Chapter 18: The Note in the Locker, the Duel Challenge, and the Correction Fluid
The two girls' conversation quickly moved on from the escaped convict, jumping to the classic gossip topic of "Who are the most handsome guys at school?" Even the girl who had previously shown an intellectual side eagerly joined the discussion.
As the bus reached another stop, a surge of passengers pushed Hayato toward the back. He couldn't clearly hear the rest of the girls' conversation, only vaguely catching a few familiar names, like "Kaiba," "Kobayashi," and even "Joey."
However, Hayato didn't focus on the gossip for long. He frowned, starting to recall as much as he could from his memories of the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* manga from his past life.
He vaguely remembered that in the manga, there was an escaped convict who had killed someone with a gun. After breaking out of prison, he had fled to Domino City and taken Téa hostage. Of course, the outcome was still a narrow escape; the other Yugi rescued Téa by means of a "Game," and the convict received his due punishment.
The only problem now was that Hayato couldn't quite recall where the convict had taken Téa hostage. He only vaguely remembered that after capturing Téa, the man had demanded a lot of food, alcohol, and cigarettes. Hayato remembered this part vividly because the convict's end came when he used a cigarette to ignite the alcohol, setting himself ablaze.
"I can only hope that my presence, this extra butterfly, won't trigger a bigger butterfly effect." In the end, what worried Hayato the most was whether he, a variable that shouldn't exist, would change the original plot. If the convict decided to make an example of someone by killing Téa before taking another hostage, that would be disastrous.
But Hayato was well aware that he was just an ordinary high school student who was slightly skilled at Dueling. Handling the director and his crew, men worn down by a life of indulgence, was one thing. An escaped convict, however—especially one with a gun—was far beyond his capabilities. With a sigh, Hayato pushed the matter to the back of his mind and turned his gaze out the window.
Because it was still early, the bus ride was merely a bit crowded and managed to avoid the dreaded traffic jams of the morning rush hour. Soon, the vehicle pulled up to the gates of Domino High School.
The moment he stepped off the bus, Hayato saw Tristan standing at the school gate, a reluctant expression on his face.
Seeing Tristan reminded Hayato of something he had nearly forgotten. Although there was no concrete evidence, Joey and Tristan had still been punished for beating up that director. Tristan's punishment was to stand guard at the school gates with the hall monitors every morning, which forced him to get to school extra early.
Tristan's punishment was light compared to Joey's, though. The rules at Domino High School were actually quite lenient; even someone like Yugi could stroll through the gates with his bizarre hairstyle without anyone stopping him. If not for these lax regulations, the school wouldn't have so many delinquents.
It was precisely because the delinquents were so rampant that Joey's punishment was the most severe. He had to stay after school to help the cleaning staff with the restrooms, which were littered with cigarette butts and trash left behind by the delinquents. The only silver lining was that the school didn't have too many restrooms, and the female janitor handled the girls' facilities.
Entering the academic building, Hayato located his shoe locker to get his indoor shoes. But when he opened it, he discovered a piece of paper resting on top of his shoes.
"Does everyone around here love leaving notes for people?" Hayato grumbled to himself, simultaneously complaining about his mother, Sumire Kobayashi, who had ditched her son to go find her husband, and the author of the note before him. He changed into his indoor shoes and, while walking to his classroom, unfolded the paper to read it—
[Hayato, you detestable jerk!
I've warned you countless times to stay away from Nosaka.
And you still dared to approach her!
I hear you play Duel Monsters, right?
Bring your Deck to the academic building's rooftop during lunch today!
I'm going to teach you a serious lesson!
—The one destined to defeat you (Correction fluid marks) The Great Me]
"Huh? You got a Duel Challenge just because you returned a camera after school?" Tristan said, looking at the note Hayato showed him with a peculiar expression. He was the one who had been too shy to approach "Little Ribbon," yet Hayato was the one getting misunderstood? What was that supposed to mean? Did the note's author consider Hayato a greater threat than him?
With that thought in mind, Tristan couldn't help but size Hayato up, and he was forced to admit something—damn it, this Hayato guy really was incredibly handsome.
Hayato's face was as if carved by a master sculptor, like a Greek god's, with perfectly symmetrical features without a single flaw. His golden eyes were captivating, and his black hair was wild and unruly. A single cowlick sticking up slightly softened his intense aura, adding a hint of playfulness.
It was precisely because of his outstanding, almost unapproachably handsome appearance that the previous Hayato had very few friends at school. The girls were held in check by their peers, lest someone get a head start, while the boys were simply jealous. Despite this, on the unofficial "Most Desirable Boyfriend" ranking circulating at Domino High School, Hayato's name was tied for first place with Seto Kaiba.
"Are you going to meet them, Hayato-kun?" It was break time, so the friends were free to move about. They had all gathered around Yugi's desk, which was in the center of the classroom. After glancing at the note to understand the situation, Yugi posed the question to Hayato.
"Under any other circumstances, I might not, but the guy who left the note issued a Duel invitation. How could I refuse that?" Hayato shrugged indifferently. Although it was only the break after first period, he was already eagerly anticipating lunchtime. His Deck had changed again since his Duel with Yugi, and he was very much looking forward to a free opponent who had delivered himself right to his door.
"This guy didn't even have the guts to leave his name. I bet he's planning to pull some dirty tricks. Maybe you shouldn't go, Hayato," Joey analyzed, drawing on his own experience. His Dueling skills weren't that strong yet, but when it came to getting challenged to a fight only to be ambushed, he dared say that—even including Tristan—
No one
knows more
about getting ambushed
than me.
"A true duelist can never run from a challenge." Casually plagiarizing a quote from a certain genius physicist, Hayato remained firm in his decision. Still, Joey's words weren't without merit, so he kept the possibility in mind. He clapped Tristan and Joey firmly on their shoulders, "I'm still planning to go. But if my opponent turns out to be a sore loser, I'll be counting on you two, alright~"
"You can count on us!"
(end of chapter)