Chapter 18: What Does VIP Treatment Even Mean (Tactical Lean Back)

"That's how it is. But what I honestly didn't expect was that Yugi Mutou is actually such a cute little kid?" Ignoring Honda and Jonouchi, who both wore lovestruck expressions, Mai Valentine walked right up to Yugi, observed him closely in his ordinary state, and even reached out to pinch his cheek.

Having never been in such close contact with a girl before, Yugi blushed fiercely. "I-I really am Yugi Mutou..."

"Oh? And yet I heard that Yugi Mutou is someone quite decisive and domineering during Duels. It seems rumors aren't always accurate." Amused by Yugi's shy appearance, Mai finally let go under Anzu's pinprick-like stare and stepped back. "Still, even a child cannot be underestimated on the Duel field. I'm really looking forward to meeting you all again in Duelist Kingdom~"

With that, Mai arrived like the wind and departed like the wind, just as she had come. She left behind only a trace of perfume that made Jonouchi and Honda lose their souls, though it was quickly blown away by the sea breeze.

Watching Jonouchi gaze at the spot where Mai's figure had completely vanished into the crowd, muttering "What a great woman" and "I totally want to Duel her," Anzu complained irritably, "What's wrong with that woman? So flirtatious! She'll definitely never find a boyfriend!"

"No way, mature women like that are actually very popular. Though she's not quite in my strike zone," Hayato chimed in casually. Noticing Anzu's peculiar glare, he quickly added, "Don't worry, Anzu, you'll still grow more. Just eat lots of papayas, yeah, keep it up~"

By this time, the duelists had mostly finished their registration, and the cruise ship bound for Duelist Kingdom officially set sail. The deck was only a temporary assembly point and wasn't entirely safe, so the men in black opened the doors leading into the ship's interior once they set sail, guiding everyone inside.

However, after following the main group into the cabin, Yugi and his friends discovered that what awaited them wasn't a comfortable large bed in a private room, but a vast open hall. According to the men in black, this was the resting area prepared for the duelists.

"This is supposed to be a luxury cruise ship, so why is it just a giant communal bunkroom?!" Jonouchi immediately went to argue with the men in black. Hayato tried to hold him back, but he couldn't stop the reckless brawler at all. "There are so many people and barely any space! Are we here to Duel or to suffer?!"

"Exactly what I was thinking!" As soon as Jonouchi finished speaking, he saw Mai Valentine, whom he had met earlier, stepping out from the crowd with a dissatisfied look on her face. She walked right up beside him to join the argument against the men in black. "A lady like me doesn't even get a place to take a shower, and on top of that, I have to sleep in a room full of stinking men? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Regarding that, these are Mr. Pegasus's arrangements." Despite the complaints from the two blonde-haired brawlers, the men in black maintained a calm and composed expression.

"What's all this screaming about?" A voice that sounded remarkably like an exhibitionist's echoed through the space. A short boy wearing a cap walked into the cabin with a backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing a swaggering expression that practically screamed "I'm the greatest in the world." Digging his pinky into his ear, he seemed annoyed by the protesting voices of Jonouchi and Mai. "Making such a racket is just pathetic."

Walking right behind him was another figure. Beneath a greenish mushroom haircut sat a pair of yellow-rimmed glasses, and his head-to-toe green outfit was truly difficult to appreciate. "Once the tournament starts, these small fry won't even have the chance to make noise anymore. This is just their final pre-show celebration."

The two of them were a match in height and shared an equally arrogant disposition that instantly made people uncomfortable.

"Are those... Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor? As expected, the champion and runner-up of the regional qualifiers were invited too." Mai looked at the two of them, formed a plan in her mind, and quietly retreated back into the crowd.

The green-clad insect enthusiast—or rather, Weevil Underwood—squinted at the crowd in the cabin, lost in thought. But the moment he spotted Yugi, his eyes widened. "Huh? Yugi Mutou?! You're Yugi Mutou, right?"

Standing beside Hayato, Yugi never expected that someone like him, who always remained completely inconspicuous at school, would be recognized repeatedly today. "Ah, hello, nice to meet you. I'm Yugi Mutou, but my friends just call me Yugi."

"What a coincidence, Yugi. I never thought I'd run into you in a place like this." Rex Raptor maintained his nose-in-the-air attitude upon hearing Yugi confirm his identity, but Weevil broke into a smile, walked right up to Yugi, and greeted him. "I've heard all about your reputation for a long time. Since you defeated Seto Kaiba, I bet out of all the duelists participating this time, you must hold the strongest card, [Exodia]?"

"Hehehe, I only beat Kaiba-kun because I got lucky," Yugi said, unaccustomed to such flattery, and smiled shyly. "Oh, by the way, I saw the match between you and Rex Raptor, Weevil-kun. Congratulations on becoming the national champion of Japan."

"Oh, it's nothing really~" Weevil smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Hmph, it's only because I let you win and showed mercy," Rex interjected from the side, sounding somewhat displeased that Yugi had brought up that match again.

Weevil didn't get angry; instead, he said to Yugi in a friendly tone, "Still, I heard this tournament is going to be different from previous ones. It seems they've added a lot of new rules, making it impossible to rely entirely on past experiences. Everyone is essentially starting from the same baseline, you know."

"Who cares about the rules? Whenever any trouble comes up, my Duel Monsters and I will smash through everything!" Jonouchi didn't care much about Weevil's talk of "new rules" and spoke with considerable confidence, as if the title of Duel King was already in the bag.

Rex glanced at Jonouchi. "You know, for a guy like you, you're surprisingly to my liking."

"There's just one thing Weevil got wrong—we aren't all starting from the same baseline." With that, Rex pulled out a special "Kingdom" card from his jacket, its surface shimmering with a golden glow. "As participants from the previous tournament, we get to enjoy the special services of the luxury cruise ship, while you lot have to cram together with everyone else in a communal bunkroom. Hahahahaha."

Just as he finished laughing, a man in black stepped out from behind him, hurried over upon spotting Hayato, and bowed deeply. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Hayato Kobayashi. As a special guest invited by Mr. Pegasus, you and your friends are entitled to our highest-tier VIP service."

"VIP service? What on earth is that?" Rex looked confused. "I only heard that participants are entitled to private rooms. Am I not a VIP too?"

"Are you Mr. Raptor? Just like Mr. Underwood, you are limited to basic guest room service. Our VIP-level service is not open to the public; it is reserved exclusively for the most distinguished guests of Industrial Illusions—namely, Mr. Hayato."

Watching Rex get instantly shut down, Hayato found it hilarious. "The cruise ship is huge and private rooms are everywhere. Does anyone seriously think having a private room makes them a VIP? Seriously?"

"Hmph!" Unable to bear Hayato's sarcasm, Rex stormed off with a gloomy expression, not even waiting for Weevil, who was still trying to cozy up to Yugi. Meanwhile, amidst the crowd, a blonde woman set her sights on the departing Rex and quietly followed behind him.