Friday, 05/18/2001, 9:11 p.m.
Domino Pier.
A strong scent of flowers floated in the air.
"…Here we go!"
As the participants voiced their excitement out loud, a woman's laughter echoed among them. The source was a young woman of average height and slim build, with long, curly blond hair and violet eyes. She wore a black leather jacket and skirt set, and a yellow bag hung from her left shoulder.
"Ahahaha!"
Several pairs of eyes turned to the blonde girl—those of Yugi, Jonouchi, Hiroto, Anzu, and Shin among them.
Stretching her arms, the girl spoke with a mocking tone.
"This feels like a kids' sports meet! Though I guess most of you are kids!"
Glancing around seductively, the blonde girl chuckled.
"Hehe. Still haven't seen a worthy opponent."
Upon seeing her, Yugi, Hiroto, and Jonouchi blushed fiercely. Anzu watched her cautiously, while Shin showed a flicker of recognition on his face.
Meanwhile, Yugi mumbled with his mouth agape, clearly shocked.
"She's a duelist too?"
Fixing her attention on the group, the blonde girl looked at Yugi and spoke.
"So, you're that boy named Yugi, right?"
Yugi nodded nervously, his words stammered and his face burning red.
"Um, uh…"
Invading Yugi's personal space, the blonde girl raised a brow and continued. Yugi stepped back, confused.
"What a surprise! How could a guy like you beat Kaiba?"
Extending a finger, the girl touched Yugi's face and spoke in an indifferent tone. Yugi's face instantly turned redder.
"You're pretty famous, you know? Almost as much as your friend over there—the National Champion."
The girl's finger pointed toward Shin, standing next to Anzu. Both looked at her with curious expressions.
Tightening the straps of his backpack, Yugi replied awkwardly.
"Uh, thanks… I guess."
Moving in front of the blonde girl, Hiroto pointed at his own face and announced.
"Excuse me, miss! I'm friends with these two famous duelists! My name is Hon—!"
But Jonouchi smacked Hiroto and cut him off with a nervous voice, a wide grin on his face.
"I'm Jono—!"
The blonde girl, however, shut her eyes, turned around, and then scoffed. The group stared at her in confusion.
"Whatever!"
Turning her head back, the blonde girl looked between Shin and Yugi, her tone arrogant.
"In a duel, I don't care if my opponent's a champion… or just a little kid. Any man who gets in my way will be crushed."
With that, the blonde girl headed toward the line forming at the ship's ramp. Her voice turned flirtatious as she spoke over her shoulder.
"By the way, my name's Mai Kujaku… See you later, boys."
Behind Mai, Yugi, Jonouchi, and Hiroto watched her walk away, their faces flushed.
Hiroto muttered, inhaling deeply.
"What a woman…"
Jonouchi nodded with his eyes closed, then whispered dreamily, sniffing the air. Next to him, Yugi quietly mimicked the gesture.
"Mmm… The sweet scent of a beautiful lady."
Absentmindedly, Shin observed Mai's hips swaying in the distance. Anzu noticed and twitched with irritation. Her expression darkened. Reaching out, she pinched Shin hard on the waist. Her words burst out in an angry tone.
"What are you staring at, huh?!"
Grimacing in pain, Shin apologized weakly.
"Sorry! Ow! That hurts!"
Anzu huffed, crossed her arms, and turned her back on him.
"Hmph! I don't get what you all see in that obnoxious woman."
Shin smiled in resignation and shifted his gaze to the ship ramp on land.
There, a group of suited men was checking participants' star chips before boarding. One of them repeated the same phrase in a monotone voice.
"Please show your star chips when boarding."
Seeing this, the group tensed.
Jonouchi asked in a serious tone, looking nervous.
"Damn it! They're checking star chips! What now? We only have four. One of us will have to…"
Lowering his head, Hiroto stepped forward and muttered helplessly.
"I guess it's me…"
Then Shin spoke up, eyes on a crane in the distance. In front of it, a worker was signaling the operator to move a container onto the ship.
"There's another option. Over there…"
The rest of the group followed his gaze to the crane. Surprise filled their faces.
Blinking a few times, Anzu murmured anxiously.
"A container?"
Nodding, Shin pulled a star chip from his pocket and explained.
"Anzu, Yugi, and I will board with this. You two go in the container. It's better if you're together than having one of you go alone. Once we're at sea, we'll regroup on deck. Let's not waste time. Move."
Hiroto and Jonouchi nodded at each other, then snuck off toward the crane.
Taking the chip from Shin, Anzu asked worriedly, her eyes drifting over the containers.
"Will those two be alright?"
Shin and Yugi exchanged glances, then looked at her. They both smiled, and Yugi replied with confidence.
"Trust them, Anzu."
Taking Anzu's hand, Shin added calmly.
"Let's go."
Anzu nodded in silence, and the three of them joined the line.
The line moved quickly…
A few minutes later, it was Yugi's turn. One of the suited men asked indifferently.
"…Your star chips?"
Yugi nodded and showed his hand. Two golden chips lay in his palm.
Another suited man spoke with a tired voice.
"Alright. Go ahead."
Next was Anzu. The first suited man repeated the question.
"Your star chips?"
Anzu held out her hand. There was only one star chip.
The second suited man didn't seem to notice and said.
"Alright. Next."
Anzu blinked in confusion and quickly closed her hand. Then she walked stiffly up the ramp. Her eyes glanced at Shin in line, and a victorious smirk crossed her face. He returned it with a small nod.
Then, Shin stepped forward.
The first suited man continued his task in the same flat tone.
"Your star chips?"
Shin showed his palm. Only one star chip rested there.
The second man noticed the issue and muttered, confused.
"Only one? Where's your other star chip?"
Shin sighed, visibly annoyed, and answered calmly.
"I lost it in an accident."
Swallowing hard, the second man murmured nervously to the first.
"What do we do?"
The first man shrugged and replied with a yawn. A second later, he pulled a satellite phone from his pocket.
"Yaaawn… I'll call coordination…"