Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"What surprised me the most was the 'trap card' you came up with. I've always felt that Duel Monsters was missing something, and that was the existence of traps! The interference with the opponent and the counterattack against the interference, the appearance of traps will make Duel Monsters more tactical, it's really amazing!"

"However, having an idea isn't enough to bring it to fruition. I'm currently thrilled by your novel ideas, Hayato-boy, but at the same time, I'm racking my brains for inspiration to design the trap cards. It's really a dilemma~"

As he spoke, Pegasus in the video pretended to cover his head, looking like he had a headache.

"Although the initial work was tough, the thought of Duel Monsters becoming even more interesting must make you, Mr. Pegasus, very excited about what the future holds," Hayato said with a smile. "As for designing the cards? I have no doubt about your title as the 'Father of Duel Monsters'."

"Chatting with you is truly an interesting experience, Hayato boy~" Pegasus smiled elegantly in the video. "I only sent this gift out of curiosity, but I never expected to encounter such a big surprise. Interested in joining the International Illusion Society? I can offer you a high salary~"

"Although I'd love to agree, I'm more interested in using cards than designing them. Besides, I've been researching Duel Monsters for a long time before coming up with these ideas. Even if you tempt me with a high salary, I don't have any more profit to squeeze out of me, Mr. Pegasus."

"Providing me with such a brilliant idea for free, it's clear you're quite passionate about games, Hayato boy~" Pegasus looked at Hayato and nodded in satisfaction. "Is there anything you wish to have done? My International Illusion Club has some financial resources, you know?"

Hayato smiled and said, "Mr. Pegasus, you're really amazing. It's almost like you can read minds. I happen to have something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Someone I know told me that you have a 'Duel Kingdom' project, right?"

Chapter 40 The Imperial Army asked me to deliver a message to you (not really).

At Domino High School, there is a large-scale entertainment event every school year, designed to help students relax and unwind after studying. That event is the "Domino High School Cultural Festival".

During this celebration, students will confidently organize activities in the form of classes, clubs, or free groups, such as setting up shops to sell items in designated areas or performing on the stage in the school square.

Whether it's a fortune-telling shop, a shooting game, a barbecue stand, or a maid café; whether it's singing and dancing, senryu poetry, martial arts performances, or rakugo and manzai, at the cultural festival, everyone can showcase their strengths, express themselves, and release their stress to the fullest extent.

Hayato didn't think that some of the students, who were used to being carefree, would feel any pressure. That's right, I'm talking about Masashi Manjoume, who plans to perform on the school festival stage and then confess to "Little Ribbon" Miho Nosaka.

"Damn Manjoume!" Honda sat in his seat, writing something forcefully on a piece of corrugated cardboard. If you looked closely, you could clearly see a bunch of words like "shameless," "bastard," and "shameless."

Jonouchi, however, patted him on the shoulder with an indifferent expression: "In the end, isn't it because you haven't given away the puzzle yet? If you don't give it away today, it might be too late."

"Maybe, when 'Little Ribbon' saw that Manjoume confessing to her, she impulsively agreed, thinking, 'Oh, Manjoume is so handsome! He actually confessed to me in public. I'm so shy, but so romantic~' or something like that."

"Um, Hayato, don't do that, it feels really weird." Jonouchi looked constipated. "Logically, I should feel disgusted, but why do I find what you were doing just now kind of cute?"

Shocking! A boy was right next to me? Hayato was taken aback by Jonouchi's astonishing statement and quickly regained his composure. He was just trying to make a joke, but he almost lost his virginity? No wonder Mai has been so aloof with you ever since, and then thinking about how that simp Baron only thought about you when he played cards with you, it's even stranger.

“Instead of those things, let’s finish what we’re doing,” Kyoko said, cutting through corrugated cardboard with a pair of scissors. “Our group is assigned an air gun game. Although Honda provided the air guns, the amount of cardboard needed for the game is not small.”

Hayato's class planned a "Game Carnival" for the school festival, choosing three games as the main activities, with each game assigned to a group. Hayato's group was assigned to the "Air Gun Game." As the name suggests, it involved using balloons to aim and shoot at corrugated cardboard targets at varying distances, winning prizes based on the score.

Although the air rifles weren't very powerful, the targets would inevitably deform with repeated use. Therefore, after making a sufficient number of targets, Hayato and his friends had to prepare a considerable number of spares. A large stack of corrugated cardboard lay on the game seats; those were the materials they used to make the targets.

Just as the group sat around the game table, cutting out cardboard, Honda suddenly sensed something and turned to look at the classroom door. There, "Little Ribbon" Nosaka Miho, looking panicked, ran into the classroom to Kyoko's side, panting, and said, "Kyoko-san, something terrible has happened! We...we don't have any seats left in our class!"

"What!?" As the cultural festival committee member elected by Class B, Kyoko immediately stood up from her seat upon hearing the news. "Nosaka-chan, quickly explain what happened."

"Kyoko, don't be in such a hurry. Nosaka-san must be exhausted from running all this way." Honda felt a pang of heartache as he watched his beloved panting heavily, but he was also quite moved by the sight of her hair sticking to her face with sweat and her delicate expression.

"It's alright, Honda-kun." After taking a few deep breaths, Nosaka Miho recovered a little and told Honda that she was feeling okay. Then she explained to Kyoko what had happened at the cultural festival site.

According to the rules of the cultural festival, after each class has made its own arrangements and submitted them to the school, classes that need a venue can draw lots to obtain a venue to set up their shops. Since tomorrow is the start of the cultural festival, while several groups responsible for game preparation were making the props needed for the games, the other students who were free went to the venue to start setting up in advance.

Logically, each class had to draw lots, and the school provided ample space for students to hold their cultural festival; there was virtually no possibility of conflict arising between students due to space constraints. However, there was always a small group of people who liked to challenge the rules.

Just as Nosaka Miho and the other students from Class B were setting up their class's "Game Carnival" venue, the students from Class D, led by their class's cultural festival representative, suddenly appeared. They claimed that the venue, which had belonged to Class B for the past three years, had been theirs for the past three years. They barged in and destroyed the venue, leaving behind a huge, thick iron plate as proof that they had occupied it.

After a series of unreasonable demands, the guy from Class D, nicknamed "Boar-Headed Goro," didn't stop there. He demanded that the students from Class B do hard labor setting up their cultural festival venue as "compensation for encroaching on their space." Several boys refused Boar-Headed Goro's unreasonable demands and were severely punished as a result.

Hayato couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for Ushio Tetsu, the "Devilish Discipline" who had been driven to madness and expelled from school by video games. Back then, the school's discipline was actually quite good; someone like Inosuke Goro from Class D wouldn't dare to act so arrogantly.

However, Hayato also knew that the reason why Ushio Tetsu was able to maintain such strict discipline was because he himself was the biggest villain in the school at the time. Although he could maintain order, he would extort huge protection fees from those he was protecting, so he was no good either.

But at least it's better than those bastards who take protection money but do nothing.

"Those damn bastards, hey Honda, stop cursing that Manjoume and come with me to teach those guys a lesson." The hot-tempered Jonouchi couldn't sit still when he heard that his classmates were being bullied. He immediately stood up and started looking for a suitable weapon, calling out to Honda.

Honda's face was even angrier than Jonouchi's: "My fists are itching for action." Seeing Nosaka Miho's tearful face as she talked about how the venue she had worked so hard to decorate had been destroyed, Honda's anger was already at 1000%.

"Don't be so impulsive, Honda-kun, Jonouchi-kun." Seeing that Honda and Jonouchi had already set their sights on the large metal triangle ruler that the teacher used in class, "Little Ribbon" quickly stopped the two impulsive individuals. "Goro the Pighead from Class D said that he asked me to pass on a message to the students in the class."

Chapter 41 Teppanyaki Deck VS Disruption

"'Game Carnival' is a joke! Duel Monsters is the best game in the world, and all other games are worthless!" With a hairstyle that looked exactly like an official's hat and that made him look like a card player, Goro Inuyasha, the executive committee member of Class D's cultural festival, looked down on the person in front of him. "Even if you asked me to say it again, I would still say the same thing."

"Pegasus would be thrilled to see such a fervent fan like you, right? But unfortunately, while I also love Duel Monsters, I can't forgive you for destroying our class's territory." Hayato frowned as he looked at the black metal plate, laid a cloth on it, and then placed his deck on it.

After forcibly occupying the space that Class B had almost finished decorating, Goro Inugami from Class D forced the other students in Class B to replace their decorations with their own. Not only that, Goro Inugami also had Miho Nosaka, who didn't have much manpower, deliver a message to the other students in Class B who remained in the classroom:

A game carnival isn't something just anyone can host. If you want to take the venue from us, then send out the strongest duelist from your class!

In other words: I'm really annoyed that there are no duels at your game carnival, so hurry up and find someone to duel me.

Hayato exclaimed that it was truly worthy of being called "Yu-Gi-Oh!", and he was gradually starting to think like a card player.

In the selection of duelists, Jonouchi, Yugi, and Honda all competed. Although Jonouchi and Honda's competition was commendable, considering that this duel was related to the ownership of the class's venue, even Hayato was thinking of sending Yugi.

But then Yugi awkwardly explained that because Chicken Sauce was discharged from the hospital yesterday, he had to catch up on his homework this morning, and he had accidentally left his card deck at home.

Although Yugi's presence in class was rather low due to his personality and small stature, he was undisputed the strongest in Duel Monsters. Many in the class had played Duel Monsters, but no one had ever defeated him. Hearing that the class's strongest player, Yugi, had left his deck at home, many faces were filled with disappointment.

However, Hayato was quickly recommended by the game, which claimed, "Hayato-kun's dueling skills are top-notch; even when I went all out, I almost lost to Hayato-kun." With his strength affirmed by the strongest player, Hayato thus became the representative of Class B.

Looking at Goro, whose hairstyle resembled that of a skilled card player, Hayato finished shuffling his deck and confirmed, "If you win this match, you'll leave our territory and won't come back, right?"

"You have no right to negotiate, Class B." Goro the Pighead said arrogantly. "Although there's absolutely no chance, if you win, I'll naturally take the people from Class D and even help you restore the field. However, in return, your Class B's activity funds will be ours after I win!"

"Whatever, I'm bound to win anyway." Hayato smiled confidently, placing his hand on top of the deck.

"You've certainly got quite the nerve."

"Duel!" "Duel!"

[Hayato: 2000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Goro: 2000LP, 5 cards in hand]

"I'll take the first turn! Draw!" Before Goro could react, Hayato drew five cards from his hand and skillfully pulled a card from his deck. After glancing at it, he immediately played it: "Activate the Spell Card 'Rough Man's Expectation'! If there are no monsters on my field, I can summon one Level 4 or lower Normal Monster directly from my Deck!"

"4 stars or below? Hmph, what powerful monsters could they possibly be? They're just a bunch of weaklings."

Hayato ignored Goro's taunts and instead selected a monster from his deck and shuffled it: "[Baby Dragon] will be summoned to my field by the card's effect, and then I will summon [Wyvern Warrior] from my hand."

[Baby Dragon] [3☆/Wind] [Dragon/Normal] [1200/700]

[Dragon Warrior] [4-star/Earth] [Orc/Normal] [1500/1200]

After Hayato summoned two monsters in defense position, he set his remaining three cards face down and then activated a spell card: "What an intense duel, isn't it? I'm going to activate [Heavenly Treasure] to replenish both of our hands to six cards. Because of the card's effect, you can draw one card."

"The duel has only just begun, and you can draw six cards!" Goro the Boar, dissatisfied, drew a card from his deck, then watched as Hayato replenished his empty hand to six cards. If it weren't for the two monsters on the field and three backrow cards, some might have thought Hayato's turn had only just started.

Having activated the original effect of "Heavenly Treasure Card," Hayato, secretly pleased with himself, looked at the six cards in his hand and played two more: "I'm activating this Spell Card, 'Double Summon.' Because of its effect, I can summon a monster again, and then I'll summon my Tamashi in Attack Position!"

"Could it be that Hayato is about to summon the [Death Stalker]?" Honda wondered, watching the duel, but Jonouchi reminded him, "I bet you a thousand yen that Hayato is definitely summoning some other monster."

As expected, the card Hayato played, although it had the same yellow body as [Death Stalker], looked so awkward and annoying that it was impossible not to want to punch it.

"Hehehe, as expected, I'm the monster card that Annie gave me the most~" From a perspective that others couldn't see, on the monster card that Hayato played, a strange-looking yellow monster was shyly wiggling its buttocks, which were wearing red underwear.

[Disruption - Yellow] [2☆/Light] [Orc/Normal] [0/1000]

Unlike the [Baby Dragon] and [Flying Dragon Warrior] summoned before, Hayato's [Disruption Yellow] this time is in attack stance.

"Are you trying to humiliate me, you bastard? How dare you use a monster with an attack power of 0 in attack mode!" Goro's expression changed instantly. In his eyes, Hayato's actions were undoubtedly a provocation.

"You're welcome to try attacking me." Hayato didn't explain, and simply ended his turn.

【隼人：手卡5→6→1→6→4】

"My turn!"

Goro the Boar drew a card, paused slightly upon seeing the monster's card art, then burst into arrogant laughter: "How dare you insult me! I'll show you my power. The essence of barbecue is raging fire, come forth, [Flame Swordsman]!"

[Flame Swordsman] [4☆/Flame] [Flame Clan/Normal] [1700/100]

"Go! [Flame Swordsman], crush that weakling with 0 attack power!"

Chapter 42 What is Field Magic?

"Go! [Flame Swordsman], crush that weakling with 0 attack power!"

After Goro Hokuto unleashed his [Flame Swordsman] attack, Hayato interrupted him just as he was declaring his attack.

"You did say you were going to attack, right?" Hayato flipped over one of his three face-down cards. "Before you attack, I activate the Spell Card 'Mysterious Chinese Pot'. The effect of this card is that you can tribute one of your monsters and choose to restore either its ATK or DEF."

"Hahaha, I wonder which unlucky soul will be sacrificed as a offering?" Looking at Hayato's activated spell card, [Disruption Yellow] laughed until its eyes narrowed. In its view, both [Baby Dragon] and [Wyvern Warrior] would restore more life points than it could itself by sacrifice.

"What I want to sacrifice is [Disruption Yellow]!"

"Hmm, the one sacrificed was—wait, [Disruption Yellow]!?" At first, it didn't react, and [Disruption Yellow] was still happily wiggling its butt. But it quickly realized what was happening, turned its head, and looked at Hayato pointing at it with an incredulous expression.

"This monster is just a piece of trash with zero attack power. It's destined to be killed by you if it stays on the field. I might as well cook it and eat it."

Hayato ignored [Disruption Yellow]'s cries of "No, no~" and ruthlessly threw it into the graveyard area, choosing to restore [Disruption Yellow]'s defense by 1000 points.

[Hayato: 2000LP → 3000LP]

"You were just playing me, weren't you? Fine, I'll attack your [Baby Dragon] then."

Although the current Duel Monsters series doesn't have a "battle rewind" mechanic, because Hayato activated [Mysterious Chinese Pot] before the battle began, Goro Orochi was able to reselect the target of [Flame Swordsman]. And this time, [Baby Dragon] was successfully destroyed in the battle.

"My turn is over—"

“I still have a card to activate at the moment you finish.” Amidst Jonouchi and Honda’s discussion of “It’s that card again, as expected,” Hayato opened his face-down card, “[Time Machine], because of its effect, the destroyed [Baby Dragon] will return to my field.”

Hayato once again performed his signature "repeated side jumps," returning the "Baby Dragon," which had been sent to the graveyard and hadn't even had a chance to bond with "Disruption Yellow," back to the field.

"You're like a persistent ghost, round over!"

[Goro: Hand card 6→7→6]

Goro's mood didn't affect Hayato's actions in the slightest. He drew a card from his deck: "During my draw phase, I'm going to activate another face-down card."

"Again?!"

"Don't worry, it's not an outrageous effect. With the effect of 'Load,' I return all my cards from my hand to the deck, shuffle them, and then draw the number of cards I put in." After flipping 'Load' over and discarding it into the graveyard, Hayato put all five cards from his hand back into the deck. After shuffling a few times, he drew five more cards.

"Goro the Pighead, right? Actually, I'm quite introverted and like to be passive, even when it comes to Duel Monsters." Hayato said something nonsensical as he placed two cards face down on the field. "Face down two cards, my turn ends."

[Hayato: Hand Card 4→5→3]

"Just kidding, Hayato isn't good at attacking, he's an introvert," Jonouchi casually remarked. "He must have set some kind of card that requires an attack to activate its effect."