The next morning, Kaito awoke to the steady crash of waves and the faint scent of salt in the air. Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue dorms were a far cry from the cramped Tokyo apartment he once called home. Every inch of his new life shimmered with surreal perfection—too good, too calm. And that was what unsettled him most.
Still in his uniform, he stepped out onto the dorm balcony, Blue-Eyes White Dragon card held gently between two fingers.
"Why here? Why now?" he whispered.
The card gleamed under the morning sun, as if answering in silence.
His reflection in the glass door was someone else. Someone who looked confident, sharp, like he belonged among the elites of Duel Academy. But beneath the uniform and silver hair, Kaito still felt like a ghost trying to understand why he was given this second life.
His thoughts were broken by a sharp knock at the door.
"Kaito, right? Morning assembly. Let's move."
It was the same upperclassman from the day before. This time, he didn't wait for a reply.
The Obelisk Blue assembly hall was filled with polished students, all perfectly groomed and exuding pride. Kaito noticed how different they were from Jaden's laid-back demeanor. These were the elites—sons and daughters of CEOs, politicians, and duel champions.
"Listen up," barked the head prefect, a third-year named Roland Takamura. "This year, Crowler expects Obelisk Blue to reclaim its reputation. That means no losses, no weakness, and no fraternizing with Slifer slackers."
Kaito watched as several students exchanged confident nods. His gut twisted.
Takamura's gaze landed on him. "Shirogane, was it? Heard you beat Yuki last night."
A few students murmured.
"Yeah," Kaito replied cautiously.
"Good. Keep it up. Or don't bother showing your face at the next dorm meeting."
No pressure, huh?
Later, in the main campus dueling arena, Kaito made his way through the crowds. Classes were informal for the first week, focused mostly on assessments and demonstration duels. He wanted to spectate, but a familiar figure waved him over.
"Kaito!"
Jaden jogged up, followed closely by Syrus Truesdale. "Glad I found you!"
Syrus gave a nervous wave. "Uh, hi. I'm Syrus."
"Nice to meet you," Kaito nodded politely.
Jaden grinned. "Everyone's still talking about your duel last night. You made a serious impression."
"I guess so."
"Wanna come watch Bastion duel? He's going up against someone from Obelisk Blue. Should be good."
Kaito hesitated. Being seen with Slifers might earn him scorn from his dorm. But...
"Yeah. Let's go."
Bastion Misawa stood calmly at one end of the arena, his opponent a smug second-year Obelisk Blue named Kieran Hoshino.
"This won't take long," Kieran smirked.
"I believe in calculated efficiency," Bastion replied coolly.
The duel began, and immediately it was clear Bastion had the upper hand. His deck revolved around Hydrogeddon and Oxygeddon, using chain reactions and math-based strategy to overwhelm his foe. Kieran's flashy dragons were no match for Bastion's precision.
"He really knows his stuff," Kaito murmured.
Jaden beamed. "Told ya. Bastion's like a human calculator."
Kieran lost with a frustrated growl and stormed off, ignoring the crowd. Bastion simply nodded at the spectators.
"That was impressive," Kaito said as Bastion walked over.
"Thank you. And you are...?"
"Kaito Shirogane."
"Ah. The Blue-Eyes duelist. Your match with Jaden is being analyzed in the upper dorms. You have an interesting play style."
Kaito blinked. "Analyzed?"
Bastion adjusted his glasses. "You're not just a transfer. You're something else. And Duel Academy notices things like that."
Later that night, Kaito returned to his dorm. A message light blinked on his desk console. He tapped the screen.
"You are invited to a private duel assessment tomorrow. Attendance mandatory."
He leaned back.
Someone was watching him.
And whoever it was, they already considered him a threat.