"In medieval alchemy, you mix the reagents like this to create gold, meow~"
In the Alchemy Class at Duel Academy, Professor Lyman Banner smiled as he poured the contents of a test tube into a conical flask.
As the potion dripped into the vessel, a dazzling golden light erupted under the students' astonished gazes.
Boom!
"Whoa!"
"It exploded! Professor Banner exploded!"
Amidst the shocked stares of the students, the smoke cleared to reveal Professor Banner swaying dizzily, his face covered in soot and minor marks from the blast.
"But meow... it seems making gold is impossible after all..."
Under the sighs of the crowd, Professor Banner collapsed to the floor, a thick trail of black smoke curling from his mouth.
"Tsk, tsk... Alchemy is just as unreliable as they say."
In the Obelisk Blue section, Jaden Yuki sat with his arms crossed, shaking his head.
As the precursor to medieval chemistry, alchemy was, in a sense, far too mystical. However, in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, the existence of spirits granted alchemy extraordinary magical power, separating it from the purely scientific field of chemistry.
Professor Banner, as a hidden member of the Shadow Riders, possessed a mastery of alchemical magic that far surpassed anyone else in this era.
Though, to keep up his act of being a fool, Banner really is willing to pay any price, Jaden thought with a silent sigh.
"Compared to that, Jaden, it's quite impressive to see you actually attending class for once," Yubel's voice rang out beside him.
Jaden glanced at the translucent phantom floating next to him and rolled his eyes. He then turned his gaze back to Professor Banner, who was currently struggling to crawl back onto his feet.
"If I've bothered to show up for class, it means I have a reason to be here," Jaden murmured under his breath while resting his chin in his hand.
"Oh? Is it because of that man, Banner?" Yubel looked toward the professor, who was currently scratching his head with a silly grin. "He is a human without the breath of life. Are you planning to settle accounts with him now?"
"Not really. It isn't time yet," Jaden replied with a shake of his head.
Although Professor Banner was one of the early antagonists, Jaden didn't actually dislike the man. He had some strange verbal tics and was a bit of a cat fanatic, sure... but he was also one of the people who would accompany Jaden on his future travels. He was a future companion.
For now, Jaden needed Banner to take him to the location where the original plot unfolded.
"The Gravekeeper's Ruins," Jaden whispered.
"Hm?" Yubel looked at him with curiosity.
"I suspect the three remaining spirits on the island accidentally triggered a mechanism in the Gravekeeper's Ruins and were transported to the Gravekeeper's spirit world," Jaden explained, his eyes flashing with a faint, dark gold light as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The island where Duel Academy sat was home to many ancient ruins of spirits. The Gravekeeper's Ruins were just one of them. If someone wasn't careful and touched the wrong mechanism, being warped into the heart of the ruins was a very real possibility.
"The Gravekeeper's, huh?" Yubel crossed her arms and fell into silence.
Just then, the school bell echoed through the classroom.
"Class dismissed!"
"Finally, I don't have to listen to this boring alchemy lecture anymore..."
The students began to leave their seats. Jaden stood up slowly, waiting for Professor Banner to call out to him.
Sure enough, seeing Jaden about to leave, Professor Banner hurriedly called him back.
"Jaden, wait a moment, please."
"This Sunday, I'm planning to lead the students on a picnic to the Sleeping Ruins."
"Jaden, could you help me distribute these plans? Anyone who wants to go is welcome to join, meow."
Looking at the thick stack of plan documents Banner shoved into his hands, Jaden's eyelid twitched, and the corner of his mouth pulled back in a slight grimace.
"Oh, and Jaden, you absolutely must attend this picnic," Banner added with a beaming smile as he cradled his fat cat, Pharaoh.
Jaden watched the professor saunter away leisurely after dumping all the work on him. He felt a headache coming on.
You want me to hand out this huge pile of flyers? You've got to be kidding me...
"Jaden, what's wrong? Do you need some help?"
A cool, clear voice spoke from behind him. Turning around, Jaden saw a tall, blonde girl standing there with a curious expression. It was Alexis Rhodes.
As a model student of the academy, Alexis finished every class with total dedication. Today, seeing Jaden in class after such a long absence, her attention had naturally drifted toward the jellyfish-headed boy more than usual.
After class ended and the other students dispersed, Alexis lingered, wanting to wait for him. She thought they might even go to the Obelisk Blue cafeteria for a meal together.
However, she quickly noticed Professor Banner stuffing a large stack of papers into Jaden's arms. Thinking it was a good chance to start a conversation and help him out, she walked over.
"This is great! You're a lifesaver, Alexis!"
Seeing her, Jaden breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately dumped the entire stack of flyers into her arms. Under her startled gaze, he flashed a "sunny" smile.
"Then I'll leave the distribution of these to you."
"Wait, what?!"
"Good luck, Alexis! I believe in you!"
Patting her on the shoulder, Jaden turned tail and sprinted out of the classroom without looking back.
"Hey! Jaden!"
Alexis stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the pile of papers in her arms.
This... this Jaden Yuki.
"That's too much! You... you oblivious jerk!"
After stewing in her anger for a long moment, Alexis could only let out a helpless, frustrated sigh.
Why did the boy she liked have to have such low social awareness?
Sunday arrived quickly.
When Jaden arrived at the designated meeting spot with his backpack, the only people there were a still-grumpy Alexis Rhodes and Professor Banner, who carried a wry smile.
"Oh? You're the only one who wanted to join the professor's picnic plan?" Jaden asked, struggling to suppress a grin as he looked at the annoyed blonde.
"Hmph... After all, no one would normally come to such a bizarre picnic, right?" Alexis crossed her arms and glared at him. "Only a fool would participate in something called the 'Sleeping Ruins Picnic Plan' given how messy that flyer was."
The plan was a chaotic mess, filled with things that had nothing to do with a picnic. It felt like the professor hadn't even intended for others to join.
"Then why are you here?" Jaden retorted.
"I..." Alexis blushed, suddenly stammering. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out: "I-I'm just quite interested in those ruins, that's all!"
It was a painfully flimsy excuse.
"Alright, alright." Professor Banner quickly interrupted the awkward exchange, looking at the two with a wide smile. "Since people actually showed up, meow, then the plan wasn't written in vain."
"Besides, I didn't realize Alexis and Jaden were so close, meow."
"We aren't like that!" Alexis cried out.
Her weak defense only earned a knowing smile from the professor.
"Well, in any case, this ruins picnic shall be completed by the three of us!"
"Toward the ancient ruins near the Academy Volcano, let's go!"
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