"Looks like you have quite a bit to do this summer," Tierra remarked casually as she watched Tenjo Hikari sit down on a chair after finishing his conversation with the Maze Brothers, pulling out his phone to jot down notes.
With some reluctance, Dinosaur Lyuzaki sought out Jonouchi for a chance meeting with "Grandpa Sugoroku," a meeting that must not be missed and should be attended punctually.
After all, this isn't just about him; seeing Dinosaur Lyuzaki's expression, it seems like this could be a rare opportunity for Jonouchi and Dinosaur Lyuzaki to reconcile. For Tenjo Hikari, whether for personal growth or to help a senior, he couldn't pass up on this event and had to attend.
The opportunity recommended by the Maze Brothers likely isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. Considering they're originally Pegasus's subordinates, it might be that the president wants to duel with him, or see if he's brought any shame to "Keeper of Dragon Magic," deliberately letting Tenjo Hikari be there.
This schedule is pretty much set.
After meeting Grandpa Sugoroku, pay visits to other legendary duelists, duel a bit, and then quickly fly to Industrial Illusions...
Before that, Tenjo Hikari absolutely needed to visit Witchcrafter Bystreet, because according to the magicians there, once the "Witchcrafter Madame" returns, if she can stay a day, it will count her as diligent and responsible; she won't always be waiting for Tenjo Hikari.
If he misses her, who knows how long the wait will be.
And once the Witchcrafter journey is over, Tenjo Hikari...
...must head to the Mage Domain.
He needs to find Teacher Daitokuji and find Aleister the Invoker, fulfilling the agreement made a year ago.
"Looking at it this way, the timing is really tight," Tierra mentioned next to him while eating a small cake, frowning as she drew a blue cross in the air.
Tenjo Hikari took a deep breath and nodded his head.
"Not just that—I also have to cooperate with Professor Cronos' operations," he said, continuing, "because the professor has been preparing for the student intake issue for next year. Due to the Fusion Army situation, he must consider whether the number of new students at Duel Academy will suddenly drop, and as the champion, I have to assist him no matter what..."
Actually, a few days ago, Tenjo Hikari had already met with many partners of Duel Academy, and even encountered lots of fans from these partners, some girls even trying to stage 'chance encounters.' Little did they know, Tierra had already informed him from a distance of several meters.
He heaved a long sigh.
Though it indeed wasted a lot of time and was quite exhausting, he couldn't just ignore it all.
After all, he had received considerable help from Professor Cronos; if it weren't for the cards provided by the professor in several duels before, there's a real possibility he could have lost. He couldn't just enjoy the benefits without taking on some responsibility.
So, he had to lend a hand.
Unexpectedly—
Just a few days after Tenjo Hikari's return to Duel Academy, Cronos hastily ceased all invitations for partners and sent away all fans who came to see Tenjo Hikari.
It wasn't because the academy's strategy changed.
Rather, Tenjo Hikari suddenly 'exploded in popularity'—no, to be exact, his fame skyrocketed!
Because in the past two days, Kaiba Company suddenly released footage of Tenjo Hikari's duel with Akaba Leo in the S Dimension. Even though much of it was trimmed, Tenjo Hikari's victory over Akaba Leo, and his use of "Pendulum," completely ignited the passion of nearly everyone who knew about it.
After all, Tenjo Hikari was already the GX Champion, and now these two matters surfaced one after another.
What does this prove?
It proves that Tenjo Hikari's [Polymerization] is more fused than [Fusion Army]'s fusion!
It proves that Tenjo Hikari, who defeated Akaba Leo, is a genuine, pure Fusion Master!
It proves—Tenjo Hikari's commercial value is soaring up!
Initially, academy partners, news companies, and duel-related enterprises seemed to catch a scent of something, crazily pouring into Duel Academy, to the point where private jets nearly filled up the academy's airport, and ships from different countries and companies crowded the port of Academy Island.
Professor Cronos was quite alarmed by this.
Cronos wanted Duel Academy to be famous, but being too famous can also be problematic—he wanted Tenjo Hikari to become famous, but being too famous would mean Tenjo Hikari couldn't walk down the street without being blocked by countless fans and reporters, affecting his studies and work as a duelist.
In this situation, Cronos changed his strategy and told Tenjo Hikari to lay low for a while.
Fortunately—
The time had come.
Tenjo Hikari landed in an ancient alley, with the sun in the sky shining down gently, not scorching but warmly making one feel a bit lazy.
All around, various spirits were moving back and forth, there were magicians as well as warriors, some members of the Witchcrafter Bystreet were shouting and introducing their latest creations.
Tenjo Hikari stretched.
Finally arrived!
Witchcrafter Bystreet!