"This is..."

I mumbled under my breath as I entered the 86 for the first time. Even though it was a vintage car, it's interior was still comfortable to sit in.

Entering on the passenger's seat side, Minamoto let out a whistle before checking out every nook and cranny of the car, both in and out. Considering she was the expert, I left her to it, while I committed myself to memorising where everything was.

Being in the driver's seat of a car definitely felt like a different experience, but somehow it wasn't completely unfamiliar to me... I guess it must have been because I used to play racing games in the arcade a lot when I was a kid.

You would simulate how to drive using a steering wheel and pedals, so in that sense, I was familiar with that much. The addition of the driving stick, clutch, and mirrors were something I had no handle with though.

"Hey, isn't this great? Good for you!"

Minamoto, after confirming that she was happy with the state of the car was, settled in the passenger seat and slapped me on the back with a wide grin.

"Yeah... I was surprised when I first saw it, but now being here in the driver's seat, it feels less daunting than I originally imagined."

"Ha ha, that's what they all say. Just wait until you actually start controlling it... or, if that still doesn't spike your heart rate... going beyond the limiter."

Minamoto tapped on the front panel of the car, where it displayed both gas and horsepower. The gas was full, so I looked over at the horsepower panel, where it showed the tick was sitting currently at zero as the car was still.

Behind the tick was a faint gradient going from green to to red. The section in red were speeds that the car had the potential to break into, up to a maximum of 180, but was obviously illegal to actually go that far while on the road.

In other words, Minamoto was challenging me to try going beyond the legal limit and getting a taste of the speed that any serious racer was more than familiar with.

"Sure. Of course, only after I learn how to drive."

"That's the spirit. You're surprisingly pumped up today, Takanori-san!"

"You seem to be too, Minamoto-san."

Then again, it could be because she's not obsessing over Shigaisoshi-sama...

"Of course I'd be, we're doing my speciality now! This is my territory!"

Minamoto bragged, laughing and crossing her arms. I guess I can't argue with that...

With her as my instructor, she began giving me the rundown on how the car functions and how to drive it. We did pretty mundane things at first, mainly to let me get the hang of the controls.

I was driving around the block of the garage, going at a steady pace. Minamoto nodded in a satisfactory manner.

"You're a surprisingly fast learner... and the way you drove those corners was smoother than most newbies do... you sure this is your first time driving?"

"I can assure you, I have no experience doing this..."

"Right? That's what I thought. Guess that means I'm just that good of a teacher, well done me!"

Minamoto laughed, somehow managing to twist it into praising herself... well, not like I disagree, she certainly was a good teacher. Her explanations were clear and precise, which helped a lot in getting to grasp driving theory.

As we were about to hit the road and take my training further, my phone started ringing. I stopped operating the car and grabbed it from my pocket, checking the screen.

It was from Kiri.

"...it's probably nothing important."

I declined the call and put my phone away.

"Sorry about that."

"All good. Let's see how you fare on the real—"

Minamoto's phone rang next. She checked it, staring at it with a blank stare before declining as well.

"It wasn't BFF-sama, so I have no obligation to—"

Now it was my phone again. As expected, another call came from Kiri.

"Okay, this is getting weird..."

The fact he kept calling us probably meant this was an emergency. Since it's come to this, I answered the phone.

"Takanori-san! Minamoto-san!"

Since he was screaming both our names, I put the call on speaker so both of us could hear it.

"This is bad! Like, seriously super uber mega bad! You two need to come home like, right now!"

"Can you first tell us what happened? I'm trying to get Takanori-san his driving license!"

"Yeah, this is kind of important for me, Kiri-san..."

"This is even more important! Nozomi's finally lost it!"

"Lost what...?"

"His virginity?!"

It seems Minamoto and I had very different perceptions about Anjou-sensei.

"No you dumbasses! He's lost his memories! He's gone full on amnesiac!"

Minamoto grabbed the phone from my hand and screamed into it.

"And what the hell do you want us to do about it?!"

As much I felt bad for Anjou-sensei, I did have to agree with Minamoto... what could either of us do in this situation? If anything, Kiri should've contacted Shigaisoshi-sama first, since she's the one trying to become a medical professional.

"That's the thing! He keeps muttering to himself that he needs to go see a boy with blonde hair no matter what! Well, guess who matches that description?!"

Minamoto turned to me.

"Holy hell, Anjou-sensei only remembers you..."

"...why does he only remember me?"

"I don't know! But you need to come right now, Takanori-san! And Minamoto-san, I need you to drive him back here, pronto!"

"Ugh! Alright, fine! But you owe us one!"

"I owe you one?! What the hell, this isn't even my prob— then again, grrr... oh, kids these days, I swear to god..."

Kiri muttered some curses to himself before letting out a deep sigh.

"Alright, fine! Just help knock some sense into Nozomi when you get here, alright Takanori-san?"

"I'll do my best..."

...but to be honest, I'm not sure what I can do in this situation.

Hearing that, Kiri ended the call, causing Minamoto to hand me my phone back. She sighed and crossed her arms.

"Looks like our plans got massively derailed. Alright, come on, let's get into my car."

"I'm more curious about how he lost all his memories suddenly... he was completely fine this morning."

Considering I was the last person to hang out with him at Card Lab Yggdrasil, maybe that's the reason why Anjou-sensei could only remember me.

"Hmm... maybe BFF-sama hit him with so much blunt force trauma it made him an amnesiac?"

"...why would Shigaisohi-sama do that, though? It doesn't seem in character for her."

"More like why wouldn't she? If Anjou-sensei was caught rifling through her personal belongings, she'd unleash all her wrath unto him and his most vulnerable part of the body."

I think if Anjou-sensei was caught doing something like that, the first response would be to call the police and file a report to HR... in any case, I decided to entertain Minamoto a little.

"Let me guess... his balls?"

"Silly Takanori-san. She's merciful enough to let him keep his fertility."

"How kind of her. Well, we better hope it's not Shigaisoshi-sama."

"It's definitely, without a doubt, Shigaisoshi-sama."

"Why are you so confident in that?"

"I asked her to hit me once as a reward and it was complete bliss."

I didn't ask any further questions.

...

We arrived back at Kiri's place at lightning speed.

"Oh thank god, you guys are here..."

"Don't ever underestimate how fast I can go on the road."

"By that, she means she drove as fast as possible while abiding by the speeding limit..."

I rubbed the back of my head, seriously impressed at how smooth and skilful Minamoto was at driving. She wasn't kidding when she said she was a pro...

"For the sake of your career, I hope you didn't get a speeding ticket. Anyways, come on Takanori-san! This way!"

"Hold on, let me get my bearings—"

Despite my protests to get a breather, Kiri grabbed my arm and dragged me to the living room. Opening the door, I could see Anjou-sensei sitting on the edge of the couch in a daze, his eyes hollow while various Tachikaze cards were spread out around him.

He lowered his head, deflating his curled posture further, while his arms hung off his lap, causing his hands to swing lifelessly between his legs. His lips moved erratically, muttering a single phrase over and over again.

"I need to see him... I need to see him... I need to see him..."

...is Anjou-sensei really referring to me? Hearing this for myself, I had sincere doubts this was the case. Seeing him look so distraught and empty, I felt it had to be someone else.

I turned to Kiri, wanting to extract more information about the situation before making an attempt to bring Anjou-sensei's senses back... if that was even possible.

"Before I go in, can you tell me what exactly happened to cause all this?"

"Your guess is as good as mine... ever since he got back home, he's been acting like this. The only clue I have for what could've happened is the damage to his car."

"What was it like?"

"The front of his Alfa Romeo was falling apart when he got back here. I thought it was strange, but when he got out of the car, he was already acting like this."

"Hang on. Does that mean Anjou-sensei was already under amnesia while driving?"

"I think so... I'm just holding onto hope that's our best chance at bringing him back to his senses. If he remembered how to drive, then it means his memory isn't completely wiped. We should be able to extrapolate the rest of it back... at least, in theory."

"That makes sense. Did Anjou-sensei realise his car was damaged?"

"Not at all. Granted, it wasn't bad enough to make the car stop working, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Nozomi probably didn't even realise his car was ruined somehow."

"I can imagine... he's been completely preoccupied with finding this guy, right?"

"Indeed. Even when I tried forcing him to talk to me, he straight up ignored me! I'm his best friend, you know?! Homies don't ignore the homies, that's breaking the brocode!"

As someone who doesn't have that many friends, I didn't really understand what Kiri was on about. For example, if Yukina ignored me, I would understand she didn't want to talk to me.

"Anyhow, that's the gist of the situation. Batter's up, Takanori-san. Go and save Nozomi for me!"

Before I could come up with a plan of action, Kiri pushed me into the living room and slammed the door shut. As it did, Anjou-sensei perked his head up, causing us to have direct eye contact.

The sound of rain falling outside filled the silent air.

Anjou-sensei stared at me dumbfounded. I didn't know what to do or say, so I remained still, letting him take in the sight before him. Was I really the one he was looking for?

"Are you...?"

"Yeah."

I nodded, confirming my identity to him. Anjou-sensei gasped, causing him to stumble to his feet and stagger towards me.

"You... you're really here?!"

A wide smile formed on his lips as he grabbed my shoulders.

"I... I'm here."

Wait, so I really was the person he was looking for...?

"Oh, thank god... for a moment, I thought I'd never get to see you again..."

"Anjou—"

"Don't address me so coldly!"

Anjou-sensei rattled me, a moment of distraught appearing on his face.

"Call me... like how you used to."

I tried scouring the depths of my mind for a memory where I had met Anjou-sensei before and referred to him by something else... however, I couldn't recall anything like that, leading me towards one conclusion that would explain the strangeness of his actions.

It was a case of mistaken identity.

That being said... seeing the look in his eyes, the pure joy in them as he laid his eyes on me... I just couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth, even if that was the right thing to do.

Since Kiri had left this in my hands, I judged that the risk of worsening his frail mental state and stressing his erratic emotions further didn't outweigh the potential damage that came from immediately coming clean.

After all, I had personally seen firsthand how unpredictable and reckless people can be when you rip them straight out of their comfortable fabric of their fantasies, and drag them right into the abysses of their reality.

For example, Matsushita cried hysterically and became a former husk of the man he once was when he was confronted with the weight of his sins. Meanwhile, Alice had a full breakdown and screamed until the vocal chords in her throat were torn when she was confronted with the truth of her actions.

In both cases, the damage was irreparable. These people won't ever be the same again. As such, it was probably for the best that I go along with Anjou-sensei's delusions for now, at least until he regains his memories and stops looking at me with this false pretence.

"Call me... Nozomi."

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.

"...Nozomi."

Anjou-sensei... or I suppose, Nozomi, let out a breath of relief and smiled. He chuckled, genuine giddy glee spreading on his face. I've never seen him look so at peace before.

"Ha ha ha... thank you... thank you, N— N..."

Nozomi frowned, unable to conjure the real name of the person he was looking for. I guess not even the sentimentality of this person could salvage the amnesia from purging that...

"Yuuto. My name's Takanori Yuuto."

"Ah... crap, how could I forget...! Sorry, Yuuto."

It felt weird hearing him address me with my given name after all this time.

"It's alright. It can't be helped, since you have amnesia."

"Yeah... one moment, I was in my car, and the next thing I knew... I was here, in this room, surrounded by a bunch of these... dinosaurs."

Nozomi sighed, kneeling down to pick up a copy of Spinodriver from the floor. It seems the content of his deck was scattered out when he went inside... what could have caused him to do that?

"Ah... it's so foggy... whenever I try to think what happened or where I am, nothing comes up..."

He clutched his head, gritting his teeth.

"Easy now. There's no point straining it if you can't remember."

I knelt down, helping him pick up the cards from the floor.

"Yeah, I suppose... but it feels like I've lost something... important, you know?"

"I can imagine. It shouldn't be a severe case though, since you still know how to drive and speak."

"Oh wait, you have a good point. I didn't even think of that...! Ah, then again..."

Nozomi sighed, huddling the cards to his chest with a sigh. I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't even know what these cards are..."

...has he forgotten how to play Vanguard?

"Nozomi... can you tell me everything you remember?"

"I wish I could, but it's all empty..."

"Anything. Anything works."

"I'm trying to recall, but nothing's coming up... the most I can remember is what happened before I ended up here."

"That's fine. Tell me about it."

"I... I remember something going wrong in my car. But, that's it..."

It seems Nozomi's car suffered a failure, leading him to get into a traffic accident, which caused this amnesia. I'll have to verify the car myself to see how bad the damage was... though, I had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't the intended target.

"That's alright. I think it's safe to say that's the reason you can't remember anything."

He nodded.

"My head's been pounding since then, both from the pain and from being unable to recall anything."

"So it's only your basic motor functions that have come back to you naturally?"

"Yeah... it's just my real memories that I'm struggling to grunge up. Anytime I try to think of something, anything concrete, it just disappears into the wind like static. Even so..."

Nozomi clutched the Spinodriver tightly, his eyes watering.

"...feeling this card in my hand now, I can tell it's extremely important to me. But in this moment... I can't remember at all why I love it so much. And knowing that, something is missing here... it's driving me insane with a burning sadness."

"I see... so it's like that, huh?"

I looked out from the corner of my eye at the table, where there were a few loose packs leftover from Nozomi's opening session this morning. Reaching out, I grabbed a booster pack and handed it to him.

"Here, Nozomi. Try this."

"What is it...?"

"Maybe this will jog your memory."

Nozomi took the pack, holding it with both hands. Fumbling with it, he dragged his fingers across the smooth packaging, letting the cool sensation of the foil linger on his touch.

He squinted at the front illustration, before flipping it over to read what was on the back. Turning it back to its original side, he scratched the back of his head.

"The drawings are so beautiful, I don't want to destroy it... and yet, for some reason, I have this primal urge to rip it open and see what's inside."

"Then go ahead and follow that instinct. Do it."

Considering his first thought was to break the pack open, there was still a small glimmer of hope that he could recall the importance of Vanguard.

"Alright..."

Nozomi tore the foil down from the side. As he did, his eyes widened as seven cards slid out, all facing down and shoving the game's logo in the front and centre of his vision.

"They're... they're the same cards..."

Nozomi was stunned. Even though he was just looking at the card back, he seemed mesmerised by the intricate blue lines and the slanted white text that read one thing—

"This is Vanguard. You know it, right?"

"Vanguard... Vanguard... so this is Vanguard, huh?"

Nozomi laughed, shaking his head.

"...sorry. It does sound familiar, but I still can't remember anything about it."

"That's fine. Even if you can't recall it, I'm going to force you to relearn it."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that...?"

"You're competing in the MF Tournament. As such, you can't afford not to know how to play Vanguard."

Hearing that, Nozomi's eyes widened. He looked down at the loose collection of cards in his hands and squeezed it tightly.

"So past me was that serious about this game, huh...?"

"Yeah. He loved Vanguard - and still does."

I gave him the copy of Spinodriver I picked up from the floor.

"And this is the proof of his - no, your - ambition."

Nozomi narrowed his eyes as he accepted the card.

"Ahh... I don't understand this situation at all, but I can tell that the remnants of my feelings towards these cards are undeniably real."

Staring at it, a small smile appeared on his lips, before transforming into a confident smirk.

"Yuuto!"

He pointed at me.

"Could you please teach me how to play Vanguard again!"

Even though it was a polite request, he shouted it like it was a demand I couldn't back off from.

"I might end up still being a complete noob by the end of this, but I at least owe it to myself - to whatever the me in the past did to get me to this point - to get at least try and good at this game again to win this tournament, even if I look desperate doing it!"

Seeing his enthusiasm for Vanguard return, things started looking more hopeful for the restoration of his memories. Ironically, this proposal would flip our intended roles, which would also leave me with no mentor at how to get better at Premium.

While it wasn't the end of the world, since I could always teach myself what the format is like, it would be better if I had a guiding hand at least. For now though, bringing Nozomi's memories back took priority, so I nodded in agreement.

"Sure thing. We can make a start in a moment, but first there's a few people I want you meet again."

"Oh... do you mean that panda looking guy standing outside this room?"

"Yes, but not just him. In fact... Kiri-san, why don't you reintroduce yourself?"

Taking that as his cue, Kiri reentered the living room with a grumbling face.

"Don't call me a panda face, you dinosaur loving bastard."

"But dinosaurs are so cool!"

"That's the one thing you can still remember in your amnesia riddled state?!"

I tapped Kiri on the shoulder.

"Is this sufficient?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You've helped a ton in getting through to this knucklehead... at least I'm finally conversing with him."

"I'm glad to hear. Is it alright if I let you handle things from here? I've got a call to make."

"Yeah, sure."

I exited the living room and went outside under the canopy to make a call to Mikazuchi-sensei.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Well, if it isn't Takanori-shounen! What a pleasant surprise to get a call from you!"

"I could say the same thing. Here I thought your line would go straight to voicemail."

"I'm a very busy man, but I make exceptions for very promising students. So, what seems to be the matter?"

I explained the current situation up until now to him.

"Well, that's cause for a lot of concern... alright, no worries. Let me send in someone else to help teach you Premium."

"That would be appreciated."

"You should be able to meet with them tonight, since I know they're not a very busy person."

"...surely you're not going to make Kaido-senpai teach me, are you?"

"Huh? Don't be ridiculous, Kaido's off to compete in the Dream Team Challenge! I can't take that time away from him just to tutor you."

"Thank god..."

"No, this person is very different from Kaido. In fact, you know what? I'll keep their identity a surprise!"

To me, it sounded like Mikazuchi-sensei didn't have anyone in mind yet, so he was just stalling for time until he does...

"You'll meet them tonight at this family restaurant. I'll send more details over text, but rest assured, I'll have it sorted out."

"Alright. Thank you for the help."

"No problem. Also..."

Mikazuchi-sensei's usually cheerful voice turned serious.

"...if what you speculate is true, two things. Firstly, learn how to drive as soon as possible. We got incredibly lucky this time round that Anjou-san didn't get seriously injured, so let's try to keep that risk at a minimum by not having others chauffeur you around."

"I agree. I can handle it better if I'm on my own anyways."

"I know you're more than capable, but don't get cocky just yet. I don't want any harm to come to you either. That's why, secondly, if you think that they think that they've gotten you after this incident, then try to keep it on the down low from now on. We'd rather have them believe you're dead than alive."

"Of course... but unfortunately, I know for a fact they're that easily fooled. The only way they'd end this farce for good is if my corpse is produced and verified."

"Dang. Well, I guess that can be something we can work on later, making a corpse that when analysed, brings up Yuuto's identity..."

"Please don't even joke about that."

"Ha ha, relax, I'm only kidding. Still, fact they're coming at you from so early on is quite concerning... just how many enemies did you make down there?"

"Limitless. Everywhere in the darkness, they want me dead."

"And yet you continue to stay in the shadows despite it."

"I don't really have a choice, unfortunately."

Because I don't belong to either world.

"Anyways, thanks for filling me in. I'll message you later tonight concerning your meeting with your new mentor. Good luck with your training!"

"Alright. See you later, Mikazuchi-sensei."

"Talk to you soon, Takanori-shounen!"

I ended the call before going round back to check out the damage to Nozomi's car.

Like Kiri said, the front of the Alfa Romeo was totalled. While it wasn't falling apart, its crumple zone had been hit, leaving the hood and grill to accordion. It's right outside mirror was also on the verge of falling off, only holding on by a thread of scrap metal.

However, what was going on outside wasn't the real damage I wanted to check.

I slipped my fingers under the shrivelled hood and peeled it back, inspecting the crushed engine. Digging through the loose innards of his car, it was obvious something had exploded in here.

And among the sea of metal, I found the proof of their existence.

I plucked out a small scrap of metal, slightly darker in colour and rougher in texture from the rest, and squeezed it in my hand tightly.

It was the leftover remnant of a remote controlled bomb someone had placed inside of Nozomi's car.

They had bugged his engine to blow up in the hopes of killing me.

I closed my eyes and sighed, before returning inside the house.

...

"Check my engine?"

I was standing outside of Minamoto's room, talking to her through the door. Obviously, I wasn't allowed inside, since she was together with Shigaisoshi-sama.

"Yeah. There might be something wrong with it."

"Who died and made you car expert?"

Taking my words as arrogance coming from a novice, Minamoto opened her door and glared at me with a deadpan look.

"I don't think anyone died..."

"I didn't mean it literally, dumbass. What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"Uh... it's just an instinct, I guess."

Minamoto's deadpan grew worse.

"Takanori-san, come with me. I'm going to show you indisputable proof my baby is fine."

Minamoto stressed the word "baby", before storming out her room and dragging me along outside to inspect her car. Well, I might be worrying for nothing, since her car is basically her child... I'd imagine she would do regular checkups on it.

With complete confidence, Minamoto gestured to her car, opened the hood, gestured to her engine, before shutting it close.

"As you can see, there's nothing wrong. Not like you'd understand... you have lots of learn still!"

In the split second I got to actually see what was inside, I didn't spot a remote bomb. Well, it seems Minamoto was safe for now, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

"I see... sorry, I thought there was something off."

"Please, don't take me as a fool. I take better care of this car than I do my own body."

"Is that something to brag about...?"

"It just means I have BFF-sama take care of my body instead! Yippee!"

Minamoto clapped her hands together and started drooling viciously at the thought of Shigaisoshi-sama tending to her when she was ill.

"R-right... uh, just make sure to check your engine every day."

"Oh trust me, I already do that. I need to keep this baby in tip-top shape if I wanna win races."

Minamoto wiped away her drool before caressing the top of her car's hood.

"...that's good to hear."

Just as I was about to return inside, Minamoto grabbed me by the shoulder.

"Are you hiding something from me, Takanori-san?"

I looked at her over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not."

"You've been acting weirdly for awhile now. Is something bothering you? Or are you secretly more advanced in the art of racing than you let on?"

Minamoto said it as a joke, but she was strangely close to the truth... well, minus the car part. I was a complete novice at that.

I shook my head.

"Sorry. Nothing's wrong."

"Hmm..."

It seems she didn't believe me, as she looked at me with a thoughtful face, her thumb resting against her chin.

"I mean, it is a little weird that you're suddenly caring so much about my car's engine. Wait, don't tell me... are you planning on stealing it and selling it as "Minamoto Kumi-sama's engine" to make a quick buck from racing enthusiasts?! Is that why you need it in tip top shape?!"

I paused, needing a full second to take in the absurd leap in logic she had just made.

"...obviously. Why else would I care about your engine?"

I said it sarcastically, but Minamoto screamed and threw herself on her car, covering the hood.

"Takanori-san, you bastard! How dare you try and defile my baby like that! Have you no shame?! Go sell your kidney if you need a quick buck, leave my car out of this! I thought the rumours about you being a broke leech weren't true, how could you betray me like this?!"

"Let me guess, Yahagi told you that?"

"Yahagi did."

We both nodded in mutual understanding.

"Wait, that was his name? I thought it was Yakushiji."

I can't tell if that was more yikes for her or him.

"In any case! I won't let you ever take my engine away, you thief! In fact, the easiest way to prevent it... is to destroy it myself so you'll never be able to resell it!"

"Huh? Wait, hold on, I was only joking—"

Minamoto flung open the hood of her car and went to punch the engine. Just before she could connect her fist, however...

"Hol' up— this engine is heavy as hell! How the heck would a weakling like you gonna ever carry this out? You can barely lift a shopping bag!"

She started laughing hysterically, hugging her sides from how hard she was cackling.

"Like I said, I was only—"

"Wait..."

Minamoto stopped laughing before a look of dread surfaced on her face.

"Oh my god... you have a partner in crime! You were planning on stealing my engine with somebody else! Kyaaaaaaaaaa, you're the worst Takanori-san! You're the worst, you're the worst, you're the worst!"

At this point, now that Minamoto was screaming loud enough for anyone outside to hear, I gave up on trying to correct her delusions and shuffled back inside the house.

I really do end up having some of the strangest mentors... I might be jinxing it by saying it now, but I hope Mikazuchi-sensei finds a normal person to help teach me Premium. Otherwise, I'm cooked.

...

It was the evening.

I left the house early to walk to the restaurant Mikazuchi-sensei sent me the coordinates to. Of course, while it would be quicker to be dropped off there by someone, I didn't want another incident to happen like with Nozomi.

That being said... part of me did feel a bit vulnerable on my way there, since I was walking out alone at night in streets that I've never been in before. I was clutching my phone, following the directions the map app was feeding me through my earphones.

Even though it was summer, a chill breeze occasionally blew through the air. It was likely due to the rain from earlier, but it certainly added an unnerving vibe to my journey, as it made the bushes rustle like there were people hiding inside of them.

Thankfully, I had arrived at my destination safely. It was a small restaurant in the city centre, just a bit off the beaten path. Even though Mikazuchi-sensei described it as a restaurant, it looked more like an old school bar, ripped straight out a fantasy novel.

It's name was Nahaka Tavern.

Reading that, I wondered if I was even allowed to enter. I was still underage, after all... unless, was this Mikazuchi-sensei's roundabout way of telling me that I was on my own?

There's no way, not even he's that unreliable... I guess there's only one way to find out.

"...here goes nothing."

I pushed open the door to the tavern, sounding the front bell ring. As expected, at this time of night, there were a bunch of people who just came off work inside, chatting and drinking away. The lighting was warm and the atmosphere was rowdy.

"Hello, welcome to Nahaka Tavern! Please take a seat wherever you like, and I'll come get your order shortly."

Immediately greeting me was a young woman in a German barmaid uniform with shoulder length green hair and indigo coloured eyes. Considering she didn't even so much take a second glance at me, I guess this means I was fine to enter without ID.

Just before I could nod, the green-haired barmaid whisked off to go deal with another table that was calling for her. I scratched my cheek before stepping inside, going off to sit down at a table in the furthest leftmost corner like Mikazuchi-sensei instructed.

Annoyingly, that table was being occupied by a woman with blonde hair and ruby eyes, so I sat down at the table in front of hers. Hopefully the mentor recognises me and sits down here.

I took a menu and perused through it, before going back on my phone to check the time.

"I guess my new mentor's not shown up yet..."

It was about five minutes past the designated meeting time, but no one had come to greet me yet. I guess they were either running late or they haven't found me yet.

"Sorry about the wait!"

The green-haired barmaid ran up to my table, notepad and pen in hand. Despite how busy she seemed, running back and forth between all the demanding customers, she still smiled brightly, enjoying the intensity of the tavern's hustle and bustle.

"I'm Stella, and I'll be your barmaid for today. Oh, are you on your own?"

I scratched my cheek and put down my menu.

"Well... I'm actually here to meet up with someone, but it seems they're not here yet."

"Oh, that's alright! We'll reserve this chair for when they get here then."

The barmaid, Stella, pat the seat opposite to mine with an assuring grin.

"Would you like anything to start off with while you're killing time?"

"Uh..."

To be honest, I still hadn't made up my mind on what I wanted to eat.

"...I'll have some water, please."

"Sure thing! Anything else?"

"Uh..."

I picked up the menu again and focused in on the prices. The yakitori was cheap and seemed good, but I wanted something more filling... I turned the page over to the donburi section.

"If you're having trouble selecting something, I'd recommend this one."

Noticing my indecisiveness, Stella shuffled behind me and pointed at the katsudon on the menu. Even though it was a bit pricey, the portion size was bigger than usual, so it seemed like a good deal...

"Sure... I'll have that then."

"Glad to hear! I'll be right back then."

Stella zoomed off to put my order through to the kitchen. Then, she returned with a jug of water and two glasses to pour it in.

"Here you go. I also brought one for your friend too."

"Thank you... I appreciate it."

"Not at all, please enjoy your stay here!"

Stella gave one last smile before going back to tending other customers. Now that I'm looking around, I think she was the only waitress here. I guess this place doesn't have much staff, since even in the kitchen I can only hear two voices shouting.

Part of me feels bad for her, since she was bouncing all over the place by herself. Granted, that was probably the easy part if you had enough stamina. The hard part would be socialising with all the patrons, which is what I've seen her doing.

She even tried getting to know me better too through small talk, which I wasn't expecting. It was impressive, mainly because I don't think I could ever handle a job like that. I'd be exhausted after just two conversations.

I poured out some water and took a sip. Not long after, Stella returned with my food.

"Here you go! One piping hot bowl of katsudon! It's delicious, but please be careful to not burn your tongue."

Stella then stuck out her tongue and pointed at it, as if hinting it had happened to her before.

"Thank you... I'll try my best."

Heeding her advice, I let the food cool down a bit before digging in.

"Damn, this is good..."

It might be because I've been surviving off nothing but instant ramen at school, but eating actual food felt like heaven on my tongue. I ravenously devoured - no, inhaled - the bowl of katsudon like my life depended on it.

By the time I was done, I slumped in my seat, completely stuffed. Man, that was a really good meal... and yet somehow, I managed to finish it before my mentor had even shown up.

"...where the heck are they?"

It had been over thirty minutes now. I know I have a lot of free time since it's the summer holidays, but I still needed some time to walk back home and take a shower too...

I thought about contacting Mikazuchi-sensei, but it might be too hasty. This could be some kind of test within itself, seeing how far I'd go to wait for a mentor to see how serious I was about playing Premium or something.

I guess in the meantime I'll try to familiarise myself with the meta and see what cards were in the older format that could be used now...

"How was the food?"

As Stella came up to collect my empty bowl, she asked me that question.

"Oh, it was delicious. Thanks for recommending it."

"Right? You should really be thanking the chef though, she's the one who made it."

"My compliments go out to them then."

"I'll let her know we have another happy customer!"

Just as Stella was about to leave, she noticed the seat across from me was still empty.

"Oh... have they still not shown up yet?"

"Ah... yeah, I think they're running late or something."

"I hope it's not a date. It would be so rude if they stood you up like that."

Stella rolled her eyes, yet again hinting that she's experienced it before.

"Thankfully, it's not..."

She chuckled.

"I would say good, but I'm sure a young man like you is at least a tiny bit disappointed that you're not out on a date right now."

"Eh, not really... I'm not one much for romance."

"Oh, that's understandable. A couple of bad experiences lead you to give up, or are you just not interested whatsoever?"

"The latter... I think."

"Let me guess, you've had no romantic experience?"

"...more or less."

Before I knew it, I was swept up in Stella's small talk despite my attempts to avoid it. She was really good at having conversations with other people... I won't ever understand how extroverted types can be so confident in asking these sorts of questions.

"Ah, I should've knew it... you looked exceptionally young, but the hardened gaze in your eyes made me thought you were older than you were."

"Sorry... does that mean I'm not allowed to be here?"

"Not at all! We serve everyone at Nahaka Tavern, regardless of age. Just, because you're a minor, no ordering alcohol and going near the bar section, okay?"

"Of course. I don't have any ID on me to prove I was of age anyways..."

From across the tavern, someone shouted out for Stella's attention. She looked over to them, confirmed she recognised their voice, before turning back to me.

"I should get going. Do you want to pay now, order more food, or wait until your friend arrives?"

"...I'll just keep waiting for now."

"Not a problem."

Stella smiled, tapped the table, and whisked away. She was certainly a busybody type... I wasn't expecting to receive this sort of attentive treatment, since I was a solo customer.

I was dreading when she came up to socialise with me, since I hate talking about vapid topics. Despite that, I ended up enjoying our conversation more than I thought, even finding it strangely pleasant due to her charming, mood-making voice.

By now, an hour had passed, and the peak of rush the tavern's rush hour died down. There were still a numerable amount of customers still inside, drinking away their problems with alcohol, but the amount was cut down by at least half.

"You're still here, huh?"

Coming back to my table was Stella, who was wiping her hands on a cloth.

"Yeah... I have no idea where they are."

"Have you tried contacting them?"

That would be the obvious solution, but unfortunately, I don't even know who this person is or what their number was. It was a weird situation to explain, so I figured I'd tell a lie to not have to expand on it...

"Yeah, but they didn't pick up. Their phone might be dead or something."

"Oh, I see."

Stella puffed her cheeks, sighing as she crossed her arms.

"I do feel bad for you... would you like some dessert? It's on the house."

"Oh..."

As much as I would love to have some sponge cake with custard, I felt that taking up her offer would be abusing Stella's kindness.

"...I appreciate your hospitality, but I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the offer either way."

I turned to my phone, continuing to scroll through the database to read up on old cards.

"Hmm?"

Stella, catching notice of what I was looking at, leaned in to take a peek.

"I knew it, it was Vanguard! G format too, huh? Or, I suppose, Premium?"

"Ah... Stella-san, you play Vanguard?"

"Of course. I'm in the Vanguard society at my university. Our group has been playtesting a lot of Premium since they announced its revival."

She was a university student, huh? I guess this meant being a barmaid was a part time job she was doing over the summer.

"That sounds cool. I only got into it recently through a friend..."

"Is it the same friend who hasn't shown up?"

"...different person. Though, he's just as unreliable it seems."

An image of Mikazuchi-sensei with goofy eyes appeared in my head.

"What deck do you play? I might be able to give some guidance."

"I'm playing Claret."

"Pure Claret? Or Claret splashed in Luard for Stride on turn 3?"

"Pure Claret..."

"Ha ha, I respect it. You a purist?"

"Not particularly. I don't mind what I put in my deck as long as it makes it good. Claret is... my favourite unit though, so I wanted to build a deck around him first and foremost."

"Sticking to your guns, nice. Personally, the only Premium Shadow Paladin deck I've ever played against was Luard, and that was against one of our society's strongest members, so I think I might not be of much use here."

"Luard does seem to be everyone's pick for Shadow Paladin online."

"And for good reason. Well, I say that, but the general strategy of both decks are pretty similar. You're going to turbo to Ritual 10 and either kill them with Morfessa, or die trying."

"Got it, so spam Morfessa to win..."

Somehow, the sound of doing that over and over again left a bad taste in my mouth. Surely the deck wasn't that boring to play, right?

"You don't seem pleased at the sound of that."

"...I mean, it makes sense. It's your strongest Stride, so you might as well rinse it for all it's worth."

"Ha ha ha, you actually remind me of one of my friends. She also hates having to Stride into the same thing over and over, even if it's the most optimal choice."

"If the G Zone is a massive toolbox, then you might as well try to get value out of having access to whatever you need at any given moment. It just seems like a waste that aspect of utility can be, or straight up is, invalidated by the existence of one powerful G unit."

"That might be true, but think about it this way. If one Stride is always consistently the best route, then there's skill in learning when to pivot away from that Stride and go into another one to gain a greater advantage. It's not something I feel you grasp logically... but rather, it's something you attain naturally through just playing a lot of games and putting yourself in various situations."

I looked up at Stella as she gave me sagely advice on Premium format. In a way, she was right... there was skill expression to be found even if the deck has one best Stride.

Then, something clicked in my mind.

"...Stella-san, may I ask you a strange question?"

"What is it?"

"Are you... supposed to be mentoring something in Premium?"

Stella raised an eyebrow, before her eyes widened.

"Kiddo, what's your name?"

"Huh?"

I wasn't expecting her to answer me with another question.

"Your name. What is it?"

"Takanori Yuuto...? Why do you want to—"

Without a word, Stella grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of my chair.

"Oh my gosh, Mamiko-chan, you won't believe this!"

She then dragged me along, laughing as she pressed her hand against her face.

"Stella-chan? What's so funny?"

Stella then let go of me, pushing me towards the table with the same woman with long blonde hair and ruby eyes I saw earlier.

She was sitting with a bored expression, scrolling through her phone, with her deck box open on the table.

Wait... it couldn't be, could it?

"You said you were waiting for a boy named Takanori, right?"

"Mhm. I'm supposed to be mentoring him in Premium, but he's... oh, don't tell me."

The moment those words left her mouth, I froze.

"Hang on, you're..."

Seeing us both stun-locked staring at each other, Stella pushed things along by gently sitting me down across from Mamiko, before taking her leave.

"Well, here you go! Your special order, on the house, Takanori-san~. Enjoy!"

"Thank you, Stella-chan..."

"I... uh..."

Usually, I'm a coldhearted person. Someone who doesn't feel any emotions. Someone incapable of showing any emotions. Nothing stirs my heart. Nothing can penetrate the walls around my heart.

Yet, somehow... right now, in this moment... even I could feel the burning heat on my cheeks from this encounter. My shoulders slumped forward.

...so this is the feeling of true embarrassment, huh?

"It seems we're over an hour late on our first lesson."

Thankfully, it didn't seem like I was the only one who was embarrassed by this. Likewise, Mamiko's cheeks were also flushed red, and she tried lightening the awkward mood with a small joke.

"...I'm so very sorry for this. I didn't even realise you were sitting on the table next to mine."

I prostrated my head and bowed deeply. I can't believe she was sitting right across from me and still waited over an hour in the hopes I'd show up... how could I have fumbled our first meeting badly?

"Ah, it's alright! Please, don't bow your head like that, you're not at fault. The only person to blame here is Mikazuchi-san. He sent some really unclear instructions, you know?"

I had to agree. In fact, this whole mess could've been avoided if he just told me who I was meeting or even given me their contact number... that, or I just followed his instructions literally and went up to the table to ask if she was my mentor.

"Out of morbid curiosity... how long have you been sitting here?"

I raised my head slightly and sighed.

"Over an hour by now, I think... I arrived ten minutes before our designated meeting time. What about you?"

Crap, that means she was here before I was... ah, now I look like a proper asshole. I'm guessing Mikazuchi-sensei set things up so she would be here before I was, and I was supposed to go approach her, rather than the other way around in my head.

"I came here five minutes beforehand..."

I looked away, unable to even meet her gaze. Mamiko laughed gently.

"It's okay, it's okay. You're being so serious right now, so let's try to loosen up. Since we've got this misunderstanding cleared up now, why don't we get down to brass tacks?"

"Yeah... you're right. I guess I should introduce myself properly... I'm Takanori Yuuto, and I'll be in your care from now on. It's nice to meet you. And thank you for accepting Mikazuchi-sensei's request to mentor me."

"Not at all! It's nice to meet you too, Takanori-san. My name is Mamiko Kholodova Kirishima, but as you can guess by my last name, I'm half-Japanese and half-Russian. I hope we can get along together as well!"

Like me, Mamiko was also a halfu. It was interesting she used both last names, resulting in her first name at the front, rather than surname. I guess this technically gives me permission to call her that, even though it feels a little weird...

"Are you okay with me calling you Mamiko, or would you prefer something else...?"

"That's fine with me. Although, considering I'm going to be your mentor... maybe Mamiko-sensei is a bit more fitting?"

"Sure, that works for me. I'm guessing you also know Stella-san too, since she greeted you so friendly..."

Come to think of it, Stella looked to be a foreigner too... considering how well she spoke in Japanese, I wondered if she was a halfu like me and Mamiko-sensei.

"Yep. We go to the same university, that's why."

"Let me guess, you met her through the Vanguard society?"

"He he, did she tell you?"

"Uh... no... but she did mention earlier to me she was part of it."

"Ah, of course she did. I'm somehow not surprised, Stella-chan's a a real social butterfly despite her mean look."

"Her mean look...?"

"Oh, you'll never see it on the job since she's always smiling, but in regular, everyday life, Stella-chan has eternal resting stern face. It really puts you in your place when you see it, since it seems like she'll glare at you in disgust and scold you at any second."

Somehow, it reminded me of Chabashira-sensei, where her glaring neutral expression didn't match her kind personality.

"And here you two are, gossiping about me, rather than playing Vanguard. Come on Mamiko-chan, do your job properly, or I might take it away from you."

Approaching our table again was Stella, who held a bowl of raspberry sponge cake covered in custard in each hand. She placed one down each in front of us.

"Huh? You can't do that! If you did, then Sa— ooh, thank you!"

Mamiko-sensei, instantly distracted by the dessert, started eating the cake. I looked up at Stella with raised eyebrows.

"But, I said..."

"Shh. I could tell you wanted it."

Stella put a finger on my lip to shut me up, before pulling it away.

"Besides... you need something sweet to help swallow down that epic fail from earlier, don't you?"

"W-well..."

I sighed, looking away.

"...I suppose so, yeah. Thanks... for giving me this."

Stella chuckled a little before going off to handle another table.

"Mmm, it's so fluffy!"

Mamiko-sensei was grinning ear to ear like a child as she ate her dessert. I guess she must really like sweet things. I also began eating the cake, enjoying its rich jam and gooey custard. Finishing her bowl, Mamiko-sensei pushed it aside and took out her deck.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Stella-chan did raise a good point earlier, so we should make a start while we still can. The idle chitchat can be saved for later."

"Yeah... I agree. I'm guessing we'll have a few practice games for you to gauge my skill level?"

I finished the last of my cake and pushed my bowl to the side, before taking out my deck from my deck box.

"Yep! I can't help you if I don't know what I'm working with."

"Sure thing. Fair warning, I only built this deck this morning, so I'll be learning as I play..."

"That's not a problem at all. Takesies backsies are okay with me."

Mamiko-sensei smiled, already prepared to fight. In my heart, I breathed a sigh of relief, since it seemed like she was a completely regular person.

Even though I had made a fool out of myself to her earlier, at least I had been blessed with a mentor who didn't have some kind of eccentric quirk that was difficult to deal with.

If anything, I was starting to feel strangely hopeful for this summer holiday...

...

...somehow, I regret thinking my thoughts from earlier.

"Damage check... nothing."

I slumped in my seat, sighing.

"Damn... so this is what Premium is all about, huh?"

Mamiko-sensei had beaten me in a slugfest of seven successive games. I don't think I've taken a beating this badly since the time I tried to fight Kaido on the yacht.

"Aw... somehow, I feel a little bad now. Don't beat yourself up too much, you're still learning! Failing at the first step is the key to getting better faster."

"Yeah... you're right. I severely underestimated the skill expression in this format... you're god damn strong, Mamiko-sensei."

"He he, thank you. But to be honest, I'm just only slightly above average."

"Really...? It didn't seem that way to me."

"Oh, you haven't seen some of the monsters we have in the society... the level they play at is on a completely different plane to ours."

So that sort of depth exists, huh...

"Alright, how about we meet up tomorrow to help fine tune your deck? I have a few suggestions for it."

"Tomorrow? Why not do it now?"

"Takanori-san... have you taken a look around you recently?"

I raised an eyebrow before turning around. To my surprise, the tavern was completely cleared out, with the only people left here being me, Mamiko-sensei, and the staff like Stella.

"No way, we've been playing for that long...?"

"Seven games average to three and a half hours, you know? It's now 11:30pm. You were really submerged in our games, he he."

"Ah... I completely lost track of the time. I should really be heading back home now."

"Yes, I was thinking the same. A young man like you needs to get all the sleep he can. Trust me, adult life is not pretty for sleep schedules..."

Mamiko-sensei chuckled derisively to herself.

"Alright... let's meet up here again tomorrow and we can further train."

"Sounds good. Let me give you my number so we can contact each other and avoid another situation like today."

"...good idea."

After exchanging contact details with her, we shortly left the tavern since the owner was closing up shop.

As I was about to walk away however...

I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder.

My body instantly went into fight or flight mode, but the adrenaline calmed down as I heard their voice.

"Takanori-san! Are you walking back home? Isn't someone going to pick you up?"

It was just Mamiko-sensei, who noticed I was going to walk back home.

"Oh... yeah, I was. I came here on my own, after all."

Hearing that, her face grew increasingly concerned.

"That sounds incredibly dangerous, especially for a child like you to walk alone in the middle of the night..."

She called me a child, but I don't think the gap in our age was that big... if she's a university student, the range could've been between three to five years.

"I'll be fine. Trust me."

"No, no, that won't do... I know, why don't you let me drive you home?"

I was thinking she might suggest something like that... ah, somehow, her being a normal person being concerned about someone else's safety is going to bite me in the butt here.

As much as I would like to accept her offer, there was simply no way I could risk getting an innocent bystander like her get hurt because of me. I had to stay firm and continue declining.

"Thank you for your concern, but... I really, really can't do that."

Mamiko-sensei raised her eyebrows before frowning.

"Is there trouble at home? If you don't want anyone seeing me with you, I can drop you off a short walk away. Or maybe, you don't want to go home just yet...?"

Now I was starting to feel bad that I'm making her worry about me, even though we just met... I have no idea how to explain this situation to her in a way without exposing myself though.

"No... it's nothing like that. It's just..."

I paused, wracking my brain for some reason or excuse why I couldn't go with her.

In the midst of my thoughts, they were interrupted as I felt my arm being grabbed by Mamiko-sensei.

"Huh? Wait, hang on—"

"If you're going to be indecisive, then I'll be decisive for you."

She then started pulling me along, dragging me to her... motorcycle?

It was pitch black with electric red highlights and a sleek look to it. Admittedly, it did seem pretty cool to take a ride on, but... no, I had to stay firm. I couldn't let myself put her in danger like this.

"Mamiko-sensei, I appreciate it, but—"

Before I could say anything else, she shut me up by putting a helmet over my head.

"You'll thank me later when you're back home, safe, and not bleeding out in the darkness, shot half to death, where no one can save you."

Yikes, that was a grim description... although, that sounded more like Russia than it did Japan... maybe that side of her is stronger than I thought.

"Come on. Sit close behind me and hold onto my waist tightly."

As she straddled the bike, she pat the seat behind her. I sighed, seeing there was no escape from this. If there was one thing Mamiko-sensei could be, it was definitely pushy...

I did as instructed, trying to find a position that wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable either. It was already enough contact with just my arms, so I don't think she would want anymore than that...

After informing her the address, she put it into her phone for directions, and clicked it into place on her motorcycle's port.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. I'll get you home in no time, so sit tight!"

And with that, Mamiko-sensei rode off.

I silently prayed nothing bad would happen to her.