Yu-Gi-Oh! The Pitfall Hero

Hearing Yusei's shout, Kagurazaka, who had originally intended to end her life without hesitation, immediately stopped in her tracks and looked in Yusei's direction with intense hatred: "Yusei! How could you possibly understand my feelings?"

"You, surrounded by your comrades, bathed in dazzling light, admired by all... how could you possibly understand the feelings of a loser like me???"

"I really don't understand your thoughts...and I don't want to comment too much on your choice..."

Noticing that Kagurazaka was attracted by his shout, Yusei continued, "But, in your heart, isn't there even a little bit of a refusal to admit defeat? Aren't you thinking about becoming stronger and defeating those who once looked down on me?"

"I……"

I don't!

Faced with Yusei's questioning, Kagurazaka instinctively wanted to refute it; he had such thoughts, but he could never bring himself to say them.

These are just three simple words, yet they are so difficult to express...

why?

"Kagurasaka, do you know why you lost to me?"

Looking at the bewildered Kagurazaka, Yusei suddenly asked a question that piqued his interest.

"why?"

“That’s because…” Yusei turned to look at the crowd watching him and then said, “I have something that you don’t, and that is the belief in the deck!”

"Yugi Muto's deck is indeed very strong... but it's not your deck after all."

"With that deck alone, you'll never be able to beat me..."

The bond between OCG card players and their decks is maxed out!

In terms of bonds, you, Kagurazaka, can only look on in the dust at the feet of me, Yu.

"Heartfelt sentiment... what is that?"

Muttering the unfamiliar word to himself, Kagurazaka's face immediately showed a look of curiosity.

"emmm..."

Unable to articulate his thoughts clearly for the moment, Yusei's face showed a thoughtful expression: "...In terms you can understand, it's..."

"It means that every card you choose can move you, which is why you believe in the deck from the bottom of your heart... Your deck is full of cards that you choose to believe in, and in this way, the deck will respond to your call... That belief in the deck will give the duelist the corresponding spirit and the determination to influence the outcome of the duel..."

In place of Yusei, Caesar, who had been silent until now, spoke up with a summary: "If that deck had been used by the Duel King Yugi Muto himself, the outcome of the duel just now would certainly not have been as one-sided as yours."

"Kagurasaka, what you lack is your own path!"

"Yusei... Caesar... I..."

Upon hearing Yusei and Caesar's (Ryo Marufuji) explanations, Kagurazaka's self-destructive thoughts gradually dissipated, replaced by a desire to start anew.

“Blindly imitating others will only lead you astray!” Picking up where Marufuji left off, Yusei pointed a finger at Kagurazaka, who was turning around in the sea: “Kagurasaka, the reason you lost is not because of anything else, but simply because you haven’t found your own path! You don’t have your own deck!”

"I... um..."

"woo woo woo woo……"

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Kagurazaka, who had paid a heavy price for her actions, covered her cheeks and wept bitterly.

The night wind, carrying a slight chill, swept over Kagurazaka's soaked body, taking away his momentary impulsive thoughts.

"Let's move to a different place and start a new life."

By frankly expressing his true thoughts, Yusei managed to save a life that should have been lost.

Unlike the previous villain Titan, Kagurazaka, who went astray, has already paid the price he deserved.

Despite his many mistakes, his life should not end here in this way.

There's no need to force yourself to stay at Duel Academy. Kagurazaka can start a new life elsewhere now.

……

...

After that, as agreed with Mahad, Yusei returned the deck to Professor Kunonos, the person in charge of the exhibition, and while returning the deck, he also avoided his grateful hug.

That unusually handsome face was ultimately enjoyed by Marufuji Sho.

As for Kagurazaka, after being persuaded by Yusei to return to the shore, he left Duel Academy the next day and began his new life.

"As expected, this peaceful daily life is exactly what I wanted!"

Holding the poster Professor Kunonos gave him, Yusei stood in the exhibition hall with Jaden Yuki and the others, a satisfied expression on his face.

287 Transfer Student - Saotome Rei

The series of events triggered by the theft of the card deck were ultimately resolved satisfactorily thanks to Yusei's intervention.

After returning the deck to the exhibition hall, Yusei and Jaden Yuki each received a poster featuring a full-body image of Yugi Muto from Professor Chronos and Aunt Tomie, respectively.

Whether by coincidence or design, the posters they received featured Xiao Biao and Wang Xiang in dueling poses, respectively...

In short, in Yusei and his friends' dormitory, in addition to the poster of "Traitor Dragon" representing Osiris Red, there were two more Duel King posters pasted on the wall.

……

...

A few days passed after that.

"There's someone I'd like to introduce to everyone~~~"

As the sun set, one evening during dinner time, in the dining hall of the Osiris Red dormitory, Mr. Daitokuji suddenly appeared, greeting everyone with a broad smile and announcing, "This is our newest member, a transfer student who has joined our Osiris Red—Saotome Rei~~"

After saying this, Master Daitokuji slowly moved away.

From behind him, a petite boy wearing a small Osiris red uniform and a large beret that completely covered his head appeared in everyone's sight.

The transfer student named Saotome Rei glanced slightly at the people in the cafeteria, then quickly lowered her head again, her cheeks beginning to flush slightly.

He seems to be... an introverted child...

"...A transfer student, at this time?" Yusei, who was sitting with Yuki and the others and was in a daze, suddenly raised his head and looked towards where the transfer student was when he heard this voice.

Saotome...

Saotome Rei...

Why does this name sound so familiar?

It seems like... I've heard that somewhere before...

I can't quite remember right now...

"Wow! This transfer student is so petite, she looks like a girl!" Hayato exclaimed, straining his eyes to see the transfer student's small stature.

"He finally transferred here, only to be assigned to Osiris Red, the worst class in Duel Academy. He must be feeling really frustrated... I feel like I can understand how he feels!" This was Marufuji Sho's statement. Even now, he hasn't given up on the idea of ​​moving up the ranks.

Although, in the short term, this upgrade is basically none of his business.

--Snapped! ! !

“…Okay!” After hearing the three people’s speech, Yuki Judai, who had been silent all along, quickly stuffed the rice in front of him into his mouth, slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and rushed to Daitokuji-sensei and Saotome Rei’s side.

Yusei: "?"

Saotome: "???"

Everyone was surprised by Jaden Yuki's sudden action.

What new tricks is Judai Yuki planning now?

"Cough cough!"

Under everyone's gaze, Jaden Yuki stood in front of the two, cleared his throat, and, oblivious to everyone else, stretched out his arms towards the ceiling, then shouted loudly, "Go! Go! Rei-san~~~~"

……

Silence, suffocating silence.

Because of Jaden Yuki's incredibly abrupt actions, the cafeteria fell into an eerie silence.

"I wipe..."

Seeing Jaden Yuki's incredibly awkward behavior, Yusei, who felt even more embarrassed than him, rushed to Jaden Yuki's side, pulled his hands down sharply, locked them behind his back, and stopped him from continuing his foolish actions.

At the same time, Yusei looked apologetically in Saotome's direction: "Sorry... my roommate's old habit has flared up again, I'll carry him away right now!"

Damn it... if Jaden Yuki keeps making this awkward, I could scrape together enough money to buy a seaside villa...

"Uh... Judai-kun... what are you doing?" Daitokuji-sensei, who was adjusting his glasses and sweating profusely, couldn't help but ask Yuki Judai, who was being held captive by Yusei.

He also had a deep understanding of Jaden Yuki's unconventional personality.

However, even Daitokuji-sensei, the dormitory supervisor, couldn't understand why Jaden Yuki would make such a puzzling move at this time.

"Aaaaaah!!! Let me go, Yusei! I need to cheer for that kid!"

With her hands locked and struggling, Judai Yuki answered Daitokuji-sensei's question with a matter-of-fact expression: "...Needless to say, I was just cheering on the transfer student!"

Speaking of this, Judai Yuki looked in Saotome's direction and said, "You're a transfer student too... Don't worry about your grades! Get along well with us from now on and study hard together~"

"Hmm..." Upon hearing these words, Saotome did not show any relief. Instead, she fearfully hid behind Daitokuji-sensei and looked warily in the direction of Yuki Jaden and Yusei.

"Uh……"

Seeing Saotome's somewhat abnormal behavior, Yusei suddenly thought of a certain possibility and abruptly let go of Yuki Jaden's arm.

That look in her eyes, that running posture, and that face that looks so much like a girl...

Could it be...

This guy, like Miss Jie back then, was probably a tomboy disguised as a boy...

It's like there's a sense of familiarity...

That makes sense now!

"Judai-kun...aren't you misunderstanding something?"

Seeing Yuki Jaden rubbing her arms after being released by Yusei, Daitokuji-sensei, with a troubled expression on her face, said, "Saotome-san, you didn't get into Osiris Red because of bad grades, you know?"