Link System, offline.
Back to reality, I took off the equipment and saw that it was already past ten at night. Weekends always seem to fly by.
Especially when you spend the whole day online grinding dungeons for gear, it passes even faster.
But thankfully, grinding brings rewards. During a round of wandering, I picked up quite a few abandoned card decks, even found a top-tier one. This trip was fruitful; in the next few days, I should sort things out, sell what needs to be sold, and keep what's useful to think about new builds.
Though while grinding you don't feel it, after resting for a bit, you suddenly feel a little hungry.
If it were the Red Dormitory, the cafeteria would definitely be closed by now, and the convenience stores would have shut down too. But the thoughtful Yellow Dormitory specifically considers the students' midnight cravings, and has a window that remains open twenty-four hours.
So Yugen took out the student terminal, found the cafeteria interface, and opened it for a glance.
Curry fried rice, curry beef noodles, curry mashed potatoes...
Then he quietly closed it.
He suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore.
The Yellow Dormitory is great in every way, except the curry concentration is a bit too high due to the influence of Hushan Dormitory Leader. To be fair, the dormitory leader's expertise in curry cooking is indeed remarkable, but no matter how good, you can't handle eating it every day.
While others might not know, Yugen definitely doesn't want to touch curry lately.
Usually, the cafeteria offers quite a variety of dishes, and apart from curry, it has everything you need. But in the middle of the night, most windows are closed, and there don't seem to be many options.
That was a mistake, I should keep some snacks in the dormitory.
Just as Yugen was considering whether to simply go to bed early tonight, he noticed an unread message indicator above the terminal.
Upon opening, it was sent by Judai an hour ago.
"We're having a barbecue outdoors, it's super fragrant. Are you coming?"
It even came with a hand-drawn chibi Judai himself, making a V-sign towards him.
Although the drawing was abstract, I have to say it's a real soul sketch; through this abstract doodle, you can seemingly see Jellyfish Head smiling sunnily and making a V-sign.
Yugen chuckled, replied, "Are you still there?"
Judai quickly replied.
"Definitely here, hurry over."
So Yugen got up and moved towards the location Judai marked outside the Red Dormitory.
As the night fell, stars twinkled, and moonlight seeped through the gaps in the treetops, sprinkling a silver ribbon over the winding path.
Upon nearing the area, before seeing anyone, I heard a burst of playful laughter and the rich and mellow aroma of barbecued meat.
"Oh oh, Yugen's here!"
Judai noticed him first, happily stood up, and handed over the barbecue skewer from the fire pit.
"Saved this especially for you."
"Thanks. Just in time, I was hungry and wondering what to eat." Yugen accepted the barbecue skewer without hesitation.
So Yugen sat down by the fire pit, joining the group.
Indeed, GX's early stages had a totally relaxed campus atmosphere. Judai now seems so carefree, daily repeating the joy of skipping classes, playing cards, fishing, camping, and exploring.
The audience at the time of GX's premiere probably couldn't have imagined the later shifts in tone...
"Wow, there's a rabbit!"
Marufuji Shou exclaimed.
"Huh?" Hayato looked in the direction he pointed, "Where? You must be mistaken."
"No way! I'm certain, I swear on my integrity, there's definitely one!"
Yugen silently ate barbecue, thinking how insignificant Shou's integrity was, after all, it's "Shou"...
"Look! Right there!" Marufuji Shou rolled up his sleeves, "Don't run!"
Then dragged Brother Hayato along to catch the rabbit.
"You two, don't run too far and get lost." Judai shouted after them.
A muddled reply from Shou faintly echoed back from the woods.
"Honestly, can't do anything about them."
Judai smiled, continuing to flip the barbecue skewer in his hand. The barbecue on the fire pit sizzled, as grease dripped onto the charcoal, rising wisps of smoke, mixing the aroma of barbecue and burning wood in the air.
"But it's really nice you could come." Judai said while barbecuing, smiling. "To be honest, when you didn't reply for so long, I was a bit disappointed."
"Isn't your roommate with you?"
Yugen took a bite of the barbecue, discovering Judai had a great handle on the timing, grilling it crispy outside and tender inside with excellent taste; surely he hadn't lacked camping before.
"Well... true. But you know..."
Judai stared at the flickering flames in front of him, somewhat lost.
"Remember that time we accidentally ended up in the Elf World? That guy named Sher said I was a lot like him, said I've never truly let anyone understand me..."
"Oh, that? Don't take it to heart."
But Judai shook his head: "I can't help thinking about him. And the more I think, the more I feel, maybe he's right."
He paused, seemingly reminiscing.
"Did I ever tell you? My memories of some childhood events are quite hazy. Sometimes I feel like there's something very important I should remember, occasionally waking up with a shock from dreams, but no matter how hard I try after waking, I can't recall what it is."
Yugen remained silent.
He obviously knows what's going on. It's Yubel, Judai's earliest elf. Ever since Yubel was launched into the cosmos by Kaiba Company, Judai often has terrifying nightmares.
Later, his parents worried about him, used Kaiba Company's technology to erase related memories, effectively severing his connection with Yubel. Since then, he completely forgot about it.
"Of course, I get it, not remembering childhood stuff is pretty normal." Judai smiled, "It's just... looking back now, there was a time that was really quite lonely.
My parents were always busy, hardly at home. Also, for some reason unknown to me as a kid, I never really had friends, it seemed everyone avoided me.
I always felt different from everyone. No matter how hard I tried, how enthusiastic I was, it was tough to truly have friends who understood me, who I could share my heart with."
This was the first time Yugen heard of it, but he could roughly guess why.
It's still Yubel's fault. Anyone who played cards with young Judai and lost would be messed with by Sister Yubel. The kids or parents around surely heard about this, they'd definitely avoid him...
"Later we moved house, things got a little better as I grew up. I was always surrounded by many companions and enthusiastic classmates. But now looking back, it might be as Sher said, perhaps up until now I haven't truly found a 'friend' after all.
It might have always been this way never changing, I just gradually got used to it..."
Judai paused his actions and smiled.
"But it's quite intriguing. Ever since that trip back from the Elf Realm, communicating with you, especially dueling together, I started having such a thought.
Isn't this what 'friendship' truly means?"
Yugen: "..."
"I heard from Shou's brother, Caesar." Judai said, "He mentioned that this week the duel to decide this year's representative against the Northern Branch is about to start.
Caesar said he'll nominate me. If everything goes smoothly, it's likely we two will compete."
He paused intently, looking at Yugen.
"So, please bring your full strength then. I'd love to see how Yugen exerts his all."
Yugen closed his eyes lightly, smiling slightly.
"Understood."
He waved the barbecue skewer in his hand.
"Consider it a return for your treat of barbecue."
Judai laughed joyfully, nodding forcefully.
"Then let's have the best duel ever!"