The early morning sea breeze carried a faintly salty dampness across the marble path, smooth as a mirror, outside the Obelisk Blue dormitory.
Yūki had just stepped out of the dormitory lobby when he spotted a slender figure standing beside the white stone fountain.
Alexis Rhodes had put on a crisp Blue Dormitory girls' uniform today, and her long legs shone with an ivory hue in the morning light.
Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, her long golden hair stirring gently in the sea breeze.
"You're early."
Yūki walked over to greet her, a teasing smile on his lips. "I thought girls needed at least half an hour to dawdle before going out."
Asuka rolled her eyes at him and lowered the arms she had folded across her chest.
"Do you think everyone's like you, rummaging through their dorm room and messing around with cards in the middle of the night?"
She looked Yūki over twice, paused slightly, then walked forward beside him with an air of nonchalance.
"When we go see Zane later, keep those cursed jokes of yours under control. He's very serious. Outside of dueling, he hardly ever makes small talk."
"You know him that well?"
Yūki raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you two really do have something special going on in private."
At those words, Asuka stopped abruptly, a barely perceptible blush creeping over her ears.
"Don't get the wrong idea!"
She turned around, speaking a little faster than usual, her eyes carrying an urgency to explain that even she failed to notice.
"I only know Zane because of my brother Fubuki! Zane is my brother's best friend. Before my brother disappeared, they were practically inseparable."
"I go to him... just to ask about the details of the day my brother disappeared. There's absolutely nothing else