Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

The woman speaking was stylishly dressed and seemed quite convinced of the power of "astrology" and "fortune telling." People like that exist all over the world, but astrology is subjective; after all, it's essentially like the Chinese almanac. Different printing companies will have different auspicious and inauspicious activities listed in the almanac, and the same zodiac sign will have different interpretations depending on the person.

"Should I go see that famous fortune teller at school, Kozo, to have my fortune told?"

The girl's companion pushed up her glasses, which had slipped off her nose, and calmly said, "Instead of those unscientific things, Tsuruya, wouldn't you be better off focusing on the upcoming exam?"

“You’re right, but Nagato, you’re really mature.” The first girl sighed, noticing her companion reading the newspaper. “Even the way you read the newspaper is as old-fashioned as my dad. Any big news lately? But it’s probably just some boring stuff like a celebrity cheating—”

"It seems a murderer has escaped from prison."

"red beans!?"

Chapter 18: The note in the cabinet, the challenge, and the correction fluid

The two girls quickly moved away from the escaped convict and jumped to gossip-filled topics like "who are the most handsome guys in school?" Even the girl who had previously displayed an intellectual demeanor actively participated in the discussion.

As the train arrived at another station, the influx of people pushed Hayato to the back of the train. He couldn't hear the two girls' conversation clearly, but he could vaguely make out a few familiar names, such as "Kaiba-kun," "Kobayashi-san," and even "Jounouchi."

However, Hayato didn't focus on the gossip for long. Instead, he frowned and began to try to recall the memories of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga he had read in his previous life.

He vaguely remembered that in the manga, there was a story about an escaped convict who had killed someone with a gun. After leaving prison, he fled to Domino City and took Kyoko hostage. Of course, in the end, things turned out alright; another character rescued Kyoko through a "game," and the escaped convict received his due punishment.

The problem now is that Hayato can't quite remember exactly where the escaped convict kidnapped Kyoko. He can only vaguely recall that after kidnapping her, the convict demanded a lot of food, alcohol, and cigarettes. Because the escaped convict's final fate was to use cigarettes to ignite the alcohol, causing it to spontaneously combust, Hayato remembers it vividly.

"I can only hope that this extra butterfly of mine won't cause more butterfly effects." In the end, what Hayato was most worried about was whether he, as a variable that didn't exist in the first place, would change the original plot. What if the escaped prisoner thought of making an example of someone first and then kidnapping someone else, so he killed Kyoko? That would be really bad.

Hayato knew he was just an ordinary high school student with a slight talent for playing cards. He could handle the director and his group, whose bodies had been weakened by alcohol and women, but escaped convicts were beyond his capabilities, not to mention he had a gun. With a sigh, Hayato put the matter out of his mind and looked out the window.

Because it was still early, the bus ride was only a bit crowded, but there was no traffic jam, which is the most annoying thing during the morning rush hour. Soon, the bus arrived at the gate of Tongshino High School.

As soon as Hayato jumped out of the car, he saw Honda standing at the school gate, looking unwilling.

If I hadn't seen Honda Hayato, I wouldn't have remembered. He and Jonouchi were punished for assaulting the director, even though there was no concrete evidence. Honda's punishment was to stand guard at the school gate every morning with the disciplinary committee members, forcing him to arrive at school very early.

However, compared to Jonouchi's punishment, Honda's was relatively lenient, because the rules at Domino High School are actually quite lenient. Even if someone walked into the school with a strange hairstyle, like in a game, no one would stop them. If the rules weren't so lenient, there wouldn't be so many delinquent students in the school.

Because the delinquents were so unruly, Jonouchi's punishment was the most severe. He had to stay after school to help the cleaning staff clean the school toilets, which were littered with cigarette butts and trash left behind by the delinquents. The only saving grace was that there weren't too many toilets in the school, and the cleaning ladies were responsible for cleaning the girls' toilets as well.

Upon entering the teaching building, Hayato found his shoe locker and was about to take out his shoes when he opened it and discovered a piece of paper on top of them.

"So these guys all like leaving notes to notify others?" Simultaneously criticizing his mother, Sumire Kobayashi, who had left her son behind to find her husband, and the owner of the note before him, Hayato changed into indoor shoes and began reading the note as he walked towards the classroom—

Hayato Kobayashi, you despicable guy!

I've warned you countless times to stay away from Nosaka.

How dare you go near her!

I heard you play Duel Monsters too, right?

During lunch break today, bring your deck to the rooftop of the teaching building!

I'm going to teach you a lesson!

—The old man who is destined to defeat you (with his alterations)

"Sigh~ Because of returning the camera after school, I got challenged to a duel?" Honda looked at the note Hayato showed her with a subtle expression. She was the one who was too embarrassed to approach "Little Ribbon," but Hayato got the wrong impression? What does this mean? Does the person who wrote the note think she's less of a threat than Hayato?

With this thought in mind, Honda couldn't help but take a look at Hayato, and then had to admit one thing—damn it, Hayato is indeed a very handsome guy.

Hayato's face was as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, like the faces of Greek gods. His features were so well-proportioned that not a single flaw could be found. His golden eyes were full of charisma, and his black hair was messy and unruly. However, the tuft of hair sticking up slightly softened his sharp aura and added a touch of playfulness.

It was precisely because of his outstanding and unattainable appearance that Hayato didn't have many friends at school. Girls were kept in check by other girls to prevent others from getting to him first, while boys were jealous of him. Even so, in the "most wanted to date him" ranking that circulated privately at Domino High School, Hayato Kobayashi and Seto Kaiba were tied for first place.

"Are you going to your appointment, Hayato-kun?" During break time, when everyone was free to do as they pleased, the students gathered around Yugi's desk in the center of the classroom. After glancing at the note to understand the situation, Yugi asked Hayato.

"Other situations are fine, but the guy who slipped me the note actually challenged me to a duel! How can I refuse?" Hayato shrugged nonchalantly. Even though it was only the end of the first class of the morning, he was already longing for lunch break. His deck had changed since his duel with Yugi, and he was quite excited about a free opponent coming to him.

"This guy doesn't even dare leave his own name. I suspect he'll do something shady. Maybe you shouldn't go, Hayato," Jonouchi analyzed based on his experience. He wasn't strong enough to duel monsters yet, but when it came to challenging others to fights and getting ambushed, he dared to say he was as experienced as Honda.

Nobody

? than me

? Understand better

ambushed

"A true duelist doesn't run away at the last minute." Hayato casually plagiarized a quote from a genius physicist, his mind unchanged. However, Jonouchi's words weren't entirely out of the question, so he cautiously patted Honda and Jonouchi on the shoulder. "I still plan to keep the appointment, but if the other party reneges on their promise, I'll be counting on you two then."

"Leave it to us with confidence!"

Chapter 19 Isn't this Manjoume? He's gotten so sluggish after just a few days?

Bathed in the teacher's incessant chatter, the morning passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was lunchtime.

After quickly tidying up their notes and other belongings, Hayato and the others left the classroom and headed straight for the rooftop. As they climbed the stairs, Jonouchi said, "Who do you think slipped the note to Hayato?"

"He must be someone from our school, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't know that Hayato returned the camera to Nosaka after school yesterday," Honda analyzed.

Hayato, walking in front without turning his head, said, "It's no use guessing here. We're almost at the top floor, then we'll know for sure."

The school building only had four floors. Hayato and his classmates' classroom was on the second floor, and they climbed the stairs to the top floor in no time. Standing on the stairs and looking up, they saw that the rooftop door, which the school usually kept locked for security reasons, had been opened.

Clearly, the guy who slipped the note had arrived.

Pushing open the rooftop door, the group filed out. The first thing Hayato noticed upon arriving on the rooftop was a boy in a school uniform standing with his back to the door, gazing into the distance.

"You're too slow, Hayato Kobayashi." The boy heard the creaking sound of Hayato and the others opening the door, but he didn't turn around; he remained with his back to them.

"Is this the note you slipped to me?" Hayato pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding the note he'd found in the shoe cabinet that morning. "You're still playing this challenge game thing? Have you not even graduated from middle school yet?"

"Stop talking nonsense, did you bring your deck? Let's duel!" The boy was provoked by Hayato's words, and turned around excitedly, glaring at Hayato's eyes.

The boy turned around, revealing his true face, and Jonouchi immediately recognized him: "This guy? You're that Manjoume from the next class!"

"Call me Mr. Manjoume!" the boy retorted instinctively, introducing himself. "My name is Manjoume Seiji. Remember this name well, Kobayashi Hayato, because I will trample you underfoot in your area of ​​expertise and prove that only I am worthy to pursue Nosaka Miho!"

"Manjoume, Seiji? That name sounds familiar. But if you were called Eiji, I'd be a little scared." The name Manjoume immediately reminded Hayato of Jun Manjoume, the seemingly aloof but actually comedic character who attended the same school as the second Duel King, Jaden Yuki. However, it's been almost ten years since the Duel Academy days, right? It must be someone from that Manjoume family.

As for why someone from the Manjoume family also attends Domino High School? Don't be fooled by the school's lenient rules and numerous delinquents; Domino High School is actually a place where hidden talents abound. Many scions of wealthy families and heirs to conglomerates study there. For example, in Hayato's class alone, there's Kaiba, the heir to the Kaiba Group, and even the "little ribbon" Nosaka Miho, whom Honda secretly admires, comes from a very wealthy family.

Hayato himself is another example; his father was a diplomat and his mother was a high-ranking executive at a major conglomerate.

"However, the spot you chose is really not good, Manjoume." Hayato glanced around the rooftop. To prevent students from jumping off the roof as much as possible, the rooftop was usually locked, and high railings surrounded it, making it wide enough to play tennis. However, railings don't stop the wind; wouldn't the wind blow the cards away if they played cards here?

"Hmph, I've already considered everything, you fool." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. As Manjoume Seiji did so, the cloth covering the "clutter" piled around the rooftop was suddenly lifted. A large group of people emerged from behind the clutter.

"Damn it, you bastard!"

Upon seeing so many people suddenly appear on the rooftop, Jonouchi became extremely tense: "What a despicable fellow, he actually set up an ambush!"

Despite his nervousness, Jonouchi wasn't particularly afraid of fighting. His only concerns were whether he and Honda could protect their companions and hold off so many people, and how long it would take him to clean the toilets afterwards.

Manjoume Masaji frowned, looking disdainfully at the tense Honda and Jonouchi, and said, "What do you commoners take the honor of the Manjoume Group for? I'm not a brute like you who only knows how to use brute force!"

With a wave of his hand, he said to the people around him, "Get the things ready!"

Upon receiving their orders, the subordinates of Manjoume Masaji immediately carried the "miscellaneous items" from the surrounding area to the center of the rooftop and began assembling them skillfully. Soon, a sizable space was assembled by these people, and they had already started connecting it to the power supply on the roof.

What is this?

Seeing the game's puzzled expression, Manjoume Masaji said smugly, "Amazing, you bumpkins! This is the latest trend in high society: virtual projection technology for Duel Monsters cards."

Honda: "Duel Monsters?"

Kyoko: "Virtual projection?"

The game didn't speak, but subconsciously reached for the deck at his waist. The virtual projection of Duel Monsters—even though he hadn't seen its actual effects yet, just hearing the name made him feel his card-playing urge about to kick in.

"Interesting. I remember that's Kaiba Corporation's technology, right?" Hayato was aware of the technology and wasn't too surprised. However, the style of the dueling ring assembled by Manjoume Seiji's people looked somewhat familiar to him. "Judging from the style of this dueling ring, does your Manjoume Group have connections with the International Illusion Society? Could it be that those dueling rings in Duel Kingdom were assembled by your Manjoume Group?"

"You rascal, I didn't expect you to be so well-informed." Manjoume Seiji said coldly, not too surprised by Hayato's words. In high society, the information Hayato mentioned wasn't a big secret; many people knew it, probably from his mother who worked at Paradis Corporation.

"Alright, let's start the duel as soon as possible and finish your business. I haven't had lunch yet." Hayato took out his deck and walked towards the duel stage first.

"You didn't run away but approached? Hmph, since you're so eager to be humiliated by me, then I'll grant your wish."

The two stepped onto the dueling platform, shuffled their decks, and placed them on the surface. The platform activated, and a faint blue light illuminated the arena. On the sides of Hayato and Shoji's respective dueling platforms, the life points display simultaneously lit up with "2000".

"duel!"

"duel!"

[Hayato: 2000LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Zhengsi: 2000LP, 5 cards in hand]

Chapter 20 The more something is in the name, the less likely it is to be done.

"First strike is mine!" Hayato shouted, drawing five cards from his hand first, and before his opponent, Masashi, could react, he drew a card from his deck. The duel before the game was just a friendly sparring match, so the two could calmly discuss who should go first. After all, under the rule of "first strike gets to draw a card," going first has a significant advantage.

Why would he hand over benefits to someone he doesn't even know, like Manjoume Masashi Hayato?

"Tch, how vulgar, not elegant at all." Manjoume Seiji was a little annoyed at being outmaneuvered. After all, in his opinion, the cause of this duel was because Kobayashi Hayato was getting close to Nosaka Miho, and he saw this duel as a decisive battle in their love affair. He felt that Hayato was implying that he was planning to "get there first."

After drawing a card, Hayato began to examine his own hand.

Thanks to the Game House and the card packs opened by the system, Hayato's deck has been significantly strengthened. Hayato's hand is now perfect, with three spell cards and three monster cards that are also quite good. It is much stronger than the duel with Yugi.

"Summon this card to the field! Come forth, [Defender Wyvern]!"

Hayato slammed a card onto the field to declare his summoning, and was about to continue with his next move when Jonouchi and the others exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks: "Ahhh, what's that?!"

Immediately following Kyoko's exclamation, Jonouchi and Honda shouted in perfect unison, "Duel Monsters have materialized!!!"

Suddenly, a large, enlarged card of the "Guardian Wyvern" appeared out of thin air in the arena, facing upwards. Then, from the card's illustration, a blue winged dragon flapped its wings and flew out, landing between the two dueling platforms and roaring to the sky.

[City Guardian Pterodactyl] [4☆/Wind] [Dragon/Normal] [1400/1200]

"Although it's a hastily constructed dueling arena, there wasn't enough space for the sound system, so it's just a simplified version, and the monsters' movements are also confined to a small space." Manjoume Masaji seemed to enjoy the surprised expressions on Jonouchi and the others' faces. "Enjoy this futuristic technology, you bumpkins!"

"While I agree that Duel Monsters will be the mainstream in the future, calling me a country bumpkin all the time is really infuriating." Hayato was a little annoyed by Masashi's attitude and continued to place cards on the field. "I'm going to set one card in my back row. End of turn."

"Covering the back row? Hmph, Duel Monsters should fight fair and square." Completely bringing his views on love into the duel, Manjoume Masashi, who "hates" everything related to the monster, is even annoyed by Hayato's back row coverage.

[Hayato: Hand Card 5→6→4]

"My turn, remember my victorious posture!"

Drawing a card and glancing at his hand, Manjoume Masashi confidently played a card: "Let's see what a noble duel is all about! Summon [Twin Spirits]!"

A card appeared on the field, and a graceful elf emerged from the card, playfully circling the field. As she landed on the card, another elf with a similar appearance appeared beside her.