"Hey, hey, give me a break. I end my turn quickly, and you call it a provocation. I summon a monster, and it's still a provocation? You're making things very difficult for me," Jiang He said, putting away his Duel Disk with a helpless shrug.
"The truth is, this little guy was the only thing in my hand I could actually summon."
In reality, Sphere Kuriboh was indeed the only monster in his hand he could play directly. Though, his main intention had been to summon it to speed up its awakening...
Alexis was taken aback by Jiang He's helpless expression and his somewhat indirect explanation.
Then, she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
She realized that she wasn't angry about the duel anymore. In fact, she found the whole thing rather amusing. This guy was infuriating, yes, but he was certainly interesting.
"Hmph, don't think we'll believe you so easily! Though I'm sure you don't care what we think anyway...!" Alexis's red-haired friend, Mindy, started to retort.
But before she could finish, Alexis cut her off.
"Mindy, that's enough."
"Alexis...?" Mindy looked surprised.
"A loss is a loss. There's no point in denying it. Let's not make it more embarrassing than it already is," Alexis said calmly, a smile playing on her lips. She turned her gaze toward Jiang He and Syrus.
"I'll stick to the terms of our duel. I'll keep quiet about Syrus being near the Girls' Dorm."
"Since things are settled here, we'll be heading back then, Alexis," Jiang He said, nodding to her.
He really didn't see the point in playing cards all night when he could be sleeping. He wasn't a card-obsessed hothead like Jaden Yuki.
"You don't have to be so formal. After dueling like that, I'd say we're past formalities. You can just call me Alexis," she replied with a smile.
"See you tomorrow then, Alexis," Jiang He said. He didn't mind the change in address.
In his memory, Alexis Rhodes was the "ice-cold on the outside, warm on the inside" type. While she appeared aloof and could be sharp-tongued, she was actually very protective of her friends. He could see traces of that even last night, when she had stepped in to try and stop his duel with Chazz Princeton without knowing the full story.
With that, Jiang He hopped from his boat onto the one carrying Jaden and the others. He was going to be lazy and hitch a ride! He wasn't about to row back himself.
"Goodbye, Ale I mean, Alexis!"
Syrus and Jaden waved goodbye as well, before picking up their oars and rowing away together.
"That guy... he really is getting more and more interesting."
Alexis watched Jiang He's retreating figure as he sat lazily on the other boat, a small smile appearing on her face. Her two followers looked at each other in confusion.
They both felt it.
Today, Alexis seemed... a bit different.
But there was no way she was actually interested in that obnoxious Jiang He, right? That comment she made in the lecture hall earlier must have been a misunderstanding.
We must be imagining things!
The two girls pushed the thought aside and followed Alexis back. The small lake returned to its usual tranquility.
"When we speak of alchemy, the simplest example is turning common metals into gold. In a broader sense, it is the process of transforming ordinary matter into perfect matter..."
The next morning, the students were gathered in a large lecture hall at Duel Academy for a theory class.
On the podium sat a man with squinted eyes behind glasses, holding a cat as he lectured on the principles of alchemy. This was Professor Banner, the head of the Slifer Red dorm. Jiang He had barely seen him since arriving at the academy.
Each of the three dorm levels usually had a teacher assigned as the dorm head to assist students and manage school regulations. Professor Banner, an expert in alchemy, was the one in charge of Slifer Red.
While alchemy was a genuine supernatural force in this world, Jiang He had zero interest in the lecture. From what he knew, alchemy was essentially just another way to harness the power of Duel Spirits. As long as he used his system effectively, he would naturally gain all the power and abilities he needed.
At the moment, Jiang He was leaning his chin on his hand in the back row of the hall, looking as though he were daydreaming or half-asleep. In reality, he was focused on the virtual system interface that only he could see.
He was tallying up the rewards from his duel with Alexis and checking the newly refreshed options in the System Shop!
[Name: Jiang He]
[Skills: Clear Mind, Duel Spirit Vision (Ability to see Duel Spirits and sense their power)]
[Current Decks: Exodia OTK Deck, Lava Golem Deck (Toxic Stall/Burn Style)]
[Mood Points: 2200]
In last night's duel, Alexis alone had provided him with 1700 points. Jiang He couldn't help but marvel.
She was a true "tycoon" of points!
Unfortunately, he probably wouldn't be able to farm points from her again for a while. Even if he wanted to duel her, she likely wouldn't agree. After all, her blood pressure had been through the roof; any more and she'd end up in the school infirmary.
It was a pity, but there were plenty of other targets at Duel Academy. Jiang He wasn't worried about running out of Mood Points... or rather, running out of people who needed his special brand of "kindness."
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