NOVEL WEB Chapter 215: 215
In the principal's office, watching the duel end, Crowler jumped onto the desk in excitement, stomping and dancing bizarrely on the table while punching the air with enthusiasm.
"Yes!!!!!!"
"As expected of Amaki!"
"Amazing!"
"Super mamma mia! Haha!"
It wasn't until he realized where he was and what he was doing that he quickly coughed twice, jumped down from the table, clasped one hand behind his back to pose like a master, and discreetly used his left hand to tidy up the desk.
However, Dean Napoleon wasn't in the mood to scold or remind him about decorum. At that moment, Napoleon sat slumped in his chair, pale and despondent, looking utterly dejected.
As the duel ended, the virtual projections slowly faded. Hikaru gathered his cards from his Duel Disk, activated the auto-sort function to organize his Deck, then withdrew it and let the Duel Disk retract automatically.
He then raised both hands to wave at the students on either side, smiling and thanking them.
"That was incredible, Master!" Celina beamed brightly, waving enthusiastically at Hikaru. "You fought amazingly!"
She had previously only seen pre-recorded or streamed duels. Watching Hikaru duel live, up close in the front row of the Academy Duel Arena, and seeing the towering shadow of the rock-like fallen angel clash with its opponent, she was so fired up, she almost wanted to duel someone right then to release her excitement.
'So cool!'
'Fusion!'
A few upperclassmen smiled wryly at her overexuberance.
At first, Celina hadn't shown much emotional fluctuation. Perhaps it was because Professor Akaba had raised her too ruthlessly. She didn't seem like a normal girl. Back then, they found her hard to approach.
But Celina was serious about dueling and always respectful, so everyone grew fond of her. Over time, they realized she simply lacked common sense, not feelings, and that made them even more willing to help her.
Because of her, they could somewhat understand why Zane felt compelled to help his juniors.
Meanwhile, after finishing his duel and bowing, Hikaru turned around just as Rox, who had collapsed to one knee after his defeat, finally came to his senses. Rox stood and tried to stop Hikaru.
"Wait, wait, Amaki! I still have something to say!"
Hikaru paused and glanced back at him.
"You're certainly strong. Regardless, in this world, this universe, or in countless others, there are beings even stronger than you. If you can't—"
But Hikaru didn't let him finish. He turned and walked straight toward the lounge.
He still needed to wait for Professor Crowler.
Rox kept talking; however, when he realized Hikaru was completely ignoring him, he finally gave up, staring blankly as Hikaru walked away.
What Rox said during the duel hadn't been a lie. Hikaru wasn't trying to win over the students by showcasing his Fusion power.
He had simply come to duel.
The greatest form of contempt isn't words or glares.
It's two words: total silence.
Through his actions, Hikaru had already told Rox he had zero interest in his philosophy.
'Could someone this pure really exist in the world?'
'Just... someone who purely loves Fusion?'
Hikaru arrived at the lounge, rubbing his head. Beside him, Tierra, who had spent the duel mostly watching her own creations and internally praising her own artistic genius, finally decided to speak.
"Hikaru, that human earlier, from my perspective, really did believe what he was saying. He genuinely wanted to help you become the Emperor of the Academy.
Which means, even though he's technically that Akaba something's subordinate, his intentions weren't aligned with him."
She tilted her head, stroking her chin as she explained to Hikaru.
Hikaru nodded.
To her, Rox was a bit of an oddball.
Nevertheless, to Hikaru...
What's the big deal?
Just another slightly unhinged teacher.
In the original, Duel Academy had plenty of teachers like that. Duel Academy has always been a haven for eccentric geniuses. Every teacher in the series had their own quirks.
Curry freaks, poison-happy medics, even Crowler, though a good teacher, was a true aristocrat.
And then there were the big names. Principal Sheppard wasn't just a teacher, but the global head and grandmaster of the Cyber Style.
And that was just the public-facing staff.
Professor Banner, who looked weak and cat-obsessed, was actually the world's greatest alchemist, a creator of artificial life and philosopher's stones.
There were other masters, too. Duel Academy's main and branch campuses were full of prodigies. Even the West Branch's Professor Cobra was able to overwhelm even near-peak Jaden with his auto-win monsters. These were true legends in the game.
And if we include manga canon, the list of absurd teachers only grows longer.
That might be why, in this world, even someone as obviously unhinged as Professor Akaba can still hold a faculty post.
After all, Duel Academy has no shortage of unhinged teachers.
Meanwhile, while Hikaru waited;
BANG!
The doors to the principal's office burst open.
Dean Napoleon stormed inside and shouted, "You'll regret this, Crowler!"
"I'm the principal now, Dean Napoleon!" Professor Crowler stood tall, straightening his suit with a radiant expression, clearly no longer cowed by Napoleon.
"Acting principal!" Napoleon retorted angrily.
Yet even Crowler, who usually hated being called "acting," didn't care this time.
To him, the loser's shouting was the sweetest music.
Dean Napoleon snorted again, spotted Hikaru, and immediately put on a polite face. "Amaki-kun, excellent performance. We'll be promoting you to Obelisk Blue."
"Thank you very much, Dean Napoleon."
Napoleon had no complaints about Hikaru. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he threw one last glare at Crowler and left.
Crowler watched him go, smiling like a wolf, chuckling for quite some time before checking the clock and clearing his throat. Then he turned to Hikaru.
"Amaki-kun, your performance was outstanding! Truly the pride of the Academy!"
"You flatter me, Professor." Hikaru entered the principal's office and asked curiously, "Did you call me here for something else?"
Originally, he figured he could go back to his normal schedule after the duel. He hadn't expected Crowler to summon him afterward.
...
Bonus Chapter @400 PS
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