei didn't feel convinced, but he decided to let it go and turned his attention back at the twins. "Alright."

Aki and Crow grinned at each other and shared a silent high-five, sensing their friendship had grown a couple of levels with a mutual understanding.

XXXXXXXXXX

You could tell there was a high tension in the city, especially amongst students and examinees who had dedicated the last couple of years studying and memorizing as much information they could for the exams of their selected schools and universities. Many were nervous about the exams and only a handful people felt confident they were going to pass the exams with flying colors.

Yusei stood outside of the gate to Technical University of New Domino City. He stared at the huge building and the crowd of examinees who stood in line to get entrance for the exam. He couldn't help but feel a teeny tiny nervous. This university could soon become his very first education center where he would receive proper education, but he had one last obstacle to break through to reach that goal.

He got in line with his exam admission ticket safely tucked in his pocket. The line swiftly moved forward as the examinees were allowed entrance. Yusei showed his ticket to the guard and gave him the clear to enter the premises. The university had a large outdoor environment, but that couldn't match with the huge building. It almost felt like a castle to him. He saw walls clad with pictures of famous people who had once studied in the university and received recognition for their hard work. He couldn't find his parents' pictures, but he had plenty of time sightseeing later. He followed the examinees to one of the lecture rooms. Many have found their seats and settled their backpacks down next to their tables. Some were doing a last minute studying and read books and digital notepads they brought along.

Yusei found his assigned seat and sat down and removed his satchel to get comfortable. There wasn't much time left before the first day of the exams were to begin, so he decided to check the group LINE to see if his friends have sent messages. His lips twitched upwards by the bombarding messages from everyone including Estelle and Aki who were at their respective places taking the exams at the same time.

Aki: This is it… I'm getting so nervous.

Estelle: You're not the only one. *cold sweat*

Leo: You can do it!

Luna: Good luck, everyone. *waving hand*

Just as Yusei finished reading Luna's message, his phone chirped as a new message popped up on the screen.

Crow: Just got back after harsh morning training. Yus, gals, don't think too much and just roll with it! You'll be fine!

The Signer chuckled at Crow's encouragement. He typed a message and added it to the group chat.

Yusei: Thanks, guys. I was feeling nervous too, but now I'm much better.

Crow: You? Nervous?! Is the Earth about to collide with the moon?! O_o

Estelle: Give him a break, Crow! Anyone who's about to take an important exam can be nervous.

Aki: Exactly! Yusei is a smart guy, but he's still human! Uni exams are not to be taken lightly!

Crow: Geez, chill out! It was a joke!

Yusei chuckled at the argument between Crow and the girls coming to his defense. His smartphone chirped as he got another message but from another group chat. He switched over to the group chat where Rally and the others sometimes wrote to him.

Rally: Hey, Yusei! Heard it's exam weekend for you! Good luck! We're rooting for you!

Yusei: Thanks, Rally. I'll do my best.

He switched back to the other group chat seeing the others typing to each other even the twins. Jack and Sherry were the only ones absent. It made sense because they were at least eight hours away from Japan, so they were probably asleep.

Estelle: It's starting. Good luck!

Aki: Same here. See you!

The bell rang which was the signal for the examinees to take their seats and put away their books and phones. A group of middle aged people stepped into the room carrying piles of sheets with the questions for the first couple of topics, which caused the room to quiet down.

Yusei: It's time.

He swiftly put away his smartphone and grabbed his pencil folder where he had the pens and erasers ready. The examiners spread around in the seminar room and put the sheets in front of each examinee facedown so they couldn't get a head start and answer questions before the timer began. Yusei knew he had a long day ahead. It was a good thing he had ordered a lunchbox from Café la Geen for both days so he didn't had to worry about his lunch.

"This first test will last until lunchtime and then you will have about an hour before the next test! Begin…now!" one of the examiners explained.

A swift noise of paper sheets flipping around echoed in the room before each soon-to-become university student started writing down answers to each question. Everyone was determined to ace the exam and get accepted into the university including Yusei.

XXXXXXXXXX

The three examinees decided to hang out on Tuesday after Aki was done with school at Café la Geen. They were mentally exhausted after the weekend exams and now very nervous to read the rest of the answers from their respective exams. They didn't have much of an appetite and only ordered drinks.

"It was so nerve-racking", Aki commented after she took a sip of her hot tea. "You could practically feel the pressure that you might get kicked out if you make a single noise with your mouth."

Yusei drank his cup of dark coffee and let out a relieved sigh. "Did any of you struggle with a subject? Mine was geography."

"For me it was math and history", Estelle confessed, sighing in disappointment at herself. "Memorizing all the famous painters and the era of art and other tiny details… It was rough."

"What about you, Aki?" Yusei wondered.

"Civics was a little difficult", the psychic Duelist answered. "Nonetheless, I think I did well."

Estelle could feel herself shaking inwardly just by thinking about the results. Her cheeks paled while cold sweat accumulated on her face. "I'm so nervous already… I hope I will make it so I won't bring shame to Goodwin's name."

Yusei gently patted his girlfriend's back. "I highly doubt you failing the exam will embarrass him. He knows you did everything you could."

"Yeah, you should feel proud you made it this far, Estelle", Aki nodded.

Estelle calmed down by her close friends' comfort. "Thank you, guys."

Aki light clasped her hands when she got an idea. "Shall we meet up again after the results come out? Like having a private celebration for passing the exams?"

"That sounds like a good idea", Yusei said.

"Sure, I can join", Estelle nodded.

Their smartphones rang in their pockets. They instantly knew it was the answer sheets that had been sent to them. They unlocked their phones and opened the news app. They scrolled down the answer list, analyzing each one of them to see if they could spot any questions they knew they struggled with. Meister and Stephanie were quiet in the background knowing the trio was dealing with university exams. Meister silently signaled to his employee to follow him behind the counter.

Estelle frowned when she noticed she got many questions wrong from the second exam day. She sighed in defeat and put her phone on the table before she crossed her arms next to it and burrowed her face in them. "I'm gonna fail", she spoke, voice muffled. "I just know it."

"Hey… Don't be so negative on yourself, Estelle", Yusei told her softly. "You might make it."

"I don't know…", Estelle muttered. "The chances are low at this point…"

Stephanie walked to their table with a tray of three hot soufflés. "Um… This is a present from Meister", she explained while she served the fresh dessert.

"Oh… Thank you", Aki blinked in surprise. She had not expected to receive something on the house.

Stephanie pulled back, but she didn't leave the table just yet. "I heard…a little what you were saying, so… Um…", she hesitated, doing her best to put her next sentence together. "Even if you fail the exam, you can always try again next year. Just don't give up! Jack managed to raise up from the bottom when he lost his title, so you can do the same!"

The examinees stared at the love-struck waitress for a second before Estelle broke the silence with a light giggle. "Of course you would use Jack as an example." Stephanie blushed in embarrassment, hiding her flushed face behind her tray. "Thank you for the encouragement, Stephanie."

Yusei had taken a piece of his soufflé and washed the sweetness with his coffee. "And thank you for the dessert. It matches great with the coffee."

"You're welcome!" Stephanie smiled and bowed to the trio before she hurried back to the counter.

The Signers and Priestess calmed their nerves down by the sweet confection and spoke of other things to distract themselves from the exams. They had all their time worrying about that when the results were released.

XXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks passed and before they knew it, the results were out in a cold afternoon. Yusei drove to Technical University and spotted a massive crowd of examinees who had come to check if their examinee number was somewhere among the list. He parked his Duel Runner and hurried to the digital bulletin board. He had to push himself through the crowd to get a better look. He grabbed his exam admission ticket to double-check his number and then scanned his eyes through the list finding the first two numbers his ticket started with.

His heart throbbed in Mach speed as his eyes traveled down the list, sweat accumulated on his face. It had been a very long time he felt so nervous he wanted to throw up. He stopped by a number and stared at it for a long time making sure he wasn't hallucinating. With shaking hands, he brought up his ticket and checked its number and then triple-checked the number on the bulletin board.

They matched. He passed the exam!

The Signer walked out of the crowd and returned to his Runner and settled down for a couple of minutes processing the big news. He heard other people cheering for their success and some bragged about huge rewards their families had promised them if they passed the exam. Sadly, many people left with their heads low and defeated after they couldn't find their number. He felt a little bad for them.

He wanted to check on Estelle and Aki so he grabbed his smartphone and typed a message in the group chat.

Yusei: I've got good news. I passed the exam.

He waited a couple of minutes for a reply from the girls, knowing they were heading to their destination to get a possible life-changing result. Leo, Luna and Crow typed their congratulation messages to Yusei. Even Sherry and Jack sent messages to the young man congratulating him. Yusei replied to each of them when Aki joined the group chat.

Aki: I had no doubt you'll make it, Yusei.

Aki: As for me… A+!

Yusei chuckled at the message, glad to hear she passed the exam too. Now the only person left they had to hear news from was his girlfriend.

Yusei: Great job, Aki.

Aki: Thank you. Any word from Estelle?

Yusei: Not yet.

He waited a couple of minutes hoping he would hear from the brunette soon. He knew where her university was located, so it wouldn't take her that long to make it there and check if her number is on the list. While waiting, he noticed a tall figure in his periphery with long dark teal blue hair sticking out from a knitted hat. For a brief second, he thought he was seeing Bruno, but he shook his head. His friend was no longer part of this world. There was just no way Bruno would magically return to life in a pure human body.

A ding caught Yusei's attention and shifted his eyes back on the smartphone. Estelle had only typed one single letter which concerned him.

Estelle: F

While the others wrote consolation messages to her, Yusei called Estelle to make sure she was doing well after receiving the bad news.

"H-Hello?" Estelle spoke up, her voice clearly shaking like she was holding back her emotions.

"Are you okay, Estelle?" Yusei asked concernedly.

"No, not really."

"Where are you right now?"

"On my way home."

If she was on her way home, that meant she didn't want to talk about the situation with anyone right now, not even with him. "Alright. Remember you can always talk to me when you feel ready."

A sniffle was heard from his phone. "Thank you, Yusei. I just…need time processing this."

"Take all your time", Yusei reassured her. "And make sure you make it home safely. I don't want you involved in an accident."

A light laugh escaped Estelle's lips, which eased the young man's mind. "Don't worry. I may be upset, but I can still pay attention. Tell Aki I'm happy for her. And congratulations, Yusei. I knew you could make it."

"Thank you, Estelle", Yusei smiled softly. "I'll let Aki know. And remember; you're not any less just because you failed the exam."

"I know…", Estelle didn't sound convinced after the encouraging words from her boyfriend.

Deciding to leave her alone for now, Yusei wished her well before he ended the call. He sighed deeply and looked up at the sky, a few grey snow clouds coming in to spread new fresh snowflakes sprinkling a pinch of melancholy in the atmosphere.

XXXXXXXXXX – Estelle's POV

Despite my emotional state, I made it home and locked myself in my room to calm down, ignoring everyone's question if I passed the test. I didn't expect failing the exam would hurt my soul this much no matter how mentally prepared I was to accept it. I guess I couldn't really accept the fact yet.

Just for a brief moment, the little demons from my past that I had locked away in Pandora's Box a long time ago were trying crawling out from the shackled jar. The sickening feeling of being stupid and worthless slowly affected my mental state, a reminiscent of the time when I was still in elementary school. I already had a tough time adapting to my classmates and try acting like a normal child like them, but they constantly made fun of me on my attempts and pushed me even farther away. And they degraded me whenever I got some easy questions wrong that to my brain was so difficult because I couldn't get it how to solve it properly and I needed more time understanding the process.

I used to feel so incompetent compared to many talented children in my class. I wanted to be accepted and appreciated, be seen as a special being instead of an individual who had a mental disability. I strived to become a perfect human being hiding my flaws behind a mask. Art, music, even sports… I tried out everything and nothing worked, which only added more fuel to the fire that almost burned me into ashes.

To be truthful, I felt a little jealous toward Yusei and Aki, but I didn't want to feel like that. I was genuinely happy for them and didn't want to hold any dark thoughts toward my precious friends. A few tears escaped my closed eyelids while I sobbed my negative feelings out from my body. I needed a good cry to release the tension. I curled into a ball on my bed and buried my face in a pillow and bawled my eyes out.

The self-pity lasted a couple of minutes before I had to stop myself or else I would just cause harm to my body. I actually felt better pouring my feelings out instead of holding them back inside. My brain felt clearer so I slowly switched to my rational side.

It was obvious why I failed. I hadn't prepared myself as much as I needed for the exam. I started out late with my goal to contribute to the card game introducing new cards that didn't exist in this world yet. Aki was a prominent student who took several advanced classes even before she ran away from home. Yusei was a born genius when it came to technology and machinery which he taught himself since he was a small boy. As for me, I quit studying after graduating high school and didn't have any plans back in my world. Even with the luggage of knowledge I had obtained from my time as a student, it was clear I needed to oil my rusty cogs better to make a comeback.

Feeling much better, I could move on from the bitter taste and force the demons back into Pandora's Box. If I had time worrying about my mistakes, then I'd rather utilize that energy into working much harder to achieve my dream.

One worrisome question remained though. How would Goodwin react to the news? That was my biggest concern. I heard some rich families took it terribly bad if their children didn't do well for an important exam and even punished them harshly. Hopefully Goodwin would go lenient with me during dinner tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Cheers!"

Yusei, Aki and I were in a hot pot restaurant having that party the female Signer suggested weeks ago. It was a mix of celebration and consolation party. We shared a pot with a spicy broth that warmed up our souls. It was fitting for this particular cold day. We had ordered lots of ingredients all from meat to noodles and vegetables, so our table was packed.

I took a bite of thin sliced pork and hummed in delight when I tasted the meat soaked in spicy broth. "It's so good! It tastes better than I expected."

Aki giggled while she scooped up some vegetables from the pot and put them in her bowl. "It was a great idea coming here having a hot pot party", she said, dipping a thinly sliced meat of pork in the broth, stirring it around in a couple of seconds before it got cooked. "You really get warmed up eating this."

"I feel a little bad eating this hot pot without everybody else", Yusei said sheepishly and stirred a piece of thin beef in the pot with his chopsticks.

"Leo and Luna know this is our private party and the others are away busy with their own stuff", Aki replied and dipped her meat in a sauce before she ate it. "Maybe next time when everyone's in town we can have another hot pot party."

"Then we better get together in winter so we can enjoy this to the fullest", I suggested before I put some fish cakes in the pot.

Aki's eyes softened when she looked at me. "Are you feeling better now, Estelle?"

"Much better, thank you", I nodded lightly. "I got over the depression the same day after I cried it out."

Yusei smiled proudly. "You did your best, Estelle. And it's not a loss if you learned something. Now you can use that to your advantage to prepare yourself for the exam next year."

"Right", I nodded before I grabbed a leaf of bok choy from the pot and put it in my bowl. "I'm going to work twice as harder so I can catch up to you two." I saw from the corner of my eye how Yusei and Aki shared a glance before they smiled silently.

"This is not a race, Estelle", Aki said. "So don't feel too pressured wanting to catch up to us. Besides, to become a doctor I need at least eight years of studying."

"That sounds like a long road, but I know you can do it, Aki", I smiled warmly.

"I'm sure you'll achieve your goal in the end as well, Estelle," Yusei said gently to comfort me again, which gave me enough confidence to feel that I can really achieve my dream of entering the University of Art.

I raised my glass of peach ice tea to them. "Another toast? For our future?"

Aki smiled warmly and raised her glass of lime soda as well. Yusei had a drink of iced coffee and raised it after the red shade vanished from his face.

We lightly knocked our glasses in a three-share toast, wishing nothing but the best in our future. "Kanpai!"