At the same time, Yugen, who had just finished washing up and was preparing to head to class, received a call on his Student Terminal.
"Hello, is this Yugen?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"This is a teacher from the Academy Administration Office. We heard you were present at the Abandoned Dorm the other night. Would it be convenient for you to come to the office and describe what happened?"
"I have my first class this morning. I am on my way there now."
"I see. Then what time would be convenient for you to come?"
"I am free during the second period in the morning. Would that work?"
"Of course. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Yugen."
A pleasant female voice came from the other side.
"Have a wonderful day at Duel Academy."
"Today Judai Yuki and the others entered the restricted Special Dorm and violated Duel Academy regulations. The circumstances are serious."
Judai Yuki and Sho Marufuji stood in the center of a wide, empty room surrounded by massive screens. Behind each screen sat a senior member of Duel Academy, including Principal Samejima and Professor Chronos de Medici.
"I am sorry. I will accept whatever you say," Judai Yuki said with his palms pressed together, his tone sincere. "Please give me another chance."
Whether he would be expelled did not matter that much to Judai Yuki. What he cared about more was that if he were kicked out of Duel Academy, he would lose access to so many interesting opponents.
"Since the poor student is begging like this, I will kindly grant you a special opportunity," Professor Chronos de Medici said with a smile. "I will arrange a team penalty Duel as soon as possible. No objections, yes?"
"Eh? A team penalty Duel?" Judai Yuki blinked.
"Correct. Judai Yuki and Sho Marufuji, you will represent your dorm in a dorm Duel. If you win, you will be cleared of all charges."
The moment he heard there would be a Duel, Judai Yuki lit up and forgot all about the risk of expulsion. "A dorm Duel? That sounds fun!"
"Eh?" Sho Marufuji whispered, "This feels kind of bad, bro…"
Professor Chronos de Medici turned to Principal Samejima. "Principal, he has agreed."
Principal Samejima thought for a moment. "Very well. Then it is settled."
"Excellent." Professor Chronos de Medici looked delighted. "Wait for further notice. I will arrange your dorm Duel opponents as soon as possible."
After the first class, Yugen arrived at the Academic Affairs Office. The long legged female teacher greeted him politely and even poured him a cup of tea.
Morning sunlight slanted through the windows and fell across the wooden floor. Steam rose from the porcelain cup, and the faint scent of tea mixed with the fresh air drifting in from outside.
"That should be all the questions," the female teacher said with a courteous smile. "Thank you for making the trip, Yugen."
"It is nothing," Yugen replied with a wave of his hand. "Cooperating with Duel Academy's investigation is my responsibility."
"You should still be careful. Abandoned Dorm is a dangerous area, and the school rules clearly forbid entry. We will let it go this time, but do not wander into dangerous places again."
"Understood. I will not do it again," Yugen said, patting his chest in promise.
"That is good." She took a sip of tea and smiled. "I have heard that Yugen is one of Duel Academy's brightest new students this year. If anything happened to you, it would be difficult for the academy to explain."
"Thank you for your concern."
"Oh, one last unrelated question." She straightened up and leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. "They say you are friends with Seto Kaiba. Is that true?"
"We do know each other," Yugen said after a brief pause.
Calling them friends might be an exaggeration, but saying they were not close would be untrue. After all, he had received quite a few benefits from the president. Having a strong backer during his three years at Duel Academy was not a bad thing.
The teacher did not press further, but her expression changed subtly. After all, Duel Academy had largely been built with the president's funding, and Seto Kaiba's position in this world needed no explanation.
"By the way, I heard the final punishment is a dorm Duel?" Yugen asked.
"Oh, that only applies to the ringleader Judai Yuki and his dorm mate Sho Marufuji." She smiled. "You do not need to worry."
"I heard there is a chance a Legendary Duelist might be invited as their opponent?"
She looked surprised. "How did you… Oh, did Professor Chronos de Medici mention it to you?"
Inviting a Legendary Duelist had been Professor Chronos de Medici's idea, and even the principal had not yet been formally informed. It was still in preparation, and they were not sure they could even secure one.
"If they win, there should be quite a lot of credits, right?" Yugen asked.
She hesitated. "Well, yes, probably."
It was a penalty Duel, but if the opponent truly was a Legendary Duelist and they won, it would bring honor to Duel Academy. Some reward would be reasonable.
Yugen took a deep breath. "Teacher, I am ashamed."
She blinked. "Ashamed of what?"
"I did not enter the dorm with Judai Yuki and the others. I trespassed into Forbidden Zone on my own and only happened to meet them there," Yugen said with a guilty expression. "So I was not misled. I am just as responsible as Judai Yuki. The others in his dorm were only accomplices. I should be punished as well."
She opened her mouth, then closed it, struggling to respond. "Well… it is good that you admit your mistake. Given your sincere attitude, we can waive the punishment."
Yugen frowned. "No, it cannot be waived. What would the other members of Duel Academy Student Council think? Where would the authority of our school rules stand? Would this not set an example that breaking rules carries little consequence?"
She stared at him in silence. For a moment, she wanted to say that their roles seemed reversed.
"I appreciate your awareness," she said finally. "But once the Academic Affairs Office makes a decision, it cannot be changed. It concerns our authority as well. So we will leave it as it is."
Yugen sighed in disappointment and stood up to leave.
She finally relaxed when she saw him heading out without further argument. If he joined the penalty Duel and lost, they could not really expel him. If both Yugen and Judai Yuki lost as a team, expelling one but not the other would also damage Duel Academy's reputation.
Just as she thought this, she heard Yugen's voice from the hallway.
"Hello? Is this Mokuba Kaiba? It is me. About the unauthorized entry into Forbidden Zone, Duel Academy arranged a team Duel as punishment, but they will not let me participate. I feel deeply guilty, so could you ask the board to contact Duel Academy and give me a chance to share the responsibility with my friend?"
She sprayed tea across the desk and rushed out. "Wait, we can discuss this."
Yugen turned in surprise and lowered his phone. "Oh? Teacher, why did you come out?"
In that brief moment, she clearly saw that his phone was not even turned on.
She had been tricked.
"So, teacher, does that mean I can accept the punishment now?" Yugen asked.
She waved her hand weakly. "Fine. Do whatever you want."
On the same day, in the principal's office, Koala bro Hayato Maeda stood before Principal Samejima and confessed. "I was in that Abandoned Dorm too. Please let me team up with Judai Yuki and accept the punishment!"
"Me too!"
Asuka Tenjoin entered at that moment.
"I also went to Abandoned Dorm last night. I just was not discovered," Asuka Tenjoin said seriously. "Please punish me as well."
Asuka Tenjoin had a good impression of Judai Yuki, but she could see that Sho Marufuji was weak. Pairing Judai Yuki with him would only drag him down, so she wanted to take his place to improve their chances.
Principal Samejima smiled. "I understand your intentions. But the punishment has already been decided by the Academic Affairs Office. At this academy, once they make a decision, it is not changed lightly."
Asuka Tenjoin and Hayato Maeda exchanged helpless looks.