Wanna Duel? I've Got the Pharaoh's Deck! [22]

“What did you say? Official team member?”

“Izumi-kun?”

Yuuhi's statement dropped into the room like a stone tossed into a pond, sending ripples through the lounge.

Both Izayoi Yuki and Satomi Shou stared at him in shock, momentarily frozen in surprise.

Yuki hadn’t expected Yuuhi to announce it so bluntly, while Shou hadn't imagined such a brazen self-introduction.

“You brat, you've got some guts!”

The silence barely lasted before someone broke it.

It was one of Shou’s lackeys—specifically, a thug-like boy with messy red hair. With a curse, he lunged forward, aiming to grab Yuuhi’s shirt collar.

But before he knew what happened, he was swiftly countered.

Without flinching, Yuuhi intercepted the delinquent’s hand. As the other boy gasped in confusion, Yuuhi twisted his arm backward.

“Aaaah—Ouch, ouch, ouch! That hurts!”

The thug lost all ability to resist before he even realized it.

“Whoa~!”

Mai’s eyes sparkled at the clean, efficient takedown. “Nice moves, Yuuhi-kun!”

“Yeah. I learned a bit from my older brother,” Yuuhi replied calmly. “Just enough to protect myself, usually.”

“Isn’t this going a bit too far, classmate?”

Another voice cut in, far less pleased with the current situation.

Satomi Shou scowled at Yuuhi with clear dissatisfaction. “Riku just wanted to say hello. Isn’t your reaction a bit over the top?”

“You call that saying hello?”

Yuki challenged coldly. “Who greets people by grabbing their clothes?”

If Yuuhi hadn't reacted so swiftly, she would've stepped in herself. Right now, she strategically placed herself between them and the blond-haired delinquent, effectively blocking his advance.

If Shou or his followers wanted to escalate things, they'd have to go through her first.

“Oh, come now, Yuki-chan, you're just misunderstanding.”

Shou brushed off Yuki’s icy reproach casually. “Riku and Raiku are from the countryside. This is just how they say hello back home. It looks aggressive, but they're genuinely friendly and polite. Isn't that right?”

“Yeah, totally!”

“We just wanted to be friends with Izumi-kun and get to know him better. You're the ones making a big fuss about nothing, so hurry and let Riku go already!”

“Ohh, I see now!”

Mai clapped her hands together in mock revelation. “You’re joking! Haha, that really was a good one.”

Satomi Shou’s explanation was so blatantly ridiculous, no one in their right mind would take him seriously.

The delinquent’s reckless action had swiftly intensified the room’s tension, pushing it to the verge of explosion. Yet, surprisingly, it was their opponents who took a step back first.

“Fine, fine, I'll apologize.”

Shou sighed theatrically and turned to Yuuhi with a feigned helplessness. “Your name’s Yuuhi-kun, right? I'm sorry. My two subordinates here are from a small town and aren’t very bright. They're not familiar with the etiquette here in the city. I hope you can forgive their rude behavior and not take it too seriously.”

“Oh, I don’t mind at all. After all, when disciplining a dog, you should always consider its owner first, right?”

Yuuhi met Shou’s gaze, still gripping Riku’s arm tightly. “However, I’m personally not a fan of this kind of ‘etiquette.’ Satomi-san, I hope you’ll keep them under control so something similar doesn’t happen again.”

“Of course, of course. I guarantee it won’t happen again.”

“Good.”

With Shou’s promise, Yuuhi immediately released his grip.

The red-haired delinquent stumbled backward, shooting a hateful glare at Yuuhi but ultimately retreating behind Shou without further incident.

“Eh? You let him off just like that, Yuuhi-kun?”

Mai leaned in close, whispering in confusion.

“Guys like that aren’t worth holding onto. He’d never be a meaningful threat anyway.”

Yuuhi had seen through the situation clearly.

Lackeys like these were disposable; Shou could easily replace them. He'd only intervened earlier to pressure Yuuhi’s side. Once it became clear it wouldn’t work, Shou backed off—though not entirely.

“Thank you, Yuuhi-kun, for being so understanding.”

Shou's eyes darkened slightly, seeing how close Yuuhi and Mai had gotten.

“But—I can’t simply ignore what you said earlier. Yuki-chan, is it true?”

“Don’t call me Yuki-chan.”

Yuki corrected him sharply again, though she reluctantly confirmed, “You heard correctly. Izumi-kun is indeed the third member I've chosen.”

“So you weren't lying…”

Shou scrutinized Yuuhi once more, eyebrows raised skeptically.

“Not to offend, Yuki-chan, but isn't this desperation on your part? You’ve picked someone who joined today—and a person like him, at that.”

“Is there a problem?”

This time it was Mai, not Yuki, who shot back sharply. “Personally, I think Yuuhi-kun’s perfectly okay—certainly leagues better than someone like you.”

“Now, now, that's not fair. I’m the son of Kiyosumi Academy’s chairman, remember? Do you understand what that means, Mai-chan?”

Shou’s obnoxious, smug grin returned.

“In terms of seniority and background, I’m your senior in the Duel Club. As for dueling skills, I've received elite training since childhood. Picking him instead of me? Honestly, you girls have made a huge mistake.”

“Exactly!”

Shou’s followers chimed in enthusiastically. “Satomi-san is obviously the best candidate for the official team! How could some random pretty boy ever compare?”

However, nobody else paid these two minor characters any attention.

“Is that true, Hoshino-san?” Yuuhi turned and asked curiously. “Is he actually strong?”

“Oh no, no, definitely not.”

Mai waved dismissively, tearing apart Shou’s self-praise instantly.

“That guy’s skills are barely average at best, even within our club. He’s never once beaten me or Yuki in our regular practice duels. I heard he even tried training at a Cyber-Style dojo, but he accomplished absolutely nothing. He may look elite, but he's thoroughly mediocre.”

“So he’s weaker than you and Izayoi-san?”

“Even if I’m weaker, I'm still stronger than someone like you!”

The blunt exchange between Mai and Yuuhi finally cracked Shou’s pretentious facade, and his expression turned dark.

Humiliated and irritated, Shou snapped, “Regardless, I possess [Feel]—I’m a genuine duelist with a promising future. Someone like you, who lacks [Feel] entirely, isn't even qualified to compete with me.”

Why does everyone keep insisting I don't have [Feel]?

Could it be like Ki in Dragon Ball, something that people with it can sense?

“Then why don't we test that?”

An idle, off-topic thought crossed Yuuhi’s mind, even as he uttered words strikingly similar to ones Yuki had recently heard from him.

“Dueling issues should be solved through dueling. The official team representing the school should consist of the Duel Club’s strongest. Since you insist you're stronger than me, prove it through a duel. If you beat me, I'll obviously lose the right to be on the team.”

“But if you lose, you'll have to pay an appropriate price as well. That's fair, isn’t it, Satomi-senpai?”

Yuuhi deliberately emphasized the last word, openly provoking his opponent.

At that, Satomi Shou narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Oh…?”

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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!