Chapter Eighteen: The Note in the Cabinet, the Challenge, and the Correction Fluid

The conversation between the two girls quickly shifted away from the escaped convict and landed on a much juicier topic: “Who are the school’s hottest guys?” Even the girl who had earlier shown a more intellectual demeanor eagerly joined in the gossip.

As the bus stopped at another station, a wave of passengers pushed Hayato toward the rear of the vehicle. He couldn’t catch the girls’ next remarks clearly, but he caught a few familiar names here and there—“Kaiba-kun,” “Kobayashi-san,” and even “Jounouchi.”

However, Hayato didn’t linger on the gossip. Instead, he furrowed his brow and tried to dredge up memories from the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” manga he had read in his previous life.

He vaguely recalled that in the manga, there was an escaped convict who had killed someone with a gun. After breaking out of prison, he fled to Totsumiya City and took Anzu hostage. Of course, it ended without disaster; another duelist saved Anzu through a game, and the convict received the punishment he deserved.

The problem was, Hayato couldn’t quite remember where exactly the convict held Anzu hostage. He only faintly recalled that after taking her, the convict demanded plenty of food, alcohol, and cigarettes. The ending stuck in his mind because the convict ignited the alcohol with a cigarette, setting himself ablaze.

“I just have to hope that this extra butterfly I am doesn’t cause any more butterfly effects,” he muttered. Ultimately, what worried Hayato most was whether his existence as a variable—someone who originally shouldn’t be there—would alter the original storyline. If that convict decided to kill Anzu first as a warning and then take someone else hostage, things would turn ugly.

Still, Hayato knew he was nothing more than an ordinary high schooler with some card-playing skills. Handling the director, who had been drained by vice, was one thing; dealing with an armed escaped convict was another matter entirely. With a sigh, Hayato pushed the thought aside and turned his gaze out the window.

Because it was still early, the bus ride was crowded but free of the dreaded rush hour traffic jams. Soon, the vehicle arrived at the gates of Totsumiya High School.

The moment he stepped off the bus, Hayato saw Honda standing at the school entrance, looking thoroughly displeased.

Had he not seen Honda, Hayato might not have remembered that after their scuffle with the director—though there was no concrete evidence—both Jounouchi and Honda had been punished. Honda’s penalty was to stand on duty every morning with the disciplinary committee at the school gate, which forced him to arrive early.

Compared to Jounouchi’s punishment, Honda’s was relatively mild. After all, Totsumiya High had quite lenient rules—students like Yuugi, who strutted in with wild, unconventional hairstyles, faced no objections. If the rules were stricter, the number of delinquent students wouldn’t be so high.

It was precisely because the delinquents ran rampant that Jounouchi’s punishment was the harshest: he had to stay after school to clean the bathrooms, littered with cigarette butts and trash left behind by the troublemakers. The only consolation was that the school didn’t have many restrooms, and the cleaning ladies took care of the girls’ bathrooms.

Entering the school building, Hayato found his shoe locker and reached in to get his indoor shoes, only to discover a note placed atop them.

“Do all these guys like to leave notes to notify each other?” Hayato muttered, simultaneously thinking of Kobayashi Sumire, a mother who had left her son to look for her husband, and the owner of the note before slipping on his indoor shoes. As he walked toward the classroom, he unfolded the paper and read:

“Hayato Kobayashi, you despicable bastard,
I’ve warned you countless times to stay away from Nosaka,
Yet you still dare to get close to her!
I hear you play Duel Monsters too?
Meet me on the school rooftop during lunch break with your deck!
I’m going to teach you a lesson!
—The grandpa destined to defeat you (name scratched out)”

“Ah~ So because of returning the camera after school, you got challenged?” Honda looked at the note Hayato showed him with a complicated expression. It was actually Honda who was too embarrassed to ask “Ribbon” himself, yet Hayato got mistaken for the threat? What was that supposed to mean? Did I not seem as intimidating as Hayato to the note’s author?

With that thought, Honda gave Hayato a once-over and reluctantly admitted one thing—damn it, that guy really was a total handsome devil.

Hayato’s face was sculpted like a Greek god’s, as if carved by knife and chisel. His perfect features left no flaw, his golden eyes exuded power, his black hair was wild and untamed, and the little tuft that stuck up softened his fierce aura, adding a hint of playfulness.

Because of such an extraordinary and untouchable appearance, Hayato had hardly any friends at school before. Girls were held back by other girls to avoid being preempted, while boys envied him. Yet, despite this, in the unofficial “Who do you most want to date?” rankings at Totsumiya High, Hayato Kobayashi and Seto Kaiba shared the top spot.

“Are you going to accept the challenge, Hayato-kun?” During the free time between classes, his friends gathered around Yuugi’s desk, which was at the center of the classroom. After glancing at the note and understanding the situation, Yuugi asked.

“Other things are easy to deal with, but this guy actually issued a duel challenge. How can I say no to that?” Hayato shrugged nonchalantly. Though it was only the first break after the morning class, he was already looking forward to lunch break. His deck had changed since his last duel with Yuugi, and with a free opponent coming to him, he was more than eager.

“That guy didn’t even leave his name. I suspect some dirty trick—maybe you shouldn’t go, Hayato,” Jounouchi advised based on his experience. His dueling skill wasn’t strong enough yet, but when it came to being ambushed during a fight, he could confidently say that no one, not even Honda, understood it better than him.

“True duelists don’t run away from a fight.” Borrowing a famous physicist’s words, Hayato refused to change his mind. Still, he heeded Jounouchi’s warning, patting Honda and Jounouchi on the shoulders seriously. “I’m going to accept, but if the other guy refuses to admit defeat after losing, I’ll be counting on you two.”

“Leave it to us!”