"Winner: Tenjo Hikari!"
"Hehehe, looks like our academy wins again this year!"
"Damn it, just you wait, I'll definitely get my revenge next year!"
Tenjo Hikari was still a bit confused, standing in the dueling arena, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Did... did it end?
By the time he came to his senses, the two academy principals who were fighting over Auntie Tami had finished their argument, and the final reward of the "Duel Academy Exchange Tournament"—Auntie Tami's kiss—had already been placed on Principal Samejima's face.
It was only then that Tenjo Hikari remembered what had just happened.
His opponent was someone he didn't know, no impression at all, so at first, Tenjo Hikari was quite nervous.
After all, it's not unusual for an unknown duelist to use any kind of deck, and if they used something like Anti-Spell Fragrance or a Magic or Trap that prohibits Polymerization, it would actually be difficult for him to guarantee a win.
However, the opponent ended their turn after summoning an Armed Dragon LV3 with 1200 ATK.
He didn't even set a card!
Tenjo Hikari slapped his face, trying to wake himself up.
Although his deck contains a lot of Super Era Fusion, to be honest, since the low-level monsters and extra monsters can only be found or gathered himself, he actually didn't feel like he was using high-tech against barbarians, and when dueling with well-known characters, he was always carefully calculating and planning.
Today was the first time he didn't even think about it and just steamrolled through with Future Fusion, Overload Future Fusion, and other cards.
Even the classmates watching couldn't help but complain.
"What's going on?"
"Seriously, I wanted to see an intense duel, like the one a few days ago!"
Many of the students who came to watch the duel from the audience were a bit disappointed, but Judai and other familiar friends of Tenjo Hikari breathed a sigh of relief and congratulated him.
However...
"Hahaha, too weak, is this the branch school?!"
"I told you, the branch school is no good!"
Tenjo Hikari noticed that some upper-grade students from the Fusion Department were ridiculing the branch school.
He frowned.
The Fusion Department's problem is really serious!
Initially, he thought his opponent would be "Manjome Jun," who, in the animation plot, went to the Northern Branch School after being expelled due to some underhanded tactics during duels with Judai and Mitsuzawa Daichi. He became the "King" there and returned to Duel Academy as the representative of the Northern Branch School...
Even though Manjome Jun's performance as a supporting character in the animation was quite average, often overshadowed by Marufuji Ryo, Ed Phoenix, and John, he was positioned as Judai's rival, and at this point in time, he was also on the same level as Judai. Therefore, dueling with him, Tenjo Hikari thought he could gain a lot of energy.
Unexpectedly—this world's Manjome never went to the Northern Branch School!
He pinched his brow.
Until yesterday, he always thought his opponent was Manjome, never expecting that, due to Kaiba Seto's constant pursuit of the "Other Dimension," the Manjome Group had the opportunity to get involved, investing in Kaiba Company's various experiments. They forcefully placed Manjome into Kaiba Company, allowing Manjome to achieve what he did in the manga version—becoming Kaiba's apprentice!
Of course, in the animation version, there were many tributes to Kaiba even without this relationship.
According to Marufuji Shou, after losing to Judai, Manjome's pride was severely hurt, so he returned to Kaiba Company to train seriously, determined to face Judai again upon returning midway through the term.
Looking at the time... it seemed about right.
So Tenjo Hikari could only wish him good luck... in his blurry memory, it seemed like Manjome never won against Judai.
"Hahaha, well done, Tenjo-san!" Principal Samejima was overjoyed, unable to stop praising Tenjo Hikari, continuously saying, "Professor Cronos taught you well!"
"Eh, um, yeah, is, is that so..." Professor Cronos, standing nearby, was sweating profusely.
"Oh, right, Tenjo Hikari, this is the stable dimension coordinates explored by the Northern Academy." The principal cheerfully took out a card and handed it to Tenjo Hikari for safekeeping.
Tenjo Hikari took the card, which only had a pattern on it—a blurry three-dimensional cube. Tenjo Hikari could only marvel at how in the Yu Gi Oh world, even space coordinates could be marked with a card.
"Afterwards, we'll let Yellow Academy..."
"Principal!" Just as the principal was unable to close his mouth from smiling, a student in a purple uniform, standing straight and more like a soldier than a student, suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? And who might you be?" Principal Samejima, not angry at being interrupted, looked at the student curiously.
"Principal. I am Kambayashi Kaname, a third-year in the Fusion Department!"
"Fusion Department..." Principal Samejima gently furrowed his brows.
Strange, wasn't it a student from the Fusion Department representing them? Why didn't Professor Akuma come to watch?
Honestly, he didn't know Professor Akaba Leo very well; he only knew that Akaba Leo was personally hired by the board, and even he, the principal, couldn't direct him much. Apart from the annual exams, he never saw Akaba Leo, so he thought that since Akaba Leo recommended students as representatives this time, he might finally be ready to socialize with the teachers and professors... but it seemed he was still so reclusive.
"Principal. The professor said that as a member of the Fusion Department, it's an honor for both Tenjo-san and our department to represent the academy in defeating the Northern Academy!" Kambayashi Kaname continued with a blank expression, "For a student who has made such an achievement, not only should they be rewarded with credits, but our Fusion Department should also make a gesture, so that all students are enthusiastic about learning and dueling!"
"Professor Akuma actually thinks that way!" The principal showed surprise on his face, then couldn't help but feel a bit gratified.
Tenjo Hikari couldn't help but roll his eyes from the side.
No wonder you never reacted to Professor Cronos' antics in the early part of the original series, the principal is truly kind-hearted...
He understood—it was all aimed at him!
"We in the Fusion Department also have a Dimension Gate. There's no need to waste the energy allocated to Yellow Academy each month; we can completely use our Fusion Department's Dimension Gate to send Tenjo-san. This way, Tenjo-san can later use Yellow Academy's Dimension Gate for other dimension explorations!"
"Well thought out, Professor Akuma..." Principal Samejima kept nodding, then looked at Tenjo Hikari, "So... what do you think, Tenjo-san?"
"Of course, that's fine!" Tenjo Hikari agreed without hesitation.
He never understood what that egghead was up to, so now was a perfect opportunity!
"Hmm... it is, after all, an unknown Other Dimension. Although the Northern Academy assures that there won't be any safety issues in that dimension, we can't be completely at ease..." Principal Samejima didn't make a decision directly, continuing, "So, according to tradition, we'll go in pairs—one to explore and one for safety, allowing for immediate exit from the Other Dimension if needed."
The students from the Fusion Department hesitated a bit but nodded nonetheless.
"Good, then, Tenjo-san, do you have any friends to recommend?" After the principal spoke, several eavesdropping students immediately stood up all at once.
Besides some Fusion Department students attracted by Tenjo Hikari's dueling, Judai and Yotsuzawa Umi raised their hands without hesitation, calling out to Tenjo Hikari to get his attention.
"Uh... if it's for safety... may I ask if Professor Cronos can come along?"
"Mamma mia, me!?" The professor exclaimed, pointing at himself, and then, noticing the principal's skeptical gaze, quickly put on a reliable expression, with a solemn face and a demeanor of an expert, nodding, "Rest, rest assured, principal! I absolutely guarantee Tenjo-san's safety!"