"Ahhh, I’m so sorry!"
The green-haired boy scrambled to his feet in panic.
Chasing after him came another kid, who grumbled, "I told you to slow down, Leo! Now you’ve crashed into someone—see?!"
This other kid wore glasses—both of them seemed to be elementary school age.
"S-sorry, mister."
Leo, the green-haired boy, hung his head to apologize to him.
Kira smiled. "Don’t worry about it."
"I guess so." Leo laughed, scratching his head, "But mister, you’re really tough! I thought I ran into a wall!"
Leo was one of the main cast, a Signer awakening only toward the end of the story. But for now, he was just a normal boy.
His twin sister Luna, however, was a genuine Signer. She had visited the Spirit World at age three, promising to protect it. A talented girl, perhaps even more gifted than Jaden himself.
However, Luna was a homebody, rarely venturing outside. Leo was her complete opposite—energetic, outgoing, and passionate about dueling.
Invite Luna to a tournament? She’d refuse. Leo, though, would eagerly enter—and likely drag his sister along.
The bespectacled kid studied Kira, suddenly recalling something. His face paled, and he pulled Leo aside. "Hey, hey! I think you bumped into someone really important! I saw him on TV—he’s the Director of Sector Security!"
"Huh?!"
Leo was shocked.
"Someone that important?!"
But then, his eyes lit up and he swung back to Kira.
"If you’re Sector Security’s Director, that means... you know Jack, right?!"
"Jack?" Kira said, "Jack Atlas? I suppose so."
At this stage, Leo was still Jack’s biggest fan. Not surprising—New Domino City had carefully crafted Jack’s undefeated "King" image, and most duel-loving kids worshipped him.
"That’s awesome! You know the King! Can you get me his autograph?"
Yet before Kira could answer, Leo spotted the Duel Disk on his arm and got even more excited.
"Ohh! You duel too! A duelist who knows the King must be super strong! Can you duel me? Please? Please?"
The bespectacled friend interjected, "Leo, isn’t that kind of rude—?"
"It’s fine. We appreciate all King’s fans." Kira smiled kindly, propping his chin in thought. "Since you’re a fan, of course I’ll duel you."
"Yeah!"
Leo cheered.
"But to cut down on onlookers, how about we use my private dueling arena?" Kira offered. "It’s more peaceful that way."
Leo’s eyes shone even brighter. "You have a private arena? That’s so cool!"
And naturally, Goodwin did. In fact, even the city’s largest arena was kept closed to outsiders except during official tournaments. As Director, Goodwin could use any venue he pleased.
Or, with his power, he could easily reserve any duel stadium in the entire city.
Kira knew Leo was a simple, passionate kid who idolized strong duelists. In the original story, upon meeting Yusei, he insisted on dueling; after losing, he worshipped Yusei’s every word.
Leo believed "someone who duels well can’t be a bad person." That made connecting with him a breeze. Kira only had to put on a dazzling show to win Leo over.
...
Dueling Arena.
"Whoa, what a huge arena!"
Leo bounced and ran around, yelling.
"I really get to duel in a place like this?!"

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