Cardfight!! Vanguard: Generations Volume 2 [Zyriot War]

- Part 8

After a long day at school, I finally returned to the dorms. The first thing I wanted to do was change out of this dirty uniform and take a long shower. I was so exhausted I didn't want to bother setting up a bubble bath like I originally wanted.

I entered the bathroom and took off all my clothes. For the first time today, I saw the full extent of the damage that the D Class students did to my stomach. As I stared at the bruises, I felt like throwing up. It looked like something out of an abstract art gallery.

The damage on my back must've been similar, if not worse, so I didn't bother checking it. Instead, I entered the shower, washing away all the stress that I've accumulated today. My stiff body relaxed as the soothing sound of running water surrounded me on all sides.

While I melted away from how good it felt, I quietly reflected on this extraordinary day.

Today was an exception to my plain, simple life. I was abnormally active, getting myself into flashy situations that I would usually avoid, such as trying to save Shimizu from Hashimoto, or stepping in to win Akari's cardfight for her. Today also marked the first time I talked to Chabashira-sensei one-on-one, and unexpectedly witnessed a gentle side of her.

My fingers traced the cotton gauze she put on my cheek. The water had made the tape loose, so it was close to falling off. I would've peeled it off beforehand, but I forgot to in my rush to the shower. Regardless, simply remembering how mesmerising Chabashira-sensei looked as she tenderly cleaned my wounds made my heart skip a beat.

Was it okay to feel that way? It felt really taboo, honestly. I shouldn't lament on it though, as I needed to focus on the upcoming war.

As a first step, while on the train ride home, I messaged Yukina and Nora - who were my only E Class contacts - the information I found out from Chabashira-sensei. Since they know quite a few popular people, I'll leave it up to them to spread the word.

If I told everyone else, they would either ignore me or not believe me due to my unpopularity. These two were deemed trustworthy, so they'd take their word over mine. Strangely, I had also received two missed calls from Yukina, and a message from Suzune, asking me if I was alright. I'll get back to them once I finish showering.

I still haven't come up with a strategy, but without knowing the specifics, there wasn't much point to formulate a plan right now. Instead, I'll use this time to dig up information on D Class in order to counter them. At the very least, I need to train our class to become better cardfighters.

With only four days until the war starts, the window of opportunity was small. I should probably hedge my bets on a select few that are already solid at the game, and try bringing them up to competency.

Above all else, I needed to prove to Chabashira-sensei that I could get our class to A Class in order to get her on my side. This war would be an important stepping stone towards that goal, so I had no choice but to take things into my own hands, even if Matsushita and Sakigamiya didn't like it.

This would also be a good chance to prove to the class that I have the skills to lead them if I managed to secure a more commanding position for the war. Though, I have no idea how I'd convince them to let me be in charge.

Maybe I should make use of Matsushita's goodwill and use him as my ambassador. Even though I'm considered a loser, he's only ever treated me as an equal, so it shouldn't be hard to ask him to help me out.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. As I dug through my drawers for something to wear, someone knocked on my door.

This was the first time I've ever gotten an unexpected visitor while attending this school. It was cruel fate for it to happen while I was half naked.