Chapter 18: The Note in the Cabinet, the Challenge, and the Correction Fluid

The conversation between the two girls quickly moved past the topic of the escaped convict, jumping to a much more gossipy subject: "Who are the school heartthrobs?" Even the girl who had previously displayed an intellectual temperament actively joined the discussion.

As the vehicle reached another stop, the influx of passengers crowded Hayato toward the rear of the bus. He couldn't hear the rest of the girls' conversation clearly, only catching glimpses of familiar names, such as "Kaiba-kun," "Kobayashi-san," and even "Jonouchi."

However, Hayato didn't dwell on the gossip for long. Instead, he furrowed his brows and began to recall as much as possible from his memories of the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* manga he had read in his previous life.

He vaguely remembered that in the manga version, there was an escaped convict who had committed murder with a gun. After escaping prison, he fled to Domino City and took Anzu hostage. Of course, the end result was still a close call where the other Yugi rescued Anzu through a "game," and the convict received his deserved punishment.

The problem now was that Hayato couldn't quite remember exactly where that convict had taken Anzu hostage; he only vaguely recalled that after the kidnapping, the man demanded a large amount of food, alcohol, and cigarettes. Because the convict's end involved using cigarettes to ignite the alcohol, causing him to self-combust, the scene had left a deep impression on Hayato.

"I can only hope that my presence as an extra butterfly doesn't trigger more of a butterfly effect." Ultimately, Hayato's greatest concern was whether his existence as an unforeseen variable would alter the original plot. If that convict decided to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey" by killing Anzu first to intimidate another hostage, things would turn very bad.

But Hayato also knew he was just an ordinary high school student with a slight knack for card games. He might be able to handle a director whose body had been hollowed out by wine and women, but an escaped convict was far beyond his capabilities—especially one with a gun. Sighing, Hayato pushed the thought aside and turned his gaze toward the window.

Since it was still early, the bus ride was merely crowded and didn't suffer from the dreaded morning rush hour traffic. Soon, the vehicle arrived at the gates of Domino High School.

The moment he hopped off the bus, Hayato saw Honda standing at the school gate with a look of pure reluctance on his face.

Without seeing Honda, Hayato wouldn't have remembered that although there was no substantial evidence, both Jonouchi and Honda had been punished for beating up that director earlier. Honda's punishment was having to stand guard at the school gate with the discipline committee every morning, which forced him to arrive at school very early.

However, compared to Jonouchi's punishment, Honda's was relatively light, as the school rules at Domino High were actually quite lax. Even someone like Yugi, with his eccentric hair, could walk through the gates without being stopped. If the rules weren't so loose, there wouldn't be so many delinquent students in the school.

It was precisely because the delinquents were so unrestrained that Jonouchi's punishment was the most severe. He had to stay after school to help the janitors clean the school toilets, which were filled with cigarette butts and litter left behind by the delinquents. The only saving grace was that there weren't too many toilets in the school, and the cleaning lady was responsible for the girls' restrooms.

Walking into the school building, Hayato found his shoe locker. He was about to take out his shoes, but upon opening the locker, he found a piece of paper resting on top of them.

"Do these guys all like leaving notes to notify people?" While simultaneously complaining about his mother, Sumire Kobayashi—who had dumped him off to go find his father—and the owner of this note, Hayato changed into his indoor shoes. As he walked toward the classroom, he unfolded the paper and began to read—

【Kobayashi Hayato, you despicable jerk!

I've warned you countless times to stay away from Nosaka!

And yet you still dare to approach her!

I heard you play Duel Monsters too, right?

During lunch break today, bring your deck to the school rooftop!

I'm going to teach you a lesson!

—The guy destined to defeat you (crossed out) Big Brother】

"Eh~ You got challenged to a duel just because of the camera return after school?" Honda looked at the note Hayato was showing him with a complicated expression. It was clearly Honda who was too embarrassed to go find "Little Ribbon," yet Hayato was the one who got misunderstood? What was that supposed to mean? Was his threat level somehow lower than Hayato's in the eyes of the note's author?

With such thoughts, Honda couldn't help but eye Hayato, and he had to admit one thing—damn it, Hayato really was a total hunk.

Hayato's face looked as if it had been sculpted by the Greek gods, with features so perfect they were beyond reproach. His golden eyes were full of spirit, his black hair was messy and untamed, and the single cowlick sticking up slightly softened his sharp aura, adding a touch of playfulness.

It was precisely because of this peerless, untouchable appearance that Hayato had very few friends at school. Girls were kept at bay by other girls to prevent anyone from snatching him up first, and boys were jealous of him. Yet even so, in the unofficial "Who I Most Want to Date" rankings circulating around Domino High, the names Kobayashi Hayato and Kaiba Seto were tied for first place.

"Are you going to meet them, Hayato-kun?" During the break, students were free to move about, and currently, his classmates had gathered around Yugi's desk in the center of the classroom. After glancing at the note and understanding the situation, Yugi asked Hayato.

"Everything else would be fine, but that guy who left the note issued a duel challenge. How can I refuse?" Hayato shrugged nonchalantly. Even though it was only after the first period of the morning, he was already looking forward to lunchtime. His deck had changed since his duel with Yugi, and he was quite looking forward to a free opponent delivering himself to his doorstep.

"This guy didn't even leave his name. I suspect he might try some underhanded tricks. Maybe you shouldn't go, Hayato," Jonouchi analyzed based on his own experience. While his Duel Monsters weren't strong enough yet, when it came to the experience of being ambushed after a challenge, even including Honda, he could confidently say

No one

understands

being ambushed

better than me.

"A true duelist cannot flee from battle." Borrowing a quote from a certain genius physicist, Hayato did not change his mind. However, Jonouchi's concern wasn't without merit. Staying cautious, he patted Honda and Jonouchi on the shoulders seriously. "I still plan to go, but if the opponent loses and refuses to admit it, I'll be counting on you two~"

"Leave it to us, don't worry!"

***

**Sneak Peek for the Next Chapter:**

【Shoji? If your name is Eiji, I might be afraid of your massive mop...

Your small-fry monsters are just going to be—WHAT?!

Such a powerful spell!

By my next turn, you will—

Sore wa doka na? (What's wrong with that?)】

*(The above plot is unlikely to appear in the main text)*

(End of Chapter)