In the end, Atem only said what he needed to say and then left.
After all, he couldn't stay in the human world for long. Each descent carried its own trouble. Since his words were already delivered, there was no reason to linger.
So he returned.
After Atem left, Kaiba also departed to handle other matters.
When only Old Man Yuki remained, Jaden finally leaned a little closer.
"Old man, are there really trouble spots that even the three of you won't be able to solve later on?"
Yugi heard the question and glanced at him.
"If it were Dueling, there'd be nothing to worry about... but this is no longer the Era of Duelists, Jaden."
Leaving that behind, the old man shook his head, sighed lightly, and walked away.
Jaden fell silent for a moment.
Then he recovered quickly and turned to look at Erina beside him.
"Let's go, Erina. Looks like Old man still has a lot of miscellaneous things to deal with. We'll probably have to wait until all of that's settled before we talk about our engagement."
Hearing him, Erina shook her head.
"That's only natural. Some things have to come first."
However-
"As compensation, you have to give me a proper tour of Achet~"
"Deal."
Jaden understood what she meant.
They were already in Achet. There was still time. But once he went to see Sanzenin Mikado, if trouble started piling up one thing after another, they would likely be busy again.
So after leaving the KaibaCorp Building, Jaden and Erina silently set all the messy matters aside.
Then, they truly began their trip through Achet.
They ate whatever they wanted.
They saw whatever caught their interest.
They played however they pleased.
For an entire week, Jaden and Erina completely cast aside their titles, their responsibilities, and everything else, and simply enjoyed Achet to the fullest.
Erina used her God's Tongue to sample Achet's snacks and local dishes, carefully memorizing the city's flavors.
When everything was finally done, they returned to the helipad once more.
This time, there were two planes waiting.
One was for Erina. She needed to return to Totsuki and resume her role as its pillar.
One was for Jaden. He needed to head to the Empire to meet Sanzenin Mikado.
Their trip had ended.
They would be apart for a while.
"Erina, don't overwork yourself when you get back. If there's an emergency, contact me. If I'm not back yet, we can temporarily release those few guys from Arkham if we absolutely have to."
Arkham currently held quite a few people.
Kamukura Izuru. Adam. Lu Bu.
They might have only been stepping stones when facing Jaden, but the situation was different when it came to others.
"You too, Jaden." Erina looked at him seriously. "Even though I believe I might be the one who understands you best in this world, since Old man Atem said that much, you should still be careful."
Hearing that, Jaden fell silent.
He could lie to Old man.
He could lie to the others.
He didn't want them to worry.
But Erina knew him too well.
He couldn't lie to her.
If he did, it would only make her worry more.
Seeing his silence, Erina let out a small sigh.
"...I knew it. You heard Old man's words, but you didn't really take them to heart."
"No." Jaden shook his head lightly. "It's mainly because Old man Atem said this might be related to a choice I'll have to make. Rather than it being about my own affairs, I'd say..."
His expression grew unusually serious.
"-I just can't imagine anything that would actually make me feel conflicted."
"What I can't abandon, I won't abandon. What I want, I'll obtain. That's how I live."
"Old man said I should decide based on my own thoughts, right? Then if it's me, and I really do encounter a dilemma..."
"I'll just choose both."
"So instead of worrying about it, I'd say..."
"My life doesn't have any dilemmas that can corner me."
"Of course I remember what Old man said. But until the situation actually appears, I can't know what he meant. Maybe he just wants me to follow my own way of doing things."
Hearing this, Erina smiled.
"You're right... after all, it's you. I've long since stopped being surprised by things that no normal person could ever pull off."
However-
"Jaden. If the situation Old man mentioned really does arrive, then..."
As she spoke, Erina stepped forward.
She reached up, placed her hands on Jaden's head, and made him bend down slightly. She pulled his face close, pressing her forehead gently against his.
At that distance, they could feel each other's warmth.
Their gazes met.
"When that time comes, remember this. No matter what choice you make, I'll support you. I'll trust you. And I'll always stand by your side."
"So it's not just Old man's confidence you have. I'm giving you the same."
"Do you understand, Jaden?"
Jaden smiled.
"I trust you more than I trust myself."
Erina leaned in just a little closer.
Then-
They separated.
Under the clean, almost transparent morning sunlight, Erina's face was faintly flushed. She quickly turned away and snorted.
"W-Well, I'm leaving now. Take care!"
Atem's words had made her nervous.
That nervousness had pushed her to act on her worry for Jaden.
And now-
Now that she was reassured, she suddenly felt unbearably embarrassed about what she had just done.
Jaden had expected this.
He watched as Erina boarded the plane bound for Totsuki. Only after it took off did he turn and walk toward his own aircraft.
If Atem's words hadn't weighed on him much at first, Erina's reminder made him take the matter more seriously.
Sanzenin.
Tennousu.
The Royal Family.
This situation might indeed be complicated.
However-
"Since both Old man and Erina told me to decide freely..."
"Then I'll just do things my way~"
Choices?
Who would let themselves be constrained by that kind of thing.
Only children make choices.
Adults know that taking everything they want is the correct answer.