Fun Fact: Yuya believes in skunk apes.

Chapter Summary: Yuya and Sora enjoy Duel Academia's hot springs, while Serena and Asuka do the same.

While Yuzu, Sawatari and Gongenzaka began their entrance exams, Reiji and Yuya met in the school Chancellor's office. With the two of them alone, Reiji was eager to discuss things with his favorite Lancer.

Reiji leaned on the chancellor's desk, while Yuya sat on a chair before him. Reiji looked down at him, keeping watch of Yuya's every movement.

"... So you were behind the bus being late?" Yuya asked. "So we'd end up going to the Fusion Dimension and crashing on Chronos? So I duel him and prove myself to him?"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"The- the bus," Yuya told him. "Our bus to the Dimension Highway was delayed by ninjas. Did you not send them? Tsukikage and Hikage?"

"I didn't orchestrate any such plan," said Reiji, shaking his head. "I've been in the Fusion Dimension, discussing something with Leo."

"Wha? Then why did ninjas delay our bus?"

"I don't know. Not every sinister incident involves my hand."

He's a liar, Yuya, Yuto growled. How did he know about the stadium duel? He had to have been spying on us.

"Oh," Yuya said. "So... Reiji, what are you discussing with the Professor?"

"So far, we can shut down portals to and from the Link Dimension, but we've also been looking into ways that can permanently sever connections. This way, we will never have to worry about the fifth dimension's interference again."

"And the woman you told me about?" Yuya questioned. "You'll return her back home before then, right?"

"Of course," Reiji replied. "But while we are on the topic of Aoi Zaizen, I was hoping to ask something of you."

"Oh?"

"We're trying to interrogate her right now, to get as much information about the enemy as we can. Unfortunately, she's mostly uncooperative."

Reiji turned the Duel Disk on his left arm, sliding it over to show Yuya the screen. He tapped the screen, revealing a still image of Aoi Zaizen and Shun Kurosaki.

"I'm having Shun and others talk to her now," Reiji continued. "But if they can't get the information we need, we'll need your help."

"What makes you think I can help?"

"You have a way with people. A natural charisma, and a good heart. Everyone loves you; you can reach out to even the coldest of people, and make theme egao."

Yuya scratched the back of his head. "You're flattering me, but-"

"No buts, Yuya. You can meet me- us at the Leo Corporation building. After you enjoy your summer vacation."

The door to the rook creaked open. Leo Akaba stepped into the room, then quickly made his way over to the two boys.

"Reiji, I found some-"

"Yuya," Reiji interjected. "You may go now. I'll be sure to let the school now that you are free to use any resources available during your stay here."

Yuya nodded politely, then rose up from his seat. He slipped by Leo, then walked out of the room. Being the polite boy that he was, he also shut the door as he left.

Now Reiji and Leo were alone. And for a moment, neither of them spoke. But they knew what the other was thinking.

Ultimately, Leo spoke first, "... He's not right for you."

"I have the footage" Reiji responded. "That's all I need."

"The footage?"

Reiji lifted his left arm up, showing his father his Duel Disk.

"I record everything he does though his Duel Disk," he explained. "Studying my many, many recordings were what allowed me to remember Zarc, when the Pendulum Dimension had forgotten."

"Recording your adventures? A smart move, son."

"So you can see why I still keep recording Yuya, Leo."

After a long day of waiting, falling through time and space landing on a teacher, dueling for the sake of your friend's education, and then having to sit through forty minutes of registration and phone calls home, Yuya was tired.

The good news was that Duel Academia was equipped with ways to help students relax. The school had their own onsen. He would get to relax in the hot spring bath, washing away the stress of the day while he waited for Gongenzaka, Yuzu and Sawatari to finish their examination duels.

In even better news, he wouldn't have to wait alone. Joining him in the springs was his friend and fellow Lancer, Sora Shiun'in. Chronos and Reiji arranged to give him the rest of the day off from school, meaning that they could spend the rest of the day together.

The two of them now sat in the hot spring pool, leaning against the bamboo partition that separated their spring from that of the female students. Yuya kept a small towel folded on his head, held in place by his goggles. Sora kept a lolipop in his mouth and.

"Would you like some candy, teacher?" Sora asked his friend.

His hand rose from the water, revealing some soggy gumdrops and gummies. A gummy worm slipped from his cand and landed in the water.

Yuya had to weigh his options on this one for a moment. But after some thought, he decided to take a gumdrop and slip it into his mouth.

"Thanks, Sora," he said in-between chews. "So, how's school been working out lately?"

Sora took the lolipop from his mouth. He looked up to the ceiling and let an egao slip from his face.

"It's been tough, honestly," Sora confessed. "Being a Blue doesn't just mean you have privileges; you also have to mentor other students, study harder than everyone else, work hard and duel harder. And you have to always keep working to keep your colors."

"What do you mean by that?"

Sora looked to him. "If you slack off, let yourself get rusty, or even lose to a Red, you risk being demoted a rank. We're not soldiers anymore, but the training here is still insane."

"That sounds tough," Yuya said, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "But you can always come to my dimension and go to our school."

"Nah. I think I'll stay here."

"Really?"

Sora egao'd. "Yeah. The work is tough, but it'll help me to become a greater duelist. And then I can be an Entertainment Duelist, like you."

Yuya blushed. "Jeez, why is everybody so nice to me today? You were the one who challenged Zarc; I'm the one who admires you."

Yuzu had finished her own examination not too long after Yuya left with Reiji. Her exam proctor, impressed with her performance, told her that she deserved to skip the rest of the day and go hang out with her at the hot springs.

And by sheer coincidence, her proctor happened to be her friend. Yes, Asuka was technically abusing her role as an authority figure to give her friend perks. But since Yuzu was simultaneously 1/4th of Leo's daughter, 4/4ths of his daughter, not Leo's daughter at all, and one of Reiji's Lancers, no one was really going to challenge her.

Not that Yuzu was going to argue. In fact, she wasn't even all that interested in wasting her summer in school. She already attended two schools, and didn't need a third one. Luckily for her, Serena agreed to take over while she relaxed in the mindscape.

Asuka stepped into the girls' hot springs. She took Serena's hand, then helped her walk into the water. And once the two were inside, they waded over to the center of the water's center.

"This is relaxing," Serena admitted. "I never thought I would miss this so much. I really took them for granted while I was here."

"So you were a student here before, Serena?" Asuka asked.

"Yep," Serena said with a nod. "And for the summer, I am again."

"I hope you enjoy being a Yellow; it's a pretty comfy position to be in."

Serena's ears twitched. She could hear the sound of frantic splashing.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

Serena walked over to the partition. She leaned against it, putting her hear against the bamboo. And she tried to start listening in on the noise that came from the other side.

"Spying on boys? Asuka asked.

"It's not that!" Serena snapped. "I think something's going on over there."

"Okay, next one!" Sora called out.

His hand rose from the water, casting two gumdrops into the air. Yuya quickly dashed forward and opened his mouth. He caught the first gumdrop, then jumped backward and caught the second one on his tongue.

"You did it!" Sora exclaimed.

"This candy tastes disgusting," Yuya said as he chewed. "Next rounds."

Sora shook his head. "No, the rest of this candy's mine, haha."

"Haha."

"Haha."

"Haha!"

"Haha! But seriously, touch any more and you die."

The two boys moved back to the partition, resting against it. With all the fun they were having, it was nice to get back to relaxing. And talking.

But sometimes, business needed to be discussed.

"So, did Reiji tell you about Links?" Yuya asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sora replied. "He's been here for a while."

"What do you think about it? Is cutting ourselves off a good idea?"

Sora's hand rose from the water, placing an unwrapped chocolate bar in his mouth. He started to chew the tip for a moment.

"Honestly?" he said. "I don't like it."

"Really?"

"If the dimensions never connected, we never would have met."

Yuya egao'd. "Funny enough, I was thinking the same thing.I just hope the Link Dimension feels the same way."

"I just hope we don't have to fight..." Sora sighed. "I mean, I'll fight again if we have to. But I'm just tired of it."

"Man, I get that," Yuya answered. "The past few months have been crazy, but it beats the war. It beats prison."

"It beats just being a tool with no real friends."

"Do you have a lot of friends here, by the way?"

Sora nodded. "Yep! I get to help a lot of former Academia soldiers work out. You know what you, Gonny and Yuzu did for me? Now I get to do the same for others, and make friends with people who need it."

"Sora, you big softie!" Yuya chuckled. "But still, that's great!"

Serena kept her ear pressed against the bamboo. She wasn't fully sure what the people on the other side were talking about; somehow, the bamboo was able to muffle their words. Wasn't bamboo supposed to be hollow.

Regardless, Serena looked to Asuka with conviction. "It's Yuya. I think he's in trouble; I heard someone threaten to kill him."

"Yuya's on the other side?" Asuka wondered. "You sure?"

"I'm going to check."

Serena rose from the steamy waters. She placed her fingers between the cracks of bamboo, then pressed her feet agains the base of the wall.

"What are you doing?" Asuka snapped. "Just yell and he'll hear you!"

"I can't do that!" Serena snapped back. "If he knows I'm here, he'll just think I'm stalking him."

"Why would he think that?"

Serena didn't answer. It was too embarrassing to say. Instead, she made her way up the bamboo. Her hands dug deep into the wall, trying not to let her soaking body cause her to slip.

The wall peaked about a foot or two from the ceiling. So once Serena managed to climb to the top of the spring, she was able to peer over the edge, and look to the boys' side.

"Oh yeah, the Lancers had to be trained hard," Yuya explained. "Reiji made us go undercover at a cafe, learn how to ride and maintain bikes, become detectives, start a band, explore trap-filled ruins, go into outer space... pose in front of a wall."

"You're kidding, right?" Sora chuckled. "... Wait, really?"

"I'll be playing at Sawatri's Quinceanera."

Sora's jaw dropped. "Now you're making me regret not siding with you guys earlier!"

"I really was kidding, though!" Yuya laughed. "We only did stuff like that for a promotional video. You know, for the Lancer program? Reiji wanted to make the job look more fun for potential recruits."

The two both had to laugh at that one. Sora nearly dropped his chocolate bar into the water.

But then, Sora's ears twitched. He heard something. He stopped his laugh and lifted his head up, toward the ceiling.

Serena was peering down at them.

Sora let out a scream. This time, he actually did drop his chocolate bar into the water. But he quickly scooped it up in hia hand, and chucked it right at Serena.

The chocolate smacked right into Serena's head, and the shock and force was enough to knock Serena off of the wall. She slipped from her perch and crashed into the water, and on Asuka.

The boys could only hear the impact, and a scream. Yuya just looked to Sora for answers on what the heck even happened.

"What the heck even happened?" Yuya asked.

"Your girlfriend was spying on us!" Sora cried.

Yuya sighed. "Which one?"

"Apparently, the pervert."

"That doesn't narrow it down."

But then, a sharp scream interrupted them. It was a high-pitched, feminine voice.

"What is that thing?!" Asuka screamed. "Is that a turd?"

Sora and Yuya looked to each other. They couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Next time: Yuri and Serena reminisce about their lives and Academia.