The sun once again set over Domino City as the clock struck 7. Two Shadows stretched long across the pavement, where their owners walked side by side—or at least, they tried to. Despite the seemingly leisurely pace, The first girl's light, almost weightless steps had carried her several strides ahead of her friend. The second, a few steps behind, had to tug on the other's sleeve every few seconds to pull her back into sync.
"Hey—Mana, slow down," Haga Kagami,羽賀 鏡, the Kanji for her name meaning wing, celebration and mirror, in that order, known by her nickname Gaga, muttered. Giving a firmer pull on her friend's arm, trying not to sound too exasperated., she resisted the urge to curse. 'How does someone this skinny have this much endurance?!' Her breath came just a little heavier after each tug, and it wasn't because of her trying to keep up with Mana. They'd missed the bus again—no surprise there, she forgot to grab Mana from her favorite room in the school, and ran her fat, well toned ass off as hard as she could to catch the bus to no avail. So now her and Mana had to walk home, and it'd been over two hours! This body was made for getting dudes, not running, and everything was chafing!
Mana blinked, wide eyes turned her head slightly "Oh... sorry," she mumbled, slowing down a fraction, though her steps remained light, barely making a sound on the pavement. It was blatantly obvious she just now realized Gaga was talking to her.
Gaga let out an audible sigh, adjusting the strap of her skull-shaped backpack on her shoulder. She was tired, both mentally and physically. You'd think after midterms they'd let up on the schoolwork, something that was supposed to be a net positive for the American education system if you asked her, but noooope! Kaiba wanted every student that went to their schools to be just as miserable and smart as he was! The missed afternoon bus to their neighborhood was just one more thing in a long list of frustrations mounting today, and it was the fact that Mana had no compunction about punching anyone who got aggressive with her that prevented Gaga from doing anything other than yelling. She hit hard for a twig.
And you wouldn't think that to be the case if you looked at their uniforms. All KaibaCorp schools had completely unisex uniforms, and by that I mean they all wore the boy's uniforms, long-sleeved jackets with a collared white shirt underneath, and a pair of trousers with matching colors
They were allowed to alter the colors, and the uniform's size to some extent, to their liking, which was weird given that Kaiba was well, Kaiba, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was probably his kid that gave him the idea. Mana's choice of uniform was a light poppy blue, that specific color for some reason, with soft pink highlights on the edges of every part of the uniform, it made her coffee brown complexion stand out even more, and Mana? She went full Mana and got something a size or two too big for her for some reason. Mana was a skinny little thing, all limbs, slender and delicate, her body lacking the curves that Gaga worked hard to maintain. The sleeves of her uniform swayed slightly as she moved, because the damn thing was too big for her, and it was amazing that the getup didn't fall off on her leaving her buck ass naked.
Gaga, on the other hand, wore her near-black uniform with pink accents, a stark contrast to Mana's lighter ensemble. The dark colors made her platinum blonde hair stand out even more, catching the light as it shifted slightly with her movements. The fabric of her uniform clung tighter to her body, hinting at the curves that set her apart from most of the other girls in school. Where Mana was slim and almost willowy, Gaga was more developed—her chest stretching her uniform, her figure meatier, creating a figure that drew attention from everyone in the room even when she wasn't trying to, just as she wanted. Unlike with Mana's soft, silent footsteps, Gaga walked with a sharper confidence, the swing of her skull shaped KaibaCorp issued backpack adding to her distinct, edgy style.
And yes, all this black combined with her pale skin made the heat today just unbearable, why do you ask?
"You're not even paying attention, are you?" Gaga huffed, tugging on Mana's arm again. "Stop walking and start talking." Mana's response was a vague hum, her eyes still drifting somewhere 'I hear you loud and clear' and 'Huh, you say something?'. A soft, gentle breeze thankfully rolled through the area, and Gaga was so glad that KaibaCorp ditched the skirts, especially given the neighborhood where they lived. Gaga rolled her eyes at the non response, biting back her frustration. "You know, for someone who's always spacing out, you somehow manage to walk faster than I do."
Mana blinked again, turning her head fully to face Gaga, her expression blank but calm. "What?" she asked, her voice as light as her footsteps as she finally registered the other person on the sidewalk with her. "I'm just walking."
"You're not just walking," Gaga snapped, her voice sharper now. "I've been practically running to keep up with you." She motioned down to her legs, and forced Mana's head to look down trying to emphasize the extra effort it took just to match Mana's pace. Oh the pain and effort it took to look good sometimes wasn't worth it!
Mana instead looked down at her own feet."...I am?"
Gaga let out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head. "Yes! And it doesn't even make sense!" That bony body should not have let Mana do what she could, but it did, and that's why Mana always got the best grades in PE…while Gaga got the worst, especially since the school hired that bitch. She'd often get Mana to come with her for nightly trips to the store just because of this superhuman stamina. The second any creepo got close to Gaga, Mana was beating them, guys that were usually twice their height, to a pulp without any change in expression. Terrifying? Yes. a godsend? Like you wouldn't believe. "You're not athletic in the slightest. You barely notice where you're going half the time, and yet you're always walking faster than me. how?"
Mana just shrugged, her soft curls bouncing slightly with the motion. "I don't know. I just… walk," she said simply, turning her gaze forward again as if the conversation had already drifted out of her focus, which it probably did. Gaga sighed, adjusting her own uniform for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. The dark fabric clung to her skin in the heat, and she had to fight back her disgust at all the sweat on her body, while Mana didn't even have a single drop of the stuff. "Look, I'm trying to get it, okay?" Gaga softened her tone, though the frustration lingered just beneath her words. "I'm trying to understand, but it's very hard to do that if you don't even care that it keeps happening."
Mana tilted her head slightly, frowning as though trying to focus on Gaga's words for once as they stopped in front of a crosswalk. "I told you, I don't really notice it."
Gaga stopped walking, forcing Mana to stop too, and turned to face her fully. "But that's the problem! You don't notice! You do this all the time. Don't you think it's weird that you, of all people, can outrun me while acting like you're not even trying?"
Mana's eyes widened slightly, her brow furrowing in thought, but after a moment, she simply shook her head, the traffic slowing down to a trickle, allowing them to power walk across the street, well Gaga power walked, Mana's idea of power walking made her the fastest runner in school. Mana waited until Gaga came over before she continued. "It's not that weird. I just move... I'm thinking about other stuff." People pace when they think about things, what's wrong with that?
"Yeah, you always are," Gaga muttered, pressing a hand to her forehead as if to ward off a headache. This was a conversation she really should have had with her a long time ago. "You're always in your own world. I can barely have a normal conversation with you because your mind's already three steps ahead, and I don't even know what you're thinking about."
Mana blinked at her, as calm and serene as ever. "What do you want me to say?"
Gaga groaned, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack. "I don't know! Maybe just acknowledge that this is weird! Or try to explain it?"
Mana's eyes wandered upward again, her thoughts clearly drifting elsewhere. She wasn't ignoring Gaga on purpose—it was just how she was. "I already tried to explain it," she said softly. "You didn't get it. And I don't know why it happens, so… why ask again?"
Gaga sighed, a mixture of frustration and resignation washing over her. The conversation had gone nowhere. She always knew it would, but today was really shity, so she hoped, hoped, god would give her some good luck. "You're impossible, you know that?"
Mana shrugged lightly, turning back to the road. "I guess. Can we keep walking now?"
With one last sigh, Gaga fell back into step beside her friend, her darker uniform stark against the brightness of Mana's as they walked. 'God I want to strangle her sometimes.' But she was the only real person they had at school besides that loser they occasionally hung out with. They look at the big titted Japanese girl and brown nose so much that their faces are covered in shit, but Mana didn't do that; she'd never do that, at least not to her, and that's all that mattered. And though she hated talking to her sometimes, Mana at least knew when to keep quiet, with that soft, silent voice of hers.
"DUEL MONSTERS!"...sometimes. She sometimes kept quiet. With that stupid card game however… "I need money, now!" With a frantic zeal one would think impossible given how she acted earlier, Mana reached into Gaga's backpack, taking only what she needed, Gaga knew Mana would only do that, and rushed into the store. A couple seconds later she ran back out, dancing on her feet and giggling excitedly with the biggest smile on her face as she held out five Booster Packs in her hand. "Can we play can we play canweplaycanweplaycanweplaycanweplayCANWEPLAYCANWEPLA-"
"-MANA!" The girl paused mid sentence, expression frozen as if someone pressed the pause button a remote. "Better." and creepy. "Now Mana, sweetie?" Mana nodded happily, like an excited puppy. It almost made Gaga hate what she was about to do; almost. "I am ti-red. I have another goddamn hour in this heat before I get back home, and the last thing I want to do is go in there with those sweaty nerds and the air conditioning and the free food-" By the time she realized what she was saying she was already paying to use the owner's shower. "God damn it."
The lighting was dim but warm, giving the shop an inviting, almost homey feel. Posters from various card game tournaments and brand new Duel Monsters promotional banners hung lazily on the walls, slightly faded from years of sun exposure. The freshly cleaned couch near the window had seen better days but was a favorite spot for regulars who liked to hang out and chat while waiting for their turn to duel. But Mana didn't give a hoot about any of that. She watched Gaga run up the stairs before happily skipping up to the counter where the old game counter person was. "Hello person." She happily greeted the man she had known for 5 years. "Can I Duel things?"
At 44 years of age with 23 years working under KaibaCorp as the terrifying captain once called the marauder, Darius Shields was more than prepared to deal with Mana Nakamura's eccentricities. His steely blue eyes glanced up as she pranced into the shop, already holding a fistful of booster packs she had just bought with her friend's money. Seated behind the counter in his usual worn leather jacket, Darius leaned back in his chair, stroking the head of his oddly large pet lizard, Gagagigo, who rested lazily on his head like a freshly skinned pelt.
"Again, Mana?" he asked with a gruff but amused tone. "Ready to eat another loss?."
Mana nodded vigorously. "I got the cards! Let's duel!" She demanded happily, probably not hearing what he just said,he reckoned.
Darius sighed, his scar catching the light as he rubbed his temple. He had known Mana long enough to expect this from her, but her relentless energy when she was excited never failed to tire him out.. Glancing down at the packs, he recognized the familiar sets—Dark Crisis and Legacy of Darkness—brand new packs from Industrial Illusions, just arrived today with the new VR setup in the back.
"How about you open them first," he said, leaning forward. "See if you've got any gems this time."
Mana tore into the packs with childlike excitement. As she flicked through the cards, her eyes lit up. "Look, Thunder Kid and Sangan! You think I'll finally beat you this time?"
Darius chuckled, ruffling Gagagigo's scales. "You've got a long way to go, kid." Especially if she forgot the rules again. "But let's see what you've got."
Oh god, she needed this, she needed this so bad!
Sitting in Mr. Shields' very expensive tub, Gaga relaxed in the steaming hot water. The heat seeped into her muscles, easing the tension from her body after a long, exhausting day. Her platinum blonde hair was piled up in a messy bun, a few loose strands sticking to her damp skin. Her pink eyes half-lidded, she sank deeper into the water, feeling the luxurious bubbles rise around her.
"This is heaven," she whispered happily, letting her shoulders finally drop as her stress melted away.
Gaga let out a long sigh, eyes half-closed as she stretched out in the tub, her fingers tracing lazy patterns through the hot water. The faint scent of expensive soap lingered in the air, a welcome change from the usual chaotic whirlwind of her day. Finally, she could relax. Mana was being kept busy, she didn't have to catch the bus, her uniform's in the wash, sure she was going to have to do this again once she got home, but for now, she could just…be.
"This body's built for looking good, not running marathons," she muttered to herself, rolling her neck as the tension in her muscles slowly unraveled. She leaned her head back against the tub's edge, staring at the ceiling, thoughts drifting aimlessly, finally giving herself permission to relax. "I could get used to this," she murmured, absently wondering how Mr. Shields afforded such luxury.
..Ok she was exaggerating, but she was just so happy to relax, that this place was as good as the freaking Hilton!The tiles were basic ceramic, but they gleamed under the warm light, and the tub, while a little larger than average, felt like a four digit priced bath to her tired muscles. The soap, which was just generic brand stuff, the same stuff she had at home, smelled amazing to her in that moment of peace. Just a few more minutes, and she'll get out of the tub. Hopefully was keeping Mana in one place.
Darius groaned as he leaned against the counter, watching Mana shuffle her cards with more enthusiasm than skill.
Her shuffling was nothing short of chaotic. She grabbed the deck with both hands, her fingers fumbling as the cards slipped and bent at odd angles. Instead of smoothly blending the halves together, she clumsily pushed them into each other, leaving stray cards poking out haphazardly. A few even slipped from her grip, fluttering to the floor. The cards made a loud, uneven smack as they collided, nowhere near the precise shuffle of an experienced or even an amateur card shark. Her enthusiasm was clear, but finesse? Just up and left her.
'Kids these days.' The game shop was quiet. The only other noise aside from Mana's giggles and the sounds of the cards slapping together was the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the familiar clatter of dice in the back. Kaiba didn't let him rent out a bigger building like he wanted, but it had everything a gamer could want here. Rows of shelves lined the walls, each packed with Duel Monsters cards, old pre Kaiba board games, and tabletop RPG books from old companies that had long been absorbed by Industrial Illusions. A glass display case near the counter held his rarest cards, given to him by Industrial Illusion's president as a reward for his military career. Everyone knew not to try to steal it, because he'd know. He'd always know. And god help the poor soul he sicced Gagagigo on if he was ever feeling lazy.
"Ok I'm done!" Mana said giddily, tapping her foot loudly in anticipation as she looked over the mess of cards that were on the table. Funnily enough, Darius had seen Mana shuffle cards when she wasn't interested in the subject at hand, like Solitaire or Poker for example, and to say she was skilled was like saying Kagami was a bit vain. Her level of excitement directly affected her competence at her current task, and that was something you had to learn to get used to when dealing with her. "Let's Duel!" Unfortunately for Darius, Mana had a very…odd idea on what playing Duel Monsters was about. "To start!" She placed a Skull Servant card on the table. "I'll play this guy, and next turn I'm gonna Tribute him to summon the Dark Magician!"
Darius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mana... the stars indicate level, not rarity, and no, you don't always need a tribute unless it's specified in the rulebook." He glanced at the clock; two hours until closing, and he knew it was going to feel longer if this kept up. He straightened a few of the booster packs on the shelf behind him, idly petting Gagagigo as it lazily stretched out on the counter.
"You just wait and see," Mana insisted, beaming with pride. "I'll beat you this time. You're going down, Mr. Shields!"
Darius couldn't help but grin at her energy. It was a bit much, but far more preferable to how she usually acted. "If you can actually get your strategy straight this time, maybe," he teased, flipping the sign on the door to "Closing Soon." Two hours felt like plenty of time to settle this—but with how insistent she was on these rules of hers, maybe he ought to see if he could channel that desire into something else. "I have an idea, Mana." He said, going to the board game section. "And I think you're going to like it a lot."
Back upstairs, Gaga murmured to herself as she washed off the last of the soap from her skin, the warm water soothing her tired muscles. She'd been lying in the bath for what felt like hours, but now her mind, which had been blissfully empty moments ago, was starting to buzz again as she dried off and got dressed.
"Kyou mo, ganbaranakucha…"(Gotta keep at it today...) She whispered to herself softly, her voice barely audible over the sound of water dripping from the faucet. It was rare for her to speak in her native tongue, but it'd been so long that she felt this relaxed from something so mundane, that the words just flew out of her like a fountain. The Japanese words rolled off her tongue as naturally as breathing, though few people ever heard her speak in her native language anymore. To everyone else, she was just Gaga—the energetic, socially sharp girl who always knew how to blend in, or 'that manipulative cunt' if you asked her detractors, 'or slutty boyfriend stealer' if you asked the older girls back at school. But it was moments like these when she was alone, alone alone,that reminded her how much effort it took to be that person.
And sometimes it was so tiring, especially when her own Mana-isms threatened to leak out. A quick look at the clock showed her that she didn't spend long here. She had about two hours before the store closed, and she was in a much better mood than she was before, so she might as well see if Mana drove bonkers yet. "Tsukareta…"(I'm tired…) Hopefully he'll be in a good enough mood to drive them home.
"Finished." Mana said dully, the life in her eyes returning after spending 2 minutes reading the 60 page booklet. "This sounds fun!" She was practically jumping out of her seat in excitement, and the only reason she wasn't doing so was because he laid down the law. "You break it you buy it" was a very powerful weapon to use when you could hunt every patron down with ease. KaibaCorp taught him well. "Let's go counter guy!"
Darius placed the thick rulebook back on the counter and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, a grin playing on his lips. It'd been a while since he went retro like this, and Gagagigo was getting bored playing against him. "So, Mana," he began, motioning toward the cards in front of her, "we're not going to just duel the old-fashioned way today"
"Good, because you kept playing it wrong."
Darius didn't even bother giving that any more thought. "Instead of playing the card game, we're gonna Duel using a tabletop RPG." Mana nodded. "Think of it like a story where your cards are part of the adventure. You'll be using your monsters not just to battle, but to explore, solve problems, or just make out or something, I don't know. The only limit is your imagination." A bit cheesy, but Mana didn't care.
Mana's eyes widened with excitement as Darius laid out the playmat for both of them. "What do you mean? Like… the monsters can do more than just fight?"
"Exactly," Darius said, flipping open a new booklet. "Let's say you run into a magical barrier. Maybe instead of summoning Dark Magician to blast through it, you use a spell card like Mystical Space Typhoon to clear away the magic. The goal here is to think creatively, use the images on the cards themselves or their flavor text to get you through certain situations. Monsters aren't just for damage—they're part of your arsenal, and , as long as it makes sense you can do whatever you want.."
"But what about the tributes? I don't have to sacrifice anything?" Mana asked, leaning closer.
'Again with this?' Darius shook his head. "Not in this version. You can summon as much as you want, but just remember there are rules you have to follow.
Mana nodded quickly, eyes gleaming with excitement as a fully dressed Gaga came down, paid for the bath she used, and sat down to watch whatever it is Mana was doing. "I can do t that that hat! So it's like a storyandaduelatthesametime?"
"Exactly," Darius replied, keeping an eye on her as he pulled out a set of dice from the book. He already knew what was coming by how fast she was talking, and it was going to hurt her bad. "You'll roll these to see how well your cards work in certain situations. But remember, it's not always about brute force. Sometimes, using a lower-level card creatively will be better than just bringing out a big hitter."
Mana nodded quickly, her eyes bright with excitement. Her fingers twitched as she fumbled through the cards scattered on the table. "So… so, I can just… I… I don't have to, like—" she started, but the words stuck in her throat, her mind jammed entirely. Her thoughts were racing, her brain sprinting ahead of her mouth, and she couldn't get the words out fast enough. It was something that rarely happened to her, but given how excited she was, her brain was hit with it at full force.
Darius raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish, but the silence between them only made her frustration grow. Mana felt her jaw clench involuntarily. "I can—no tributes… so just, um…"
She slammed the cards down, harder than she meant to, her hands shaking as she tried to gather her thoughts. "Just do it! Just, summon…!" Her words came out jumbled, messy, not making sense even to her, and that only made the anger bubble up inside her. Why couldn't she just say what she wanted? She knew what she meant! Why couldn't her brain slow down enough to let her speak?
Gaga shook her head in pity. The only person Mana was going to accept help from in this state was herself. Or someone who could bribe or direct her attention, which is what could do.
Mana's heart raced, a knot forming in her stomach. Darius's calm expression didn't help—he wasn't judging her, but she could feel herself spiraling, the frustration overwhelming her. Gaga was Gaga, so that just left her all alone on this! She blinked rapidly, her breath catching in her chest. The fun feeling was going away, and she couldn't focus anymore. "I can't—!" she snapped, her voice sharp. Her fists clenched tight. "It's not… I'm… I get it! I just—" The words slipped away again, and she felt herself shutting down, retreating into her more familiar, detached state.
"Oh dear." Darius, sensing the shift, leaned back slightly. "Take your time, Mana. You don't need to rush through this."
Mana exhaled sharply, her enthusiasm visibly dimming as she forced herself to settle into a more neutral posture, her eyes dulling. "Alright," she muttered, her earlier excitement giving way to her usual self as she calmly, and expertly, gathered up the cards and shuffled them like a pro. "Let's just play." She picked up the dice, her movements slower now, controlled, but lacking her earlier spark.
Darius sighed inwardly but didn't push her. He and Haga knew her well enough by now. When she got like this there was no point in trying to cheer her up. She needed to do it on her own.