The one who could be considered directly involved, Yuki Judai, was happily immersed in a "friendship match" with Northern Academy's student representative, completely unaware of what was happening on the other side of the island.
The result of the duel was naturally no surprise.
The students from Northern Academy were originally not as good as those from our school. In the original series, Manjome drifted to Northern Academy by boat, starting with no card deck, relying only on cards picked up around the island to cobble together a deck, and he still managed to become unbeaten in the academy and became the big boss.
This shows that Northern Academy could never win the friendly matches against our school, and the quality of students is indeed an important factor.
However, until now, even if they couldn't win yearly, a duel as frustrating as this year had never been seen before.
"I won!" Judai was very happy, "That was such an interesting duel!"
And it was indeed an interesting duel! The whole venue erupted in cheers, the applause and shouts of the students were loud enough to lift the roof.
Even the defeated student representative from Northern Academy was so moved he was in tears, a burly man sobbing, as if saying he had never experienced such a unique and thrilling duel in his life!
This is the charm of dueling, where both the duelists and the audience can enjoy the ultimate entertainment!
The school reporters captured this exciting moment with their cameras—especially highlighting Judai's joyful smile and the tears of his friend from Northern Academy. Without a doubt, these photos would become the headline of tomorrow's school paper, marking the proof of friendship between our school and the branch.
Some reporters quickly rushed forward to interview the thoughts of the two players involved.
"Happiness, just so much happiness!" Judai said happily, "Dueling is the best!"
The interviewed Northern Academy player said, "I'm telling you, this is not a duel! Do you have any competitive spirit? Do you dare to let me summon a monster?
You might be having fun, but you can't build your happiness on someone else's pain!
I never want to duel with you shameless students of this school again, 555..."
The reporter promptly ended the interview, smiling at the camera, "Both student representatives were very satisfied with this exchange match. Dueling is not just a competitive event but a way for duelists to connect and understand each other, becoming friends. We believe that after this duel, the friendship between the teachers and students of both academies will become stronger and unbreakable...
Now let's interview the opinions of both principals."
Principal Samejima, with a demeanor like a spring breeze, was fiddling with a small comb in front of a handheld mirror, seemingly fixing his hairstyle—though with his shiny, reflective forehead, it's unclear what there was to fix.
Samejima cheerfully spoke to the camera, "Very satisfied, extremely satisfied! In this exchange match, our student Judai performed excellently, enhancing the friendship between both schools..."
Principal Ichise shouted from off-camera, "You're full of it!"
Samejima seemed not to hear, "Judai also showcased the elegance of our academy's students, delivering a perfect score report to all the teachers and students of our school, demonstrating the excellent qualities of a Duelist..."
Ichise, from off-camera, continued to roar, "Ha, you call that a duel! Do you dare to have a fair and square showdown? Hiding endlessly behind traps is the cowardly behavior of third-rate duelists..."
On the other side of the Earth, the Duel King, Muto Yugi, currently on a flight, suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose in confusion. "Did I catch a cold last night?"
As per tradition, the reward for the winning side in the exchange match is a kiss from Aunt Tome from the convenience store.
To show importance, Aunt Tome even donned her Dark Magician Girl cosplay outfit she wore during admission. The part where the seams had burst has now been stitched up, though it looked as if it might burst again at any moment from the tightness...
"MUA~!"
Aunt Tome planted a hearty kiss on Mr. Principal's cheek, full of admiration, "As expected of Principal Samejima, you secured another victory!"
Principal Samejima held her hand, "No, it's thanks to our outstanding, talented young students at the academy."
Aunt Tome said, "But that's because the Principal's teaching is exceptional!"
Principal Samejima responded, "Without your logistic support over the years, I couldn't have done it!"
"Principal!"
"Tome!"
"..."
The two gazed at each other affectionately, while Principal Ichise furiously scratched his head beside them. With already scant hair, he seemed to drift closer in hairstyle to Principal Samejima.
Green is said to be the color of health, and Principal Ichise's expression could be considered proof of his health now.
Looking at the color of his entire face and then his forehead, he looked extremely healthy...
After dealing with some intruding "little mice" on the island, Youyu returned to the venue area just as the two principals were leading their students in farewells.
Seeing Aunt Tome in her cosplay outfit, Youyu's Dark Magician Girl couldn't help but fly out, hovering beside Youyu.
"Master, master, why is she dressed like me?"
Youyu glanced at her and smiled, "Because... the students all like you."
"Like me?"
The young girl pressed her soft fingers to her lips, tilted her head, her bright golden hair cascading from under her magician's hat.
"But... we've never met before, have we?"
Never met? That's hardly a problem.
You don't know, as long as the art is cute enough, they even get attached to 2D characters behind the screen...
"By the way, for the school's festival next time, do you want to come out and join in?" Youyu thought of something.
"Really... can I?" Dark Magician Girl blinked.
"Of course, if you're interested," Youyu said.
"Sure, sure!" the girl was very excited.
Youyu's magical girl was full of energy. Whatever she did, she just loved excitement.
...
At this moment, elsewhere.
A man opened his eyes in the dark, his expression quite unpleasant.
This was Tragoedia's current host.
A few minutes ago, he had just lost contact with his avatar on Duel Academy Island. The failure of the Dark Duel not only destroyed the power attached to his hired spy, but also made him feel quite uncomfortable.
But that was not his main concern right now.
That Duel King named Youyu... what was his deal?
The events of three thousand years ago, the humiliating experience of being sealed by the Guardian Priest, how did he know?
Could it be... he is the reincarnation of one of the Priests or Pharaoh from back then?
Doesn't seem like it!
"Duel King..." Tragoedia squinted his eyes.
He realized he might have become too arrogant.
He needed more information and better preparation.