Honestly Jack wasnât even sure if he knew Yusaku at any point at all. Of course they grew up together, but the younger one always had been so quiet. Stayed mostly on his own. Yusei somehow had reached him. But Jack never really had bothered to try.
So the other one had friends. It wasâŠkinda relieving to hear but somehow it rubbed him off just the wrong way.
âWell you never gave up the chance to become friends like that.â he replied, forced himself to stay calm even though there was some bite in his voice. âInstead you went and replaced not only us, but Yusei as well. He nearly died recently. Twice. But you probably donât care about this either.â
For a moment he felt silent, watching the little cleaning robot instead. Yeah⊠why was he even here? It was the big question, hu? Yusaku probably wonât like the answer though.
âYou probably wonât believe it, but I was worried about you. I havenât heard anything from you for weeks. Wanted to make sure youâre actually still alive.â
He couldnât look into Yuseiâs eyes anymore otherwise. But the other one didnât need to know that.
| â |  If surprise was an emotion that the other never expected to see, then the blanching of horror would immensely feel out of place. Yusei almost died? Twice? He really has missed a lot.
    Hands clenching into fists, Yuusaku turned his book-bag upside down to allow a few textbooks and binders tumble out onto the bed. He did have plans to catch up on his studies, but at this rate, his mind will be too clouded to focus.
    How dare Jack make such dastardly assumptions about him! â I didnât replace any of you! Especially not Yusei of all people. â Of course he cares, and if he had been with his old Satellite gang, Yuusaku would have done everything in his power to protect them.
    But he wasnât there. Even if he could go back in time to change this, it wasnât like he could afford to. LINK VRAINS needed Playmaker during the Knights of Hanoiâs terrorism. If it wasnât him to have captured Ai all those months ago, who knows how the present would have been shaped.
    With a huff, Yuusaku unclasps his duel disk from his wrist, ignoring the high-pitched whine from the Ignis as he puts him in the usual cabinet. No, after that comment about Yusei, he knew he wouldnât be able to study even if he could get Jack to leave.
    â Well, I didnât ask for you to worry about me. I havenât had time lately for such leisure as getting into contact with you. â Heâs not staying here any longer; even if he wanted to go into LINK VRAINS to get his mind back on track with the mission, there were too many risks involved with Lightningâs gang lurking undetected. Right now, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, and without another word, Yuusaku marches right back up the stairs and slams the door on his way out of his apartment.
    Silence reigned supreme in the tiny room for several moments as Aiâs head poked out of the duel disk. Locked back in that cabinet, once again. How annoying!
     â Ugh, this evening is not going according to my plans. I better call for Roboppi to get me out of here. â