President Koichi Shimizu almost signed the Student Union's agreement while barely conscious.
The members were extremely emotional at the time, shouting the president's name while saying things like "Remember our bond" which didn't make any sense.
But it was all in vain.
After signing, President Shimizu let out a long, cloudy sigh and said, "When I think about it, I'm not young anymore, I've passed my prime days.
So be it, it's all fleeting. Waifus and duels don't matter anymore..."
The members looked distressed.
They realized that this battle not only lost them the card game and their club room, but also shattered their president's resolve...
Then everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the culprit responsible for all this, and a wave of sadness welled up in their hearts.
Although it was wrong for them to occupy the club room on their own, sending someone like that to deal with them was really too much from the Student Union.
We usually just get together for some fun, but it's not a crime deserving of this...
"..."
"Is it settled just like that?"
Sato from the Student Union adjusted his glasses, looking surprised as Yugen returned shortly afterward.
"Yeah." Yugen said straightforwardly, "Actually, the club atmosphere is nice, and the people are friendly, easy to talk to. We just had a small duel, then I talked some reason into them, and they quickly agreed with my point of view.
Look, that president even signed."
Sato confirmed with a glance, indeed President Koichi Shimizu had signed.
He was momentarily dazed. Sato thought he had seen that club's issue himself, and those people didn't seem easy to deal with. Especially that Koichi Shimizu, every time you tried reasoning with him, he would start blabbering about passionate love and bonds and such, not listening at all.
He even suspected that those guys might refuse to admit defeat in a duel despite losing.
Unexpectedly, this legendary newcomer single-handedly took down the opponents within minutes. Could it be that his dueling really had the rumored magical effect of crushing the opponent's spirit and breaking their psychological defenses...
However, then he saw Senior Sister Seika shaking her head.
"You've never dueled him personally, you wouldn't understand."
With a tone like "only the victim has the right to speak."
Sato: "..."
"Anyway, thanks to Yugen." Senior Sister Seika said with a cheerful smile, "So first, you'll get extra credit as a reward. Then you can choose one card you want from these ten random cards in our inventory, consider it a newcomer benefit."
The Dueling Department seemed to have had similar benefits before, but Yugen recalled not finding any cards he liked at the time.
He glanced at the list Senior Sister Seika provided, and sure enough, nothing seemed particularly eye-catching.
However, there was indeed one card he found somewhat interesting.
[AD Changer, 1 Star, Attack Power 100
Effect: Remove this card from the graveyard from the game, select one monster on the field, and change that monster's representation form.]
Although not a particularly strong card, its functional effect was quite rare. It could be useful in specific combinations, and since his Destiny Power attribute was growing daily, it was a card worth considering as long as his card-drawing ability remained stable.
Satisfied with both the card and the reward, Yugen left the Student Union. In the office, Little Hinoaka Seika sat with her arms crossed, displaying a knowing smile.
Although she initially resisted Yugen's arrival, thanks to Sato's help in opening up her mind, she now started to believe that having such a strong force in the Student Union this year might not be a bad thing.
After all, in Duel Academy, many things, from implementation to student management, couldn't do without card games.
For example, next time there are troublemakers, students violating school rules, refusing to cooperate, and so on, the Student Union's final ultimatum could be given as follows.
You're given the last few days to comply, and if you still refuse to cooperate, we will have to dispatch "that officer" to enforce the work.
I believe that most students should sensibly cooperate by then, right?
The more Little Hinoaka Seika thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and she couldn't help but smile, happy at the thought of those rebellious students being forced to play cards.
...
...
"As expected from the second place, Mitsuzawa,"
Yugen didn't hold back his praise when he received Mitsuzawa's latest card creation.
He was holding the Undead Monster "Horse-headed Ghost" in his hand.
This should be a card recognized by many card enthusiasts in real life, once a widely used ace card in the Undead Race, which might still hold value in undead-themed card decks even today.
However, many people who used this card probably don't know that it was also one of Mitsuzawa's creations, albeit one of his more obscure ones...
But the original Horse-headed Ghost was somewhat lackluster, with an effect of "At the start of the next turn after this card is sent to the graveyard, remove this card from play, and you can Special Summon one Demon Race from the graveyard."
The Demon Race is an exclusive race in the manga, but through research and verification, Yugen discovered that the so-called "Demon Race" is actually a branch of the Undead Race. In fact, all of Mitsuzawa's Demon Race cards in the manga were classified as Undead Race once turned into physical cards.
Therefore, after Yugen pointed out the direction, and following this period of development, Mitsuzawa successfully achieved an epic enhancement for the Horse-headed Ghost, bringing it from manga to card reality.
The physical card of Horse-headed Ghost has the effect of removing this card from the graveyard to Special Summon one Undead Monster from the graveyard.
The restriction to the Demon Race has been expanded to any Undead Monster, and the activation timing has been upgraded from "Next turn's preparation phase after being sent to the graveyard" to free activation, making it much more user-friendly than the original version.
However, Yugen's praise was sincere. Even though he provided direction, the fact that Mitsuzawa could create it in such a short time made Yugen feel increasingly that Mitsuzawa not engaging in card-making as part of his research was a misstep.
"No, you should still be stronger as the first place." Mitsuzawa sincerely replied, "The Horse-headed Ghost, a card I've owned for so long, I never thought it had potential for development..."
"Just luck, stumbled upon it during research."
"I think it's more than just luck."
Asuka appeared at the laboratory door, lightly laughing as she said.
"I also never thought about the hidden potential of Digital Angels. But the more I research recently, the more I find that your direction is so correct, I feel the breakthrough is very close."
"It's really surprising."
Mitsuzawa assessed Yugen.
"Not only in duels, but to have this level of talent in card creation as well. Honestly, you say you only started card-making this term, it's hard for me to believe that..."
Yugen shrugged.
He was telling the truth, but if they don't believe it, so be it.
"Oh right, I went out to secure sponsorship a couple of days ago." Yugen said, "The Kaiba Group's foundation will be sponsoring us with funds..."
Mitsuzawa: "!"
Asuka: "!"
To secure sponsorship from that Kaiba Group so nonchalantly?
Sssss~
The two exchanged glances, as if sensing some juicy news.
Could it be that the rumors in the academy about "Seto Kaiba's chosen man" are true?