After returning from Industrial Illusions' island to Duel Academy, Tenjo Hikari finally had a bit of leisure time.
Though people still occasionally showed up wanting to challenge him, interview him, or bring other sorts of random things, as long as it was a duel, Tenjo Hikari wouldn't refuse them. He saw it as a chance to collect Duel Energy from various personalities, gaining different Fusion Material cards in the process.
Perhaps it was because the school term was approaching, or maybe the excitement was fading away, the number of zealous students gradually declined, allowing Tenjo Hikari to finally enjoy a normal summer vacation in the Fusion Department.
Due to the upcoming school term, many students began returning to campus, and the Fusion Department became lively again.
The students enthusiastically chatted about their summer experiences, assorted news, and other well-known topics, as if they had endless things to say, chattering away excitedly.
Ruri felt slightly uncomfortable in this environment, but as more people gathered, she felt less like a stranger and more like a kid visiting the senior students' clubs.
"Did you watch the duel between the department head and Senior Judai?"
"Ah! Against those Maze Brothers, right!"
"Yes, exactly! A fierce battle! Against the legendary brothers, with the terrifying Guardian of the Gate!"
The department members discussed the recent duel, expressing quite a lot of interest.
Some students who were busy with holiday fun and hadn't kept up with local events started asking questions after hearing about it, feeling curious and eager to uncover the whole story.
At this moment, the large stereo projection machine prepared by Fengguang Company in the Fusion Department came in handy.
Some students used recorded footage and played it on the projector in the lobby, surprising Ruri, who had never fully understood the purpose of these devices.
But after the initial surprise, she pondered another matter: the Fusion Department students not only used the projector skillfully, they even recorded the duel in advance, apparently planning to show these videos to friends and classmates at the start of school.
This behavior...
Senior Tenjo, truly adored by everyone.
"By the way, how about the duel with Professor Akuma? Is there a recording?"
"What, Brother Hikari dueled Professor Akuma!?"
"Yeah, it really happened. Didn't it cause quite a stir before? It's shocking you don't know about it. Did you play games all summer?"
"Ah, well..."
"Unfortunately, it couldn't be recorded."
Ruri tilted her head, watching a peculiarly dressed boy with starfish-shaped hair stride into the Fusion Department, head straight to the reception desk, open the cabinet, sit at the desk, and casually open a bottle of juice.
Eh—
"That's Senior Kagurazaka." Serena whispered to Ruri, "Although he appears like that, he's actually incredibly skilled."
"Really! Like Senior Judai, Senior Manjome, and Senior Tenjo?" Ruri had recently gotten to know some of the Fusion Department's veterans, and having seen Tenjo Hikari, Judai, and the Maze Brothers duel before, she knew those "veterans" were exceptional duelists.
"Uh... not quite that strong..." Serena quickly waved her hand, then hesitated for a moment, whispering to Ruri, "Senior Kagurazaka can simulate his master's deck and use it very skillfully!"
"Wow! That's amazing!"
She exclaimed, drawing quite a bit of attention. That's when the members noticed there was now another identical girl where Serena had originally been.
"Eh—Twins?"
"Serena, wait, am I talking to Serena or not?"
Although their hairstyles and clothes were slightly different, Serena and Ruri truly "looked exactly alike," even more similar than many twins, making it quite difficult to tell them apart.
Serena laughed heartily, stood up and waved, then opened her arms wide, introducing Ruri with a "My goodness, she's the most perfect person ever!" tone.
That's right—
She looked exactly the same, equally bold, and even had the "wisdom" that Serena lacked. With the ability to calmly judge like her master, she was practically a perfect version of herself!
"A parallel counterpart from the X Dimension!?"
"Such a thing actually exists!"
"She's just as cute as sweet Serena."
"Eh—"
"So... so, between different dimensions, there really can be parallel counterparts? Then maybe there's one of me in some dimension..."
After getting to know Ruri, the group generally understood the consistent portrayal Serena and Ruri presented to the outside, sparking more imaginative thoughts.
Ruri let out a sigh of relief, then curiously asked Serena about the previous situation.
She was indeed quite surprised.
The deck used by Tenjo Hikari wasn't something a normal person could handle.
That [Full Fusion] deck had Fusion Material, yes, but the proportion was absolutely lower than the Spell Cards, possibly even very low.
She had previously tried with Serena on the duel table using the deck borrowed from Tenjo Hikari, discovering that no matter how they tried, even with their understanding and luck, it was quite difficult to play effectively.
And now, Serena told her that someone could imitate Tenjo Hikari and even use a similar deck!?