Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

Yu Xi's mutterings weren't really meant to hide from Xing Yewu, and the girl's question immediately made Yu Xi's expression freeze.

The president of Haima Automobile is a very busy man who makes hundreds of millions of dollars a minute. He doesn't have time to bother with such a small fry as him.

Seeing the troubled look on You Xi's face, Xing Yewu thought for a moment and said:

"In that case, I have a good idea. You Xijun, I wonder if you attend any school?"

"No."

"Well!"

Hearing You Xi's immediate and unhesitating answer, Xing Yewu's eyes lit up. She leaned forward and whispered her idea to the boy who was right next to her.

"Yu Xijun, come and join us for the 'Star Cup'!"

Chapter 13 Dreams and Duel Club, White Hair and Red Eyes

This is a grand hall, with an incredibly spacious interior.

Looking up, the ceiling seemed to stretch endlessly, and the gap between the walls was hundreds of meters long.

Looking around, there were four walls, and no exit could be seen. The entire space was completely sealed off.

The torchlight flickered, and hundreds of torches illuminated the otherwise dark hall.

The numerous stone slabs that covered the walls were illuminated.

Warriors, mages, demons, angels, dragons... numerous patterns are carved on the stone slab.

The lines, some rough, some fine, are tinged with color, while the rest remain a silent leaden gray. But whatever the color, they all possess a powerful aura, as if the dormant entities within them could awaken and leap out at any moment.

And just like being surrounded by stars, there are three exceptionally large stone slabs on the wall in front.

The patterns on the stone slab are exceptionally sacred, grand, and magnificent, inspiring a sense of reverence.

However, these three stone slabs are still not the only main feature of this hall.

Above these stone slabs, there was a beam of light...

……

"Wake up, Yu Xijun, wake up. It's already morning."

"Uh……"

Youxi opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling... but it wasn't.

Golden hair swayed in front of my eyes. Because I was in the backlight, I couldn't see my face clearly, but I could tell from my voice that I was definitely not bad looking.

Yu Xi stared blankly at the blond owner for a long time before her eyes slowly focused and regained their focus. Her mind, which had been empty when she woke up, regained its consciousness and rationality.

"Hmm, is this Miss Hoshino?"

The blonde girl moved aside slightly, and Yuki, who had half-risen, finally matched the girl's face with the image in her memory and called out her name.

Then I remembered what happened after yesterday.

After talking with Xing Yewu, he casually set up a makeshift bed on the floor in her living room, the blanket of which was kindly provided by Xing Yewu. To be honest, You Xi had no idea how much Xing Yewu had taken care of him last night.

In the foreseeable future, it seems he will still need Xingyewu's continued assistance.

Will this ever-growing debt of gratitude ever be repaid...?

Youxi was a little worried.

Xingyewu, on the other hand, didn't think about any of these things at all.

After waking You Xi, she looked him over, then touched his forehead with her palm to check his temperature, before smiling with satisfaction, "Very good, looks like you don't have a cold or fever. Thankfully, yesterday's efforts weren't in vain. By the way, You Xi, judging from your appearance just now, you don't seem to have low blood pressure, do you?"

"It's just a little bit, not much. A short rest will do the trick."

As Yu Xi answered Xing Yewu's question, she was still trying to recall and capture a certain feeling that remained in her mind.

Before waking up, he vaguely remembered having a dream. The dream seemed intense and important. However, no matter how hard he tried, Yu Xi couldn't recall any further details.

"Give."

Just then, a warm touch came from her cheek, bringing Youxi back to her senses.

"This is?"

You Xi then realized that Xing Yewu had pressed a hot water cup tightly against his face.

"Since it's low blood pressure, we need to replenish sugar in time. I don't have anything else good at home, so I'll just make do with sugar water."

After playing a little prank, Xingye Wu handed the thermos back to You Xi. Once the latter took it, he smiled and said, "After you finish drinking, remember to wash your face before you eat breakfast, You Xi-kun. We should be on our way after we finish eating."

"The word 'going on the road' sounds too unlucky."

Despite her complaints, Youxi quickly got to work.

After tidying up the bedding, changing into her high school uniform which had dried the night before, grabbing her card deck and duel disk, and having a good meal, Yuki went out with Hoshino Mai.

Unlike last night, the weather had cleared up, and the morning sun was warm and comfortable. Led by the girl, they took a bus from the station for two stops, which took about thirty minutes, and arrived at their destination—Kiyosumi Academy High School.

It is abbreviated as Kiyosumi High School.

"Although it's not a paradise dedicated to training duelists, Kiyosumi is considered a pretty good school in the area. Starting from the middle school, students can continue all the way up to high school, and the college entrance rate is quite impressive. Many alumni of this academy work in the entertainment industry, so choosing to study here is a very ideal option if you want to enter the entertainment circle."

Perhaps because it was a holiday, there weren't as many students on campus as they had imagined. Apart from the sports club members sweating it out on the playground, the two didn't encounter many other people their age along the way.

As Xingye Wu led Youxi inside, she introduced the glorious history of her school. Youxi didn't seem to care much about that; he was more concerned with something else.

"Not teaching dueling? Then why doesn't Miss Hoshino go to a dueling academy? With your strength, you should be strong enough."

Yu Xi did not miss the exclamations about Xing Yewu's strength from the crowd yesterday, nor the news that a dueling academy also existed locally.

Although he couldn't think of what a real dueling academy could teach students, any duelist who wanted to become stronger would probably not refuse the opportunity to go there to learn.

"I want to go too, but the tuition is just too expensive!"

"3! Yu Xijun, that's over 3 Alliance Coins every year! How could I possibly come up with that?! Why don't those vampires just rob a bank!?"

But Youxi's question was like scratching Xingyewu's itch, and a voice full of resentment immediately filled his ears as he poured out his grievances to her.

Yu Xi was stunned, never expecting that her words would elicit such a strong reaction from Xing Yewu.

But that makes it easier to understand.

From what Youxi observed, it was highly unlikely that Xingye Wu was so wealthy as to spend tens of thousands of yuan a year. She appeared youthful and fashionable, but in reality, she was very careful with every penny.

Living alone is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

"In short, that's about it. That dueling academy isn't really that great, so it's fine not to go. Anyway, it's not like you can only become a professional duelist by starting from a dueling academy."

Then, perhaps having finally vented her pent-up resentment, Xingye Wu took the mineral water handed to her by You Xi, moistened her throat, and temporarily ended the topic.

"Most schools have dueling clubs, but in terms of scale and expertise, they certainly can't compare to dueling academies. Many are just hobby groups, but that doesn't mean there aren't strong individuals among them. For example, the person we're about to meet."

As they spoke, Youxi and Xingyewu walked through the picturesque schoolyard and playground and arrived at their destination.

It was a rather large building, with a plaque above the door that read "Duel Department".

After entering through the wide-open main gate, you can see rows of dueling arenas standing side by side in the open space, similar in scale to those in the GX anime. Opposite the open space, in the direction the two are heading, there is a spacious dojo, giving the impression of a real-world kendo dojo or similar venue.

The tranquility, solemnity, and dignity naturally make people hold their breath and wait with utmost respect.

Surrounded by this atmosphere, a white-haired girl knelt with her eyes closed in the center of the dojo.

She was wearing the same Kiyosumi High School girl uniform as Hoshino Mai, and her long hair was tied into a ponytail with a red thread, revealing her fair neck.

Needless to say, her appearance was exquisite and beautiful, in no way inferior to Xing Yewu. But what was even more striking were her eyes.

When Youxi and Xingyewu approached, the white-haired girl opened her eyes.

It was a crimson gem reminiscent of blood and fire, as if it contained an entire volcano of lava, capable of burning the souls of all enemies to ashes when it erupted.

When she blinked again, Youxi no longer had that feeling.

Xingyewu greeted her, "Good morning, Xiaoxue~! I'm sorry, we didn't disturb you, did we?"

"not at all."

The girl called Xiaoxue gently shook her head, indicating that Xingye Wu's concerns were unnecessary: ​​"I had already planned to end my meditation, and you've come at the right time—by the way, Wu, is he the person you mentioned?"

As she spoke, the girl's gaze also shifted to You Xi's face.

"Yes, right! Xiaoxue, let me introduce you. This is You Xijun. I just met him a couple of days ago, a rising star."

Xingye Wu first presented her palm to Youxi, but after finishing her previous statement, she turned to the white-haired girl—

"Then there's Yuki, who is the head of our dueling club: Izayoi Yuki."

Chapter 14: Proving it through a duel

"Nice to meet you, Izayoi-kun."

After Xingye Wu introduced the two to each other, Yu Xi greeted the girl opposite him first. At the same time, some basic personal information that Xingye Wu had given him the night before flashed through his mind.

Izayoi Yuki is a first-year student in Class E at Kiyosumi High School. She is classmates with Hoshino Mai and is also the captain of the school's dueling club.

Leaving aside the question of why a freshman could become the leader of a club, this white-haired girl truly lived up to her name, both in appearance and voice.

...as long as you don't pay attention to her eyes.

At this moment, those fiery red eyes were scrutinizing You Xi with a critical gaze, as if trying to see through everything about him.

"Nice to meet you, Izumi-kun."

While observing him closely, Izayoi Yuki did not neglect her manners or ignore her conversation with Yuki.

And get straight to the point.

"I've already heard about this from Wu. Are you really planning to join our Duel Club?"

"Yes."

Yuki nodded, and he answered Izayoi Yuki with a very serious expression.

"I have a reason to participate in the Star Cup competition. As it stands, joining the Duel Club is the only way."

—Star Cup.