The reunion between the other aloof pair was far less lively.
With her purple hair in a side ponytail and a red work jacket on, the straightforward Serena rested one hand on her hip. "You're... Yuri! You're finally back."
"Oh? Aren't you happy I'm back?" Yuri, likewise sporting purple hair and wearing a purple military uniform, propped up his chin and asked with amusement.
"No, I'm not."
Serena's answer didn't faze him. "How cruel. We from the Fusion Dimension finally get to reunite, and we don't even get a touching scene like Yuto or Yugo?"
"But whatever. I'm not particularly happy, either." Yuri lowered his eyes, looking unenthusiastic. "Honestly, I'm not that interested. We've known each other for a long time, but we were never particularly close."
"Still... the Professor thought quite highly of you."
"Don't mention that man to me!" As though recalling some unpleasant memory, Serena's expression hardened, and her tone grew forceful.
"Leo Akaba did value me, but only because I was Z-ARC's counterpart. He kept me under house arrest so I couldn't escape."
Then she changed tack. "Come to think of it, you used to be pretty obsessed with the Professor."
"That's true, but it's all in the past. I've found something more interesting now." Yuri forced a faint smile as he spoke.
"Something interesting? You're not planning to turn everyone into cards again, are you?" Serena demanded sharply.
"Turn them into cards? Oh, I did used to do that."
"But this time is different. I've found something more interesting."
"Really? To you, everyone else is an opponent, and you only rely on yourself to beat them, right?"
"Hmm... you do know me pretty well."
"Honestly, I used to think that way, too. Partners were just dead weight. I could handle everything on my own!"
"So