Under the Rain [Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS]

S1-14✩ For the Wish He's Entrusted With and the Future He Believes In

"No way..."

Kusanagi dumbfoundedly stared at the screens in his hotdog truck, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. He just couldn't believe what just unfolded right before his eyes just a few moments ago; Dr. Kogami appearing, Revolver forcing a DRAW against Playmaker, and the fifth ring completion of the Hanoi Tower, all was happening so fast.

From his left side, came a voice of opening sliding door and soon an exhausted Yusaku walked out of the room he was using to log in to LINK VRAINS. As Yusaku fell to his knees, panting, Kusanagi knelt down in front of him. "Are you alright, Yusaku?"

"I am..."

"Because of that guy's Monster card effect, we were forced to log out!" Ai sprang out of Yusaku's duel disk, hastily informing the purple-haired man.

Kusanagi gulped. "Who would've thought that Dr. Kogami is still alive..."

"What about Revolver?"

"He also disappeared, so he must be also forced to log out. But this is bad, Yusaku! The tower is still not stopping!" Kusanagi informed.

"Yusaku, let's log in again! If that tower completes, me and my friends will vanish...!"

"No, that's pointless. Without Revolver there, we can't do anything. But there's still a way," Yusaku cut Ai's plea as he stood up and looked directly into Kusanagi's eyes. "Kusanagi-san, let's go! To Revolver's place!"

"What?!" the confused man only managed to stare at Yusaku in shock alongside Ai.

In a minute, Café Nagi food truck had already set out and moved according to Yusaku's direction. Kusanagi was still processing Yusaku's explanation as he steered the wheel. "Stardust Road... I can't believe Revolver was near us this whole time! He's a regular at my shop, too! Does he know about us all along?"

"Probably yes... but why he didn't do anything is beyond me," Yusaku shook his head, staring down at his lap as he suddenly was reminded of something. "Wait, don't tell me..."

"Yusaku! Look who's over there..." Kusanagi's stern voice suddenly called him out, snapping him out of his train of thoughts. Yusaku raised his face, looking at the spot where Kusanagi was pointing to, and his gaze soon fell upon a familiar small figure who was hunching on the sidewalk. He smiled wryly to himself as he instantly could recognize who that was.

"It's that Tsubaki Mirai girl! What is she doing there?" Ai slightly tilted his head to side.

"Kusanagi-san, pull over!" Yusaku said without turning to the man.

Kusanagi nodded, a serious expression plastered across his face as he did as what he was told. He stopped the car right next to the girl, who was alone on the sidewalk. She looked almost out of breath, probably from running.

"Tsubaki!"

The silver-haired girl's head perked when she heard Yusaku's voice. "Fu... jiki-kun... Kusa... nagi-san?" she said between her short breaths as soon as she noticed them. "Why... here?"

Something fell from her sweaty right palm and hit the paved ground. It was her smartphone. In its screen, the footage of the completion progress of Hanoi Tower was playing. Yusaku promptly frowned when he saw it.

"So you were also watching the duel, after all..." He murmured to himself. Closing his eyes and nodding, he then opened the door of the car and told the girl, "...hop in, Kogami Mirai!"

Tsubaki only gasped upon hearing him.

✩

At the same time, in different place, the boy whose name was Kogami Ryoken had just hurriedly ran over to his father's bed from his bedroom. His entire body was hurting thanks to the fierce Speed Duel he had against Playmaker, but right now he was only concerned about his father's condition. Much to his horror, by the time he arrived, there was no indication that his father was still breathing. His heart had also stopped completely.