Chapter 230

Link system, offline.

Returning to reality and taking off the equipment, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening. A weekend day always passes quickly.

Especially when spending the whole day online grinding dungeons and liver equipment, it passes even faster.

But fortunately, grinding has its rewards; going for a stroll, he picked up quite a few ownerless decks, and even a top-tier one. This trip was quite fruitful; he could just take stock in the next few days, sell what should be sold, and keep the useful ones to think about new builds.

However, he didn't feel it while grinding, but after coming back and resting for a while, he suddenly felt a bit hungry.

If it were the Red Dorm, the cafeteria would definitely be closed at this hour, and the small shop would also be out of business. But the considerate Yellow Dorm specially considered the students' needs for midnight snacks and specially set up a window that is open 24 hours a day.

So Fujiki You Xuan took out his student-only terminal, found the cafeteria interface, opened it, and scanned it.

Curry fried rice, curry beef noodles, curry mashed potatoes...

Then silently closed it.

He suddenly didn't want to eat anymore.

The Yellow Dorm is good at everything, except that the curry concentration is a bit too high due to the influence of Dorm Head Kabayama. It must be said that the Dorm Head's attainments in curry cooking are indeed extraordinary, but no matter what it is, one can't stand eating it every day.

Others don't know, but Fujiki You Xuan anyway doesn't really want to touch curry recently.

Usually, the cafeteria dishes are actually quite rich, and everything else besides curry is available. But in the middle of the night, most windows are not open, and it seems there are no options for a while.

A miscalculation; he should have prepared some snacks in the dorm usually.

Just as Fujiki You Xuan was considering whether to just rest early and go to bed today, he caught a glimpse of an unread message icon prompted above the terminal.

Opening it, it was sent by Judai an hour ago.

"We're having a barbecue outdoors, it's super fragrant. Are you coming?"

It also had a hand-drawn Q-version big-headed Judai himself, making a V-sign gesture at him.

Although it was drawn abstractly, it had to be said that he was a soul artist; through this abstract stick figure, he really seemed to see the jellyfish-headed person smiling sunnily and reaching out to make a V.

Fujiki You Xuan smiled and asked back: "Are you still there?"

Judai replied to the message quickly.

"Must be, come quickly."

So Fujiki You Xuan got up and headed toward the location marked by Judai outside the Red Dorm.

The night was falling, the stars were twinkling, and the moonlight passed through the gaps in the treetops and sprinkled on the winding path, like paving a silver ribbon.

Approaching that area, before seeing anyone, he heard a burst of playful noise, as well as a burst of rich and mellow barbecue aroma.

"Oh oh, Fujiki You Xuan is here!"

Judai was the first to discover him, stood up very happily, and handed over the barbecue that was turning on the fire.

"Specially saved for you."

"Thanks. Just happened to be hungry and worrying about what to eat." Fujiki You Xuan wasn't polite either and took the barbecue fork.

So Fujiki You Xuan sat down by the fire and joined the ranks of several people.

Sure enough, the early stage of GX is completely a relaxed campus style. Judai now looks so carefree, basically repeating the happy campus life of skipping classes, playing cards, fishing, picnicking, and exploring every day.

The audience when GX aired back then definitely couldn't have imagined that the style would change into that kind of look in the later stage...

"Wow, there's a rabbit!"

Sho Marufuji exclaimed.

"Hmm?" Hayato looked in the direction he pointed. "Where is it? You saw it wrong, right?"

"Absolutely not! It's true, I guarantee with my integrity that it's definitely there!"

Fujiki You Xuan silently ate the barbecue, while thinking to himself that your integrity wasn't worth much to begin with, after all, you are "Sho"...

"Look! Right there!" Sho Marufuji rolled up his sleeves. "Don't run!"

Then he dragged Brother Hayato to catch the rabbit.

"You two, don't run too far and get lost." Judai shouted in that direction.

A vague response from Sho came back from the woods.

"Really, can't do anything about them."

Judai laughed, continuing to turn the barbecue fork in his hand. The barbecue made a sizzling sound on the fire, and the grease dripped onto the charcoal fire, stirring up bursts of smoke, and the air was filled with the mixed aroma of barbecue and burning wood.

"Yeah, but it's really great that you could come." Judai smiled while barbecuing. "To be honest, you hadn't replied to the message for so long just now, I was a little disappointed."

"Isn't your roommate there?"

Fujiki You Xuan took a bite of the barbecue and found that Judai's control of the heat was really good; it was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, with an excellent taste; he probably hadn't picnicked less before.

"Hmm, that's true. But how to say..."

Judai stared at the flickering flames in front of him, somewhat distracted.

"Remember? That time we accidentally went to the fairy world together. That person named Xie Er said I was very similar to him, saying that I actually never let anyone truly understand myself..."

"Oh, that, don't take it to heart."

But Judai shook his head: "I always can't help but think of him. And the more I think, the more I feel that maybe it's really like that."

He paused, as if falling into memories.

"Have I told you? My memory of some things when I was a child is very blurry. Sometimes I always feel like there's something very important that I should remember; occasionally I wake up in a shock when dreaming, but after waking up, no matter how hard I try, I can't remember what it is."

Fujiki You Xuan didn't speak.

Of course he knew what was going on. It was Yubel, Judai's earliest fairy. Ever since Yubel was shot into space by a rocket from Kaiba Corp, Judai often had terrible nightmares.

Later, his parents were worried about him and, with the help of Kaiba Corp's technology, deleted his related memories and also cut off his connection with Yubel. After that, he completely forgot about this matter.

"Of course, I know, it's quite normal not to remember things from childhood." Judai smiled. "It's just... now that I think back, there was a period of time that was really quite lonely.

My parents were very busy and usually weren't at home. And for some reason when I was a child, I always didn't have many friends; it seemed like others were hiding from me.

I always felt that I was different from everyone else. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how enthusiastic I was, it was very difficult to truly have friends who could understand me and confide in each other."

Fujiki You Xuan heard this for the first time, but he could roughly guess why.

Still Yubel's fault. Anyone who played cards with young Judai and lost was messed with by Sister Yu; the children or parents around him must have heard about it, so who wouldn't walk around him when they saw him...

"Later we moved, and it got a little better after growing up. There were always many partners and many enthusiastic classmates around me. But now that I think about it, maybe just as that Xie Er said, in the end, I still didn't have anyone who could be called a 'friend'."

"Maybe it has always been like this and has never changed; it's just that I slowly got used to it..."

Judai stopped the movement in his hand and smiled.

"But it's incredible. Ever since that time I came back from the fairy world, the communication with you, Fujiki You Xuan, and especially the duel with you, I had this thought for the first time.

So-called 'friends', is that what it's all about?"

Fujiki You Xuan: "."

"I heard from Sho's brother, that Kaiser." Judai said. "Just this week, the duel to decide the representative for this year's competition with the North Academy is about to begin.

Kaiser said he would nominate me. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the two of us competing, right?"

He paused and looked at Fujiki You Xuan seriously.

"So, when the time comes, please be sure to use your full strength. I also really want to see what you look like when you go all out, Fujiki You Xuan."

Fujiki You Xuan closed his eyes lightly and smiled slightly.

"I understand."

He shook the barbecue fork in his hand.

"Then let's take it as a return for the barbecue you treated me to."

Judai smiled happily and nodded vigorously.

"Then let's have the best duel ever!"

(End of chapter)