Cardfight!! Vanguard: Generations Volume 1.5 [Dr Yukimura]

Chapter 1: Regular Days at GEN Academy (Takanori Yuuto)

Even though I spent the majority of my time during April in solitude, many of my classmates were taking advantage of the school's false benevolence. No one noticed it was hidden under a web of lies and deceit, despite all the clues being there right in front of our eyes.

Even though our high school lives were promoted to be the time of our youths and the start of something great, it began to warp into a dark reality. No one felt this more than the students of my class, E Class.

Many of them believed that high school would be a chance for them to change their surroundings and start fresh, being able to escape from their failures in middle school, me included.

The truth was, we were doomed to perpetuate the same old, same old. The situation never got better. The situation slowly got worse. The difference was, this time, we were stuck in a class that was labelled failures.

As we moved into May, and the true nature of the school was revealed, my classmates lamented over the fleeting luxuries we had lost. Due to our mismanagement in the first month, E Class had lost any right to gain any private points, the currency at this school, and we were a laughing stock to the other classes.

While being subjected to it all, I reflected upon that last month. There was very little of worth, except my consistent failures. I had become a useless person over time, but there was one happy memory I had kept to myself.

This was a collection of stories that happened in April, before our student lives were turned on its head.

The rare meeting between me and Yukina.

In E Class, I was regarded as one of the "big 3 loners", alongside my classmates Ikesugi Kaoru and Kouji Tenma. However, what separated me from those two was that, I had friends, but never had the courage to speak to them.

Instead, I waited for someone to invite me out, so I could have fun with them. However, no invitation to play ever came. It was like I was a background character, easily forgotten and too invisible for my own good. As a result, I became a shut-in, just like in middle school.

That's why, when Yukina called me on a rainy weekend, I was surprised. I answered her call and sat on the couch in my dorm room.

"Moshi moshi?"

My hands were shaking since I hadn't talked to her in a long time. Despite being friends in middle school, we rarely talked while in GEN Academy, since she found a new group of friends she was more comfortable with.

While back in middle school, she could be considered a loner, the Yukina of GEN Academy was a bijin who lived as a riajuu. She was best friends with the most popular girl in our class, Sakigamiya Alice, which put her very high up the social ladder.

It was completely opposite to me, who was so far down the social ladder people forgot I existed or labelled me a loner.

"Yuu-kun? Moshi moshi!"

Yukina sounded cheery. I doubted she was actually excited to talk to me.

"Yep, it's me."

Still, I couldn't get a grip on myself. I was horrible at socialising. Even though we were friends, it didn't feel like it. It made me anxious, which could be heard in my awkward reply.

"How are you?"

If I told her that I wasn't fine, I think she'd end the call right then and there. Instead, I put up a front and pretended that everything was okay.

"Uh... I'm fine."

Nailed it.

"You don't sound fine."