Chapter 70: Miss Duel Academy
Chapter 70: Miss Duel Academy
You Xuan's first week at the Academy was both enjoyable and fulfilling.
He quickly bonded with his new roommates in the Yellow Dormitory, and his undefeated streak for the week earned him a substantial number of extra credits, which he promptly exchanged for cards, just like the first batch he obtained.
The Academy's card inventory changed almost daily, with cards being bought and new ones added constantly. Checking the inventory several times a day had become part of his routine.
Of course, the card purchasing system also had a wishlist feature, allowing students to mark cards they desired and collect them. As soon as a rare, out-of-stock card became available, students would receive a notification on their personal terminals.
However, for highly sought-after cards, it all came down to speed and a bit of luck to secure the purchase.
This time, You Xuan redeemed two particular cards.
【Gravekeeper's Guard, Level 3, ATK: 600, DEF: 1300
Effect: During your opponent's turn, you can banish this card from your GY; negate one attack from an opponent's monster.】
There was no need to elaborate on this life-saving card from the GX era. It had saved Jaden numerous times in the latter part of the anime, and during that same period, its usage rate was so high in the real world that it had earned a temporary ban.
【Cyber-Stein, Level 4, ATK: 0, DEF: 1800
Effect: During the Battle Phase of your opponent's turn, you can banish this card from your GY to end the Battle Phase.】
This card was even more ancient, a life-saving card from the DM era, a pioneer of graveyard effects. Its effect was evidently more potent than Gravekeeper's Guard, and it had narrowly escaped a ban back then, likely due to its physical release being much later.
Fearing pain, You Xuan had stacked up on hand traps and graveyard effects. After all, in this world, one could encounter risky, all-or-nothing plays at any time, and having an abundance of life-saving cards was never a bad thing.
Spending all the credits he had earned in the first week instantly, You Xuan keenly realized that credits were meant to be spent as soon as they were earned, leaving no room for slacking. Thus, he immediately set his sights on his next victim...ahem, his next dueling partner.
He had been lackadaisical about his other classes this week, but when it came to the card drawing lessons, he was exceptionally diligent. After a week, he felt he had gained some insights, and it was this enthusiasm that spurred him to find someone to test his skills against.
However, problems arose again. After the next round of duel pairings were decided, he wandered around during lunch break but couldn't find his partner.
You Xuan couldn't shake the feeling that his assigned opponents lacked enthusiasm, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
It didn't make sense. This was Duel Academy, where every student was supposed to be passionate about dueling. How could they have cards but not want to duel?
Unable to find his partner for the time being, he decided to give up temporarily. After all, he could always find them later, as they had to return to the dorms eventually.
As he was leaving the cafeteria after lunch, he bumped into a student in a hurry.
"You Xuan, right?"
"Yes, that's me. What's up?"
"It's Nakamura from the Student Council. Hey, why haven't you voted yet? There are only five freshmen left who haven't cast their votes!"
You Xuan was taken aback. "Vote for what?"
"For Miss Duel Academy, of course! It's an annual event at the start of the school year. Come on, follow me to the venue!"
You Xuan: "?"
Following the Student Council member, Nakamura, he found himself in a packed auditorium, filled with students in red, yellow, and blue uniforms.
Under the spotlight on the stage stood several tall and beautiful girls, each with exceptional looks that could rival goddesses. Their legs, illuminated by the lights, seemed to glow.
The entire venue resonated with enthusiastic shouts, and You Xuan was bewildered, wondering if he had accidentally stumbled into some massive fan event.
After some explanation from the Student Council member, he finally understood. Apparently, while he had been engrossed in his studies, neglecting food and sleep, the rest of the student body had become engrossed in the feverish campaign to elect the "Miss Duel Academy."
He vaguely recalled this event from the GX manga. The star senior, Hinata Hoshizora, had won the title for two consecutive years, and this year, a freshman by the name of Tenjoin Asuka had tied with her in the number of votes. Upon investigation, it was discovered that there was one last student who hadn't voted—Yugi Muto. Thus, the beauty pageant for Miss Duel Academy inexplicably turned into a duel, with Yugi's decisive vote at stake.
However, according to Nakamura, there were still five students who hadn't voted this time around.
At that moment, the atmosphere between Hinata and Tenjoin was somewhat stiff. Originally, this event favored the upperclassmen, as it was expected that freshmen wouldn't be well-known yet.
But no one could have anticipated that a freshman who had only been at the Academy for a week would amass enough votes to tie with Hinata, directly threatening her goal of a three-peat and her reputation.
She couldn't accept this defeat.
What was even more infuriating was that Tenjoin hadn't even shown up at the venue initially; she had been forcibly brought there by her two roommates.
"Forget it, I forfeit," Tenjoin suddenly said, waving her hand. "I never intended to participate in this kind of event. It was my roommates who submitted my name without my consent. I'll withdraw, so there won't be any controversy."
Logically, with Tenjoin's withdrawal, Hinata would undoubtedly be this year's champion. However, upon hearing those words, Hinata's expression changed.
Asuka frowned. "Then what do you want?"
"Hmph, trying to play hard to get to win the final vote? You may be pretty, but your mind is quite cunning," Hoshizora said with a smirk, her arms crossed.
Asuka furrowed her brows, about to say something, but Yu Xuan, who had been brought to the front row by the student council to watch the show, interrupted with a smile, "Hey, it turns out Senior Hoshizora thinks Miss Tenjoin is quite the looker."
Hoshizora's face turned red, and she stumbled over her words, "I-I didn't mean it like that! Don't put words in my mouth!"
The onlookers nearby let out a collective "Ooh," as if they smelled some juicy gossip.
Seeing that the situation was about to be derailed by this unexpected joker, Hoshizora quickly changed the topic, "Well, I've heard about you, Tenjoin Asuka.
They say that back in the middle school division, you played both sides, getting cozy with the young masters of two conglomerates."
"That's just gossip," Asuka replied expressionlessly, "I'm a duelist, and that's all. I came here to duel, not for anything else, and I certainly have no interest in this Miss Duel Academy nonsense. I've never cared about what others say or spread rumors about me."
"Tsk, quite the pretty speech," Hoshizora muttered, but before she could finish, Yu Xuan spoke up again, "Hey, so Senior Hoshizora has been keeping an eye on Asuka since her middle school days? That's quite a long time."
The onlookers once again reacted with an intrigued "Ooh."
Hoshizora's face turned red again, "I-I haven't! N-no way!"
She quickly shifted the blame to Yu Xuan, "And who are you? Are you this woman's companion?"
Asuka: "No, I don't think we've met before."
Or at least, she recognized Yu Xuan from the entrance exam, but she assumed he wouldn't know her.
Nakamura from the student council quickly explained, "Ah, this is Yu Xuan. He's one of the five freshmen who haven't voted yet."
Hoshizora: "!"
Damn, this guy had one of the crucial five remaining votes! But from the way he kept interrupting her, it seemed more likely that he'd vote for Asuka.
However, Yu Xuan didn't really care who won or lost. He was just looking for some entertainment, and if either of them wanted to challenge him to a duel after he disrupted their plans, all the better.
Hoshizora scowled, "Then how about this, let's make that vote in your hand a wager. Duel me.
If I win, you give me your vote. If I lose, you give it to her. What do you say?"
As expected, a duel proposition.
He knew that in this academy, the first response to any disagreement was a duel, and every issue was ultimately settled through dueling.
But before he could respond, Asuka interrupted sharply, "Wait, I object."
Hoshizora frowned, "I thought you weren't interested, so why object now?"
"Yes, I have no interest in this competition itself. But I can't accept that matters concerning me are decided by others," Asuka stated firmly.
Nakamura, nervous about the escalating situation, suggested, "Then how about this, the two of you duel directly, and the winner gets an extra vote?"
Hoshizora glared at him.
What a joke! Duel this woman?
Everyone knew that Tenjoin Asuka was famous even in the middle school division, and Hoshizora was aware of that. Many believed that Asuka was the strongest among this year's freshmen, and even Manjoume, the powerhouse, might not be her match.
Wait, speaking of Manjoume...
Hoshizora turned to look at Yu Xuan, and her eyes widened in shock.
"Could he be the same person I heard about who consecutively defeated Manjoume and the legendary duelist, Dinosaur Ryuzaki, in the Yuetsuki Cup before entering the academy, becoming the champion?" she wondered.
"Damn, who could beat that?"
Before she could voice her thoughts, Asuka shook her head, "No, if I can choose, I'd like to duel Yu Xuan."
Hoshizora: "?"
Asuka continued, "If I win, then as I said before, remove my name from the list.
If I lose, you get the extra vote. Is that alright?"
Hoshizora: "???"
What was this woman's thought process? And she was offering such a favorable deal?
No matter the outcome, Hoshizora would benefit!
Hoshizora was delighted and was about to tell Asuka not to back out when Yu Xuan interrupted, "That's not fair. How about this, I'll duel both of you. Whoever wins gets my vote.
If I win both duels, then I decide who gets it.
If I lose both, then as Asuka said, she withdraws her name.
But there's an additional condition: these duels will not only decide the competition but also count as class credits. The winner of each duel will receive five credits from the loser. Agreed?"
Yu Xuan, eager for some dueling action, wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to duel both of them.
Hoshizora: "!"
She glared at Yu Xuan, biting her lip.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
(End of Chapter)
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