“Heh heh.”
Hearing the Old Principal’s words, Andrea let out a soft laugh.
Because of the angle, only the dueling students on the stage could see Andrea, who hadn’t stood up. She wasn’t worried that Sonia in the audience would notice her smile.
Sonia wasn’t in the mood to guess whether there was a second person up on the platform.
At this moment, her face was nothing but bewildered.
How am I supposed to know if my thoughts are the same as yours?
She wanted to refuse, but when she saw all her classmates’ gazes focused on her—especially with both Seniors on stage watching—she finally realized.
The one who lost was Senior Doubali.
If she had to pick someone to critique, it should logically be Senior Doubali.
But she was about to duel a second-year Senior next!
Senior Doubali was the darling of the second-years.
Criticizing her now would be like inviting a storm before the match even began!
Grandpa Principal, you’re shameless!
Sonia was at a loss for words, her face full of misery.
After a moment, she managed to force a smile.
“B-both Seniors fought really well. I don’t have anything to comment on.”
“That won’t do, Sonia.”
The Principal stroked his mustache and shook his head. “You can’t get away with such a wishy-washy answer.”
“You must speak your true thoughts. Only then can Doubali and Ilouxue truly gain something from this duel.”
“The Principal is right, Junior Sister Sonia. You’re the one who created [Flash], so your understanding of [Flash] must be deeper than ours.”
Ilouxue spoke earnestly, “I hope you’ll share your honest thoughts.”
Doubali scratched her head awkwardly. “I hope you’ll say what you really think too, Junior Sister Sonia.”
“I heard you even defeated Gris El from the Lower City, right? With such strength, you must have noticed something in our duel.”
“Don’t worry about me. Just say it straight.”
But I really didn’t see anything!
Sonia was almost crying inside.
Just over a month ago, I was dead last! Seniors, don’t be fooled by those results!
In those duels, I didn’t even touch a single card!
“Comments… To be honest, it’s really hard to say…”
At that moment, a somewhat pained voice from Yide rang out.
But Sonia’s eyes suddenly lit up.
That’s right, there’s still Mr. Yide!
“Mr. Yide, why don’t you help me out and speak for me?”
“Me?” Yide was stunned, then hesitated. “Maybe I shouldn’t…”
“You can’t say no, Mr. Yide!”
Sonia’s consciousness dove straight into the Millennium Puzzle’s mental space, hugging Yide’s leg and wailing.
“Mr. Yide, you know me best.”
“Grandpa Principal wants me to speak, but I really don’t understand anything!”
“Please, help me!”
Yide looked troubled, but finally confirmed with Sonia, “Are you sure you want me to speak? If so, I’ll just say whatever comes to mind.”
“Yes, yes, just say whatever you like.”
Sonia nodded vigorously.
“All right, then empty your mind.”
“(´∀`) Okay~”
—Soul Possession!—
Sonia cheerfully gave up control of her body, letting Yide take over.
The murmurs around them continued.
But whether it was the teachers and students below the stage, or the two Seniors above, all eyes were now fixed on the girl, waiting for her evaluation.
Seeing this, Sonia suddenly froze.
Something’s not right.
Why does this scene feel so familiar?
Everyone’s waiting for her to speak.
And then she handed the microphone to Mr. Yide…
Oh no, why did she give speaking rights to Mr. Yide?!
Before Sonia could react, her voice already rang out.
“My true thoughts?”
“To be blunt, both Seniors’ performances can be summed up in one word—”
“Fail.”
The debating Seniors and Juniors around them fell silent.
Doubali and Ilouxue were both stunned.
Tivia also glanced at her best friend in surprise, as if she’d realized something.
Meanwhile, Sonia was about to roll her eyes out of her head in anxiety.
How could she forget the spirit living in the Millennium Puzzle was the biggest troublemaker of all!
The next second, as if a lid could no longer hold back the pressure—
The audience burst into a storm of questioning voices.
“Huh? Fail?”
“Does she even know what she’s saying?”
“A first-year grading upperclassmen.”
“Youthful arrogance, as expected… cough, cough…”
White smoke drifted up as Laki gazed wistfully at the sky, as if the commotion had nothing to do with him. But his two coughs shattered the mood.
“Teacher Laki, stop smoking! Isn’t it your job to maintain order right now?”
Tivia shot her homeroom teacher a look of disdain, then glanced at her best friend.
So the one speaking now must be Yide, right?
Sonia, that idiot, still hasn’t learned her lesson from last time?
Just then, Ilouxue spoke from the stage.
Her voice carried a mysterious power—when she spoke, everyone below instantly quieted down.
“Junior Sister Sonia, are you saying our performance in this duel was unbearable?”
No, that’s not it! I didn’t mean that!
Sonia almost blurted out.
But she knew, even if she took back control of her body now, unless she gave a specific reason, the Seniors wouldn’t let her go.
Fortunately, Yide didn’t drop any more bombshells.
“It wasn’t unbearable, just that both of you made some mistakes that shouldn’t have happened.”
Yide shook his head. “Let’s start with Senior Ilouxue. This must be your first time using [Compulsory Ejection Device], right?”
Ilouxue nodded. “That’s right. In my view, this card’s greatest use is to slow the opponent’s assault, so I returned the [Red Dragon Queen’s Warrior] with the highest attack power. Is there a problem?”
“Your understanding is correct, but in practice, it felt like you played the card just for the sake of playing it.”
Ilouxue frowned. “What do you mean?”
“In that situation, was it really necessary to use [Compulsory Ejection Device]?”
Yide raised a finger. “[Dragon’s Slumber] was also a card you prepared specifically for this duel, right?”
“Although you won in the end, have you considered what would have happened if, instead of using Compulsory Ejection Device, you played [Dragon’s Slumber] directly?”
“It would…”
Ilouxue started to speak, but then frowned and fell silent.
The students, whether first or second years, didn’t immediately catch on.
What would have happened?
Wouldn’t she have just lost more health?
Suddenly, excited voices rose from the third-year students’ area.
“I get it!”
“Whoa, that’s right!”
“Senior, what does it mean?” The younger students nearby whispered urgently.
The third-years quickly shared their shock. “Doubali’s five follower slots were all filled, and instead of clearing the board, she chose an all-out attack.”
“So if Ilouxue hadn’t used [Compulsory Ejection Device] and played [Dragon’s Slumber] instead, Doubali wouldn’t have been able to summon any followers for the next two turns!”
“That’s locking down the board by using the opponent’s own field!”
“Hiss…”
The second-year students couldn’t help but gasp.
Is this kind of thinking even human?