"Have a seat, Yūki. Anywhere you like. No need to be so formal."
Principal Samejima raised a hand toward the leather sofa opposite his mahogany desk, his round, chubby face brimming with a warm, easygoing smile.
Wisps of white steam rose from the purple clay teapot on the desk, and the fragrance of tea spread through the quiet office.
Yūki made himself at home, pulled out the sofa, and sat down with his legs spread, casually picking up the hot tea the principal had personally poured him and taking a small sip.
"You didn't call me all the way over from the assessment just to have tea, did you, Principal?"
Yūki set down his cup and studied the bald principal with a smile.
Samejima chuckled, his drooping mustache twitching as the corners of his mouth rose.
"A young man with spirit. Excellent! Actually, I asked you here today mainly because I watched recordings of several of your matches in the school assessment and the competition."
Samejima interlaced his fingers on the desk, undisguised admiration showing in his eyes.
"Frankly, I was astonished. Especially by your understanding and use of the Cyber Dragon deck. Those savage mechanical blows, those precise finishing blows through fusion, even your unique approach to building around Chimeratech Monsters..."
"In all my years leading the Cyber Style, I've never seen such a profound and ferocious approach."
"You're too kind, Principal."
Yūki waved a hand, looking as humble as could be.
"There's nothing profound about my little tricks. I just tend to have slightly better luck. I happened to send the monsters in my hand to the Graveyard, then happened to draw Overload Polymerization. It's all thanks to my deck being kind enough to keep me fed."
Standing by the window, Zane Truesdale couldn't help a slight twitch