Youyu promised Chinai that he would often come back to the shop whenever he had free time, and it was more than just talk.
The day after moving out, Youyu got up early. The two main characters from the future were still sound asleep in their respective rooms, but Youyu returned to the shop before dawn.
Chinai also got up early as always, her little head peeking out every few minutes, looking out the window as if she was expecting something.
When that familiar figure appeared at the street corner, the girl's eyes instantly brightened with enthusiasm.
She quickly tidied her clothes and adjusted her hairstyle, straightening the white bowtie on her maid outfit before Youyu crossed the street and entered, as if determined to show her best self.
She opened the shop door for Youyu: "You're here."
Youyu was a bit surprised, nodded: "I'm here."
"You actually... didn't have to come."
"But I still came."
"..."
Suddenly, a thick sense of classic martial arts drama passed by...
Youyu coughed: "You're up early."
"Waiting for you."
"Did you know I was coming today?"
"No." Chinai shook her head earnestly.
Even if she didn't know, it didn't stop her from waiting.
"Have you eaten?" She asked.
"Not yet."
"Then let's eat together," she said, "I'll go whip up something."
Without waiting for Youyu's reply, she went into the kitchen to prepare.
Breakfast included miso soup, rice, and a few of Chinai's specialty dishes.
At this time, the shop owner was still sleeping soundly, so only the two of them were at the table.
The two ate and chatted intermittently.
Chinai casually recounted various trivial things that happened in the shop and nearby during his absence, mentioning the antics of a group of regular absurd characters.
When talking about some bizarre "line up and bunny hop" behavior, even Chinai, who usually withheld her sparse expressions, had signs of wanting to laugh.
Because the scene was just... utterly ridiculous.
Youyu listened and laughed along with her, reflecting inwardly whether he had ever indulged in such baffling behavior in his past...
After the Doma incident, Chinai's attitude towards these absurd duelists changed significantly.
Initially, she thought they were just neurotic weirdos whose language and actions were baffling. But during the Doma incident, when various fantasy-like monsters appeared in the city, it was these absurd characters who stepped up to maintain peace on the streets.
Since then, Chinai's impression of these eccentrics has changed.
Now, she watches these noisy, bewildering people wearing odd costumes daily and feels nothing but familiarity.
Then she mentioned Xue Lang.
Since he came to the shop, Xue Lang acted like an emotionless worker, and Chinai thought his social circle was limited to Youyu and those few weirdos around him. But unexpectedly, someone recently sent him a letter from overseas.
Even Youyu was surprised.
What? Someone actually wrote to this guy?
And I didn't even know?
Upon inquiry, it seems that during the Orichalcos monster ransacking, Xue Lang went out with the player army to score points and inadvertently rescued a girl.
The girl's favorability exploded instantly, and she somehow found out Xue Lang's address here and actually wrote to express her gratitude...
It's said that saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, and the grateful Xue Lang was naturally happy.
But that was all there was to it.
The girl mentioned at the end of the letter hoping to thank him in person.
However, when Xue Lang read to that part, checked his quest panel...
...Dang, no quest triggered.
Boring.
Xue Lang immediately lost interest.
No experience, no Crystal Stone, and a waste of time and life.
What's interesting about women?
With that time, it's better to take more daily quests from Youyu-san, which earn experience and increase favorability.
Even going out to mimic a dog would be better.
Dating is no match for gaming!
In gaming, one must butter up Youyu-san!
Thus, Xue Lang turned around and tossed the letter aside, forgetting it...
Hearing Chinai say Xue Lang doesn't care at all, Youyu was speechless but could somewhat guess his mindset.
After all, players are just playing games; they never care about things without benefits.
But Youyu is now quite sure that this is not merely a game world, but more like an Otherworld connecting with reality through gameplay, where all NPCs are real.
How about... we do a good deed and help the girl who wrote the letter?
Send Xue Lang a quest, and if he has to meet her, he'd probably run faster than a rabbit...
After breakfast, a new day began. Shortly after the shop opened, before it was fully light, the absurd characters started appearing, and soon the shop was packed full.
Chinai is now completely accustomed, as the noisy absurd characters have become the norm at the shop. If they all disappeared one day, she might feel uneasy.
Actually, not everyone comes to shop. Players have limited time and energy for earning and grinding, and some just spent all their Crystal Stones yesterday, so they definitely can't gather enough to buy packs today.
Some just come to chat—missing a day here makes them feel uncomfortable.
As a businessman, Youyu sees another business opportunity.
So, he "thoughtfully" provided players with some extra products such as small tables and stools for resting, poker cards, and even Mahjong...
And surprisingly, quite a few absurd characters bought them.
Since Youyu priced these items cheaply, a few players pitching in could afford them.
Therefore, several chatting players simply sat down and started playing cards and Mahjong...
"On My Experience Playing Landlords and Mahjong with Yugioh Players in the Yugioh Game."
Youyu even thinks the Dream Card Shop could consider expanding, like establishing a board game area for absurd characters to play cards and hang out.
After a busy day, Youyu's inventory of Crystal Stones increased quite a bit.
Approaching closing time, the absurd characters gradually left. Youyu helped Chinai tidy up the shop for closing when a knock came at the door.
Youyu turned around, finding it was a long-time-no-see Tenma Gekko—
—Well actually, he couldn't tell whether it was Gekko or Yako, because the brothers were identical.
But he remembered Yako was supposed to be at the headquarters in America, and the one left at the Domino Branch was the older brother Gekko, so he judged it to be.
Chinai also looked over to see who it was.
Light blue hair, a suave hairstyle, an elegant black suit, well-defined features looking polite and cultured... and even a bit handsome.
Ordinarily, girls might instinctively be attracted to such a young, charismatic gentleman.
But Chinai was different.
Chinai's first response was—
—Alert.JPG.
Who is this? Seems unfamiliar?
Another looking for our Youyu?
"Gekko?" Youyu asked.
But the other shook his head, smiling: "No, I'm Yako, Youyu-san."
"Oh? I remember you were at the headquarters, right?"
"Yes, but I applied to Pegasus-san to transfer here, and he approved it. Now my brother and I have switched positions, and I'm staying here for a while."
He paused a bit, seeming a bit apologetic.
"Because I want to be closer to Youyu-san, to stay by your side as much as possible. I know I still have lots of shortcomings and much to learn..."
Chinai-chan, sweeping the floor, suddenly stopped, her eyelid twitching slightly.