Cardfight!! Vanguard: Generations Volume 3 [Alice Secret]

Chapter 5: I'll Break You

Monday, 15th June.

Only a week left until finals.

My morning routine was the same as usual, the only difference being I brought the letter I received yesterday with me to school.

I entered our temporary classroom and took a seat. They still haven't fixed our actual classroom yet, huh?

It's been two weeks since Machida's faction trashed it. Really goes to show what the school's priorities are.

I noticed that E Class's atmosphere was a little more tense than usual, probably because the exams were so close.

Even slackers like Mitsuba seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, as he was attempting to read a revision guide this morning, rather than play on his phone.

However, this tenseness intensified the moment Chabashira-sensei entered the room to begin homeroom.

The look on her face was stern as usual, but this time, there was an underlying hint of worry that was uncharacteristic for her.

"Good morning."

She bluntly greeted us before taking the register, after which she got up behind the podium to make an announcement.

The class held their breath, expecting another special exam or new rule to be sprung on them, but instead the words that came out of her mouth was something none of us expected.

"On Saturday night, a student in our school was attacked by a man with a knife."

Immediately, murmurs began rising throughout the classroom.

It seems the police report auntie made had trickled down to the school and now they're forced to address the issue. It would be a PR disaster if someone actually died by Nakajima's hands.

Even though our class learned to behave and stay quiet during explanations to keep our class points, this news was so shocking for us that everyone broke back to their old habits.

"Luckily, that student is fine and did not get any grave injuries."

It was a good thing I didn't do anything reckless like stopping Nakajima's knife by having it stab me through the hand.

If that happened, then it would be obvious by my bandages that I was the victim.

"However, please be extremely careful when travelling at night, especially if you are walking alone. We do not want anyone else to be attacked and possibly face harm. Stay vigilant and travel in groups when you can."

Luckily for everyone else, Nakajima wasn't going after just anybody.

It was clear he was going after those from the Underworld, meaning that only me, Rinbayashi, Shimada, and Oshita were in immediate danger.

However, we were going to be tough opponents to kill. Between my punches and Shimada's kicks, alongside the girl's unknown fighting abilities, Nakajima had his work cut out for him if he wanted to eliminate all of us.

That being said, it's understandable why the school would make an announcement. It was just regular protocol to prioritise student safety over anything else.

The fact that even E Class is being warned about this shows how dire the situation is.

"If you have any information or tips you'd like to report, please either speak to any of the teachers or PC Juumonji-san. We can ensure your anonymity, so please tell us if you know something."

Juumonji Eisaku was the superintendent of the police force in GEN Academy. It makes sense why he was assigned to such a high profile case.

His partner, Hyoudou Kaito, was the one who interviewed me and auntie on the night of the attack. I kept the details vague since I didn't want the cops to actually catch Nakajima.

Things that are from the Underworld should be dealt by those from the Underworld.

"Our main objective is to catch the assailant before they can actually hurt someone. Any and all cooperation would be appreciated. That's all."

And with that, Chabashira-sensei finished her announcement and went back to her desk.

"What scary stuff..." Yukina mumbled.

I don't really care if Nakajima bares his fangs at me or anyone else from <that>.

If anything, he'd probably be doing me a favour by killing them off.

But the moment he turns his knife on Yukina, I won't forgive him.

"Yeah. It's pretty terrifying, knowing we have a potential killer let loose on the island."

Perhaps it's best if I distance myself from her for now.

There's not much I can do to protect her, aside from stay by her side whenever I can.

But if I do that, then Nakajima will eventually figure out she's my right hand, and will come crashing in to kill her if progress is moving slowly.

What a pest... I can't believe I have to now calculate in his actions too in the mix.

"Who do you think got attacked?"

"Most likely someone not in school today... bar Kita-san and Kouji-san, of course."

Despite the tense air, the classroom also seemed more lively today too.

Kawaguchi was back to his regular self and Nora had recovered from his injuries. Their presence had a positive impact on the class.

The only people missing were Kita and Kouji, the usual suspects.

"So it's probably someone in another class, huh?"

Yukina mused to herself. She really wanted to know who got attacked.

"Probably, yeah."

It wasn't a complete lie, since Shimada and Oshita were attacked, but at the same time, I wasn't being truthful about my involvement either.

"How's the exams coming along then?"

"...pretty badly."

Upon Yukina switching topics, I answered more honestly.

"Oh? What happened?"

"I test ran the exams me and Nora-san made, and well... it was pretty disastrous, to say the least."

I showed Yukina the full marks Rinbayashi scored on each exam.

"Oh dear... are you two going to be able to manage? C Class have their war tomorrow. If we don't get this to them soon, they might take back the deal and our relations could break down."

"I think we'll be fine... if you're not busy, your input on the Japanese exam would be appreciated."

"Sure! I wouldn't mind piloting the tests either if you want me too."

"That would be appreciated."

Even though there was still a week until the exams, time was running out.

I refuse to let poor time management be the bane of my plan again.

"Let's get to work..."

For the rest of this homeroom, I worked with Nora to make new questions for the exams.