Jaden leaned against the headboard, holding the still-sleeping Erina, quietly waiting for time to pass.
He had returned yesterday and told Erina about all of the chaotic things that had happened.
Although he had said words like "this is the last time" to her more times than he could count-those kinds of flag-raising lines had already been said countless times-
"But this really is the last time..."
Jaden looked down at Erina, who was nestled in his arms, sleeping comfortably like a kitten.
His expression was unusually gentle as he murmured softly.
He simply watched her.
Time passed little by little.
Until-
[Check-in successful]
[Reward obtained - S-Cell Quantity Enhancement Card]
"Huh?"
Jaden froze for a moment when he saw the reward.
Then he immediately chose to use it.
To be honest, this item was probably one of those with very poor immediate feedback.
After using it, it felt like nothing had changed at all.
After all-
S-cells didn't really have any obvious function other than allowing a Saiyan to transform into a Super Saiyan.
So there was no way to feel any feedback while in a normal state.
Even so, this check-in reward was surprisingly good.
Once S-cells reached a certain quantity, extreme anger would cause them to surge, allowing a Saiyan to break through and transform into a Super Saiyan.
Jaden had actually experimented with this many times already.
The result was simple.
He still couldn't transform.
When it came to having a calm and composed mind, he had plenty of experience.
But when it came to generating intense rage strong enough to violently increase S-cells-
Ironically, that was difficult.
So Jaden knew there was still a hurdle between him and becoming a Super Saiyan.
Now that he had obtained this item, he would definitely try again later.
But deep down, he felt the odds were still low.
It felt like he needed some kind of stimulus.
Something that could truly make him furious.
Thinking about that, Jaden looked at Erina in his arms.
And in the end, he chose not to deliberately provoke himself.
He let the thought go.
If he could transform, then he would.
If he couldn't, there was no need to rush.
Let things take their natural course.
...
He obtained the S-cell enhancement in the morning.
At noon, after finishing lunch, Jaden found a secluded place to test it.
The result was exactly what he expected.
Failure.
After that, Jaden originally planned to head straight back to Totsuki.
But then he received a call from Old Man Yugi.
So he immediately used the energy manipulation he had already mastered and flew directly toward the old man's location in Aigyptos.
His speed far exceeded that of an airplane.
Not long after receiving the message, he arrived.
"Old man, one of the other two is in the Underworld and the other is in a different world. Are you nervous now that the plan is starting and want to talk to me about it?"
Yugi seemed to have been looking at a card, lost in thought.
When he saw Jaden walk in with a relaxed smile, he put the card back into his deck box.
"You really haven't changed," Yugi said. "And yes-you guessed correctly. I did call you here to talk about the plan."
He walked over to Jaden.
"Come with me for a bit."
Jaden nodded without hesitation.
At first, he thought the old man was just taking him for a walk.
But instead, Yugi drove him from Aigyptos to a small border town in the Empire.
From there, they went behind a church.
To a cemetery.
And finally stopped in front of a tombstone.
"Jaden..."
"When the Chaos Phantasm first appeared, the other me and Kaiba weren't here."
"The ones who truly faced it were me... and a few other friends."
Yugi looked at the tombstone, his gaze unfocused, and slowly began speaking about the past.
"You already know the outcome."
"We failed."
"The grief that came from that event was overwhelming."
"So overwhelming that I couldn't even clearly tell what I was grieving for."
"It wasn't that there was nothing to mourn."
"It was that there was too much."
"So much that I didn't know what I was mourning anymore."
"For ten years after that failure, I mourned my fallen friends."
"For twenty years, I mourned the end of the Duelist era."
"For thirty years, I once again lost a friend, felt empty, and mourned all over again."
"It was always like that."
"Repeating."
"The same."
"And yet different each time..."
Yugi slowly turned around, shifting his gaze from the tombstone to Jaden.
"I was lost."
"Empty."
"Sad."
"I drifted through life, barely different from being dead."
"Until the other me brought you to me."
"That was when I finally found a goal."
"The other me believes in you deeply."
"I can tell."
"And Kaiba-although he's anxious-believes in the other me, and by extension, trusts you as well."
Yugi paused.
Jaden naturally asked, "Then, Old man... do you believe in me?"
"No."
Yugi shook his head immediately.
"Jaden, even though I look young now, I've long passed the age where I can simply say I trust someone."
"If I had a choice, I truly wouldn't want you to face that monster."
"That's why-now that the other me is in the Underworld, and Kaiba is in another world-I came to you alone."
"I just want to ask you one thing."
"Do you really want to go?"
Jaden was about to answer, but Yugi raised a hand and stopped him.
"There are things you need to know."
"Even if you don't go, once the Duelist era fully ends and the Chaos Phantasm returns..."
"When he restarts the Shadow Game and ushers in an age of conflict..."
"It will still benefit you."
"You'll still thrive."
"You'll still maintain your current life and status."
"And everything you cherish will remain intact."
"But if you go now-"
"You're very likely to die."
"Even so..."
"Do you still want to go?"
Jaden listened to all of it.
Then he nodded.
Serious.
Without hesitation.
"I want to go."
Yugi frowned.
"You're about to get engaged to Erina, aren't you?"
"You could die."
"Why do you insist on going?"
"You've never even met the Chaos Phantasm."
"This is all just something we told you."
"Even if he returns, it won't affect you."
"So tell me."
"What reason do you have?"
Yugi's voice wasn't loud.
It was complicated.
As if he had already expected this answer.
As if he already knew what Jaden would say.
And yet he still asked.
Like one last attempt.
Jaden looked at him for a long moment before answering.
"How could it not matter..."
"Old man."
"You're also an important family member to me."
"He made you suffer for decades."
"That alone is reason enough for me to go."
And-
Jaden smiled.
"As long as I win, won't it be a Nobody Gets Hurt ending?"
"I said it a long time ago."
"I won't lose."
"If someone important gets hurt, that's failure to me."
"So don't worry."
"I'll definitely seize that Nobody Gets Hurt ending."