"Late, late, late!!!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yuui turned toward the sound. A boy was sprinting down the hallway straight toward them.
Just as the two were about to collide, Alicia shut her eyes tight—albeit Yuui wasn't about to let that happen. He calmly stepped forward into the classroom, and a second later, a loud thud and a pained yell echoed behind them.
He'd run into the wall.
"Hmph!" Yuui snorted coldly. "As if I'd ever fall for such a cliché scene."
Taking control of Alicia's body, he found a seat by the window—or rather, the student who had been sitting there stood up immediately and gave it to her. No one dared to object. After all, the aura Yuui was radiating through Alicia was enough to overwhelm the entire class combined.
As for strength… well, that wasn't even up for debate.
They might have been weak, but they weren't stupid.
From Alicia's performance during the entrance assessment, everyone knew she was a powerhouse among first-years. So while they might whisper about her status as the Nameless One, no one dared mock her strength. In both Saint Fusion Academy and the entire Bredt Kingdom—no, the entire world—strength was everything.
Those weaker than her could only gossip about status. Anyone foolish enough to insult her ability to her face would have to be prepared to suffer the consequences.
"Ow, that hurts…"
Just as Yuui was about to return control to Alicia, the same boy who'd hit the wall stumbled into the room, clutching his nose. His face was a mess of bruises—obviously, he'd hit hard.
Yuui couldn't immediately recall who the boy was. Of course, given that Alicia had spent the past few days hanging out with Alice, her new friend, and hadn't met many other students.
"Chuck! You're in this class too!?" a surprised voice called out.
The boy blinked in equal surprise. "Klein? You're here too?"
"Wait, that's Chuck? I didn't expect to be in the same class as him."
"Who's that? He looks like a commoner like us. Is he famous or something?"
"Not that famous," one student said, glancing toward Alicia sitting by the window, "though apparently, he's sworn loyalty to Prince Zack."
"What!? He's serving Prince Zack? That's incredible luck!"
"Yeah, total luck. During the day of the Three Sacred Beasts attack, he withstood their pressure and fought alongside Prince Zack and the others to hold them off. Thanks to that, they saved everyone in the building. The Prince personally commended him afterward and took him under his command."
Hearing the discussion, Chuck scratched his head awkwardly, then sat beside the boy named Klein. The two were from the same hometown and already friends, so it made sense.
Alicia whispered, "Yuui-san, is he the Duelist who summoned Flame Swordsman that day?"
Yuui nodded, studying Chuck carefully. "Yes. And it seems the ordeal with the Three Sacred Beasts changed him. His magical power is much stronger now than when he first summoned Flame Swordsman. He hasn't reached late-stage Magician yet, but his strength isn't bad. Probably the only one in class who could last a few turns against you. The rest wouldn't even survive three."
"(゜Д゜) Eh!? Am I really that strong now?"
Alicia looked astonished. Her most recent Duel had been last night's Shadow Duel with Elina, and she would have lost without Yuui's help.
Yuui gave her a flat look. "You really have no idea how strong you are, do you? Next time you Duel a classmate, I'll stay quiet. You'll understand soon enough."
Alicia thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, fair enough."
At that moment, the classroom door opened again, and a familiar man stepped inside.
"Professor White!!"
"Professor White, you're our homeroom teacher!?"
"Awesome! Professor White is one of the Academy's best! With him teaching us, our skills will skyrocket!"
Even Yuui was surprised. "So he's teaching your class, huh? Not bad."
"Eh? What do you mean, Yuui-san?" Alicia asked curiously.
Yuui just smiled murkily. "You'll find out soon enough."
Professor White grinned at the class's warm welcome. "I'm honored to be received so warmly! Alright, let's start with introductions.
"My name is White Evans. I've been teaching for fifteen years—guess you could call me a veteran. I hope in the next three years, we can be both teacher and friends. That's it for my intro!"
Clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap!
The room erupted in applause. All forty students seemed genuinely excited.
White's smile widened as he said, "Good, good! Now let's move on to student introductions. Let's start with… Alicia!"
"Eh!?" Alicia went rigid. Yuui chuckled softly… he remembered this feeling well. Being suddenly called on by a teacher was as uncomfortable as it had been centuries ago.
Seeing Yuui's amused grin, Alicia panicked and looked at him pleadingly.
Yuui shook his head. "This is your introduction. If you don't want to say much, just give your name. I already established dominance for you, so you don't have to overdo it."
"Uh… fine." Alicia stood up hesitantly. "My name is Alicia. That's all."
Then she sat back down and clumsily turned toward the window.
An uneasy silence filled the room. Professor White hadn't expected such a short introduction. His smile twitched before he at once pointed to a student sitting at the very back—the one with no one sitting nearby.
After Alicia's turn, the rest of the introductions went smoothly. White mentally noted each student's name, hobby, and favorite Duel Monster.
Once the final introduction ended, he said, "Alright, now that we're done, let's move on to our next topic—class representative selection!
"Here's what the position entails: The class representative will work with me on routine matters like attendance, class discipline, and helping organize Academy events.
"Although it's a bit of work, there are perks. Each class rep receives monthly bonus Credits. For first-years, that's fifty Credits per month—quite a decent sum."
He paused. "Now, who wants to apply?"
"Fifty Credits? That's just five gold coins!"
"Teacher! I'll do it! I can handle it!"
"Five gold a month! That's more than most families make! The Academy's so generous… Teacher, I want to run too!"
"Back off! The position's mine!"
...
At first, no one had been interested in being class rep. Despite that, once the fifty-Credit reward was mentioned, almost every commoner student lit up. Fifty Credits a month—enough to buy Duel Cards at a discount—was a huge deal.
Abruptly, then, a calm, cold voice cut through the chatter.
"Teacher, I'll be class representative."
Everyone froze and turned toward the speaker.
Alicia raised her pale hand, expression cold, and said again, "Teacher, I want to be class rep. Anyone have objections?"
The first sentence was directed at Professor White. The second… at the rest of the class.
The threat was unmistakable.
Originally, neither Alicia nor Yuui cared about being class rep. Yet, when fifty Credits entered the equation, they both changed their tune.
Alicia & Yuui (in unison): No one wants to be class rep… still, if there are perks, that's a different story!
The other students at once lowered their hands, intimidated. Only one remained raised.
"Teacher, I'd like to be class rep too!"
Everyone turned to look.
It was the last student to enter the class—Chuck Jed.
...
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