☆9: Sakura Days, 4th petals

Moonlight sneaked in through the window as the girl with silverish moon hair gaze upon the moon's reflection on the lake, as if that spot is the area where the night fairies are bathing.

Contrary to her sweet gaze, her hand clenching the PDA so hard that it made cracking sounds.

"So... you woke me up just to tell me that?", told Sakura, irritated.

"Y-yes...?", the man on the phone replied nervously.

CRACK!

She held the PDA more tightly, "Dad... do you know what time IT IS?!", asks her with a menacing tone.

"U-um... 10 p.m?"

"Three... It's three in the morning!", lashed her. "You call me... this late, because you succeed in creating a bunch of new cards?!"

Hiro Isshiki, a card designer from Illusion inc, the corporation owned and led by Maximillon Pegasus, the father of The Duel Monster game.

Among the cards he had to design, Hiro Isshiki was best known for the creation of The Princess Plant series.

But not for long, as he already created two another series which he's going to tell Sakura about it. Of course, both series hasn't been released or known to the public yet, making it exclusive for his daughter use only.

"W-wait, hold on, sweetie! With this series that I created, I'm confident that you can be the best duelist in Duel Academy.... maybe"

Sakura's eyes dropped when she heard the word 'maybe' from her father, "I see... congrats then, can you give me the details later?", told her with tired tone.

"Wait... ho-hold on! Don't hang up yet! I still want to talk with you! Please?! I'll double your monthly allowance! I swear!".

"..."

"I swear on my name that the mighty Pharaoh would come down to earth from the afterlife to punish me if I'm lying!"

Sakura sighs, "Fine... go on"

Unbeknownst to Sakura, her father Hiro Isshiki currently doing a 'guts' or 'yosha!' pose after hearing her replies.

Her father then fix his gesture and coughed a few times before he starts, "Um... well... Sakura, how... how are school?", asked him.

Sakura tilt her head sideways after hearing such a normal and simple question, "That's it? Well... I think it's good"

"Heh... how so?"

Sakura then tell her experiences at Duel Academy, how she spent her days at school, how she met and socialized with other people, how she joined a club or extracurricular (with questionable leader), and didn't forget to include her dueling experiences.

His father smiled and laughs listening to his daughter's story at Duel Academy, specially the part when she managed to persuade (blackmailing) her teacher, and how she and her opponent almost destroyed the whole room just because of a duel.

Of course when he noticed the opponent's name being 'YUJI' he can't help but cursing silently inside his heart and clench his phone tightly until cracks appear on the handle.

"Hey... uh... dad?"

Talking about her dueling experiences, Sakura remembers the vision she saw when dueling Yuji.

"Yeah, hon?"

"Do you know a duelist name ZARC?", asked Sakura.

The previous duel with Yuji left a huge question for her. It's already been a few days after the practical exam, but the vision still plaguing her mind.

The uncanny appearance between ZARC and Yuji, the destroyed city, human and duel monsters combined into one, and how a 'certain girl' saving the destroyed world by dividing him to defeat him.

Is it a premonition for the future, or it is an event from long ago? But she knew all of it seems as real to be called a mere vision.

Especially when she watched that 'certain girl' she felt a certain loving connection to her.

"ZARC? That's a weird name. Nope, never heard of him, is he... perhaps your new crush?!", asked her father, as more cracking sound can be heard.

"No", Sakura rejects the idea, and her father strike a new 'guts' or 'Yosha!' Pose.

She continues, "It's for... a homework, yes... a homework"

"A homework?", asked his father, a bit skeptical.

"Well, I've got an assignment to review about a pro duelist, and the one I've been assigned to review is about the pro duelist named ZARC"

Sakura paused for a while, "But there isn't any records of him anywhere. So I was thinking, maybe you know someone or something related to him? You are a card designer, maybe you know a thing or two"

Of course what Sakura told him about the assignment is a lie, but using her father's connection, maybe she can found out who ZARC really is.

"ZARC, huh? Oh well, I'll try to ask someone who knowledgeable about Pro duelists"

Sakura nods, "Thanks dad, ah... if you can't found out about ZARC, then can you perhaps search about Rei Akaba?"

"Now a female duelist, huh? That surname... Akaba seems familiar" said Sakura's father holding his chin.

"Gotcha! I'll ask about her too. Is that all? Is there something you want to request me with?"

Sakura shake her head slowly, "No, that's all"

"Um, gotcha!"

Before Sakura said goodbye and hung up...

"Sakura… I'm glad you're enjoying the school"

Hearing unexpected words from her father left Sakura a bit speechless, somehow... it felt kinda hard to hung up on the call like usual.

"What do you mean?"

Her father continues, "Look at the hour! To think we just talked this long, and I haven't talked about the new series! Well, I'll send it to the academy later. Just you wait and be amazed by my new creations!"

Sakura closed her eyes, "Yes... I can't wait to see it"

"Hehehe, be amazed, my little girl! Then beat that brat Yuji with it!! Send him to the Shadow Realm!!!", laughed him.

Sakura chuckles hearing his words, and assured him that next time she'll defeat him.

After saying goodbye to each other, they finally hung up, and Sakura return to her bed.

Before closing her eyes, she takes a look one more time at her PDA, where the recent call by the contact named 'FATHER' is shown, making her smiles.

"Goodnight... father"

.....................................

A few days later, on her way to receive the package.

"Sakura! Sakura!"

"Isshiki wait!"

Sakura stopped in her tracks, turning her head toward the one who called her.

The one who called her name is the two friends of Alexis, Mindy and Jasmine.

Sakura tilted her head, wondering what's wrong with the two of them, as both Mindy and Jasmine looking exhausted.

After taking deep breaths, both of them looked at each other, then shifted their gazes toward Sakura.

"Um... what's wrong?", asked her with confused yet blank face.

Jasmin steps forward, she patted her shoulders as she stares into Sakura's eyes deeply.

Sakura didn't know what Jasmin and Mindy would do, as she's already feeling creepy by their antics.

Jasmin took a deep breath again, and this time she started to speak.

"It's about Kusanagi...", told her.

Sakura raised her eyebrow slightly, "Yuji? What's wrong with him?"

"Yuji is...", Jasmin started talking about Yuji Kusanagi.

When Sakura listened to her words, she instantly froze, "Eh?", her pupil slightly constricted, and shock filled her eyes.

"Is that... true?", asked her with trembling gaze.

Jasmine closed her eyes then slowly nods her head. Still skeptical, Sakura shifted her gaze to Mindy, but just like Jasmine, she also nods slowly.

Sakura grabs Jasmin's hands and slowly released her hand from her shoulders.

"Lie..."

Sakura leaning her back toward the wall beside her, and with dull azure eyes like cloudless sky, she gazed at the white ceiling above.

"That's not true...", she said.

But Jasmin and Mindy's expression is serious.

Sakura closed her eyes.

"That's... isn't true"

To her shock, the friend she knew as Yuji Kusanagi is...