"Hmph..."
After school, in the classroom, Yugi and Joey were introducing Yuto, Téa, and Miho to a new game that had recently become popular.
Joey held a yo-yo in his hand, snapping it downward, and the yo-yo hovered in the air.
"The hottest street craze right now is this yo-yo!"
Téa sat on Yuto's desk and asked in confusion, "Something this old is popular again?"
"Seems so. Everywhere on the streets, you can see people playing with yo-yos," Yuto answered her.
"Alright, alright, I'll show you my special move! Way better than just hovering in the air, watch this!"
Joey slowly lowered his hand, and the yo-yo rolled forward on the ground.
"Isn't that just 'walking the dog'?"
Téa stared speechlessly at Joey, thinking he had some incredible trick.
However, it turned out to be something even her grandpa could do. She really shouldn't have expected much from him.
Joey, embarrassed by her words, reeled the yo-yo back in and struck another pose.
"Th-then I'll show you an even stronger move..."
The yo-yo then started flying wildly through the air, and Yuto quickly pulled Téa into his arms to keep her from being hit.
"Hey, hey! What kind of move is that supposed to be?!"
Tristan, unable to watch anymore, grabbed the yo-yo mid-flight.
"I'm telling you, don't bring such dangerous toys into the classroom!"
Joey, still stubborn, retorted, "Of course you wouldn't understand the charm hidden in my techniques, old man."
Yuto said he didn't see any charm either—what he did see was how dangerous it was.
Meanwhile, Miho looked fascinated. "That move was amazing! So cool!"
Girl, you... never mind. If she can call a mummy cute, then calling this cool makes sense.
Yuto wanted to say something, but swallowed his words. Tristan, however, reacted immediately, rushing in front of Miho.
"What are you talking about, Miho? What if the yo-yo hit you while you were playing with it?!" With teary eyes and both hands on her shoulders, he said solemnly, "Promise me, never play with yo-yos! They're too dangerous!"
"For Miho, you're the real dangerous one here..." Joey picked up Yuto's role as the one to deliver sarcastic remarks.
"Though Tristan isn't wrong—yo-yos can be dangerous," Téa added. "Have you heard? A gang of thugs has been using yo-yos as weapons to mug people."
She hugged Yuto's arm. "A lot of students have already fallen victim to them..."
"Seriously?" Joey's expression turned grave.
"That settles it. I'm gonna teach those punks a lesson!"
With those words, Joey left the classroom, giving everyone else nothing except a cool silhouette of his back.
Anyhow, the next morning, Joey didn't come to school.
"Unbelievable! This is serious!" Tristan shouted. "Joey's absent?!"
Miho asked in confusion, "Couldn't it just be that he's sick?"
Tristan shook his head. "Joey's greatest strength is his health. No matter what happens, he never skips school."
Wait, Joey has perfect attendance? Thinking about it carefully, yeah—he'd never once seen Joey take a day off. That guy... could he actually be a good student?
"And he didn't call in either..." Yuto thought back to what Joey had said yesterday about punishing those thugs, and his heart sank. Could something serious have happened? No way Joey got killed, right? No, impossible—he still had way too much role left to play, he couldn't just die.
"Anyway, let's check on him after school," Tristan decided as class was about to begin.
After school, Yuto and the others followed Tristan to Joey's house.
"Come to think of it, I've never been to Joey's place before," Yuto remarked.
Without responding, Tristan led them to an apartment building. "If I remember right, it's the first unit on the third floor."
They reached Room 301, the nameplate reading 'Wheeler.' Tristan knocked.
"Excuse me, is this Joey Wheeler's home? We're his friends."
There was no response.
"No one home?" Téa asked.
Miho stepped forward and tried the doorknob—it turned easily. "It's not locked!"
"Miho! Entering someone's home without permission is against the law!" Tristan tried to stop her, yet she still pushed the door open a crack.
"Then let's just peek from the doorway."
The group lined up by height and peeked through the gap. A bottle suddenly flew at them, smashing against the door.
"Joey! Where the hell were you last night?!"
Inside, a man hiccupped between shouts, the sound of bottles shattering echoing in the room.
"S-sorry!" the group apologized and quickly ran off, bolting down the stairs.
Gasping for breath, Yugi said, "That was terrifying... wait, was that—?"
"His father," Tristan answered. "That's why Joey doesn't want friends coming over."
"From what he yelled, Joey didn't come home last night either. Where could he have gone?" Yuto analyzed, remembering the outburst.
Even so, really, where did Joey go? Or rather, what happened that made him unable to return home?
"We've gotta find him. We can't just do nothing," Yugi suggested, and everyone immediately agreed.
So they began searching through the city—places Joey often went, like arcades and shopping streets.
Despite that, searching blindly was like finding a needle in a haystack. By evening, they still had no clue.
"This isn't working... we've already checked everywhere Joey might be..."
Just as they were at a loss, screams echoed from a nearby alley.
What's going on?
They hurried over and saw several students in unfamiliar college uniforms surrounding a frail office worker. Swinging their yo-yos, they barked, "What, you think just saying sorry is enough after stepping on my foot?!"
"That's the uniform of Nintama University," Tristan said.
"Same as always, a bunch of lowlifes gathering together... tch!"
Looking closer, Yugi spotted another student among them—wearing Domino City University's uniform.
Ah! It was Joey!
"Joey?! That's Joey, isn't it?!"
"Huh?!"
With Yugi's reminder, Yuto and the others also spotted him.
"Why is he with them?" Téa asked, confused.
Yugi didn't think further. He just rushed forward, calling out to his friend.
"Joey! Joey Wheeler!"
At Yugi's voice, Joey and the Nintama students stopped. Joey turned his head briefly toward Yugi.
"Why didn't you come to school? And why are you with them?"
Yugi pressed, but Joey turned his head back.
"Them? You mean us? Joey, you know this kid?" A delinquent in a green knit cap turned, stepping toward Yugi. Yuto and Tristan hurried to his side.
Joey replied, "No, I don't know them. Let's go, don't waste time."
"Joey! Why?!" Yugi cried, upset at Joey denying him.
Suddenly, the green-hatted thug punched Yugi square in the chest.
"You're annoying, brat! Don't act so chummy with my friend!"
Yugi slid half a meter across the ground. The delinquents burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Let's go! Time to hit up Jz for some fun!"
"Yugi!" Yuto rushed to help him up.
...
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