The lights and projections on the Duel Arena gradually faded away, yet the noise from the audience still churned like boiling water.
Yunagi and Augustus successively walked down from the Duel stage.
Rikka leaned against the railing with both hands, her eyes still fixed on the now-empty field below.
"Looks like that Yunagi from Xyz Academy and Augustus from Ritual Academy really are impressive," Rikka said as she straightened up and turned toward Phila and Niobe standing nearby.
Phila shrank behind Niobe like a startled quail, nodding frantically.
Niobe patted the tool pouch at her waist, the wrench and screwdriver inside clinking crisply together.
"But no matter what, the Freshman Tournament is still a month away. If we don't lock all the parts together tightly during this month, we'll suffer badly later on," Niobe said.
Rikka's eyes lit up, and she immediately followed up on the idea.
"Then how about we do joint training together!"
"That sounds like a great idea." Niobe agreed readily and casually wrapped an arm around Phila's shoulder.
Phila's body stiffened for a moment before she forced out a somewhat grateful smile.
"Boring."
Eiko coldly spat out the two words.
Without even looking at the three girls gathered together, she turned around and briskly walked down the spectator stairs, heading toward the tree-lined path leading to the library.
Rikka froze for a moment. She had been about to call out to Phila, but swallowed the words back down and quickly turned to chase after Eiko down the stairs.
The midday sunlight filtered through the tall phoenix trees outside the library, scattering mottled patches of light across the granite steps.
Rikka finally caught up to her near the side entrance on the library's first floor.
"Eiko." Rikka was a bit out of breath from running as she stepped in front of her. "There's no need to act like this. We're friends."
Eiko stopped walking and stared at Rikka without saying a word.
That gaze made Rikka's skin crawl slightly. Thinking Eiko was still upset about the joint training proposal, she opened her mouth to explain further.
Suddenly, Eiko raised a hand.
The palm wearing a black fingerless glove directly covered Rikka's mouth, while one finger stood vertically in front of Rikka's nose in a gesture for silence.
Rikka's eyes shot wide.
Just as she was about to struggle, she heard it-
At the end of the side corridor, voices were coming from the power distribution room with its door slightly ajar.
"Give up already. I'm not joining Arcana. These are all my students."
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded distorted, carrying an unpleasantly sticky tone.
"What a shame... Aki. You have the qualifications for it."
"I don't understand what you're talking about. That's all." Aki's voice did not pause in the slightest. "Also, I'll be reporting this matter to Chairman Kaiba."
"Hehehehe."
The laughter on the other end sounded like glass being scraped before the line abruptly disconnected.
The metal door of the power distribution room was pushed open from inside.
Aki, dressed in a gray suit and still holding his phone, stepped out from the dimly lit room.
"That's Teacher Aki from the fundamentals class." Rikka subconsciously pulled Eiko's hand away from her mouth and blurted it out.
In the empty corridor, the sound felt especially abrupt.
Aki's footsteps stopped, and his gaze followed the source of the voice toward the two girls by the side entrance.
Eiko glanced at Rikka, showing no intention of hiding, and directly stepped out from the shadow of the potted plant into the sunlight.
"So you heard it?" The surprise on Aki's face lasted for less than half a second. He adjusted his cuff before once again wearing the kind, reassuring smile he often used in class when calming freshmen. "In any case, if you heard it, then you already know my decision. I'll report this matter to Chairman Kaiba, so there's no need to worry."
His posture looked relaxed. The speech he had just made about rejecting evil forces truly left no room for criticism.
But Eiko continued staring at him.
What she wanted to know wasn't whether Aki had joined them or not.
"Arcana... those Shadow Duelists, right?" Eiko stepped forward, the hem of her coat swaying slightly behind her. "What are they planning to do?"
The smile on Aki's face stiffened for a moment.
"I don't know," Aki said, shaking his head. "After all, I rejected their invitation, so naturally I have no way of knowing their plans."
He revealed a gentle smile, instinctively comforting his students.
"But don't worry. I believe Chairman Kaiba will handle it..."
Aki's gaze passed over the two girls and looked toward the crystal-clear sky outside the library.
"...Probably."
Eiko stared at Aki's flawless smile for a while.
For an adult tempered by society like him, and a teacher at that, it was impossible for him to reveal secrets involving a dangerous organization like the Shadow Duelists to a first-year student; following official procedure and reporting it to the chairman was the standard approach within the system.
Eiko turned around and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction. Rikka followed behind her, glancing back once before leaving.
Aki remained standing in place, maintaining the posture of watching them leave.
Only after the two girls disappeared around the corner of the hallway did the hand hanging by his side slowly tighten into a fist.
Without muttering a single word to himself, Aki turned around and strode toward the central administration building where Chairman Kaiba worked.
The lobby on the first floor of the central administration building was paved with polished marble and filled with cold air-conditioning.
Aki walked to the marble counter at the reception desk.
"I'd like to contact Chairman Kaiba. I have something important to report."
The receptionist on duty looked up and glanced at the teacher-ranking badge pinned to Aki's chest. She nodded, pulled out a blank sheet of A4 paper printed with the Kaiba Corporation logo from a storage box nearby, and slid it across the counter together with a pen.
"Chairman Kaiba is not currently at Duel Academy. She's attending a conference in New Domino City right now. You may write down what you wish to report here, and it will be forwarded to her afterward."
Aki looked at the paper without moving his hand.
"This matter is quite important. It can't be written down. It has to be reported verbally."
The receptionist's expression did not change in the slightest. She pulled the A4 sheet back and returned it to its original place.
"In that case, I'm very sorry. I also do not possess the authority to contact Chairman Kaiba directly."
The lobby was silent, with only the hum of the central air-conditioning.
Aki stared at the now-empty countertop.
"Tch. Same as always."
He tugged at his tightening necktie before turning and walking out of the building.
The sunlight remained blindingly bright, and the academic atmosphere of Duel Academy was as peaceful as ever.
Aki returned to his private office on the second floor of the foundational studies building. He pushed the door open, the door panel slamming against the wall.
On the desk sat a towering pile of Deck construction recommendation booklets he had stayed up all night revising for the freshmen. Beside them rested a mug that had long since gone cold.
He walked to the chair and threw himself heavily against the backrest, tilting his head back while pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples.
He closed his eyes.
"Is something like that going to happen again?"
His mind was filled with those faces that had once been so vividly alive.
Why had things become like this?
The shadow cast by the potted plant in the corner stretched long across the smooth floor.
A faint sound came from within that shadow.
"Then why do you still believe in those people at the top?"
It sounded like something scraping against his eardrums.
Like the whisper of a demon.
"Do you actually want to solve these problems, or are you merely looking for an excuse to absolve yourself?"
Aki's hand pressing against his temple stopped.
The shadow on the floor seemed to come alive, slowly stretching outward.
"Look, I already reported it. They're the ones refusing to act. Because those are the rules. Because the receptionist wouldn't let me in. So... even if you watch your students die right in front of you, there's nothing you can do about it, right? That's the perfectly reasonable excuse you wanted all along."
"Shut up!"
Aki grabbed the mug from the desk and smashed it onto the floor.
The sound of shattering ceramic exploded through the quiet office.
Brown tea splashed onto his pant legs. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling.
Only after staring at the shattered fragments on the floor for a while did he gradually calm down.
"I'll protect these students." Aki looked at the broken ceramic pieces scattered across the ground. "No matter what."
Bracing himself against the edge of the desk, he stood up.
The desk drawer slid open. Aki picked up the Duel Disk that had always been stored inside and rarely left the office.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, straightened the collar of his suit, and pushed open the door before walking out.
...
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