"Today, Yuki Judai and others entered a prohibited special dormitory, violating academy regulations with serious circumstances."
Judai and Marufuji Sho stood in the middle of a spacious room, surrounded by large screens. Behind each screen was a high-ranking member of the academy. Principal Samejima and Professor Cronos were both present.
"I'm really sorry, I'll listen to whatever you say." Judai put his hands together and bowed, his attitude sincere. "Please give me a chance."
Actually, whether or not he would be expelled probably didn't concern Judai as much. What he cared more about was probably that if he got kicked out of Duel Academy, he wouldn't have as many interesting opponents to duel.
"If even underachieving students make such a request, then I shall show mercy and specially grant you such an opportunity, none," Professor Cronos said with a chuckle. "I will arrange a tag team penalty duel as soon as possible. Is that alright?"
Judai: "Huh? Tag team penalty duel?"
"That's right. Yuki Judai and Marufuji Sho, you will have a dormitory duel as the combination you were in at that dormitory. If you win, you will be released without penalty."
Judai, hearing that there would be a duel, immediately became enthusiastic, instantly forgetting the looming threat of expulsion.
"A dormitory duel? Sounds very interesting!"
"Huh?" Marufuji Sho said in a low voice, "Doesn't that feel kind of bad, big bro?"
Professor Cronos: "Principal, you yourself have agreed, none."
Principal Samejima pondered, "Hmm, well then there's no other way."
"Excellent!" Professor Cronos was very happy. "Then you two will silently wait for the announcement. I will arrange your dormitory duel opponents as soon as possible, none!"
"."
First period ended, and Yugen sat down in the Administration Office.
The long-legged female teacher politely invited him in and even specially brewed him tea.
The morning sunlight slanted into the Administration Office, golden light spots dancing on the wooden floor, like a warm carpet. Exquisite porcelain teacups steamed, the fragrance of tea lingering in the air, mixed with the sweet scent drifting in from the window.
"...We wanted to ask about this much, roughly."
The female teacher said with a polite smile.
"Thank you for making the trip yourself, Yugen-kun."
"Not at all," Yugen waved his hand. "Cooperating with the academy's investigation is something I should do."
"However, you still need to be careful. The abandoned dormitory is a dangerous area, and school regulations strictly prohibit entry. We'll let it go this time, but next time, you should not casually go to those dangerous areas again."
"Please rest assured, there absolutely won't be a next time," Yugen promised, patting his chest.
"That's good." The female teacher took a sip of tea, smiling. "I've heard that Yugen-kun is the academy's rising star, one of the most brilliant freshmen this year. If anything untoward happened to you, the academy wouldn't be able to explain it well."
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher."
"Oh, and finally, there's a bit of a side matter..."
The female teacher sat up straight, leaned forward, with a somewhat mysterious look.
Then she asked in a low voice.
"They say you're friends with that President Kaiba? Is that true?"
"Hmm, I do know him," Yugen thought for a moment.
Saying they were friends might be a slight exaggeration. But to say he didn't know him, after all the favors he had received from the President, he couldn't bring himself to say that.
So let's just go with that.
He still had three years to spend at the academy, and having a strong backer wasn't a bad thing.
The female teacher didn't say anything more about it, but clearly showed a "such incredible" expression.
Let alone the fact that Duel Academy was largely funded by the President, even without that relationship, President Kaiba's status in this world was self-evident. Saying his backing was some high-ranking political figure might not even be as useful as knowing the President well.
"Right, I heard that the Administration Office's final decision on punishment is a dormitory duel?" Yugen asked.
"Ah, that, only the ringleader Yuki Judai and his roommate Marufuji Sho need to take part," the female teacher chuckled. "You don't need to worry."
"I heard, is it possible that they might invite a legendary Duelist as their opponent?"
The female teacher was surprised. "How did you know that? Ah, did Professor Cronos reveal it to you?"
The idea of inviting a legendary Duelist to participate was originally Cronos's idea. Even the principal hadn't been informed yet; he had only discussed it with the Administration Office. Moreover, the matter was still in the planning stage, and they didn't even know if they could invite anyone.
However, the long-legged female teacher immediately remembered that Yugen was also a student whom Cronos particularly cared for, so it wasn't impossible that the professor might have let it slip during casual conversation.
"Then if they win, shouldn't they get a lot of academic credits?"
The female teacher was stunned. "Uh, yes, probably."
Although it was a penalty duel, the designated opponent was, after all, a legendary Duelist. If Judai and the others lost, then expulsion would be the natural consequence. But if they could win, it would also be a glorious matter for the academy. It wouldn't be right not to give them rewards.
Yugen took a deep breath: "Teacher, I am ashamed!"
The female teacher: "?"
What are you ashamed of?
"Actually, I wasn't with Judai and the others in the dormitory. I acted on my own initiative and broke into the prohibited area. I just happened to run into them," Yugen said with a look of remorse. "So I actually wasn't instigated, and just like Yuki Judai, I am a ringleader.
On the contrary, his other roommates were merely accomplices, so I should be the one to accept the punishment!"
The female teacher's mouth fell open, and she stammered for a long while before speaking.
"This... Haha, knowing your mistake is good, knowing your mistake is good. Then, seeing Yugen-kun's sincere attitude of admitting his mistake, the punishment will be waived."
Yugen's eyebrows shot up.
"No, it can't be waived! What would the other students think in the future? Where would the academy's rules and regulations be placed? Wouldn't this set an example for others that 'violating school rules is nothing more than this'?"
The female teacher: "."
She wanted to say, weren't we talking about your classmates? Did we get our lines reversed?
How could there still be someone trying to take the punishment?
"Ahem, I'm very glad you have this kind of awareness," she said. "But once the Administration Office makes a decision, it cannot be changed, and it concerns the dignity of the Administration Office. So let's just forget about this time."
Yugen put on a regretful expression.
"Is that so? Okay, I understand."
He suddenly stood up, bidding farewell and leaving.
Seeing that he didn't linger and was finally ready to leave, the long-legged female teacher finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just kidding, if you went to participate in the penalty duel and lost, could we really expel you?
If Yugen and Judai teamed up and lost, it would look bad on the academy's reputation to expel one but not the other.
Then what would be the point of this penalty duel?
It was good that this kid didn't keep insisting.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she heard Yugen's voice from the hallway just outside the door.
"Hey? Is that Mokuba? It's me. It's like this. Regarding the previous unauthorized entry into the prohibited area, the academy has arranged a tag team duel as punishment, but they're not letting me play. Ah, no, it's that they're not giving me a chance to atone for my sins.
But after thinking about it, I feel really guilty, so I wanted to ask if you could ask the board of directors to contact the academy and give me a chance to bear the punishment together with my friends."
Pfft—
The long-legged female teacher sprayed.
The tea she had just drunk shot out a long way. She hurriedly stood up and chased after him. "Classmate, wait a moment, this matter is still negotiable!"
Yugen turned around in surprise, putting down his phone. "Oh? Teacher, why did you come out?"
The moment he put down his phone, the sharp-eyed female teacher glanced at it; this guy hadn't even turned it on.
The female teacher: "."
She had been outsmarted.
Originally, Yugen had no intention of calling Mokuba for such a trivial matter.
"So, Teacher, does your meaning mean that I can accept the punishment?"
The female teacher waved her hand weakly. "Alright, alright."
Whatever happens, it's fine.
She didn't care anymore.
The same day, the principal's office.
Maeda Hayato was confessing to Principal Samejima, "I was also in that abandoned dormitory, so please let me team up with Judai! Let me accept the punishment!"
"Me too!"
Asuka-san just happened to come in at this moment.
"I also went to the abandoned dormitory last night, I just wasn't discovered," Asuka said seriously. "Please punish me together as well."
Asuka's impression of Judai wasn't bad, but she could see at a glance that Marufuji Sho beside him was useless. Letting Judai team up with Marufuji Sho was completely dragging him down. Even though Judai was strong, she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
So she thought she would take Marufuji Sho's place, so that no matter what, she could increase Judai's chances of winning.
Principal Samejima smiled, "I understand your good intentions. But how to punish you is something the Administration Office has already decided, and in this school, once the Administration Office makes a decision, it will definitely not be changed casually."
Asuka and Maeda exchanged glances, both revealing helpless expressions.
They had heard of the Administration Office's reputation; they were said to be a group of ruthless individuals. Normally, they would only show themselves in serious situations, known for their swift and decisive actions.
If that was what the Administration Office decided...
However, just at this moment, the door automatically opened.
The female teacher from the Administration Office entered the office.
"Principal, the Administration Office has urgently convened an internal meeting and would like to request to withdraw the punishment decision regarding the abandoned dormitory incident," she said. "We are preparing to reassign Fujiki Yugen and Yuki Judai-kun to form a team and participate in a tag team duel."
Principal Samejima: "?"
Asuka x Hayato: "? ?"
Wait, didn't you say the Administration Office's decision was absolute? Didn't you say once it's settled, it can't be changed?
Isn't this a matter concerning the dignity of your Administration Office?