Scene 6.

[Red Osiris Dormitories, Dining Hall. Saturday, 10/15/2004, Evening]

It was around half-past nine in the evening inside the Red Dormitories' dining hall, and at first glance, the atmosphere seemed quite lively.

Students were constantly whispering to each other, and intrigue was a common denominator in each of their young expressions.

Today, Professor Daitokuji had returned somewhat late to prepare dinner, and that, coupled with the rumors of what had happened in the afternoon, along with the professor's confirming statement that one of their classmates was ill, had caused the situation to escalate to this point.

At one of the tables in the Red Dormitories' dining hall, three boys were discussing the issue at hand.

"Hmm. Do you think I know who Professor Daitokuji was talking about, guys?"

With long, tousled turquoise hair, short stature, pale skin, gray eyes, and small round glasses, the one who spoke was Marufuji Shō. His statement carried a slight hint of mystery, which quickly piqued the curiosity of his other two friends.

"Oh, really? Who was it?"

Of portly build, fair skin, short black hair, average height, and small black eyes, the one who asked was Hayato Maeda. Enthusiasm was more than evident in his tone, even as he seemed quite eager to finish devouring his fourth triple cheese sandwich of the night.

"Come on, Shō, don't leave us hanging! What do you know?!"

With brown eyes, average height, tan skin, and medium brown hair, the remaining boy was named Yūki Juddai. His emotional declaration seemed even more excited than Maeda's, but due to this sudden burst of emotions, the other Red Osiris students in the dining hall turned their attention to the three of them.

"Huh?! Sorry, it's nothing. I thought I felt a bug crawling up my leg, my bad, heh."

Noticing his blunder and the annoyed glances from his two friends at that moment, the brown-haired teenager wisely tried to divert the issue away from himself and then deceive the intrigued students watching him with an undoubtedly brazen lie. Wit didn't seem to be young Yūki's most outstanding virtue.

After a short period of silence, during which Yūki received no less than bewildered looks and heard condemning whispers of madness, along with a veiled insult or two, everyone slowly returned to their respective activities.

"Ugh. Darn it."

Naturally, after receiving such ill treatment, Yūki felt incredibly irritated, as evidenced by his constant curses and grumbles.

"Haha, you brought that upon yourself, buddy."

Shō's mocking tone towards Yūki was more than apparent, and it only made the brown-haired boy grumble in annoyance once again.

"Um, um. Shō is right, Juddai. Sometimes you overreact with your antics."

Maeda's biting confirmation of Shō's criticism only made Yūki grumble with even more fervor than before.

"Humph! Fine, fine, whatever you say. Bah. Why don't we stop talking about me and move on to the interesting stuff? Shō, what were you going to say about the student they found unconscious this afternoon?"

In this embarrassing manner, Yūki Juddai quickly tried to change the subject, and his friends, apparently not being the brightest of the bunch, immediately took the bait.

"Right. What do you know about that, Shō?"

This was Maeda's addition to the brown-haired boy's request.

"Sure."

At the insistence of his two friends, Shō nodded and proceeded to explain what he knew about the corresponding student.

"Do you remember that tall guy with long black hair who always waits for everyone to leave the dining hall before he eats?"

In response to Shō's question, Maeda and Yūki adopted thoughtful expressions.

"No idea."

That's all the latter could come up with after trying to remember for several seconds. Doubt was evident on his face afterward.

Shō and Yūki then turned their gazes to Maeda, who was still pondering.

"Hmm. Oh-oh! I think I know who you're talking about, Shō. If I remember correctly, his name was Kanazaky, right? I've seen him two or three times when I stay behind, you know, for seconds during lunch, hehe. I saw him helping Professor Daitokuji clear the tables. He seems like a decent guy, although he's a bit of a recluse, that's for sure. But I can't blame him; he must be bummed about ending up here, among the Reds... Um, um, this sandwich is really delicious."

Yūki and Shō exchanged glances and then sighed simultaneously at Maeda's negative attitude. Although they had already become accustomed to this attitude over the past two weeks, it was still somewhat uncomfortable to hear the chubby boy's disdain for ending up in Red Osiris. Or at least, it was until Maeda's recent information had firmly settled in their heads. Seconds later, they were finally able to share their thoughts about student Kanazaky.

"I think I vaguely remember him now too. Hmm. If I'm not mistaken, um, let me see, yes, that's it—his room is the third one from left to right on the first floor. I think he's the only guy who doesn't have roommates. Lucky guy... Um, he's so lucky."

Yūki's silent complaint came as he heartily resumed his dinner, which consisted mainly of a couple of marinated sardines and some cooked vegetables. His expression filled with delight as he tasted the first bite.

"You say that because you don't know how tough it really is to be alone, buddy."

Shō's low mutterings of protest were buried beneath the current din in the Red Dormitories' dining hall. Still, his expression made it clear that he had some experience on the subject.

Subsequently, Shō also began to eat, enjoying some empanadas and noodle soup.

As a result, silence fell upon the table of the three friends as they peacefully had dinner. Five minutes later, after they had finally finished eating, the conversations resumed.

"By the way, do either of you remember what kind of deck Kanazaky uses?"

This was Yūki's sudden question. His expression appeared notably excited about the topic. Unfortunately, Shō and Maeda seemed to know nothing about it. As a result, Yūki received only negatives from both boys, accompanied by a small growl from his lips.

"Tch. Well, never mind. Hmm. Hehe, changing the subject..."

Thus, the curiosity about Kanazaky Ryuto gradually faded over time. For the rest of the dinner, the three boys chatted about much more mundane matters, mainly related to Monster Duels or some other things they had heard in class. The same was happening with the conversations of the other students around them. The excitement of fresh news was not enticing enough to distract the younger minds from their more deeply ingrained interests at that age.

In this way, the night for the residents of the Duel Academy gradually returned to the usual course of days gone by. Only tomorrow could change that fact, although that was undoubtedly another story.