Chapter 32: Could Xia Di's hairstyle under the headscarf be a bald head?

“Hayato, you truly are a young hero in the making.” After seeing off the students, teachers, directors, and the interview crew who had successfully rode the wave of Hayato's popularity, the principal kept Hayato behind in a mysterious manner, seemingly wanting to say something to him.

However, he did not get straight to the point. Instead, he continued to engage in polite small talk after the interview, skillfully exchanging practiced professional compliments.

“This is all thanks to the school's cultivation of me. How could I be where I am today without the teachers' education?” Hayato replied with a fake smile, but he had no intention of continuing to beat around the bush with the principal. “But Principal, you didn't keep me here alone just because you think I'm handsome and want to look at me a little longer, did you?”

“There is naturally a reason for calling you aside, Hayato,” the principal said, his face still wearing that mysterious smile. “Because a certain VIP has entrusted me with something to deliver to you.”

“A VIP?”

Hayato was somewhat puzzled. He watched as the principal—who looked remarkably like Giga Fat—pressed down his large belly and struggled to bend over to retrieve a not-so-small box from his desk drawer, placing it in front of Hayato.

“This box is the item that person asked me to give you. However, they emphasized that only you can open it, so I don't know what's inside either.” The principal pushed the box toward Hayato. “Remember to take it home before opening it, Hayato. That was one of the other person's requirements as well.”

“May I ask first who that 'person' is?”

The principal shook his head. “I cannot tell you; it is the person's request. However, they said you will know once you open the box.”

Seeing how unexpectedly tight-lipped the principal was, Hayato stopped pestering him. He gripped the handle and lifted the box. It was unexpectedly light.

“If there's nothing else, I'll be heading home then, Mr. Principal?”

“Yes, go ahead, Hayato. Be careful on your way~” The expression on the principal's face remained unchanged.

It stayed that way until Hayato walked out of the principal's office and closed the door.

The closed door acted like a flipped switch. The principal's expression suddenly turned vacant, as if he had drifted off into a trance. His hands, which had been resting on the desk, dropped. As he expanded his chest, a button on his suit flew off, exposing his chest.

If Hayato were still there, he would have been extremely shocked, because positioned over the principal's chest was an Ancient Egyptian Eye of Setos that emitted a faint golden light. In Ancient Egyptian culture, this symbol represented punishment, but in the world of *Yu-Gi-Oh!*, this eye could also refer to one thing—the symbol of the "Shadow Game"!

In an unknown location, a man dressed in Egyptian attire, wearing a white shendyt and a white robe, opened his grayish-blue eyes and murmured to himself, “An existence entwined with the auras of both a Pharaoh and Prana... Hayato, just who are you?”

“I hope you do not become the variable that prevents the Pharaoh's return to the Underworld.” The man's voice, along with his figure, was gradually swallowed by the void and vanished.

———— The Mastermind ————

“Aniki, what exactly is in the box?” After leaving the school and the crowds thinning out, [Disturb Yellow] climbed onto the box Hayato was carrying, tapping the casing curiously to investigate.

“Alright, you have 9 more words left for today.”

“Eh? Why do you even count when I ask a question, Aniki~?”

“8.”

“I'll shut up!”

“7.”

Having counted down to "7" and seeing that [Disturb Yellow] had indeed shut up obediently, Hayato explained, “You guys heard it in the office earlier. Some unknown guy entrusted the principal to give this to me.”

“Although the principal has been acting strange since the interview ended, there is one thing I'm certain of: it's best if I do exactly as that mysterious person said and wait until I get home to open the box.” Hayato paused. “However, I plan to find Yugi and the others first. I promised to play a round with Jonouchi today.”

“How could a guy who's no different from a vanilla monster be a match for Aniki!”

“Aniki is the strongest, Aniki is the best~”

[Disturb Green] and [Disturb Black] also climbed onto the suitcase to join the fun.

“You two have 9 speaking opportunities left today. Don't forget, whoever has the fewest turns, I'll use you as a punching bag in the next duel,” Hayato "kindly" reminded them. The Disturb brothers, who were about to start making a ruckus, immediately quieted down.

As he approached Yugi's house, Hayato saw the "GAME" sign of Kameoka Game Shop from a distance, but he sensed something was wrong.

The sky had grown slightly dark. Usually, at this time, old man Sugoroku would have already turned on the sign; he wasn't the type of elderly man to be stingy with the lights at night. But today, why wasn't the "GAME" sign lit up?

In fact, even as he approached the shop door, there wasn't a single sound coming from inside, as if no one were home.

Hayato quickened his pace to the shop door and pushed against the closed door. It didn't budge; it was clearly locked.

This was very strange, wasn't it? Setting aside old man Sugoroku, he had made plans to meet Yugi and the others here today. Even if Jonouchi was running late, Yugi and Anzu should be here, right?

Something has definitely happened!

Involuntarily, Hayato thought of old man Sugoroku's miraculous "Millennium Hostage" constitution—getting kidnapped whenever something big happens. He was practically on par with Ayumi from that neighboring detective boy series.

With a direction for his suspicion, calculating the time, it seemed to be about time for Shadi to kidnap Sugoroku to force a card-betting duel, right?

Turning his head to look at the towering KaibaCorp building that could be seen anywhere in Domino City just by looking up, Hayato couldn't help but smile bitterly. "It looks like I'll have to play the role of a 'Runner' today too. I hope I'm still in time."

He vaguely remembered that Muto Sugoroku only agreed to the duel to awaken Kaiba's straying heart, relying on his powerful "God Draw" ability, meticulous dueling skills, and perfect deck construction.

Then, just as the duel began, he suffered a heart attack from the shock of the Duel Monsters' holograms and lost the match immediately.

So, besides troublesome women and "perfect" hands, a duelist's greatest enemy is heart disease. Not just Muto Sugoroku, but in the future, there was also a "trash duelist" who liked to make "hu-hu-hu" sounds, told people not to blink, and started struggling even with full life points, who also lost a certain victory due to heart issues.

If the world he traveled to is *Yu-Gi-Oh!*, then the character Shadi is unavoidable.

But why does he have that kind of attitude toward the protagonist? Let me dig a hole for this first.

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(End of Chapter)