The Duel Disk powered down with a mechanical click.
For a few seconds, the only thing visible between the two duelists was the fading hologram of Gandolf, King of Destruction.
Then the result appeared.
WINNER: JAMES.
Satsuki stared at the display.
He had lost.
Again.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist before he let out a long sigh and lowered his arm.
"Well," James said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was close."
Satsuki turned towards him.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to make me feel better. You won. Congratulations."
James raised both hands.
"Wasn't trying to."
"Good."
Despite his words, Satsuki couldn't completely hide his frustration. His strategy had worked beautifully at first. Time Wizard had transformed Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon, and Time Manipulation had turned what should have been a disastrous coin toss into an opportunity to destroy Shinato.
But James had recovered.
And Gandolf had ended the duel.
Marcus approached, wearing his usual grin.
"Well, that was entertaining."
Satsuki glanced at him.
"Glad my suffering could provide you with entertainment."
"Hey, don't blame me. I wasn't the one who lost."
"Neither were you particularly successful when you dueled Lazar."
Marcus's grin widened.
"At least I didn't lose to a guy who summons monsters by reading religious instructions."
James laughed.
"Ritual instructions."
"Same thing."
Lazar walked over, looking at James's Duel Disk.
"Your deck has a lot of searching power. Sonic Bird, Senju, Choji… You have several ways to get your Ritual pieces."
James nodded.
"That's what makes the deck work. I don't like relying on luck when I can prepare everything beforehand."
"Clearly."
Lazar glanced at Satsuki.
"Your combination was dangerous, though. If James hadn't drawn Monster Reborn, he might not have recovered."
Satsuki crossed his arms.
"There's no might about it. I would've won."
"Then you'll have to prove it next time," James replied.
Satsuki looked at him.
"Oh, I intend to."
⸻
The group gradually dispersed.
Some returned to their duties around the shelter, while others gathered to discuss the duel. James was given a little space to breathe after his victory, though he quickly found himself surrounded by questions about his Ritual Monsters.
Satsuki, meanwhile, was collecting his cards.
Marcus approached him.
"Hey, Satsuki."
"What?"
"Something's been bothering me."
"That's unfortunate. Have you tried thinking less?"
Marcus ignored the remark.
"Why do you have a girl's name?"
Satsuki stopped sorting his cards.
He looked up slowly.
"…What?"
"Your name. Satsuki. It's usually a girl's name, isn't it?"
A couple of people nearby turned their heads.
Satsuki stared at Marcus for a moment before sighing.
"Is that what you're worried about?"
"I'm curious."
"Well, congratulations. You've discovered curiosity."
Marcus leaned against the nearby table.
"So?"
Satsuki returned one of his cards to its sleeve.
"My father's name was Sō."
"Okay?"
"My mother had already chosen a name for me before I was born. If I had been a girl, she wanted to call me Satsuki."
Marcus blinked.
"Wait. So you're telling me—"
"Yes. I know."
Satsuki gave him an unimpressed look.
"Apparently, I was supposed to be called something else. But I liked the name. So I kept it."
Marcus considered that.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"What about your father?"
"His name was Sō. My full name is Sō Junior."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Sō Junior?"
"Yes."
"That's… surprisingly straightforward."
"Would you prefer something more complicated?"
"No, I just expected something different."
Satsuki shrugged.
"My parents chose my name. I don't see why I should change it just because someone thinks it sounds unusual."
Marcus grinned.
"Fair enough."
He paused.
"Still, Sō Junior sounds like someone who should be running a company."
Satsuki stared at him.
"And you sound like someone who should be quiet."
Marcus burst out laughing.
Lazar, who had overheard the conversation, shook his head.
"At least now we know."
"Know what?" Satsuki asked.
"Why you get so irritated whenever someone calls you a girl."
Satsuki gave him a sharp look.
"I get irritated when people assume things about me. There's a difference."
"Fair enough."
He returned to arranging his cards.
James, who had been listening from a short distance away, smiled.
"I think Satsuki suits you."
Satsuki looked towards him.
"You're still on my list."
James laughed.
⸻
The afternoon passed quickly.
But the group had more pressing matters than a duel.
The maintenance workshop.
Lazar gathered the others around a table and spread Gobi's map across its surface. The old freight depot occupied a large section of the paper, surrounded by abandoned warehouses, service roads, and several smaller buildings.
Three locations had been marked.
The station office.
The storage building.
The maintenance workshop.
The last one had been circled.
"According to Gobi, seven children were brought here three days ago," Lazar began, pointing towards the circled building. "We don't know who they are, where they came from, or whether they're still there."
Emily stood beside the table.
"Seven children…"
Her expression tightened.
"Do we know their ages?"
"No."
"Do we know if they're safe?"
Lazar hesitated.
"No."
Emily lowered her eyes.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Ren stepped forward.
"I've been around the depot before. I know some of the roads."
Lazar turned towards him.
"How well?"
"Well enough to avoid the main entrance. There's a service road behind the workshop, and a narrow pedestrian passage between two old buildings. It might let us get closer without being seen."
"Have you ever been inside?"
Ren shook his head.
"No. I delivered messages around the area, but I never entered the workshop."
Marcus examined the map.
"How many guards?"
"Couldn't tell you."
"Patrols?"
"Never saw a regular pattern."
Marcus leaned back.
"That's not much to work with."
"It's more than nothing," Ren replied.
Gobi stood on the opposite side of the table, examining his notes.
"My information suggests the rear entrance is more important than the front."
He tapped the map.
"A vehicle reportedly left the workshop around sunset yesterday. It returned in less than an hour. The same trip was made two days earlier."
"Supplies?" Marcus suggested.
"Possibly."
"Or the children."
"Also possible."
Gobi looked up.
"I don't know what was transported. I won't pretend otherwise."
Lazar nodded.
"Then we need to find out."
Emily stepped closer.
"If they're there, we should go tonight."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Emily looked at him.
"But—"
"We don't know how many people are guarding the building. We don't know how many children are inside, and we don't know what the Collectors will do if they catch us."
"But we can't just leave them there!"
"I know."
Lazar's voice softened.
"That's exactly why we can't rush into this."
Emily looked down at the map.
He understood her frustration. He felt it himself.
But he had seen what happened when people acted without thinking. In this world, a bad decision could cost more than a duel.
It could cost someone's life.
"We'll observe the building first," Lazar continued. "We'll find out how many people are there, when the vehicle comes and goes, and whether there's another way inside. Then we'll decide what to do."
Marcus nodded.
"Agreed. We don't need to make ourselves targets before we even know what we're dealing with."
Emily didn't look satisfied, but she eventually nodded.
⸻
James had remained relatively quiet throughout the discussion.
He stood slightly behind the others, studying the map.
After a moment, he stepped closer.
"That road."
Everyone looked towards him.
James pointed towards a narrow line running along the eastern side of the depot.
"The shelter I came from was somewhere around here. We used to travel along this road when we needed supplies."
Lazar glanced at him.
"You're familiar with the area?"
"A little. I don't know the depot itself, but I remember the roads."
"Did your shelter have any contact with the Collectors?"
James nodded.
"They came to us a few times. At first, they offered supplies and protection. Eventually, they started asking for more."
"What happened?"
"They challenged our leader to a duel. He lost."
James's expression darkened.
"They took most of our supplies. Two people couldn't pay what they owed, so they were escorted away towards the freight yard."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Did you see which building they were taken to?"
"No. I tried following them, but one of the Collectors stopped me."
James looked down at the map.
"I couldn't do anything."
The room became quiet.
Lazar watched him carefully.
His story matched what Gobi had uncovered. The Collectors had been taking children from shelters, and the freight yard appeared to be one of their destinations.
But matching information wasn't the same as confirmation.
"Do you remember what the vehicle looked like?" Lazar asked.
"A dark van. I couldn't see the license plate. It was already moving when I got there."
"Anything else?"
James shook his head.
"Not really."
Gobi leaned forward.
"Did it have the Collectors' emblem?"
"I don't remember seeing one."
"Interesting."
Marcus looked at him.
"What?"
"Nothing conclusive. Just something worth keeping in mind."
James glanced between them.
"Do you think it was the same vehicle?"
"Could be," Gobi answered. "Or it could be another group using the same roads."
Lazar folded his arms.
"Either way, we're not going to assume anything."
He looked around the table.
"We investigate first. No unnecessary risks. Nobody approaches the entrance unless we have a clear reason to do so."
James nodded.
"Understood."
⸻
The next hour was spent organizing the reconnaissance.
Ren would guide the group through the surrounding streets and identify the pedestrian passage.
Marcus would observe the main entrance and watch for guards or anyone patrolling the perimeter.
Gobi would investigate the vehicle movements and see whether his sources could identify where it had gone.
Lazar would coordinate the group and decide when they had enough information to act.
Emily wanted to come.
Lazar refused.
"But I can help."
"I know."
"Then why can't I?"
"Because I need someone here."
Emily frowned.
"What?"
"If something happens while we're away, someone needs to keep everyone together. I can't leave the shelter without knowing somebody responsible is looking after it."
Emily crossed her arms.
"You're just giving me another responsibility so I won't argue."
"Is it working?"
"No."
Marcus chuckled.
"At least she's honest."
Emily shot him a glare.
"You're not helping."
"Wasn't trying to."
Satsuki, who had been examining the map, raised a finger.
"There's another problem."
Lazar turned towards him.
"What?"
"If the Collectors are holding children in the workshop, they'll probably have some way of preventing them from escaping. Locks, guards, barriers… perhaps even Duel Disks."
Ren nodded.
"That's possible."
"And if they use duels to enforce their agreements, we should assume some of them are capable duelists."
Marcus leaned back.
"You're suggesting we prepare for a fight?"
"I'm suggesting we don't walk in expecting everyone to politely surrender."
Satsuki glanced towards James.
"Some people might even have rather unpleasant Ritual Monsters."
James smiled faintly.
"I'll try to warn them."
"See that you do."
Lazar looked at the map again.
"We're not going there to start a fight. We're going to find out what's happening and how to get those children out."
He placed his hand over the circled workshop.
"And if the Collectors are keeping them there against their will, we'll bring them home."
Nobody objected.
⸻
Later that evening, Lazar stepped outside.
The sky had darkened, and the cold air carried the distant sounds of the city. Somewhere beyond the abandoned buildings, a metal object clattered against the pavement.
He stood near the entrance, looking down the street.
Marcus joined him a moment later.
"Thinking?"
"Always."
"That's probably unhealthy."
Lazar ignored him.
Marcus leaned against the wall.
"James seems alright."
Lazar glanced at him.
"You trust him?"
"I didn't say that."
"You just said he seems alright."
"There's a difference."
Marcus looked towards the shelter.
"He fought Satsuki, won fairly, and didn't act like an idiot afterwards. That's a decent start."
"Not much of a standard."
"It's the world we live in."
Lazar was silent for a moment.
"His story matches what Gobi found."
"Yeah."
"But that doesn't mean we know everything."
Marcus nodded.
"Then we'll keep an eye on things."
The two watched the street in silence.
After a while, Marcus spoke again.
"By the way, Satsuki's been glaring at James for the last ten minutes."
Lazar sighed.
"I noticed."
"Think he'll challenge him again?"
"Definitely."
Marcus grinned.
"Good. I want to see that."
"You're enjoying this too much."
"Maybe."
⸻
Inside the shelter, James sat among the others.
He had been given a place to sleep for the night. His belongings were few, and most of his clothes showed signs of wear. He looked exhausted, though he was doing his best not to show it.
Satsuki passed by him on the way to collect his things.
"Enjoying your new home?"
James looked up.
"It's a good place."
"Don't get too comfortable."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's advice."
James smiled.
"Then I'll take it."
Satsuki stopped for a moment.
"Next time, I'm winning."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
Satsuki gave him one last look before walking away.
James watched him go.
Then he looked towards the table, where the map of the freight depot had been left.
His eyes settled on the circled maintenance workshop.
He remained there for a few seconds before looking away.
Outside, Lazar and Marcus were still discussing the plan.
Neither of them had noticed how long James had been looking at the map.
⸻
The following afternoon, Gobi returned with new information.
He found Lazar, Marcus, and Ren near the entrance and approached without his usual casual smile.
"I've got something."
Lazar immediately straightened.
"What is it?"
"The vehicle."
Marcus stood up.
"Did it move again?"
"Not today. But someone near the depot saw it yesterday."
Gobi paused.
"It left the workshop with more passengers than it had when it arrived."
Ren's expression changed.
"How many?"
"Couldn't tell. The windows were covered, and the witness only caught a glimpse of the rear doors."
"Where did it go?"
"That's the problem."
Gobi unfolded a small piece of paper.
"The vehicle didn't take the main road. It went west, towards the old industrial district."
Lazar stared at the paper.
"Can your source confirm what was inside?"
"No."
"Then we still don't know if those were the children."
"No," Gobi agreed. "But we have a reason to believe the workshop is being used as more than a storage building."
Lazar looked towards the distant skyline.
The Collectors had been moving people.
And now they had a possible destination.
He turned back to the others.
"Get ready. We're going to find out where that road leads."
For the first time since the investigation began, they had something more than a suspicion.
They had a trail.
And somewhere at the end of it, there might be seven children waiting to be found.