Card Shopping At the End of the World (Part 1)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Same City Kaiba and Shizuka are in.

Hitomi was sorting out the cash she just got from her last customer. Living on the edge of the strange energy ball town had been bad for business, until it busted open this morning. Now, people seemed a little more willing to walk around, making her shop get some business again. Duel Monster cards was a lucrative business. There was no telling how much something would be from one day to the next, she always kept her eyes on the updates so she'd never get paid too little for a high priced card.

She kept cards of all makes and models, from the cute ones that weren't actually for legal matches, commonly known as glitter cards. To basic, simple cards that medium range players liked, to some extravagant ones. She couldn't afford all the greatest cards for the business, but she made sure to have a few great ones to make sure that store kept swinging open for professional players too.

"I want to know your rank, experience, and the strongest cards this store carries."

A voice rose in front of her. It wasn't the first time she heard a command like that from players. She wouldn't say anything about the rude tone because they were often the ones that would buy the most from her. This guy though? He had his twin next beside him. They both had interesting hair, but they dressed different. Nothing like the professional players that had the money.

There were more beside them too, but they didn't look like they had much money either.

Hitomi almost wanted to tell them off, except for their eyes. Their eyes each stared at her with a different story. Scary. Serious. It was like looking at someone who suffered through a war or something. Or maybe going to one? "I don't play the game, I just carry the cards. The right side of the story is magic, and the left side is attack. Miscellaneous between."

They didn't answer right away.

"My name is Yuugi Mutoh," one of them said, "and I don't have time to browse through the store. This is supposed to be one of the top places to buy cards, are you really that inefficient?" That's when he dragged out his wallet. "Money isn't an object. We want the best cards that you have."

"And hurry," his twin remarked.

Money isn't an object? "Some of these cards are hundreds of dollars."

"Some of them should be thousands," Yuugi Mutoh corrected her. He brought out his card. She looked at it and realized it was not the typical credit card she was expecting.

Yep, he was good for it. She brought out a list from behind her. She kept it laminated, and only gave it to those who could afford to look for it. "These are the most expensive cards, meaning rare. They are labeled. The squares between are the shelves that have nothing of value on them. Everyone wants something different, so look at the list. If you want to see the back of the card to find out more about them, I can hit a lever from the back to let you see."

Her store was set up the same way many card stores ran. The front was exposed like shining jewelry, but if customers wanted to see the card, she had gadgets from the back where they could see the effects. It was not a service she offered to everyone all the time, but a limitless credit card called for assistance.

While they started to look, she went ahead and typed in the name Yuugi Mutoh. He had never been in her store before, but the way he acted, he must be in the playing circuit.

Whoah. Whoah, was he ever in the playing circuit! Not now, not for years, but he won incredibly early tournaments that made his name in the history of duel cards. Oh, and he also created the sphere game? How did she miss that, it was like Duel Monsters in space! Incredible. Yeah, no wonder he had the money to back up his claim.

She followed Yuugi Mutoh and his friends from the back, also looking up information for each card they seemed interested in. Any hidden effects, games they were won with, any kind of history that would help them. It was easy to access through her Duel History Membership.

Some people came in and browsed slightly, then left. She only left a few moments to see how her other customers were doing, otherwise she was assisting them from the back. Reading from Yuugi Mutoh's background, she immediately pointed him to the area with the rare Dark Magician card.

"Is that helpful?" The taller friend of Mutoh's spoke to him. He sat down a couple of babies in their carriers. "Atem's already got me. I guess that could be for your deck."

"Yeah, it would feel better I guess," Yuugi Mutoh agreed.

They took it and the Dark Magician Girl card.

"Where are your occult card collections?" A white-haired and tsundere looking man asked her. "It's my specialty."

Occult are more in the middle of the store," Hitomi answered.

"Just be careful, getting something that spells out Death is a waste in this game," The tallest blonde-haired man warned him.

They wanted another one called Obnoxious Celtic Guardian she'd never sold before. She didn't have it. They half thought about one called Kuriboh, sort of arguing back and forth. Neither one stayed on the side of 'for and against', they seemed to switch sides partway through. When she found the card, it was a minor joke of a card, barely worth anything. Some players.

Whatever, she wasn't playing the game, only selling the cards. She should treat herself tonight after such a great day.

More people came in here and there, with a couple of them actually watching them all buy cards, complaining about how lucky they were, and how they could have that kind of money to actually use on cards.

Yeah, Hitomi would never diss the dueling card hobby. It was her livelihood. She looked up more on Yuugi Mutoh's fame. Hey, that guy owned his own gameshop too?

Yuugi Mutoh was rich, a game shop owner like her, famous for the history of the game, an incredible inventor and single? "So, are you getting back into the game itself, or getting back into selling the cards like I do?" She winked. "I've been doing this for some time, selling exclusively the cards in the store is a great idea. I'd be happy to share tips with how to do it now."

Not a look. Not a sound. He barely recognized her presence. "Turn that card."

Not even a please now. She went over toward the glass and used her little turn button to flip the card around.