After the incident, Katsumi became more careful.
Instead of wandering around with a childish passion, he reignited his original goal of success.
He mastered Japanese.
He picked up increasingly advanced books, though most of them felt more like revision than actual learning.
He expanded his homemade gym and trained regularly.
For the next seven years of his life, Katsumi followed a strict routine.
His mind improved.
His body improved.
And so did his cardfighting.
Originally, Vanguard had only been a hobby.
Something he thought he would eventually outgrow.
But Blue’s existence changed his perspective.
If a talking dragon spirit could exist, then perhaps the world held more mysteries than he initially believed.
Perhaps there truly was something supernatural hidden beneath the ordinary.
Regardless, Katsumi never allowed himself to remain idle.
Every day had a purpose.
Every day had progress.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said about his social life.
It was a complete mess.
Other than Aika, he barely spoke to anyone.
And since Aika was a girl, the boys his age often assumed they were dating.
Don’t know how they arrived at that conclusion.
This naturally resulted in Katsumi avoiding most of them.
As for the girls, many found him difficult to approach.
He spent more time reading books, exercising, or hunting rare cards than actually socializing.
As a result, Aika remained his only real friend for years.
Only much later did that begin to change.
Time passed.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
Months became years.
The childish boy who once hung upside down from monkey bars while arguing with a dragon slowly disappeared.
In his place stood someone else.
Taller.
Smarter.
Better.
But chaos-thirsty nonetheless.
His room had become considerably fuller than before.
Books occupied almost every shelf. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Stacks of notebooks rested on the desk.
A collection of training schedules and handwritten notes covered one side of the wall.
Most importantly, his stockpile of cards had reached a respectable size.
Several binders sat neatly inside a cabinet.
From Nova Grapplers to Kagero, he possessed a decent variety of cards, even if many of them were duplicates.
Some cards were acquired through trades.
Others through packs.
A few through methods that Katsumi preferred not to elaborate on.
SKREEEEEEEEEECHHHHH!!
The screeching of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon echoed throughout the mental cavern inside Katsumi’s mind.
The sound reverberated like a war trumpet.
“Don’t scream first thing in the morning!
What kind of weird rule is that?”
Blue was a typical troublesome child who preferred doing things his own way.
And Katsumi was not happy with it.
‘Exercising my dominance as the Alpha.
None shall trespass upon my majesty.’
The dragon puffed out his chest proudly.
Despite existing entirely inside Katsumi’s head.
The two continued their mental argument while Katsumi packed his school bag.
Textbooks.
Notebook.
Wallet.
Card binder.
Everything went inside.
After making sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, Katsumi stood before the mirror.
Straightening his collar and putting on his socks at last, he examined his reflection.
A thirteen-year-old boy stared back.
His face had become noticeably sharper over the years.
His jawline was more defined than before, a chubby round pebble.
His black hair was parted down the middle, though several stubborn strands refused to stay down.
At the back of his head, a small cluster of hair stood upright like loyal soldiers guarding a fortress.
A pair of glasses rested neatly on his face.
Combined with his school uniform and calm demeanor, he looked more like an honor student than someone who occasionally considered stealing stolen property back.
The black blazer fit comfortably.
And his physique, not much different from others, had energy and stamina to last him hours of activity.
Katsumi flashed a smile at the mirror.
A confident smile.
A handsome smile.
A smile capable of captivating hearts.
At least that was the theory.
‘It’s school time, Hoarder.’
Blue’s snickering voice echoed through his mind.
“Aye aye.
Who are you calling a hoarder?”
Katsumi adjusted his glasses.
“Last I checked, you were the dragon and I was the human.”
‘A mistake on the creator’s part.’
Blue snorted.
‘You should have been a dragon.’
Katsumi immediately disagreed.
The two continued arguing as Katsumi stepped out of his room.
‘Again, you are calling me names.
A good dragon is a well-behaved dragon.’
‘Lies!’
Katsumi sighed.
He was grateful for his unique gift.
He truly was.
But sometimes he wished his unique gift came with a mute button.
Unfortunately, life was rarely that generous.
“Are you ready, Katsu?”
The arguing duo were interrupted as Katsumi’s mother emerged from the kitchen.
The scent of breakfast followed shortly afterward.
“Yeah, Mom.”
Katsumi looked toward the dining table.
“Is breakfast ready?”
“It’s already on the table.”
She pointed toward the kitchen.
“Eat it before it gets cold.”
Having delivered her instructions, she immediately returned to the living room.
Katsumi followed the smell of food.
Behind him, Blue continued rambling about dragon superiority.
And thus began another completely ordinary day.