In the days that followed, Amagi Hikaru's academic life continued without disruption.
He attended his classes as usual, studying card theory, endgame scenarios, card alchemy, and an odd assortment of dueling-based martial arts.
Of course, beyond his formal studies, the most important part of his routine involved dueling other students within the Fusion Club. These matches served to build camaraderie and, more importantly, to trigger the mysterious Super Polymerization phenomenon that allowed him to generate new cards.
Duels were a common sight at Duel Academy, but within the Fusion Club, they were nearly a daily ritual. After spending several days immersed in the club's environment, Hikaru began to notice something troubling.
There were divisions.
Tensions.
A quiet schism ran through the Fusion Club.
Despite being a "club," its internal atmosphere was far from unified.
In all his time there, Hikaru had not once seen Leo Akaba, the professor supposedly in charge of the Fusion Club. Most of the activities were overseen by upperclassmen, and while everything on the surface looked orderly, Hikaru could feel a subtle but unmistakable chill under the surface.
He was being watched.
Monitored.
And at times, clearly excluded.
Though every member wore the same purple uniform symbolizing Fusion, it quickly became obvious that some purples were considered more prestigious than others.
It was always the same story.
Every day, every event—whether it was card training, duel strategy simulations, or even "simulated dimensional battles," a new concept unique to this world, the students from Slifer Red and Ra Yellow were left out. None of the practical opportunities ever reached them.
Only the Obelisk Blue students were invited.
Even the older Red and Yellow members of the Fusion Club had long resigned themselves to this imbalance. They endured it without protest, as if it were natural.
Some of the first-years tried to push back.
Whenever they did, the club arranged duels against clearly superior opponents. They were crushed in front of everyone, humiliated, and afterward, quietly accepted the status quo.
After all, this was Duel Academy.
If you lost in a duel, what right did you have to complain?
Amagi Hikaru quietly shook his head as he thought about it.
They all wore the same purple uniforms now, didn't they? Yet their minds were still stuck in the old hierarchy. Their so-called "Fusion unity" was paper-thin.
The purity was too low.
He wasn't here to reform anything. He had no intention of standing up for others or being a symbol of resistance. He joined the Fusion Club for one reason: convenience, and access to the Ancient Gear archetype.
That afternoon, Hikaru was in the Fusion Club's Duel Hall, casually observing matches and looking for a suitable opponent.
Over the past few days, he had figured out how the mysterious power from Super Polymerization worked. He could only gain "power" once a day, and the amount was based on the opponent's strength.
Winning against a weak duelist gave him next to nothing. That meant choosing the wrong opponent wasted his daily opportunity entirely.
So, although he wanted a duel, he wasn't about to accept just anyone.
As he was scanning the hall, something caught his eye.
A card lay face-down near his feet.
He stooped down and picked it up. When he saw what it was, his eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Ancient Gear Golem...?"
He blinked.
Even in this world, Ancient Gear Golem was considered a rare and powerful card. With 3000 ATK, it was on par with Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Why would anyone leave something like this lying around?
As he turned the card in his hand, someone suddenly shouted from the hallway.
"Hey, that's Senior Ryu's Ancient Gear Golem!"
"A thief! Someone's trying to steal it!"
Hikaru looked up.
A group of Fusion Club students had begun to surround him, all of them from Obelisk Blue.
He stared at them in disbelief.
"What are you talking about? I just picked it up off the ground," he said flatly. "If it belongs to someone, and you know who, then take it back to them. Simple."
The Blue students froze, their expressions flickering with confusion.
That… wasn't how this script was supposed to go.
He had picked up a rare card. A powerful, expensive one. The kind of card any normal student would've hidden away instantly.
But he was offering to return it.
Freely.
Without hesitation.
"Is something wrong?" Hikaru asked, glancing around. "You said it belongs to Senior Ryu, right? If he lost this card, he's probably worried. Take it back to him before he finds out it's missing."
Hikaru didn't immediately assume it was some kind of trap. He simply put himself in someone else's shoes. If he lost one of his valuable cards, he would be worried too. So, without hesitation, he stepped forward, card in hand, ready to return it.
"I heard the thief who stole the card has been found?"
The voice came cold and sharp.
A tall student approached, his uniform neatly pressed and an epaulet on his shoulder marking him as a senior. He carried himself with an arrogant presence that immediately drew attention.
Hikaru raised the card slightly. "Are you Senior Ryu? I just found this on the floor—"
"Hmph. Typical of Yellow students. Can't even admit to stealing when caught red-handed," Ryu sneered, cutting him off without waiting for an explanation.
Hikaru tilted his head. "Why don't we just check the surveillance footage?"
There was a beat of silence. Ryu coughed and shifted slightly.
"Someone like you isn't worthy of being part of the Fusion Army," he said, trying to pivot.
And with that, everything clicked.
Hikaru glanced at the other students nearby. A few wore guilty expressions. He replayed the situation in his mind from the start.
"I get it now," he said calmly. "You planted the card on the floor, hoping someone would pick it up. Then you'd accuse them of stealing it to set them up."
He narrowed his eyes.
"That's not a prank. That's a crime."
Stealing cards was one of the worst offenses a duelist could commit. In this world, it wasn't just against school rules. It was a black mark on your life. A stain that never washed away. People who got labeled as card thieves were finished.
But Amagi Hikaru wasn't worried.
Ryu was clearly an upperclassman—probably second year at least. That meant dueling him would yield plenty of "power."
"Enough of this fake drama," Hikaru snapped. "If your goal was to drive me out, then just say it. What's with all the theatrics?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"I wouldn't want to associate with insects like you anyway."
"What did you just say?"
"Am I wrong?" Hikaru's voice rose, anger sharpening his words. "Look at yourselves. You spend more time scheming against your own classmates than you do improving your decks."
He raised the Ancient Gear Golem card.
"You've forgotten what Fusion is even about."
The room went still.
"You worship Fusion like it's sacred, but you've turned it into a tool for petty ego and dorm pride. You don't deserve to call yourselves Fusion duelists."
The students stared at him, caught between outrage and disbelief.
"Fusion," Hikaru declared, voice ringing through the room, "is about unity. It's about combining strengths to create something greater. How can people like you, who only care about status and power, ever understand it?"
A moment of silence passed.
"Eh?"
"Ah?"
Several students stood frozen in place, completely stunned by Amagi Hikaru's outburst. It was as if their brains had run out of oxygen, they had no idea how to respond.
Wait a second… we just came to the Fusion Club because we thought Fusion Summoning was cool. What kind of lunatic is this guy?
Hikaru's passionate shouting drew the attention of nearby students. They didn't know what had happened beforehand, but a few upperclassmen who arrived immediately recognized the situation.
The same old trick.
Ryu's favorite move.
He had pulled this stunt many times, planting valuable cards in public spaces and waiting for some unlucky student to pick them up. Anyone he didn't like, anyone who didn't show enough deference, he'd set them up and accuse them of theft.
Some of the senior students from Slifer Red and Ra Yellow clenched their fists. They had swallowed this garbage too many times before. Now, seeing someone speak up against it stirred something in them.
Even a few Obelisk Blue students looked uncomfortable. Ryu's tactics were nasty, but he was still technically "one of them." And when it looked like the confrontation might boil over, they stepped in to support him. Their numbers swelled quickly, forming a clear divide across the Duel Hall.
The more aggressive Blues stepped forward, practically surrounding Hikaru and the handful of Reds and Yellows behind him. Some of the older students faltered, taking cautious steps back. But the younger students, the first-years who had been pushed around day after day, stood firm.
They had been quiet for too long.
Now they finally had someone to rally behind.
Hikaru raised his left arm, and his Duel Disk activated with a sharp mechanical hum. Its core lit up as it unfolded around his wrist.
He stepped forward, shielding the students behind him.
"Enough with this hypocritical act, senior," he said sharply. "We're Duel Academy students. So let's settle it like duelists."
The words echoed across the hall.
"You and I. Right here. Right now. If you win, I'll withdraw from the Fusion Club permanently. I won't step foot in this building again."
Ryu's face darkened.
Ryu's had been publicly exposed in front of the entire club. His favorite tactic laid bare. Now Hikaru was challenging him in front of everyone, using the Duelist's Code as a weapon.
Ryu clenched his jaw.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth.
"But if I win, you will apologize to me in front of everyone. Publicly. You'll admit that you were in the wrong. And that card—" he gestured to the Ancient Gear Golem— "will be mine. You're not worthy of using it."
A hush fell over the crowd.
It was clear to everyone that the terms weren't even. For Hikaru, it was membership in the club and his reputation. For Ryu, it was nothing he actually owned, just a card the school had loaned out for the term.
But nobody objected.
This was Duel Academy.
Everything was decided by cards.
Ryu's eyes narrowed. "Heh. So much for your speech. In the end, you're still just another greedy little thief trying to take something that isn't yours."
Hikaru smirked coldly.
"You can think whatever you want."
He turned to a nearby Slifer Red student and calmly held out the Ancient Gear Golem.
"Can you contact Professor Crowler?" he asked. "Tell him what's happening. Ask if he'd be willing to hold onto this card as a neutral party, and if he'll serve as the official referee for this duel."