Cardfight!! Vanguard: Generations Volume 1 [Yuuto Birth]

SS Zyriot Feirbuster: The State of D Class

D Class was in a peculiar place after a month at this academy.

The first month for our class was rough. We were one of the worst behaving classes by far, and there was a heavy divide between students due to their contrasting personalities. As a foreigner, I even experienced racism from my classmates. But I did not want that to hold me down.

I did not want my class to go down the route of divide. It was clear after the first week that the high number of delinquents and troublemakers in my class would breed fear among the others, which would result in a tense atmosphere where people are scared of their own classmates.

Due to my poor Japanese, I wasn't able to communicate very well to my classmates and make friends. The language barrier between us was my biggest weakness.

However, I found my refuge with a train-enthusiast from England, John Fields, and we had became close friends due our shared native language. My sensei, Mikazuchi-sensei, encouraged me to unite the class after I talked to him about how I felt about D Class.

I gained a little bit of confidence, because my words finally reached a Japanese person.

When uniting the class, I decided to go for a wide appeal approach. I began regularly performing speeches in an attempt to appeal to the class and to expand my friend group. At first, everyone merely laughed at me for my poor Japanese skills, but I continuously socialised and earnestly worked hard so I would improve my Japanese.

I wanted to show everyone that no matter where you are from, if you put in the effort and work, you can do anything. For me, it was showing them that even a foreigner could lead the class.

Since I would have a harder time uniting the girls, I decided I would focus on bringing the boys together. My first success was in sports, where my raw athletic talent impressed many of the boys. Some of them started seeing me as an equal from that point.

With this, I tried to eat lunch or talk to them more often. However, whenever I tried to socialise with the delinquents, they just used this chance to hurl abuse at me, whether it'd be mocking me, calling me names or playing tricks on me. One boy in particular, Takemoto Gentarou, had a major dislike towards me.

On the other hand, the friendlier boys easily accepted me and we had a fond time. One of the boys, Satou Ishigami, became my closest friend and my right hand man.

A blessing had come to me in the form of a girl, Horie Kanon, who approached me with an interest in my background. I quickly became friends with her and found out she was a central figure among the girls. After begging for her help, she helped me unite the girls of D Class fairly quickly.

After gathering roughly 75% of the class together and starting a group chat for us, I suggested the idea of calling each other by first names like we do in America. While mixed, I got a generally positive response from everyone and we went ahead with the plan.

The delinquent Shigeru Zenkichi was one of the few to support this. Following him were the delinquents Hayashi Kazuki and Hiraoka Shouhei. While it was a few, I had managed to break their shells. But Takemoto's hate for me grew even more.

Eventually, during the end of the second week, he confronted me during lunch time.

Disgustingly, a crowd began forming around us as soon as we began arguing. Takemoto was being unpleasant, hurling insults at me, but I tried to reason with him and ignore the chanting crowd urging us to fight.

I didn't want to hurt my classmate. I really didn't.

But Takemoto initiated a fight, and I had to fight back. Even if I didn't want to hurt him, I still had my pride on the line.

I wasn't going to get beat down easily, nor was I going to give that obtuse crowd a bloody fistfight either.

Using my knowledge in fighting and martial arts, I utilised a defensive style that focused on blocking and dodging Takemoto's aggressive boxer style. I used a fake-out sucker punch to catch him off-balance, and grabbed his arm.

In that moment, I realised that to these delinquents, I was a nobody that they could mess with.

I had to teach all of them that I'm not someone they can trample on.

I was going to show them my power. I was going to show them I was a leader.

It's just in my nature.

The only way to make him yield is to defeat him.

The only way to make all of them yield is to show my strength.

With a single flip, I destroyed Takemoto's back.

As he rolled in agony, I helped him back up. He was my classmate, after all. I'm ready to get into trouble if it means I beat respect into him.

That's the key ingredient missing here. Respect.

I had to use respect to get close to them. By trying to force my way into their friend group, I was being the disrespectful one.

I faced a harsh repercussion for what I did, and our fight was the talk of the school for awhile. Some called me a hero. Some were scared of me. People didn't know what to think or feel seeing me savagely beat Takemoto in a single move.

I had made myself a threat to others by accident. I didn't want them to see me as an evil man. I wasn't like that.

After my suspension was finished, I returned to class. But the atmosphere was different.

The delinquent Takemoto had changed his ways. Sheepishly, he had gathered the remaining delinquents together with the help of Ishigami and united the class while I was gone.

That divide I experienced when I first came here disappeared. Everyone was friends. Everyone was calling each other by their first names. Everyone respected each other.

Takemoto told me to call him Gentarou. He said he'd help me whenever I needed him. He called me a friend. I was extremely happy.

That single fight with Gentarou changed everything about D Class. We had become the first class to become united in such a manner. We were unlike every other class. That was how we were unique.

So, when that storm blew through us on the first of May, and the true nature of this school was revealed, we didn't crumble under it at all. We stayed vigilant, not going back to our old ways. That was the strength of our bonds that we built over the first month.

I took my leadership role with pride. Our united front wasn't going to get destroyed by this school. We were stronger than that. We were going to work together, aiming to get promoted to A Class.

That was the state of D Class.