Last night's events wouldn't leave my head. That wall of rubble. The bottomless abyss. And——the faint echo of a voice I'd heard. "……gi……" Just a single sound. But I'd definitely heard it. That's what made it so painful. Mutou Yuugi sat in a chair behind the register counter on the first floor of Turtle Game Shop, gripping the Millennium Puzzle in his hands once more. It was cold every time he touched it. The Millennium Puzzle——a vessel in which Pharaoh Atem of ancient Egypt, some 3,000 years ago, had sealed his own soul. When Yuugi completed it, Atem awakened, and the two of them had been together ever since. During crises, during duels, always. But now. (I can't hear his voice) His gaze fell on the puzzle's surface. Three golden cracks——no, there seemed to be slightly more than yesterday. Yuugi was afraid to count them, so he quickly looked away. The shop was quiet. Battle City Tournament——a large-scale tournament hosted by Kaiba Seto, where a battle over the God Cards had unfolded——had ended six days ago. It was just before noon on a weekend, yet there were few customers. From outside, he could faintly hear children running around. Their voices enjoying Duel Monsters. The origin of this card game, played by 40 million people worldwide, lay in the Shadow Magic of ancient Egypt some 3,000 years ago. In that duel called the Shadow Game, the power of cards interfered with reality, and the loser suffered real damage to spirit and body. The Battle City finals had been conducted in exactly that format. In that duel, Yuugi had made a choice. Against Dark Malik——another personality born within Malik Ishtar, a terrifying existence who had waged duels through the Shadow Game to annihilate the loser's body——to prevent Atem from fighting any longer, Yuugi had chosen of his own will to seal Atem's consciousness deep within the Millennium Puzzle. And he'd defeated Malik alone. In the original story, Yuugi should have cornered Malik while fighting alongside Atem. But in this duel, Yuugi had chosen to cut Atem off to protect him. This was the price of that choice. The puzzle's cracks kept spreading. Atem's consciousness had scattered somewhere, and his voice couldn't reach him. Last night, when Yuugi tried to project his consciousness into the puzzle's inner space, he couldn't even find the entrance. Rubble blocked the way, and the place where Atem's room should have been had collapsed. (What do I do) With no answer forthcoming, Yuugi gripped the puzzle once more. Cold. ——The door opened. The bell announcing a customer rang through the quiet shop. Yuugi looked up. A single girl had entered. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Tanned skin, silver-gray short hair. Dressed in a white shirt and simple slacks, with nothing frivolous about her. Her walk was quiet. Her footsteps were barely audible. Her face was cool, but only her eyes——the way they observed her surroundings——was somehow not ordinary. When Yuugi called out "Welcome," the girl simply nodded and shifted her gaze to the shelves. She stood before the shelves lined with card packs, picking up each one and putting it back. She looked like an ordinary customer. (But……) Yuugi couldn't put that sense of wrongness into words. He returned the puzzle to his chest and sat back down in the counter chair. The girl walked slowly past the shelves. The moment she approached the register counter—— The girl's feet stopped abruptly. Her face——froze. Her previously expressionless eyes were directed at Yuugi's chest. The moment she saw the Millennium Puzzle, shock and urgency flashed across her expression. It was only for an instant, but he definitely saw it. "……That puzzle" The girl's voice dropped low. "[serious]It's cracked. ……There's no time left." Something tightened in Yuugi's chest. "[surprised]Huh……how do you know——" "[whispers]May I speak with you for a moment?" The girl returned the card pack to the shelf and faced Yuugi directly. It was then that he noticed her eyes were blue and gold. Her right eye was gold, her left eye a clear blue——heterochromia. On the back of her left hand was a tattoo resembling purple ancient script. "[serious]My name is Maria. Maria Zepharen." Zepharen. That name caught in Yuugi's memory. A few days ago, a mysterious duelist had approached him in front of Tornado Street Shopping District near Domino Station——Zepharen. Tanned skin, silver-gray hair, an ancient script tattoo below his left eye, tall. A man who'd said he was "collecting fragments of the King." (Is this girl connected to that guy?) "[serious]Standing and talking is awkward." Yuugi placed his hand on the edge of the counter and stood up. "There's a place where we can sit and talk in the back." Maria hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The two moved to the tatami room in the back of the shop. A small room of about eight tatami mats that Mutou Sugoroku used for card sorting and receiving guests. They sat facing each other across a table. Maria's posture was straight, her expression calm. But Yuugi noticed her hands were slightly clenched on her lap. "[serious]Atem hasn't disappeared." Maria spoke. Yuugi couldn't find his voice. "Atem's consciousness hasn't been completely erased. However——it has become fragmented. From the backlash when you sealed him." "[surprised]Fragmented……?" "Atem's consciousness has taken the form of cards and scattered. They're called Memory Cards." Maria spoke quietly, but carefully, as if confirming each word. Memory Cards——an abnormal phenomenon that occurred when Atem's consciousness fragmented. Atem's memories and emotions had taken the form of Duel Monsters cards and materialized. They looked almost identical to normal cards, but when held, they possessed a faint warmth——as Yuugi listened to this explanation, a strange sensation spread through his chest. (That's why it reacts when I get close to the puzzle) Last night, in the puzzle's inner space, particles of light had drifted. When he tried to touch them, they slipped through his fingers. Those might have been——fragments of Atem connected to the Memory Cards. "There are five in total," Maria continued. "If you collect all five and return them to the Millennium Puzzle, Atem——there's a possibility he can return." "[scared]Five……if I collect them all, Atem will?" "There is a possibility." The weight of those words made Yuugi pause. "But," Maria's voice dropped slightly. "When all the cracks on the puzzle connect——the puzzle will shatter. At that moment, Atem's consciousness will be completely annihilated." The blood drained from Yuugi's face. "There's a time limit……is that what you're saying?" "The cracks spread naturally. We don't know when they'll all connect. But there is no time." Yuugi stared at the table in front of him. The wood grain seemed unusually clear. "[serious]How can I collect them? Where are those cards?" "……That is" Maria's gaze wavered for the first time. "Impossible for you alone." "[angry]Why? If you tell me——" "I will cooperate. However," Maria looked at Yuugi again. Something flickered in her eyes. Conflict of some kind. "I cannot tell you why I'm cooperating. Not yet." "[angry]Then I can't trust you!" Yuugi started to stand. But he couldn't move immediately. Maria remained unmoved. She simply watched Yuugi quietly. "Whether you trust me or not is your choice. But there is no time." Silence fell. Maria slowly stood up. She took a small slip of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table. Only a simple phone number was written on it. "My contact information. Think it over, then call me." Maria turned to leave the room. ——At that moment, a voice came from the hallway. "[excited]Yuugi——! I'm back! The Burger World set menu changed, so I tried the new one——huh?" Jonouchi Souto froze in the hallway entrance, burger bags in both hands. His brown hair was slightly tousled, and he blinked repeatedly. Looking back and forth between the unfamiliar girl and Yuugi's stern face, his expression shifted to one of reading the room. "……Who's this?" It was a blunt statement. Maria didn't flinch. Jonouchi switched the bag to one hand and stepped forward in front of Maria. "[serious]Wait a minute. How do you know about the Millennium Puzzle? Where'd you get that information?" "[cold]Whether you trust me or not is your choice." Maria repeated flatly. "Just remember——there is no time." "[angry]Hey, wait——" "……Jonouchi." At Yuugi's quiet voice, Jonouchi's movement stopped. Maria left the shop as is. The bell at the entrance rang softly. Jonouchi turned back and looked at Yuugi. Yuugi's eyes were directed at the slip of paper on the table. "[serious]……There's no way we can trust someone like that." "But," Yuugi said slowly. "She knew about the puzzle's cracks. About Atem too." Silence. Jonouchi crossed his arms while still holding the burger bag. The image was somewhat surreal, and Yuugi couldn't help but smile wryly. "[sarcastic]……You're really gonna think about it while holding that?" "[sarcastic]Shut up, I'm hungry." The air between the two relaxed slightly. * * * As the sun began to set, the two sat facing each other in the tatami room on the second floor of Turtle Game Shop. About half of the burger Jonouchi had brought remained on the table. Yuugi had barely touched his. "So, what that Maria girl said was," Jonouchi said. "Atem's consciousness scattered into five cards, right? If you collect them all, there's a possibility he can come back. But if the puzzle shatters first, it's over." "[gentle]……Yeah." "She didn't tell you how to collect them. And she said she can't tell you why she's cooperating." "Right." Jonouchi was silent for a while, looking at Yuugi's face. "[serious]It's definitely suspicious. The last name Zepharen——isn't that the same as that suspicious duelist?" "I noticed." "What do you think?" Yuugi thought for a while. He looked at the slip of paper on the table. A simple phone number. "[gentle]I don't know. But……when I heard that Atem's memories scattered as cards, something caught in my mind. It felt connected to the voice I heard in the puzzle last night. The feeling of it." "Last night?" "I tried to enter the puzzle's inner space. I couldn't get in——but I heard something faintly, like Atem's voice. I couldn't hear all of it. But there was definitely something." Jonouchi listened silently. After Yuugi stopped speaking, he paused for a moment. Then he placed his hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "[serious]Hey, Yuugi. Don't try to do this alone. I'm here too." It was a blunt statement, but the weight of that hand was unmistakable. Yuugi looked down. "……I'm scared." His voice became small. "[sad]I can't hear Atem's voice at all. When I think about what if we don't make it in time……I've been scared the whole time." Those were words he'd spoken aloud for the first time. He'd probably never said "I'm scared" in front of Jonouchi before. Jonouchi's shoulders moved slightly. "[serious]Then you definitely shouldn't do it alone." It was an immediate response. "I'm here. That's all." Yuugi looked up. Jonouchi's eyes were serious. Despite always cracking jokes, his expression was completely different at times like this. Something in Yuugi's chest warmed gently. * * * As the window outside began to darken, Jonouchi reached a conclusion. "[serious]We just gotta get all the information that Maria girl has. It's definitely suspicious, but we've got zero leads right now." "……Yeah." "She said she can't tell you why she's cooperating, right? Then just ask her directly. Don't trust her until she tells us everything." "[sarcastic]……That's simple." "Simple is best," Jonouchi said easily. "You overthink things, man." Yuugi smiled wryly. The tension in his shoulders eased a bit. He picked up the slip of paper on the table. A phone number. Maria Zepharen. Zepharen's sister. Why did she know about the Memory Cards? Why couldn't she tell