"So, you were peeping on the girls' dorm! You won't get away now! Wait until we hand you over to the academy for expulsion, you pervert!"
Jasmine, a girl with short red hair, scolded Syrus.
At this moment, Syrus had been miserably tied up by Alexis's two followers and dragged to a lit area, where he was forced to kneel and apologize.
Standing before him was Alexis Rhodes, flanked by her two friends. The two followers were shouting angrily, while Alexis stood in the middle, arms crossed. She remained silent, her cold eyes fixed on Syrus as she frowned in thought, deciding how to proceed.
She had heard earlier today that this short boy was actually the younger brother of Zane Truesdale, the "Kaiser" and a good friend of her own brother. Logically, he shouldn't be the type of person to do something like this.
"I wasn't peeping! I received a letter from Alexis-senpai, so I came! It was in my shoe locker this afternoon!" Syrus hurriedly defended himself.
He struggled to pull the letter from his pocket with his bound hands to prove his innocence.
Watching from a distance, Jiang He felt like face-palming again. Crowler's forgery was riddled with holes. Anyone with a normal head on their shoulders would have seen through it with a single glance.
"Huh?"
Jasmine, the more hot-headed of the two followers, snatched the letter. She opened it and read it together with Alexis and Mindy.
As soon as she saw the handwriting, Alexis's brow furrowed. She looked directly at Syrus. "I would never write something this ugly. This doesn't even look like a girl's handwriting."
"Not to mention that giant lipstick print. It looks disgusting," Mindy added, scanning the contents. Her expression suddenly turned strange. "Wait, it says here... 'Dear Jiang He'?"
"No... No way!" Syrus was stunned.
Mindy turned the paper around so he could see for himself.
"It really is...!"
"..." Alexis and her two friends looked at Syrus, who now wore an expression of utter soul-crushing despair.
He had been led around by the nose by a fake love letter and ended up behind the girls' dorm. Even more ridiculous was the fact that he hadn't even read the letter properly before rushing over.
Are all the Slifer Red students complete idiots?
Well, except for that Jiang He who had answered Professor Crowler's questions during the theory class today. He might be an exception.
"Alexis, what should we do with this idiot who broke into the dorm area? Should we still hand him over to the academy?" the two friends asked.
"No, I have an idea." The corner of Alexis's mouth curled into a slight smile. "Someone clearly wanted Jiang He to be misunderstood as a pervert and used my name to lure him here."
"This is actually quite interesting. I've been looking for a good opportunity and a reason to have a proper duel with him anyway, just to see what kind of person he really is!"
Alexis's smile widened. She hadn't expected to find an excuse to duel Jiang He so soon. She wanted to see what "secret" the man was hiding—what was his counter-strategy for when his one-turn-kill Exodia deck was targeted?
"As expected, Alexis wants to... see into that guy's heart like she said today." Her two friends exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with gossip and excitement. They had both jumped to the same romantic misunderstanding.
"So she's planning to challenge me to a duel..." Jiang He murmured, having overheard the conversation from his hiding spot.
He rubbed his chin and took the opportunity to slip away from behind the tree. He rowed his boat back across the lake, putting some distance between himself and the girls' dormitory.
Halfway across the lake, Jiang He set down his oars and let the boat drift. He used the time to browse the system and select a new Toxic Deck to exchange for. He was waiting for Alexis to send word for him to "rescue" Syrus via a duel.
If it were anything else, Jiang He might hesitate. But a duel? He welcomed it with open arms! Why would he ever refuse a chance for someone to hand him free Emotion Points?
"System, show me the exchange options."
Jiang He looked at the virtual screen floating before his eyes, considering which deck to choose.
[System Mall (Refreshes every two days, providing four options each time)]
Today's Options:
1. [Deck: Cyber Dragon (Zane Truesdale Version)] – 500 Points.
2. [Deck: Gravekeeper's (Toxic Version)] – 1000 Points.
3. [Deck: Lava Golem (Toxic Stall/Burn Style)] – 1000 Points.
The fourth option, Duel Spirit Vision, had already been purchased and disappeared. Only these three remained.
Jiang He didn't even consider the Zane-version Cyber Dragon deck. That deck was "too normal," making it stand out like a sore thumb against the other two "Toxic" options. It wasn't toxic at all.
Clearly, it wasn't the right choice for a "philanthropist" like Jiang He, whose goal was to bring "smiles" to everyone's faces. More importantly, he knew that even if he used it, he wouldn't necessarily have the same bond with the deck as the original Zane Truesdale. He would just be a cheap imitator.
If it were the late-era, "cheating" version of the Cyber Dragon deck, he might have considered it.
Furthermore, after milking Jaden's lackey, Syrus, for three rounds of "storytelling" today, he had earned 700 Emotion Points. He currently held a "fortune" of exactly 1500 points!
If he was going to buy something, he was going for the expensive stuff!
Jiang He focused on the last two options. The Toxic Gravekeeper's deck was likely an OTK burn deck designed to make the opponent's blood pressure explode instantly. The Lava Golem deck, however, was a "Stall/Burn" style the kind that made the opponent's blood pressure climb steadily and agonizingly.
Jiang He nodded, satisfied with his analysis. He quickly made his choice. In terms of providing a "perfectly depressing" experience and high blood pressure, the latter was definitely superior!
He just wondered... after the duel, would Alexis try to physically fight him?
Jiang He fell silent for a moment, looking at the new Toxic Deck in his hand.
Beep-beep-beep.
Suddenly, a faint notification sound and vibration came from his pocket.
Is it here?
Jiang He's eyes brightened. He pulled out his Duel Academy communicator and saw exactly the message he expected.
"Syrus Truesdale is in our hands. If you want him back, come to the lake behind the girls' dormitory..."
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