Sorry for not uploading for a time, My computer broke.
Without any further to do, enjoy!
-------------------------------------
(Yotsuya Miko's POV)
Miko woke up feeling like the sun itself was shining inside her chest.
The memory of the Black Flash, of Akira-sensei's hand on her head, of Mai's shocked and proud face, it played on a glorious loop in her mind.
After the Black Flash, she felt a strange kind of clarity of her mind, a focus that she has never experience.
It's like someone took a blindfold from her eyes and the world looked clear
For the first time in her life, she hadn't just endured the strange, terrifying world she could see; she had fought back
And she had won.
She practically bounced out of bed, a wide, genuine smile on her face.
On her way to the bathroom, she passed her younger brother, Kyosuke, who was half-asleep and grumpy.
"Morning" She chirped.
He just grunted in response, shuffling towards the kitchen.
She pushed the bathroom door open
And there, in the corner by the shower, was a small, slimy-looking spirit, no bigger than a cat, oozing a faint, sad energy
The old Miko would have frozen, her heart seizing with fear, before quickly looking away and pretending it wasn't there
The new Miko didn't even break her stride. Her smile didn't falter. She took one swift step forward and delivered a precise, almost casual step, her foot coated in a faint, instinctual shimmer of cursed energy
The small spirit let out a silent pop and vanished into nothingness.
She hummed to herself as she washed her hands.
It was that easy.
She got ready for school and went downstairs
In the living room, her mother was busy at the stove, the smell of miso soup and toast filling the air. Kyosuke hadn't made it yet
"Good morning, sweetie!" Her mother called over her shoulder. "You're up bright and early"
"Morning, Mom!" Miko sang, sliding into her seat at the table.
And then she saw him.
Sitting in his usual chair at the head of the table, translucent and faint, was the spirit of her father.
He had a gentle, melancholic smile on his face
Crouched behind his chair was that… thing. It looked like a demonic black dog, with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth, but its form flickered, and it seemed to be close to her father's spirit.
As her father's mouth moved, the dog's maw moved in perfect, silent unison, repeating his words
"It's been a while since I've seen you so animated in the morning, Miko-chan," her father's spirit said
The demonic dog mimicked the words soundlessly. "Miko-chan"
Miko turned her head and looked directly at him. "Yeah" She said, her voice soft but clear. "Something good happened yesterday"
Her father's spirit froze. His eyes, and the dog's glowing red ones, widened in simultaneous shock. The gentle smile vanished. "You can… see me?" he whispered, the dog's jaw moving with his
Miko nodded, her own smile turning a little sad. "Yes, Dad. I've… I've been able to see you for a long time. I was just too scared to say anything. Too scared of… all of it."
Tears welled in her father's eyes. The demonic dog beside him whined softly, a surprisingly pathetic sound. "Miko… I…"
"I'm sorry" Miko blurted out, her own tears starting to fall. "I'm so sorry for shouting at you that day! I didn't mean it! I was just a stupid kid and I was angry you ate my pudding! I never meant for you to…" Her voice broke. She never meant for him to rush out to buy her a new one. She never meant for the truck to…
Her father's spirit was crying now, translucent tears tracing paths down his ghostly cheeks. The demonic dog was shaking its head, as if trying to dislodge the memory. "No, no, Miko-chan. I'm sorry. I'm the one who's sorry. I was the adult. I shouldn't have been so careless. I shouldn't have eaten your special pudding. Please, forgive me."
In that moment of mutual, heartbreaking apology, something changed. Her father's spirit began to glow with a soft, white light.
Her father looked at the creature beside him, his expression shifting from going to a calm asking tone "Please" He said to it, his voice firming with a final, paternal command. "Protect them. Protect my family"
The demonic dog turned its massive head from her father to Miko. Its red eyes softened.
It padded over to her, its form shifting and becoming less monstrous with each step. It lowered its head and gave her hand a single, rough, warm lick.
A brilliant white light erupted from the point of contact. The dog's form dissolved completely into light, which then flowed into Miko's chest. She gasped, not in pain, but in wonder. She felt it settle inside her, a warm, powerful, protective presence, sleeping just beneath where her heart would be located, ready to be called upon.
Her father, now glowing brightly, smiled at her, his form beginning to fade. "I am so proud of the woman you've grown to be. You've become so beautiful… just like your mother."
As he disappeared into motes of light, his final words floated to her on the air, a classic dad joke from beyond the grave: "Be careful with boys! Always listen to your mother! And take care of your brother!"
And then he was gone.
Miko sat there, tears streaming down her face, but her heart felt light, unburdened for the first time in years. "Goodbye, Dad," she whispered.
Her mother arrived with two plates of breakfast. "Here you— Miko? Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Miko quickly wiped her tears away, a real, true smile breaking through again. "Nothing, Mom. Nothing at all." And for the first time, it felt like the truth.
---------------------------------
Later, she met Hana at their usual spot.
Her best friend was chattering away about a new drama, but Miko's sharpened senses immediately locked onto the small, greasy-looking spirit clinging to Hana's shoulder like a parasitic monkey, leaching tiny bits of her energy and making her seem just a little more tired than usual.
Without a second thought, Miko reached out and casually swatted Hana's shoulder, a pulse of cursed energy extinguishing the spirit instantly.
"Hey!" Hana yelped, jumping. "What was that for?"
Miko just smiled, a new, easy confidence in her gaze. "Sorry. You had a bug on your shoulder"
-----------------------------------
(Third Person POV)
The morning school bustle flowed around them, but in the quiet eddy of the hallway, Miko stood before Akira, her story tumbling out in a hushed, excited whisper.
She told him about her morning with her father and the demonic dog
Akira listened, his crimson eyes fixed on her, missing no detail.
When she finished, he was silent for a moment, processing.
"That" he stated, his voice its usual calm, analytical baritone"Sounds like a Shikigami."
Miko blinked. "A... Shikigami?"
"A conjured spirit, bound to a sorcerer through a ritual or a pact. They are manifestations of Cursed Energy, often taking animal or elemental forms, used for combat, reconnaissance, or other specific tasks" He explained, his tone that of a lecturer "This Shikigami was most likely tied to your father in some way. Your emotional resolution and his final command provided the conditions for a binding ritual. The Cursed Energy from your father's and the Shikigami merged and entered you. Curious."
He looked at her, his gaze intensifying slightly "Your Cursed Energy reserves have significantly increased. The potential was always there, but now it is... amplified. By raw quantity alone, you could be considered a Grade 1 Sorcerer."
Miko's eyes went wide. Grade 1? Like the powerful sorcerers he'd mentioned?
"However" He continued, dashing her sudden awe with cold logic, "Rank is not solely about power except in some cases. It is about skill, experience, and tactical application. You are lacking in those. Severely. Therefore, a more accurate assessment would be a high-tier Grade 2. Do not let the power make you arrogant. It is a tool, and you are still a novice learning its weight"
The words were a bucket of cold water, but necessary. She nodded, the determination from the previous night hardening in her eyes. "I understand, sensei."
He gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. Just as he made to turn away, he paused, as if an afterthought had occurred to him "Just one more thing. The friend you mentioned, Hana. She went with you to The Shrine, correct?"
Miko nodded, unsure where this was going.
"From what I have seen, her own aura is like Cursed Energy, but different in its application. And that make her attract Cursed Spirits even more" His eyes held hers. "Would you be in favour of her walking this path as well? The decision would ultimately be hers, but your opinion would be relevant"
The question hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. Bringing Hana into this world of curses and violence?
The thought sent a jolt of fear through Miko. But also... it might make her strong, and make her able to defend herself when she isn't around
"I... I'd have to think about it, sensei," she said honestly.
"Understood." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Miko with a whirlwind of new thoughts and a newfound weight on her shoulders.
She walked towards her classroom, her mind racing. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the figure looking at her just outside the classroom door.
A girl. She was petite, with hair the colour of gold tied up in twin pig-tails with faded pink tips. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Her expression was a mixture of intense curiosity and imperious demand.
----------------------------
The staff room hummed with the low-grade exhaustion of a weekday after a weekend. At the centre of it, the vice-principal, a man whose suit always seemed a size too large, clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! As you all know, the annual school's Cultural Festival is approaching" He announced, his voice straining to project enthusiasm. "I need all homeroom teachers to discuss potential ideas with their classes. We want this to be our best festival yet! Encourage creativity, but remind them the budget committee still exists for a reason."
A general murmur of acknowledgment rippled through the room. It was the same speech every year.
As the vice-principal finished and the teachers began to disperse back to their own piles of work, Shizuka saw her opening.
She'd already prepared two cups of tea from the staff room kettle.
She picked them up and navigated the cluttered desks to where Akira sat, impeccably reading a stack of papers with terrifying speed.
"Here" She said, placing one of the steaming cups on the corner of his desk within his line of sight. She leaned against the adjacent desk, cradling her own cup. "Another thrilling festival. What do you think your class will end up doing for the it?"
Akira didn't look up from the paper he was reading "I will present the parameters of the event to the class president and let them decide for themselves. Their collective decision-making process is a more valuable lesson than the festival itself, that is, if they can decide for themselves"
"Lucky you," Shizuka sighed, going to take a sip from her own cup. "I'm on the planning committee this year. That means I have to liaise with the student council. Endless meetings about booth placements, power grid capacity for exhibits, and safety regulations." She took a large sip, eager to commiserate over the warm drink.
The tea was scalding hot.
"Gah! Hot, hot, hot!" she flinched, pulling the cup away from her lips and nearly spilling it. Her tongue felt singed. Embarrassed, she turned to Akira to apologize for her outburst. "Sorry, I mistook the water time, it's practically boiling—"
The words died in her throat.
Akira had picked up the cup she'd given him. He had just taken a slow, deliberate sip from it. He showed no reaction whatsoever.
No wince, no sharp intake of breath, no hurried placing of the cup back on the saucer. He drank it as if it were room temperature.
Shizuka stared, her own stinging tongue forgotten. "How... how did you just do that? That should have burned your mouth off."
Akira placed the cup down. "The heat doesn't bother me," he stated, as if commenting on the colour of the wall.
Shizuka could only blink.
She let out a soft, incredulous laugh, shaking her head. "I learn something new about you every single day, Yoshioka-san" She picked up her own still-steaming cup, this time blowing on it carefully. "Well, I'd better go hunt down the student council president before she organizes a protest about the booth size regulations. Wish me luck. Have a good day."
With a final, bewildered glance at his stack of papers and his now-half-finished cup of molten tea, she turned and walked away, leaving the most enigmatic man she'd ever met to his work
--------------------------------------
(Yotsuba Miko's POV)
The echo of the dodgeball game faded as Miko pushed open the heavy door to the equipment storage room. The air was thick with the smell of old leather and dust.
Stacking the last of the rubber balls on a high shelf, she let out a small sigh.
"Hey. You. Do you have a minute?"
The voice, sharp and clear, came from the doorway. Miko turned. A girl stood there, backlit by the hallway lights. She had blonde hair tied up in twin pig-tails and an imperious look on her face. Miko recognized her vaguely, Yuria something. From the class next door, maybe?
"Yotsuba Miko, right?" the girl said, stepping fully into the room. The door swung shut behind her, muffling the distant sounds of the gym. "I'm Niguredou Yuria."
"Uh, yes? Can I help you?" Miko asked, wiping her hands on her gym shorts.
"I've been watching you," Yuria stated, her red eyes fixed on Miko with unnerving intensity.
Miko's blood ran cold. Watching me? Why?
"This morning," Yuria continued, taking a step closer. "By the vending machines. You swatted at that girl's shoulder. You killed one of those things, didn't you? The ugly little gremlin that was sitting there."
Miko's breath hitched. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She saw. She can see them too. The thought was a whirlwind, relief, panic, curiosity. Maybe Yoshioka-sensei should know about her. Another student like her and Mai-san.
Yuria seemed to take Miko's stunned silence as confirmation. A proud, confident smile touched her lips. She held up her wrist, showing off a bracelet of dark, polished beads. "I am Mother's number one apprentice. There is nothing I can't drive awa—"
SNAP.
The bracelet, stretched taut by her gesture, broke. The beads clattered to the concrete floor like a shower of black rain, scattering in every direction.
A profound, chilling silence fell over the room.
Then, the air behind Yuria warped. The shadows in the corner coalesced, swelling into a grotesque form. It was a large, blocky thing, like a child's nightmare drawing of a monster made of concrete and shadow. Two massive, perfectly circular white eyes snapped open, and a wide, stitched-on smile stretched across its face.
"You can see me?~" it crooned, its voice a distorted, singsong whisper that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Yuria froze, her confidence shattering into pure, unadulterated terror. Her eyes widened, fixed on the thing behind her that she could now clearly see.
Instinct took over. Miko didn't think. She lunged forward, grabbed Yuria by the arm, and yanked her behind her back, putting herself between the blonde girl and the curse.
"Stay behind me," Miko commanded, her voice low and steady, a tone she'd learned from her teacher
The curse took a lurching step forward. Miko focused, reaching for the warm, protective presence sleeping in her chest. She didn't call for power for herself. She called for him.
"Mamoru" She said, the name a firm invocation.
The air beside her shimmered. In a flash of ethereal white light, the massive, demonic form of her Shikigami materialized. It was larger now, more defined, its form a mix of spectral fox and powerful guardian dog. It let out a low, guttural growl that vibrated through the very floor.
Yuria stared, her jaw slack with utter shock, any remaining bravado completely gone.
The curse's mocking smile faltered. "Wha—?"
Mamoru didn't let it finish. With a speed belying his size, he surged forward.
His powerful jaws, now visible and solid, clamped down on the square spirit's blocky arm. There was a sound of tearing energy and crushing stone. The spirit let out a shrill, a scream, as Mamoru shook it violently, its form beginning to break apart into chunks of dissipating shadow.
Within seconds, the Shikigami had devoured the curse whole, leaving nothing but a faint, acrid smell of rot
The storage room was silent again. Mamoru turned, his crimson eyes glowing softly. He gave a short, satisfied huff towards Miko before his form dissolved back into light and faded into her
Miko took a deep breath, shaking her head slightly as if to dispel the adrenaline. She turned back to a pale and trembling Yuria.
She met the other girl's terrified gaze, her own eyes now holding a glint of hard-earned strength.
"You were saying?" Miko asked, her voice quiet but filled with a newfound authority
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Gojo Satoru's POV)
The abandoned textile factory loomed against the twilight sky, a skeletal silhouette of rust and broken windows.
To any normal person, it was just a creepy, derelict building.
To the eyes of a jujutsu sorcerer, a place like this should have been pulsing with the vile, oily energy of a Curse.
It was silent.
Not just quiet. Empty.
There were no cursed spirits in sight.
Satoru Gojo stood with his hands in his pockets, his usual lazy grin absent. Flanking him were three of his students: Zen'in Maki, her glasses glinting and a weapon case already in hand; Panda, sniffing the air with a confused tilt of his head; and Inumaki Toge, who offered a quiet, "Okaka?"
"Huh" Gojo said, his voice light but his posture unnervingly still. "That's weird"
Maki frowned, her senses were sharpened to the extreme "Did it move? The report said it was nesting"
"Nope," Gojo popped the 'p'. He reached up and hooked a finger under his blindfold, lifting it just enough to reveal a sliver of an impossibly blue eye. The Six Eyes, the ocular technique that perceived Cursed Energy on a fundamental level, activated.
He wasn't just looking at the factory; he was seeing the very fabric of the energy that had recently saturated it.
And what he saw made his smirk return, wider and far more interested.
"It didn't move, Maki-chan" He said, letting the blindfold snap back into place. "It was killed. Totally and completely exorcised"
Panda scratched his head. "But the mission was just assigned to us. Who beat us to it?"
"Salmon," Inumaki agreed, looking around warily.
Maki crossed her arms. "Was it assigned to another sorcerer? Someone from the Kyoto school? Or a freelancer?"
Gojo's grin turned wide. "Nope. That's the really fun part. Everyone's accounted for. The Kyoto kids are on a mission up north. Everyone else is busy. According to the ledger, we were the only ones sent to handle this little pest"
He tilted his head, his mind working at lightspeed. According to the reports, it would have been a Grade 2 curse, a low tier one, but a Grade 2 curse nonetheless.
"So," he said, clapping his hands together, the serious moment gone as if it never was. "Either a powerful new player just showed up in town and didn't bother to tell little old me..."
He turned away from the factory, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"...or one of the existing ones is getting really bored. Come on, kids! Mission's over. Let's go get barbecue. My treat!"
He began to walk away, whistling a cheerful tune.
But behind the blindfold, his Six Eyes were still processing, analysing, calculating. He remembered the phenomena he encountered a couple of weeks ago. The parts of the city that were around deleting curses and Curse Energy.
And now this, but at least it wasn't deleted, just killed. But he can't identify who or what did it. He just knows that there must a connection.
And he is dying to find out what or who it is.
-----------------------------------
(Third Person POV)
The walk to Restaurant Yukihira was a melancholic journey.
Yoshioka Akira moved through the bustling, fragrant evening streets of the shopping district with the silence of a ghost.
He arrived to the entrance, and stared for a moment, remember something that passed through his memory and disappeared just as quick.
He slid open the familiar noren curtain and stepped into the warm, steam-filled embrace of the small restaurant.
The air was thick with the symphony of sizzling oil, chopping knives, and the rich, savory scent of dashi and soy. It was a cacophony of life that he, paradoxically, found orderly.
He took a seat at the counter, a spot that was familiar to him in some way.
For a moment, the rhythm of the kitchen stuttered.
Soma, flipping an omelette with a flashy wrist motion, caught sight of him and fumbled the catch. The pan clattered loudly. He stared, his usual competitive grin replaced by open-mouthed shock at the man's unnatural appearance
Behind him, Yukihira Joichiro was in the middle of filleting a fish with a blade that was a blur of motion. His hands stilled. The keen edge of his chef's knife hovered over the mackerel, his sharp eyes, usually crinkled with laughter or fierce concentration, now wide with surprise.
The silence lasted only a second before Joichiro's professional instincts kicked in. H
He finished the cut with a final, precise slice and wiped his hands on his apron. He walked over to the counter, leaning on it with an easy familiarity.
"Well, that's a new face," Joichiro said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that was both welcoming and deeply assessing. "What can I offer you?"
"The Mapo Tofu Meal," Akira replied, his voice a calm, low baritone that seemed to absorb the kitchen's noise
"Alright. I'll have it ready in a minute," Joichiro said, nodding once before turning back to his station. The order was simple, but something told him cooking for this man required a different kind of focus
Akira sat perfectly still, his crimson eyes tracking Joichiro's movements with an analytical precision.
Every chop, every sizzle, every flick of the wrist was cataloged and understood.
The restaurant's door slid open again with a loud clatter.
"Uff, that's the smell I was missing!" a cheerful, booming voice announced.
A woman slid onto the stool next to Akira with an athlete's effortless grace. She had wild, blonde hair and an energetic, powerful aura that seemed to vibrate the air around her. She flashed a brilliant grin at Joichiro. "Joichiro! The usual, extra spicy! I just flew in from... well, far away, and I'm starving!"
As she settled in, she turned to the man beside her, her bright pink eyes taking in his profile. Her grin widened into a look of pure, appreciative surprise.
"Damn, that is a very handsome face," Yuki Tsukumo stated, her assessment as direct and unflinching as a physical blow. She leaned an elbow on the counter, completely invading his personal space without a hint of hesitation. "Hey, handsome. What kind of girls do you like?"
But behind her playful demeanor, her senses, honed across continents and countless battles, were screaming. Her smile didn't falter, but her eyes sharpened, scanning him up and down with a new, intense curiosity.
This man, this devastatingly handsome man sitting next to her, had absolutely zero Cursed Energy.
It wasn't that he was hiding it. It was a void. A perfect, absolute blank. In her world, that was more impossible than seeing a curse itself.
Every living thing, from the smallest insect to the strongest sorcerer, had something. He had nothing. It was like sitting next to a beautifully carved statue.
Akira slowly turned his head to face her. His expression was, as always, impassive.
Those deep crimson eyes regarded her with the same detached curiosity he might give a particularly loud and colorful bird
-------------------------------------------------
(Sakurajima Mai's POV)
The walk to her apartment felt longer than usual.
The cacophony of the city, once a dull roar she could effortlessly fade into, now felt sharp and intrusive.
A boy from her class, a nice enough guy with floppy hair and nervous hands, had just stammered through a confession of his crush on her outside the school gates.
She'd let him down gently, the practiced, polite words feeling like ash in her mouth.
How annoying
That was the overwhelming feeling.
The return to so-called "normal" life. For a long time, she'd been a ghost, a beautiful specter everyone looked at but never truly saw.
Now, the veil had been lifted.
The curse was gone.
And in its place was… this.
A relentless parade of social expectations. Love confessions from boys who liked for her face or her reputation.
Invitations to karaoke parties and group study sessions from girls who wanted the glamorous model in their Instagram photos
She unlocked her door and stepped into the quiet space, dropping her bag by the genkan with a sigh.
The silence was a relief
She directly went into her bed, he mattress giving her a feeling of comfort and she smelled the just changed bedsheets.
She turned and stared into the ceiling. Raising her arm
Her fingers went to her wrist, to the simple silver bracelet. It was just an accessory now.
The technique was hers to command; she no longer needed a focus to control her presence. She could make the entire world forget her with a thought.
Yet, she never took it off.
She ran her thumb over the cool metal, and a familiar warmth spread through her chest. It wasn't the bracelet's doing. It was the memory it evoked.
The memory of him.
Yoshioka Akira.
The man who had looked at her not as a model to be desired or a ghost to be ignored, but as a problem to be solved. A girl with potential.
He'd seen the terrified, lonely girl beneath the curse and hadn't offered pity.
He'd offered a path to power.
He'd been merciless, brutal, and in his own utterly alien way, more respectful than anyone else in her life.
A faint, self-deprecating smile touched her lips. 'What am I even thinking? He's a teacher. I'm a student. It's impossible. It's ridiculous'
The logical part of her brain, the part that had survived on cold calculation for years, immediately listed the reasons.
The social taboo.
The professional boundary.
The vast, immeasurable gulf of experience and… everything else that separated them.
But then, another thought, quieter but stubborn rose in response.
'I'll be eighteen in December'
The number hung in the quiet of her apartment. It was just a number, but it was a line. A threshold.
'And this is my last year of school'
The implications unfolded in her mind with crystal clarity.
Graduation wasn't an end; it was a release. It was the dissolution of the roles that defined them now.
She would no longer be his student.
He would no longer be her teacher. They would just be… Akira and Mai.
The excuses crumbled. The "impossible" suddenly looked like a matter of poor timing.
A new resolve, hard and sharp, settled in her gut.
The boredom of her normal life evaporated, replaced by a single, focused objective. She looked at her reflection in the dark glass of the window.
The girl who had learned to become a weapon. The woman who was learning to fight the darkness that hide from the world
She would get stronger. She would master the power he'd given her.
She would finish school.
And then, when there was nothing stopping her…
She would confess.
The bracelet felt warm against her skin. No longer a tool, but a promise.
----------------------------------------
(Thousands of Years Ago)
(Third Person's POV)
The duel field faded, the holographic image of a mighty Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon letting out a final, silent roar before dissolving into pixels. Its crimson eyes had been the last thing Akira's opponent, a smug Obelisk Blue, had seen before his Life Points hit zero.
A murmur ran through the small crowd that had gathered.
A Slifer Red had just crushed a top-tier Obelisk student with a seemingly simple Dragon deck, but with a flawless, ruthless strategy that had left no room for recovery.
"Whoa! That was awesome!"
Akira turned. A spiky-haired boy in a Slifer Red jacket was bounding towards him, a massive grin on his face. It was Jaden Yuki, the academy's resident duelist savant.
"Your deck is totally cool! The way you used 'Inferno Fire Blast' to power up your Red-Eyes, and then sacrificed your own 'Black Dragon's Chick' to get the Darkness Metal Dragon on the field next turn... it was totally wicked! Most people just try to overpower you, but you... you kinda dissected him!!"
Jaden's energy was a tangible force, buzzing and chaotic. Akira regarded him with his usual placid neutrality, tucking his deck back into its box.
"It's all a matter of strategy" Akira stated, his voice a calm, low baritone that contrasted sharply with Jaden's exuberance. "His reliance on a single powerful monster was a critical vulnerability. Exploiting it was the most efficient path to victory"
Jaden's grin didn't falter. "Efficient? Dude, it was epic! You made it look easy. Hey, we should duel sometime! I'd love to see how my Elemental Heroes stand up to your dragons!"
Akira gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "Perhaps. If the opportunity presents itself."
He didn't wait for another response. With a final nod, he turned and walked away, leaving a slightly starstruck Jaden in his wake. Jaden just shook his head, still smiling. "Man, that guy is too cool..."
Akira's path didn't lead back to the Slifer dorm. Instead, he walked with purpose towards the academy's card shop. The bell above the door chimed softly as he entered
Behind the counter, a girl with soft brown hair and kind eyes was organizing a new box of booster packs. She looked up, and a warm, genuine smile spread across her face when she saw him.
"Akira! I heard you won another duel against a teacher. Everyone's talking about it"
"Sadie" he acknowledged, stopping in front of the counter. "I actually just won another one, but this time was against an Obelisk, nothing of note" His crimson eyes held hers. "Are you ready for our date?"
Sadie's cheeks flushed a delicate pink, but her smile never wavered. She wasn't intimidated by his bluntness; she saw the quiet honesty beneath it "Just give me five minutes to close up shop" she said softly
True to her word, five minutes later she emerged from the back room, having swapped her shop apron for a light jacket. She walked over to him and, without a hint of hesitation, looped her arm through his, hugging it gently.
From across the place three pairs of eyes watched the scene unfold.
"No way..." Mindy whispered, her jaw slack.
"How?!" Jasmine added, equally stunned. "How does that guy," she pointed discreetly at Akira, "The arguably most handsome and most skillful guy in the academy, go out with... her? She just works in the card shop!"
They both turned to their friend, the elegant and talented Alexis Rhodes, for validation.
Alexis watched the pair walk away, the tall, platinum-haired Slifer Red and the gentle, smiling shop girl. They looked... content.
A rare, almost foreign feeling in the competitive halls of Duel Academy.
She sighed, a faint, wistful look in her eyes. "Maybe," she said, her voice quiet, "You two just were too late."
'And me too,' she thought, a pang of something surprisingly like regret touching her heart as she watched the enigmatic Akira Yoshioka, a man who used strategies no one has ever seen, that seemingly help her brother escape a being of darkness by sacrificing himself to it, and WIN against it, a man she admired….
Find exactly what he was looking for in the most unexpected of places.
And the thing that twisted her heart….
It wasn't with her….