Rumors spread fast at Duel Academy, especially when an Obelisk Blue first-year trounced a third-year prodigy. By breakfast the next day, whispers followed Kaito wherever he went.
"That's him—the one who summoned Blue-Eyes Ultimate."
"I heard he used three different Blue-Eyes to do it."
"He's not normal. No way a first-year should be that strong."
Kaito kept his head down, calmly moving through the stares. He didn't crave attention. All he wanted was strength—and answers.
Still, it didn't take long before his notoriety drew confrontation.
"Shirogane!"
A stocky Obelisk student cornered him near the training hall.
"I'm not letting some nobody make our dorm look weak. Duel me. Now."
Kaito looked him up and down. "Name?"
"Goro Maeda. And you'd better remember it after I beat you."
"Fine. Let's make it quick."
A circle formed around them as students gathered, eager for the spectacle.
The duel was brief. Kaito opened with Maiden with Eyes of Blue and protected her with set cards. Goro summoned powerful warriors, but every time they attacked, Maiden triggered Blue-Eyes summons.
Within four turns, Goro was staring down two Blue-Eyes and a Dragon Spirit of White.
"Finish it," Kaito ordered, and the dragons obeyed.
Goro - 0 LP
Silence.
Goro slumped to his knees, stunned.
Someone in the crowd murmured, "He's undefeated."
Back in his dorm room that night, Kaito stared at the ceiling.
Why me? Why reincarnate here?
His deck—his dragons—felt like more than cards. They were extensions of his soul. His memories of the previous life were fading, yet Blue-Eyes remained vivid.
As he drifted off, he heard it. A whisper.
"Prove your worth... awaken the power buried in your soul..."
Kaito bolted upright. The room was empty.
But the Blue-Eyes card on his desk pulsed faintly with a silver glow.