Chapter 122: A Matter of Dignity

"Today, Jaden Yuki and others entered the restricted special dormitory, violating academy regulations with serious circumstances."

Jaden and Syrus Truesdale stood in the center of a vast room, surrounded by massive screens. Behind each screen was a high-ranking academy official, including Principal Sheppard and Professor Cronos.

"I'm sorry; I'll listen to whatever you say." Jaden pressed his palms together with a sincere attitude. "Give me a chance, please."

In truth, the matter of expulsion itself might not have concerned Student Jaden that much; what he cared about more was that if he were kicked out of Duel Academy, he wouldn't have so many interesting opponents to challenge to duels anymore.

"Since a poor student has begged so earnestly, I shall benevolently grant you this special opportunity, naine." Professor Cronos said with a grin from the side. "I will arrange a team penalty duel as soon as possible. No problems, right?"

Jaden: "Eh? A team penalty duel?"

"Precisely. Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale, you shall conduct a dormitory duel as a combination from your dorm. If you win, you will be acquitted and released."

Upon hearing there was a duel to be played, Jaden immediately perked up, instantly casting the crisis of expulsion to the back of his mind.

"A dormitory duel? That sounds quite interesting!"

"Eh?" Syrus Truesdale whispered softly. "Doesn't this feel a bit ominous, big brother?"

Professor Cronos: "Principal, you see, the person himself has agreed."

Principal Sheppard mused: "Hmm, in that case, there is no helping it."

"Wonderful!" Professor Cronos was very happy. "Then you two just wait quietly for notification; I will arrange the opponents for the dormitory duel as soon as possible, naine!"

"..."

After the first class ended, You Xuan sat in the Academic Affairs Office.

The long-legged female teacher politely welcomed him inside and even brewed tea specially for him.

The morning sunlight slanted into the Academic Affairs Office, golden spots of light dancing on the wooden floor as if draped in a warm carpet. Exquisite ceramic teacups emitted steam, the fragrance of tea curling upward, mingling with bursts of fresh scent drifting in from outside the window.

"...That should be about all we need to ask."

The female teacher smiled politely.

"Thank you for Student You Xuan making the trip personally."

"Not at all." You Xuan waved his hand. "Cooperating with the academy's investigation is my duty."

"However, do take note that the abandoned dormitory is a dangerous zone; school rules strictly forbid entry. We will let it go this time, but next time, do not casually visit such dangerous areas again."

"Rest assured, it absolutely will not happen again." You Xuan patted his chest in promise.

"That is good." The female teacher took a sip of tea and smiled slightly. "I have heard that Student You Xuan is a rising star of the academy, one of the most brilliant freshmen this year. If anything were to happen to you, the academy would find it difficult to explain."

"Thank you for the teacher's concern."

"Oh, one last off-topic remark."

The female teacher sat up straight, leaned forward, and assumed a mysterious demeanor.

Then she lowered her voice to ask.

"They say you are friends with that President Kaiba? Is it true or false?"

"Mm, we do indeed know each other." You Xuan pondered for a moment.

Calling them friends might be a bit of an exaggeration, but saying they were unfamiliar was also untenable since he had accepted quite a few benefits from the President...

So let's just leave it at that.

With three years still ahead at the academy, having a solid backer was no bad thing.

The female teacher said nothing more on the matter, but clearly displayed an expression of "terrifyingly impressive."

Regardless of the fact that this Duel Academy was largely funded by the President's money, even without that connection, President Kaiba's status in this world needed no elaboration. Saying what kind of backer? Even high-ranking political figures might not be as effective as knowing the President...

"By the way, I heard the final punishment decided by the Academic Affairs Office is a dormitory duel?" You Xuan asked.

"Oh, that; only Jaden Yuki as the main instigator and his dorm-mate Syrus Truesdale need to accept it." The female teacher smiled cheerfully. "You do not need to worry."

"I heard there is a possibility of inviting a legendary duelist to serve as the opponent?"

The female teacher was surprised: "How would you know about... Oh, did Professor Cronos leak it to you?"

Inviting a legendary duelist to participate was originally Professor Cronos's idea; even the principal had not been notified yet. Currently, he had only breathed a word of it to the Academic Affairs Office. Moreover, the matter was still in the preparation stage; whether they could actually invite someone remained unknown.

However, the long-legged female teacher immediately recalled that You Xuan was also someone under Professor Cronos's special care, so perhaps the professor had slipped up during a chat; it was not impossible.

"Then if we win, shouldn't there be a huge amount of credits awarded?"

The female teacher paused: "Uh, mm, probably."

Although it was a penalty duel, the scheduled opponents were legendary duelists after all. If Jaden and the others lost, expulsion would naturally be the outcome, but if by some chance they won, it would be a moment of pride for the academy, so it would be unreasonable not to give a reward.

You Xuan took a deep breath: "Teacher, I am ashamed!"

Female teacher: "?"

What are you ashamed of?

"Actually, I did not go to the dormitory with Jaden and the others; I entered the restricted zone on my own initiative and just happened to encounter them." You Xuan looked full of guilt. "Therefore, I was not actually instigated; like Jaden Yuki, I am also a main instigator."

"On the contrary, the others in his dormitory were merely accomplices, so logically, I should be the one to accept the punishment!"

The female teacher opened and closed her mouth, holding back for quite a while before finally speaking.

"This... haha, it is good that you recognize your mistake, good that you recognize your mistake. Then, in view of Student You Xuan's such sincere attitude in admitting fault, the punishment will be waived..."

You Xuan raised his eyebrows sharply.

"No, it cannot be waived! How would other students think if this happens? Where would the dignity of our school rules be placed? Would this not set an example for others that 'violating school rules is no big deal' in the future?"

Female teacher: "..."

She wanted to say, 'It's not like that, student; aren't our lines supposed to be reversed?'

How could there be someone rushing to get punished?

"Cough, cough, I am glad you have this realization," she said. "But once the Academic Affairs Office makes a decision, it cannot be changed; this also concerns the dignity of the Academic Affairs Office. So let us just forget it this time..."

You Xuan feigned regret.

"Is that so? Alright, I understand."

He immediately stood up, bid farewell, and departed.

Seeing that he was no longer pestering and was finally preparing to leave, the tall female teacher finally let out a long breath.

Just kidding; if you go to participate in a penalty duel and lose, could we really expel you?

If You Xuan and Jaden played doubles and both lost, expelling one but not the other would not look good for the academy's face.

In that case, what would be the point of the penalty duel?

Fortunately, this kid stopped pestering...

Just as she thought this, she heard You Xuan's voice coming from the hallway, having just stepped out the door.

"Hello? Is this Katsuya? It's me... Here's the situation. Regarding the previous incident of unauthorized entry into the restricted zone, the academy has arranged a team duel as punishment, but they won't let me play... ah no, they won't give me a chance to atone for my sins."

"But after much thought, I truly feel guilty, so I wanted to ask if you could contact the board of directors to request the academy give me a chance to bear the responsibility alongside my friends."

"Pfft—"

The long-legged female teacher spat out her drink.

The tea she had just drunk sprayed out far. She hurriedly stood up and chased out: "Student, wait a moment; this matter can still be discussed..."

You Xuan turned around with a look of surprise, lowering his mobile phone: "Eh? Teacher, why have you come out?"

The moment he lowered his phone, the sharp-eyed female teacher caught a glimpse that this guy hadn't even turned the device on...

Female teacher: "..."

She had been tricked.

Originally, You Xuan had no intention of calling Katsuya over such a trivial matter.

"So, teacher, does this mean I can accept the punishment?"

The female teacher waved her hand weakly: "Fine."

Forget it; whatever happens next doesn't matter anymore.

She didn't care anymore.

On the same day, in the Principal's Office.

Koala Hayato was confessing before Principal Sheppard: "I was also in that abandoned dormitory, so please let me pair up with Jaden! Let me accept the punishment!"

"Me too!"

Student Asuka happened to enter the room at this moment.

"I also went to the abandoned dormitory last night; I just wasn't discovered," Asuka said seriously. "Please punish me as well."

Asuka currently had a fairly good impression of Jaden, but she could see at a glance that Syrus Truesdale by his side was useless. Pairing Jaden with Syrus was simply dragging along a burden; even though Jaden was strong, she couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Therefore, she wanted to replace Syrus's position herself; this way, regardless of the circumstances, she could increase Jaden's chances of winning.

Principal Sheppard smiled: "I understand your intentions. However, how to punish is a matter already finalized by the Academic Affairs Office, and in this school, once the Academic Affairs Office decides something, it will never be changed arbitrarily."

Asuka and Koala exchanged a glance, both displaying expressions of helplessness.

They had not failed to hear of the fame of the Academic Affairs Office; it was said they were a group of ruthless characters. Generally, they only appeared in person during serious incidents, known for their vigorous and decisive style of action.

If the Academic Affairs Office had decided so...

However, just at this moment, the automatic doors opened.

The female teacher from the Academic Affairs Office arrived at the office.

"Mr. Principal, the Academic Affairs Office has urgently convened an internal meeting and wishes to apply to withdraw the punishment decision regarding the abandoned dormitory incident," she said. "We are preparing to re-designate Fujiki You Xuan and Jaden Yuki to form a team and conduct a team duel."

Principal Sheppard: "?"

Asuka x Hayato: "??"

Wait, wasn't it agreed that the Academic Affairs Office's decisions are absolute? Wasn't it agreed that once decided, it cannot be changed?

Wasn't this about the dignity of your Academic Affairs Office?

(End of Chapter)