The duel ended, and Youyu stepped over the field, walking up to Cola Sprite and extending his hand.
"Are you okay?"
As he bent down, the back of his head partially blocked the sunlight projecting from the sky. The warm golden glow clearly outlined his facial features and his hair fluttering in the breeze.
It looked just like an illustration.
Cola Sprite sat dazed for a moment, then hesitantly reached out her hand.
The game's attention to detail, including the sense of touch, was astonishing. When Sprite took Youyu's hand, she felt the warm and strong grip and couldn't tell if this was a game or reality.
She stood up robotically, standing there blankly.
After all, it was just a friendly match. As Duel King, Youyu now had to consider not only his image among the player-tools but also his image among other duelists.
Winning is essential. But at the same time, he has to win with flair, exuding a calm and graceful demeanor with every move.
Youyu sighed lightly in his heart.
Ah, being an idol-type NPC is really tiring, always having to pay attention to one's image.
...But what's with the girl's blushing?
It's just a card game, right? Why does it feel like we've had a deep conversation?
Someone could even mistakenly think Youyu was bullying the girl.
"I... I lost." Cola Sprite said, lowering her head.
She looked like an ostrich, as if she was about to break down.
Youyu felt a bit puzzled.
Isn't losing just one card game a common occurrence for players? Why is she so affected?
Or is it because she feels embarrassed?
That shouldn't be the case. Those goofy players wear all sorts of weird costumes and climb trees, never feeling embarrassed...
With the duel over, Youyu moved on to the next round. Now, he just had to wait for the other contestants from different regions to finish, and the organizers would assign his next opponent and location, and he would head there for the next match.
Chinai quietly followed behind Youyu, though she didn't speak, her heart was not calm.
It was her first time seeing Youyu shine on the stage of an official competition.
She didn't expect him to be even more handsome in a duel than usual!
The girl never wanted to duel Youyu this much before, to share in that joy with him.
Unfortunately, even though Youyu often taught her how to duel and build decks, and she studied hard, filling her notebook, her progress was still limited.
She knew she wasn't good enough to satisfy Youyu right now.
But it's okay, the girl was determined to try!
Isn't there a saying?
With hard work and persistence, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle!
...
Meanwhile, in the control room of the tournament organizers.
Behind the desk sat President Kaiba, who was watching the broadcast of Youyu's match experience the entire time.
President Kaiba folded his arms and snorted inwardly.
As expected, I knew you would be the first to win, You↑yu↓!
Just as the duel concluded, Uncle Izono hurried in from outside, adjusting his sunglasses, standing at attention to report to the president: "President! Mr. Youyu has won the first match!"
Kaiba Seto quickly drew a long face and gave him a sideways glance, "Boring! Is it really necessary to report such trivial matters?"
While speaking, the president swiftly turned off the broadcast on his computer screen and switched back to the work interface.
Uncle Izono immediately stood upright, "Yes!"
After speaking, this diligent uncle turned and walked away, seemingly unfazed by being scolded.
It's clear he's accustomed to it.
After all, Uncle Izono has been with the Kaiba Group for a long time, he's an old hand, he knows what to say and what to hear.
For instance, just because the president scolds him here and there, he can't afford to be goofily silent for real. When Youyu wins the next round, he still has to report it, or the president might get even angrier...
Soon after, someone else rushed in to report, "President! There's a report that the simulated volcano facility projection device over at Volcano Park is out of control, projecting stereoscopic volcanic eruption images beyond our control!"
"What?"
The president, stealing a look at a subordinate's match to relieve his card cravings, sat up straight.
"President! The Ferris wheel's operating system has been hijacked, and the ongoing duel on it is being interfered with!"
Kaiba frowned.
Could it be... that Zigfried Lloyd again?
Even though he had reinforced defenses and upgraded the firewall, that guy still managed to break through?
However, unlike the original story, the current president had long been prepared for such situations. So he pulled out the keyboard, quickly typing away, immediately unfolding his countermeasures.
As everyone knows, Kaiba Group only has a few security personnel led by Izono. And in the programming department, it's even worse, with only President Kaiba himself...
In the anime, whenever Kaiba Company encounters system malfunctions or hacker invasions, it's always the president personally stepping in to solve crises by coding, with the tech department employees' only role being to cheer '666' for the boss...
Actually, even if Kaiba leaves things unattended, nothing major might happen.
After all, Kaiba Group's system now has an AI named "Kaiba Noah" inside it. With Noah's ability, it can easily hack into most systems today. Blocking Zigfried's intrusion would be child's play.
However, President Kaiba did not seek Noah's help.
...Because he's a tsundere.
An already prepared backup system was activated immediately, swiftly covering all the virus-infected areas. The erupting volcano stopped right away, and the meddling Ferris wheel ceased to cause trouble, returning everything to normal so quickly that even the visitors didn't realize anything went wrong.
Within just a few seconds, the entire Kaiba Land system was completely restored.
"President! Volcano Park is back to normal!"
"The Ferris wheel's system is back to normal too!"
The employees were astonished.
President Kaiba truly is a godly figure!
Within mere moments, with a wave of his hand, he resolved a crisis that could have turned into a company disaster!
Meanwhile, a reverse tracing program was activated, with Kaiba trying to locate the other party's position.
It's more likely the intruder acted from within rather than from outside—President Kaiba believed no one could invade Kaiba Land's system from the outside.
Chances were high that Zigfried Lloyd or someone from his group snuck in during Kaiba Land's opening.
Even though extra precautions were taken, let's face it, Kaiba Land is fundamentally an amusement park. During open days, the crowds are huge with countless visitors, making it difficult to completely block out intruders despite the strict security measures.
Just as President Kaiba was preparing to deal with the infiltrating rat, the phone rang.
He glanced at it, saw it was Youyu calling, pondered for a moment, and then answered.
"Make it quick. I'm busy here." he said coldly.
"Ahem, is there any issue with the system at President's amusement park?" Youyu asked, "If there's any problem, I might be able to find someone to help..."
"There's nothing wrong with Kaiba Land. Our system is the safest in the world, no need for concern," Kaiba replied firmly, "Just focus on your matches!"
Without waiting for Youyu to respond, he hung up directly.
Listening to the busy signal in the phone, Youyu couldn't help but feel helpless.
This reaction... was expected.
But frankly, he already knew the skill level of Kaiba Company's programmers. In the anime, Kaiba Company's system was akin to a public bus, accessible to all deities, yet the president still considers it the "safest in the world"...
No, wait, you can't say it like that.
After all, the Black Nick Fury from Marvel often loves to emphatically claim that his helicarrier is the safest place in the world, yet that thing crashes down almost three times a week...
Actually, just like Kaiba suspected, Zigfried might still be up to something, Youyu thought so too.
Just considering Kaiba Company's programmers were a bunch of lazy dogs only capable of cheering '666' for the president, Youyu decided to secretly give the president a little help by calling in some external support.
...