Joey comes to the Kaiba mansion alone, which is unusual. He has seen the news. He is concerned. Atem tells him the person in question is her. Joey’s mouth drops open. Several seconds pass. He does not take it well, accuses Seto of locking Atem down, and offers to take him apart if needed. Atem responds with gushing. Joey is defeated. After Joey leaves, Seto sends the tablets through to the Afterlife via a gate he has engineered for the purpose. That guy really works an insane amount, Atem says. Seto thinks: people in glass houses.
This is a translation of an original work on Pixiv.
Original Title: 13 騒動の痕跡
Original Author: 葉人(@Hathor₋yuki)
Personal site: https://prideshipping.sakura.ne.jp
The visitor at the Kaiba mansion that day was Joey.
“Just you today? That’s unusual.”
Coming alone was something only Yugi and Téa tended to do, so this was quite rare. And his relationship with Seto was not exactly warm — every encounter involved Joey leading with confrontation and Seto responding with poor grace.
He was technically someone Seto owed his life to, but neither of them seemed to keep that in mind.
“Coffee? Lots of sugar and milk.”
“Yeah. Actually — it was hot out, make it iced.”
She brought up the display and selected a contact.
“Joey’s here. Can we get an iced coffee?”
“Of course. I’ll bring plenty of milk and syrup for Joey-sama.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s still weird seeing you use technology like that.”
“It’s incredibly useful. Someone set it all up for me, so I might as well.”
A maid arrived with drinks, light food, and something sweet.
Truly looked after from every angle.
Joey helped himself to a sandwich and poured a quantity of syrup and milk into his coffee that pushed the definition of the word. It had been hot out — he drained it in one go.
“Want more? They left the pot.”
“That’s thoughtful, cheers.”
They talked about nothing in particular for a while — until Joey’s expression went reluctant.
“Atem. Get out of here. My place won’t work, but Yugi’s would, right?”
“No, I’m not leaving. I decided I’m staying here.”
Here. She had decided she would be here, beside him, always.
“But come on, you’ve seen the news. Kaiba’s apparently about to get married. His wife, Atem. I don’t see how that works.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“You’ve met her?”
“Have, sort of, well — it’s complicated.”
Atem’s eyes drifted.
It would solve everything to say that’s me — but how to put it. Embarrassing.
She was still thinking when both her shoulders were grabbed. Not those hands, she thought, instinctively. What do I do.
“Joey, calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down.”
“I really am fine.”
She had been told she could share the information whenever she felt like it.
Tristan seemed to have already worked it out. Yugi and Téa knew about the proposal. Decision made. No more hiding things.
Atem looked up and met Joey’s eyes directly.
“I’m fine. I promise. Can you listen to what I’m about to say, and try to stay calm?”
Joey straightened up at her serious expression.
“All right. What is it?”
“The person he’s with... is me.”
“What?”
Joey’s mouth dropped open. A few seconds later, comprehension caught up.
“WHAT?!”
That was loud. Atem’s ears rang.
She tried telling him to keep it quiet around anyone who didn’t already know — whether he was actually listening was unclear. He probably wouldn’t go spreading it around, but it was worrying.
“No no no. He’s got you completely locked down, you never go anywhere.”
“I’m the one doing the locking down. And I’ve been staying indoors because it’s hot.”
Both true. Atem was jealous and possessive by nature. And the humidity at the start of summer had taken her down, which was why she was wary of Japan’s summer. That was all.
“Got it — you’re being made to say that.”
“Trust me.”
“Just like that? Trust you? This is Kaiba.”
“Exactly. That’s why it’s fine.”
Joey’s eyes landed on Atem’s left hand. On her ring finger, a ring — one that looked very much like what every variety show had been zooming in on Seto’s hand to find. His expression tightened.
“Wheeler’s here. Atem, I have something to drop off. Coming in.”
“Sure.”
Two tablets, for the Afterlife. Priest Seto had asked for them when Mahad had been in contact the other day, apparently somewhat irritated.
“Translation is built in. Whether those two can actually use it is another question — the initial settings only cover basic communication. If they work it out, they can configure the rest themselves. Give it a final check. Once that’s done I’ll send them over.”
“Already? That was fast.”
“Hmph. Who do you think you’re talking to.”
“Thank you.”
These two. Getting married?
Joey was in full panic.
The road that stretched further than the eye could see, the eternal contest between rivals — all of that was just going to become an ordinary married couple?
But just now, unless his eyes had deceived him — it had been Atem reaching for Seto. Smiling, and happy about it.
Joey caught Seto on his way out of the room.
“Hold on, Kaiba. We were just talking about you. Let’s have a man-to-man.”
“I’m busy. I have no time for you.”
“Just hear me out. Atem’s not yours to take.”
Joey crossed his arms and glared — and Seto’s reaction was almost nothing.
“You didn’t know.”
That was all.
No provocation, no particular edge to the tone — Atem felt quietly relieved. These two in the same room was always a countdown to an argument she couldn’t contain. But she couldn’t relax yet.
“Joey only found out just now, apparently. I told him, but he doesn’t quite believe me.”
Atem scratched her cheek, at a loss.
“I see. But this is between me and Atem. Your approval is not required.”
“Oh yeah?! After all that noise you made, you’ve got some nerve.”
This again — same as when they’d come back from the Afterlife. Same as the festival. Somehow everything always ended up being Seto’s fault.
And this was starting to sound like it could turn into an argument.
“Joey, I’m the one who started this whole thing—”
“You didn’t start anything. Let’s say, hypothetically, you two were together. Hypothetically.”
“If you have something to say, say it plainly.”
“The news right now is just making Atem anxious, isn’t it. Her boyfriend splashed all over the press as being about to get married, names getting thrown around left and right — that’s not a nice feeling. Are you testing her?”
“Why would I need to test her.”
Had this whole thing been a test — from her own side?
Had she done what Téa had talked about — made it feel solid, that he was hers and no one else’s, that someone who could choose anyone had chosen her? Had she gone about it the wrong way?
Proof that their hearts were connected. Proof that he was hers.
Before she quite realised it, she had reached for Seto’s hand.
“Seto.”
“Se —!” Joey’s eyes went wide, the name apparently catching him completely off guard in a way he had not prepared for.
Above Atem’s head, out of her sight, Seto fixed Joey with a look that silenced him.
Atem rarely called Seto by name in front of others. Only when they were alone, or with Mokuba.
Seto had plenty he would have liked to say back to Joey for the unnecessary commentary. But what came first was, of course, Atem.
“This is nothing more than a charming wish.”
Atem didn’t know the difference between making a wish and testing someone. But Seto didn’t look troubled at all — the same easy warmth as always. So she believed what he said and gave a small nod.
“...All right.”
“You can wish for anything you like. I’ll grant every one of them.”
He said it and smoothed her hair.
Eyes Joey had never seen on him. A voice Joey had never heard from him. He hadn’t been threatened, and yet he found himself swallowing hard. So this was what it felt like to simply be outmatched.
Satisfied that the situation had been handled, Seto left to prepare the package for the Afterlife.
Joey needed time to recover. This was a pairing no one could have seen coming.
And he, like Yugi before him, had very nearly wandered somewhere he shouldn’t — with Seto Kaiba, of all people. The man he considered his nemesis. Not entirely unreasonable, under the circumstances.
“...If Atem’s happy, I’ve got nothing more to say. Probably.”
“Probably?”
“But if Kaiba does anything you don’t like, I’ll take him apart.”
“I appreciate the thought, but he’s pretty capable, you know.”
“I don’t lose in a fight. Leave it to me.”
“That’s not quite what I mean. From what I’ve seen, he’s genuinely dangerous in a fight.”
The palace soldiers had been thrown. Both sides were trained — that hadn’t been a street fight. This was concerning.
“Wait — he’s not doing anything you don’t want, is he? He hasn’t, you know, forced anything?”
“He would never do something like that.”
“You sure?”
“You might have the wrong idea — he’s actually very kind, and—”
Joey had been coming at this from the position of a worried older brother — but being answered with pure gushing left him with absolutely nothing to counter. He didn’t want to hear this kind of thing from someone in the little-sister position, and he had no idea what to do with himself.
That day, the damage Atem dealt him was by far the worst. The unstoppable torrent of it left him worn to nothing — goes without saying.
He swore to himself: stay out of couples’ business. Probably.
“Check’s done. Intuitive to use — this should work fine.”
“Designed so that touching it tells you what to do. That was intentional.”
Cube in hand, working the panel nearby — a hole opened in empty space.
“You were going in and out of there in that thing? Seems like a tight fit.”
“Hardly. It was always being improved. The final design is structured like a gate. You simply pass through.”
Considerable strength of will and self-awareness was required, of course — but that went without saying.
This time it was just delivering the tablets to that desk, so a small opening was more than enough.
Object transfer had already been tested successfully — he had used it during Atem’s time in the Afterlife to send things through in steady supply, so the process was routine.
He put the items through and closed the hole.
“That should have arrived.”
On the connected display, Atem confirmed with Priest Seto.
“Priest Seto, did they get there?”
“They arrived. With these — I can finally work properly.”
Priest Seto went on to mention that while the tablets had been on loan, surveying, tallying, and various other tasks had all had to be done by hand.
That must have been an ordeal, Seto thought.
However conservatively you looked at it, this was beyond the technology of its era — but the capacity to put it to use, and the willingness to take it up without resistance, were both worth noting. Add to that an exceptional ability to read people, and an extraordinary work output — if he were in the living world, he would without question be headhunted.
“Your Highness, Mahad is very grateful for—”
“Touching the screen will teach you everything. But if it interferes with work, I’ll lock the settings and dock the pay. Now you have what you came for — out. You’re in the way.”
Mahad was removed from the screen.
A moment later, the connection cut from the other side — he had work to get to.
He could have added a feature for calling those two into the initial setup. Mahad was serious enough, in his way — he would probably put in a fair amount of work.
“That guy really works an insane amount,” Atem said under her breath.
Seto thought: people in glass houses — but agreed entirely.
