Not very interested in the next brutal thrashing that President Kaiba would give the AI, Youyu greeted Mokuba briefly before leaving Kaiba Company ahead of time and returned to the card shop.
With Linked World under maintenance and the jokesters collectively offline, the card store naturally wasn't as lively as usual. Although the title of "Duel King" Youyu was still bringing in business daily, something seemed to be missing.
Perhaps he came a bit early today, as there weren't many people in the shop yet—after all, not everyone wakes up at the crack of dawn to duel like President Kaiba. When Youyu entered, there was only Chinai as usual.
Chinai looked a bit out of it today. As Youyu pushed the door open, he immediately saw Chinai listlessly lying on the counter, her beautiful silver-white long hair scattered to the side.
Noticing Youyu entering, she perked up, stood from behind the counter, and waved to greet him.
... It felt a bit like returning home after a day out and hearing "You're back."
"What's wrong?" Youyu shut the door behind him, "Not feeling well?"
Chinai's small face was pale, her soft lips dry and white, with no color in her face.
"It's nothing." She shook her head, "Just feeling a bit unwell... It's okay."
Youyu seemed to understand a bit.
Could it be... the monthly visitor for girls?
But was it supposed to be this severe? Chinai's pale face looked as if she was seriously ill, which seemed quite concerning.
You of the You family might be good at card games, but this matter seemed to touch on his blind spot of knowledge. As he pondered, the only thing that came to his mind was "drink more hot water" back and forth, but he held back in the end.
He seemed to notice that Chinai indeed didn't have the habit of drinking hot water, always drinking cold water directly; logically speaking, she should drink hot water...
Or maybe... drink more magma?
"Have you had breakfast?" Chinai asked, "If not, I can just make some for you."
"I ate at the company." Youyu replied casually.
Given Chinai's current state, honestly, he felt embarrassed to have her busy in the kitchen for him.
Chinai, looking weary at the counter, immediately perked up: "The company? You went to President Kaiba's place? So early?"
Perhaps he spent the night there?
"Yes, some tests for the new system." Youyu replied casually, not delving into the topic much, "Since you're feeling unwell, why not rest? I can look after the shop."
"No need, it's not that serious." Chinai stubbornly shook her head.
With the jokester players not around, honestly, Youyu didn't have any urgent matters to attend to. After some thought, he went across the street to the convenience store on the corner to buy some brown sugar and ginger, planning to make some brown sugar ginger water.
Classic storyline—period loves drinking brown sugar ginger water.
After all, that's what they say on TV, so it should... be right?
The sales clerk at the convenience store was also a young girl, sort of a small fangirl of Youyu. However, it wasn't surprising, in a city like Domino with a strong dueling atmosphere, he really had quite a few fans.
Who could resist someone so good at dueling and handsome?
The girl was quite enthusiastic: "Youyu-san, good morning~ You're early today!"
Since the convenience store was virtually opposite the card shop, they were all considered neighbors and quite familiar. Youyu would often visit this convenience store, and over time, got well-acquainted.
After finding the brown sugar and ginger, Youyu placed them on the counter, and the clerk suddenly revealed an expression of having discovered some big news.
She quickly lowered her voice: "Youyu-san, how far have things progressed between you?"
"No, this is..."
"Don't worry, Youyu-san, you know me; I have a tight lip." She chuckled, "I understand. I wouldn't go around telling others."
Understand? What nonsense do you understand?
Besides, how would I know if you have a tight lip?
Youyu was too lazy to explain, paid for the items, and headed out directly. The clerk waved goodbye vigorously at his back while uttering some ambiguous blessings.
...
Chinai held the cup of steaming, prepared brown sugar water in her hands, her mind momentarily dazed.
Did he go out and buy this for me?
Did he prepare this for me?
"!"
She lifted her gaze, surprised, to Youyu, only to find him sitting casually nearby, leg crossed, holding a magazine of "Duel Generation," flipping through it with an indifferent expression as if this matter didn't concern him...
But to Chinai, it didn't matter.
He cares about me!
The girl erupted in joy, the cup of sugar water in her fair hands remained untouched, but it seemed like the pain had lessened.
She took little sips of the sugar water, cautiously approaching Youyu, softly saying: "Thank you, I feel much better."
... Just kidding.
Honestly, even after drinking the sugar water... it didn't help much.
But who cares, she feels much better now.
"Hmm... that's good then."
You remained focused on reading the magazine, not even lifting his head.
...
"Youyu bro!!!"
In the evening, the jellyfish-headed kid excitedly dashed in, running like he was flying.
Judai's parents were, as usual, outrageously busy, disappearing for days on end. However, the little jellyfish-headed kid didn't seem to mind, as he loved heading to the card shop the moment he was free, coming almost every day after school to make his presence known.
When Youyu was there, he would cling to Youyu, pestering him to play cards, sharing and testing the new card game strategies and things he had added to his deck, which sometimes made no sense.
Even when Youyu wasn't around, he'd hang around, browsing through new card packs and magazines, chatting with Chinai, and even helping her out when the shop got busy.
Over time, Judai grew closer with Chinai, sharing various amusing event stories from school, and sometimes even confiding in her about his tardiness and late homework assignments.
Chinai also enjoyed listening to his tales, providing advice and relieving him of some worries occasionally.
After all, as Youyu's student, it makes sense to pay extra attention to his student's lifestyle and mental health!
Besides, Chinai genuinely liked this kid. She found him lively, cute, with high dueling talent, and somewhat veiled with a king-like aura.
In that sense, akin to Youyu.
The kid's sharp gaze instantly pinpointed sister's unwell state upon entering: "Eh? Chinai sister, is your tummy hurting?"
"Hmm... a bit."
"Huh?" Judai was immediately worried, "Would you like me to rub your tummy? When my tummy hurts, mom rubs it and it instantly hurts less! Really!"
Seeing Judai's face full of sincerity, Chinai felt touched, but limited by her ability to express emotions, nodded gently: "Thank you, but it's alright, no need."
"Oh oh." Judai nodded, "Then sister, remember to drink lots of hot water!"
From the side, Youyu drew a breath—
—Well played, kid, saying what I dared not say so easily.
You're going places, kid...
Chinai patted his jellyfish head: "I will, thank you."
Judai thought for a moment, cautiously looking toward his master: "Then... should we call Youyu brother to help rub your tummy..."
"Eh... eh?"
Chinai blinked big eyes, suddenly freezing.
"Ahem..."
Youyu felt the magazine was unreadable now, putting it down with a couple of light coughs.
"Um, Judai, I remembered was there an exam today at school? How'd you score? Let me see your paper?"
Judai: "!?"