18 – Sakamoto Games Tournament Part 3

As I tried to ignore furtive glances from the silver-eyed and black-haired beauty that was Yamagata Kimiko, Hayashi Naomi, with her bob cut of pink-orange hair and sapphire blue eyes, continues her commentary in preparation for the next round of the tournament.

"We had such an astounding victory for Anubis in the first round. He seemed to be in complete control of the entire game. Despite his lack of experience, he plays like a pro. I am excited to see how he performs later in the tournament. But, enough about Anubis, Kimiko-san, are you ready for the next round?" Naomi asks in her calm voice. The crowd cheers wildly at her and she has to fight not to blush. 

I wonder why after 20 years she is still blushing, or fighting blushes, from the crowd's attention? Either she was acting and continuing the act to keep her relevant and popular...or she was one of the biggest M's I had ever seen. 

I frown deeply under my mask with a nod. 'It is a good thing Ishizu is with me now. I am not sure the sadist in me would be able to hold back teasing Naomi relentlessly otherwise. As it were, Naomi's blushing face, even being as drop-down gorgeous as she was, held nothing on my Zushi's blushing face. She would always be the only M in my heart. Romantic, right?'

...Seriously, I hope she never gains the ability to read my memories and sees such thoughts...

"Yes, This will be Round 2 of the 64 slot bracket." Kimiko nods and turns her attention to the whiteboard next to her. I breathe a sigh of relief at that.

"It looks like the competitors are Tomita Jiro and...Ara?" Her entire demeanor changes when she notices a name on the board. Her eyes thin and a wide, super-duper fake, smile finds its way onto her face. If Naomi looked like the perfect M, then Kimiko's current face made her the queen of S's.

"Is that really Takashima Nobu-chan? What's this? Surely a World Champion isn't here to bully a bunch of kids, right~?" She raises a hand to her cheek and leans her head to the side as her sickeningly sweet tone gave me chills.

I had only seen Kimiko act this way a couple of times, and it was only when either her husband or Kin was in serious trouble. She would call out to them with an "Ara Ara~" and all the blood in their faces would drain. I had no idea what happened after that, as she would drag them into another room to "Have a little discussion," but when they left the room later, her smile was genuine and their faces looked hollow and lifeless.

Takashima Nobu, for his part, flinched and looked at Kimiko with confusion and a hint of anger in his eyes. He was walking towards the dueling table with his competitor when he was called out. 

"...I just wanted to have some fun. I don't see what the big deal is." He says in a low voice and with a glare at his fellow World Champion. 

"That is exactly what a bully would say!" Kimiko says with a giggle and a clap of her hands. "I am sure this tournament will be such a momentous victory for you. Truly a trophy to hang on your wall. Don't worry, Nobu-chan, even if what you are doing is despicable and deplorable, I will only cheer on your shamelessness! Good luck~!"

Takashima's eyes narrow further and Naomi looks over at her friend in shock as she quickly tries to defuse the situation. "Haha...Anyway, Tomita Jiro has no official record and seems to be here for a bit of fun himself. He works as a history teacher at Sakura High and decided to see how far he could make it in this tournament. Let's have a warm round of applause for him!"

The crowd, sensing the awkwardness of Kimiko and Taskashima's interaction, gives subdued and polite claps. 

"Next~~~! We have Takashima Nobu~! 3rd World Champion and a real stand-up guy. He works as the current Duel Monsters National League Spokesman and I am sure his bosses are watching with rapt attention to see his performance today~! Let's give a big round of applause for such an honorable man!"

Silence greets Kimiko's words. A visible vein bulges on Takashima's forehead, but he ignores her as he shuffles his deck and offers it to be cut. 

"M-Mr. Sakamoto wishes us to remind you once again about the s-snack booth in the back... H-He would also like to announce the s-super-secret s-special of the day! B-Buy 1 hot dog and get one free by using the keyword "Anubis" at checkout..." Naomi reads this off a card, trying to stay cheery, but suffering from the suffocating aura coming from her co-commentator. 

'Damn. Mr. Sakamoto is a real marketing genius.' I think as I ignore the awkward air in the shop completely. I actually didn't see the harm in  Takashima competing, but it seemed to be a bigger deal than I had once assumed. 

The duel commences and...surprise, surprise, Takashima wins. The room is deafeningly quiet as he announces the winning attack. 

At least, until one person starts clapping enthusiastically.

"What an amazing duel~! I am sure Nobu-chan feels great after winning! You can tell by the dead eyes of his opponent that this was a completely fair and not at all shameful victory~!" Kimiko announces cheerfully. Not even Naomi has anything to offer to alleviate the mood the whole store feels as they send judgmental looks at Takashima.  

"Dammit, Yamagata! I just wanted to have a bit of fun and relax! Where does it say that I can't join? What gives you the right to-" He throws his deck on the table and scatters his cards once again as he stands and yells. His yell freezes in his throat when he makes eye contact with Kimiko. Her eyes seem to dare him to continue.

He does not. 

He grabs his cards quickly and leaves the table as his opponent sighs and stands to leave as well. 

"O-Onto the 3rd round!" Naomi says, breaking the tension in the air. "This one should be good! We have 2 Regional Champions batting it out!"

* | * | *

POV Switch Ishizu Ishtar

The day I had spent with Ren at the salon was amazing.

I got my hair cut and styled, hands and nails manicured, toes and feet pedicured, a 1-hour massage, and spent over an hour in the rejuvenating hot spring bath with her.

I did my best not to stare, but Ren had a truly impressive figure. I could fully understand why the majority of her massage was spent on her shoulders and upper back. I was not a slouch in the chest department either, but she made me look flat-chested. 

She was also more than willing for a bit of skinship between friends, so I was allowed to sate my curiosity of them while washing her back. To put it simply, they were HEAVY. 

I gave her a look that showed I understood, to some degree, her pain, but she responded with a raised eyebrow and a look that told me I had no idea her plight. Having no counter to this, I gave in and offered my condolences. 

After the spa, we emerge into the open air of Domino City feeling like new people. 

"We have to do that again! I feel so relaxed now~!" Ren says cheerfully as we make our way down the street. 

"Yes, I completely agree! I think we should go once a month." I say seriously. The salons and spas in Egypt were good, at least the ones I went to, but this place blew them all away along with my expectations. I suppose that is what you can expect from a massive and wealthy city.

"Spa day with Zu! Yessss!" Ren answers with a wide smile grabbing onto my arm and hugging it tightly. 

She decided on the nickname in the first hour. I didn't mind it at all, and, in fact, liked the feeling of familiarity I got from it. It made me feel like we were already best friends. 

She checks her phone and then dials up a number.

"Hay Babe~!" She says in a cutesy manner.

Even though I am not the one on the phone, I can clearly hear the dejected response of, "Don't you 'Babe' me, you traitor!"

"Aw, I'm sorry we ditched you. But didn't you have a fun time with Aki? A bro date sounds-"

He must have responded again because she stops and covers her mouth with her hand not holding the phone. She then doubles over and bursts out into laughter.

Pffft "No way! You were ditched by Aki too! That's hilarious!"

She then stops laughing all at once and looks at her phone in confusion. A giant, almost predatory, smile grows on her face.

"He actually hung up on me. It seems he still is in need of some training..." She mumbles under her breath. 

"Um...Is everything alright?" I ask awkwardly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It looks like Aki went home and ditched Kin too. He is pretty depressed, so I think I am gonna go home and comfort him a bit now. Do you want me to call you a cab?" She asks and looks up at me with a gentle smile.

"No, that's okay. I am going to check out that tournament we heard about earlier. It sounded like it would be fun and I want to catch the finals if I can." I answer, giving her a hug for our parting. She was just so hugable. 

"Okeeee! Have fun Zu! Text me later!" Ren says and heads over to a bench by the road to call a cab home. I wave at her goodbye and promise to call her. When she is no longer looking, my smile fades a bit.

Her words sounded like something a sweet and caring girlfriend would say, but there was a hint of something not being as it seems.

That was Uyehara Ren in a nutshell. I'm not gonna lie, I almost took a look at her past today. She is clearly hiding something...but she is also clearly showing an honest effort in becoming my friend as well. I sense no deceptions from our interactions, but I can feel darkness on the edges of her words. Like she is forcing herself to be happy.

I want to ask about it, if for no other reason than to tell her I care, but we are not there yet as friends, and I was not one to push others. 

I was one to look into their entire pasts behind their backs, but not one to push them in the present.

Yes, I am aware of the hypocrisy in that. 

Still, I had held back and had not looked into her past because I wanted her to be my friend. I have strict rules about doing that sort of thing to friends or potential friends. The powers I wield are no joke and should not be used recklessly. 

I learned that years ago when I looked into the past of one of my favorite teachers on a whim. Seeing him being tortured by a criminal syndicate and the horrible things he had to go through in his youth was an eye-opening experience for me, to say the least. 

It had shocked me to the core to see that my worldview was so wrong and that I knew so little. That is when my bad habit started. I couldn't look at people the same way any longer. Everyone was read. Everyone's past was revealed. 

That continued for years until I used in on a new friend and learned a secret I should not have. One that I forcefully tried to solve and only resulted in her moving away and me never hearing from her again. That is when my self-imposed rules were created. 

I needed to be cautious but not overly so or I risked learning things about people I truly cared for that they would rather me not know. 

Still, I could say something with absolute confidence now: The ones with the biggest smiles hide the darkest secrets. This is how I knew that Ren was suffering.  

My past was as dark, if not darker, than what I am guessing Ren's to be, and that is why I believe I am fully qualified to be her best friend. Hell, if there was a job about past baggage, I might be overqualified.

There are several things that I had not told Toshi about. Some were very, very unpleasant, but none of them ever happened to me, so I had no place to even complain about them. Even if I had nightmares about them as if they had happened to me. 

See, when I view someone's past, it was like I was as a spirit free-floating in their memories. I didn't see from their eyes, but I did feel what they felt. I knew what they were thinking. I became them in that instant in their past, but I still viewed them as if I wasn't. It was incredibly hard to describe or explain how it felt. I was, all of a sudden, two people. 

Experiencing the things that happened in the shadows of the night or behind closed doors irrevocably changed me. Even though none of these things happened to me, it was me in that instant. 

Some things are better left hidden. 

Pulling myself from the pain of my and other's memories, I enter the gaming store and look for my boyfriend. 

Regardless of anything else, he was my light. The person who pulled me from the darkness. The person who saved me from drowning in life's cruelties. He had done so effortlessly and with that cocky, amazing smile.

He was the only person I could not read. The fact that I couldn't was as much agony to me as it was a breath of fresh air. 

He was the sole reason I was not a lifeless doll. The only reason I could breathe and not feel suffocated. 

I look over and see him sitting alone in his Anubis disguise and smile. 

I don't care what this world brings, our happiness was my only priority. I would do anything for him, just as I knew he would do the same for me. The world could burn and as long as we were together, we would be fine.

I loved him more than I ever knew was possible. More than any other love I had felt in the countless memories I had viewed. 

His soul was the brightest star in the sky and I would willingly follow it until my death.

I hope that things keep up like this forever, I would never want to go back to how I was before. 

Toshi had saved me, and now it was time for me to help him, and I was committed to doing everything I could.