Sports festival, exam and depression.

Finally, it was the day of the sports festival. It was a.. not so fun day, at least for Karma, that is, because he sucks at sports. He just joined to have fun. But it was no ordinary school, it was World Technical High, and the students here don't care to have fun. They just want to win. Anyway, he still decides to go and participate in the selection round.

On the day, he wakes up, gets ready, wears his tracksuit it was a darkish-ash coloured. Although I said darkish-ash, I don't think there is a proper name to describe this colour. There were white stripes around the tracksuit. He eats a light breakfast, then goes out for the sports festival. The locks his door, goes out, but then he realises something was missing. He didn't take his water bottle. He then again got in, took his bottle and again went out. He got out of the dorm and looked at the sky. It was fireworks. The sports festival was about to begin. The sounds of the fireworks was sure loud. Not something everyone want to hear the first in the morning. He goes to the sports field. It was decorated. There were a lot of students. A lot more than he imagined. He enters the waiting room to get some rest. He goes to his classes waiting room. There, he meets Izuko. The room's mood changed. The studious students are now also super athletic also. He is getting some pretty serious aura from them. The same goes for Izuko too. But he trusts him.

Izuko: Hey Karma, over here!

Karma: Oh hey.

Izuko: You're late. The selection round will be starting soon.

Karma: Forget that, everyone here looks tough. I'm getting chills down my spine.

Izuko pads Karma's back to make him confident.

Izuko: Don't say that. If you get scared by your opponents before the fight, you're destined to lose.

Karma: Yeah, thanks.

Izuko: Just do your best.

Karma: Yeah.

The speaker in the room suddenly says,

Speaker: The selection round for the annual sports event starts in ten minutes. The participating students are requested to be present at the schools sports field in the mean time.

Izuko: The show's starting, lets go Karma.

Karma: Yeah, let's go.

The first event is race. A pretty classic sports event. But in WTH, this just might not be the case. Karma stands besides the students to participate. But their aura is so strong that Karma knows that they are not taking this event as a sport, but a battleground where the last person standing wins. But he tries his best. The race starts. He goes with all his might.

Race results:

Karma: 9th

He is visibly exhausted. He seems to struggle gasping for air. Izuko comes to him.

Izuko: What are you doing man, you still have so many events and you are exhausted already?

Karma: What if I say yes?

Izuko: It's not like Im going to Kill you, you know.

There were a ten minute break between the events, but it was not enough for Karma. He was still exhausted. But he decides to push himself and participate in the rest of the matches. Results?

In throwing, he was in 10th position among ten students. In high jump, he was 9th out of 10 students and in relay, his team was second out of five teams. His team was second because his teammates carried him.

With that, the selection round ended. He wasn't able to join the main event. While Izuko went on and got a chance to participate in three of the events, while Asuna managed to get selected in all of them. Thus Karma just watched them and helped them by giving water and helped them. He had nothing to do.

It was almost evening. The speaker announced the end of the sports festival and told the students to head to their dorm. Izuko, Asuna and Karma goes to the dorm together. But Karma is in a depressed mood. Izuko and Asuna tries to cheer him up.

Izuko! Hey man, you don't have to be depressed just because of an event.

Asuna: Yeah, the main thing is that you had fun.

But he was still depressed.

Izuko: Cheer up.

Karma goes to his dorm room. He sits on his bed and says to himself,

Karma: I did horrible in the sports event. The students of this school are really something. Not only geniuses but also best in every field. Just how do I expect myself catching up to them? They were amazing, my friends. They are also better then me. I don't understand why they are friends with someone with no talent like me.

At last, his body cant stay together. He felt like his body was crumbling apart. So he went to sleep.

Some days pass by like this. Then one day in class,

Homeroom teacher: There is an announcement for your midterm exams. It's going to start after 10 days. So prepare yourselves.

Karma is shocked, and so is everyone in the class.

Karma: What. How many days passed by since class started?

Asuna: It's been two months.

Karma: Wait, its been a whole two months?

Asuna: Yeah. Time sure goes by when you're enjoying it the most. But I haven't even started studying yet so...

Izuko: I don't think its just the you two.

Karma: What do you mean?

Izuko: Look at everyone, they seem to be shocked too.

Karma didn't notice. It was true that everyone was shocked.

Karma: I see.

The period ends. After class, Karma was heading to the dorm alone. He was thinking,

"It's a relief that everybody is at the same place as me. But I won't let it fool me. Because they are actual geniuses other than me. I have to work hard no matter what."

Karma was motivated this time. He isn't going to lose. He has a target now to get into the top 10 of his class in the mid terms exam. So he decides to study non stop for the next ten days. Every day he studies till 3 am and then sleeps. He practices so much that he finished 2 notebooks in one night. His lead supply for his pen finished in a instant. In his class too, he was serious. For the next ten days in class, he took notes and revised them again and again.

Asuna: Karma seems to be studying hard, don't he?

Izuko: Yeah, we can't also lag behind.

Asuna: Okay then, let's try our best too.

Izuko: Yeah.

Finally, it was the day of the mid terms exams. Karma is nervous.

Karma: Oh, this is bad. I am already getting nervous and I haven't even started my exam. This can't be happening. I know I studied hard but still.... I need to be calm.

He goes to the school and enters the exam hall. There he meets Asuna.

Asuna: Best of luck, Karma!

Karma: Yea. You too.

He sits in his desk. After some time the exam begins. The copies are distributed and the bell rings. Karma looks at the questions.

Karma: These first questions already looks tough, this is bad.

Karma finishes the exam. In the lunch break he meets up with Izuko and Asuna.

Asuna: Hey Karma, how's your exam?

Karma: It was tough for me.

Asuna: Really? I thought it was very easy.

Karma: Huh?

Izuko: Hey! How's your exam?

Asuna: Good, yours?

Izuko: A piece of cake. And you Karma?

Karma spaces out. He was thinking,

"Am I the only one who thinks the exams was tough?

Izuko: Hey, hey Karma, wake up.

Karma: Sorry, I was spacing out. What were you asking again?

Izuko: About your exam.

Karma: It was tough.

Izuko: Really? Well, the questions on the back page sure seemed a little difficult.

Karma: Wait... What did YOU SAY?

Izuko: The bac-, wait, don't tell me you didn't see the back page.

Thats exactly what happens, and the three of them knows that. Izuko bursts out laughing. Karma becomes even more depressed. They went to the dorms and the two of them consoled Karma all the way. The day ends.

After a few days....

Izuko: Hey guys, I have something to show you.

Asuna: What is it?

Izuko slams a paper on the desk. Asuna picks it up and reads it.

Asuna: An IQ test?

Izuko: Yep.

Karma joins the conversation.

Karma: Um, if Im not mistaken, an IQ test is a test where you measure how intelligent a person is, right?

Izuko: Yeah. Now start the test before the teacher comes.

Asuna: Okay then, I will go first.

They skipped the whole class to do the IQ test. Now it's Karma's time. Asuna hands over the test papers to Karma. At first, it was easy, but as he completed the questions, it got harder progressively. Midway to the test, he doesn't even understand the questions.

Karma: These patterns don't make any kind of sense to me. How can I even solve these?

But anyway, he solves the questions by randomly choosing among the options and gives it to Izuko. Izuko spends one period of class to tally up their IQ before handing it to them. Izuko himself did it at his dorm so he didn't have to do it again in the class. The results are,

IQ test result:

Izuko:150

Asuna: 158

Karma: 100

Izuko then gives another sheet of paper containing the intelligence level of humans. Above 140 is considered high superior intelligence while 90 to 110 is considered average intelligence.

Izuko: I've got high superior intelligence.

Asuna: Me too.

Karma: What's mine called.

Izuko: An IQ of 90 to 110 is called Average intelligence.

Karma: Oh, seems like I'm not special.

The day ends. The class ends and they all go to their dorms. In the dorm room, Karma starts telling to himself.

Karma: I guess everyone here other than me has high intelligence level. It's the best school after all.

He is kinda jealous. He goes to sleep. Normal classes goes on. One day,

Homeroom teacher: You will have winter vacation this month...

Everyone was happy about it.

Homeroom teacher: ... but you also will have your semi final exams after that. So prepare yourselves.

Everyone is now depressed. The class ends with that. This time tho, karma being serious started studying. During the winter break he did nothing but study. He didn't even go out of his room to enjoy the vacation. In the middle of the vacation he gets a call from Izuko.

Izuko: Hey Karma, let's hang out.

Karma: No thanks, I'm studying.

Izuko: You can study later.

Karma: Nope, not doing that.

Izuko: I can invite Asuna if you want.

Karma: Not interested. Are you finished? If you are, then bye.

He cuts the call. Izuko was disappointed,

Izuko: Ahh man, I thought he had a crush on her.

Izuko went to hang out with his friends without Karma. The winter break ends, and the horrifying day of the semi final exam came. Karma was not nervous that time. Because he is dead... or half dead from studying day in and day out. He doesn't speak to anyone, because he forgot how to talk because he barely talked to anyone during the winter vacation. He basically became a half zombie. He goes to the exam hall, goes to his sit and sits down. Asuna tried to talk to him but he seemed to be spacing out. He didn't even talk to Izuko and Asuna after meeting with them the first time after the winter vacation.

Asuna: Hey Izuko, did something happen to Karma? He looks very exhausted.

Izuko: Yea. Apparently in the winter vacation he did nothing but study.

Asuna: Wait seriously?

Izuko: I'm not kidding. I even tried to invite him to hang out but he denied.

Asuna: Thats tough.

Izuko: Yeah.

Karma didn't speak to anyone until the exam was over. The exam spanned for about 15 days or so. After the last exam, he barely made himself not faint until he went to his dorm. He was so exhausted that he passed out in the floor. By the time he woke up, it was night... of the next day. They had a vacation of one week after the semi-final exams, so he didn't need to worry about his absence in class. That night he decides to finally clean his dorm, tidy up everything and finally get some rest.

Karma: Everything is now done, the exams are now finished and now I can finally rest peacefully.

He decides to watch anime the whole night...

Karma: It's actually refreshing to watch anime from time to time.

Two days later, Karma, Izuko and Asuna hangs out together.

Izuko: Oh Karma, you came.

Karma: Yeah.

Asuna: You came back from the dead.

Izuko: Yeah. You looked like a zombie when you first came to school after the vacation.

Karma: Really? Did I really looked that exhausted?

Izuko: Totally.

Asuna: You really should rest from time to time even during the exams.

Karma: Thanks.

Izuko: Good. Now where are we going?

Karma: I don't know.

Asuna: I called some of my friends. Is it okay?

Izuko: Yeah.

Karma: I don't mind.

Izuko: If thats the case, I should call some of mine too.

Asuna: That good to hear. My friends are gonna be at the gate.

Izuko: Okay then, lets get going.

Karma: But what about your friends?

Izuko: They can catch up later.

Asuna: Hey, wanna go to the amusement park?

Izuko: Sounds like a good Idea. Let me inform the others too.

That day, they went out of the dorms and went to the amusement park for some fresh air. Karma had a lot of fun. He enjoyed the trip a lot. Soon, the vacation went by... and after some days, the results of the exam is going to be held. Karma's happiness will soon come to an end. His nervousness rose up again after hearing that the results will be published after the vacation. His life is going to take a hard turn after that event.