Chapter 203: Eyes of Blue Synchro
Comprehensive Rating: SS.
Archetype reward: Eyes of Blue Tuner.
Leaning back in one of E-class's brand new auto-adjustable chairs, Amano finally received the monthly exam comprehensive rating reward he had been waiting for.
When Finesse had scored S-Plus in a weekly duel at Fusion Academy and received Destiny HERO - Plasma from the Eva system, that had already been a strong benchmark. His own monthly exam had come close to maxing out every category, and he had led E-class to a victory over A-class that nobody had expected. The corresponding reward was not going to be disappointing.
What Amano had been curious about was this: for the vanilla archetype specifically, what card would occupy the same role that Destiny HERO - Plasma occupied for Destiny HERO decks?
His best guess had been something from the Gem Dragon line, since that archetype was built entirely around Normal Monsters. The catch was that Gem Dragon was Fusion-based, and asking a Synchro Academy Eva system to hand out Fusion support felt like one step too far.
The actual result surprised him. Rather than reinforcing the vanilla element of his deck directly, the Eva system had chosen to strengthen the Eyes of Blue Synchro line, building on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon already sitting in his Extra Deck.
More precisely, it had locked in on the Eyes of Blue archetype.
In strict terms, Eyes of Blue and Blue-Eyes were not the same archetype. They worked together in practice, but their archetype text was distinct.
Under ordinary circumstances, even a duelist who awakened a Blue-Eyes gene field at the Service Center would have no way to access Eyes of Blue Tuner monsters. Kaiba Chiaki herself believed firmly that Fusion was the highest and most noble summoning method, which strongly implied she had never looked into whether Blue-Eyes White Dragon had a Synchro evolution path at all.
Time to introduce Kaiba to something new.
With that thought settling comfortably in the back of his mind, Amano opened the reward screen on his Eva Terminal and checked the cards the system had issued.
An SS rating had not made the Eva system stingy. Three cards arrived in a single delivery.
Sage with Eyes of Blue.
Protector with Eyes of Blue.
Maiden with Eyes of Blue.
Setting aside what each card individually did, the fact that all three were Tuner monsters alone represented a massive upgrade to his current deck's Synchro infrastructure. Tuner cards were rare and expensive to begin with. In the month since enrollment, the backbone of his Synchro setups had been Cosmo Spell Rabbit filling the Tuner slot almost every time. Three new Tuners arriving at once opened up not just the Blue-Eyes Synchro line but also the layered Red Dragon Archfiend chains he had been working toward, the double, triple, and quadruple Synchro variations that had previously been difficult to set up consistently.
And because he now held three Eyes of Blue Tuners, a handful of cards that had not appeared in the ranking shop before were now showing up in the exchange window.
All of them carried Tuner-related price premiums.
Priestess with Eyes of Blue: 30,000 ranking points. Maid with Eyes of Blue: 20,000 points.
The exchange window had also surfaced two more Blue-Eyes-adjacent Tuners he had not seen before: The White Stone of Ancients at 23,000 points and The White Stone of Legend at 15,000 points.
After receiving the SS evaluation bonus, Amano's remaining point balance was just over 30,000. He was not going to be purchasing all of these immediately, but the options were there.
"Rei, you've been lying in that chair staring at nothing. Are you falling asleep? Is it that comfortable?"
Kikawayu's head appeared over the back of the adjustable chair, looking down at Amano from above.
"Don't interrupt. I'm thinking."
"How are you still thinking with all this going on?"
All around them, E-class had entered a state of full celebration.
The jump from ordinary classroom conditions to top-tier classroom conditions had hit the class hard in the best possible way. These were students who found anything more interesting than studying fascinating, and going from standard equipment to having climate control, personal tablets, and a snack station had moved more than a few of them to genuinely emotional reactions.
"Committee rep, look, there's a tablet built into the desk! Now we can read comics during class without hiding them."
"Committee rep, there's an unlimited drinks fridge! This is incredible!"
"I was right to follow the committee rep and the class rep! This is the best decision of my life!"
Only Sakuya stood at the self-service snack counter with a blank expression, staring at the fully stocked shelves with what appeared to be mild concern.
"This is unnecessary," she said quietly.
Amano did not need to ask. He already knew what was going through her head.
The snack station was stocked. That meant there was no longer any reason for Amano to eat the half-eaten things she kept leaving him. She had been providing that service exclusively, and she had just been made redundant.
The thought of walking over and telling her he would honestly still prefer the half-eaten bread was briefly tempting.
Yukki appeared at his elbow and began murmuring with poorly concealed amusement. "I just transferred in and already there's no homework? Amano-san, won't this hurt everyone's grades?"
Because you're new, you don't know. Even when there was homework, everyone in E-class was copying it from me.
Still, now that E-class had effectively taken A-class's position, the duel committee representative had a genuine responsibility to the class that he could not ignore.
"Everyone quiet down for a moment."
There was something about the weight behind Amano's words that operated on a different level than Kondo's homeroom authority. The moment he said it, the chaos dropped to silence and every student turned toward him with the expression of someone ready to listen seriously.
He was not particularly accustomed to giving this kind of speech. But the Class War had given him a new appreciation of just how competitive Synchro Academy's internal culture actually was.
"Until now, being E-class meant I never put any demands on you. But right now we're A-class in name and in equipment. If you're going to sit in the best classroom, you should have results to match it."
When the next monthly exam rolled around, Kirisame Fuyuo would not be accepting what had happened today quietly. She had spent a month being frozen by the lack of heating while formulating exactly how to take back her classroom. And the one-versus-thirteen lane strategy had exactly one use in it before opponents adapted.
"A-class's privilege is no homework. I know you don't like doing homework, and honestly the free time is actually a gift. So this month, use that time to strengthen your decks and yourselves as duelists. Make Synchro Academy understand that E-class is bad at written tests, not bad at dueling."
There was a beat of silence.
Then E-class collectively lost its composure in the opposite direction from before, erupting with the kind of energy that only surfaces when something hits exactly the right nerve.
If given the choice, nobody actually wanted to spend their life as someone others looked down on.
They had been sorted into E-class because of exam scores. But this was a dueling academy. Its purpose was to produce duelists.
They were all young enough to have blood hot enough to be offended by the implication that low academic marks meant giving up on pride as a duelist.
"Committee rep, we'll defend everything you won for us!"
"With conditions like these, even shuffling my cards feels more satisfying!"
"E-class owns this position now. We're keeping it."
Amano added one final practical point.
"Everyone received decent amounts of ranking points from this exam cycle. If you have any questions about which direction to strengthen your deck, come find me. I'll give you suggestions."
He had not said this in the first month because nobody had the resources to act on advice yet. That had changed.
Kozuka's hand was in the air before he finished the sentence. "Me, me, me! Committee rep, I genuinely want to get stronger! Help me figure out how to upgrade my flower deck!"
"Me too! I run Blackwings!"
"Does Killer Melody work?"
E-class had more talent than its reputation suggested.
Yukki watched the crowd close around Amano from a slight distance and wisely chose not to add herself to the queue. She drifted over to Sakuya instead.
"Cousin, I didn't expect everyone to trust Amano-san this much. No wonder you fell for him."
"What, wh, what are you suddenly saying, Yukki?"
"Stop being shy about it, cousin. I've figured out how things stand. Amano-san is this reliable, and if you don't make a move soon someone else will get there first."
"Who, exactly?"
"Well..." Yukki's expression settled into something between a smile and not, and her gaze drifted toward Kikawayu, who had also chosen not to push into the crowd.
The Millennium Key sealed inside Yukki gave her something she could not fully articulate, a slightly clearer view of what was underneath what people showed on the surface. And right now, looking at Kikawayu watching Amano through the crowd, she could say with confidence that whatever those eyes contained, it was not the feeling of someone looking at a close friend or brother.
"Anyway, cousin, you're on your own. I'm going to ask Amano-san about my deck too."
"She always ends a thought halfway through," Sakuya said to no one, watching her leave.
She already knew Amano was reliable. She had known that from the beginning, even if the initial reason was the thoroughly unromantic one of having someone whose homework she could copy.
What she had discovered after actually getting to know him was that being allowed to copy homework was the least interesting thing about him. No matter how desperate the situation, no matter how dangerous the moment, he found a way to step forward. He had crossed through barriers of the soul, broken open sealed Dark Game walls, and stood in front of threats that included literal gods without backing down.
And the most important thing of all: Amano Rei did not disappoint. Not once. Like a deck's ace card, he could always be counted on.
Though Sakuya also knew, in the quieter parts of her thinking, that she was the Nanki'in family's sole heir. Her grandfather supported her choices without reservation. But she still sometimes wondered whether she was actually capable of being worthy of someone like Amano.
The family legacy was both a source of pride and, at times, a chain.
She turned the Shiranui deck over in her hands. She had never regretted inheriting the family's tradition. The Shiranui archetype's power was more than enough to last her entire dueling life.
But that inheritance had also closed off other paths.
Before recently, this kind of thought would never have occurred to her. Now, watching Amano grow stronger month by month and seeing E-class students who barely cared about academics starting to actively develop themselves, she felt a restlessness she could not quite name.
If she got her own gene identification done, if she awakened her own archetype, could she grow the way he had?
If she let go of the family inheritance and broke free of its constraints, might she find possibilities she had never been able to see from inside them?
It was not the first time these thoughts had surfaced lately.
Though the fear that came immediately after was equally persistent. What if the archetype she awakened turned out to be weak? What then?
The responsibility of being the family's only heir demanded the most stable choice available. That reality did not disappear just because the question kept returning.
That evening, the Historical Film Appreciation Club's activity room had been transformed. Rin Seiya had prepared an elaborate spread of food and drinks. She had even replaced the club sofa with a new model, a full-length couch with removable cushion covers that could be washed without difficulty, rated for virtually any mishap.
Today's gambling operation had netted her 150,000 Eva Points.
In the circles where actual money moved, that was not a remarkable sum. For Rin Seiya specifically, it was an unexpected windfall that landed at exactly the right time.
The D-Wheel loan repayment was no longer a source of anxiety.
She had spent the rest of the day sending Amano increasingly insistent VSN messages to guarantee his attendance tonight, and had even posted on her photo wall that today was a good day.
Three knocks at the door.
Even the sound of knocking felt pleasant when the mood was this good.
She arranged her expression into something a little less radiant, waited until it looked appropriately composed, and opened the door.
"Little junior, you're finally here! What took you so long after evening study ended? I've been waiting ages for... why are there so many people?"
Four people stood outside the club room door.
Amano, Sakuya, and two others that Rin Seiya felt she had seen before but could not immediately place.
"You said I absolutely had to come to club activities tonight, senpai. Sakuya is a club member too, so I figured I'd wait until evening study was done and bring her along."
"Right, I forgot about Nanki'in." Rin Seiya registered the oversight with a private wince. Sakuya had attended exactly one lunch session and generated zero romantic tension, which had made her easy to forget.
"And the other two?" The smile on Rin Seiya's face developed a faint stiffness.
"This one is Sakuya's cousin, Nanki'in Yukki. She said she was interested in what we do here and wanted to come take a look. Since she's Sakuya's family I made the call to bring her. Is that alright, senpai?"
"Family, sure, no problem. Visiting is fine. And this one?"
"Kikawayu Yuu. We grew up together. Just transferred to Synchro Academy not long ago and was curious about the club. I'd count him as family from my side. Same deal. That's okay, right, senpai?"
"Best friend? Male?"
"Yeah."
"If he's your friend, visiting is fine."
The quiet evening for two had evaporated completely.
Inside the club room, Kikawayu took one look at the fried chicken and drinks spread across the table and immediately expressed grievance while reaching for food.
"Rei, you've been sneaking off to club activities this comfortable this whole time without inviting me? That's incredibly inconsiderate."
"It was not this good before." Amano looked around at the spread and then at Sakuya. "Sakuya, did you tell the senpai everyone was coming? She prepared all of this. Our Seiya-senpai really is wonderful."
Sakuya blinked. "Did I say that? I don't remember."
"Never mind. More guests means more fun. Have a seat, everyone."
Rin Seiya produced the club president's grace from somewhere and played the generous host with genuine warmth. The disrupted evening was what it was.
And at the end of the day, 5D's was genuinely fantastic. Getting to share something you loved with people who had not seen it yet carried its own satisfaction.
Tonight's episode was the WRGP Riding Duel Tournament arc, the three-on-three team format. The group was immediately absorbed.
Kikawayu gnawed on a chicken bone without taking his eyes off the screen. "This person uses the same monster as Rei."
Scar-Red Nova Dragon.
Jack Atlas might have been nicknamed the Crash King in certain circles, but his performance in the WRGP tournament spoke for itself. He had gone out as the lead member of Team 5D's, faced one of the three Nordic Gods in Thor, and won through nothing but burning determination.
"A king's battle has to have spectacle," Rin Seiya announced with practiced authority, playing the seasoned commentator for the group's benefit.
Watching Rin Seiya in full commentary mode, Amano suddenly remembered that he had never actually used Thought Reading on her before. It was not an invasion of privacy in any meaningful sense. The skill could only read thoughts directly about him.
With everyone's attention fixed on the episode, Amano quietly activated it.
Thought 1: Jack Atlas's Synchro Summon really is cool. But I think Amano's quadruple Synchro has the edge now.
Thought 2: I wonder when we can have our next destined battle. The rival-and-soulmate dynamic is genuinely addictive.
Thought 3: Can a rival become a wife? Did Jack and Yusei ever sleep in the same bed? They're that close, so it would probably be normal... Yes, I've decided. Being rivals and being wives are not in conflict at all.
Amano confirmed something for the third time. Thought three was always the strange one.
Everyone had a good evening.
The next day, at the virtual world device.
Because of the monthly exam, Amano had missed three days of his Chronicle schedule this week. Thursday was the first chance to get back to it.
"Why does the headcount keep going up?" Kaiba Chiaki asked the room, echoing what Rin Seiya had said the previous night.
In addition to Rin Seiya behind the camera, Sakuya and Kikawayu had both shown up alongside Amano. Five people were now crowded into the Chronicle room for the first time.
Chiaki did not seem particularly bothered. "Let's just start, Amano Rei."
Amano turned to both of them. "Chiaki-senpai, Seiya-senpai. You're both calm watching me run a Chronicle two days before the Academy Challenge Tournament starts. Aren't you nervous?"
The tournament opened Saturday and ran through the following Monday. Three days of competition. Chiaki held the Gold Stage of Fusion Academy. Rin Seiya held the Gold Stage of Synchro Academy.
"Relax, little junior." Rin Seiya waved it off. "The Gold Stage holder basically has nothing to do. Nobody ever reaches us."
Looking back through the Academy Challenge Tournament's history, the highest any challenger had ever reached in previous years was the Silver Stage. The Gold Stage had never been contested. Both holders were spectators by default.
Chiaki said nothing.
She and Amano had a duel on the books. She was not going to be as relaxed about it as Rin Seiya.
Which meant, from Amano's perspective, this Chronicle was the last one before the Academy Challenge Tournament began.
He wanted a good one. Something that might produce cards he could actually use in the competition.
The cursor moved and landed on the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's selection. The Eva system kept its choices balanced across the three eras. This was the third Chronicle of the rotation, and the third era to come up.
Within the 5D's options, the cursor settled on one specific arc.
Which happened to be exactly what everyone had watched together last night.
WRGP Riding Duel Tournament: Showdown with Team 5D's! The King's Riding Duel Battle.
Difficulty: S Plus.
Potential card drops: Assault Mode Activate. Red Dragon Archfiend/Assault Mode. Scar-Red Nova Dragon/Assault Mode. True Red Nova.