A middle-aged man wearing a military suit and holding his hat under his arm entered a waiting room where a young man was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper.
The young man lowered the newspaper in his hand and noticed the man.
"Oh… Kats, you made me wait for a long time."
The man walked toward the desk and threw his hat onto it with force, scattering the papers. Then, he collapsed into the chair, leaned back, put his feet on the desk, and sat silently, observing the young man.
The young man folded the newspaper, placed it aside on the couch, then stood up and sat in the chair facing the desk.
"Is there a problem?"
The man mumbled for a bit, then removed his feet from the desk, clasped his hands together, placed them where his feet had been, and rested his chin on them.
"What did you call me earlier?"
The young man remained silent for a moment before replying, "Kats?… Did I say something wro—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the man exploded in anger, slammed the table with both palms, and shouted:
"Attention, you scum!!"
The young man stared at him in confusion, then slowly stood up.
The man extended his arm across the table and punched him hard in the face, but the young man showed no reaction or expression. He simply continued staring at the man with narrowed eyes, his thoughts unreadable.
A brief moment of silence passed between them before the man spoke sharply:
"You are nothing here, just a small cog in this great society. So don't brag about your strength or think you are something special."
The man walked behind the young man, clasping his hands behind his back as he continued:
"First, you must show respect to those older than you. I am Lieutenant Colonel Kats. Second, when you hear the word 'Attention,' you must stand straight in place, heels together, back straight, and head held high. Understood?"
The young man rubbed his cheek where he had been punched.
"So that's how it is… Excuse me, Lieutenant Colonel. Now, what are the orders?"
Kats pulled out a yellow file filled with papers and threw it onto the table in front of the young man.
"These are your documents. They are official. From now on, you will carry the Royce family name—Taki Royce. You may now proceed to the auditorium."
Taki picked up the file without saying a word and left the room.
Kats pinched his forehead and closed his eyes. (This boy is going to be troublesome. I must ensure that Adrian keeps an eye on him.)
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Several students stood in four groups, forming long rows in front of a large stage, murmuring and chatting with each other.
Taki entered the auditorium and saw the four rows, feeling uncertain about where to go.
A girl with short black hair reaching her neck noticed him, approached him cheerfully, and asked:
"Don't you know where your row is? You can check the file you have."
Taki opened his file and found "1-4" written on it.
The girl beamed slightly and gently extended her right hand. "You're in my class! Nice to meet you, I'm Amani Durand."
Taki extended his hand and shook hers. "I'm Taki… Royce."
A brief silence lingered between them before Amani let out a light, awkward laugh and attempted to pull her hand away, but she couldn't.
Taki released her hand, allowing her to pull it back quickly.
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Amani pointed toward their row.
"I-I'll be over there… S-See you later, Taki!"
She quickly left and took her place.
Taki’s attention was drawn to a fight between two students.
The first student shouted, "Take back what you said, you bastard!"
The second one laughed mockingly, "Oh, did my words really upset you?"
Taki stepped forward, watching the fight unfold. The first student grabbed the second by his shirt, preparing to punch him. However, the second student swiftly twisted his arm, flipped him over his shoulder, and slammed him onto the ground in a fast and elegant motion.
The fallen student groaned, holding his back as he writhed in pain, attempting to get up. The second student kicked him in the side, sending him back down while laughing.
A student in the crowd called out, "That's enough! There's no need for this."
The troublemaker responded smugly, "If you want me to stop, then stop me yourself!"
Taki glanced around, scanning the faces of the other students. No one seemed willing to intervene. (Should I step in myself?… No, out of this large crowd, someone else will stop him. It doesn’t have to be me.)
A boy with curly red hair stood behind Taki, stretching his body side to side.
The troublemaker continued kicking the student on the ground while the crowd watched in silence. Some even seemed entertained
it was, after all, the fallen student who had started the fight. Others looked away, ignoring the scene.
Suddenly, a short girl with chestnut-colored braided hair stepped forward, followed by a well-built boy with broad shoulders and defined muscles.
The boy placed a hand on her shoulder. "K-Kara, stop this."
Taki and the curly-haired boy took notice of the situation.
Kara pushed the boy’s hand away and approached the troublemaker.
"You! Step away from him. How long are you going to keep hitting him?"
The troublemaker turned to her and laughed mockingly.
"A little girl? Oh, I’m really scared now."
She swiftly aimed a punch at his chin, but with his quick reflexes, he raised his right hand to block it.
The girl halted her fist, then swiftly slashed his wrist with a hidden ink pen from her sleeve. Blood splattered as he stumbled back, holding his bleeding wrist.
"Y-You bitch! What the hell?! You cut m—"
She shoved her fingers into his eyes, then hooked her right leg behind his left, pushing him over and making him lose balance. He collapsed onto the ground.
The students gasped in surprise, their admiration replacing the mockery toward the troublemaker.
The curly-haired boy behind Taki grinned. "That girl is amazing, isn't she?"
Taki remained silent for a moment before replying, "She’s unpredictable, but… If you start something, you should finish it."
The girl extended a hand to the injured student. "Are you okay?"
He looked down in embarrassment and shame. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."
The troublemaker, still holding his bleeding wrist, seethed with rage. He pushed himself off the ground and charged at the girl, screaming as he threw a punch at her.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
The muscular boy accompanying the girl quickly moved and raised his right elbow to block the punch.
As the troublemaker’s fist collided with his elbow, he felt a sharp, unbearable pain, as if his hand had shattered. He tumbled to the ground, clutching his fist and screaming.
"M-My hand!!! I can't move it! It’s broken!"
The girl turned around, surprised by what had happened.
"Nice job, Sak. I didn’t expect you to break his fist like that."
Sak sighed, placing a hand on his face.
"It’s not like you didn’t just cut him with a pen. You really need to learn self-control, Kara."
Suddenly, the auditorium lights went out, and silence filled the room except for the troublemaker, who continued wailing in pain.
All the lights focused on the stage as a man, seemingly in his 40s, stepped forward. He wore round glasses and a neatly arranged, bright military uniform.
Standing in front of the students, he held a microphone that emitted static noises.
"T...est... test... test... Oh, god, when will they replace this old equipment? It's even older than me."
He gently tapped the microphone several times, causing unpleasant noises that mixed with the troublemaker's cries until the sound stabilized.
"Finally. Before we begin, I want the medical team to check on that wailing boy. My eardrums are about to burst."
Several masked individuals in white uniforms emerged from behind the stage. They sedated the troublemaker, placed him on a small stretcher, and carried him out of the auditorium.
The man continued while holding a small notebook.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Adrian Valen, the supervisor of the first-year students at Renewal Flame Academy… Well, I don't have much to tell you. This is just a fossilized protocol that has been around for decades. I'd much rather observe you all in secret and gather information, but…"
Taki narrowed his eyes. (Is he reading all of this from that notebook?… What a weirdo.)
Adrian continued, "At Renewal Flame Academy, you will live in a simulated city… somewhat realistic. You'll attend school and participate in activities, but the goal is to integrate students into an interactive environment to assess their responses and… Ugh, this is so… Anyway, you're free to join any club in this city. Everyone is expected to play an active role in this society. You will undergo several tests."
He flipped the page, then shut the notebook.
"Alright, that's it. The rest, you'll figure out on your own. Nice meeting you all. If anyone ever needs me, I'll be in the administration building at the city center."
Forgetting to turn off the microphone, a loud buzzing sound filled the auditorium.