Chapter 19: Isn't this Wan Zhangmu? How did you get so pathetic after only a few days?

Bathed in the teacher's incessant chatter, the morning passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the lunch break.

After a quick tidy-up of his notes and other belongings, Hayato and the others walked out of the classroom and headed straight for the rooftop. As they climbed the stairs, Kojo kept talking: "Who do you guys think sent that note to Hayato?"

"It should be someone from our school, right? Otherwise, they wouldn't have known that Hayato returned the camera to Nosaka-san after school yesterday," Honda analyzed.

Walking at the very front, Hayato spoke without looking back, "Guessing blindly isn't going to get us anywhere. We're almost at the top; won't it be clear once we get there?"

The school building was only four stories tall. Hayato's classroom was on the second floor, so it didn't take long for them to reach the top via the stairs. Looking up from the stairwell, they saw that the rooftop door, which was usually locked for safety reasons, had already been opened.

Clearly, the person who sent the note had already arrived.

Pushing open the rooftop door, the group filed out one after another. The moment they stepped onto the roof, Hayato noticed a guy in a male school uniform standing with his back to the door, gazing into the distance.

"You're too slow, Hayato Kobayashi." Hearing the "creak" of the door being pushed open, the boy didn't turn around; he remained facing away from them.

"Are you the one who sent me this note?" Hayato pulled his hand from his pocket, holding the note he had found in his shoe locker this morning. "Playing the 'duel challenge' card? Have you not graduated from middle school yet?"

"Cut the nonsense! Did you bring your deck? Duel me!" Provoked by Hayato's words, the boy turned around excitedly, glaring into Hayato's eyes.

As the boy turned to reveal his face, Kojo recognized him immediately: "This guy? You're that Manjoume from the class next door!"

"Call me Mr. Manjoume!" The boy retorted instinctively before introducing himself. "My name is Manjoume Seiji. Remember it well, Hayato Kobayashi, because I will crush you in your own specialty and prove that I am the only one worthy of pursuing Miho Nosaka!"

"Manjoume Seiji? A familiar name. Though I might have been a bit more intimidated if your name was Eiji." At the name Manjoume, Hayato's first thought was Manjoume Jun—the seemingly cold but actually comedic character who attended the same school as the second-generation Duel King, Jouei Juudai. However, it was nearly ten years before the Duel Academy era, so this was likely a member of the Manjoume family.

As for why a member of the Manjoume clan was attending Domino High? Despite the school's lax rules and high number of delinquents, Domino High was actually a place where dragons and tigers lay hidden; many children of prestigious families and heirs to conglomerates studied here. To name a few, Hayato's own class included Kaiba, the heir to the Kaiba Corporation, and even "Ribbon" Nosaka Miho, whom Honda had a crush on, came from a wealthy merchant family.

Even Hayato himself was such a person; his father was a diplomat and his mother was an executive at a major conglomerate.

"However, your choice of location is quite subpar, Manjoume," Hayato said, glancing around the rooftop. To prevent student suicides, the rooftop was not only kept locked, but it was also surrounded by high safety railings, high enough to play tennis. However, railings couldn't stop the wind. If they were going to play cards here, weren't they afraid the wind would blow the cards away?

"Hmph, I've already taken everything into consideration, you idiot." With a snap of his fingers, the cloths covering the "clutter" piled around the rooftop were suddenly pulled away by Manjoume Seiji's actions. A large group of people emerged from behind the debris.

"Damn it, you bastard!"

Seeing so many people suddenly appear on the roof, Kojo grew very tense: "What a despicable guy, it's an ambush!"

Despite his tension, Kojo wasn't particularly afraid of fighting; his concern was whether he and Honda could protect their companions against so many people, and how long he would have to spend cleaning toilets afterward.

Manjoume Seiji frowned, looking disdainfully at the nervous Honda and Kojo. "You commoners, what do you take the honor of the Manjoume Group for? I am not some brute like you who only knows how to use raw strength!"

With a wave of his hand, he commanded the people around him: "Get everything ready!"

Upon receiving orders, Manjoume Seiji's subordinates immediately carried the "clutter" to the center of the rooftop and began assembling it with practiced skill. Soon, a sizable arena was set up, and they began connecting it to the rooftop's power supply.

"What is this?"

Seeing Yugi's confused expression, Manjoume Seiji looked triumphant. "Marvel all you want, you peasants. This is the latest trending technology in high society: Virtual Projection technology for Duel Monsters cards."

Honda: "Duel Monsters?"

Anzu: "Virtual projection?"

Yugi didn't speak; he only instinctively reached for the deck at his waist. Although he hadn't seen the actual effect of virtual projection for Duel Monsters, just hearing the term made him feel his urge to duel flaring up.

"Interesting. I recall that's Kaiba Corporation's technology, isn't it?" Hayato was aware of the technology's existence, so he wasn't overly surprised. However, the design of the duel arena being assembled by Manjoume Seiji's men looked somewhat familiar. "Looking at the style of this duel arena, does your Manjoume Group have ties to Industrial Illusions? Don't tell me the duel arenas in Duel Kingdom were assembled by your Manjoume Group?"

"You... you're more well-informed than I thought." Manjoume Seiji's face remained cold; he wasn't particularly surprised by Hayato's words. In upper-class society, the information Hayato mentioned wasn't a great secret, and many people knew it—likely his mother, who worked at Paradise Company, had told him.

"Enough. Let's start the duel early so you can settle your business. I haven't had lunch yet." Hayato took out his deck and walked toward the duel arena first.

"Instead of running, you're approaching? Hmph, since you're so eager to be humiliated by me, I shall grant your wish."

The two stepped onto the duel arena, shuffled their respective decks, and placed them on the platform. The arena activated, emitting a faint blue light. On the sides of Hayato's and Seiji's respective duel stations, the Life Point displays simultaneously lit up with the number "2000."

"Duel!"

"Duel!"

【Hayato: 2000 LP, Hand: 5】 【Seiji: 2000 LP, Hand: 5】