Chapter 16: Please Care for the Underage Empty-Nester
Kaiba's appearance turned out to be just an interlude. Afterwards, the people in the Kame Game Shop happily resumed studying Duel Monsters Cards.
Hayato and Yugi, who knew the most about Duel Monsters, explained various aspects of the game to the newcomer Honda.
Jonouchi, who had played for a while but was practically no different from a complete novice, also sat obediently to the side. As for Anzu, she was enthusiastically helping Grandpa Sugoroku.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner. Hayato and the others said goodbye to Yugi and each went back to their own homes.
Hayato returned home alone. Just as he reached the front door, before his key had even entered the keyhole, his attention was drawn to a letter placed under the doormat in front of the door.
[For Hayato's Eyes Only]
Picking up the envelope, Hayato saw these few words written alone on it. But he wasn't in a hurry to open it. Instead, he first opened the house door and said towards the inside, "I... I'm home."
After all, Hayato wasn't a Japanese Person in his previous life, so saying "I'm home" when returning was still a bit unaccustomed.
However, the "Welcome home" that Hayato expected did not come from inside the house for a long time.
Taking off his shoes and leaving the entranceway in confusion, Hayato entered the house to investigate. To his surprise, there was actually no one at home, just emptiness and silence? It wasn't completely silent though; the robot vacuum on the floor automatically started running at the preset time, its vacuuming system emitting a "buzzing" sound as it faithfully began cleaning the floor.
Hayato is a Transmigrator, and the parents of Transmigrators are a high-risk profession. However, in this life, Hayato's parents are alive and well. The woman he saw right after waking up in this world was his mother in this life, named Kobayashi Sumire. She seems to be a Tax Manager in the Finance Department of an International Company, but because Hayato only heard the company name once, he couldn't remember it.
As for Hayato's father, his name is Kobayashi Hiroyuki. He is a Diplomat, and due to his profession, he is often abroad. Hayato had only transmigrated for one day, so until now, he had only seen his father's appearance in a family photo and hadn't truly met him.
However, what made Hayato a bit confused was that although his mother, Ms. Kobayashi Sumire, often needed to be busy with company affairs, she should have been on annual leave recently. Why wasn't she at home? Could it be that she went out shopping with her girlfriends?
The only clue Hayato had was the envelope he picked up in front of the door.
Taking off his satchel, Hayato sat cross-legged by the Kotatsu in the living room. The Tatami Mat cushioning his bottom was quite comfortable. Picking up a Letter Opener from the table, he slit open the seal of the envelope. Hayato took out a letter and a Bank Card from the envelope.
Placing the Bank Card on the table, Hayato first opened the letter and began to read.
[Dear Hayato:
By the time you read this letter, Mom might already be on the plane flying to London. I'm going to find your dad. Speaking of which, we met in London back then...
...
Hayato quickly read on. The letter was written by his mother, Kobayashi Sumire. The general meaning was, "Before I knew it, my son has grown so big. Mom is very relieved about you, so this annual leave I'm going to find your dad."
His mother Kobayashi Sumire's letter also said that after flying to London this time, the time she would stay there would likely be longer than a month. This was because her company needed to launch a trade plan there for a period of time, and as a member of the Finance Department, she also had to participate.
Therefore, for a considerable period of time to come, Hayato might have to live by himself. And that Bank Card was the allowance and living expenses his mother Kobayashi Sumire left for Hayato. It contained two hundred thousand Yen, and whenever the card ran out of money, she would transfer funds in time. The card's password is "030221".
"Is this what they call 'Parents both busy, no sister but a house'?" he Ranted casually. Hayato, however, felt relieved.
Don't look at how he could interact normally with Yugi and the others. Ultimately, the two sides didn't originally know each other very well. At most, Yugi and the others would just marvel that Hayato's personality was different from how he acted at school and wouldn't have too much suspicion.
But if he had to face the original body's parents, Hayato would feel a lot of pressure. After all, parents know their children best, and if he showed anything strange, it would definitely make them suspicious.
And now that he didn't have to spend time with his mother Kobayashi Sumire constantly, it truly made Hayato feel much more relaxed.
He rummaged through the refrigerator and found Eggs, Green Vegetables, and Canned Luncheon Meat. Hayato opened a pack of Instant Noodles and decided to just have a simple meal tonight. While waiting for the water to boil, and with no one around, he activated the System.
He skillfully clicked into the [Inventory] module. In the seemingly endless Storage Slots, only four solitary items were placed: the Deck temporarily stored in the System, an R-Rank Card Pack (Dragon Type), an SR-Rank Card Pack, and an R-Rank Select Card Coupon.
With the thought of saving the good stuff for last, Hayato first opened the R-Rank Card Pack (Dragon Type).
Unlike Basic Card Packs, the lowest rarity Card that can be obtained from an R-Rank Card Pack is R-Rank. However, as the cost of raising the minimum guarantee, the highest rarity that can be obtained from the Card Pack is also only R-Rank. There is no possibility of getting a UR-Rank Card in one pull.
And the Card Pack Hayato was opening now was a bit more special. The words "(Dragon Type)" following the name meant that the Cards appearing in the Card Pack were limited to Dragon Type and Dragon Type-related support Cards. And very unfortunately, Hayato's current Deck mainly consisted of Warrior Type Monsters.
However, Hayato took a look. Sword of Dragon's Soul was actually also counted among the Dragon Type support Cards, so maybe some of the Cards in the Card Pack could still be useful.
[You opened an R-Rank Card Pack (Dragon Type). Congratulations, you obtained the following Cards:
Curse of Dragon, Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, Dragon Mirror, Baby Dragon, King of Yamimakai]
Well, well, well, Hayato exclaimed. Among the five Cards drawn, four were Normal Dragon Type, and they were all classic Monsters.
However, Hayato had already expected this, knowing that R-Rank Card Packs wouldn't yield anything great, so he wasn't overly excited. Moreover, Dragon Type is a symbol of power. Even these few Cards he drew were much stronger than the Weak Normal Monsters in Hayato's own Deck and had value in being added to the Deck.
The only confusing thing was probably this Dragon Mirror.
"Right now, the only Monsters I seem to have the materials for are Ojama King and Gaia the Dragon Champion," he muttered. "But Ojama King isn't Dragon Type, so I can't use it. Which means I can only fuse for Gaia." Putting the Instant Noodles into the boiling water, adding Green Vegetables and cracking an Egg into it, Hayato thought, "But the problem is I only have the materials, not Gaia the Dragon Champion! Even if you give me Dragon Mirror, I can't use it!"