"Well, I thought Sanzenin Mikado hadn't been taking action all this time because he was preparing some big move. Turns out he's just playing dead."
Jaden raised an eyebrow.
Regarding the Sanzenin family, he had always seen it as an opportunity. If the chance came up, he would take a shot at Sanzenin Mikado. That was all. He hadn't expected that after helping Nagi eliminate one of the successors, Sanzenin Mikado would respond by pretending to be dead.
If he kept helping Nagi deal with the other successors...
Nagi didn't even want to be the family head.
If he did something else, then with the scale of the Sanzenin family's enterprise, most actions would be ineffective against this kind of "playing dead" tactic. And doing anything overly extreme wouldn't be appropriate either.
So, looking at the situation now.
He hints.
The other side feigns death.
That could only mean one thing.
Sanzenin Mikado was waiting for him to knock on the door himself.
A smile crossed Jaden's face.
He wouldn't handle the Sanzenin family the same way he handled the Shinomiya. But with Sanzenin Mikado's current attitude, meeting him at least once was necessary.
After all, Jaden had already thrown a light jab. A clear hint. His stance had been made known. And the other side was still responding with vagueness.
If this dragged on, it would only create a situation where things became ugly for everyone.
And now, the other party was playing dead while silently telling him to come over.
"If that's the case, then I'll go to his door and talk to him one more time. If we can make everything clear this time, then we'll make it clear. If we still can't..."
Then there would be nothing else to say.
Let the trouble come.
Jaden wasn't greedy for the Sanzenin family's money or influence. Likewise, he couldn't accept them claiming to be his family on the outside, let alone using the engagement as leverage.
If it really came to that...
As long as they didn't involve Erina, he wouldn't approach them with the same attitude he used against the Shinomiya.
But they also shouldn't expect to walk away without losing face.
"Sigh... in the end, Nagi is just too lazy. If she wanted to be the family head like Kaguya, then by supporting her and having the Sanzenin family truly become 'our people,' all of these problems would disappear."
That Sanzenin Mikado...
"If he genuinely approached Totsuki with nothing but a business-contact attitude, he would actually be a good ally. But it's a pity. That guy stubbornly sees me as some kind of 'King.' I absolutely can't accept him approaching me with that mindset."
He wasn't a King.
He wasn't Tennousu Jaden.
He had his own family. His lover. His friends.
Just like he told Old Man Yugi that night.
He was himself.
Just Jaden Yuki.
Nothing more.
-
"Jaden, the plane is ready. Let's go."
At Totsuki's helipad, Jaden walked toward the plane and smiled gently at Erina, who was waiting beside it in casual clothes.
"Is everything at Totsuki arranged?"
Hearing his question, Erina smiled back.
"Hisako and Dojima-sensei can handle most of the work. As for a small part of it... Jaden, do you remember Shirogane Tsumugi?"
Shirogane Tsumugi...
Jaden paused.
Seeing his expression, Erina sighed.
"The one who once impersonated Alice. The Ultimate Imposter."
Oh.
He remembered.
"So you had her impersonate you and stay at Totsuki?"
"Yes."
They boarded the plane, took their seats, and fastened their seatbelts. Erina continued calmly.
"Hisako and the others can manage most of the work. The remaining part will be handled by Shirogane Tsumugi while she impersonates me. I've also asked Kure Fuki to bring the elite members of the Kure Clan to protect her."
"The Kure elite can solve most problems. And for the problems they can't solve..."
Erina recalled what Shirogane Tsumugi had said when the arrangements were being made, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Then we'll have to rely on Tsumugi's skills~"
Jaden grew a little curious.
"If even the Kure Clan can't handle the enemy, does she have a way to deal with them herself?"
Erina nodded, then shook her head.
"She can't face them head-on. But... Tsumugi is quite possibly the most outstanding spy in the world."
She stopped there.
Jaden didn't press for details.
Letting the topic end, Erina instead looked at him.
"What about the Sanzenin matter? You've been busy with it lately. Is there anything else you need to deal with?"
Jaden nodded.
"Sanzenin Mikado is completely playing dead and using that to tell me that if I want anything, I should come to him myself. We'll see Old Man first. After that, I'll go to the Empire to find Sanzenin."
Sanzenin Mikado was currently in the Empire.
Muteba had already said he would head there in advance, hide within the Sanzenin residence, and wait for Jaden to contact him. Once Jaden arrived, Muteba would pinpoint Sanzenin Mikado's location.
So after meeting Old Man and those youngsters, Jaden planned to go see Sanzenin Mikado.
"Understood."
Just as Jaden hadn't asked too deeply about Erina's arrangements, Erina didn't press him after hearing his explanation.
They understood each other.
After hearing the other's confident tone, neither felt the need to ask more.
Because they both believed-
If it was him.
If it was her.
There wouldn't be any problem.
And even if there was...
They had each other.
-
Atem's Arrival
In Menes, the capital of the small southern Empire nation of Achet, the KaibaCorp Building towered into the sky.
On its top floor, Kaiba Seto and Yugi sat together, handling recent developments.
Given the current state of the world, Atem couldn't freely descend into the human realm.
Even sending messages was difficult. Unless something unexpected happened, he rarely contacted them.
Yet today, an employee walked into the top floor of the KaibaCorp Building.
On his forehead glowed a golden, flashing Eye of Sikatoss-an emblem of punishment in Achet mythology.
"My other self?"
Yugi froze.
Kaiba frowned.
"Did something happen?"
Seeing their expressions, the employee possessed by Atem shook his head. His empty eyes curved into a smile.
"It's not a major issue. Jaden is coming this way, so I came to check on things and meet him."
And...
"I need a little help from him. I also have something to give him."
As he spoke, Atem raised one hand and pointed at the table.
Golden light flickered continuously.
A golden box materialized on the tabletop.
Atem slowly opened it and took out a card.
"It's not exactly something I'm giving him," he said calmly. "You could say it originally belonged to him."
The card wasn't a God Card.
It wasn't even a Monster Card.
It was a Spell Card.
Its name was-
Super Polymerization.