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

Chapter 7: The Midterms (Takanori Yuuto)

There were twenty-four people in the classroom.

There had been twenty-five just a few days ago, but now one of them was gone.

This was because Yukimura Fudou had been suspended.

There was a trial held on Thursday that Yukimura lost. The rumours were that the student council was considering to expel him.

It was a wake-up call to even the worst of the E Class students, that the threat of expulsion was very real while we were stuck in this class.

But not even Yukimura's friends, like Mitsuba or Nora, could focus on what happened to him. There was a more pressing matter at hand that weighed down heavily on E Class.

That straight after this homeroom, we would be taking the first midterm exam in our high school lives.

The air was suffocating. For usually rowdy class, they were all strangely quiet. Was it the fact Yukimura was missing that made it melancholic, or was it the fact that the midterms had came sooner than expected?

The feeling of dread and anxiety hanging in the air started to affect me too, but I couldn't let myself be swayed so easily.

Chabashira-sensei strode into the classroom with her stern face and began roll call. Afterwards, she stood behind the teaching podium and explained our situation.

"I hope you've all been studying over the weekend. Your midterms are today, congratulations."

Even in a tense situation like this, she had no problem using her scathing sarcasm.

"You will be sitting two exams per day. That should bring us to the end of the week, as the fourteen exams get done."

Cruelly, for this week only, we also had to go to school during the weekend to take the final four exams. This school didn't pull any stops when it came to things like this.

"Your morning exams will be straight after homeroom, and your afternoon exams will be straight after lunchtime. As I'm sure you're aware, you are not allowed to bring anything with you into the exam, except a black pen, a clear water bottle, or a regular watch. Having anything else on you, other than the listed items, will disqualify you."

I checked my pockets. I probably should've left my phone at home today... since our class doesn't have lockers, it'll be hassle to put somewhere safe.

"Making sure you have nothing but those items on you, you will head down to the gymnasium fifteen minutes prior to the exam to receive a prep-talk from that subject's specialist teacher. When that finishes, you will leave and head to the exam hall to do your midterm exam. It's imperative you do not be late for the prep-talk. If you are, you won't be able to do the exam."

That threat made some of the students shiver.

"After all, these prep-talks are things we give to 1st Years only. It's a privilege, so if you cannot bother to be there on time at least, then you don't deserve to do the exam. Of course, and I know it's common sense but I am talking to you lot, but don't talk or mess about during the exams."

She secretly laced her words with an insult, calling us out for being in E Class.

"If you do, you'll get disqualified and your papers will be null and void. You don't want that happening, since your midterm grades will affect your report, so try your best."

I figured that our grades would be used somewhere, if not on the S System. The fact that student reports exist is a major clue into how GEN Academy exactly works. Even though most students ignored that casual mention, I'm sure more attentive students understood the implications.