"Jaden, you must be very surprised to see this letter. I am equally surprised... I never expected to see you in a place like a Kengan match. The first thought I had when I saw you fighting someone was actually to try and stop you..."
"Perhaps I really am getting old. The former me would have respected your wishes no matter what... but now I've actually thought it through. After all, you are the child of my dearest lifelong partner. Since you were brought by him-a person I thought I might never see again-you naturally wouldn't be ordinary."
"Jaden, do whatever you want. You don't need to worry too much about me, and you don't have to hold back when you're out there... But come back to visit soon. Someone sent me fresh seafood. You can come back and eat your favorite seafood pilaf. Also... it's about time I told you about your background."
The letter that old man Yugi had someone deliver to Jaden carried all of that.
It was meant to tell him not to overthink things.
And to convey those words.
Jaden had delayed his departure by one day because Erina's situation still required his help.
But now, with most of her matters settled-
"...After saying goodbye and apologizing to Erina, I'll go back and visit."
Jaden carefully folded the letter and tucked it away.
He muttered about the trouble.
Yet without realizing it, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"That old man, honestly... But if he's making seafood pilaf, I'll buy some things on the way back."
He thought it through as he packed.
"The food there is usually good, but upgrading the meals for those little rascals once in a while isn't bad. Oh right-he likes that wine. I'll buy some fruit too."
Jaden had inherited all the memories of this world's Jaden.
Or perhaps the two had always been one person-inside a dream and outside of it-and this time, they had simply merged.
Among those memories, the ones that appeared most often-
The deepest.
The warmest-
All belonged to old man Yugi.
And the children at the orphanage.
When Jaden crossed over, he accepted everything about this body.
Naturally, that included these emotional bonds.
After tidying his belongings, he carefully placed the letter into a hidden pocket in his backpack.
Then he slung the bag-filled with a few changes of clothes and some odds and ends-over one shoulder.
Slowly, he stepped out of the room Takeshi Ogami had arranged for him.
Whether it was coincidence or something else-
The moment Jaden pushed his door open, the door next to his opened as well.
Erina stepped out.
She carried a suitcase in both hands.
She was wearing her Totsuki uniform.
"You're packed too, huh..."
Jaden spoke softly.
Erina nodded.
Without saying much else, they walked side by side down the deep, dim corridor toward the exit.
"Nakiri... you're heading back to Totsuki next, right?"
"Mhm..."
Erina nodded, then glanced at him.
"You'll be going home after this, right?"
"Mhm... The old man called me back today, so I'll probably stay there for about a week."
"Mhm..."
That was it.
Normally, when they joked and bickered, there was never a shortage of words.
But now-
In this atmosphere-
Two awkward people became even more awkward.
Finally, Jaden took a deep breath.
"Nakiri... no."
"Erina."
"Eh!?"
Erina was visibly startled when he suddenly called her by her first name.
"Sorry," Jaden said quickly. "If I hadn't messed with you that first time, you would've finished your training camp and returned to Totsuki by now..."
"I'm truly sorry."
At first, Erina was confused.
She had been wondering what he was going to say.
She didn't expect an apology.
In her original impression, Jaden was a good person-
But also someone with an extremely unpleasant personality.
Yet now, looking at him-
His expression serious.
His face faintly flushed.
His gaze avoiding hers-
Erina's expression softened.
What is wrong with this guy...
Is his personality really this awkward?
With that thought, she smiled.
"It's okay."
She spoke gently.
"This was a rare experience on my path to pursuing culinary arts."
"There's an old saying-what doesn't kill me makes me stronger."
Then she paused.
Her expression became a little complicated.
If she hadn't withdrawn from school-
She would definitely have hated someone like Jaden.
Making things that barely qualified as cooking-hate.
An unpleasant personality under normal circumstances-hate.
No chef's dignity whatsoever-hate.
But-
Unlike the heroines in shojo manga who suddenly find reasons for their hearts to flutter-
Erina realized something.
Despite being filled with traits she should despise-
She couldn't bring herself to hate him.
In fact-
"I think..."
She hesitated.
"...I was quite lucky to have met you, Jaden."
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized it.
At moments like this-
She herself was also quite awkward.
"Mhm..."
By the time they reached this point, they had reached the end of the tunnel.
They stepped out from the back door of the O-uchu.
The setting sun bathed everything in red.
The sky burned quietly.
"I'll be leaving then..."
Jaden took a deep breath.
He pointed in the direction of the orphanage.
Erina remained where she was, holding her suitcase.
"I'm heading back to the Totsuki Resort too."
So-
They looked at each other.
Then both smiled.
"See you~"
They said it simply.
Erina watched as Jaden's figure slowly disappeared from view.
And with him-
Her smile faded.
She had to return to Totsuki.
And Totsuki was currently under increasing pressure from Toyo Electric.
The situation was getting worse.
Especially the upcoming Kengan match between Toyo Electric and Totsuki.
Sigh.
As she thought about it, Erina recalled the moment Jaden had knocked out Ryo Himuro with a single punch.
She had Jaden's contact information.
But she had no intention of using it.
After all-
She looked in the direction Jaden had left.
A faint, bitter smile appeared.
"Since this matter no longer has anything to do with him..."
"No matter what happens, I can't drag him into it."
...
Jaden planned to buy supplies before returning to the orphanage.
He grabbed a shopping cart at the supermarket.
Then his phone rang.
"Ryo Himuro?"
Seeing the caller ID, Jaden paused.
But he answered.
"What's up, Himuro?"
He spoke casually while pushing the cart toward the meat section.
On the other end, Ryo Himuro let out a helpless sigh.
"I was a bit nervous when I heard that your next opponent in the Totsuki Resort versus Toyo Electric Kengan match was Meguro..."
"But hearing how relaxed you sound, I feel much better."
...Huh?
Jaden frowned.
"Kengan match between the Totsuki Resort and Toyo Electric?"
He immediately pushed the cart aside.
Then he walked out of the supermarket.
Turning around, he started heading back in the opposite direction.
His expression grew serious.
"Himuro."
"Tell me what's going on."
"The Kengan match between Totsuki Resort and Toyo Electric."
"And that Meguro."
"I know it's a hassle," Jaden said slowly, "but tell me everything."
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