A new life at duel academy

Oh my god.... That was the only thing ringing in my head. This class was boring as fuck. That was the only way I could describe it without sounding like a huge asshole. I leaned my head on the table, trying to fight the urge to close my eyes and drift off.

"Slacker, get up." A gentle nudge pulled me back to reality.

"Kai, get up! Crowler is calling for you!" Syrus and Jaden urged, shaking me a little harder.

"Uh, what??" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Get up, Kai!" Jaden said again, his voice a mix of urgency and amusement.

"Yeah," I yawned, stretching as I tried to shake off the drowsiness. "What happened?"

"You Slifer slacker, if you aren't interested in my class, you can leave, you know. Not that this class will help a slacker like you." Crowler's voice boomed from the front, dripping with disdain.

I grabbed my bag and stood up, feeling a mix of defiance and relief.

"Wait, wher—"

"You are right, teach; I'm not interested in your class, so I'm leaving," I shot back, turning on my heel and striding out of the classroom, eager to escape the monotony. I made my way toward the school shop, where I hoped to find some semblance of enjoyment.

As I entered, I was greeted by a cheerful voice. "Hello there! Are you a new student?"

"Yeah," I replied, glancing around the cozy shop filled with various snacks and drinks.

"So, shouldn't you be in class at this time?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah, I got... uh... kicked out from class, to make it simple," I admitted, a small smirk creeping onto my face.

"Oh... My name is Dorotie. I am the owner of the shop," she introduced herself, her warm smile easing the tension I felt from Crowler's class.

"Well, Dorotie, can I stay here for a while until break?" I asked, hoping for a peaceful respite.

"Sure! However, don't mess with anything until the shop opens," she warned, her tone playful yet serious.

Just then, a younger woman approached me, her presence instantly drawing my attention.

"Hey," I said, flashing her a smile.

"Hi, I'm Sadie," she replied, returning my smile.

"Kai," I introduced myself.

"New student and already getting kicked out, huh?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

I chuckled lightly at her remark. "Yeah, can you believe it?"

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at a giant basket at the front of the shop.

"Oh that? It's sandwiches," Sadie responded, her enthusiasm contagious.

"Can I buy one?" I asked, suddenly feeling hungry.

"Sure! Also, all of them are sealed, and don't ask for a refund if you get something you don't like," she cautioned, her tone serious.

"I don't understand?"

"There are different types of sandwiches, so if you get one you don't like, don't come crying to me for a refund. Shop policy," she explained, crossing her arms.

"I see.... What's the best sandwich we can get?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The golden eggwich," Dorotie chimed in from behind me.

"Is it truly good, or are you messing with me?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the best sandwich you can have," she assured me, her expression earnest.

"You guys ever had a taste of it?" I inquired, intrigued.

"No, actually. I don't think even Miss Dorotie has had a taste of it," Sadie replied, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Oh well," I said, moving toward the giant basket, eager to hunt for the elusive golden eggwich.

I sifted through the sandwiches, my fingers brushing against the various wrappings until I finally found one that looked promising. I took it and handed it to Sadie.

"You and Dorotie can share this one since you've never had a golden eggwich before. I'll take the chicken sandwich," I said, feeling proud of my decision.

"How are you even confident it's a golden eggwich and the other one is a chicken one?" Sadie asked, her expression skeptical.

"Oh, what are you kids doing?" Dorotie interjected, walking over to us.

"Oh, nothing. Pretty boy here is saying we should share this sandwich since it's a golden eggwich," Sadie explained, trying to keep a straight face.

"Why don't you guys open it? If it isn't a golden eggwich, I'll pay three times the price," Dorotie offered, a playful challenge in her tone.

"Remember, there's no refund for this," Sadie reminded, eyeing me with a mix of caution and excitement.

With a confident grin, Sadie opened the sandwich pack, her expression shifting to shock as she revealed a golden eggwich.

"How?" both Dorotie and Sadie exclaimed in unison, their faces a blend of confusion and awe.

"How can I explain this... Let's just say I'm cursed with a good hand," I said, smirking as I watched their reactions.

"Anyways, you guys eat your sandwiches. I'm gonna head into that room to rest a bit and eat mine," I said, waving them off as I walked to a secluded bench.

After eating my sandwich in peace, I sat for quite some time, letting the flavors linger as I contemplated my day. Eventually, the need to relieve myself became too much to ignore, and I headed toward the shop's toilet.

Once inside, I took out a cigarette, lighting it as I leaned against the cool tiles, feeling the smoke swirl around me. I pulled out my deck, staring at it for a few moments, lost in thought.

"...."

In a sudden burst of frustration, I tore the deck in half, my emotions surging as I flushed it down the toilet. It felt like a weight lifting off my shoulders. But when I stepped out, there it was—my deck, sitting innocently on the bench near my bag.

I picked it up, verifying its identity with a mix of disbelief and confusion. As I began to count the cards, I realized something was off.

"...44, 45, 46... 47!!"

That was strange. The deck had 46 cards before. Why was it at 47 now?

'Let me check that. Numeron Network (1), Numeron Calling (1), Numeron Chaos Ritual (1), Numeron Storm (1), Numeron Wall (1), Numeron Spell Revision (1), Numeron Storm (1), Thousand's Throne (1), Harpie's Feather Duster (1), Terraforming (1), Card of Sanctity (1) (anime version), Pot of Greed (1), Magical Mallet (1), Unchained Twins - Rakea (2), Number C1000 (1), Number IC1000 (1), Number C1 (1), Raigeki (1), Spell Reproduction (1), Graceful Charity (1), Djinn Disserere of Rituals (2), Djinn Presider of Rituals (2), Djinn Demolisher of Rituals (2), Djinn Releaser of Rituals (2), Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1), Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz (2), Ariel, Priestess of the Nekroz (1), Nekroz Cycle (2), Nekroz Kaleidoscope (1), Nekroz Mirror (1), Nekroz of Gungnir (1), Nekroz of Unicore (1), Nekroz of Trishula (1), Nekroz of Brionac (1), Reinforcement of the Army (1), Exchange of Spirit (1), Negate Attack (1), Yatagarasu (1), Lifeshaver (1) (anime version), and lastly, Soul Charge... this card is nearly useless in this deck.'

I stared at my cards, a mixture of confusion and curiosity swirling in my mind.

"Hey, Kai! It's nearly break time!" Sadie called out, her voice cutting through the monotony of the shop.

"Wait, really??" I blinked, a bit startled.

"Yeah, look at the time," she said, grinning.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, my eyes widening as the reality set in.

"Wait, you're actually right!!"

"Were you daydreaming or something?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh... no... I just... well, never mind," I stammered, a little embarrassed.

"Alright then." Sadie chuckled before turning to leave the room.

It didn't take long before the shop was bustling with students, laughter and chatter filling the air.

"I guess this shop really does make a profit at the end of the day," I muttered to myself, watching the scene unfold.

Suddenly, Jaden's voice boomed from across the room, cutting through the noise. "KAI!!!"

"What happened, Jaden??" I called back, curious.

"Damn, man! What kind of stunt did you pull on the first day? If Crowler sees you again, he's probably going to try to kill you! You should have seen his face when you left class!" Jaden laughed, nearly doubling over at the memory.

"Uh, yeah... anyways, where's Syrus?" I asked, scanning the room.

"Huh... wait, where's Syrus?? He was with me a couple of minutes ago." Jaden turned around, looking a bit panicked.

"You look for him; I'll—"

"Oh, I found him! He's with Bastion."

"Who??"

"Bastion... Misawa," Jaden replied, finally putting a name to the mystery. "He's from Ra Yellow. He's a friend of ours."

"Let me introduce you to him," Jaden said, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"Sure, I guess," I shrugged, following him.

"Sy!" Jaden shouted as we approached the duo.

"Oh, hey, Ja," Syrus replied, a look of relief washing over his face as he spotted us.

"Hey, Bastion," Jaden greeted, his tone casual.

"Hello, Jaden," Bastion responded, a composed smile on his face as he turned to me.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, curious about their conversation.

"Oh, me and Bastion were talking about, uh..." Syrus hesitated, glancing at me with uncertainty.

"We were discussing today's class," Bastion quickly added, smoothly picking up on Syrus's blunder.

"Anyways, Kai, this is Bastion, a friend we met during the entrance exam, and Bastion, this is—"

"Kai Yuri. No need for an introduction; you're quite the celebrity after your little stunt in today's class, you know," Bastion interrupted, a knowing smile on his face.

"Well, I'll take that as a positive thing," I replied, trying to maintain my cool demeanor.

"No, it's not," a familiar voice chimed in from behind me.

"Oh, Alexis?" I turned, surprised to see her approaching.

"Oh hey, Alexis," Jaden greeted, his tone a mix of surprise and interest.

"Hey," Alexis replied, crossing her arms, a serious look on her face.

"What are you doing here, Alexis?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I came to see you after what you just did," she said, her tone firm.

"..." I fell silent, not quite sure how to respond.

"You do realize how pissed Dr. Crowler is right now?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Listen, Kai, you're probably a good duelist, but let's be honest: there's a reason you were placed in Slifer Red. I checked your test results yesterday, and they are—"

"Wait, test results??" I interrupted, confusion creeping into my voice.

"Yeah, your test results are below most Slifer Reds. And you doing what you just did will only make Crowler pick on you even more than he normally does to the Slifers. You'll suffer bullying and—"

"Listen, Alexis, I appreciate your concern, but trust me, there's no need to worry about any of this. There isn't a single person on this planet who can defeat me." My words slipped out with a confidence I didn't entirely feel, drawing mixed expressions from my friends.

"What??" Alexis raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback.

"Listen, Kai, you might be a decent duelist, but claiming no one can beat you is... well, that's a bit crazy," Syrus chimed in, his voice laced with disbelief.

"I'm not exaggerating, by the way," I replied, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Haha..." I heard Bastion chuckle at my boldness, and it only fueled my determination.

"I'm sorry, but there are many duelists in the world who could wipe the floor with any of us," he added.

"Maybe for you guys, but don't lump me into your category," I shot back, feeling the fire of my convictions igniting.

I noticed Alexis's expression shift slightly, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.

"How about this: let's have a duel. You four against me," I proposed, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

"Excuse me?" Bastion looked shocked.

"You, Alexis, Jaden, and little guy here," I said, pointing at Bastion with a smirk.

"Fine by me! I'm always up for a duel," Jaden declared, his competitive spirit igniting.

"Fine by me too," Alexis added, her determination matching mine.

"Well, if you two are fine with it, then so am I," Bastion responded, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice.

"Uh, you know what... you guys can duel without me," Syrus said, looking stressed out.

"Come on, Sy! It's just a friendly duel; nothing serious," Jaden encouraged, clapping Syrus on the back.

"I don't think I should, Ja," Syrus protested, looking increasingly anxious.

"Don't worry; it'll be a quick duel," I reassured him, feeling a surge of confidence.

"He's right, Syrus. It'll be over before you know it," Alexis chimed in, her tone lightening a bit.

"Fine then, but I'll probably just be a liability," Syrus grumbled, crossing his arms defensively.

"Since the squad is formed, let's duel then!!" I exclaimed.