Chapter 248: Break Time

"What are the three elements of Duel Physics?"

"Monsters, Magic, Traps."

"Who proposed the Unified Theory of Dueling?"

"Dr. Tubainstein."

Tenjo Hikari was revising his notes while answering Sanzawa Daichi's questions.

These were all characters or cards that appeared in the original story; although Hikari couldn't possibly remember every detail, after a quick review, he could recall them quickly.

"Oh……" Yugi Joudu stood beside their seats, frozen like a statue, stars swirling in his eyes—the knowledge he heard flowed in one ear and out the other.

"No wonder Hikari-kun is so impressive—he can review and answer questions flawlessly at the same time," whispered Tenjou Asuka from beside them.

"Big brother is different—he just stares blankly," Marufuji Ryo glanced at Yugi Joudu, lost in thought, and couldn't help teasing, "Big brother, if you keep this up, you'll have to retake this semester's exams—or even retake the whole course!"

No one knew how Ryo managed to sleep through every class with Yugi Joudu yet still pass every exam—basically, he could nap twice, glance at a book, and still pass; his talent wasn't bad at all.

Hikari tidied up his things, stretched, and turned to Sanzawa Daichi. "Thanks, Daichi. Without you, catching up on all these missed lessons would've been a nightmare."

"Hah, if defeating a Hikari who's missing key knowledge due to an accident is all it takes to be top of the class, then being first isn't even worth it," Sanzawa Daichi laughed.

"Ohhh—exams—" Joudu slumped again, face down on the desk.

"Big brother—don't give up!" Marufuji Ryo hurried over to Joudu's side.

"Yeah, big brother, cheer up!" At the same time, Dillano Kensan, another of Joudu's new little brothers, rushed to the opposite side of Ryo and shouted at Joudu.

Although he looked wild.

He was a good student.

"Ah! Kensan-kun, this is the second-year classroom—you're not supposed to be here, go back to your own class!" Ryo couldn't help telling Dillano Kensan.

"But this classroom is now the temporary meeting space for the Fusion Club—since you're a member of the Combined Club, shouldn't you be the one leaving early?" Kensan shot back, undaunted.

"Besides, Serena's here too—do you want to drive her away too?"

"Ah! You're pulling out Serena now? That's so cheap!"

Ever since Joudu gained a new "little brother" and realized his big brother once had an old one, Ryo and Dillano Kensan gradually began to oppose each other, competing fiercely for Joudu's "favor"—Ryo even abandoned many Combined Club activities to come here and fight Kensan for Joudu's attention.

Hikari didn't even understand what they were fighting over.

Just play cards! Joudu wouldn't refuse.

Today, everyone gathered in this classroom because the Fusion Club's usual meeting room was temporarily unavailable.

Of course, it wasn't being disbanded or anything.

Nowadays, the reputation of these club "elders" at school was rising rapidly—not just Hikari, Joudu, Bancho Jun, and Tenjou Asuka, who were already famous among students, but—even pay attention to the phrasing—even Sanzawa Daichi, who had always been so inconspicuous and frequently ignored, was occasionally approached by students on his own!

How absurd was that?

Imagine if you switched settings—Sanzawa Daichi's faint presence would make him perfect for joining the Assassin's Guild's training program!

In short, with so many famous students, plus Hikari, Sanzawa, Bancho, and Asuka—all top performers—and with Professor Cronos as their ironclad backer, the Fusion Club could never collapse.

The reason the Fusion Club was holding its meeting in the classroom today was that the funds from Fūkō Company had been deposited into the school's account, and the construction crew had already begun expanding the club building.

Roughly estimated, within a day, Hikari would have a three- or four-story building complete with balconies, a small ornamental lake, and all sorts of miscellaneous little structures.

This was the astonishing thing this world—where Duel Monsters and Duel Energy existed—could achieve: in the original story, Napoleon and Professor Cronos had dueled over whether to demolish the Red Academy; the demolition team could tear down half the building in an instant, while the construction crew could rebuild half the Red Academy in the same time—its power was evident.

This was the world of duelists.

So tomorrow, Hikari could begin constructing the Dimension Gate and head to the "other dimension" the principal had chosen.

Of course, before that,

there were still many "details."

"Even though telling you this now might make you lose focus on studying… I still think I should tell you, Joudu," Hikari pulled out the Emerald Book again, flipping through it as he spoke.

"What's wrong?" Joudu looked curiously at Hikari.

Lately, Hikari had clearly sensed that Joudu had become more composed, more perceptive.

Moreover, his emotional expression was no longer as enthusiastic as before—though overall, he was still passionate, just slightly less so than before.

If not for someone like Hikari, who specifically observed and recorded, no one else might have noticed Joudu was changing in some direction.

Of course, this change, rather than being a change, was more like a release of his true self.

After all, he seemed to have found his childhood's original purpose in some other dimension.

So it was hard to say whether he had changed or not.

"There probably won't be any exams this year."

"What!?"

"No exams!!"

"Really, Hikari-nii?"

"Senior Hikari, is this true!?"

"Senior Tenjo! Senior Tenjo!"

Upon hearing there would be no exams, whether they were studying with Hikari or just playing cards or goofing off nearby, everyone jumped up, crowding toward the center, all eyes fixed on Hikari.

No matter which world you were in.

No matter what you studied.

Hearing there would be no exams made anyone happy.

"No exams!?" Joudu's face lit up with joy.

This kind of good fortune!?

"N-no exams!?" Sanzawa Daichi's mouth hung open, dazed.

"Well, saying there are no exams isn't quite accurate," Hikari closed the Emerald Book, sighed slightly, propped his chin on one hand, and held the book in his left, swaying it gently. "Professor Cronos says this year's annual grades will be determined by the tournament the principal will be hosting…"

"And in terms of difficulty, it will likely be far harder than a regular Duel exam."

Hikari reminded his classmates to study hard and fine-tune their decks.

"The principal's upcoming tournament?" But most students were more focused on the tournament and the absence of exams.

Hikari gently tapped his own head with the book.

The Critical Point GX Tournament…

He couldn't help sighing.

After all that back and forth, the principal had still gone ahead and held this tournament.

As he thought this, Hikari noticed several aircraft flying toward the school island outside the window.

That logo?

And that blindingly pure white paint job.

Zaiou has arrived.

Chapter One, Chapter One

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(End of Chapter)