The minibus carrying Yūki and the others slowly headed toward Kaiba Land.
The Kaiba Corporation provided the league venue, so naturally, it was the arena behind Kaiba Land's main hall.
Yūki had been here a few times over the past two days, but the arena out back had clearly been outfitted to a higher standard today.
A red carpet covered the entrance, with the flags of eight middle schools standing on either side.
The list of contestants scrolled across the lobby screen.
Kaiba Corporation staff were also checking Duel Disk parameters, making sure the projection systems and LP displays were synchronized.
Third Municipal Middle School's banner hung at the very end.
Beside it were names like City First Middle School, City Second Middle School, Donggang Middle School, and Beiqiu Academy.
Yūki looked at the twenty-four names on the big screen, his gaze sweeping over a few unfamiliar ones.
Anyone representing their school at least wouldn't be too bad.
Of course, this world's understanding of "strong" was sometimes rather basic.
High attack points.
Loud shouting.
A flashy enough ace.
Anyone who checked two of those three boxes could be hailed as an expert by the spectators.
Satō led the three of them to the contestants' lounge.
"I'm going to sort out the registration paperwork with the other schools' team leaders."
He paused.
"Don't wander off, and don't get into any conflicts."
After saying that, he added another sentence.
"Especially you two."
Kurosawa frowned.
Yūki blinked.
What was that supposed to mean? Did they look like troublemakers?
Asakawa Suzune lowered her head to organize her Booster Pack, as though she hadn't heard a thing.
After Satō left, the three sat in Third Municipal Middle School's lounge area.
Contestants from other schools arrived around them one after another.
Kurosawa was clearly very familiar with this place.
He looked at the main field being calibrated in the center of the arena, his tone far more serious than usual.
"This is where I lost last year. This time, I'm definitely going to win it back!"
Yūki followed his gaze.
"Who did you lose to?"
Before Kurosawa could answer, an amused voice came from beside them.
"To us at City First Middle School, of course."
Three people walked over.
Two boys and a girl, all wearing City Middle First Academy uniforms.
The boy in front was tall and thin, with neatly combed hair and a black Duel Disk casing with a metal nameplate attached along its edge.
His gaze landed on Kurosawa first, and he smiled with familiarity.
"Kurosawa, long time no see. I didn't think you'd be back for the league this year."
Kurosawa's expression visibly turned cold.
"Tachibana Shingo! What are you doing here?"
Tachibana Shingo nodded with a smile.
"You still remember me. Good."
The girl beside him glanced at Third Municipal Middle School's seating sign and spoke casually.
"Third Municipal's here pretty early this year."
The other boy chimed in, "They always leave early, after all. Makes sense to come early and get familiar with the venue."
The remark wasn't harsh.
It was even delivered with a smile.
But it hit Third Municipal Middle School right where it hurt.
Last place every year.
Easy experience points.
The other schools always spoke of them with a touch of habitual disdain.
Kurosawa stood up.
"City First Middle School didn't win the championship last year either, did you? What are you so smug about?"
Tachibana Shingo remained calm and unruffled.
"That's right, so our goal this year is the championship."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Yūki and Asakawa Suzune.
"But what about Third Municipal's goal this year? Don't tell me it's to avoid getting wiped out in the first round?"
The boy beside him laughed aloud.
"Shingo, don't be so sure. What if one of them manages to last an extra round this year?"
The girl lightly patted his arm and said with a smile.
"Don't be like that. The league hasn't even started yet."
Her words urged restraint, but there was amusement in her eyes too.
Kurosawa took half a step forward.
"I still don't accept how I lost that match last year!"
Tachibana Shingo finally looked him in the eye.
"I know."
His tone remained mild.
"You said something similar when you lost last year."
Kurosawa pressed his hand against the edge of his Duel Disk.
Yūki glanced at him.
He knew that gesture.
The last time Kurosawa had nearly used his Duel Disk as a weapon, he had touched that same spot first.
Yūki pursed his lips.
"Kurosawa."
Kurosawa didn't turn around.
Yūki leaned against the back of his chair, his tone flat.
"The tournament hasn't even started. Why get so worked up?"
Kurosawa's fingers stopped.
Yūki continued, "Dueling requires a cool head. They came all this way just to chat with you. Surely it wasn't to foster friendship between schools."
The lounge fell quiet for a moment.
Something shifted in Kurosawa's eyes, and he finally caught on.
He looked at Tachibana Shingo.
Tachibana Shingo's smile faded a little, and one eyebrow rose.
Kurosawa slowly took his hand off his Duel Disk and sat back down.
"Hmph! Almost fell for it."
Yūki nodded.
"Yeah, you caught on before it was too late."
For the first time, Tachibana Shingo took a serious look at Yūki.
"Fujiwara Yūki, right?"
"I've heard of you."
Tachibana Shingo smiled.
"A three-star duelist with some very strange tactics recently appeared at Third Municipal Middle School. There have been a few rumors over at Kaiba Land too. That's you, right?"
The boy beside him raised an eyebrow.
"That's him?"
The girl also looked at Yūki, a little more curiosity in her eyes.
Tachibana Shingo soon withdrew his gaze.
"But the league isn't the same as casual duels at the park."
He looked at Kurosawa.
"Kurosawa, you should know that everyone here studies their opponents."
It sounded like a reminder.
In reality, it was still aimed at Kurosawa.
After all, Kurosawa was the vice president of Third Municipal Middle School's dueling club, with a league record and a reputation.
As for Yūki and Asakawa Suzune...
He had never heard of either of them, so their skills surely weren't much to speak of.
In Tachibana Shingo's eyes, those two warranted attention, but they weren't yet worth putting at the top of his list.
Kurosawa was the opponent he knew and needed to watch out for.
Yūki was happy with that too.
Being underestimated was pretty nice.
Duelists loved opponents who lacked information.
An information gap was a resource.
Tachibana Shingo raised his hand and glanced at his watch.
"All right, it's about time. See you on the field."
He turned and left.
The other two from City First Middle School followed.
After walking a few steps, the boy even looked back and made an encouraging gesture with a smile.
Kurosawa stared after them, his expression ugly.
Asakawa Suzune suddenly spoke.
"They were testing you."
Kurosawa looked at her.
Asakawa Suzune lowered her head and fastened the clasp on her Booster Pack.
"If you'd started arguing just now, it would have thrown you off before the tournament. Even if you didn't argue, they could still confirm that last year's match mattered a lot to you."
Kurosawa fell silent for a moment.
"It does matter to me."
Yūki said, "Nothing wrong with that. Just don't let them know how much."
Kurosawa glanced at him.
"You're certainly calm."
Yūki thought for a moment.
"Mostly because I didn't lose to him last year."
Kurosawa: "..."
Asakawa Suzune raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth.
Kurosawa was left speechless for half a second, but he actually became less tense.
The lights above the arena suddenly came on.
The central screen changed, the Kaiba Corporation's KC logo spinning before coming to a stop.
A clear electronic voice sounded over the loudspeakers.
"Attention, contestants and faculty team leaders."
"Domino City's eleventh annual eight-school dueling league is about to begin."
The conversations in the lounge gradually quieted.
All the contestants looked up at the big screen.
Twenty-four names appeared in order, then began shuffling and scrolling.
The draw system activated.
The names flickered rapidly across the screen, like an entire deck being shuffled and cut at high speed.
Yūki looked up at the scrolling light.
Kurosawa sat up straight.
Asakawa Suzune also held her Booster Pack on her lap, her fingertips resting lightly against its edge.
The announcement sounded again.
"The draw for the first elimination round is complete."
"The following contestants should proceed to their assigned fields and prepare."
The big screen abruptly stopped.
The names of the first pair of contestants lit up.
The league had officially begun!
Before you continue