It is 6:45 on Saturday evening. You are inspecting your outfit for any traces of imperfection as you wait in the lobby of Hakudo Apartments for your date to pick you up. Your black dress is short, just above the knee, and made of soft, flowing material. It has a band around your waist and very thin straps. You catch your reflection in the mirrored surface of the reception counter. Does your hair, with brown roots growing out over bleach blonde, look tacky? Are you wearing too much makeup?

You fidget with your silver clutch. You hope you look high class enough for the five-star restaurant Seto will be taking you to. Ryu Kitchen has a month-long waiting list that only someone with the Kaiba name could afford to skip. He probably has a private table in reserve. You wonder if he takes clients out for dinner like the average CEO, and then you realize that you don't really know what he does when he's not playing Duel Monsters.

Your cell phone rings, startling you from this chain of thought.

"I'm outside," says Seto. He promptly hangs up.

As gracefully as you can manage, you move through the lobby to the doors, taking one last glimpse at your reflection in the glass door. Outside, a sleek black car is waiting for you. You open the rear door for yourself and slide in next to your date.

He looks impeccable in a purple velvet jacket and white dress shirt (probably silk) with black dress pants. His jacket looks so soft you nearly reach out to touch it, but you think better and reach for your seatbelt instead as the driver pulls away from the curb. You are waiting for him to say something to break the ice, but awkward silence lingers. Finally, you comment:

"You look very nice tonight."

"Thank you," he replies begrudgingly.

"We are going to Ryu Kitchen, aren't we?"

"I'm surprised you remember my favourite restaurant."

"Of course. It feels like we were only just there."

You had been to the restaurant once previously to celebrate Seto's sixteenth birthday. You recall Gozaburo laughing as he stated that it was the only place in town Seto would eat at. The rest of the ride passes in silence as you reminisce about your previous trip.

When you arrive at your destination, the driver lets you out before Seto. Your date exits from the other side of the car and suddenly you can feel his presence. He is standing close behind you. You find you are holding your breath and let it out all at once in a deep sigh.

"Well," he says, "let's get on with this."

You walk towards the restaurant. It is a tiny two-storey building hidden behind an enormous stone gate, with an illuminated path leading to the all-glass facade. A suited maitre d' is waiting at the entrance.

"Good evening mister Kaiba. Please follow me to be seated."

Seto follows the maitre d' and you follow Seto. The restaurant is sparsely populated but you can see that it's intentional. The tables have great gaps of space between them. In the centre of the restaurant is a grand staircase leading to the upper floor, which is where you are headed. Above, you find there are even fewer tables, all aligned to the windows for a spectacular view of the city.

The maitre d' seats you at a table in the corner of the restaurant. You can hardly hear the voices of the people seated nearest to you. It is the perfect private setting, or it would be, if you had private conversations to be holding. You speculate that there will be little to say at all.

Suddenly, you are overwhelmed with feelings of embarrassment. You don't want this date to be awkward any more. As Seto looks over the menu, you wrack your mind for something to say. Finally, you default to honesty.

"I'm sorry this is so awkward," you apologize.

"Hmph," comes the reply. "The situation is only awkward if you make it so. You're the one who requested this. Why do you feel uncomfortable?"

"Aren't dates supposed to be… romantic?" You ask without thinking.

"Kaede. Do you believe I am the romantic kind of man? Don't answer that question, I'll spare you. If you're expecting me to sweep you off your feet because we are previously engaged, you're wasting your time."

Your jaw drops. Is he actually discussing what you think he is?

"Don't take this the wrong way. I don't dislike you as a person. I find your personality a bit lacking, and you have a lot to learn about business, but ultimately you are a useful connection." He continues, "I don't intend to… put an end to our relationship yet. But don't overthink it."

Your mouth is still hanging open a little bit when he finishes his speech. Your palms are sweaty. Carefully, you contemplate your response.

"I kind of imagined we were friends, at least. I wanted us to be more than friends." You say.

He looks at you with a quizzical expression. "We're certainly not friends. I don't waste my valuable time just… being friendly with people."

"So we are more than friends?"

"You're an invaluable business connection. Let's leave it at that and order dinner."

And so you do. Of course, he is having the filet mignon. You order the only pasta dish on the menu, which he does his best to hide his distaste for when it arrives at the table. You are prepared to spend the remainder of the night eating without another word, but he shocks you by speaking up again.

"I should tell you I have begun planning a very large endeavour, which is part of the reason I decided to meet with you in the first place. I will be needing the assistance of Hakudo Real Estate."

"I see." You reply.

"I'm going to be purchasing as much of the land around here as possible. I'll need to negotiate with the mayor as well. Kaiba Corporation will own Domino City."

"What?" You drop your fork. Luckily, it only clatters lightly against the table and you recover without disturbing the entire restaurant.

"I want to own the city. I am going to host a Duel Monsters tournament using the city as a playing field."

You sputter, "that's quite a task you're attempting. You realize it's going to be–"

"Incredibly expensive? Possibly. Though I was hoping your family might donate some of its commercial properties as a sponsor…"

You stare at the ceiling. Of course your dream date has become a business negotiation. What else did you expect of Seto.

"I'll ask my father," you say.

"Good. I know I'm asking a lot but I have high expectations of you. If this goes according to plan I will have more work for you as well. I will get to host the tournament to end all tournaments, which is what I want, and you will work side-by-side with me, which is what you want."

You only nearly manage to avoid spitting out your drink. If you didn't know your intentions were so obvious, you would think he could read your mind.

"Well I'm glad we're being open with each other, at least," you sigh. "Fine. I'll do what I can to help you run this tournament. I guess that means we won't be participating though. Too bad, I've been practicing."

"I'll be participating. That's why I'll need your help."

"But let me guess, since I'm an inferior duelist…"

"I haven't had a chance to see your skills in some time. Have you improved?"

You sigh again. "It's irrelevant, I guess, since you don't plan on duelling me, do you?"

"I might change my mind if you can demonstrate skill. Although I have no need for a rival – someone has filled that role already, and I doubt you can best him."

"Let me guess–"

"I will beat Yugi in this tournament, and become the King of Duelists!"

You feel your face growing hot. He has declared his aim for victory so loudly that most of the restaurant is now staring at you. You avoid eye contact with any of the onlookers and proceed to finish your dinner as quickly as is politely possible.

Meanwhile, Seto takes his sweet time dining. You are forced to sit quietly and wait for him to be done. When he finally sets down his napkin on an empty plate, you sigh with relief.

He says, "I will settle the bill for this later, as is customary. We can leave right away."

You would protest his footing the bill, but you are both so wealthy that the manner of payment is almost irrelevant and any discussion of money would be embarrassing. Therefore you only nod and rise from your seat to exit the restaurant at Seto's side. You can feel the eyes of the remaining patrons on you as you leave.

When you come to the gate, you realize two cars are waiting for you instead of one.

"What's going on?" You ask.

"I took the liberty of arranging us separate rides home in advance. It's much more convenient, seeing as we aren't headed to the same place."

"I see."

"You sound disappointed."

"Well this isn't usually how a nice date would end…"

"Is that so. I would hate to end a successful business transaction on a negative note."

Suddenly, you feel the quick press of soft lips against your cheek. Before you can make sense of what's happening, he's gone, already climbing into one of the cars. You are left standing alone in front of the restaurant as his ride pulls away.

A ridiculous grin spreads across your face. You know it's a gimmick, but he still kissed you. The night is no longer so bad as it could have been.

"Miss, are you coming?" The driver of the remaining car calls to you. He is on the street holding the rear door open.

You slide into the car without another thought and caress your cheek the whole ride home.