Chapter 23: If you like them so much, why not just confess? The Two of Them

After tidying up the cards on the duel arena and putting his deck away, Hayato walked down the elevator steps of the platform and approached Yugi and the others, who had been waiting for some time.

"Congratulations, Hayato-kun!" Yugi, Anzu, and Honda congratulated Hayato upon his victorious return. Hayato responded with a bright smile. "I won! That was quite an interesting duel."

"Congrats, Hayato," Jonouchi added, though his expression looked a bit strange. "But it's kind of weird that the final victory didn't come from a monster, but from a Magic card or something. Isn't this Duel Monsters?"

"You shouldn't put it that way, Jonouchi-kun. Magic cards are an essential part of Duel Monsters, because while monsters symbolize strength, Magic symbolizes wisdom," Yugi explained his understanding of the game. "A clash of strength is certainly important, but Magic is also a key to victory. Only those who possess both strength and wisdom can go further and achieve ultimate victory."

"In other words, 'Magic cards are part of Duel Monsters, so if you don't like it, don't play,'" Hayato summarized Yugi's meaning in his own words, thinking to himself: *'When I used [Goblin Raider] to finish the duel, everyone else was so pure while I was being so underhanded. I actually felt a bit embarrassed, but you, Yugi, actually think it's perfectly natural. As expected of the King of Dirty Tactics.'*

To be able to accept such an "unconventional" way of winning so calmly—it was no wonder that Yugi Muto's deck building in the future would be so sinister. Perhaps every duelist of Yugi's era would have that classic "T" formation setup etched into their DNA.

Thinking that if he ever dueled Yugi in the future, he would definitely have to prepare a [Royal Flush], Hayato noticed the other side of the duel arena, where the defeated Manjoume Masaki was walking down, looking utterly dejected.

Seeing the opponent walk up to him in despair, Hayato tilted his head and asked, "Is there something else, Manjoume-kun?"

"I won't give up my pursuit of 'Little Ribbon' just like this!" Manjoume managed to muster some spirit to throw out a tough remark, but he quickly wilted again. He let out a sigh. "I carry the honor of the Manjoume name. Although I want to say that, a bet is a bet. I will give up my pursuit of Nosaka Miho."

He looked up at Hayato. Excellent grades, handsome appearance, good family background, and even his Duel Monsters were incredibly powerful. Although Masaki was unwilling to accept it, he still had to face the reality of his defeat.

Hayato saw the resentment in his eyes. After a brief hesitation, he spoke up: "Um, I wanted to clarify something first—did you misunderstand something from the very beginning? I have no intention of pursuing 'Little Ribbon'."

"Are you going to humiliate me without honor even after winning the duel, Kobayashi Hayato?!" Manjoume became agitated. "How dare you say you have no intention of pursuing Nosaka Miho! You clearly went out of your way to touch hands with her using the excuse of 'returning the camera'!"

*Wait, touching hands means you're pursuing her?* Manjoume's strange logic made Hayato laugh. "You think I wanted to return the camera? To be honest, while I think she's quite pretty, I don't have any feelings of wanting to date her."

"How could anyone *not* want to date Nosaka-san!"

Hayato turned his head in confusion. Did he just hear that in stereo? It sounded as if two people were speaking at once.

In reality, there were indeed two people speaking. Aside from Manjoume Masaki, the other speaker was none other than Honda Hiroto, standing right behind Hayato.

"Nosaka-san is so beautiful, has such a great personality, and dresses so well! How could anyone not like her!" Honda's current state was exactly like a fan whose favorite idol was accused of wearing padding—he was incredibly emotional.

"You... could it be!?" Manjoume stared at Honda in shock.

Hayato spread his hands helplessly. "You guessed right. The one who likes 'Little Ribbon' isn't me, it's this guy. He's the one who borrowed the camera from 'Little Ribbon,' but he lost his courage when it came time to return it, so I helped him do it for him."

However, Manjoume Masaki's attention was no longer on Hayato; instead, he was looking at Honda with a face full of disdain.

"So after all this time, my rival isn't Kobayashi Hayato, but a guy like you?" Clutching his forehead, Manjoume looked like he had a headache. "Argh, how embarrassing! If I had known it was someone like you, I wouldn't have been nervous from the start!"

"Exactly! Hayato didn't want to pursue Nosaka-san at all, from the very begin—" Honda instinctively chimed in, but realized halfway through what he had said. "Hey, you bastard! Are you saying I'm not a threat!?"

"Isn't that obvious!" Manjoume Masaki regained his pre-duel confident posture. "Whether it's grades, school reputation, or appearance, I undoubtedly stand above you!"

Watching the two "rivals" start a staring contest, Anzu sighed helplessly and rubbed her forehead. She turned to ask Yugi and Jonouchi curiously, "These two are really... Oh, by the way, Yugi, Jonouchi, do you guys like Nosaka-san too?"

"Well, I think 'Little Ribbon' is quite nice; she seems to be pretty popular in school. But as for a girlfriend... she's not really in my strike zone," Jonouchi scratched the back of his head. "Personally, I prefer more mature women. Ideally, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and a great figure. It would be even better if she liked Duel Monsters."

*A beautiful duelist with long blonde hair and a great figure... I suspect you're hinting at Mai Valentine.* Hearing Jonouchi's description, Hayato couldn't help but think of the classic pairing of Jonouchi and Mai.

"As for me, I don't think physical appearance is that important. If it's about dating, I think personality compatibility is more important," Yugi shared his view on romance. "As for Nosaka-san, my opinion is the same as Jonouchi's. I admire her, but I have no intention of pursuing her."

"As for me, it goes without saying. Besides, we're still just students, right? At least until I have enough income to support two people, I don't want to date," Hayato said, incidentally quoting a famous line from someone decades in the future. "I'm going to become the strongest duelist. Women are just a distraction."

While the four were chatting, Manjoume Masaki and Honda were still arguing

"My family is rich!"

"Who doesn't have some money!"

"My Duel Monsters are super strong!"

"And yet you still lost to Hayato!"

"I'm more handsome than you!"

"Bullshit!"

Annoyed by their kindergarten-level competition, Hayato finally spoke up: "Since you both like 'Little Ribbon,' why don't you two just go and confess to her directly? What's the point of arguing here endlessly?"

As soon as Hayato's words left his mouth, the two who had been chattering incessantly immediately froze.