The date Muto Sugoroku gave Tenjo Hikari is the end of this month, roughly a week before the start of the school year.
If there are no surprises, once Tenjo Hikari has rested enough, mid-month he plans to make a trip to the "Forgotten World" to see what spirits are there and if there are any that share his thoughts.
Of course, these are things to consider later. Right now, the only thing that piques Tenjo Hikari's curiosity is what cards he'll pull from the pile of card boxes he bought.
Brother Lyuzakii was able to draw a "Dinomorphia" from these card boxes, so it's hard to imagine what Serena might pull from them.
Here in Domino City, unlike at Duel Academy, there aren't mobs of reporters chasing him for interviews, so returning to the academy is quite relaxed; he only needs to take the boat back, and once off the boat, Tenjo Hikari can easily return to the academy under the cover of night.
The Fusion Department is temporarily off-limits, as reporters are hiding nearby every day trying to intercept Tenjo Hikari. Although Tenjo Hikari doesn't mind being interviewed to help make Duel Academy famous, once one reporter catches him, more might swarm in, along with fans.
Fortunately, Tenjo Hikari has more than one place to stay.
Even though it's summer break, Professor Cronos can still open a classroom for them to gather in.
Manjome hasn't returned to the academy yet, probably busy with other things; Judai, though, is in the classroom with Shou, engaging in duels using machines.
"Ah—I lost again. Shou's so amazing, isn't he!?"
"You're just terrible, big bro—" Shou couldn't help but tease.
Whenever dueling with simulators or phones, Judai's dueling skills were quite atrocious, the once-predictive draws nowhere to be seen; in contrast, even when using such devices for dueling, Serena was undeniably fortunate.
Ruri also learned to use the simulators from this world to duel, given that her cards' data wasn't available within these machines, forcing her to test decks available from this world, unfamiliar to her but surprising everyone with her remarkable performance.
"Shou, long time no see! You've been busy with what lately?" Tenjo Hikari sighed with relief seeing Shou, devoid of the hidden malice he once felt.
After all, Tenjo Hikari's previous feelings towards Shou were influenced by the outrageous actions Shou took in the original story; however, the Shou of this world didn't do any of those things, instead showing outstanding skills, especially in his duel with Marufuji Ryo which made Tenjo Hikari realize that this world's Shou was quite different from his past perception—a duelist with his own thoughts, adaptable, responsible, and dependable—certainly deserving a fresh perspective.
Marufuji Shou still donned his unique purple uniform, standing out distinctively within the school; honestly, Tenjo Hikari recalled there weren't any other Duel Academy Main School students wearing purple uniforms besides Marufuji Shou.
"Ah, Tenjo-san." Noticing Tenjo Hikari stepping in, Shou along with others waved, rubbing the back of his head saying, "Haha, because of your previous duel, everyone saw it—though the details weren't clear, you beat Professor Akuma, right?
Thanks to this, the Fusion Department students' situation improved a lot; I've been helping them there recently."
As a representative of the Fusion Department, Marufuji Shou also had plenty of matters to handle.
Deciding the future direction, determining the next enrollment goals, changing the Fusion Department's public image, most importantly—finding those former friends—these were all troubling matters lately for him.
Luckily, because most attention got drawn to Tenjo Hikari, he fortunately didn't face too much hostility.
"Is that so? You've worked hard. Keep going!"
Shou lightly nodded, followed by a chuckle.
He wasn't alone.
Although the Amazoness Swords Sisters don't handle other matters, their fame still stands high, renowned as world-class "Tag Duelists" with notable influence; additionally, his friend, the Fusion Department elite "Dennis" continuously aided him, enabling him to work vibrantly despite the daily grind.
Judai excitedly and curiously asked Tenjo Hikari what he encountered in Domino City, Tenjo Hikari chuckled, actually having topics to share—
"I saw the duel of Mr. Jonouchi and Brother Lyuzakii, how fascinating!" Tenjo Hikari earnestly imitated Jonouchi's card-showing moves, though unfortunately lacked his exquisite features to replicate such magical gestures.
"What!?" "Really!? Tenjo-san!?"
The friends heard Tenjo Hikari's words and instantly exclaimed repeatedly, Judai pounding his chest, regretful he wasn't present.
Ruri quietly asked Serena about Jonouchi and Lyuzakii, Serena's eyes brightened, recognizing another chance to flaunt her scarce knowledge to her sister, eagerly divulging the situation in whispers.
Legendary duelists and the [Legend] itself re-dueling!
Such occasions, even as exhibition matches, would be greatly missed if absent.