365 Days of Starshipping (Part 1)

Another Kuriboh

2/17/19

Judai paused when he came out of the kitchen, drinks in hand. There was a spirit he hadn't seen before shyly hiding behind the plushies that were still sitting on the couch, looking as if it was trying to blend in.

...Was it a Kuriboh of some sort? It had to be one of the twins' at the very least. He put the drinks down near the three at the desk in the corner, still staring at the couch where the duel spirit had its eyes closed and its tail wrapped around itself.

"Uh... do either of you have a Kuriboh card of some sort?" Judai asked, mentally calling out to Winged Kuriboh that there was a new friend for him to meet.

"I-I have a Kuribon," Luka replied, blinking at him in confusion, "Why?"

"Kuribon, huh? Yeah, definitely a Kuriboh," he hummed, noting that the spirit had paused and opened its eyes when they heard their name. He approached the couch slowly, seeing that the spirit was a bit skittish - hopefully once Winged Kuriboh got here they'd be a bit more relaxed. "Hey there, there's no need to hide little guy-"

"W-Wait! You can see Kuribon?!" Luka exclaimed, turning quickly in her chair to face him in surprise. Lua blinked at that, giving him a surprised look as well - he may not be able to see them, but he definitely knew it was supposed to be a rare ability.

Judai gave her a cheerful grin in response, "Yup! I've actually got a Kuriboh partner as well!" Winged Kuriboh chose that moment to pop up next to him with a happy greeting, questioning what he'd meant by a new friend. He was quick to point the fluff ball to the couch, where the other duel spirit had slowly started inching out from their hiding place.

"Be nice, Winged Kuriboh, they're kind-of shy," he said, waving him off so he could work his magic. Sure enough, a minute later Kuribon had happily hopped out from behind the plushies, floating and playing around with Winged Kuriboh; it had to be a Kuriboh thing to be able to get along so well immediately.

"Winged Kuriboh gets along with everyone, doesn't he?" Yusei chimed in, smiling at the playing spirits. This, of course, prompted the already shocked Luka and Lua to turn and gape at him in further surprise.

"Y-Yusei?! Since when could you see spirits?!" They shouted, practically knocking their chairs over as they stood up to surround him. Yusei blinked in confusion for a moment before his eyes lit up in remembrance.

"Oh, right, it's been a month or so since I've been able to see them," he replied, "I guess I've just gotten so used to it that I forgot no one else knew."

Judai snorted at that, chipping in with his own two-cents, "No, it's just that Junk Synchron and Winged Kuriboh make such a ruckus playing most days that you got used to tuning them out. Speaking of which, you should probably call him out - he'll probably be ecstatic to finally meet a new friend."

Moments later, the orange duel spirit popped out with a cheer, scarf flowing freely around him as he joined the other two spirits immediately.

"Wha- how do you just forget to mention something like that?!" Luka continued, pouting at Yusei in annoyance before turning to look at Judai in awe, "I've never met someone else that was able to see duel spirits before! Have you always been able to see them?"

"Yeah, pretty much - I know a bunch of other people that can see them, too," Judai replied, moving back over to them so he could flop down in one of the desk chairs and pop open a can of soda, "I helped Yusei fix a little... problem he had that was stopping him from seeing them when he should've been able to, so he can see them now."

Judai glanced at the excited twins in front of him, wondering if he should wait or not... yeah, he probably should. They should at least strive to do well in school unlike he did.

"Tell you what, I'll show you something cool I can do when you guys finish your project. I promise it'll be worth it!~"

Both twins pouted, clearly wanting to hound him for more answers to their numerous questions, but the speed that they went back to getting their project laid out showed their excitement regardless. Yusei gave him a grateful smile for getting them back on track, and really, that was all the motivation he needed to keep being a decent role model to the kids instead of a rule-breaking one.