After the duel between Yumi and Celina, the two talk with each other for a bit, getting to know their future roommate.
Celina actually has three more sisters and an elder brother, which somewhat fits into the image of the Bracelet Girls in Arc-V. In the anime, the four Bracelet Girls were one person split into four for four different dimensions.
The Bracelet Girls are also the female companions of the Yu Boys in each dimension, who, like the Bracelet Girls, are also one person split into four. However, in the manga, the Yu Boys are actually brothers instead of the split souls of a single entity.
So it seems that this world has made the four Bracelet Girls into sisters instead of counterparts.
Yumi found this fact about Celina quite good to know.
While Celina found out that Yumi was kicked out of his house at the age of 12 because he wanted to play cards, which his parent found too difficult.
"Seriously? What kind of parent does that to their own kid?" She asks, walking alongside him.
"Who knows, I don't even know what is going on in their minds." Yumi just shrugged; he didn't bother to try to understand the minds of his parents.
They probably think he will give in and crawl back to them, but Yumi didn't do that, instead, he actually left without turning back.
He wasn't exactly close to the parents he had in this world, so he didn't mind leaving them. Plus, he still couldn't understand why they found being a lawyer or doctor easier than being a duelist.
"Still, have you ever called them to at least tell them you're okay?" She asks, looking at him with a somewhat hopeful expression.
"After a year, they adopted a new child." Yumi said blankly, causing Celina to freeze a little.
"Really?" She asks sceptically.
"Yeah, found out when I was 13. Haven't talked to them since."
The air between them grew a bit awkward. Celina original brought up the topic of family was mostly due to her upbringing being the middle daughter in a house with four other siblings. She just didn't expect that her roommate was practically abandoned by his parents.
The two continued to walk as she hurriedly changed the topic, grateful that Yumi quickly caught on and continued to talk normally with her.
After a short walk, the two found themselves wandering into a Duel Arena.
"Whoa! This is the sweetest dueling arena I've ever seen!"
The loud voice rang out, turning heads toward none other than the jellyfish-head himself, Jaden.
"It looks completely state of the art. I bet it would be amazing to duel here!" Syrus added, his enthusiasm catching the attention of two Obelisk Blue students lounging nearby.
"Hey! What are you three slackers doing here!?" one of them snapped, glaring at the group.
"This is Obelisk Blue territory!" the other barked, jabbing a finger at the metallic Obelisk head symbol above the entrance. "See that? So beat it!"
"Sorry!" Syrus squeaked, bowing so low it was a wonder he didn't topple over. "We didn't know! Jaden, let's go!"
"That includes you two Slifer slackers, too!" they added, turning their icy glares toward Yumi and Celina.
Yumi didn't look too impressed by the Duel Arena. With Duel Disks, you could duel anywhere with solid ground. He was about to turn and leave when he felt Celina's hand gripping his arm like a vice.
"Where do you think you're going?" Celina asked, cracking her knuckles so loudly it echoed through the marble hall. Her eyes narrowed at the two Obelisk Blues. "I have a different idea."
Yumi just nodded silently, thinking to himself: Yep, she could absolutely kick my ass physically. No question.
The Obelisk Blues flinched, their bravado deflating like balloons.
One of them suddenly squinted at Jaden. "Wait a second… You're the guy who defeated Dr. Crowler!"
The other's eyes widened. "Hey, Chazz!" he shouted, turning to a pale goth kid lounging with his back against a pillar. "The kid who beat Crowler is here!"
Chazz looked up, annoyed. "I heard you the first time, moron!"
The trio turned to see Chazz, whose expression shifted from annoyance to curiosity, then to shock when he spotted Celina.
"Hey! You're that chick who trashed that Harpie Lady deck! What the hell are you doing hanging out with these slackers!?" Chazz demanded, eyes narrowed.
Celina's expression didn't change. "Red looks good on me," she said flatly. Her hand went to her other fist, cracking her knuckles again in a slow, deliberate motion. "Do we have a problem?"
"N-no! No problem at all!" Chazz squeaked, throwing his hands up to shield his face, clearly not wanting to test her resolve.
Huh… Judging by their reactions, Yumi realized Celina and Chazz must know each other, at least vaguely. Maybe not on a first-name basis, but definitely close enough for her to be able to put the fear of the gods into him.
Jaden had a goofy grin plastered on his face as he looked at Chazz. "Oh hey! I'm Jaden. What's up, Chuz was it?" he asked, making his friends snicker while the Obelisk Blues' faces turned red with rage.
"Hey! His name is Chazz Princeton!" one of Chazz's lackeys snapped, getting in Jaden's face. "Show some respect! He's gonna be the next King of Games!"
"Impossible," Jaden said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. Everyone stared at him, jaws dropping. "Because I'm gonna be the King of Games!"
"That's impossible," Celina cut in, a competitive glint in her eyes as Jaden turned to her. "Because I'm gonna be the Queen of Games!"
"Oh really?" Jaden asked, his grin widening. "Looks like I've got some competition, huh?"
Syrus's jaw dropped so fast it was a wonder it didn't leave a dent in the floor. First Jaden's claiming he's the King of Games, then this scary girl is calling herself the Queen of Games… Am I the only normal person here?! he thought frantically.
Then he glanced at Yumi, who was just standing there, half-yawning. "Please tell me you're not gonna say you're the King of Games too…" Syrus asked, voice trembling.
All eyes turned to Yumi, who shrugged and said lazily, "I'm just a duelist passing through. Remember that."
"Quiet!" Chazz finally stood up, glaring at the Slifer Reds. "Let's see if you two can back up those big words with skill, or if it's all just luck!"
That challenge instantly lit a fire under both Celina and Jaden. They reached for the top parts of their deck boxes, ready to duel, until a cool voice cut through the tension. "This sure is a motley crew."
Everyone turned to see Alexis Rhodes walking toward them.
"Whoa… who's that?" Syrus whispered.
"Oh, hey Alexis," Celina said nonchalantly, surprising Alexis. "What are you doing here?"
Alexis decided not to question why Celina was a Slifer Red. "Well, for starters, Chazz, you remember there's an Obelisk Blue welcome party, right?"
Chazz scowled, "Yeah, yeah. Let's go, guys." He and his goons stalked off toward the party.
Alexis turned back to the Slifers with a reassuring smile. "Sorry about them. Not all Obelisks are like that. Chazz just thinks he's better than everyone else, even the other Obelisks."
Celina just smirked, "Eh, it's fine. I could have beaten him in two turns anyway."
"Really?" Jaden shot back, his grin returning. "I could've taken him down in one!"
"Really?" Celina said, stepping in close until their foreheads were almost touching. Sparks of anime-style lightning practically crackled between them.
Syrus and Alexis both sweatdropped. It was intense, but also… pretty funny.
Yumi just raised an eyebrow, amused. "Beat him first, then brag. Otherwise, it's just hot air."
Hearing that, Jaden and Celina both paused, acknowledging the truth in his words. They reluctantly backed off, giving each other one last competitive smirk.
"The Slifer Red welcoming party is starting soon, so you four better get going," Alexis reminded them before turning and walking away.
The four Slifers exchanged glances before Jaden grinned. "Come on! Let's go before they eat all the food!" he shouted, taking off with Syrus and Celina hot on his heels. Yumi followed at a leisurely pace.
When they finally arrived at the Slifer Red welcoming party, they were… underwhelmed.
The lunchroom was small, with ten tables and a few bowls of rice, fried shrimp, sardines, oranges, and… something unidentifiable that no one dared touch.
Yumi looked around, noticing there were actually a few girls in Slifer Red this time, unlike in the anime, where it was a boys-only dorm.
Celina, meanwhile, was immediately distracted by something else: a fat, pudgy cat snoozing on one of the tables. She might be more mature than her little sister, but when it came to cats? She was just as much of a softie.
She loved cats. Any kind, any shape, any color. Her deck was basically a cat parade. Hell, her family visited a cat café every week.
Ignoring the stares of the other students, Celina walked straight up to the table and gently picked up the cat, who meowed sleepily and licked her hand.
That's when a tall, skinny man with black hair and glasses (which he never seemed to use, since his eyes were always shut) stepped out of his office.
"Hello, children," he said in a calm, airy tone. "I'm Professor Banner, head of the Slifer Red dorm. I hope you'll all-" His eyes opened (still somehow shut) when he saw Celina holding his cat. "…What are you doing with Pharaoh, Celina?!"
"You'll never catch me alive!" Celina declared, turning on her heel and running for the door, the cat still in her arms.
Banner leapt over a table with surprising agility, chasing after her. "Celina! Come back!"
Everyone else just stared, dumbfounded.
"…Well, that's one way to introduce yourself," Syrus said after a pause.
After Celina was caught by Banner, seriously, the man was fast, she got a stern warning that if she tried to steal Pharaoh again, she'd be stuck in detention.
She didn't really mind, to be honest. At least there was a cat involved, and she'd gotten to see how surprisingly spry Banner was.
As she walked back to the dorm to get some dinner, she spotted Jaden and Syrus sprinting off toward Duel Academy. She raised an eyebrow but shrugged. Maybe they liked midnight runs. She wouldn't judge; it was good cardio.
When she stepped into the Slifer Red lunchroom, she was a little disappointed to see no Pharaoh this time. Still, the dinner wasn't half bad; she'd had worse, like her mother's cooking. After she was done, she left her plate on the table, noticing Professor Banner picking up plates here and there.
She gave him a quick nod and made her way up to her room.
Celina reached the top of the ladder and swung her legs over, smack!
"Aw!" a voice groaned.
Celina's eyes widened. Her legs had accidentally slammed right into Yumi's stomach. "Yumi! What are you doing in my bed?" she asked, eyebrow twitching.
Yumi let out a dry chuckle. "I thought you'd be sleeping in detention after what Banner said," he teased.
That only made Celina more annoyed, and she pressed her foot down harder onto his gut. "Aw! Okay, okay, wait!"
She eased up just a bit, still leaving her foot on his chest. "Alright, talk. Why are you trying to steal my top bunk?"
"You never said the top bunk was yours," Yumi replied calmly.
Her brow twitched again. She pressed her foot down a little more. "Aw!"
After that brief scuffle, Celina lay victorious on the top bunk, having successfully kicked Yumi down to the bottom bunk.
All in all, she couldn't complain about the day. She'd gotten to know her homeroom teacher, seen and even held a cat, and met some nice people, Jaden, Syrus, and even Yumi, despite him trying to steal her bed.
Meanwhile, lying on the bottom bunk, Yumi opened his eyes and lifted his left hand, a Duel Monster card appearing in his palm with a faint shimmer.