"Professor Banner has gone missing?"
The news triggered an uproar inside the Chancellor's office the moment it was announced.
"How is that possible? Why would Professor Banner disappear at a critical time like this?" Chancellor Sheppard's face was etched with anxiety.
Though Banner's dueling skills were mediocre, he held one of the Seven Spirit Keys! At this point, the mechanisms of the Gate of Phantasms had already been tampered with by the Shadow Riders. If Banner were to be defeated by a Shadow Duelist, then the fourth gate would...
"That guy was perfectly fine when he was with us yesterday. How could he just vanish without a reason?" Chazz grit his teeth, his mind full of confusion.
They knew Banner's character well. A man that timid and afraid of trouble would never proactively seek out a Shadow Duelist for a fight.
Which meant...
"Could Professor Banner have been defeated by a Shadow Duelist?" Bastion Misawa considered the worst case scenario. "With a duelist of his caliber, if he truly encountered a Shadow Duelist, he'd be as good as dead."
Everyone continued discussing where the professor might have gone. Only Alexis remained silent, her mind drifting back to the events of yesterday.
Jaden... why was he watching Professor Banner so intently back then?
That look in his eyes...
Did he know why the professor would disappear?
Alexis found she couldn't stay any longer. She stood up abruptly, bid the others farewell, and left the Chancellor's office.
Watching her leave, the others looked at each other for a long time before eventually suspending the discussion.
Chazz sighed and muttered, "I just hope that when Professor Banner passes on, he doesn't hold a grudge against us."
"...Are you already assuming he's dead?"
"It's basically the same thing, isn't it?"
Obelisk Blue Dorm.
Inside the room, Jaden Yuki sat cross legged on his bed with his arms folded, looking at Pharaoh, the fat cat who had once again come over to leech food and water.
"Meow..."
The fat cat let out a yawn and rolled lazily onto the floor.
"It's one thing for Professor Banner to leave, but he actually dumped Pharaoh on me..." Jaden felt a bit helpless.
Early this morning, when Jaden opened his door, he saw a large cardboard box sitting there. Upon opening it, he found the fat cat along with a few cat treats. Though there was no note, Jaden understood that Banner had left Pharaoh for him to look after.
Is that guy already preparing for the upcoming Shadow Duel?
Jaden reached out and rubbed Pharaoh's belly, a sense of melancholy stirring within him.
"The next time I see Professor Banner, we'll likely be enemies."
"Enemies or not, that guy's outer shell won't last much longer anyway." The figure of Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring appeared beside Jaden, swinging her legs with a grin.
"Hm? What are you popping out for now?" Jaden glanced at her and frowned.
This Ash Blossom was a mischievous one, always liking to run off whenever she was bored. Who knew what kind of trouble she was planning to cause?
"Come on, Supreme King, don't be like that~ Duel Academy's Duel Festival is in a few days, right?" Ash Blossom looked at Jaden with expectation. "When that time comes, can you let me out to play?"
"You?" Jaden looked at her strangely.
The Duel Festival was a tradition at the school. During the festival, students would cosplay as various Duel Spirits, hold activities, and engage in casual duels. It was one of the biggest days of the year. Letting the spirits out for a bit wasn't usually an issue. Although they looked different from humans, when everyone was playing around in cosplay, a real spirit or two mixed in would go unnoticed.
However, Jaden squinted as he looked at the palm sized Ash Blossom sitting on his shoulder. "Appearing like that would cause... quite a stir, wouldn't it?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, Supreme King! Spirits have the ability to manipulate their body size at will," Ash Blossom said, puffing out her flat chest with pride. "For example, me~!"
A flash of light shimmered beside Jaden. When it faded, a young girl with dog ears standing atop her head appeared before him. She wore a greyish-white kimono with an orange ribbon on her head. Her figure looked at least ten years more mature than before. If one didn't look closely, it was truly difficult to associate her with the girl in the card art.
"Hehe, how about it, Supreme King? Isn't Ash Blossom amazing?" She stood with hands on her hips, her small nose tilted up proudly. However, that tail swishing back and forth was still a bit too conspicuous.
Jaden was speechless and gave a weak wave of his hand.
"Supreme King~! I want to join the campus festival too! Please!" Seeing that he wasn't immediately agreeing, Ash Blossom collapsed before him, clinging to his leg and wailing. "Supreme King! Supreme King! Supreme King!"
A string of spoiled pleading left Jaden's forehead covered in black lines.
"Fine, you can go... But you better not cause any trouble in the academy," Jaden said helplessly, unable to withstand her assault.
"Yay!" Ash Blossom jumped up in joy and pounced onto Jaden's bed, bouncing around on the soft mattress. "Wahoo! This is great!"
Is this girl using my bed as a trampoline...
Before Jaden could complain, several more spirit shadows emerged behind him.
"Master Jaden~"
"Master~"
"Supreme King~"
The Dragonmaids had somehow caught wind of the news and were now gathered behind him. Even the remaining five Hand Trap GirlsGhost Belle & Haunted Mansion, Ghost Reaper & Winter Cherries, Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill, and Ghost Sister & Spooky Dogwoodwere looking at him expectantly.
"We want to go out and play that day too~"
"..."
Jaden stared blankly for a moment at the group of girls with stars in their eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
When exactly did I get surrounded by so many Waifu Cards?
It felt as though, without him realizing it, their numbers had grown a bit out of control...
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