"Man! That was crazy!" I exclaimed when we were back and taking bath.
Communal bath is not a new thing. Academia has communal bath since making students and soldiers waiting their turn to bathing takes long time and impractical. But it was such a tense situation with each of us only care for ourselves! No one making chat, or being friendly. If anyone try being nice, watch out for your stuff. They probably try to bully you by stealing your stuff. Clothes is frequent target.
What's more embarrassing than forced to streak half naked to your dorm?
Thought the one here is considerably smaller.
Well, if Standard taught me anything, tax is pain to pay. Bigger the plot of land, the more expensive the tax is. Not to mention you gotta pay for water! So yeah. Can't afford big bathroom.
"I know what you're talking about!" Yugo nodded in agreement. "This is first time I see Director duels; you know? And he dropped bomb on us! I mean, his monster's effect is pretty crazy. Attack and defense position has different effect! First time I know this! Then there's his Dragon!"
"Right?!" I replied. "Returning lifepoints to 4000! What the hell with that effect?! If your lifepoints is higher, you just slashed your own, but if your lifepoints is lower, critical 100 even, it basically life saver!" Seriously, what the hell with that effect! First time I see such a thing! Normally it gains attack, decrease opponent attack, change position, destroy, negate effect, or special summon! If gain attack it usually doesn't reach more than 1000! But it was frigging turn LP to 4000!
"Floren-nee is also crazily strong." He added. "Her Black Rose is bad enough nuke, then she shows Ruddy Rose that was Nuke and Graveyard Banisher! Granted her own side got hit too, but I guess it kinda balancing, otherwise it would be broken."
Tell me about it! She has such powerhouse and just show it just now!
Granted, I got where she came from.
I was loyal to Academia back then. And Reiji has his eyes on her. She must be laying low until she felt she can go wild as she pleased.
Makes me wonder if she knows about the war, and deliberately going there to mess up with the plan. She knows too much for her own good, and her past is mystery. She answers without truly clarifying anything, almost like me deflecting questions about my origin. And she seems to know whenever I start "acting out of script".
Won't surprise me if she ended up being agent of unknown third party in this war. She does pretty good job messing up with The Professor's Plan.
"...I'm so nagging her later..." I sighed. "She hides so many things from me..."
"She probably gonna pull Secret card. Trust me, she gonna do. And if you pressed, she gonna get angry. Girls are weird that way."
For real?! That's so weird! But, "I don't think Floren-nee is type who get angry at silly stuff like that."
She's the type who just leave instead arguing.
"Still, I am going to try. The effort is what counts, right?"
"Yep. Even if you fail, at least you did try." Yugo nodded. "Speaking, our duels are nerve wracking too." He turned to Kurosaki. "Can't believe you manage to find my way to bypass Dragon's Bind!"
That Xyz bastard just scoffed. "That simple-minded thinking is going to get you in trouble." OI! He praises you and that's your reply?! At least preen like overgrown bird you are! "And what the hell with your reliance to luck?! You might get lucky today, but you won't be as lucky next time! All it take was one bad chance!"
"Luck is also important factor of duel! I mean, dead hand and bad draw is possible, so why not trusting on your luck?"
"That's unreliable. Again, all it takes was one bad chance."
Can't believe I'm saying it, but I kinda agree with that Xyz bastard.
Luck can be unreliable at times.
"That's what adaptive thinking was for. When life give you lemon, make lemonade out of it! Thinking hard how to turn things around with cards you got, not lamenting what you don't get."
Wow. That's kinda... deep.
"...how you can be wise but also an idiot in the same time, I'll never know."
"HEY!"
"Try to improve your strategy. If you're not so reliant to luck, you'll be better. You get a pass this time since we all have handicap of Speed Spell, but next time you won't get the excuse." He paused. "Well, at least you fare better than that Fusion Scum."
"Say what?!"
"You hear me." I gritted my teeth as he gives me that ugly smug face. Makes me want to break his nose so he resembles his beloved birds even more. "Easily handicapped. Cannot fusion summon so easily if there's no polymerization, right?"
I bristled.
"Why You...!"
Even worse, he is right.
Out of all of us, I am the one who most inconvenienced by the Rules!
"The person who lose doesn't have right to backtalks."
"Like you win yours!"
"I win against Ren and I fought Yugo till draw."
I want to strangle him. Seriously, I want to.
But that would just make Yuzu and Yuya get in the trouble. They are the one who shoulders the fallout if I toeing out of line.
"You only win because I weaken him and made him show his hand! If I don't you would be beaten, too!" I snarked back.
"And I recall correctly, which one among us who won in that first round of Miami Championship and which one is the sore loser?"
That's. It!
I switch the tap from hot water to cold water, fill the bucket with it, and threw said bucket of ice-cold water at Kurosaki.
"GAH!"
Payback, bitch.
The duels end sometimes after midday, but we are going this way and that way in avoiding Security. Nobody wants to go to jail, even for short duration. End of story, we arrived back at the Orphanage late, and cold bath during night is Co~ld.
"You pint-sized gremlin!"
"Alright guys! No fighting while bathing! Seriously, this bathroom is not big enough for that!"
I harumphed and continue bathing.
"Still, what does he means by can't Fusion summon so easily?"
"Fusion Summon need polymerization or Fusion Spell Card." Generic or one that corresponds with the archetype. "And speed spell rules limited its usage. Gah! If only I don't have such a restriction, I can beat him!"
I'm not at my full power! That's why I lose! If only I can freely Fusion...!
"Doubt."
"I'll beat your ass."
He rolled his eyes, skeptic, but then,
"You know. How did Director know there's a Fusion user among us?" He questioned. "It was not like we told him that. In the first place, how did he know about Fusion summon? Shouldn't it be a new thing to him?"
We all pause and think it over.
Yeah. That was...
Suspicious.
It certainly was weird for him to set up a way for me to Fusion Summon—with a cost, mind you—since this dimension should only know about Synchro.
"Wanna ask?" Kurosaki and I turned to Yugo, incredulous. Did he just propose what I think he just propose? "What? Director is not the type to keep secret like this! He will answer if you just ask!"
...is it that easy?
Well. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Which is why, several minutes later after we're done bathing and changing into casual clothes—thanks Yuya, for insisting I brought change—we marched to Director's office.
"Director!"
"Good evening, you three! Anything I can help? If it was about your friends, I haven't found them yet, but we should hear something by tomorrow."
Ren was inside, too, and he was startled.
Well, who wouldn't if someone just blast the door open?
"Director! I wanna ask. How did you know about Fusion summon?"
...
Wow. Yugo. That was...
Blunt.
As in, Hammer against Glass Wall kind of blunt.
Does this guy have filters? Any at all?
There's no way he would get any answer—
"Oh that." ...are you kidding me...? "Well, to be honest, I blame Roget."
"Who's that?"
Gee, Kurosaki. You have laser pointed focus when it comes to Fusion-related stuff. Even I'm not that focused and I'm the resident Fusion user!
"Jean-Michel Roget. He's the Head of Sector Security." Security. The corrupt police Yugo talk about. "Not many knew it, you see, but his background is completely blank."
...blank?
"What do you mean by blank?!" I asked. "Nobody have blank as background!"
"They do when they suddenly appear out of thin air several years ago." Appears out of thin air... don't tell me...?! "And what more, he uses something he calls Fusion summon. It was intriguing, but people soon abandon it due needing Spell card, preferring our Synchro summon that was faster and easier to perform."
"...told ya, Fusion is the worst."
"Kurosaki, don't make me kick your head. I can do it, you know."
Our exchange lacking the heat.
Because we realize, we have another Academia Plant in this city, and he has advantageous position.
"...if there's no more to discuss," I'm not jumping, but that was a close call. We forgot Ren was still in the room. "I'll be retiring for tonight."
"Ah right. Have a nice rest, Ren."
I glanced at his retreating back. "What were you two talking about?"
"Oh, he just asks if his old room was still available. He used to live here, you know? Before he makes it into races and earn enough money to living by himself." Right. These spaces don't grow on trees. Older kids should move out to make room for the younger ones.
"Will he be alright?" Yugo asked. "I mean, if he made it to Fortune Cup, that would be his return debut, right?"
"Let's have faith in him. Ren know what he's doing."
Again, I feel like missing something.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Ren was once a famous duelist." Rua-san explained to us. "He was quite a favorite, you see. But then he attracts the wrong sort of attention."
"Such as?"
"The Crusher."
I have a feeling I won't like the answer. "Who?"
"The Duelist Crusher." Rua-san tapped some button on the keyboard, and the monitor projected a man. Uh. Weird fashion taste. "He has nasty history and habit of assaulting duelists, brutally. At minimum, duelists have their D-Wheel crushes and they receive several broken bones. At worst..." he grimaces, "a trip to long, long stay in ICU."
"Ren-san was the latter." Yugo murmured, clenching one hand with another. "The Crusher nearly killed him, and while he make full recovery... it's not without marks."
"He was almost losing his legs thanks to the damn brute from hell."
"Why the Duelist Crusher do it? What is his goal?"
"That's the worst part." I... don't know Rua-san can make such dark expression. "He has no goal. He's doing it for fun."
For fun?
For Fun?
Suddenly I can feel Kurosaki's sharp gaze on me. Digging in like serrated knives.
"Why so serious? This is just game!"
"My comrades and I, we all just doing it for fun! You and your fellow xyz scums, are just prey to us!"
No.
No.
No!
That was different! It was different circumstances! I am different!
We are not alike!
"Sora? Are you alright?"
"Excuse me, I need fresh air."
Without looking at anyone eyes, I run out from the room. From the hallway. From the building.
Avoid looking at the garage and the road.
"He's doing it for fun."
"We're just having fun."
No. that was different! I'm not like that Duelist Crusher!
I may carded people, but I never sends anyone to hospital?!
Right?
Right?!
Oh, you stupid
Who are you trying to fool?
You never deny it that you're hurting people for your own amusement after all.
SHUT UP! I'm different! It was not my fault! I was just doing Professor's order!
I am different!