Battleship Assault

Despite it being the weekend, Asuka Tenjouin still got up early.

She had been busy these past few days. It was not because of Duel Academy coursework; for an honors student like her, the current classes were already quite easy. Routine lessons and assignments no longer took up much of her time.

Ninety percent of her energy was now devoted to the laboratory.

It was not because Kira, the laboratory's owner, was always exploiting them and refusing to give them weekends or holidays. In fact, Kira's management was quite relaxed, especially toward veteran members like Asuka and Misawa. He practically never forcibly assigned them tasks and deadlines they had to meet.

There were no mandatory requirements or pressure from assignments. She simply wanted to do it.

The research she had conducted over the past year had not only greatly improved her scientific abilities, but also sparked a deep interest in card development.

Just as she had initially chosen this path largely because of her love for dueling, exploring the Dueling World and the urge to turn new discoveries into new cards now filled her with the same immense enthusiasm.

Of course, when it came to enthusiasm, she had to admit she was no match for Misawa. At least, beyond card development, she still had a life of her own and took time to rest and unwind.

Misawa truly wished he could live in the laboratory now, to the point that he did not even want to return to the Yellow Dorm. He had become a well-known research fanatic at Duel Academy, the kind nobody saw all day.

As she walked down the path toward voluntary overtime, passing through the familiar trail in the woods, Asuka suddenly noticed mist beginning to rise around her.

It was the first time she had