Yu-Gi-Oh!: Starting with an Underworld Deck, Depressing the World

It was just the "kindness" of bringing others a healing smile!

"Jiang He, huh? Maybe he'll be an interesting opponent who can reignite my fighting spirit..."

At a railing in the spectator area, Zane Truesdale watched Jiang He return to where Alexis and the others were.

A smile of interest and fighting spirit appeared in his eyes as he spoke.

Zane was not the only one watching Jiang He return. Several others were also paying attention to him.

"Kuri, kuri...!"

As soon as Jiang He returned to the spectator area where Alexis Rhodes, Syrus Truesdale, Jaden Yuki, and the others had been standing at the start,

he heard a warning from Sphere Kuriboh, who had reappeared on his shoulder!

Sphere Kuriboh was telling him what he had noticed.

"Someone's been watching me?"

Jiang He raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked in the direction Sphere Kuriboh indicated.

The first thing he saw was a familiar figure in blue and white standing by a railing in the distant spectator area, with medium-short blue-black hair and a somewhat cold face.

When the other person noticed Jiang He looking over, he immediately nodded in greeting.

Then he politely looked away and resumed watching the other duels in the practical class.

It was clearly Duel Academy's top student, Kaiser Zane Truesdale, whom Jiang He had also seen during the earlier duel test.

Jiang He was not surprised that Zane had taken particular notice of him.

For one thing, Syrus, Jaden's little sidekick, was Zane's younger brother.

That connection alone was enough to ensure Zane would pay some attention to what was happening around him. But when Jiang He saw the second person Sphere Kuriboh had warned him was watching, his expression turned a little peculiar.

Because the second person who had been watching him was none other than the Slifer Red dorm supervisor,

the squinting Professor Banner...

The next second, Jiang He saw it.

When Professor Banner realized Jiang He had looked over after Sphere Kuriboh's warning, the squinting professor gave a couple of awkward chuckles,

then hurriedly looked away to cover it up!

Clearly, Banner could also see Duel Spirits like Sphere Kuriboh!

He simply had not expected the Sphere Kuriboh at Jiang He's side to be so sensitive to things like fluctuations in human emotions...

Jiang He did not pay the squinting Professor Banner any more attention.

After all, the squinting professor was not a bad person.

He just had a few little personal secrets and some connection to a certain matter...

"Jiang He, once I've had some time to get properly prepared, duel me too!"

Before Jiang He could look toward the third person, he suddenly heard Jaden Yuki, who had already come up beside him, speak excitedly!

The spectral figure of a little furball monster with small wings also emerged from Jaden's deck and flew out.

It looked curiously at the little fellow standing on Jiang He's shoulder, Sphere Kuriboh.

"Kori, kori."

"Kuri, kuri!"

Just as Winged Kuriboh drew a little closer, Sphere Kuriboh suddenly let out a puzzled cry. Then he reached out a short little hand and made an unexpected move,

parting the brown fur of Jaden's winged furball monster to check its sex...

"Pfft!" Jiang He nearly spat.

Chapter 46: Unintentional Flirting Is the Deadliest

"Ah...!" Jaden Yuki was also struck dumb, staring at the scene with his mouth hanging open.

"Kori, kori!"

Winged Kuriboh was so startled that it hurriedly flew backward and quickly dove back into Jaden's deck, disappearing from sight.

"Kuri, kuri?"

Sphere Kuriboh held up his short little hand with a puzzled look and tilted his head, seemingly having no idea why the other had run away.

The corners of Jiang He's mouth twitched a couple of times, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.

Their reactions drew puzzled looks from Alexis Rhodes and the two beside her, as well as Syrus on the other side.

They could not understand why, after Jaden had invited Jiang He to duel him sometime later, when the time was right,

the two of them were reacting so strangely.

It was as if they had seen something unbelievable.

Alexis Rhodes and the others followed their gazes and took a couple of looks, but around the spot above Jiang He's shoulder,

they could see nothing there at all!

"Ahem, of course I'd welcome a duel. Whenever you're ready, Jaden."

Jiang He coughed to cover his embarrassment and nodded as he spoke.

After all, it was his Duel Monsters spirit who had done it...

He could only take some of the blame himself.

Still, Jiang He was a little curious.

Was that furball monster Winged Kuriboh male or female?

He decided to ask the little fellow who had parted its fur once they got back to the dorm!

"O-of course..." Jaden Yuki seemed unsure how to respond and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Speaking of which, when will it be your turn to duel, Alexis?" Jiang He coughed and changed the subject, asking Alexis Rhodes, who was standing right beside him.

"Not everyone gets a turn in practical dueling class. Especially since I'm already a second-year Obelisk Blue student, I might not get to duel at all."

Although she was a little curious about what had just happened,

Alexis Tenjo did not dwell on it for the moment. She quickly collected herself and answered Jiang He.

"And as the strongest queen in the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, no one dares face Alexis lightly in the girls' duels held according to the rules!"

Jasmine, the red-haired girl with medium-short hair and one of Alexis's two close friends who followed her around, added proudly from the side.

"Jasmine...!" Alexis protested, blushing slightly at the praise.

If someone else had called her the queen of the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, she would not have been embarrassed.

After all, it was the truth. Among all the girls at Duel Academy, she was the strongest.

Even including the boys, there were hardly one or two who could beat her.

But to be called that by Jasmine in front of Jiang He, the infuriating guy who had just defeated her last night,

somehow felt a little strange.

Fortunately, Alexis stole a glance at Jiang He's reaction.

She found that Jiang He was not making any strange expression at all.

In fact, he even seemed to agree completely and was nodding!

That made Alexis Rhodes pause, and then a slight smile appeared on her face.

This guy...

Jiang He really did think so.

Alexis Rhodes was indeed quite strong.

At least among the female duelists he knew, she was undoubtedly one of the few at the very top.

Especially at Duel Academy, she was a queen with absolutely no rivals.

And once Alexis's exclusive Cyber Angel deck was fully complete, it would be just as powerful.

Most importantly...

Almost all the monsters in that deck were mature angel beauties.

That made Jiang He even more interested!

If they all awakened as Duel Monsters spirits, he could hardly imagine the sight.

Compared with that, he had only awakened one little Sphere Kuriboh so far, and he could not have been more envious.

With his two underworld decks, even if he later had a chance to exchange for an ability and awaken more monster spirits,

he did not want them!

After all, he could hardly awaken a Celtic Guardian monster spirit and fence with it...

Alexis naturally had no idea what rude things Jiang He was thinking.

Otherwise, she would surely have been unable to resist punching someone in the head right then.

After exchanging a few words, Jiang He continued watching the others dueling in the practical class on the field.

A few "familiar faces" took the field, but most were unknown Duel Academy students.

Jiang He even spotted the two background-character lackeys he had seen following Chazz Princeton before.

And they had the bad luck to be matched against each other.

Seeing those two suddenly reminded Jiang He of the clown Chazz, who had dueled that hot-blooded idiot Jaden Yuki before Jiang He did

and been defeated in front of everyone.

The third person Sphere Kuriboh had just warned him was watching him

was none other than that comedian and clown, Chazz.

But now, he seemed to have vanished.

Jiang He swept his gaze around the entire area, from the spectator section to everywhere else, but saw no sign of Chazz's easily recognizable long, spiky hedgehog hairstyle.

That guy couldn't have been so shaken by those blows one after another that he dropped out early of his own accord, could he...? Jiang He muttered inwardly, his expression peculiar.

After all, he remembered that in the original timeline, the clown Chazz had voluntarily left school for a while after being defeated repeatedly,

then returned by another route to seek revenge.

At the same time, he had embarked on a road as a comedian and clown from which there was no turning back...

But since Jiang He could not see him now, he could not be completely sure.

He decided to wait and see.

If Chazz really had temporarily dropped out earlier than in the story Jiang He knew, Jiang He would find it a little regrettable.