Cardfight!! Vanguard: R

Episode Two: Song 2 / Chapter 5

5 = The Tolerant Rule of One

"My name is Yumemiru Yume, I would like to join the Vanguard Club!"

"Denied"

All went quiet in the room. It was so quiet that although it was nearing the end of Summer, you could still make out the faint cry of the cicadas in the woodland behind the school.

Yume gripped the hem of her skirt, "Ah..." she fumbled through her introduction again "I'm Yumemiru Yume... I would like to join the Vanguard Club...?"

"What're you deaf? Denied" he grumbled lowering his cap over his eyes again.

Silence overtook them again. Tomoko creeped out from behind the doorframe. She had listened in on the short exchange between the two and felt that the boy had been a bit too blunt with her. Yume lowered her head, her bangs falling across her eyes; her shoulders began shaking.

"Y-Yume..." Tomoko reached her hand forward to grab hold of her friend. But before she could Yume stormed up to the boy and prostrated herself dramatically before him. "Eh?"

"Please reconsider?!" Yume shouted into the floor.

The boy let out a frustrated sigh and sat upright in his chair. He looked down at Yume's small bowing figure and pushed up the peak of his cap. He picked up his bag and began to leave the room, pausing at the doorway, "the clubs getting shutdown after winter break, so I'm not accepting any new members." With that said he left the two girls alone, Yume still kneeling on the floor.

Tomoko crouched down next to Yume, "Well it's a shame, but look at it this way you might be able to start your own club after this one closes down- "

"No..."

"Huh?"

Yume sprouted up like a weed raising her fists to the air, "I can't give up on this club! I'll get him to accept me no matter what!"

"I don't get it..." Tomoko pinched the bridge of her nose and slowly dragged herself up to stand, "Why does it have to be this club? What's so special about it?"

Yume lowered her arms and stared at her clenched fists. She turned to Tomoko "Just a gut feeling really!"

*

- OP 1: GYROAXIA - MANIFESTO -

*

The Westminster Chimes sounded throughout the school, announcing lunch break to the students.

Tomoko closed her notebook and began stretching in her chair. As had become her new routine she left her classroom and made her way down the corridor from 1-E to 1-B. what was different about her routine today was that Yume was not waiting at her desk. Instead Yume was crouched down at the first door to classroom 1-A, peeking her head around the corner.

"Yume..." Tomoko loomed over Yume, a concerned expression on her face "what are you doing?"

"Reconnaissance"

"Reconna... what?"

"Shh! Keep it down" Yume hushed her friend and pulled her down to her level, "I'm gathering intel on that guy we met at the Vanguard Club yesterday check it out"

Tomoko was wary at first, but she followed Yume's example and creeped her head around the corner. There sitting at his desk was the male student they encountered yesterday, his gakuran in the same causal style and his student cap tilted so it covered his eyes slightly. Some other students were around his desk and talking with him.

Tomoko pulled back, "So what have you learned?"

Yume leaned in closed to Tomoko, "His name is Hironori Taichi, first year class A" she paused for a moment, "That's pretty much it!"

"What else did I expect?" Tomoko sighed.

"That's not all, look watch again"

Tomoko complied with Yume's instruction again and peeked her head around the corner.

"C'mon Hironori show us that trick again" one of the students called out.

"Again?" Tachi replied leaning back in his chair "I thought you'd be tired of it by now Takeda"

"No way, c'mon guys look" the student named Takeda reached into his bag and pulled out a deck of playing cards and handed them to Taichi.

"Alright, alright" Taichi placed the cards on his desk and fanned them out with their suits and numbers revealed, "I'm doing this so you don't know it's a con" he returned the deck to its normal state and began mixing the cards on his desk face down; after mixing them thoroughly he picked up the deck and began shuffling. He turned over the top card, "Okay, see that the top card is the King of Hearts?" The boys nodded and he turned the card back over. He dealt five cards from the deck toward Takeda, "Okay now turn over the cards."

Takeda turned over the five cards individually. The Ace of Clubs. The Two of Hearts. The Seven of Hearts. The Three of Spades. The Queen of Diamonds.

"Now" Taichi smirked and turned over the top card of the deck revealing the King of Hearts in its original place, "I think this is the card you were looking for?"

The boys and some other students listening in made various sounds varying from amazement and shocked.

"You see?"

"I did" Tomoko pulled back again "So what does that tell you?"

Yume's face lit up like a small child's, "Nothing, but it's pretty cool right?!"

"Good grief..." Tomoko groaned pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I've only been watching him since this morning break, but he doesn't seem like the same guy we met yesterday... one thing I have noticed" Yume peeked around the corner again. One of the boys finished saying something and made a stupid face, making the other boys and Taichi laugh. "He seems animated... like Taichi's laugh isn't real..."

"So, you're interested in Hironori huh?" said a voice from behind the girls.

"Huh?" Yume and Tomoko exclaimed as they fell forward in front of the door. The one who had startled them was a female student.

"If you want me to get him, I can call him out for you?" she said walking past the girls and standing in the doorway, "Hey Hironori!"

"N-no!" Yume let out a small yelp as she fell forward, landing on her face in front of the door drawing everyone's attention to her. Slowly she raised her head, her eyes locked on Taichi; who also met her gaze.

"You again?" his softened expression began to sharpen. His eyes took the same dagger-like shape they had the other day when they met.

"Y-yohallo!" she stuttered. She pulled herself up quickly and dusted down her skirt. She cleared her throat and bowed, "Once again, please let me join your club?"

She's going straight for it! Tomoko thought to herself.

"I already told you no, now get lost" Taichi turned away and began shuffling the deck of cards again.

"Understood, I'll try again another time," Yume straightened her posture and left the room, with Tomoko following her back into her classroom.

"Are you really gonna try again?"

"Of course I will Tomo!" Yume reaffirmed, "I've just got to keep trying, maybe..." she paused for a moment "I got it!"

Meanwhile back in Class 1-A Taichi had continued to shuffle the deck frustratingly, letting a few cards slip out of through the motion. He clicked his tongue.

"You breaking hearts now Hironori?" Takeda jeered, "Girls won't ever like you if you don't let em down easily"

"It's not like that"

"Then what is she to you?"

Taichi paused for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully. When he thought of her, another person came to mind and his hands began to itch. He set the cards down, letting Takeda retrieve them. As the other boys left Taichi alone he thought of his response "She's irritating... no rather..."