Chapter 18: The Note in the Locker and the Duel Challenge, and Correction Fluid
The two girls' conversation quickly moved on from the topic of the Escaped Convict, jumping to a topic full of gossip like "Who are the School Heartthrobs?". Even the girl who had previously shown a more intellectual demeanor actively participated in the discussion.
As the bus reached another stop, the influx of people pushed Hayato towards the back of the vehicle. He couldn't hear the rest of the two girls' conversation clearly, only vaguely catching a few familiar names, such as "Kaiba," "Kobayashi," and even "Jonouchi."
However, Hayato didn't focus on the gossip for too long. Instead, he furrowed his brow and began to recall as much as possible the 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 killed someone with a gun. After escaping from prison, he fled to Domino City and even took Anzu hostage. Of course, the final outcome was still a close call, with the other Yugi saving Anzu through a "Game," and the Escaped Convict receiving his deserved punishment.
The problem now was that Hayato couldn't quite remember where exactly the Escaped Convict had taken Anzu hostage. He only vaguely recalled that after taking Anzu hostage, he demanded a lot of food, alcohol, and cigarettes. Because the Escaped Convict's end was setting himself on fire by igniting the alcohol with a cigarette, Hayato remembered it vividly.
"I can only hope that this extra butterfly of mine won't cause more butterfly effects," Hayato thought. Ultimately, what Hayato worried about most was whether his existence, which shouldn't have been there, would change the original plot. What if the Escaped Convict decided to kill Anzu first as a warning before taking someone else hostage? That would be terrible.
But Hayato also knew that he was just a normal high school student who was slightly good at playing Cards. Dealing with the Director and his group, whose bodies had been hollowed out by indulgence, was one thing, but an Escaped Convict was beyond his ability to handle, especially since the man had a gun. Sighing, Hayato pushed the matter to the back of his mind and shifted his gaze towards the window.
Since it was still early, the bus ride was only a bit crowded and didn't encounter the most annoying traffic jams of the morning rush hour. Soon, the bus arrived at the entrance of Domino High School.
As soon as he jumped off the bus, Hayato saw Honda standing at the school gate, looking reluctant.
Without seeing Honda, Hayato wouldn't have remembered. Previously, because they had beaten up the Director, although there was no concrete evidence, Jonouchi and Honda were still punished. Honda's punishment was having to stand guard at the school gate with the Disciplinary Committee every morning, which forced him to arrive at School early.
However, compared to Jonouchi's punishment, Honda's was relatively light. This was because the School rules at Domino High School were actually quite lenient. Even someone like Yugi, with his strange hair, could walk through the school gate swaggering without anyone stopping him. If it weren't for the lenient School rules, there wouldn't be so many Delinquent Students at the School.
It was also because the Delinquent Students were too unruly that Jonouchi's punishment was the most severe. He had to stay after School to help the Cleaning Staff clean the School's restrooms, which were full of cigarette butts and trash left by the delinquents. The only thing to be thankful for was that the number of restrooms in the School wasn't too many, and the Cleaning Lady would be responsible for the girls' restrooms.
Entering the School Building, Hayato found his Shoe Locker and was about to take out his shoes. But when he opened the Shoe Locker, he found a Note placed on top of his shoes.
"So these guys like leaving Notes to notify people?" While complaining about Kobayashi Sumire, the mother who threw her son away to find her husband, and the owner of the Note in front of him, Hayato changed into his Indoor Shoes. As he walked towards the Classroom, he unfolded the Note and began to read—
[Hayato Kobayashi, you hateful guy
I've warned you countless times to stay away from Nosaka
And you still dared to get close to her!
I heard you play Duel Monsters too, huh?
Come to the Rooftop of the School Building during lunch break today with your Deck!
I'm going to teach you a good lesson!
—The guy who is destined to defeat you (Correction Fluid marks) Boss]
"Huh~ So you got a Duel Challenge because you returned the camera after School?" Honda looked at the Note Hayato showed him, his expression subtle. He was the one who was too embarrassed to go find "Little Ribbon," but Hayato was misunderstood instead? What kind of meaning was this? Could it be that in the eyes of the Note's owner, I'm not as threatening as Hayato?
With this thought, Honda couldn't help but size up Hayato, and then he had to admit something—Damn it, Hayato really was a complete hunk.
Hayato's face was sculpted like that of the Greek Gods, as if carved by a knife and axe. His well-defined features were flawless. His golden pupils were full of power, and his black hair was messy and untamed. The single cowlick sticking up slightly reduced his sharp aura, adding a touch of playfulness instead.
It was precisely because of this outstanding and unapproachable appearance that the previous Hayato had very few friends at School. Girls were held back by other girls to prevent anyone from getting ahead, and boys were jealous of him. But even so, in the unofficial ranking of "Most Wanted to Date" circulating privately at Domino High School, Hayato Kobayashi and Kaiba Seto were tied for the top spot.
"Are you going to accept the challenge, Hayato?" During Break Time, everyone was free to move around. At this moment, the friends were gathered around Yugi's desk, which was in the center of the Classroom. After reading the Note and understanding the situation, Yugi asked Hayato.
"Other situations are fine, but the guy who left the Note issued a Duel invitation. How can I refuse that?" Hayato shrugged indifferently. It was only the end of the first class in the morning, but he was already looking forward to lunch break. His Deck had changed again since his Duel with Yugi. He was quite looking forward to a free opponent who came knocking.
"This guy didn't even dare to leave his name. I suspect he might pull some dirty tricks. Maybe you shouldn't go, Hayato," Jonouchi analyzed based on his own experience. His Duel Monsters skills weren't strong enough yet, but when it came to experience with getting into fights and being ambushed, he could confidently say, even including Honda,
No one
Understands
Being ambushed
Better than me
"A true Duelist cannot run away from a challenge." Casually plagiarizing a famous quote from a certain Genius Physicist, Hayato didn't change his mind. However, what Jonouchi said wasn't impossible. Keeping it in mind, he patted Honda and Jonouchi seriously on the shoulders, "I still plan to go, but if the other guy doesn't accept defeat if he loses, I'll be counting on you two then~"
"Leave it to us!"