NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter 2
---
"Dingling bell~"
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Haruto, who was sitting in his seat, closed his book and began quietly sorting through the notes he had taken during the lesson. Meanwhile, on the podium, the teacher was still arranging the handouts, but several students in the room couldn't sit still. They eagerly gathered together, waiting for the teacher to leave.
"Hey, have you heard? That 'Devil hairstyle' guy seems to have gone crazy and been sent to a mental hospital."
"That Ushio Tetsu? Really? When did that happen?"
"Right by the tree at the school gate this morning. The guy was lying in a pile of fallen leaves and garbage, looking like a madman. He kept mumbling something about 'money.' A lot of people saw it."
"And I heard it's probably because he bullied someone he shouldn't have messed with. Some people say it was someone from the underworld."
Haruto listened to the conversation behind him, thinking: He really did mess with someone he shouldn't have, but the person who took him down isn't a gangster. You'd never guess who it was.
He turned his head and looked over to the other side of the classroom. Sitting there was a boy with colorful, starfish-like hair, whose short stature made him look more like a middle schooler than a high schooler. At that moment, the starfish-haired boy was sitting across from a blond boy, cards in hand, as they played some kind of card game.
"Ey, it's your turn, Yug!"
A boy with a simple, unremarkable haircut approached the pair. He casually placed his hand on Joey Wheeler's shoulder, leaning on him to look into the game: "What are you playing, Joey?"
Joey, who had been casually dragged into the conversation, pushed the boy's arm away with his free hand, twisting his neck as he proudly held up a few cards. "What, you don't know? It's Duel Monsters."
"Duel Monsters?" the boy asked, confused.
Joey sighed, his patience thinning. "Your so noisy. Just go and watch. If I lose this round, it'll be your fault."
With a playful shove, Joey refocused on his cards, ignoring the boy who had tried to distract him.
The boy, not upset by the lighthearted teasing, scratched his head. "Is this really that interesting? I don't get it at all."
Haruto, standing up to head to the bathroom, overheard the boy's words. He turned briefly to glance at him, thinking, No wonder Honda doesn't get it—his hairstyle is way too ordinary. He doesn't even have the flair of someone like Conan, or even the charm of Joey.
As Haruto stepped into the hallway, he could still hear the girl who had been standing next to Honda: "So, Duel Monsters is a game where you summon monsters to the field, and then use magic cards to attack and defend. It's really popular, you know."
Haruto smiled to himself. And one day, playing cards will save the world more than once.
Although "Duel Monsters" sounded unfamiliar, the term "Yu-Gi-Oh!" immediately made it much more recognizable.
Originally, Duel Monsters was just a fictional game created by the author of the manga because the protagonist was "good at various games." It was a concept that seemed to resonate with readers, leading to the transformation of the manga's focus entirely on the game of Duel Monsters.
The comic series, "Yu-Gi-Oh!," had grown into something much bigger than anyone had imagined.
As the day went on, Haruto came to terms with the fact that he hadn't been reborn in some fantasy world—he'd traveled to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! and became just an ordinary student at Domino High School. His name had even changed, from "Harin Hayato" to "Haruto Kobayashi."
One thing that comforted Haruto, or rather Haruto Kobayashi, was that his previous name hadn't completely vanished. Instead, it had been woven into his new identity.
Haruto was also quite lucky. His class happened to be the one with Yugi Muto, the protagonist of Yu-Gi-Oh!. It was a class filled with hidden talents:
The officially recognized strongest duelist, Yugi Muto;
The spiritual mentor and pseudo-heroine of the game, Tea Gardner;
The second protagonist villain first, Seto Kaiba, a genius inventor and a card game enthusiast;
The self-proclaimed "Supreme Gambling King" and third protagonist, Katsuya Jonouchi;
The human vessel of the great evil god, Bakura, who survived until the end, becoming the final boss;
And of course, Hiroshi Honda, who always got into trouble but still managed to help out his friends. Honda had also been joking about becoming Jonouchi's brother-in-law—he had a big crush on Jonouchi's sister, Serenity.
What a lineup.
Haruto finished drying his hands and walked out of the bathroom, using a handkerchief to wipe his palms.
To be honest, he didn't mind being in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world. In his past life, he'd had no family, no one to support him, and had never married. He had little to regret.
He could only lament that he hadn't been able to play GTA6 yet, or enjoy his pre-ordered Kamen Rider toys, or clean up his D drive. The more he thought about it, the worse his mood got.
But then, he tried to think differently. At least the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! was safer than a lot of other fantasy worlds. Even an ordinary person with no special powers had a chance to fight back. Of course, there was always the risk of being obliterated by an OTK from a powerful card, but it was still better than being killed by pirates or Hollows, right?
Haruto looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then carefully raised his hand and snapped his fingers in the air.
A voice suddenly sounded in his ears: [Didi, Duel king——your initial card pack has arrived]
Almost at the same time the voice faded, Haruto felt a weight in the pocket of his clothes. He reached into it and felt a square metallic object.
---