Fluffy snowflakes drifted from the sky, carried by the gentle wind to every nook and cranny of the city. Domino City was dressed in silver and white, with the ground covered as if by a white curtain, blurring the boundary between earth and sky.
Christmas quietly visited the city with soundless steps.
Not only the local NPCs, but even those players who act like it's a festival every day, lively and noisy, seem to be infected by the atmosphere, entering the rhythm of Christmas.
Especially noticeable is the increase in the number of Santa Clauses of various body shapes on the streets. Additionally, some players have reindeer headgear on their heads — which seemed not to exist before, possibly a holiday-exclusive costume.
There's a hurried girl player on the street, carrying a bag of Christmas pudding.
It could be a quest item, or she might plan to eat it herself.
Players don't need to eat, and the game doesn't have a satiety setting, but in the hyper-realistic game world of Linked World, players' taste senses are restored.
This is simply a blessing for countless food lovers — eat as much as you like without getting full or gaining weight, surely this must be heaven?
... Of course, the premise is that you have enough money to afford it...
Indeed, there are quite a few food-loving players whose main mission in the game is to complete tasks and earn money by playing cards, then use the in-game currency to buy all sorts of delicious food...
It was still not fully light yet. Youyu left home and was heading towards the card shop, just in time to see the bag the girl was carrying, suddenly remembering that Chinai seemed to quite like pudding?
He might as well take some for her.
So Youyu approached her proactively, "Sell me this pudding."
The girl turned her head and was pleasantly surprised when she realized who he was.
It's Youyu!
AWSL, Youyu is talking to me on his own...
The girl player quickly handed the bag to Youyu, repeatedly saying he could take it for free.
If you don't mind, you can take me with you too...
... Of course, in the end, Youyu didn't take her things without paying.
Youyu emphasized that good businesses prioritize reputation. A fair exchange is for sure, and money must be paid, as we are honest merchants, right?
In the store, when Chinai took the bag of pudding from his hands, even her breathing seemed to become rapid.
She noticed it happened to be her favorite flavor.
She blinked nervously, "This... is for me?"
"It's Christmas. Just saw it on the way and bought it."
"Oh."
Chinai replied, but her eyes were still glittering, seeming unconcerned about Youyu's answer.
Even though he won't admit it, let's just assume it was bought for me!
Thinking so, she felt more energetic at work all day.
Before long, a private car pulled up not far from the store's entrance.
Getting out were little Judai and his parents.
In the GX Animation, it was mentioned that Judai's parents were very busy with work during his childhood, often having no time to accompany him. Now it seems to be true; they couldn't even spare time to be with him for Christmas this year.
So, they spoke with Youyu yesterday, hoping Judai could spend Christmas with him.
Of course, Youyu had no objections.
After all, he's our cute little apprentice, so Youyu is certainly welcoming at all times.
As Judai got out of the car, his dad patted his little head, "Sorry, Mom and I really can't find the time, not even for Christmas...
... Listen well to Teacher Youyu here, don't cause any trouble, okay?"
"Yup." Judai nodded.
Not being able to spend Christmas with their son, the parents felt somewhat guilty.
Even if Judai is such a cheerful child, he might still feel a bit lonely and disappointed inside, even if he doesn't express it.
"..."
But away from his parents, Judai ran excitedly towards the card shop, smiling brightly and waving his little hand vigorously, "Teacher Youyu! I'm here!!!"
... He seems pretty happy.
Being able to spend Christmas with Teacher Youyu!
Isn't this too lucky?
Judai's dad: "..."
Seeing little Judai running inside, Chinai also nodded slightly. Though her expression didn't show it, her look at the jellyfish-headed boy was full of kindness.
Since the time she went to Kaiba Land with Youyu and the child, Chinai's fondness for him has grown day by day.
Although at first she thought he was a troublesome kid (even wanting to leave the jellyfish head at the lost children's center at one point), over time she found him simple and endearing.
"Hello, big sister!" Judai greeted loudly.
He spotted Youyu behind the counter, quickly ran over, and carefully pulled out a card deck from his small backpack.
"Teacher, my new card deck!"
"Oh? Finished it so quickly?"
Youyu accepted the deck from his small hands and began to look through it one card at a time.
Little Judai watched with wide eyes, barely daring to breathe, standing as if he were waiting for a teacher to check his homework in an office.
After a moment, Youyu finished reviewing the deck configuration and nodded slightly, "Well, it's acceptable."
While the structure is still hard to call rigorous and not without some questionable elements, it's a notable improvement over the last iteration.
Alright then, progress is progress; after all, giving our little apprentice some encouragement is necessary, isn't it?
Receiving the teacher-approved deck, Judai bounced around with excitement on the spot.
Perhaps the child was too lively, as the shopkeeper grandpa stretched lazily, came yawning down from upstairs with mutterings that could be about whose noisy child it is.
Upon coming down, he saw Chinai setting breakfast on the table, and the jellyfish-headed kid bouncing around Youyu, and was momentarily bewildered.
The shopkeeper grandpa rubbed his eyes, thinking he might not be fully awake.
What's happening?
When did my granddaughter and this brat have a kid this big?
"..."
After a while, the shopkeeper grandpa figured out that it was the disciple the brat had taken in?
Hey, taking a closer look, this little guy seems likable with a bit of my youthful charm.
There was a moment he even thought, wouldn't it be nice if this were actually my granddaughter's kid...
Chinai sat at the dining table with her head down like an ostrich, blushing furiously.
Grandpa always likes to let his mind wander with wild imaginings!
Everyone sat down at the dining table, ready to eat. Judai shuffled his little chair a bit closer to Teacher Youyu.
"Teacher Youyu!" he said, "I want to hear the rest of that story from last time!"
Chinai and the shopkeeper grandpa also perked up, curious about what he was talking about.
Youyu raised an eyebrow, "The story from last time?"
"Yeah, yeah! The one about some kind of title and five hundred years..."
"Oh." Youyu realized, "You mean 'I am super strong from the beginning and got titled for five hundred years'?"
"Yes, yes, that one!" Judai nodded vigorously.
"Alright." Youyu picked up a piece of toast, "Last time we talked about how, long long ago, there was an incredibly strong Duelist who styled themselves the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' drawing attention from Celestial Realm Duelists..."
"..."