He had just made a terrible mistake.
"Oh right," Yugen said casually, revealing his Duel Disk. "I heard that according to Duel Academy Student Council tradition, new members have to participate in a welcome Duel."
He looked at Seika Kohinata with a friendly smile. "Senior, how about another round?"
Her body stiffened. For a moment, his bright and handsome smile overlapped with the image of 'Lava Golem' in her memory.
"I'm not feeling well today," she said quickly, waving her hands. "And I just rebuilt my new Deck. It's not finished yet, so it's not suitable for a Duel. Next time. Definitely next time."
Yugen's gaze shifted to the officer who had spoken earlier.
The officer's heart sank.
He was doomed.
Seika Kohinata looked at him coldly. "Then Sato, why don't you conduct the welcome Duel?"
Her eyes clearly said that since he had invited this disaster in, he could deal with the consequences.
Sato forced a bitter smile. He wanted to slap himself for interrupting the president earlier.
But just then, he had an idea. "R Right! President, haven't we been too short staffed to handle that matter?"
He looked at Yugen hopefully. "Isn't he the perfect candidate?"
"Oh?"
Seika Kohinata considered it.
"You might be right."
She turned to Yugen.
"As it happens, Duel Academy Student Council has a problem to deal with. It's not huge, and it's not urgent. A certain club in Duel Academy has failed its review multiple times. Duel Academy has decided it no longer needs to exist and ordered it to disband. But the members refuse to comply and are still occupying a club room that should have been abandoned."
Just hearing the beginning, Yugen understood.
A small fringe club facing disbandment. He could think of at least ten similar plots from different anime.
"So the task is to persuade them to give up the room," he said.
"More or less. This is Duel Academy. Everything is settled through the strength of a Duel." Seika Kohinata said. "If someone can defeat that club's president in a Duel, they agreed to hand over the room."
"Then what's the difficulty?"
"Because their president is tough," Sato said. "Like I said, we're seriously short on capable Duelists. The strong seniors just graduated. None of us are confident we can beat him."
"I see."
He did not know what club it was, but the president sounded like a decent opponent.
Since he was looking for Duels anyway, handling a task along the way sounded fine.
"Alright. Where's their club room?" Yugen stood up. "I'll go take a look."
When Yugen finally arrived at the small club that was about to be abolished, his expression turned strange.
To put it simply, this club was commonly known as the Moe Card Research Club. It specialized in researching cute and lightly dressed Spirit girl cards.
Yugen's first reaction was simple. Why shut down such a promising club?
In his view, this research direction had potential. As everyone knew, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, only Machina, Dragons, and women were eternal truths, and mixing those three elements in any order could easily create a new Level Series that sold well and fought well. After thinking it over, he concluded the real problem was that the club had been born too early. Many truly powerful girl cards were products of the future, and in the early days of Yu-Gi-Oh!, dragons really were more popular.
No matter what, the order to abolish the club had already been given.
When Yugen, acting on behalf of the Duel Academy Student Council, stepped into the club room, all the members looked as if they were facing a great enemy.
He had taken part in many public Duels since enrolling, especially the one against Meikyu Brothers, which had stirred up quite a commotion in Duel Academy thanks to the title of Legendary Duelist. At this point, almost no one failed to recognize him. Seeing that the representative sent by the Duel Academy Student Council was actually him, the students of the research club felt their hearts sink.
President Hiro Shimizu put on his Duel Disk with a solemn face and strode out of the activity room.
"President!" a member called out. "You have no obligation to face an opponent like this!"
President Shimizu paused, turned his head, and smiled freely at them.
"I will fight for everything I love," he said proudly, standing in the light. "Even if I fall into endless ruin today, I must step forward. Never forget our burning love for the Spirit Maidens!"
"President!" The members were deeply moved.
"We will never forget you!"
"Go without worries!"
Yugen fell silent.
It was just a card game. Was this really necessary?
Anyone who did not know better might think this was a Shadow Duel.
"Come!"
President Shimizu stepped forward and unfolded his Duel Disk.
"Let the Duel Academy Student Council see our resolve to protect our beloved Spirit Maidens!"
Yugen also activated his Duel Disk, though his expression was complicated.
With lines like that, anyone might think he was some villain trying to steal their wives.
"Duel!" they both declared.
Yugen, LP 4000 President Shimizu, LP 4000
"I'll go first. Draw!" President Shimizu said. "I set one monster and set one card. End turn!"
"Then, my turn. Draw." Yugen said calmly. "I activate a Spell Card! 'Graceful Charity'. I draw three cards from my Deck, then discard two."
Two cards slid from his hand into the Graveyard through the Duel Disk. He then played four cards in one motion.
"I set one monster in the Front Row and set three cards in the Back Row. End turn."
President Shimizu frowned slightly. Even going second, his opponent did not attack and instead built a defense.
So it really was the rumored trap focused strategy.
Still, it did not matter.
No matter how many traps there were, he would crush them with passion and love for his club.
"My Turn! Draw!" President Shimizu declared. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Mystical Space Typhoon' and Destroy the card in the center of your Back Row!"
"Then I chain that set card." Yugen flipped it up from the Back Row. "Quick-Play Spell 'Scapegoat'. I Special Summon four 'Sheep Tokens'!"
Four fluffy tokens appeared on the field.
'Sheep Token', DEF 0 x4
"A spell to strengthen the defense."
With four tokens at once, breaking through would not be easy.
"Then I flip Summon my set monster, 'Fiend Tamer'!"
A beautiful woman with long blue hair appeared. She wore a cropped outfit that showed her waist, long boots, and held a suggestive whip.
'Fiend Tamer', ATK 800
As expected of the president of the girl card research club. His taste in monsters was consistent.
But then President Shimizu revealed another card.
"I activate a Spell Card! 'Upgrade Transformation'! I send one monster I control to the Graveyard and Special Summon from my Deck a monster with the same race and attribute, but one level higher!
I send my Level 3 EARTH Warrior 'Fiend Tamer' to the Graveyard, and Special Summon this card!"
He slapped the searched monster onto the field.
"'Warrior of Zera'!"
'Warrior of Zera', ATK 1600
Yugen said nothing.
What happened to the burning love for beautiful girl monsters?
Why did it turn into a dark, muscular man in an instant?
As if reading his thoughts, President Shimizu puffed out his chest.
"To protect the domain of beautiful girls, we will borrow any power necessary," he declared. "Our bond with the Spirit maidens will not be cut by such trivial matters!"
Yugen nodded in understanding.
Such a convenient bond. No wonder the club was being abolished.
"I activate the Field Spell, 'Sky Sanctuary'!"
The Spell Card was placeQd, and the field transformed. A holy temple appeared among the clouds, bathed in sacred light.
"With this, our Duel field is ruled by the domain of holy angels!"
He raised another card.
"Next, I offer 'Warrior of Zera' as tribute! The sacred warrior reaches the Sky Sanctuary and is reborn as a great angel.
'Great Angel Zerato', Summon!"
Brilliant light descended, covering the warrior. Wings of light spread from his back as he reappeared with a shining blade.