The rent-free year is over and the contract is up for renewal. Neither of them is going anywhere, and everyone except the two of them has already worked out why.
This is a translation of an originalArtificial Intelligence work.
Original Title: 07 安定王
Original Author: Gemini with 葉人(@Hathor_yuki)
Personal site: https://prideshipping.sakura.ne.jp
But the Aten who had been thrown out of an illegally built apartment and lived in dread of unpaid tax notices was nowhere to be found.
He now held an enormous take-home pay as KaibaCorp's Special Strategic Adviser, and the unshakeable social credit (read: status) that a platinum card confers. No dreading a throttled budget SIM, no aching stomach over where to find the employment office.
Work and private life alike were perfectly fulfilling, at a frightening level of efficiency.
The one exception was the Duel with that tenacious rival, Seto Kaiba, postponed time after time by work emergencies or by decks not carried. But even that had become a comfortable margin in an everyday that did not change.
And then one day, Atem was summoned to the President's office for the first time in a while.
From behind the heavy desk, tapping a file of documents with a finger, Seto turned a cold gaze on Atem.
"Atem. The renewal date on that 'one year rent-free' you obtained at the tournament falls next month. …Administrative procedure regarding your future residence."
Seto slid the documents across in front of Atem.
"The unit my company provided is in one of the very highest and highest-class towers in Domino City. When the free period ends, the regular rent naturally begins from next month. …If you intend to move to a cheaper apartment better suited to your station, you are free to do so."
Something testing was mixed into Seto's words.
The memory of a man abraded by the hardship of the living world, writing shambolic résumés and working convenience-store night shifts at ¥1,520 an hour with dead-fish eyes, remained in Seto's mind too, in no small measure.
But Atem gave the documents a glance, took a mouthful of the cold-brew barley tea made on his prized luxury water server (brought along in his own bottle) and smiled with perfect elegance.
"What are you saying, Kaiba. Why should I have to let go of that sacred territory?"
"…Ho?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Atem signed the renewal consent box in one smooth stroke.
"I have no complaint whatever about my present rooms. The light is good, the airflow is superb. And above all… the foundation of my 'mindful living' is perfectly constructed in that place."
Seto's eyebrow twitched upward.
——Mindful living, he says…?
Inside Seto's high-spec brain, the data on Atem's tower life that had come up from Mokuba and the men in black replayed at ultra-high speed.
The "full automation of the rotation," in which the concept of putting things away in a closet did not exist and clothes pulled from the fully automatic washer-dryer were hung on hangers exactly as they were.
The deranged domestic capability that, in possession of a luxury fully automatic cooking pot, would attempt to throw in raw ingredients and a barley tea bag together.
The cold-brew barley tea made on a luxury water server, enthroned boldly amid refined, high-class interiors.
Cut it any way you liked, a far too distinctive, slovenly, unorthodox "mindful living (sort of)" that meshed hopelessly badly with the specification of that top-grade tower.
At the sheer brass of a man who alone believed in earnest that he had refined the living world's lifestyle to its limit, Seto let out a deep, truly deep sigh.
"…Hmph. I cannot begin to think that deranged way of living of yours is worthy of that unit… but no matter. If you can pay the rent without falling into arrears, do as you like."
"Naturally. My take-home pay as it now stands — my Life Points — can cover that rent with no difficulty at all, through the automatic monthly draw."
Atem set down the pen and produced a Pharaoh smile brimming with confidence.
The man who had once come close to being crushed by the systems of the living world had now perfectly obtained a true independence, one that went on paying a tower's regular rent by his own strength.
Seto retrieved the documents, nodded with satisfaction and dropped his eyes to the computer screen.
"…While we are at it, Atem. Your employment contract with my KaibaCorp as Special Strategic Adviser also reaches exactly one year."
Seto took his hands from the keyboard, rested his chin on his laced fingers and looked at Atem sharply.
"What will you do? A year ago you entered this contract 'to carve my company's name into your work history and obtain a status that would prevent you being treated as unemployed.' That purpose has already been achieved. Now that you carry my company's name, you are free to move to any of the rabble of other firms, or to go independent… but do you intend to continue here?"
Not one soft word to hold a rival back. Seto's question was businesslike throughout, and a definite trust was packed into it.
Atem gave a small snort of a laugh, folded his arms and let his weight fall back into the chair.
"A foolish question, Kaiba. What reason would I have to leave this castle of yours?"
"…"
"Your company evaluates my abilities justly and promises the finest reward for results. The benefits are perfect, there is no overtime and I leave on time. And above all… it is a place where the finest game opponents I never tire of, you and Mokuba, are always present."
The noble, overwhelmingly powerful light of the man who had governed ancient Egypt and fought his way through countless Shadow Games settled in Atem's eyes.
"I shall continue as KaibaCorp's Special Adviser. I will go on showing you the finest performance in your castle."
Seto's mouth drew slowly, fearlessly, upward.
"Heh… your mouth, at least, is capable. Very well! So long as you go on bringing profit to my company, I shall provide reward and field to match, in any quantity you like!"
"Yes. I look forward to it, Mr President."
With every procedure for the renewal complete, Atem rose smartly.
"Well then, the paperwork is done, so I shall be leaving on time today. Tonight I intend to enjoy, at home, the curry summoned by my fully automatic cooking pot and the finest cold-brew barley tea."
"You are a man entirely without tension…! Listen. Next week it is the test play of the new hologram field at my house, without fail! I will absolutely not let you slip away!"
"Heh. I shall do my best."
A conversation that meshed at no point, and yet meshed more perfectly than any other could.
Neither the "mindful living (sort of)" in a top-grade tower nor the brilliant one-man rampage at KaibaCorp showed the least sign of ending.
The ancient king who had built the systems of the living world completely into his own deck set off home again today, proudly, to his prized sacred territory, with the finest social credit, a certain take-home pay and the finest nemesis held close.
As KaibaCorp's Special Strategic Adviser, and as a man perfecting "mindful living (sort of)," Atem's life in the living world had every wind behind it.
By day he pulverised bugs in seconds with his high-spec brain and went dashing home the moment the hour struck. On mornings when he had got carried away at a feast with Joey and the others and taken on the continuous debuff called a hangover, he would arrive at the office to find a full set of clam miso soup, turmeric and stomach medicine placed reverently and wordlessly on his desk (delivered via Isono; sender: Seto Kaiba).
In complete contrast to the stillness of the afterlife he had broken out of for sheer boredom, every day in the living world overflowed with stimulation, with security, and with the finest take-home pay.
And then one day off.
Atem had gathered at a café with the usual members — Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Téa — for the first time in a while.
Juices and parfaits were lined up on the table (Atem's, for some reason, being his prized finest cold-brew barley tea, poured from his own bottle), and lively chatter was in full bloom around them.
"Haaaaaaaaah…!!"
Suddenly Tristan collapsed onto the table and let out a deep, deep sigh, as though it resonated up from the bottom of hell.
"What's up, Tristan, sighing like that out of nowhere."
Joey ate a fry, exasperated.
Tristan lifted his face alone and looked round at his friends with bloodshot eyes.
"…I want a girlfriend."
"Out of nowhere!"
"I'm serious! Look at this table! Yugi's got Téa! Joey's got Mai! What is this loved-up space! My Life is already at zero!"
Tristan clutched his head and writhed.
Yes: within their group as it now stood, Yugi and Téa, and Joey and Mai (whose bickering was as constant as ever), had developed into openly affectionate couples that everyone acknowledged.
Tristan sat bolt upright and seized the shoulder of Atem, who was sitting beside him.
"But I've got… I've still got Atem! Right, Atem!? We're the 'No Partner, Unattached Alliance,' aren't we!? I'm so glad you're here…!"
Trembling with emotion, Tristan unilaterally certified Atem as a comrade — a fellow solo player — and moved to exchange a fervent handshake of friendship.
But.
"…Huh?"
"…Uh, Tristan…"
Yugi, Joey and Téa all three wore far too delicate expressions and looked at one another.
His handshake ignored, Tristan tilted his head.
"What is it, everyone, don't look at me like that! It's true, isn't it? The only unattached ones here are me and Atem!"
At that, Téa scratched her cheek, looking as though it were a little hard to say, and spoke.
"Um… Tristan, I know how you feel, but. Right…?"
"What, Téa."
"The more I hear Atem talk… isn't what he and Kaiba have basically 'that' already…?"
"Oh, so you thought so too?"
Yugi and Joey nodded deeply, instantly.
"Haaaaaah!? Wait, wait, wait!"
Tristan's eyes went round and he shouted.
"Are you people sane!? It's Kaiba! That Seto Kaiba! They're both men, and on top of that they're rivals who go 'Atem!' 'Kaiba!' and throw sparks the second they lay eyes on each other!"
"No, no, Tristan, have you actually been listening to what Atem's been telling us?"
Joey began counting on his fingers.
"Kaiba comes to his tower by car on a day off and coordinates his entire outfit at a select shop."
"On the way back from clothes shopping, Kaiba books out a sweets shop with a queue round the block and the two of them eat parfaits."
"Atem turns down a Duel because he's hungover, and by the afternoon there's a full set of hangover remedies sitting on his desk, delivered without a word."
"…"
The colour drained rapidly from Tristan's face.
"And there's this, Tristan."
Yugi added it with a wry smile.
"The other me said the other day that Kaiba called him in about renewal because the rent-free period was ending, remember? Normally that sort of thing gets handled by post, but Kaiba specifically summoned him to the President's office and held on to him with 'do you intend to continue here?' And apparently when the other me said he had no reason to leave KaibaCorp, Kaiba looked incredibly pleased…"
"What… that's a straight-up proposal! 'Stay by my side from now on'!"
Joey clutched his head and shouted.
"Damn it! The more I hear, the more it sounds like Kaiba's keeping Atem right where he wants him, fencing him in and waiting on him hand and foot! Shopping trips, parfaits, managing his health — what supadari is this!"
"And Atem's just as bad — he says things like 'Kaiba's enjoyable company if you deal with him normally,' and he doesn't mind it at all…"
Téa's eyes went distant too.
Everyone except Tristan cast a unanimous vote for the proposition that what Atem and Seto had was, in substance, already a relationship.
As for Atem himself, he watched the heated debate with puzzlement while pouring amber liquid from his own bottle into a glass.
"What is there to get so excited about? Kaiba and I are equal adversaries who acknowledge each other's strength and raise each other higher. …Is the living world's definition of 'lovers' not somewhat excessive here?"
Atem took an elegant mouthful of his prized finest cold-brew barley tea and continued with a supremely serious face.
"After all, whenever I try to present that man with the finest cold-brew barley tea bag, he dismisses it instantly, every time, with 'I do not want it!!' Would a lover not accept a gift given in sincerity a little more readily than that?"
"That's not the point!!"
The perfectly synchronised retort of all four — Joey, Tristan, Téa and Yugi — rang through the café.
"Nobody wants barley tea!"
"That's not where Kaiba's being tsundere, other me!"
"Damn it… damn it!"
Tristan collapsed onto the table again and looked heavenward with tears in his eyes.
"It's just me…! The only truly lonely solo player in all of Domino City was me…! Atem, you idiot! May you and Kaiba be happy together for years to come!"
"Mm…? As I said, Kaiba and I are…"
A former Pharaoh tilting his head, a Tristan in despair, and friends watching over them with warm (?) exasperation.
Having escaped the boredom of the afterlife and cleared the systems of the living world completely, Atem's fulfilment went on, boisterous again today, wrapped in the finest friendship and in a bond of the highest grade that only the two men concerned remained unaware of.
KaibaCorp at night, overtime lights burning here and there.
Atem had cleared the tasks at his desk perfectly and on schedule, and was making his way to the President's office as arranged.
Tonight, unusually, the invitation had come from Seto, but an emergency overseas conference had run long and the appointed time was well past.
——Hmph… the lord of a castle is as restless as ever.
Thinking that as he walked the quiet executive-floor corridor, he saw ahead of him a secretary carrying freshly made coffee on a tray.
"Ah, Adviser Aten. Do you have business with the President? His meeting has only just finished…"
"Yes. Good timing — I shall take it in. I am about to go into the room."
"That's a great help. Thank you."
Taking the tray from the secretary, who bowed politely, Atem knocked quietly at the heavy door and stepped into the President's office.
Inside was Seto, far from showing fatigue, radiating a tremendous force as he glared at the terminal screen. Jacket off, shirtsleeves rolled a little way up, he was without an opening as ever.
"Kaiba. Do not pack it in so tightly. You work too much."
Atem approached the desk with a quiet step and set the steaming cup of coffee down gently by Seto's hand.
Without taking his eyes from the screen, Seto furrowed his brow and answered low and short.
"…You're noisy."
The usual curt, dismissive word.
But Atem knew there was no refusal in it. Seto reached for the cup without hesitation and took a mouthful.
——…Hm?
Just then, inside Atem's high-spec brain, a fragment of memory suddenly connected.
——Bringing coffee to a man working late and telling him not to overdo it… And the man, unable to be honest, answering "you're noisy"…
The memory came back vividly of exactly that situation, in a modern romance drama he had left playing idly on the expensive television in his room a few days before.
And overlapping with it, the conversation with his friends at the café crossed his mind.
"The more I hear Atem talk… isn't what he and Kaiba have basically already like lovers…?"
"Shopping trips, parfaits, managing his health — what supadari is this!!"
——Lovers, then.
When he had recalled Joey's words before, he had dismissed them as an excessive reading.
But now, here in a quiet President's office, watching the profile of a Seto striking the keyboard while drinking the coffee he had made — brought, rather——
A single beat.
Deep in his chest, a small quickening he had never felt before burst open.
——…What is this…?
Not the surge just before drawing a card, not the elation of summoning a God Card.
Noticing the faint heat in his own pulse, Atem laid a hand, before he knew it, against the front of his clean and no longer sagging shirt.
"…Atem? Why are you standing there vacantly. Sit down."
Seto set the coffee down and looked up at him dubiously, fingers still hooked on the cup, with those sharp eyes.
The instant that gaze met his head-on, the beating in Atem's chest leapt higher still, into a heat more certain than before.
"…No. It is nothing, Kaiba."
Atem hastily arranged a fearless smile, turned his back as though to hide his embarrassment and sat down on the sofa.
——The system called 'lovers' in the living world… It may be a game with rather more depth than I had supposed…
Gripping his own bottle of prized cold-brew barley tea, the ancient king felt an unsettled disquiet in his chest.
Listening to the sound of the keyboard in the quiet President's office, Atem's modern survival had quietly plunged into a new phase.
The President's office at night.
Beyond the window, the vast night view of Domino City spread out quietly.
Since the day he had taken the coffee from the secretary and handed it over, a change had come between them — strange somehow, and just a little comfortable.
Atem would be working a little late at his desk, and Seto would drift in, set expensive baked sweets silently at the edge of it and leave. In the middle of a trial run of a new game at the Kaiba mansion, Atem would look slightly cold and Seto would toss him a lap blanket without a word.
Seto would be working, and Atem — who by rights always left on time — would bring the coffee instead of the secretary. He would put his high spec to good use and sort correctly the documents that had been flung about and scattered.
They exchanged no special words. But there were small considerations held out at unremarkable moments of the day, and glances that took note of each other.
It was different from the days of throwing sparks as adversaries: warm somehow, and quietly moving something deep in the chest.
"…Hff."
The screen went dark, and with a quiet electronic tone Seto let his back fall deep into the chair.
The sign that every task for the night had finished perfectly.
Atem rose from the sofa and approached the desk slowly, his bottle of prized finest cold-brew barley tea in hand.
A room fallen silent. The neon outside lit Seto's sharp profile gently.
Looking at Seto's hands, Atem let fall, quite suddenly, the words that had been gathering in his chest.
"…This sort of thing. It is rather like being lovers, is it not."
A single remark dropped into the silence, far too direct, and yet unadorned.
Seto's movement stopped.
The sharp gaze turned slowly on Atem. Seto snorted and flung it out in his usual exasperated tone.
"…Ridiculous."
A cold word, dismissing it out of hand.
But there was no colour of refusal in it, and no ring of fierce denial.
Even as he spat out "Ridiculous," Seto himself seemed to understand, somewhere, that the remark was not off the mark, nor anywhere near it.
An air somehow soft, at odds with the words.
Their eyes met, suddenly, head-on.
The silence wrapped around them.
Looking into Seto's straight, steady eyes, Atem could not hold back the tenderness and embarrassment welling up from deep in his chest, and
"…Pff."
His mouth loosened a little, and the laugh escaped him.
A laugh so very like Atem, and somehow delighted.
Seeing it, Seto looked heavenward in exasperation——and then, a little late,
"…Heh."
He laughed, small and voiceless.
Not the usual fearless roar of laughter, not a sneer that looked down on anyone.
Only the calm, quiet smile that is shown by one who has accepted the man in front of him.
The neon beyond the window coloured their two profiles quietly.
No declaration in words was needed, and no signature on a contract.
A former Pharaoh who had fought his way through the systems of the living world and obtained take-home pay and social credit, and a genius President standing at the summit of the world.
It was the moment when, between two men who acknowledged each other as one of a kind, a new relationship — and one that had been inevitable from the first — was born.
