The fading sun quietly aligned with the meek horizon.
"That's all there is to it." Daniel inhaled a fair portion of the oxygen around him as he placed his eyesight on the majority of the male body within the cafeteria "It goes without saying that this can't be achieved via solo efforts and requires us to utilize our numbers to our advantage. Not only that, if we get caught, it's all over." He was quick to cut to the chase "And you're telling me that it's right there, in that room?" Rayazaki was skeptical and made a torn expression full of doubt---Daniel on the other hand, allowed Kawahara to take the wheel "It's encrypted. I've tried to unlock it several times, but it's no use. The code has 20 slots." Kawahara sighed "So?" Tsudo didn't understand the issue "Are you telling me that all this time you couldn't have tried to unlock it? Sure, it's 20 slots, but it's possible." He reasoned.
Kawahara was profoundly irritated.
"Shut your fucking mouth, bitch. It's not that simple." Tsudo was angry at Kawahara's words but allowed him to justify himself "First of all, the slots are made of numbers. Each slot can go up from 1 to 26. Let me ask you this, dumb fuck---what do you think has 26 numbers, just straight up from the top of your head?" Kawahara made the puzzling question "What... Look..." Tsudo was confused as he didn't know the answer "The alphabet?" Tatsu made the guess "Bingo. Someone with a brain here, good lord." Kawahara rejoiced "Ok but what does that have to do with----" Tsudo was interrupted as Kawahara continued "It's hinting something, clearly a name, most likely. 20 slots can only indicate that it's a full name. Or whatever else, it doesn't matter---" Kawahara got to the core of the matter as he had everyone's eyes on him "After a slot is inserted, you can't revert it. Furthermore, if you insert all the available slots, any combination that you had in your mind, it will fucking fry your hand with a motherfucking whooping volt that will send your ass flying to Mars!" Everyone more or less understood what he was implying "And to add insult to injury, it fully resets and becomes unavailable for the next 24 hours." He concluded.
Stuck with a conundrum, Kawahara wasn't able to offer a solution.
"But our good friend Daniel here has a solution to this problem!" Kawahara patted Daniel heavily on the back from his left side with his right palm; causing Daniel to stumble a bit forward due to the sheer strength in the patting "Otherwise he wouldn't have just suggested an escape plan that strictly revolves us being able to pass through the "passage", which is THEORETICAL, by the way!" Kawahara's sarcasm was applying pressure onto Daniel "RIGHT?!" Everyone looked at Daniel "Hm..." He looked apathetic but in deep thought "...Wait, why would you suggest all of that----I mean, you KNOW the combination, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have suggested it, right?" Rayazaki spoke in Daniel's direction but he also spoke what everyone was trying to assert off.
This time, Daniel stopped his thought process and got up from his chair as he delivered his reasoning.
"Of course I know it. But it can't be done now. Not at this precise moment." He was elusive "Why not right now though?" Tsudo, was not satisfied "We need a decoy and alibis." Daniel countered "Alibis?! This is our rest time, no? How the fuck are they going to find us out-----" Tsudo was countered not by Daniel, but by Sagasuga "Tsudo, it's not about taking the opportunity while we can but rather to pick the most precise timing to execute it." Sagasuga reasoned and spoke an additional sentence as he drank his glass of water "I think we should trust Daniel on this one. After all---he allowed us to topple the challenges today. Perhaps a vote of trust wouldn't hurt, I think." His calm and serene expression was a sight to behold, despite his newly shaved head "......" Tsudo ceased his attitude; in the midst of this, Hyunda decided to leave the scene quietly as he ventured to the top of the dorm "Alright, I agree with the plan, but I have a question, Daniel." Tatsu earned Daniel's attention; Kuzan on the other hand, lit up the light of the cafeteria was it was getting dark.
Many were physically tired and were looking forward to their sleep and yet they paid attention to Tatsu's question, as it inquired something that minimally warranted the worry of everyone in the class today.
"None of us are going to die------right?" Tatsu was slightly nervous yet didn't exhibit such symptoms on his physical surface "Us?" Daniel asked "Us, boys. We agree with your plan, therefore, we are exempt from any danger. That's what we agreed on, right?" Daniel tried to recall such a moment "Oh. Sure." He gave an ambiguous answer "No need to worry, Tatsu. As I said, for the plan to work, the more numbers, the better." Daniel gave his reasoning "........." Tatsu found his reasoning to lack empathy "Alright, good to know." He dismissed himself instantly as Daniel locked his sight onto him "Alright people, let's fucking sleep, we gotta be up at 5 am tomorrow!" Kawahara gave the imperial order and many did as he said.
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The sight of the falling sun swimming on the blazing horizon ignited his eyes with a searing sensation as he couldn't draw himself out of the obsession ring.
"Time is running out..." Hyunda, supported on the balcony of the rooftop, softly muttered "How so?" Daniel made his presence known from behind as he intercepted Hyunda's words "It's rhetorical, forget it." Hyunda clarified as Daniel joined his left side on the balcony with his hands supported on it "So, what are your thoughts, Hyunda?" Daniel didn't waste time around and Hyunda gave his insight instantly "It was alright. You drew too much attention though. But it's fine, since that's what you wanted anyways." Hyunda stated "Yeah. If I become the focus, then that just means that the others will get less spotlight and will be able to be more useful. I don't mind this outcome." Daniel reasoned too "I see. Aside from that, I really think it was alright. But again, it all comes down to the big escape. Enduring these challenges can be relatively trivial, honestly." Hyunda confessed.
It would naturally be decided if they could escape all of this through Daniel's plan, however, there was something that not even Hyunda knew.
Something that, Daniel, was a bit ashamed to admit.
"......I lied about something back then." Hyunda turned to his left and looked at Daniel with concern "The combination... I seriously thought I had it and my brain didn't even deny it for a second, but the more I tried to recall it..." Daniel supported his head with his two shaking hands "....." Hyunda continued to observe "So you thought you knew the combination and that's why you told us that plan?" Daniel couldn't stop shaking "I'm screwed, aren't I? Look, this shit happened back in the island in the tenth section; there was a part where it was encrypted and had a very similar description to the same in the hideout, but I never got to unlock it----I had that key, which allowed me to bypass it." He explained the problem "Hm... Well, I can't give you that key, sorry." Hyunda showed a level of regret.
However, that wasn't what was troubling Daniel, for some reason.
"Hyunda, I can't make this shit up but I can't make sense of what's been happening lately. My brain feels as if it knows things that it shouldn't. It's not normal, is it?!" Daniel sought a level of confirmation "Certainly not. Have you been taking your medication with frequency though?" Daniel stopped trembling as much as Hyunda asked "I have... Fuck man, what now? If I don't come up with something I'll lose all credibility and they won't cooperate with me. Why the hell did I think that I knew it?!" Daniel felt immensely confused "Maybe you do know it." Hyunda lowly said "What?!" Daniel obviously didn't agree "Sounds like a big issue to me though. I've provided you with material to which you are making usage of, but that key is beyond the current reach. I can't say I relate to the issue you're having, since, well, it's pretty unrelatable, honestly, but yeah." Hyunda shrugged "Wait, so what happens now?" Daniel was at a crossroad suddenly.
Hyunda put his right palm on the lower side of his jaw and thought for a while.
"I don't know, honestly. Getting access to the key sounds like the way to go, but that's, as I said, beyond my reach. Hmm..." Daniel hopelessly looked at Hyunda, hoping for him to give him a way out of this situation "Ah..." Hyunda made the expression of someone who just thought of something that could maybe work "I can't say I recommend this route, but you could try Sagasuga." Daniel argued immediately "He isn't as open as you. He's frankly hard to reason with, because he won't budge unless things go his way. Damn it..." Daniel began to feel nervous but Hyunda didn't agree with Daniel's stance "I think you're misunderstanding his character. You just know too little about him. Look, I'll be frank. He is most likely the only one who can get you out of this. After all, the plan starts tomorrow. Can you really afford to be this picky about it?" He couldn't.
Daniel reflected on Hyunda's words.
"You know what, you're right. He is also a member of the organization. He should have access to the key---" Hyunda interrupted Daniel with fierce strength "Give up on the damn key. It's the combination. I'll let you know right away that I don't know it and I'm not lying. I only know a few and they have combinations which are formed of seven slots." Hyunda confessed "Are you saying that he knows then?" Daniel asked "Not sure, honestly. Could be, could be not. All I know is that I can't help you here." Hyunda started to leave the terrain "Oh." He would say something before completely exiting the scene "Thanks for the extra damage you did to her. I wasn't planning on going to her right away, but you facilitated it quite a lot, so yeah, thanks." Daniel knew what he was referring to but had his mind elsewhere.
The frail connection between Daniel and Sagasuga would be highlighted at the fact that his doubts grew by the second and yet, he had no choice but to gamble on this shot.
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11 pm. Central hospital.
The diagnosis made out from the doctors in charge of determining the cause of the students deaths had been finally dealt to the hands of doctor Hwan.
"Dear God." Unable to hide his shock, the doctor found it hard to believe as he looked at the results; the room being full of variety in terms of individuals "Let me have a look too, if you don't mind." The student council president suggested as he adjusted his glasses "Behold and laugh, if you must." Doctor Hwan relinquished the papers to him "Hmm..." Over and over, he went through each paper "Am I to believe that their deaths all had the same origin?" He threw that question into the air; mainly aimed at the doctors who composed the autopsies "Based on what we have been able to see, I would be very inclined so." A confident man, representing the medical team; with a surgical mask on his face, stepped up "They were not only poisoned but intook drinks which were mixed with substances such as cardiac glycoside digoxin, hydrogen cyanide, moonshine, and... spirytus..." The doctor couldn't mask his unease.
Liyuga scratched the back of his head as he couldn't understand one thing.
"Alright, enough. HOW?" His displeasure was shared among the student council "Those substances require a lot of set up and to simply mix them up in one go is..." Andrea was in deep thought "They weren't mixed up entirely onto a singularity. The first wave that killed the first three was mainly cardiac glycoside digoxin and hydrogen cyanide. Not to mention that there was a very strong cardiac paralyzing agent mixed in which led to whoever intook the drinks to have their heart rates completely stopped." The doctor reasoned "Which doesn't explain why Daniel Lead wasn't affected by it, correct?" Skan asked "Yes, that's right. It's a mystery still. However, it goes without saying that they all died from intaking those drinks. That is not a question, but a fact." He was thorough.
On the other hand, the student council president, had something else to offer, in the midst of the night.
"Isn't it fine?" His words made the entire student council widen their eyes "President, I beg your pardon?" Andrea couldn't understand the president's stance "While it is true that there has been multiple checks of the male and female dorm by the guards, nothing was ever found. And still, things like this are done. It leaves you wondering... If they are truly hiding so much from us just to execute their little ploys, then what were to happen should it be found out?" The president was not only being ambiguous but a bit controversial "That would be for the best, no? The moment we find evidence and connect the finger-prints to such chemicals, we can expose the orchestrator and be done with this nonsense." Andrea reasoned "How morally right and I would usually agree." The president said.
Glancing over the doctor as well as many other members who had not yet introduced themselves, the president elected to make his point on the moment, despite how cold it may seem.
"However, no matter how you look at it, what happened was authentically beneficial to our strategy." Andrea's expression became distorted "Our aim is to get rid of these criminals, who have been, against our will, populating the school that we love and cherish. Our means to do so would be to buy a portion of them and then have them expelled. But as we discussed, that approach is unrealistic. But, against the odds, an opportunity like this has been presented on us. An opportunity where they are shackled, restricted, vulnerable, and predictable. Andrea, tell me... Do you honestly believe that these oxygen thieves deserve minimal empathy?" He posed the question "...No." Andrea didn't deny it "I suppose not. It's just... No, nevermind." She didn't exhibit her true thoughts on the matter.
Taking a peek at the dead students, mainly Gale and Shizuku, the student council president, on behalf of the school's principal, gave the following decree.
"Our viewership must rise. We must set the tone and he is counting on all of you. Furthermore, cease all your instigation and let things be as natural as they can. Finish installing all of the necessary components and have it all ready for tomorrow. The second event will go as planned." His cold voice was undoubtedly accurate for the mood as no one begged to differ.
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Not a single student didn't show up at the entrance of block F at 5 am. Firmly aware of the consequences, there was simply no room for any other paths.
The shimmering cold breeze made several students tremble, however, they were naturally more absorbed into other newborn factors.
Basara presented a few starting ones; as he was accompanied by a team of four black-suited guards carrying boxes with cryptic devices inside of them.
A single clap to the air was enough to summon all of their attention onto a psychological cataclysm.
"All of you, LINE UP!" Without delay, the student body didn't hesitate to comply; the student at the front being Lus followed behind by Daniel "No resisting, these bad boys will go to your necks!" Basara hinted at thick mechanical neck chokers that were being put around their necks "I don't advise trying to remove them, you might not like what it has to offer." Basara suggested as the distribution kept pilling up.
In addition to the chokers which were sunk in deep iron, with ten dormant crystal lights scattered throughout them, which alarmed all of them-----they were also given black watches to their left wrists. Furthermore, instead of climbing all the way to the top floor where their usual classroom would be, they instead were guided by Basara and the guards to a room within the base floor where their brand new endeavor would be adjourned.
Situated in the eastern side of the block, upon the guards unlocked the closed two doors with keys, a loud ominous opening was formed; where they would behold something entirely new.
"Holy shit." Kawahara, the usual enthusiast, couldn't hide his surprise as they entered the room "So many of them... What the hell is this, a recording studio?!" Tateyana felt repulsed by the mere sight.
Unlike the rough conditions the usual classroom would present itself to the students, this room was far more enchanted in a sense. Amassing a width of twenty meters in a square-shaped area, the room would have a towering ceiling with enormous height.
Perhaps the true highlight feature would not be what they are most worried about, but instead of the normal scattered tables; either individual or dual ones, there was a single focal point being: a round table made of eighteen seats. Each seat had a pen and paper for some reason.
Though, of course, that was not the source of discomfort. The true source would be the mere fact that there are a wide variety of cameras circulating all across the room. The standard four cameras occupying each corner of the top ceiling were replaced by cameras on every side of the wall instead. The ceiling had hanging cameras focused on the center on the round table, but also, floating robotic eyeballs that were orbiting around the room.
In total, however, to cover every possible angle as well as the students, without having to resort to a distant angle, there were 98 cameras; combined with the myriad of floating orbits.
The figure of their undivided hatred made his existence be known as he was projected onto the north side of the room near the abysmal white wall towering with supreme height.
"Good morning, my beautiful narcissistic FLOWERS!!" Brimming with an uncanny enthusiasm, doctor Hwan presented himself through particles which gave everyone in the room the feeling that it was actually him in person and not just a gigantic holographic projection "AHHH WHAT THE F----" Kuzan, scared out of his wits, jumped backwards, hitting the wall with brute force "Shithead is back, you hate to see it." Kawahara remarked "Looks so real..." Akimiyashika stated as she couldn't help but admire the accuracy in the projection "First of all, allow me to congratulate all of you for surviving the first day!" The doctor began to clap, and even though it was a projection, the sound of the claps were heard as if they were real, if not more than that "It wasn't easy, I'm sure, to withstand all of those nonsensical challenges and I can see that even most of you haven't really recovered from the perils of accepting them, but alas, it couldn't be helped!" The doctor was proud to congratulate them as he moved with a weird ecstatic feeling.
The stage for the next challenge, however, was addressed instantly.
"In order to stay true to my words, yes, today will be marked with another special exam! And so will the next day and so on! This is all, of course, to improve your social skills and deepen the bonds between all of you!!!" Doctor Hwan let out of a malefic laughter while gathering the collective hatred of the opposition "That's why I figured that in order to truly test those bonds that you developed yesterday, that I would put all of you through not only a tasking challenge, but to also, ELEVATE your standings to the world!" Many didn't understand what the doctor was saying.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't need an explanation because the doctor's words caused the students' awareness to be expanded instantly.
"Behold, where you currently stand!" All across the walls, the curtain was unveiled, in the form of various shapes "Oh great, we're being recorded... I mean, the cameras and everything made it obvious but this is just..." Hinagiku looked to her right and saw a hologram projection of multiple streams containing a multitude of angles "Hey, look to the center, it's behind the old man." Rayazaki was the first one to mention it as he found it rather interesting "That number... What the hell... There's even a chat..." Arkalee trembled as she hugged Hyunda tightly "So it's a streaming platform..." Lus came to the conclusion.
Hovering around 150,000 viewers as well as providing cameras for all the viewers to see the current live event, the live stream had a visible chat reaction message log scattered across the room in a virtual mirage. In addition, there are other streams under different labels with assigned numbers to them.
"...Classroom of doom..." Daniel had his eyesight permanently locked on the left upper corner where the other labels were shown "14, huh?" The streaming title had caught his attention as well as how the only difference between the other titles were the numbers "I must apologize! I have made the grave mistake of not letting you know just how famous all of you are, but as you can see..." The doctor's hologram faded into nothingness and instead of him, a holographic digital ladder was presented "On your first day, you managed to reach number 3 on the ladder out of all the other classrooms!!" The ladder would cover numerous other streams based on their rankings "Classroom of doom? What the hell? Hey, we're the third one, right?" Tsudo asked "He just said that, man..." Rayazaki remarked.
Labelled as "Classroom of doom", the other streams appeared on full display in the forms of ranking.
"These are the views yesterday amassed by each stream individually and I have to say, for the first day, to reach third place-----considering many other classrooms are already going at it for quite a while; to say it's impressive, is an UNDERSTATEMENT." The doctor pointed out "Oh yeah?! That's great man! Apparently it's alright to profit from us like this?! Talk about illegal, no?!" Rayazaki complained "You promoted murder yesterday and manipulated us into thinking that it was alright! How dare you?! People died!" Hinagiku was very transparent as well "Oh, how rich... The hypocrisy... It never fails to amuse me every time. At the sight of the mere inconvenience you criminals will resort to moral allegations even though you're the worst of them all!!" The doctor laughed; along with many others as they ridiculed all of them in the chatting platforms "Hey." Daniel called out to the doctor while pointing at another section that was behind them "What's this about?" Everyone's attention turned to Daniel at first and then to the hologram behind them.
The doctor materialized again and explained what they were seeing.
"That's the individual ranking based on yesterday's performance." A ladder of 18 individuals was presented to them and the majority of them looked to one individual alone "What's the basis for this ranking, doctor?" Daniel asked, in a hollow tone "I wonder... Perhaps you'll find out if you play... Are you interested, Daniel Lead?" In an enticing voice tone, the doctor asked, as Daniel turned around and glanced at the doctor coldly "Ok, let's do this." Forming the altitude of the movement, Daniel began to take a step forward.
The majority of the students were paying attention to the myriads of comments swarming and while they were very interested in what they were saying, they also opted to take a step forward as well.
On that round table with 18 seats, the students took their seats.
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With the doctor no longer in the picture, all of the attention was entirely summed up to Basara, who was standing tall on the unique golden podium on the south side of the room, slightly away from the round table yet not much.
In his two hands, he held golden papers containing valuable and utmost critical information.
Through the microphone, he spoke diligently.
"The first round will now begin." He put down the papers on the podium "W-What?! We didn't even receive an explanation! Is it the same event as yesterday?!?!" Akimiyashika was shaken "Yeah, what the hell?! Explain, teacher!" Tateyana also argued "Please... Don't put us in the dark..." Ikkiri looked at Basara, but this was beyond his control.
A horrifying holographic design containing a round wheel with the eighteen names of the present students appeared. A skull remained at the center, but was quickly lit up as it started.
"What the fuck?!" Rayazaki found it strange how a fire was going through the wheel's names and how the skull remained vigilant with its two eyes pointing at the name that would go through the fire "Hey, what happens now?! Are we going to get picked off?! What does this mean?!" Hinagiku tried to talk to Basara, but that was not effective as he alienated himself from interaction momentarily.
Thirty seconds was all it took for the selected name to be lit up in flames, causing the skull to cast a roar throughout the room.
"FUCK, it's loud!" Kawahara covered his ears "Agghh---" So loud to the point where their eardrums felt the pressure and even some blood began to drip from the corners of it "It's decided then." Basara followed up "No, wait..." Kanawari, terrified, started to nod to the right and left, in utter denial, however, as two guards snuck behind her----combined with the fact that her front seat had clicked an open path way to the central chair that had erupted from the ground simultaneously, it led to her state of paranoia "WHAT IS THIS?! WHY WAS MY NAME CHOSEN?!" Kanawari was tucked in by the two guards who utilized brute physical strength to overpower her as well as driving her to the enigmatic chair "ANSWER ME!!" She looked at Basara with rage and yet he remained emotionless.
Lus, on the other hand, attempted to get up, but was quickly ceased by Daniel who held her left hand with brute force.
"No." He looked at her in the eyes "Resist, you must. And trust me." The sight of her trembling expression with heated rage was one observed by a few ".....!!" Lus clenched her teeth, and Daniel started to decrease the volume of the force "If anything bad happens to her, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU BASTARDS!!" Forcefully, Lus took a seat once again.
The two guards had successfully managed to put Kanawari at the central chair which had the withering resemblance of a royal throne dusted in gold, but it completely shackled its host with metallic chokers down to the ankles and wrists; authentically destroying any possibility of movement. Kanawari attempted to cease it, but was in vain as she was locked up.
"Those motherfuckers..." Lus was looking at the comments spread all over the room "Don't pay attention to them, Lus." Hinagiku told her as she sat on the right side to Lus "They're insulting her... My friend is being mocked by these random nobodies, I swear I---" She was briefly interrupted by Basara, who upon checking the conditions, started to dial the necessary information "Kanawari is the first down the line and so, the judgment begins." Basara's words were eerie to say the least "Judgment?" Hyunda was the first one to question it.
However, as if settling for a mysterious pattern, Basara did not elaborate and instead simply allowed the next stage to be highlighted in the form of an accusation.
Written in artificial letters, a script of five meters was visible to everyone on the south of the room.
"Gayakirima Kanawari is responsible for the killing of her middle school's class on her sixth grade via the utilization of biological warfare, which was used to spread a bacteria wave amongst them all by herself." Basara recited the exact words presented in the script to the class as well as the multitude of viewers "...No..." Kanawari shook her head in dismay "That's... No..." Her denial continued "As the jury here, I ask all of you; do you agree..." The tension grew "Or disagree?" Basara presented the choice "The choice is yours. You have one minute to vote. A simple yes or no is all it takes. This is simplicity in its purest form." Basara said as he passed the ball now to the students.
With a minute left on the clock, pointless chattering would have to be avoided and yet there was simply too much confusion.
"What... Vote? Like, say yes or no?" Ikkiri made the question "Probably the---" Rayazaki's words were cut short as he noticed that the paper in front of him had gained a small wall of text, containing what Basara had just said "Wait, since when did the paper have this option?! Did it just appear out of nowhere?!" Rayazaki's question was answered by Sagasuga, who stood on the southwest center "It's like that. Most likely a projection. There's even a yes/no option." Daniel, on the other hand, threw a question at Basara "Teacher, what happens if we vote yes and no?" Silence was met, however "He's not going to answer from the looks of it." Hinagiku stated.
Forty seconds remained on the clock. As a matter of fact, to be even more helpful, an hourglass in the shape of a clock was visible to all of them so they knew just the time.
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"I didn't do it..." Shaken, Kanawari lowly spoke "I know. You wouldn't do that, Kana." Lus got up from her seat and spoke to the rest of the class "Vote no. Kanawari is not lying. She did NOT do it." Lus issued her orders "Yeah, she just said she didn't..." Ikkiri softly spoke with some reluctance "Hey, you didn't do it, Kanawari?" Kawahara asked Kanawari from afar "...I didn't do it, I swear..." She didn't look at him and instead kept looking at the ground whilst chained to the chair "Hmm..." Kawahara brushed the back of his hair "Vote no, Kawahara." Lus gave him a dominant stare "Hmm..." He was in deep thought.
Twenty seconds remained, and the majority had yet not voted completely.
"How hard can it be?! JUST FUCKING VOTE NO!!" Lus' shout echoed throughout the room "Alright, I won't be a cheeky bitch and argue here." Kawahara cast his vote "....." Daniel observed Kanawari and then at the very last second, cast his vote "....!?" Lus' perplexed expression was born from his vote.
Now that the round was terminated, Basara would announce the upcoming sequence of events.
"Here are the scores for round one, behold." A ranking ladder appeared at the very center where they could all see the results "What the..." Kawahara felt slightly mad "Zero points?" Rayazaki, who had voted no, complained as well "Daniel and Sagasuga got three points though..." Akimiyashika noted as they all started to look at them "Wait, what did you guys vote? Yes or no?" Tateyana requisitioned "No, of course." Daniel was cold and straight to the point "It's quite obvious she's lying, I'm sorry." Sagasuga was apologetic towards Lus mainly.
Ranking on the ladder with 3 points out of 33, Daniel and Sagasuga were on the lead.
But, something out of the ordinary happened.
A bim sound was heard by the 18 of them.
"The fuck---" Kawahara immediately looked at his choker, and saw a bright red light illuminated in the shape of a circle "What's with the light, hey!!" Rayazaki questioned it too "Quiet down, round two will begin now." Basara, uncaring, in the midst of the panicking, decided to accelerate the tempo as the students who voted "no" were absorbing this mysterious consequence "Gayakirima Kanawari is the descendant of Shiro Ishii, the surgeon general of unit 731." A newfound wall of text appeared on the paper whilst the previous one was erased, along with the option of voting for a yes or no "Do you agree or disagree?" Basara simply presented the question "It's up to you; a minute is left." The hourglass presented itself as the second round began.
Kawahara was the first one to fire the trigger.
"Kanawari, is this true or no?" All eyes were on her "......" She remained silent as if trying to remember something "Hey, I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Kawahara shouted "Watch it, you bastard! Don't talk to her like that!" Lus argued to Kawahara from a distance "No, no, no, she's CRUCIAL here. If this is a questionnaire about her wrongdoings or whatever, then she SHOULD provide us with correct answers!" Kawahara reasoned "Lus, he has a point..." Tateyana said "Besides, this shouldn't be hard, just say yes or no and don't lie, Kanawari..." Tateyana's voice grew sharp "...I don't know." She gave that unsatisfactory answer.
Thirty-five seconds remained.
"Shiro Ishii..." Hinagiku murmured "...?" Rayazaki looked at Hinagiku, who had her head down "Oh, shit, I know the guy." Hyunda instantly gathered all of the attention within the room to him "Or rather, I know who the guy is." He elaborated "The teacher said he was from unit 731 and unit 731 should be related to world war two, no?" Arkalee spoke "Hm, yeah. I would go more in depth but time is of essence as we speak. Kanawari, can you tell us your full name?" Hyunda threw that question to Kanawari "..........." She remained silent "OH COME THE FUCK ON!!" Kawahara got up from his seat and slammed his fists to the table.
Fifteen seconds remained.
"The reason we want to know your full name is to see if you share at least a name of his. Which, would make you, POTENTIALLY, a descendant of his!" Akimiyashika explained "So?! Kanawari, we need an answer!!" Rayazaki rushed her "......" She refused, however, and given the fact that there were five seconds left, everyone opted to go with their gut though some simply didn't vote "The second round is over, the results will now be displayed." Basara announced.
Unlike the first round, there was a lot of variety this time around.
The one at the top was Sagasuga with six points. Daniel had three points, as well as now----Kawahara, Yukishiro, and Tatsu. The rest had still yet to score.
"Holy shit, you are! The fuck did you lie for?!" Kawahara immediately jumped the gun to Kanawari "I said I don't know!!" Kanawari put her two hands on the sides of her head as she shouted that "What do you mean you don't know... You knew very well, didn't you..." Hinagiku's creepy voice haunted Kanawari from afar "...No, I really didn't..." She denied it as she made slight eye contact with Hinagiku "Liaaaaaaaaaaarrr......" Slowly, Hinagiku uttered the word, even more intensely "Ah shit, another one..." Rayazaki complained "The fuck is this...!! Can someone tell me?!" Tateyana felt extremely pressured.
By now, those with zero points, had accumulated two red lights on their chokers. The second light was now present in the north-east section of the choker.
"....." Daniel noticed that a light grew on the north direction of his choker despite having 3 points still "Kana..." Lus felt tormented as she looked at Kanawari's undergoing anxiety "Third round will now start." Basara coldly declared "Oh boy." Rayazaki gulped "It's easier if you just answer with the truth, bitch... Think of your position a little bit..." Tsudo said to her "......?" Not understanding, Kanawari was confused.
The script emerged and was re-written now as Basara declared it.
"Gayakirima Kanawari has a history with drugs and prostitution." Kanawari instantly grieved and bent her head down as she grabbed her blonde hair strands with her interlocked fingers from the strained hands "Oh God------" She further trembled and was having trouble breathing "Yes or no? What do you think? As always, your decision matters the most, so give it a shot!" Basara allowed the third round to begin as the hourglass was born; with a single minute as its lifeforce.
A more reasonable person approached Kanawari from afar this time around; as they naturally were unable to physically contact her due to her position on the central chair.
"Kanawari, I think it's safe to say that all of us have done horrible and extremely stupid things that we shouldn't have." Daniel talked in a serene tone; earning Kanawari's horror, surprisingly "It's embarrassing and against your will, yes, but we will be in your position eventually. Why not set the tone?" Daniel suggested "...........No..." But she refused, Kawahara took a very deep breath in response "You're a criminal like all of us. Criminals have morally wicked habits. For a girl, who is a criminal, doing drugs and engaging in prostitution is something not out of the picture." Daniel earned negative attention "That's going too far, shut up." Lus spoke to Daniel, as she tolerated him "She probably did it." Hyunda spoke his thoughts "No, wait, what if she did one but not the other? What then?" He countered his own thoughts like that.
Thirty seconds remained.
"So it's a trick question...?" Ikkiri looked at Hyunda and asked "What else would it, you fucking whore?! Grow a brain, GOD!" Arkalee retorted fairly quickly "....." Ikkiri cowered in response "Hey, is that the case, Kanawari?" Tateyana asked her "....." But she didn't reply "What's with you?! I've sucked dick before, just fucking tell us!" Tateyana brutally admitted "Jesus!" Akimiyashika was in awe "What?! At least I'm being honest! I bet you did too, don't act like a saint all over the sudden!" She taunted Akimiyashika "What does that have anything to do with it?!" Truly, time was running out.
The last person Kanawari expected her to defend her, spoke up.
"Kanawari wouldn't do that." Kuzan's voice was heard loud and clear "I don't believe it. I'm sure she did horrible things but not of those kinds. I'm voting no." Kuzan immediately wrote it off "I don't believe it either." Lus spoke in her defense and voted no as well "Hey, Kanawari, yes or no?" Kawahara looked at her "......." But she refused to reply.
At the end of the day, everyone had to decide for themselves and thus, the third round came to an end.
"The third round results are in, as you can see." By Basara's words, the ranking ladder was shown.
Standing on the top undefeated, was Sagasuga, with nine points. Behind him was Daniel, Yukishiro, Tatsu, and Kawahara, with six points. Earning finally three points; Arkalee, Hyunda, Rayazaki, Hinagiku, Sana, Akimiyashika, Tateyana, Ikkiri, Stratos, and Tsudo, got the correct answer as well.
Those that failed incorrectly were: Lus and Kuzan, who had zero points.
Furthermore, their chokers gained an additional red light on the north-east side, now amassing to three.
"........" Kuzan's eyes widened as he looked at Kanawari who wouldn't stop sobbing "...I'm sorry..." She said "It's alright! You don't have to say anything, Kana! No one in their right mind would reveal private information like that!" Lus defended her "You mean, only someone dumb, wouldn't." Akimiyashika spoke "Huh?" Lus looked at Akimiyashika with a glaring stare "I hate to break it to you, but she's being too much of a drama queen. It's the third round and she still has NOT told us the truth! We're out here in the dark and she refuses to still do it!" Akimiyashika explained herself "She doesn't HAVE TO. IT'S IN HER EVERY RIGHT FOR PRIVACY, YOU DUMB BITCH!!" Lus got up from her seat "Hey." Basara spoke from afar "Get down on your seat now, Lus. Or else I'll add a light to your choker." Basara threatened.
This sparked the interest of many, however, they kept it concealed.
"......" Lus looked at Daniel transiently, who had his eyes closed and then sat down "The fourth round will now begin." The new script appeared and the old one vanished "Gayakirima Kanawari killed her sister when she was six." This caused Kanawari to unleash a scream in response "AHHHHHHHHHHH STOP IT!!" She throbbed in despair "Now... What do you think? Is it a yes, or is it a no?" Basara let the hourglass spin and thus, a minute was left on the clock.
Sagasuga, the reigning champion, attempted his way with Kanawari.
"I've killed my brother." He confessed openly "Not my brother, but yeah, I also killed a family member too." Akimiyashika added "Hm. It is of no shame to tell us the truth, Kanawari. I vow to answer with the truth if you ask me a question when my time comes to be in your position, should you ask. That is, if you reply truthfully, here and now." Sagasuga proposed a mutual exchange "........" Yet she remained silent.
Forty seconds left to go.
"It's your choice. It's clear by now that these questions, or-----accusations, are interlinked with the information that the government has of our criminal records. And, whether you like it or not, you are going to slowly get exposed in this round." Sagasuga offered his thoughts "And you're saying that I should just admit to the truth instead of thinking about my own privacy?!" She retorted "There is no privacy here. It's pointless to think with that mentality." Sagasuga countered "I'm not saying it! Besides, nothing bad happens if you vote for the wrong answer!" Kanawari boldly claimed.
The entire chat flooded with comments saying things that caught the attention of many.
"Heeeeey, they're saying our fucking heads will blow the fuck up when the ten lights are completed..." Rayazaki dialed out the critical information as he read the comments "Literally anyone could have guessed that. They are hell-bent on promoting our deaths for entertainment." Hinagiku coldly said.
Fifteen seconds to go.
"Kana..." Lus couldn't say it "My offer stands still." Sagasuga didn't give up "I am interested in the truth." Sagasuga said "........" But, despite all opinions, Kanawari still refused to budge.
Thus, the fourth round came to an end and the ranking ladder was the following:
1 - Sagasuga (12 points)
2 - Daniel (9 points)
3 - Yukishiro (9 points)
4 - Tatsu (9 points)
5 - Kawahara (9 points)
6 - Arkalee (6 points)
7 - Hyunda (6 points)
8 - Rayazaki (6 points)
9 - Hinagiku (6 points)
10 - Sana (6 points)
11 - Akimiyashika (6 points)
12 - Tateyana (6 points)
13 - Ikkiri (6 points)
14 - Stratos (6 points)
15 - Tsudo (6 points)
16 - Kuzan (3 points)
17 - Lus (0 points)
"Why would you pass on Sagasuga's offer like that? Everyone except Lus voted yes. Hell, even Kuzan did." Akimiyashika questioned Kanawari but she remained unresponsive "Who fucking knows? Maybe she wants one of us to die?" Kawahara spoke out loud "......." And some started to believe it "W-What?!" Kanawari felt the need to explain herself "No, that's not my-------" Basara interrupted her instantly "Quiet, the fifth round shall now begin." The new script unfolded and it caused many to be shocked "Ain't no way. That's an instant no." Kawahara read it at with precise speed and came up with the answer.
Basara would now read it out loud.
"Gayakirima Kanawari is responsible for the killing of Junko Furuta." Basara claimed "Yes or no? Go." The hourglass began.
Instead of asking Kanawari, Kawahara offered a fast way to speed up things.
"I'm going to save us all some time here and just say why it's not her. Junko Furuta was born in the 70's, and died in the late 80's. Kanawari over here, WASN'T even a fucking sperm nor a thought in her parents' heads at that time! Vote no, dumbasses." Kawahara explicitly stated "I mean yeah, I had some recollection of the event, given that it was before we were born, but that's true." Tateyana said as she voted no.
However, out of curiosity, Daniel engaged in a dialogue with Kanawari.
"Yes or no, Kanawari?" Kanawari was beyond confused "...What...? It's a no..." She said without much delay but a visible reluctance could be seen as she refused to maintain eye-contact "Hm... It would be unfortunate if you had been responsible for the killing of another Junko Furata..." Many suddenly regretted already voting no "No, stop, what?!" Akimiyashika was dumbfounded "That would be wild, I can't lie, holy shit." Rayazaki released a heavy breath forward in suspense "So, which is it, Kanawari?" Daniel asked her ".........." But she didn't reply "Wait, you're not serious... Please tell me you're trolling." Tsudo questioned Kanawari from afar.
Ten seconds remained.
"There's no way it's true. Vote no." Kawahara insisted "Ahh shit... Why is that the moment we vote yes or no, the wall of text immediately goes away... Damn it..." Tateyana complained.
At the end of the fifth round, everyone had cast their votes and the ranking ladder appeared.
"UNREAL." Kawahara was pissed "UN FUCKING REAL, I'M TELLING YOU!!" He directed his verbal rage to Kanawari "YOU EVEN SAID IT WAS A NO, YOU LYING BITCH!!" Referring to the conversation earlier with Daniel, Kawahara brought it back "What are the odds..." Sagasuga sighed as he had to reflect on his loss.
Nobody won the fifth round, however. Not even Daniel, who made the entire interrogation to Kanawari.
"The sixth round will now begin." Given how quick the pacing has been, not even ten minutes had passed "Gayakirima Kanawari was raped by her father when she was five." An upset was formed "ENOUGH WITH THIS SHIT, WHO IS COMING UP WITH THESE QUESTIONS?! SHOW YOURSELF NOW!!" Lus got up from her seat and slammed her hands on her table "I did warn you, didn't I?" Basara snapped his right hand fingers.
Lus has zero points thus far. The fifth round gave her an additional red light to her choker, but now with Basara's action, it gained the sixth.
Her choker's right side is more than half-way to go until it's complete.
"Holy shit, she has six now..." Rayazaki noted "I DON'T CARE, STOP DOING THIS!!" Uncaring, however, Lus didn't mind it "Stop it, Lus, or I'll add another one." Basara warned her "NO! THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH!! WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?!" She started her verbal rampage "Another one then." Basara snapped his fingers again and Lus' choker now had seven red lights "DO YOU THINK IT'S FUN TO MAKE SOMEONE GO THROUGH THIS JUST FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT?! WE ARE HUMANS TOO, REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE, IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT!!" Basara exchanged a glance with Daniel swiftly "Lus, stop it, for crying out, you're gonna get yourself killed..." Tateyana showed worry "I don't fucking care. I rather die than be served as entertainment. I'll die with honor gladly." Daniel's eyes widened in response to these words, unknowingly.
A keen resemblance that had been forgotten by his fallen idol rehabilitated a missing emotion.
"This is how it's going to go if I see any of you try the same as her." Basara added another snap, which made Lus' choker gain the eight light "I much rather die than let you shame my friend like that, you son of a bitch." Lus glared at Basara with hatred as well as the people in the comments "Stop it." Daniel's voice reached out to Lus "No, I'm sorry. I'm not going to----" Daniel looked at her with displease "You plan to not keep your word? So much for honor." Lus' expression became twisted "I-----That's not what I meant at all...!!" Her rage wouldn't calm down "Will you or will you not?" Daniel asked her, showing a tremendously disappointed expression "What's with that look... Do you honestly think that I..." She was in disbelief ".........." Daniel kept looking at her "..........." Lus managed to regain her emotional control after a while.
Meanwhile, the others were casting their votes, naturally.
"I'm sorry." Lus sat down and grabbed her hair strands weakly as she looked down on the table "........." Unbeknownst to Lus, Daniel had cast a vote in her stead while she was on a verbal rampage "Sixth round is over." Basara declared "Oh God----the vote---what happens now if I don't vote...?! No wait it's... gone...?" Lus realized what happened fairly quickly "Not voting is the same as voting incorrectly." Daniel clarified "You're boarding death, you know?" Lus took a heavy breath as she felt incredibly relieved "I didn't mean to put it like that..." Lus was lamenting what her earlier action was implying "I fucking hate this. And the fact that I'm going to be in Kana's place eventually down the line... Maybe it's better to die, hah..." She lowly laughed "But I don't want you to die, Lus." Daniel spoke in her direction "....." She didn't look at him but listened carefully "I hate it too. I really can't imagine it... If that was Yulia... I would have want to murder every single one of them too..." Lus looked at Daniel briefly.
And saw the true emotion in his face as it swirled anger and bitterness all combined.
"That's why, I'm telling you... It only gets worse from here, but you have to fight it. Alright?" Comforting Lus, Daniel's words did manage to reach out to her "......" She looked to the right direction away from Daniel shortly "......?" Daniel couldn't see her reaction at all.
On the other hand, the seventh round would now begin, as the rankings had been updated.
"Gayakirima Kanawari is a pathological liar." Unlike the other claims, this was a softer one "Decide, yes or no." The hourglass was set in motion.
Tateyana, without shame, asked the question out loud.
"Pathological liar?" Clueless, she asked her other classmates "Uh... I think it's when you're lying but you are so into it that you do it out of habit and not because you necessarily wanted to lie..." Akimiyashika offered her insecure take, but Kawahara was fast to correct her "A pathological liar is someone that cannot help but lie on impulse. No matter the situation, regardless if it's right or wrong, they will lie. It's beyond their control." He stated "That." Akimiyashika added.
But there were some doubts regarding something else.
"I'm sorry, but what is the basis for this?" Lus asked "Oh God, are you seriously going to waste time again?" Arkalee questioned Lus' true intentions "No... That's not what I meant..." She would then explain "Kana doesn't strike me as one. Yes, she did... offer some inaccurate information earlier, but I don't believe it qualifies the same as when a pathological liar lies... She was just feeling pressured because she had to relive past traumas, most likely..." Every word she spoke, was with great care "I think so too." Sagasuga agreed "Kawahara's explanation was quite on point and the profile just doesn't match Kanawari to me. I am voting no here." Sagasuga, the highest ranked student in this round declared as such.
Given the fact that Sagasuga had only lost one round out of seven, many did not even question if this was worth delving into and simply followed the example.
Which led to victory.
"The rankings are now available." Basara allowed the participants to see the rankings "Hey teacher, when are you going to tell us what happens if we end in the first place?" Rayazaki pinpointed Basara "Not like you'd know since Sagasuga is in the lead." He replied "Shit, that's true... What the hell are you, a psychic?" Rayazaki asked Sagasuga, non-ironically "I'm lucky, I suppose." Though there were a few with 15 points, there was no one with 18 points, like Sagasuga.
The eighth round would start after the rankings were announced.
"Gayakirima Kanawari is a biological warfare fanatic and has used chemicals to terminate other people's lives." Basara laid out the claim "You already know it, get to work." The hourglass appeared before them again.
Like the last round, someone had to ask the question that could be labelled as the elephant in the room.
"I'm sorry for being too clueless, but biological warfare? The fuck is that?" Tateyana asked a question that actually, many knew not the answer to "...Can't say I actually know it..." Akimiyashika, unlike last time, couldn't even form an opinion on it "....." Kawahara, was in deep thought.
A surprising accurate answered emerged, however.
"The usage of biological factors, which most of the time, if not always, end up in diseases." All eyes were on Hinagiku, including the scared Kanawari "There is a wide variety of them, such as: bacteria, virus, rickettsiae, fungi, and protozoa. Their toxins are what kills the people, mainly." Hinagiku coldly kept looking at Kanawari "Wouldn't you agree, Kanawari?" Thirty seconds remained ".........." She remained utterly unresponsive, however "Vote yes." Hinagiku declared.
This sparked some controversy as Hinagiku's newfound confidence in this subject was too sudden.
"Hold up, midget, how do you know this much about biological warfare? I was thinking about chemical warfare, but I had no idea you knew this much." Kawahara confessed "Doesn't matter. Vote yes, if you want free points." Hinagiku persisted "Why are you so sure that Kanawari knows all of this? Like, yeah, her silence is really fucking suspicious and doesn't help her case at all, but what gives?" Tateyana questioned Hinagiku "The first accusation which was claiming that Kanawari was the perpetrator behind her middle school's class assassination, was proven to be right as Sagasuga and Daniel voted yes and were awarded with three points. The second accusation which claimed that she was the descendant of Shiro Ishii, proved to be right. And now, the eighth accusation mentions biological warfare? It's too much of a coincidence..." Her glare was fixed on Kanawari; but Kanawari could not look back.
She felt as if she was being hunted down for the sins of her ancestors far more than her own.
In a similar vein, the ancestral path began to strike a cord on doctor Hwan, who watched the stream from the same room as yesterday, albeit by himself and some staff members, who were not asleep. His grandson, Seok, was also not present.
"Heavens... To think we were lied this much... It wasn't Daniel Lead..." The doctor grabbed the front of his face with mild brute strength as he agonized over the missing factor "A descendant of that man... It fits the bills, only someone who is of the same lineage and has studied his works could come up with something this inexplicable..." Visions of a long past caught up to the doctor in the midst of that moment.
The eighth round was concluded and not a single person voted no.
Basara didn't waste time and accelerated onto the ninth round.
"Gayakirima Kanawari's fingerprints were found on a flask containing deadly chemicals which were used to apply lethal toxins in her highschool graduation ceremony which got over a thousand people killed." Some were shocked at such wild accusation "You may begin with your voting session now." Basara said and people started to question Kanawari, despite her ongoing uncooperative stance "Did you do it?" Hinagiku questioned her in a cold tone "........" Her silence upset many "Just give up, she won't answer..." Akimiyashika said.
However...
"...I hated my highschool life. I'm sorry." With hollow eyes, Kanawari apologized "Hey, it's ok, we've all done fucked up shit. As long as you're aware that you're not an alien here, that's all that matters." Kawahara phrased it in a way many were fond of "So, is that a yes or a no? Because that was a bit ambiguous." Kawahara asked "...Ugh..." Kanawari whipped off her tears with her two hands "It's a yes..." She confessed "That's how I actually got here, because for the first time, I was caught." She further said as everyone voted yes "Then how were your other crimes covered?" Lus asked "I don't know, but I'm assuming they did some intensive research on me and formed all sorts of assumptions." She settled for that answer.
Basara would announce the results of the ninth round.
"A smooth passage. Well done. It hasn't even been ten minutes." Basara congratulated them "Not gonna lie chief, this challenge is very much cheeks." Kawahara yawned "All you gotta do is just get the right information from the person at the center and it's that simple. Holy fuck, I'm already bored!" Rayazaki freed his thoughts on the matter as well "For real, can I like, go back to sleep?" Tateyana joined the fray as well "................" Daniel looked over the comments, mocking all of the present students "It's a good thing they don't know the meaning of subtility." Hyunda spoke out loud "The tenth round will now begin." Relaxed, the students didn't think much of it.
The wall of text was formed and Basara recited it, like always.
"Gayakirima Kanawari's fingerprints were found on several untouched cups of glass from the banquet yesterday." A most puzzling accusation was made "........" Kanawari, could not say a word "Start." With a minute left, the multitude instantly started to ask around "This doesn't mean anything." Lus was the first to say it "People can touch several cups of glass. It's especially fine to be wary due to what happened yesterday..." She further stated "Is it now?" A voice that hasn't spoken yet got all eyes on her slowly "Two people died yesterday from drinking water and suddenly we get to learn that Kanawari has supposedly a lot of knowledge about biological warfare and chemicals... A bit... too coincidental, don't you think, Lus?" Yukishiro's haunting glare consumed Lus transiently "Kanawari never said yes to any of that." Lus countered "But she did admit to killing all of her highschool with deadly chemicals just a minute ago... I find it really strange... Maybe the one who killed Shizuku was Kanawari." Yukishiro's restless face combined with her cold words were a sight to behold.
Kanawari in the midst of this, still kept her silence, as she unconsciously switched quick glances with Daniel, though the latter did not reciprocate this interaction.
"Looks like one of those where you actually don't know for sure which to vote..." Tateyana said "Oh I know! Let's ask the top ranked guy here!" With fifteen seconds left, everyone's attention was summed to Sagasuga "It's as you said, Tateyana. There is no way to know. Besides, it could just be a trick accusation due to what happened yesterday. I'm sorry, but it's better if you all vote what you truly think of, it's more fair that way." He reasoned "True. So, yes or no?" She asked him still "..." Sagasuga ignored her and voted instantly and some caught a glimpse of his vote "It's a no!" Tsudo immediately spoke "Ayyyy!!" Kawahara, along with many others, opted to go for the no option.
The results were then shown alongside with the paranoia of the newborn red lights on their chokers.
"That's your ninth light, Lus..." Akimiyashika noted "......" Lus suddenly felt glad that she didn't by some chance manage to accumulate another light "If there was one more round instead of just the next one and you got both wrong..." Ikkiri's words were enough for Lus to understand what she meant right away "Wait, why did we vote no?" Kuzan asked the relatively obvious question "Uh, because Sagasuga voted no..." Tateyana answered "Yeah but wasn't it obvious that it was a yes?" He argued "No?" Akimiyashika answered in Tateyana's place "Why no?" He continued "Well, how was it obvious that her fingerprints were in the cups of glass? It said several." She reasoned "What if she was just being paranoid about which drink to pick?" Kuzan persisted "Dude... I don't know... She refuses to uh... ELABORATE?!?!" Akimiyashika was pissed off.
The winners of this round were a short few; Daniel, Yukishiro, and Tatsu.
Nevertheless, the true eyecandy that they all had been waiting for would come at the tenth, soon to be the eleventh round.
The final round.
"Since it's the final round, you will be given two minutes instead of one." Basara delivered a huge relief to many "Finally, we can articulate some thoughts." Sagasuga spoke for the majority "Answering the upcoming accusation correctly will earn you six points and should you fail, you will earn the equivalent of two defeats." Not a single person didn't look at Lus "...What..." She instinctively murmured that whilst feeling extremely nervous "Lus, I will give you the answer, don't worry, please..." Kanawari, for the first time, made such a compromise but even so, Lus couldn't help but feel uneasy as the comments were laughing at her.
Basara issued the final round's accusation.
"Gayakirima Kanawari should die for her crimes." That simple accusation was made and yet it tore Lus apart rapidly "Two minutes, make the best of it." Basara's words didn't help her inner conflict whatsoever.
A short silence was formed, but Sagasuga eventually broke it.
"For the record, it's not saying that Kanawari will die if we vote yes, but just a roundabout way of asking us if her crimes warrant her death." Sagasuga explained in a calm manner "I additionally believe, that just like all of us, her crimes do warrant her death. Objectively speaking, the answer should be a yes." Out of all the people in the room, Sagasuga was speaking to Lus in particular "Even if that means wishing death to your friend?" Lus retorted, bitter "That's purely emotional. I'm sure Kanawari knows you won't mean it." Many agreed with him though they didn't bother to voice it "That's fucked up. What kind of a friend am I if I wish my one and only true friend death?!" Lus didn't elevate from her seat but her voice did "Hm..." Sagasuga realized he wasn't able to go through her psyche "Kanawari, do you mind?" So he turned to the center instead.
Still locked up in the chair, with a minute and a half remaining, Kanawari was now the center of attention.
"It's as he says, Lus. I'm a bad person, but whenever I'm with you, I don't feel so bad." Lus' expression saddened "Don't say that..." Kanawari's as well "Vote yes, it's fine. I mean..." Kanawari giggled "When your turn comes up, if this accusation comes up, you bet your sweet ass I'll say yes!" She laughed loudly this time "Why you----hah...!" Lus reciprocated "Hmm, this didn't even need a minute..." Daniel remarked as he cast the obvious vote along with everyone else.
They had to however, wait for the end of the round and there was about a minute left.
"Hey teacher, we have all voted, why can't we move on?" Rayazaki questioned the necessity "Rules are rules." Basara simply watched the hourglass go by "Whatever....." Rayazaki shrugged "Hey what the hell..." Kanawari, began to read the comments posted in the real time "Why are they all saying that the real game starts now? This was the first round." Ikkiri questioned "They keep fucking saying how clueless we are and spamming those cringe emotes, I can't even look at it without dying from cringe." Tateyana said "But why the fuck do they keep mentioning how fucked Lus is? Do these clowns actually think we'll get this vote wrong?" Kawahara was confused.
Lus was slightly nervous so she did the one thing she thought would ease her anxiety.
"...Hey, what's going to happen?" She asked him "Don't ask questions I don't know the answer to. I'm not a prophet, I can't predict the future." Daniel was truthful "Then guess! Something! What does your brain tell you that it will happen?!" Lus wanted an answer, no matter what "I think your anxiety levels would skyrocket if I told you what's truly on my mind." Daniel honestly confessed "Which is...?!" Daniel caught a glimpse of the hourglass and simply opted to let the time run out "Time is up, the results will now be announced in the form of the ranking ladder." With great anxiety, Lus closed her eyes and refused to look at the hologram as the results were projected.
The standings by the eleventh and final round for Kanawari's judgment are:
1 - Sagasuga (30 points)
2 - Daniel (27 points)
3 - Tatsu (24 points)
4 - Sana (24 points)
5 - Arkalee (21 points)
6 - Hyunda (21 points)
7 - Akimiyashika (21 points)
8 - Hinagiku (21 points)
9 - Yukishiro (21 points)
10 - Kawahara (21 points)
11 - Stratos (21 points)
12 - Tateyana (21 points)
13 - Tsudo (18 points)
14 - Ikkiri (18 points)
15 - Rayazaki (18 points)
16 - Kuzan (15 points)
17 - Lus (12 points)
Basara let out a slow clapping ovation in Sagasuga's direction.
"Congratulations, Sagasuga. Though your score was not perfect and you were wrong in the two of the eleven rounds of Kanawari's judgment, you still managed to score above the margin and landed in the first place. Therefore, you will be rewarded immediately." Everyone was curious as to what Basara would give Sagasuga as a reward "....." They kept looking at him and Sagasuga and after a while, saw Sagasuga look down on the screen of the watch on his left wrist.
Most of them looked to their watches, but their screens remained black, completely unresponsive nor functional in some sort.
"Ah! Your screen lit up!" Tateyana spoke out loud in a childish tone "True." Sagasuga didn't deny it and the screen swiftly went black before anyone could see what it had said "What did it say?" Akimiyashika asked "I don't think I should say it." Sagasuga confessed as he crossed his arms in suspense "Say what? Dude, drop the mysterious act and tell us, what the fuck?" Rayazaki said "Place first and you'll realize. If the reward is the same, that is." Sagasuga added.
They figured that he wasn't going to budge on this.
"So what happens now? The skull wheel picks another one and we repeat this?! Alright, let's fucking do it, I'm so fucking down to be the one at the center." Kawahara was beyond eager to prove a point "Execution...?" Arkalee was weirded out and tightly hugged Hyunda "They keep spamming it for some reason." Hyunda's words would force everyone to look at the chat logs scattered across the room "What the fuck does that mean?" Tsudo, curious yet on guard, murmured.
The spacious white aura shrouded in a clear artificial white began to bath itself in a red canvas, presenting a color branded in fiery blood.
"Okay what the fuck now?!" Tateyana became increasingly alarmed along with many others; but the bimming sound coming from their neck chokers caught them off guard as well "Hey what the? The red lights are fading out of the chokers..." Kanawari told them as she could see it better from her current position "Huh?! Oh shit, you're right... Wait, does this mean that as long as we get through a round without someone having all the red lights filled that we eventually reset? That's fucking sweet." Rayazaki noted "Phew, what a relief..." Ikkiri let out a relieved breath.
Midst that, the binding chokers that were chaining Kanawari down on her wrists and ankles were immediately open.
"Kanawari, please return to your original seat, now." Basara's words allowed the frontal cover of Kanawari's seat in the round table to open a dual path to which she could seat beside Lus "...Yes..." She cast a hateful glance at Basara, but Basara's cold stare intimidated her to the point where her return to her seat "Welcome back, lying bitch." Kawahara sarcastically said "Sorry about that..." Kanawari apologized sincerely "You didn't exactly set the tone but at least we got a good idea of what to expect now, so thanks." Tsudo gave a bitter congratulations to her.
Though, of course, the one she really wanted to talk to would be the one on her right side.
Kanawari hugged her and Lus hugged her back.
"I'm sorry, I was not ready for that..." Kanawari wheeped "It's alright now, it's over, you endured it well... I'm sorry you had to go through that. They had no right..." Kanawari nodded in agreement "Yeah... Lus, I really-----" The unknown heat coming from Lus' neck alerted Kanawari, as well as the vigorous color light that interlinked with her closed vision "Kanawari, you might wanna back off." Hyunda warned her from afar "No.....!" Kanawari's facial expression grew a resonating terror "...Huh...? But why didn't it...?!" Lus couldn't understand as she looked down on the nine illuminated lights on her choker "Or else your head might just go off as well." Arkalee sinisterly added.
With all eyes on her, Lus was now the target of the upcoming development.
"Kanawari, I thought I told you to return to your original seat." Basara's voice grew colder and sharper by the second "Do it." He spoke the imperial line "I'm sorry." Kanawari instantly apologized and sat down on her respective seat "Uh, teacher, Lus' lights from the choker haven't vanished yet like all of ours... What's going on?" Ikkiri asked the reasonable question "What are you talking about, Ikkiri? Why would they vanish? In the first place, what led you to believe that the lights around your chokers would go away just because you thought the round was over?" Basara's question wasn't met with an answer, instead, he elevated the sequential development "The round is not over, only the first part. The judgment, is over. Now, begins the execution." Basara declared as he clapped once to the air.
Locking her shoulders and arms, the exact same bodyguards as before, held their next victim right now to the center of the stage, as Lus' seat opened a path just like Kanawari's, a while back.
"Stop this! Isn't the round supposed to be random and chosen by the wheel?! Why are you taking Lus?! ANSWER ME!!" Speaking mainly to Basara, Kanawari yelled "Look over there." Basara pointed to the top left corner of the room, as Lus was stationed forcefully onto the central chair, receiving the same treatment as Kanawari "Bounty...?" Hinagiku sharpened her vision as she saw the system's introduction.
Lus' picture, engraved in a golden boarder, presented a new concept for the students of class F.
"Allow me to explain the bounty system. Between the 18 of you, there will always be one person which will be excluded in order to be the target of the judgment. In the respective rounds in the judgment, through the voting sessions, you will be able to accumulate points. This means that, there will always be one person who will accumulate less points than the other. By that margin, the loser at the bottom of the rankings, will become subjected to the second phase of the event." Basara spoke words that infuriated many "Why?! JUST WHY?! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD US THIS FROM THE START, TEACHER!" Kanawari's anger rose to full height "Silence..." Basara added something else "Nothing bad happened... Well, yet." Basara exhibited a wicked grin.
The core to the matter was rushed by Daniel, as he wanted to know more about the system.
"Elaborate on the system, since you said you would explain it, please." Daniel bargained "The loser of the judgment round will gain a bounty. In this case, our good friend Lus, who naively thought she could just sit back and relax, is the one you all should work hard towards, when it comes to gathering her bounty, as you can see now." Basara snapped his fingers and additional information below her picture which was exhibited, was shown.
> Target: Lus Sera.
>
> Points earned from her death (collectively): 12 points.
>
> Points earned from her death (individually): 24 points.
>
> Bonus reward: Additional free 4 hours until the next round, if she dies.
Such words made Lus' eyes widened as her heart was set on perpetual paranoia.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9c3e3c59-8f24-49ce-8a2b-546d1bb52197/dhleqs1-9360bd19-ec00-4d65-9fad-ceed819da956.png/v1/fit/w_486,h_859,q_70,strp/no_context_by_kumokuroro_dhleqs1-375w-2x.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODU5IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvOWMzZTNjNTktOGYyNC00OWNlLThhMmItNTQ2ZDFiYjUyMTk3XC9kaGxlcXMxLTkzNjBiZDE5LWVjMDAtNGQ2NS05ZmFkLWNlZWQ4MTlkYTk1Ni5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NDg2In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.ey6SCCIrV57JDVZCltjkdTaSE_k_tgLzvqszspkgb44]
"A-Ah...." Her breath slowly started to become ragged "Her death...? My... death...?!" The anxiety levels started to rise up "Are you fucking serious... So this is what it means to be at the bottom of the rankings...? What the fuck..." Tsudo gulped as if he knew he had just dodged a bullet "They are seriously promoting death again and this time..." Akimiyashika looked at the rewards "It's being treated as a game, her life..." Hinagiku became upset yet couldn't help but be diminished by the horror of the actuality.
The beginning of the day would prove to be forever divisive as things would never be the same after today.