There are still two hours until the launch of Kaiba Group's new model Duel Disc.
Of course, Youyu couldn't be left out of this event. President Kaiba seemed determined to squeeze every bit of value out of Youyu's "Duel King" title, and Youyu's handsome face could be seen on the electronic billboards promoting the new Duel Disc on the street.
As a semi-official personnel, Youyu also had to arrive early. He got up really early that day, and when he went out on the road, it was still dark. The incandescent street lamps illuminated the cement road, and the whole street was silent and empty.
The roller shutter of the manor garage slowly lifted in front of Youyu, the lights came on, illuminating a dark red motorcycle. It was a steel steed with a slender streamline, the front lights resembling round insect eyes, and the tech-savvy design easily evoked the "Masked Hero" which symbolized the identity of the Duel King.
This was Youyu's exclusive ride, an expensive toy. The bike itself was almost bound to Youyu's identity, modified by Kaiba Group, and was one of a kind in the world.
This was sent as an additional reward after Kaiba shamelessly took advantage of Youyu's Duel King status multiple times. Youyu had mumbled back then, saying that the president bossed him around all the time, but he didn't even have a ride for commuting.
So, this week, President Kaiba sent him this.
The motorcycle engine roared with cheer as Youyu wore the helmet, lowered his body, and shot out alongside the motorcycle like a sword unsheathed.
However, before heading to the venue, Youyu had somewhere else to go.
He had to pick up Chinai from the store.
Although it was still dark, the card store was, as usual, already lit. Chinai sat behind the counter, seemingly flipping through a book, but occasionally stretching her neck to look forward eagerly.
The sound of a clear screeching brake, the tire harshly rubbing against the road surface, and the motorcycle came to a sudden stop at the door. As Youyu parked, Chinai was already standing at the door, her eyes bright.
"...Very cool." She said.
Youyu lifted the reflective visor of the helmet and joked half-heartedly, "Are you talking about me, or the bike?"
Chinai unconsciously lowered her head and whispered, "...Both."
Youyu ignored the "favorability UP" jumping out of her silver-haired little head—he had long gotten used to this. He casually tossed another safety helmet to Chinai and patted the spot behind him.
"Hop on."
Kaiba's products were always top-notch and the motorcycle custom-made by the president was naturally of high quality. Not to mention just taking the petite Chinai; It's not even a problem to carry the muscular Mr. Kuroda on the back seat.
But the seat might be a bit small...
It was only after Chinai got on that Youyu realized this issue.
The bike's design was flashy enough, and the performance was quite superior. According to the designers, you could even do low-altitude jumps from a jet without any trouble.
At that time, Youyu casually praised a few words, but inwardly thought, low-altitude jumps wouldn't be a problem for the bike, but I would be!
I'm not a superman like President Kaiba, jumping off a plane with this thing might have me end up like Great Evil God Sock!
The designers also boasted about the bike's excellent performance and a dozen powerful functions, saying it operated well even in extreme conditions...
...Yet they seemed to overlook space issues.
The seat was a little cramped for two people. Even with Chinai's physique, she still had to closely stick to Youyu's body to sit.
"...Maybe we should take a taxi," Youyu pondered for two seconds, saying, "If you're uncomfortable..."
"No need." Chinai interrupted before he finished, "Com...comfortable."
After speaking, as if to show her determination, she wrapped her small hands around Youyu's waist.
Youyu: "..."
You're comfortable... but now I'm not!
Actually, back when Kaiba said they would get Youyu a sports car or something. But upon hearing this, Youyu thought sports cars had no future, and proactively requested a motorcycle instead.
In the world of card games, what's the point of sports cars?
Card players all know that as the game continues to evolve and the form of dueling keeps advancing, sooner or later dueling will turn into "Riding Duel" mode. By then, the strongest duelists will all be playing card games on motorcycles, not only needing good card skills but also to have excellent riding skills.
By that era, only veteran drivers would be able to duel properly. Otherwise, a single operational error could lead to a crash before the card game is even finished.
So since the president proposed to get him a ride, Youyu figured he ought to get a bike now to practice, just in case the era of Riding Duels suddenly arrives in the future.
In fact, it seems like there's already a hint of this now. Kaiba Company appears to have ideas about integrating card games into various fields.
For instance, someone in the planning department recently suggested combining card games with traditional sports like football and basketball. Others mentioned considering dueling while flying planes, with Duel Monsters having aerial battles mid-air for better viewing experience...
All in all, it keeps getting more and more outrageous.
...Forget it.
Thinking of the movie, where even the single seat on Fudo Yusei's D-Wheel could fit Yugi, Judai, and Yusei, Youyu felt squeezing with Chinai on a seat was no problem.
Youyu paused for a moment, glanced at the small hands wrapped around his waist, turned his head to Chinai: "...Could you loosen up?"
Chinai lowered her head and shook her little head, softly saying, "I'm scared."
As a girl, she was sitting sideways originally, and with the bike going so fast, what if she accidentally got flung off?
No way she's letting go!
Considering the venue wasn't that far anyway, and seeing her persistent demeanor, Youyu figured he'd bear with it for now.
Only ten minutes of a ride, just endure it a little.
It's just that, it seems Chinai used to be quite obedient to him, and now somehow she started to become a bit rebellious...
"Are you ready? Shall we go?"
"...Yes." Chinai lowered the visor of her helmet, nodded quietly.
The engine started, the motorcycle took off, and Youyu could clearly feel Chinai's grip getting tighter.
...Wow, never noticed before, but Chinai's grip was pretty strong.
Chinai silently said nothing, but her little heart was pounding, with the frequency continually rising.
She hadn't realized before, but Youyu's body was really firm, so solid and tense...
Yet this made her feel more at ease, unwittingly even resting her little head on Youyu's tense back.
In just ten minutes of travel, Youyu felt exhausted like he'd just run a long distance, even more tiring than playing cards with the president...