Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Saotome Rei: "..."

For a moment, the two fell into an eerie silence.

Even the air seemed to freeze...

289 Hmm, I totally understand now! (I don't understand at all)

How can I describe Saotome Rei's current feelings?

It's roughly equivalent to—you're secretly generating electricity at home, and your mom suddenly opens the door and catches you red-handed...

Social death?

No... it shouldn't be that bad...

But it's not much better...

In short, at this moment, all that remained between the two, staring at each other blankly, was an overwhelming sense of awkwardness...

"Um... I didn't see anything, you can continue..."

With a conflicted expression, Yusei scratched his head, displaying an attitude of "I completely understand you," and when Saotome noticed him, he planned to turn around and run away.

"etc……!"

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Saotome Rei, upon seeing Yusei, the witness, attempting to flee, instinctively dropped her deck and pounced on Yusei like a frightened rabbit.

As she moved, the Cyber ​​Dragon deck that was originally in her hand slipped from her grasp and scattered onto the floor of the room.

"Yusei... let me explain... it's not what you think!"

The petite Saotome Rei couldn't hold onto Yusei, who was nearly 1.8 meters tall, with her hands, so she decisively lunged forward, grabbed Yusei's waist tightly, and pulled him back with all her might.

It seems she's trying to stop Yusei from taking steps in this way.

"...Let go!"

"I do not!"

"..."

"..."

They looked at each other speechlessly.

Yusei slowly turned his head and looked at Saotome Rei, who was tightly hugging his waist, with an extremely pained expression.

"If I let you leave, you're sure I'll tell everyone about what happened here, right?"

Saotome Rei stared intently at Yusei's face, her cheeks now completely flushed.

Aside from his family, the fact that he had taken the initiative to hug a strange man for the first time made him feel incredibly ashamed.

However, in order to prevent the situation from escalating, she chose to suppress the overwhelming sense of shame that welled up inside her...

"Holy crap! There are footsteps outside the room... Let go! If someone sees this, I'll be mistaken for a gay man..."

Ah mea ...

Everything else is fine, but the only thing I don't want is being misunderstood as a "weirdo with an abnormal sexual orientation"... please don't let that happen!

"What nonsense are you talking about... I am..."

"...In short, if you don't promise to keep this secret for me, I'll never let go, even if it kills me!"

Hearing Yusei's shout, Saotome Rei, somewhat dumbfounded, instinctively wanted to retort: ​​"Don't you know I'm a girl? What are you yelling about now...?"

However, after realizing that she was just a "cute boy" in the eyes of others, Saotome Rei immediately understood what Yusei was trying to say.

Yusei knew she was a girl...

But that doesn't mean others know!

Like that clueless Jaden Yuki, who never even had a sliver of doubt about her gender...

To an unsuspecting person, the sight of the two of them embracing tightly would really make them look like... a couple with a special interest.

"Hmm? What's that noise coming from inside the room? Is anyone in there?"

"How could that be? This is Caesar's room, who would dare to barge in like that..."

"Haha...you're right, it must be my imagination..."

The sound of passersby chatting could be heard outside the door; judging from their posture, they seemed to be planning to accompany the silent Caesar into the room.

"Damn it! It's too late... Get here!"

Seeing footsteps approaching the room door, Yusei sensed a strong sense of danger and quickly turned around to hug Saotome Rei tightly. He then covered her mouth, rolled over quickly, and hid under the bed, holding his breath quietly.

Saotome Rei probably thought that the humanoid lock she used with all her might could hold Yusei in place...

But in reality, it's completely useless...

With a casual effort, Yusei carried the petite Saotome Rei away...

"Uh huh!!!"

With Yusei covering her mouth with one hand and holding her body with the other, Saotome Rei instinctively began to struggle.

Seeing this scene, Yusei could only helplessly whisper in her ear, "Grandma, please calm down for a bit... If we're discovered, we'll both be considered spies for Osiris Red..."

"Um... um..."

Upon hearing Yusei's explanation, Saotome Rei immediately stopped struggling and looked at Yusei with a pitiful expression, as if to say that she understood the current situation and hoped that he would let her go.

"Hmm? Do you understand? Then I'll let go..."

Seeing that the girl in his arms had calmed down, Yusei released his grip.

However, just as Yusei relaxed, Saotome Rei opened her mouth and bit down hard on Yusei's palm.

"...Holy crap!"

Click!

Even as Yusei instinctively wanted to express his amazement at Saotome Rei's sudden actions and the pain in his hand, the door to the room was opened at that moment.

Then, the sound of multiple footsteps reached the ears of the two people under the bed.

Upon realizing the situation, Yusei abandoned his plan to shout "Holy crap!" and instead pressed Saotome Rei's head back into his arms.

Good guy!

The little girl has no sense of martial ethics!

They came to deceive and ambush me, a seventeen-year-old named You.

I advised the little girl to think carefully, reflect on her actions, and not to make such a foolish mistake again!

Ah, uh... classmates should value harmony, practice martial arts, and avoid infighting!

……

"...What is this?!"

"Holy crap! Has a thief broken in?!"

Upon opening the door, the group immediately noticed the cards scattered on the floor and the open door leading to the balcony.

Faced with the chaotic scene before them, Caesar's henchmen couldn't help but show expressions of fear, and then turned their gazes to Marufuji Ryo, who was standing in front of them.

His deck was being messed with like this... Caesar might just unleash his full power and kill everyone on the spot!

Ryo Marufuji: "..."

However, the expected outburst did not occur, and the followers did not hear any profanities or exclamations from Marufuji Ryo's mouth.

Seeing his deck scattered all over the floor, Ryo Marufuji simply walked calmly into the room and picked up the cards one by one.

"Ah... I'm here to help!"

"Me too, me too..."

Seeing Marufuji Ryo's actions, the followers, who had just realized what was happening, quickly helped pick up the cards.

With such a large group of people helping, the deck was quickly reassembled.

"...20...30...40...OK! The cards are all in order, none are missing or stolen!" After counting the cards, the henchman eagerly handed the neatly arranged card deck to Marufuji Ryo.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. You can go back now."

Nodding to his follower, Marufuji Ryo then took his deck and put it into the card pouch at his waist.

Having learned my lesson this time, I'll be more careful to carry my deck with me next time.

"Well then... Caesar... we'll head back now. Please take care of yourself..."

After hesitating for a moment, and seeing that Marufuji Ryo had no intention of keeping them, they tactfully left the room.

"Um……"

After echoing his follower's words, and seeing his bedroom door close and the footsteps gradually fade away, Marufuji Ryo turned his gaze to the area under his bed: "Come out... I know you're there!"

"..."

Yusei, who was under the bed, did not make any move after hearing Marufuji Ryo's words.

All's fair in war; they might just be making offhand remarks out of suspicion... without any concrete evidence.

The current situation seems to suggest that the culprit simply escaped from the balcony.

however……

Although Yusei was as steady as a rock, Saotome Rei in his arms was a different story...

After hearing Ryo Marufuji's voice, she began to struggle again.

The head that Yusei had been forcibly holding down was now turned around, seemingly intending to strike Yusei's chest again...

During this process, the bed board and the body collided from time to time, making knocking sounds.

Yusei: "囧..."