Wanna Duel? I've Got the Pharaoh's Deck! [20]

“Duel’s over. We have a winner!”

As smoke and shockwaves from the final blast faded, the midday sun gleamed off golden bob-cut hair.

Standing at the edge of the Duel Field, Hoshino Mai raised her fair hand, fulfilling her duty as acting judge.

“I hereby declare the winner of this match—Izumi Yuuhi!”

Her clear voice echoed across the open grounds as Yuuhi finally let out a long breath.

Only now did he allow himself to relax.

Though in terms of intensity, this duel couldn’t compare to the matches he’d played in YGO or Master Duel, in terms of importance—it was on a whole different level. Arguably even more significant than the duel he fought the day he first arrived in this world.

Thankfully, he’d made it through.

Thank you... my Deck.

He offered silent gratitude. And just then, he felt a warm pulse coming from his deck box—like it was resonating with him again.

Another new card? he wondered. Maybe something from the anime, or another nostalgic support card like last time.

But now wasn’t the time to check.

“So… does this prove I’m strong enough, Yuki-san?”

Yuuhi turned toward the silver-haired girl on the other side of the field.

Still reeling from the triple impact, Izayoi Yuki had collapsed to the ground, slightly disheveled.

But she paid no mind to appearances. Her gaze was fixed on Yuuhi—and the monster that had vanished as soon as he lowered his Duel Disk.

“[Dark Paladin]... That card… I really didn’t see that coming.”

“Right? I told you Yuuhi-kun would surprise you. Now do you believe me, Yuki~?”

The light overhead dimmed slightly—Yuki looked up to see the face of her grinning best friend.

“What are you planning to do now?”

“What else? I don’t have a choice.”

Yuki sighed, then took Mai’s outstretched hand and stood up. Brushing dust from her uniform skirt, she met the gaze of the boy who’d just defeated her.

He was still waiting for her answer.

“A true Duelist honors their word. I’ll keep my promise. So, as agreed—welcome to the Kiyosumi High Duel Club, Izumi-san. From today on, I look forward to working with you.”

...

“Now that we’ve settled that—let’s talk about the next issue.”

Being a Duelist meant more than technical skill. Mental resilience mattered too.

Back in the club’s lounge, the three of them sat around a small table.

With both hands wrapped around a warm teacup—courtesy of Mai—Yuki had fully recovered from her earlier loss and switched to a tone reminiscent of a class president leading a meeting.

“Next issue?”

“Yes. While I’ve agreed to let Izumi-san join the Duel Club… that alone isn’t enough.”

She looked at Yuuhi. “You’re not a Kiyosumi student yet, are you? And non-students can’t join school clubs.”

Unlike hobby groups like music or game clubs, the Duel Club represented the school in events like the Stardust Cup. Its members had to be current students.

As of now, Yuuhi obviously didn’t meet that requirement.

But neither he nor Mai seemed alarmed.

“That’s not a problem. We talked about this yesterday,” Mai said brightly. “Yuuhi-kun isn’t enrolled anywhere right now, so he can just transfer here!”

Yuuhi added, “Miss Hoshino told me Kiyosumi has a system for special Duel student admissions. I plan to apply through that.”

“Special Duel admissions?”

“Exactly! Isn’t it a good idea, Yuki?” Mai said proudly. “That’s how I got in. Otherwise, I’d never have made it here. With Yuuhi-kun’s skill, getting in should be easy.”

“If he’s admitted, his tuition gets reduced, and academic performance isn’t as heavily weighted. All he has to do is rank well in Duel events each year—and there are even scholarships available. It’s a perfect system for people like us!”

“But the special admission exams are already over,” Yuki said, throwing a bucket of cold water over their plans. “At this point, there aren’t any slots available. It’s not a valid path right now.”

“Which is why… we need your help, Yuki~.”

Mai clasped her hands together and gave Yuki her best pleading look, winking exaggeratedly.

“You and Grandpa Principal get along great, right? He practically treats you like his own granddaughter. Please help us out~?”

“This is what you planned from the start… you’re just trying to pull strings.”

“Hey now, don’t call it that,” Mai said, totally serious. “It’s not cheating—it’s skillfully leveraging personal connections.”

That’s literally pulling strings… Yuuhi nearly said aloud, but held back. After all, Mai was going out of her way to help him.

“...I swear, you’re impossible.”

Eventually, Yuki relented with a sigh. “I normally wouldn’t agree to something like this. But this time’s special. Just this once.”

She’d lost, after all. Helping Yuuhi enroll was also part of honoring the duel’s outcome.

“Yay! I knew you were the best, Yuki~!”

“Stop—get off me! Let go!”

Yuki squirmed away as Mai lunged for a hug. Turning to Yuuhi, she warned, “I’ll put in a word with the principal, but no guarantees. Prepare for the possibility that it won’t work out.”

“That’s fine.”

Yuuhi nodded. “Just the fact you’re willing to try helps a lot. If it doesn’t work, I’ll find another way.”

“Good. Then there’s just one more thing—Izumi-san, I want you to learn how to use Feel.”

“Learn it? You mean Feel can actually be trained?”

“Of course.”

Mai chimed in, “People like me are born with Feel, but most Duelists learn it through practice. It’s basically what Duel Academies exist for—more than just summoning mechanics, they train you to unlock Feel.”

Yuki added, “I don’t know how you managed Fusion without Feel, but the fact remains—you don’t have it, and that’s a risk. I want you to fill that gap before the Stardust Cup begins.”

“I understand.”

Yuuhi had already been curious about Feel. If there was a way to learn it, of course he’d take that chance.

“Is it hard to learn, though?”

It worried him that schools spent years teaching this. Could he really pick it up in time?

“Relax. It’ll be fine.”

Mai’s tone was endlessly optimistic. “How fast you learn does depend on talent—but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Besides, we’ve got Yuki! She’ll teach you. Right, Yuki~?”

“I’m not promising anything,” Yuki said bluntly. “We haven’t even tested his aptitude yet.”

“But I’ll do what I can. Come here every Saturday and Sunday. Once you’re enrolled, show up for every club meeting. I’ll personally train you to develop your Feel.”

“Got it.”

Yuuhi agreed without hesitation. Then something occurred to him.

“By the way, isn’t the club supposed to have other members? Yuki-san, you were the only one here today?”

“Oh, right,” Mai said, glancing around as she realized the room was eerily quiet. “Yuki, weren’t there a few other members? I thought I’d introduce them to Yuuhi-kun…”

“...They’re not coming back.”

“Not coming back? Wait—don’t tell me...”

Mai started puzzled, then suddenly froze as the implications hit her.

“Yeah. That’s what it is.”

Yuki reached into a bag and pulled out a stack of documents, her tone unreadable.

“They’ve all submitted withdrawal forms this week. They’ve quit the club.”

“…What?”

---

T/N: also he reminded me so much of Atem... when he was dueling i love it

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!