Wanna Duel? I've Got the Pharaoh's Deck! [14]

“Nice to meet you, Izayoi-san.”

After Hoshino Mai introduced them, Yuuhi was the first to greet the white-haired girl across from him with a friendly nod. At the same time, a few details Mai had mentioned the night before flashed through his mind.

Izayoi Yuki—first-year, Class E student at Kiyosumi High. She was in the same class as Hoshino Mai, and served as the president of the school’s Duel Club.

Why a first-year could already lead a club was a question for another time. Regardless of that, her appearance and voice certainly matched her elegant name—

…if you ignored her eyes, that is.

At this moment, those crimson eyes—red as fire—were studying Yuuhi with quiet intensity, as if trying to see through every layer of his soul.

“Nice to meet you too, Izumi-san.”

Despite the scrutinizing gaze, Yuki didn’t forget her manners and responded politely.

Then, without delay, she cut straight to the point.

“Mai already filled me in. Are you seriously planning to join our Duel Club?”

“Yes.”

Yuuhi nodded firmly, his expression serious as he answered Yuki.

“I have a reason I have to enter the Stardust Cup. And right now, joining the Duel Club is the only way I can do that.”

—The Stardust Cup.

It was a massive tournament hosted by the D.A. (Duel Alliance), encompassing the entire Eastern Duel League region.

Eligibility was limited to high school students. It was held during July and August, with the preliminary elimination rounds kicking off a week after final exams ended. If this were a sports manga, the Stardust Cup would be its equivalent of a national championship.

And for those who stood out on this world-stage tournament—those who placed at the top—their path to becoming a professional Duelist would be exponentially smoother. Clubs and sponsors would come knocking, eager to recruit the rising stars. Win Rookie of the Year, and the industry’s doors would swing wide open.

Fame, fortune, a bright future… nearly everything could be won through this one event.

But that wasn’t why Yuuhi wanted to compete.

Sure, Mai’s explanation had gotten his blood pumping. But he hadn’t forgotten what he was really after.

According to Mai, the current president of KaibaCorp would appear in person at the Stardust Cup finals, presenting the championship trophy in his honorary role as the D.A.’s chairman.

Not only that, but a member of the Kaiba family was currently enrolled in the elite Starblade Duel Academy—the strongest academy in the region—and had already publicly declared their intention to participate in the tournament.

Whether it meant winning the championship or just finding a chance to approach someone from the Kaiba family, Yuuhi knew this was his best shot at uncovering the truth behind Kaiba Raito.

Dead or alive… I’ll find out the truth.

After listening, Yuki closed her eyes, as if considering something deeply.

Several seconds passed before she opened them again—

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know what your reasons are, but I can’t accept your request.”

“Ehh!? Why not!?”

Before Yuuhi could say a word, Mai already cried out in protest.

“That was way too fast, Yuki! You’re rejecting him after barely a minute? That’s harsh!”

“You’re asking me why? Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Yuki shot her a side glance, unshaken by Mai’s outburst. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice. Izumi-san has no Feel. Someone like that has no place in the Stardust Cup.”

“Oh, come on, don’t worry so much! Remember the Duel I told you about? Even without Feel, Yuuhi-kun still managed to pull off a Fusion Summon!”

“Maybe that was just dumb luck. Relying on something like that is a disaster waiting to happen. And besides—lack of Feel is still a serious liability. Can you guarantee he can do it every time?”

“Um, I have a question…”

Amid the girls’ back-and-forth, Yuuhi raised a hand.

“Can one of you explain what this Feel you keep talking about actually is?”

“Huh? You don’t know?” Mai blinked, then patiently explained.

“It’s not that complicated. Feel is the power used to control both Duels and cards.”

“The stronger your Feel, the better your control over your Deck. Some say that if your Feel is strong enough, you can even will your top-deck draw—every single time. But that’s way out of our league, so don’t worry about it. Hardly anyone in this era can actually do that.”

“What does matter for us is how Feel affects your ability to understand and perform Extra Deck summoning techniques.”

“Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and anything above Link-2 in Link Summoning—without Feel, none of those are possible. So in that sense, Feel is more like the energy that drives those summons. And as for how big a difference those techniques make in real matches… I don’t need to tell you that, right?”

As an aside: technically, Pendulum Summoning was also part of those categories.

The problem was, Pendulum was so much harder to learn than the others that most people avoided it entirely. It had effectively become obsolete.

To become a pro Duelist, you had to at least master two of the summoning types above.

Mai currently had a solid grasp on Xyz and Synchro, while still working on Fusion and Link.

Yuki specialized in Synchro and Link Summoning.

“So that’s why you rejected me?”

Thanks to Mai’s teacherly exposition, Yuuhi now had a better understanding of this world’s power structure.

Feel reminded him of something like “destiny power”—clearly a formidable force. And there was an unbridgeable gap between those who had Feel and those who didn’t.

“That’s right. I’m glad you understand.”

Yuki spoke with sincere, if blunt, concern.

“Izumi-san, you should give up. The Stardust Cup is full of powerful Duelists. You wouldn’t make it far. Besides… our club’s circumstances are a bit complicated…”

“In that case—let’s Duel!”

“…What?”

Yuki’s sentence was cut short—by Yuuhi.

He met her gaze without flinching. What she saw in his eyes was nothing but unwavering resolve. No hesitation. No doubt.

“You’re worried I’ll drag the team down. I get that. But I don’t think something as vague as Feel is enough to judge whether someone can Duel or not. If you really want me to give up, then prove it to me—in a Duel. And if, by some chance, I win… then you won’t have any reason left to turn me away, will you?”

This guy…

“Hahaha. So, Yuki, what do you say?” Mai grinned expectantly. “Yuuhi-kun laid it all out. Are you going to accept the challenge?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

Yuuhi’s provocation couldn’t have been clearer—and yet, it was also a kind of truth.

This was a Duelist world. Whenever conflict arose, there was almost nothing that couldn’t be settled with a Duel. And if one Duel didn’t do the trick, there was always another.

As a Duelist, there was only one answer when challenged.

So it came as no surprise when Yuki responded.

“Fine.”

Her voice and gaze turned sharp, her demeanor shifting in an instant.

“Izumi-san… if that’s what you want, then so be it.”

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This is a fan translation of 打牌吗？ 我王样卡组！by 夏日戏言 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!