The afternoon's sun was prominent; the fluttering outside winds gaining turbulence in sequence.
"Stop, that's enough." The ever familiar words to this first day were far too common by now "I'll announce the winning and the losing groups." Tension was built as Basara took grasp of the six challenges that were formed prior.
Given that there are six groups in the classroom, the four individuals of each group were sharing a singular table, thus Basara started with the group nearest to him, from the southeast side.
"The first group I'll be evaluating is you lot, group 1." Basara placed his cold gaze on Yukishiro, Arkalee, Shizuku, and Gale "This challenge fits the criteria that was earlier established: Challenges cannot contain a nature that is helpful or kind in any regard; they must be written with a ill-intended intention." This specific new criteria obviously shifted the tides and abolished the prior schemes completely "This group had the challenge of: Choke each other like you want to kill each other without killing each other, if someone dies, then the group fails." Their notorious ragged breaths combined with the constant flux of tears served as lingering evidence of what happened earlier.
Noticeably, Gale Iris was having trouble breathing so much that she had to ventilate frequently; likewise Shizuku too, but Yukishiro was helping her regain her posture.
"How-----How was this allowed------Teacher---" Shizuku, weak, spoke out to Basara "Huh?" Basara did not show empathy "As long as it's achievable, it must be done. That's the rule." He reminded them "But----That's----AGH----" She choked "Easy!" Yukishiro tapped her back "It was done with success based on observation." Basara applauded "However, in your group guess, in which you put group 5, was wrong. Therefore, you fail." They became paralyzed as they dreaded the consequence "Nevertheless, getting the first task done gives you half of the time you'll suffer, not fully, so you'll be freed halfway, so rejoice!!" They became less alarmed but they still were terrified "Do the consequences remain the same? You know... It's cold, right?" Arkalee asked to Basara, while switching eye contact with her boyfriend Hyunda, who was far on the same row as her, just up ahead on the north side.
Basara utterly ignored her and moved on to the second group after he declared their defeat.
"Group 2!" Basara's evil grin spoke lengths to them "I'll fucking kill you when I catch you outside." Kawahara declared as he cleaned his bleeding nostrils with a paper "Shut the fuck up, bitch." Hyunda was bitter as he licked the blood dripping from his nose with his tongue "What a shitshow, Rayazaki's face is twisted." Basara commented "Get the fuck on with it..." Extremely pissed off, Rayazaki refused to elaborate any further banter despite his face being swollen and bleeding from his nose and mouth's corners "No mercy on the transfer student, I guess..." The other person that was in the group of four transfer students that were introduced prior was one of them, his name: Stratos.
Stratos is around their age, has a very small height for a male, and a considerable chubby size. His hair is wavy and light-brown and wears round glasses.
Naturally, due to the evil nature of the challenge, Stratos' face was authentically ruined and had bruises all over it, not to mention bleeding fountains.
"Beat the shit out of each other until you bleed, all members of the group have to be severely injured to the public eye." Basara couldn't hold his laughter back "HOLY FUCK, YOU CLOWNS ACTUALLY DID IT, HAHAHAH, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Nobody else laughed, however "True peak comedy, I'm telling you. On the other hand, your collective guess, which was, group 2, was right! Ah, it never gets old to see your own challenge land on yourself, does it now? Granted, the likelihood became higher, so that's that." He didn't congratulate them and simply moved on to the second row where two other groups remain in.
At the center of the second row, another group of four, group 3 awaited to be judged.
"Lus, Kanawari, Hinagiku, and Ikkiri." Basara spelled out the whole group "Whoever did this challenge, please kill yourself, NOW." Lus angrily spoke out to the rest of the class with her eyes closed; the other girls expressing visible discomfort too "The challenge was: If you're a boy, approach a girl and get one to sit on your lap while she dances and shakes her ass in your ass. If you're a girl, approach a guy and let him grab your ass and tits for as long as he likes until he gives the ok!" Basara was exulted "Wow, you girls are truly committed!" He genuinely said "Can you NOT?!" Lus became violent with her words "Stop being sarcastic and just tell us if we got the challenge guess right because you know for a fact that we did it, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Although she was the only one speaking, she spoke for all of them.
Basara didn't bother to torture them as he saw their embarrassment.
"Yes, you four did exactly that---" Kanawari added something "DON'T REVEAL WHO, JUST GET ON WITH IT." Basara thus did so "So fucking whiny, holy shit. Your guess, which was: group 1 was correct, so congratulations on th-----" Basara noticed the immediate bad blood between the two groups "You bitches think this is funny?!" Group 1, consisting of Yukishiro, Shizuku, Arkalee, and Gale, were giggling and gossiping "SILENCE. I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF." Basara corrected Lus on the spot and she slammed her right fist on the table "I will fucking not forget this." She marked her glare onto their group in specific.
Regardless, progress had to be made, so Basara moved to group 4, positioned at the north of the second row.
This group consisted of Akimiyashika, Kuzan, Sana, and Tateyana.
"Group 4, you had the challenge of: Play the compass game with your eyes closed when your turn comes up until the time is done (there can't be any intervals between the rounds, whoever is done must pass the compass to the other person or else the group fails)" Grotesque, their desk was filled with blood as the hands of the four of them looked like something out of a horror movie "Please let me go to the nurse......." Crying Tateyana begged "This can kill, no...?! How did you allow this, teacher?!" Akimiyashika, crying, also argued "Oh shut up, you're not gonna die from a compass game." He reasoned "WHY DON'T YOU TRY IT INSTEAD THEN?!" Kuzan shouted, incredibly bitter-sweet "Quiet. Your group guess, which was: Group 6, was NOT correct!" This further added stress to them "GOD FUCKING DAMN IT, UGH!" Tateyana lamented "Tough luck." Basara moved on.
To the third row, on the south side, the penultimate group was judged.
Group 5 was made of three individuals, not four, due to the fact that the number in total is 23, so there had to be such a group.
"Bash your heads into the wall until there is only one left standing, pretending to pass out won't be allowed and it will be supervised by the teacher..." Basara looked at the two individuals on the floor "I can confirm that they indeed passed out from the bashing." Basara said "How can you be sure that they're simply not faking it?" Yukishiro argued as she looked at Tatsu and Tsudo motionless on the cold floor "Credit their efforts, please. They really tried." Sagasuga, with a bleeding forehead, and now with a complete shaved head, spoke his mind "I'm the ultimate judge here and that's my final judgment." Basara concluded "Bullshit but whatever." Yukishiro left it at that "The group guess, which was: group 4, is correct, so group 5 passes the entire challenge." Sagasuga closed his eyes as he accepted his victory "Carry them out of the building, Sagasuga." Sagasuga sighed at this order "Tasking but alright." He was getting side glances from group 4 yet he paid them no mind.
Lastly, group six was up, and many people were particularly looking forward to it for a couple of reasons.
"......." Lus looked at most of the individuals with skepticism and even a drip of cynicism as she saw their undying confidence, except for Daniel "Group 6!" Basara shouted "You had the challenge of: Bite off the earlobe of a member of your group (every member has to have a ripped part of the earlobe by the end)!" The unhinged challenge was heard loud and clear "What the fuck... Who would even..." Rayazaki questioned as he became bewildered "Goodness gracious." Sagasuga exasperated "This challenge was not attempted whatsoever by any of you, so you automatically fail!" Given by the inactivity from the group, many wondered why such was the case, but now it was evident.
The individuals from the group began to express their feelings towards the said challenge.
"There's no way I'm doing that, are you crazy?" Ellie spoke abhorrently as she polished her nails "It's violent... I don't like violence, right, mister Daniel? Violence is bad, right?" She looked for Daniel's approval yet he kept writing in his journal, despite being side by side with her "No offense, but I rather keep my earlobe intact, so pass." Ellijah grinned while explaining himself "Fucking pussies can't do the damn challenge like everyone else, lameeeeeeee!" Kawahara provoked a chain reaction "For real, what the fuck is even the point if you're just gonna get frozen to death!" Rayazaki spoke in agreement "I mean, it's the earlobe though... Like, you have no way to recover that, I think I would've accepted the cold at that point..." Tateyana said "Don't mind their stupidity, they beat the shit out of each other." Hinagiku added.
Though by now, this meant that the round was over and thus, Basara concluded by adding a final speech.
"The groups that can leave the classroom and enjoy their free twenty minutes are: group 2, 3, and 5." Basara gave information that was qualified as new "Twenty minutes...?" Yukishiro questioned "Yes, things have changed, slightly. Win once, you get twenty minutes. However, it won't stack anymore." Basara said something else in addition too "But, to the groups that have done the task correctly but didn't guess right, you have to stay here for ten minutes; such groups are: group 1, and 4. Group 6 obviously will get the full twenty minutes because they didn't even try like the dumbasses that they ARE!!" Basara felt the need to spite them though none of them, weirdly enough, were shaken by that "And that's that. Get the fuck out now, if you've won." Basara started to walk out of the classroom.
Thus, groups 2, 3, and 5, began to walk out of the classroom collectively, albeit Lus went slower as she kept on looking at group 6, mainly Daniel, and his peculiar group mates.
"........." Her inner skepticism ran rampant yet she had to leave the classroom though as she did, Daniel's eyes did cross her from faraway, leaving her surprised.
They started to descend out of the block.
"Hold it." Lus halted and spoke to Hinagiku and Ikkiri; Kanawari lagging slightly behind them "Isn't this just strange?! First Seok and now those four?!" Lus made a point "Yeah... Something's definitely happening..." Hinagiku didn't bother to deny it "Right?! And can you believe it? They specifically went to Daniel and just forced their way into adding him to their group!" Ikkiri caught up on something that didn't exactly add up "But Daniel didn't bother to deny it, as a matter of fact, he agreed..." Her expression became confused "That's exactly my point! It's weird! Why didn't he do anything?! Did he tell you two something about this?" She asked "...No." They both replied "Then why...?" Kanawari began to walk behind them as she approached "Hey, what's up?" She introduced herself.
The three of them looked at her, and the atmosphere was slightly weird.
"Oh hey, Kana." Lus was friendly however "We were just talking about how weird this whole thing about the new transfer students was... And how they specifically targeted Daniel." Kanawari was nervous "Uh... Yeah, that was weird." She agreed "But what about it?" She asked "It's weird! What's going on, exactly..." Skeptical, Lus began to be extremely curious "I---" A loud vibration caught the attention of Lus, Ikkiri, and Hinagiku "Hm? What's that?" Lus questioned as they looked at Kanawari ".....One second." She turned around while looking at her new notification "Hey---Kana? What's that? Is that a burner...?" She recognized it despite Kanawari showing her back "......." Kanawari didn't respond immediately but had a very complicated expression ".....Fuck this....." She closed the phone and started to run off outside "Wh---Kana?! Hey, what's wrong?!" Lus asked her but Kanawari was relentless as she escaped.
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The afternoon was adjoined with an unprecedented heat wave within the classroom.
"HOLYYYYYYYY." Basara stripped the top button of his white shirt; no longer wearing a tuxedo "What the fuck... Is this temperature..." Rayazaki was out of breath as he entered the classroom again for the round "It's their way of showing variety, I think." Hyunda spoke out as he also was feeling hot "How did you losers enjoy the heat wave? Miss the cold already?" This was mainly towards the losing group and not those that simply had to stay in the forty-five degrees Celsius for simply ten minutes "It would have been preferable, right, mister Daniel?" Samantha blushed as she leaned closer to Daniel, though the latter remained unresponsive as he kept writing simply "We might die at this point, if we fail our upcoming challenges." Elijah said while chuckling and adjusting the front part of their glasses "How unlucky would that be, haha?" Ellie added.
The round quickly began and thus, each group engaged in the given challenges.
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"The following groups are the winners of this round: group 1, 2, 3, and 5. Group 4 failed to successfully guess the correct group, so they stay an extra ten minutes here. On the other hand, group 6, lost again, so they get another round at hell, but now with ten additional degrees, so enjoy!" Basara cruelly declared as he started to walk out of the classroom "...Again..." Lus spoke those words as she left the room while looking at group 6 in particular "............" Daniel kept a stern look towards Kanawari, albeit the latter refused to give a reply in any shape or form "......." Daniel closed his eyes as Basara shut the door out.
Rapidly, the temperature of the room started to increase, though Daniel didn't bother to strip down anything as he simply accepted the heat which came with his sweat.
Though group 4, Akimiyashika, Kuzan, Sana, and Tateyana, were still in the room, they didn't necessarily pay much attention to what was about to happen.
On Daniel's left side, the female individual known as Samantha, who has dual black and white long hair, kept staring at him with an obscure level of dedication. Ellie, the short-haired girl with an uneven bob also looked at him from time to time with a cryptic grin. Additionally, the tall boy known as Elijah, did the same.
Therefore, Daniel judged it was fit to have at least a conversation. He halted his writing and closed his journal; ultimately sighing.
"The suicide strategy, really?" He looked at the three of them collectively "It's full-proof. You will die buried with us in this hell of a heat, Daniel." Ellie guaranteed "Why? It means you'll die too..." The heat wave was starting to form again and naturally, the temperature of their skins increased vigorously "There's nothing in it for you except death." Daniel didn't see the point of their strategy at all "You fool, that's not the point at all." Elijah said "?" Daniel glanced "We want to die with our fallen idol." Samantha spoke with a heavy blush on her face "Explain this nonsense." Daniel demanded to know.
The three of them looked at each other and then Ellie began to speak.
"This-----" She looked around and also glanced at the other students within the classroom "This classroom, is made out of juvenile criminals, yes?" Daniel didn't respond but he agreed "Hey." Samantha closed in on Daniel's left ear "How many institutions like this do you think there are?" Daniel looked at her but then looked at Elijah who would speak next "It's scattered all across the globe, juvenile criminals forced to be students in normal schools-----surely you didn't think that this was the first time they attempted something like this?" Elijah corrected himself immediately "No, no way you would, after all---you alone are the object of adoration of thousands---perhaps even millions of us. Us, broken souls, we need something akin to the depth of our turmoil in order to feel whole..." Elijah spoke with visible sadness.
Daniel tilted his head up high as he accessed the difficulty of his situation.
"Others know who I am?" Daniel was dumbfounded "Why of course, that goes without saying. Your case is one of the most studied; a thousand years worth of crimes yet no one really knows why. Many have and still continue to suspect whether or not you exist, but..." Elijah touched Daniel's left shoulder "It's you in the flesh; Daniel Lead." He smiled wickedly "........" Daniel glanced at his hand as Elijah took it away "We are transfer students from another school----just like the other students from this class, we too undergo the same exams. However, this is much more different than the usual and when we were offered with a chance to meet the one and only Daniel Lead..." Ellie became embarrassed and weak "...I just couldn't resist it..." Samantha added something too "It's been the greatest honor, mister Daniel Lead..." She whispered to his ear.
Once again, he was forced to recognize just what type of circumstance he was about to endure.
"Think not ill of us, we are truly fans of yours, Daniel Lead." Elijah said "Really? Fans of mine? Then, will you do anything I say?" Daniel tried one last trick "This infernal atmosphere; it's your tomb. The page is burning." Eljiah replied "I see. Negotiation is really not possible then. A shame..." Daniel lamented "Though... Do you mind a bit of sport?" Daniel asked "Give it up, we're not being manipulated. You must be a hell of a genius, if you actually have a thousand years to bail out. Hell, the fact that you're this stoic when we literally just spoke about what's going to happen to you is evidence enough that you have at least two plans up your sleeve." Ellie was precise "......" He couldn't deny it, so he scratched the back of his head "At least hear me out first. You're authentically free to ignore my words, of course, but..." Daniel spoke an additional set of words "Then you won't know the true extent of what I've done." He formed an utterly confident smirk.
Stunned, the three of them knew not how to react.
On one hand, they knew that Daniel's words were not to be trusted and that they shouldn't listen.
But...
"Hey..." Samantha reached out to Daniel's sweaty hand amidst the hellish heat and started to pant "What did you just say...?!" She was shaking "Sam, you stupid fu----" Daniel interrupted Ellie "Not even the government knows the full extent of my crimes. They think they do, but they don't. A wide variety of sources can be found in certain people and a specific organization for sure, but they will just tell you a fragment of it. So, I believe it's only fair, to you, my biggest fans, that I offer you some real fanservice." He spoke with an uncanny enthusiasm "Shut the fuck up, I'm not hearing y----" Ellie once again tried to interrupt, but this time, Elijah was the one who interrupted her, demanding her silence right away "Shut the fuck up, woman...!" Not composed, Elijah was only interested in listening to what Daniel had to say.
Ten minutes had passed, thus, the other group left the room, which left Daniel and the other three to die in the heat.
Daniel started to strip his white shirt's buttons just to the point where a small portion of his abdominal area and chest could be seen. Furthermore, he started collecting his sleeves up to his elbows as he teased them with his lack of speech.
"So?!" Samantha, impatient, spoke out "I will sell you my crimes." He simply said "...Sell your crimes...? What? Explain yourself." Elijah wanted a thorough reasoning here, to which, Daniel didn't fail to deliver "I propose a mini game. Nothing will change in the exam, we will write a challenge to a group at random and likewise we will also receive a challenge at random; I don't intend to change this formula." Ellie rushed him "So what do you propose exactly?" She started to unzip her blouse and even went as far as to reveal portions of her chest area alongside her bra though Daniel maintained his glance to her eyes "We will play the lottery." They were confused but Daniel elaborated "The four of us will make five guesses directed to each group." He ripped off a paper sheet from Samantha's journal without her permission though the latter just admired the act instead of objecting it.
Laying out the instructions with a pen, Daniel guided them.
"In front of each group, you will write either: "Win" or "Lose" and then you will place the sheet down facedown at the very center of the table so we can all have a view of where they are." They didn't reply but implied him to continue "Whenever the teacher is done..." Daniel patted his face with his two hands due to the immense sweat "I will check to see if the results are accurate or not." Ellie interrupted "Why you?" Daniel answered "You will all see, and besides I'm the host here. Show some respect, will you? I'm offering something remotely entertaining on the surface level." Elijah took another route "What happens after you check the results?" He truly wanted to know as he looked at Daniel with a serious glance "There will be a criteria. Let's start from scratch. If you guess not a single one right, then nothing happens to you." He was quick to show them relief "Now let's suppose you guess one right, what does this mean?" Daniel said.
He elevated his right index finger.
"One. Whoever guesses it, I will tell you a crime of mine, it won't be the same as the others." They gulped "Likewise, if your count increases to two, I will tell you two. Same with three, four, and five. Very simple, yes?" Certainly, it was simple to understand "Alright, what's the catch?" Ellie asked Daniel, fully suspicious "This has to benefit you somehow, so what's the other option? If I get all my guesses right, you must obey whatever challenge it is given to us, and not only that, but if I do get all of them right, and you don't get the same number, then I won't tell you anything. You're not allowed to boycott the challenge, that's what I am proposing, most importantly." He was truthful "You're ridiculous, don't you know? Anyone can tell that you have something planned!" Ellie accused Daniel instantly.
Yet he begged to differ.
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"Something planned? Are you out of your mind?" He became irritated and visibly agitated "Huh?" She got nervous "Out of nowhere, you three approached me and forced this group idea, to which the teacher agreed with, so it's fair to say that this was orchestrated." Their heartbeats increased "And the next thing I know, you three want to die with me via the consequence of failing a challenge. Now, tell me, Ellie, how on earth would I be capable of this much preparation? Where is the evidence that I even knew about you guys coming in to deliver this nasty tactic on me?" Daniel lay back on his chair and crossed his arms midst the heat wave "..............." Ellie truly didn't have anything to say "There is no evidence." Daniel concluded "My status is making you paranoid. This is nothing more than a silly gamble at trying to get a chance here. Nothing more than that. I don't want to die, it's as simple as that. Or what, do you actually think you're being manipulated by me by some god master plan and that I knew this beforehand? How delusional can you get?" He resorted to insults.
Frankly speaking, Daniel's words were true and the three of them knew for a fact that he was correct. Because all this time, they were watching him from afar.
"....I'm not playing the stupid game." Ellie was adamant "Come the fuck on..." Daniel was disappointed in Ellie's behavior "Aren't you my fan, huh?!" Daniel shifted his stance and tilted his position forward so he could mirror Ellie's face close to hers; she watched Daniel's lunatic expression at full glance "THEN FUCKING PLAY THE GAME YOU STUPID BITCH, YOU STAND EVERYTHING TO WIN! STOP DICKRIDING ME AND EXPECTING THE IMPOSSIBLE OUT OF ME, GODDAMN IT HAHAHA!!" Ellie was terrified "Seriously... Hey, play it. You know you want it. Don't you wanna know? I can tell you things that the government would be dying to know... Drug rings, pedophile organizations, rape campuses, black market locations, Al Qaeda hideouts, you name it, I know so much shit that the government doesn't that you'd be by far the most privileged out of all of us.... All you have to do is play a guessing game, Ellie." He showed his wicked smile as he backed off to his seat "...Holy shit... It's really you----" Ellie's eyes widened "....Fin-----" Ellie was interrupted by Elijah, who wanted to clarify a few things.
He stripped off his white uniform shirt and just like that, his extremely ripped upper body was at full display.
Lastly, he adjusted his glasses to the very center.
"Not so fast, Ellie." He spoke with clarity "It doesn't add up." Daniel didn't agree "What doesn't?" Elijah answered fast "You stand nothing to win, Daniel Lead. It's just not safe to bet on this." Daniel sighed "How insecure can you creatures get? What do I have to do to give you three the ultimate security measure to partake?" Daniel allowed Elijah to think for a while "...Hm..." Elijah finished thinking "Show us what your guesses are as you write and you're not allowed to change them." Ellie and Samantha found the suggestion ridiculous but not even more ridiculous than the quick affirmation from Daniel "Sure." They were skeptical to say the least "It's completely based on who I think can pull off who guessed who, so it's utterly RNG. If you want to copy my results, then that's fine with me." Daniel showed no quarter "......" Unlike Ellie, Elijah wasn't prone to backing down whenever he felt that it was a good time to jump in "I accept it, I'm in." He relaxed back and showed stoicism.
As twenty minutes had passed, Basara opened the classroom and the temperature started to go down drastically.
"...I already said fine, so yes, I'm in." Her skepticism was never truly erased but Ellie said the yes as the remaining students started to enter the classroom "Ngghhh..." Samantha looked at Daniel as she let that out "I am most interested, so it's a yesssss, even though hehe, I much prefer burning you in a fire than learning all your secretsss~~" She confessed "I doubt it." Daniel replied "Buckle up, bitches, next round is up!" Basara declared as he closed the door.
Thus, the next round started.
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After the challenges had been delivered, they ignored the challenge that were given and Daniel simply opted to play his cards by dealing out a sheet where Ellie, Elijah, and Samantha could vote their guesses.
And most naturally, Daniel did as he agreed to and began to instantly write his guesses.
"Here." Daniel swiftly dragged his sheet to the center of the desk, right above their challenge to which they were ignoring "You can't be serious." Elijah couldn't believe it "It's final, I won't make a move about it. My guesses, which are: group 1 to win, group 2 to win, group 3 to win, group 4, and ultimately, group 5 to win, are final, as I said." Daniel spoke his guesses out loud.
Elijah examined his guesses thoroughly without jumping ahead first but Ellie began to look at the other groups to see if there were any suspicious interactions yet no one was switching eye glances with Daniel.
"I'll be taking this theeennnnnn!~" Samantha showed no shame as she copied Daniel's guesses "........" Ellie kept on the watch because for Daniel to have some sort of beneficial outcome here, all of his guesses would have to be right "If you don't get them right, then you're dead next time, it's as simple as that." Ellie reasoned as she copied the same sheet as Daniel "........" Elijah, on the other hand, wasn't as confident as these two and was trying to think of an alternative way that Daniel could be manipulating them.
It's clear that the only winning scenario for Daniel is for him to get all the guesses right.
By doing so, their agreement in which they have to do the next challenge stays. Therefore, from their perspective, there is no way that Daniel could be lying to them. Furthermore, if Daniel is lying, then he is most likely dying in two rounds due to the overheating. Because this round is utterly lost, since they are not attempting the challenge whatsoever.
However, it still doesn't explain how his plan would work since guessing which group will win is incredibly hard if it's at random.
Ultimately, Elijah decided to try and gather information across the tables to try and scourge any information that he could.
"Time's up." Basara's words were mandatory to obey "I will now tell the results." And thus, Basara went on.
The final result was something that was beyond their comprehension entirely.
"Congratulations to all the groups who have successfully did all the challenges and have gotten their guesses correctly!" Basara clapped "There's no goddamn way..." Ellie was dumbfounded by the predictions being right "However, group 6, once again, REFUSED to do anything so they will stay here inside like the fucking clowns that they are! Enjoy the upcoming fifty degrees Celsius!" Thus, with the rising temperatures, group 6, which is made out of Daniel, Ellie, Samantha, and Elijah, stayed in the classroom.
There wasn't a single group that didn't also fail to guess which group did which.
"What did you do?!" Ellie questioned Daniel immediately "This could not have been a coincidence! You can't just say that the other five groups will get it right and expect us to just buy it." She was beyond pissed off "Hm? Then what do you suggest happened then, Ellie?" Daniel locked her eyesight on her "They had to know, this is all bullshit." Elijah and Samantha observed their argument "Know? Know how? How on earth would they know my guesses? Did you see me talk to them this entire time?" She clicked her tongue in utter annoyance "I was here the entire time, I approached no one. You kept your eyes on me this entire time, ever since you got here. Or are you gonna go on a conspiracy theory spree again?" Daniel openly mocked her with a grin "You gotta give mister Daniel a bit of credit here, he did get them all right... Somehow~" Samantha was happily indulging in Daniel's company.
However, after Daniel brushed his hair back with his two hands, he got the core of the matter.
"Since you all voted the same as me, it means that I have therefore obliged to tell you five secrets each. So, which one of you is first?" Daniel hurried them "I'll go first~" Samantha offered herself "I see. Any specific secrets you want to know?" Daniel turned his eyes to her and asked "Your choice, mister~" She giggled "Alright. Ellie, Elijah, look elsewhere, I'll write down the five secrets to Samantha. Likewise, when your turn comes up, the other two will do the same." Daniel reasoned "Fine..." Ellie didn't object "Ok." Same with Elijah and thus, Daniel begin to write five secrets of his crimes that he claimed earlier that the government had no idea of. This gave interest to the doctor as he watched the scene unfold with Seok.
Seok was eating a cup of chicken noodles though he was confused.
"What the hell are they doing? Were they not supposed to be extremely confident since they will die with Daniel Lead?" Seok judged based on their expressions and given that the video does not show a full voice coverage, it's impossible to tell what they are saying yet they can clearly see what they are doing "They will die, no matter what happens. They are sold out on killing Daniel Lead, let him play his ploy, it won't do him any good, gahaha." The doctor laughed out loud "Isn't this the same exact scenario as last time, grandps?" Seok questioned the doctor.
The doctor wanted to simply brush off the question but he didn't mind answering.
"They are suicide bombs, they will fail all challenges on purpose, so it's just a matter of time before Daniel Lead dies from an extreme lack of hydration. Trust me, Seok, you don't want to be him right now." The doctor was empathetic "Not the point, grandps..." Seok went on "What is he writing? He's sharing things with them... Are you sure we shouldn't do anything about it?! It sucks that we can't get a read on what he's saying! Plus, multiple viewers have complained about this issue. Can't we get some lip-readers to get a translation on what they are saying?" This was a notorious problem for sure.
If the doctor truly wanted to enhance the experience to the outside, then this issue would have to be solved.
"There are only four cameras in the room right now. Two on the south side, east and west, and vice-versa on the north side. But it's true, this will have to be fixed..." The doctor acknowledged it "Thank you, grandson." Seok felt happy for the compliment.
On the other hand, Daniel was done delivering the secrets to the other three.
"It's not fiction, but I have no way to prove them. However, how else do you think I've gotten a thousand year jail sentence? It's due to the accumulation of my crimes. The government decided to add a surplus of my crimes and decided to go with it." Daniel reasoned "I trust we have an agreement now and that you'll seriously try in the upcoming round?" He wanted to make sure "I don't mind~" Samantha lied "Sure." Elijah did too "Yeah, that was the deal, after all..." She was thinking of something else too, but she lied naturally too "Oh good, that's fantastic, I get to leave in the next round then!" Daniel cracked a smile as he stretched his arms midst the heat wave.
However, before symbolizing the beginning of the next round as there was a minute left until Basara and the others returned to the room, Daniel made yet another bargain.
"I think that most of you, if not all of you, really think that I controlled the way the results were planned out." Daniel confessed as he sighed "Which is why, in the upcoming round, I want to to erase that doubt. The doubt that I am somehow in control with my choices." Daniel's words were mysterious "How do you plan to do that?" Elijah asked "You three will write my guesses." They became shocked "Wh----That makes no---Huh?!" Ellie didn't know what to think of this; she became out of her mind "What's wrong? Did I not make myself clear here?" Daniel genuinely asked "Let me get this straight----" Ellie went on to the check with Daniel as Basara opened the door of the classroom which allowed the other students to enter the classroom "You are saying that you will allow us to just write your guesses this time?" The students saw their group talking and many were curious "That's right. Simple, right?" Daniel looked at the three of them "......" None dared to object.
Thus, the next round began.
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Upon getting the challenge this time, Daniel took great interest in it.
"Give two of your nails (each member must do this) to a random girl in the class!" Daniel spoke loud enough for the rest of them to hear, including the other groups "It's doable, shall I go first?" Daniel looked at Elijah, then Ellie, and ultimately, Samantha, who were writing Daniel's guesses "Yeah, I'll do it after you do it." Elijah spoke with apathy as he passed the guessing sheet to Ellie "Fantastic, I'll go ahead then." Daniel started to look at his right hand.
Thoroughly, Daniel grasped the middle finger of his right hand and utilized his left hand fingers to scourge the nail out through a series of physical struggles.
"Uh..." He wasn't really able to get it out from the surface of his finger despite the blood all over it "I think that I need help." He admitted "Samantha, could you help me out? I need to get it off so I can go to my other nail." Daniel reasoned "Sure~!" Samantha was done writing the guess and thus, placed the sheet on the middle of the desk "Ouch..." Apathetic, Daniel let out a small howl of pain as the blood from the finger started to swarm "Nghh..." Samantha erotically licked the ripped nail and sucked the fresh blood dry "Hey." Daniel was annoyed "The other one, hurry up." He rushed her and thus, they were able to perform the task on Daniel's side successfully.
Two nails were on the table now, belonging to Daniel.
"Alright, who is next?" Daniel showed a happy expression as he looked at Elijah, Ellie, and Samantha "Fucking no one, you retarded fuck." Ellie was merciless "Eh?" Daniel gained a newfound expression "What?" He didn't understand Ellie's words "You're dying here, Daniel Lead. You didn't actually think that you'd get to walk out of the classroom and scheme something with your pals, did you now?" Elijah adjusted his glasses "I would appreciate it if you didn't underestimate us so much, mister Daniel..." Samantha showed a sorrowful expression "Oh..." Daniel muttered "So that's how it is." He was utterly locked.
Daniel gave some thought.
"Alright." He moved on fairly quickly "Let me see what you guys wrote." They were in a state of permanent surprise by how indifferent Daniel was to the revelation "Ehh... So the groups that will win this round, according to the guesses you wrote as mine are: group 2 and 5, and group 1, 3, and 4, will lose..." A permanent silence was formed within the class for about two seconds, to which the three of them found awkward yet this silence was quickly dispelled shortly after as the groups resumed their activity "..What the..." Ellie was sweating due to stress "Alright, fair enough." Daniel didn't have any objections.
Now the real question would be what they would write.
"Hm..." Daniel saw their guesses and they were divided "So you're not voting for the guesses you have made in my place this time around? Why?" He asked out of sheer curiosity "To be honest with you, I don't really care about this stupid game of yours." Ellie confessed "I just wanna see you wither, Daniel." She delivered the truth "I see." Daniel was indifferent "The secrets were definitely nice to know, but they hold no use, in the end, they are just for curiosity. You should know by now since we refuse to do the challenge that we cannot be manipulated to our cores. There are humans like that, Daniel Lead, that are so illogical at their cores, that they simply cannot be reasoned with." Elijah argued ".....Is that so....?" He narrowed his vision down "What about you, Samantha?" Daniel turned to his left, where Samantha kept on sucking the nails "Nghhh... Well..." She paused the nails on her lips "I am indeed very curious about what else you are hiding but... I believe death to be more beautiful than anything else sooooooo I want us all to die in your arms!" She laughed like a maniac, attracting the attention of nearby students.
Daniel was disappointed.
He found that their choices were lacking in intelligence.
"Elijah." He called out to him and forced a glance clash "You said that they had no benefits, but how do you know that's true?" Elijah was confused but nevertheless answered "They don't, it's just a confession of your crimes." Daniel started to lowly laugh in response "Hahaha.... Oh, you lack so much imagination, not just you, these two as well..." His narrowed vision met the three of them "The old man doesn't know shit." They weren't expecting him to be mentioned "...You know doctor Hwan...?!" Ellie spoke out of line "Ellie, damn it!" Elijah kicked Ellie on her left calf "!!" She tapped her mouth as she realized her blunder "Doctor Hwan... So that's his name. But yes, I'm talking about him. We did have a conversation prior to this day." This was news to them.
Undeniably, the three of them were curious as to where Daniel was going with this and thus, they didn't interrupt him.
"Did you know that our crimes, as students from this international government plan to reform us juvenile criminals are deeply archived into layers that are extremely costly in terms of money?" The truth shocked them "Our crimes are information which is worth thousands. The digits multiply beyond your wildest imagination and frankly, it's not a surprise as to why. They are valuable information that could lead to massive discoveries, as you can probably imagine. So, with this in mind, how would you feel to know that you know more about my crimes than the old man does?" Daniel chuckled "He was dying to know what I have done but it's not that simple. There really isn't evidence lying around and----" Ellie interrupted Daniel as she judged his words to be nonsensical "What is your point?" She coldly asked.
Hook in, the fish is caught.
Daniel adjusted his posture.
"Do you not have a desire for your own freedom? I understand the sentiment of adoration for someone you deeply are invested in, but that can't be all there is to it. We are young, we have too much time left on this Earth. I don't even need to ask, but if you could be granted the chance to be free from this program and retake your life, you would very much enjoy the opportunity, no?" Daniel was thorough "What the hell are you saying..." Ellie wanted Daniel to get to the point, to which he did "Sell my crimes to him and buy your freedom, is what I'm saying." Daniel said something absurd which was met with criticism right away "2 minutes left!" But not before hearing Basara's loud shout before "This has to be the most laughable manipulation attempt you could've thrown at us, holy fuck!" Ellie chuckled "Why do you think so?" Daniel asked, and Elijah answered this time "How do you suppose that telling him your crimes would buy us our freedom? Do you realize just how absurd that statement is?" Elijah asked.
To this, Daniel took out a smartphone from his right pants' pockets and placed it on the desk.
"What is----" Ellie's words were toppled by Daniel's "Bargain your way with the doctor. I am the most notorious criminal out of them all in this program, yes? Trade the information for your freedom." He insisted "That's not how it works, I would have to speak to the doctor privately and right now there is no method of doing that-----" Daniel's grin rose to full height "Oh there is." Elijah's mouth opened "He just so conveniently happens to be a phone call away." Daniel looked at the cellphone "His grandson was a tad bit naive, far more than that---if I'm really honest. That's his phone. I do know the pin, so if you want to give it a go, go for it." Daniel proposed "...What's the code?" Daniel gave it to Ellie right away and she was able to access Seok's phone without a second's hesitation, to which she saw a number that was called several times "It was earlier, but if you truly have seen what happened before then you'd know that the temperature of the room was manipulated; it was Seok who called him to do that, over and over. I know this, because I did it on purpose." Daniel didn't bother hiding it.
Basara gave the shout which indicated that there was only one minute left, but this was barely noticed by them.
Their priority was no other than accessing the truth in Daniel's words.
"All you have to do is call. Demand your freedom in return for my crimes; you lose nothing by trying." Daniel reasoned as he snatched the phone back by force from Ellie "...Then give it back...?!" She didn't understand why he did that "It's all yours." He extended the cellphone to the center of the table as the three of them tried to grasp it, only for Daniel to elevate it to the air "If you do the challenge, that is." He struck his bargain "Fucking knew it..." Ellie spoke with spite "Death or freedom, which one is it?" Daniel posed the question "Thirty seconds left!!" Basara's shout was detrimental here "I am crushing this phone, should you not comply, also." They became far more nervous than they should "You-----!!!" Ellie was thoroughly confused, but Elijah and Samantha, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to comply.
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Granted, the end of the round came by and Basara announced the winners and the losers.
"Winners: Group 3, 5, and 6! Losers: Group 1, 2, and 4!" This time around, there was a diverse variety in the winners and the losers "Ghhh----" In pain, Ellie trembled as she wrapped a paper around her right thumb and right index finger to cover some of the bleeding "A brilliant display of bravery thus far, I like how there isn't any doubt anymore when it comes to whether or not you should do the challenges!" Basara gave the compliment and then started to direct himself to the end of the classroom, where three groups would be able to venture outside to enjoy their additional twenty minutes.
As agreed, Daniel handed them the phone and started to move out of the classroom, which left Elijah, Ellie, and Samantha behind.
"Elijah, stalk him!" Ellie was furious at her agonizing injuries "Excuse me? I need to get into contact with the doctor, NOW." He became abrasive as they talked on the outskirts of the classroom.
Looking at the three of them, however, against their knowledge, were a group of three people in particular, who were hiding behind a wall on the east side of the hall, just so they could see and listen to what they are talking about.
"You HAVE to follow him around because we can't enter the damn male dorm, he has to be plotting something so get your ass moving and track him down!" Ellie insisted and wasn't letting him off the hook "...We will give you the opportunity to talk to the doctor later, Elijah, I promise..." Samantha tried to talk him into it "Bullshit, you won't. I fucking know you won't! Just let me talk to him and mark an appointment, I have all the secrets related to his crimes! This is Daniel Lead we are talking about, of course there are people dying to know bits of information, just let me talk to hi----" Ellie shouted "SHUT THE HELL UP, ELIJAH! HE CAN'T BE ALLOWED TO TRY ANYTHING, TRACK HIS ASS DOWN, I'LL GET THE APPOINTMENT FOR YOU SINCE YOU KNOW A PORTION OF HIS CRIMES TOO, NOW FUCKING GO!!" Ellie's shouts were beyond loud, but it was enough to get Elijah away from the scene as Ellie and Samantha started to deal out a call.
Naturally, Elijah was seen sprinting at such force that he didn't even notice the three individuals hiding in the hallway, as they became utterly nervous.
Yet the sight of his figure running down the staircase indicated that they were not seen whatsoever.
"...Did I hear that right...?!" Ikkiri was skeptical "No doubt about it, there's something going on..." Hinagiku reasoned "Don't just stand around there, come on!" Lus hurried them to follow Elijah and thus, they began to follow his tracks.
A minute after tailing Elijah without getting noticed, they saw him enter the boys' dorm as they hid themselves behind pillars.
"...Shit, we can't go in, can we...?" Lus asked as she looked at the entrance that was covered by the male dorm's supervisor, George Kentucky "Just like a boy can't just come inside ours, yeah, we can't..." Hinagiku agreed "Hey, what did he mean earlier? When he said that he has all the secrets to his crimes? He was talking about Daniel, for sure." Ikkiri made a confident claim "If I had to guess it was due to something that Daniel said but it's been weird all afternoon long, the three of them have been targeting him relentlessly and------" A surprise caught their sights, which made them hide more cleverly in-between the pillars.
Elijah was seen as he was nervously looking around outside of the dorm a minute after his search inside the dorm.
"Where the fuck is he?!" He shouted out loud, unaware of those around him at all "Hey!" Returning back to the entrance of the dorm, Elijah was face to face with the colossal giant otherwise known as George Kentucky "What?" His abhorrent expression was enough to tell it all, but even so Elijah tried to bargain "Where is Daniel Lead?! You keep a track of who goes in and out, right?!" Insignificantly smaller, Elijah's height in comparison made him puny as George took a heavy step forward "Oh, I do, bitch." He took a bite out of his chicken sandwich "Didn't see him. Besides, you fucking checked the dorm yourself, so the fuck are ya asking me that shit for? Piss off." The crumbs of the sandwich got on Elijah's glasses "Argh!" It was unpleasant "Gross, damn it!" While this was happening, a question emerged from the three of them.
Lus was the one who posed it.
"Where the hell could he have gone then?" She looked at Ikkiri and Hinagiku "...Maybe he didn't leave block F at all? It's possible he just is in the bathroom, no?" Ikkiri threw a guess "Last time we met him was on the-----" Hinagiku realized what she was about to tell Lus "-----Nevermind, uh, he's probably still in the block." She also changed the subject instantly "Still, what's the purpose of all this, Lus?" The two of them looked at her while expecting an answer.
On the mark, Lus began to walk to a place where she thought she could find a certain someone.
"Follow me, this has been very strange all day, and I won't settle for no answers." At her mercy, Hinagiku and Ikkiri followed Lus who ventured to a lower part of block F.
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"Teacher." Caught smoking on the perimeter outside block F while browsing on his phone, with his back against the wall, Lus called out to Basara "Hm? There should be a few minutes left, ten or less. Well, eight to be entirely more precise. What is it, Lus?" There was also Hinagiku and Ikkiri with her, but it was Lus who mainly made her bargain "First Seok and now, those four. I won't count Stratos or whatever his name is called, but I'm mainly talking about Elijah, Ellie, and that girl Samantha." Basara continued his smoking session "What of them?" He let out a cloud of smoke "I don't believe they are transfer students. It's all too suspicious and sudden, what are they doing here?" She asked "Hell if I know." Basara wasn't cooperative whatsoever "Please, teacher, you know something! There has to be a specific reason why the three of them targeted Daniel, right? It wasn't just a coincidence." Lus was surefire.
Basara looked at her for two seconds and judged whether or not he should tell the words that he wants to say.
"It's all a charade, that's all I can say." Basara tossed the cigar to the ground "What?! Can't you be more specific?" Lus felt as if Basara definitely knew something "I can't say anymore----but----" His serious glare persisted her "It's not a coincidence. Let what is happening be a lesson for you. Avoid getting the spotlight as much as you can or else you'll just end up attracting the attention of those who have a truly twisted agenda." Basara began to enter the building without leaving much of an explanation.
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"....." Lus felt explicitly conflicted as she looked down on the ground inside block F.
There was almost a minute left for the next round to start, so she simply sat on the top degree of the staircase within the hall of their classroom.
By that point, many students were starting to walk in her direction as they climbed their way up to the classroom, naturally.
Amidst them, was a frail girl that was Lus' best friend, who crossed glances with her; causing Lus to get up.
"Kana." She spoke and Kanawari was reluctant to say another word "Uh..." However, she tried to justify herself "I had something to do earlier, sorry about that." Another presence walked by, though Lus was entirely focused on Kanawari to notice "I was worried about you, you've been so strange today. Is it still about Kuzan?" Kanawari had a difficult expression "Ah no, listen---I'm----" Her expression grew a combination between surprised and utterly shocked "Kana?" Lus found her reaction weird.
Therefore, she decided to track her eyesight to see where it landed.
The target was Daniel, who was drinking a huge bottle full of water.
"What the hell is he thinking?!" Kanawari blurted that out loud "What? Wait, what do you mean?!" Lus confronted Kanawari "Get inside!" Basara, on the east side of the hall, spoke to the last remaining individuals outside, which were just the two of them "He's insane...!" Kanawari refused to make eye contact with Lus as she shook her head left and right "Hey, tell me, what do you mean?!" Lus ignored Basara's words and prioritized knowing what was going on "He is going to die!" Kanawari spoke her true mind without thinking of the consequences "...What?! You're not making any-----God, let's go inside!" Lus didn't bother missing out on the next round, however.
Once inside, her eyes were on Daniel, who was drinking the water bottle.
"Someone's thirsty." Basara mentioned as he reached the podium "The lack of hydration caught me off guard, I need to drink as much water as I can..." Daniel was already half-way through the bottle; his group members watched him drink it like a savage "Share some with your group members, next time." Basara suggested "Sure." Daniel put down the water bottle in the middle of the table "If you guys wanna drink some water, just go for it. Nothing forbids you from doing so. Besides, if we have to endure another heat wave, then it's determental for you to drink water." Daniel spoke factual information.
On the central side, within the second row, Lus, Kanawari, Hinagiku, and Ikkiri were united as a group once again, awaiting for Basara to give out the orders.
"Oh God..." However, Kanawari was having a panic attack as she placed her two hands on her head "Kana, what the hell is wrong?! Just explain yourself already!" Lus was puzzled by Kanawari's strange behavior as of recently and she wasn't the only one "Did something happen, Kanawari?" Ikkiri placed her right hand on Kanawari's left wrist and couldn't help but notice how cold it was "Oh God, oh God, oh God!" She wasn't making loud noises by any means; as a matter of fact, she was trying her best to not get reactions around her "She's not reacting normally..." Hinagiku noticed that "Hey, what's wrong?! Talk to me, Kana!" Lus shook her shoulders in despair.
Trembling, Kanawari thought of one thing and one thing alone as she looked behind in Daniel's direction; in the third row, where she saw the water bottle being drank without a second's hesitation.
From Samantha, to Ellie, and ultimately to Elijah, the three of them drank refreshing crystal water until the water was no more and felt immensely rejuvenated.
However, it was the sufficient string. Though she tried to cover up her mouth at first, it was inevitable.
It came down running like a raging water fountain of vomit.
"BLEEEEGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The entire desk was covered with Kanawari's continuous vomit, which caused the members of the desk to get up instantly "HOLY SHIT!!" Ikkiri accidentally blurted that out "THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Rayazaki got up as he saw Kanawari throw up without stopping "Teacher, she isn't feeling well, can she go to the nu------" Lus was brutally interrupted by the obvious answer "God fucking no. Also, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! THERE ISN'T A SINGLE GODDAMN CHALLENGE THAT TELLS YOU TO THROW UP!!" Even Basara was disgusted by what was happening.
Amidst this commotion, it was fairly normal to have an undivided attention to Kanawari, who just vomited out of nowhere.
Nevertheless, there were a few students that didn't neglect themselves as they looked to the north side of the third row.
"Wait, huh...? I feel so..." Ellie was relatively dizzy; her vision blurry----she had to support her head with her hands but her blood running down her nostrils and eyes were visible "What the hell is this...GHHHH-----" Choking on saliva bubbles, Elijah's body started to descend on the floor as an overpowering paralysis hit him suddenly "....Ahhhh.... Ahhh......." Panting over and over, due to the fact that her body was feeling tremendously weak, Samantha was trying to guess what was happening; her eyes then looked to the person on her right side "Hey, guys?!" Daniel was mainly talking to Elijah and Ellie, but Samantha clung to his body in her dire time of need "...Y-You...!!" Her eyes began to bleed rivers of blood "Hey, teacher!! They aren't feeling well, we need assistance here!!" Suddenly, the shift of the spotlight was rearranged as Samantha's body collapsed on the floor alongside Elijah and Ellie.
The start to the afternoon was marking a marching mayhem.