"Oh, right, this thing needs to be returned to you. Huh? Why is it glowing?"
After the duel ended, Chazz took Jaden's Seven Stars Gate Key pendant out of his pocket and tossed it to him. Only after letting go did he notice something strange about the key.
Catching it, Jaden put the key around his neck. "Isn't this my Seven Stars Gate Key? Why did you have it, Chazz? Did I lose it or something? Thanks, Chazz."
Chazz tugged at his hair. "From the end result, yeah, pretty much. Some thief who snuck into the school stole it from your prep room. Seriously, at least remember to lock the door when you leave."
"You're one to talk, Chazz. I saw you run out in a hurry without closing your door. I was the one who locked your prep room."
As the two talked, a white‑haired boy wearing a red academy uniform appeared in the duel arena.
"You're… Youmi?"
"Youmi, you're back to normal?"
Chazz and Jaden turned toward the approaching figure at the same time.
"Yeah. After all this time, I finally changed back. But Jaden, if you dare say a word about it, I'll toss you into the ocean tonight."
Youmi shot Jaden a glare before walking up beside Chazz. "The Armed Dragon Deck is definitely a good one. It's just a shame you didn't really get to show its true power this time."
"And you still haven't found the dragon that perfectly resonates with you."
Chazz frowned, then thought of the three Ojamas hanging around him. "A dragon that resonates with me? What are you talking about…?"
"Chazz! What do you think you're doing?!"
Chazz's two brothers strode over.
"You've tarnished the image of the Princeton Group!"
Jaggar immediately reached for Chazz's collar, but Youmi suddenly stepped in and stopped him.
With her left hand, she discreetly signaled to Springans Kitt, who had snuck in behind the cameramen. Then, right in front of the rolling cameras, Youmi challenged them openly.
"Hey, let me ask you this. As older brothers, after watching such a blood‑pumping duel, your first reaction is to come over here and scold his performance?"
Standing beside Jaggar, Slade was far calmer. He coldly looked at Youmi. "And who are you supposed to be? Scolding our own brother is a family matter. It has nothing to do with you."
"I'm just a passing student. Anyhow, I'm Chazz's classmate. As classmates, we have no reason to stand by and watch our friend be treated unfairly. Right, everyone?"
As she spoke, Youmi raised her left fist high.
"That's right!!! Chazz was amazing out there!"
"I think Lord Thunder was way cooler! Even in defeat, he went down with honor!"
Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands.
Chazz looked around at the students cheering for him, emotion welling up in his chest. "You guys…"
"See? This is how the students feel. And besides—" Youmi opened her raised fist and snapped her fingers. "Kitt, roll the footage."
The livestream was abruptly hijacked by Kitt's high‑level technical skills and switched to a piece of private footage Youmi had provided earlier.
It showed a duel outside the academy grounds: Chazz, dressed in black, facing off against five strangely dressed figures.
"I won't wipe you all out with XYZ‑Dragon Cannon's effect but what about Armed Dragon's effect instead? I activate Level Up!, which I drew this turn! I send Armed Dragon LV5 from my field to the Graveyard, then Special Summon the monster listed on it from my hand or Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions. Descend upon my field—Armed Dragon LV7!"
It was footage of Chazz's duel against the Dark Scorpion Burglars. The quality was rough and the resolution low, but everyone could clearly see Chazz overwhelming his opponents in an instant.
As the ground split apart and utterly crushed the enemy, the students erupted in cheers for Chazz's victory in the video.
"What is this footage…?"
"This was recorded about ten minutes before the friendly duel between the North Academy and the main campus. Everyone—do you know why our very own Chazz Thunder only appeared at the last moment before the duel began? Just to look cool? That would be far too shallow…"
She snapped her fingers again, and the footage changed to Chazz chasing down the thieves and snatching the key back with a flying card.
"These five were thieves who infiltrated the academy. Just before the duel started, Chazz discovered their suspicious movements. Even knowing that failing to enter the arena on time could cost him the duel by default, he still chose to challenge them to a duel. What could be more heroic than that?!"
"Hey… don't tell me you'd been tailing me the whole time?"
"That's not important."
"That's extremely important, actually?!"
Slade looked at the footage. While it wouldn't have been impossible to use this as a way to gracefully give Chazz an out, being verbally provoked by Youmi had already put him on edge, and he stubbornly retorted, "So what? He just beat a few petty thieves. That kind of rabble doesn't amount to anything."
"Oh? And that judgment comes from you, two complete outsiders?"
"Who are you calling outsiders?!" As if stung, Slade stepped forward, his voice sharp with anger. "If we were the ones taking action, we wouldn't lose to brats of that level."
Youmi raised an eyebrow and pointed straight at Slade's nose in provocation. "Oh? Then how about accepting a challenge from one of those brats, Mr. Slade? Since you claim to be a top-tier Duelist, you wouldn't lose to a mere student like me, would you? I formally challenge you to a duel—right here."
"Fine, I'll show you just how strong I am—"
"Brother!"
Just as Slade was about to accept outright, Jaggar hurriedly stepped in and stopped his impulsive move.
Youmi clicked her tongue softly, then immediately put on a disappointed expression. "Hey, hey, hey. Mr. Slade Princeton already agreed to duel a nobody like me. You're not going to snatch away such an honor from my hands now, are you, Mr. Jaggar Princeton? You two are prominent figures in both politics and business, surely you wouldn't go back on your word in front of a live national stream like this, would you?"
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? The stream should've already—"
Jaggar was just about to say that he had planned to force the stream into an emergency commercial break before Chazz lost, so there was no way this was still live. What he hadn't accounted for was that the stream staff themselves had been captivated by the duel and couldn't bear to cut away.
A sense of unease crept in. Jaggar slightly turned his head and noticed a girl who looked like she was cosplaying, busy adjusting a camera and filming the scene.
Cold sweat formed on Jaggar's forehead at this unexpected development. "C‑cough… Of course not, young lady. We're adults. Once we give our word, we keep it. There's no way we'd go back on it."
"It's just that my brother has important business to attend to this afternoon, so today won't work. How about this instead… one week from now, we'll come back here and do it properly. How does that sound…?"
"That sounds like a fine proposal. I'll serve as the witness."
"Tch. Is the Kaiba Group here to stir up trouble again?"
Without the slightest hint of it being a question, Mokuba walked over.
"The Kaiba Corporation will act as witness. Mr. Slade Princeton and this student here… May I have your name?"
Mokuba already knew she was Youmi, but deliberately asked to avoid making their connection obvious.
"Youmi."
Mokuba nodded. "Interesting… you share the same name as that legendary Duelist."
"Now then, I wonder what kind of strength a Slifer Red student from the lowest-ranked dorm can really show. Very well. With the Kaiba Corporation as witness, Mr. Slade Princeton and student Youmi will engage in a duel."
"My, my. There's quite a bit of tension on both sides. In that case, why not take this opportunity to make it a wager? Of course, since one side is still a student, I think the stakes should be kept within their capabilities and not cross any moral lines."
Youmi didn't make excessive demands. "Then I'll ask this: that the two of you publicly apologize to Chazz. Even if you are his brothers, I cannot tolerate your attitude and behavior toward him."
"Hmph. Just a low‑tier student…" Slade grumbled under his breath.
Hearing Mokuba describe Youmi as a student from the lowest dorm gave him a noticeable boost of confidence. "In that case, I'll demand an apology as well. Today, this student's actions have affected the reputation of the Princeton family. When the time comes, I want you to issue a public apology statement according to our terms."
"Then the wager is set. How interesting. Next week, I'll be here too~"
...
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