Warmth. But also a little bit of a headache. His mouth was dry too. He could hear susurration in the background. The sound of waves? There was also a little bit of talking in the background sound too.

Rei finally decided to open his eyes. A blast of sunshine virtually forced itself into his head, which was still spinning. He was laying on the ground. More specifically on sand. Slowly, the memories returned to him and with them, his nervousness. In one sudden heap, Rei sat up, which wasn't the best idea, as it just made his head spin even more. He frantically looked around. He seemed to be on some kind of beach. Behind him, he could find the source of the susurration; A far stretching ocean. Right in front of him though was a big, deep-green forest. Tropical trees and bushes created quite the contrast to the gray, plain room he just sat in before… Where the hell was he?

At least he wasn't alone; The other students were in his vicinity, most of them already on their feet. He also spotted the director, the various teachers and some other staff casually talking to one another, wearing casual shorts and t-shirts, fitting for the hot weather - well, with the sole exception of the director, who was still in his black suit, including the glove on his right hand. How the hell could he take this heat in such an attire? Meanwhile, Rei and his fellow students were still in their respective school uniform.

"Finally awake, ay?" Rei was expecting the voice that he'd be hearing first would belong to Akari, but instead, a guy spoke to him. With his messy, green-dyed hair and his toothy grin he made an even crazier impression than her. If he remembered correctly, that guy was also part of Class C, though Rei had no recollection of his name.

The boy reached out his hand and helped Rei on his feet.

"The rest of the class is already up. You're quite the sleepy head, huh?"

Rei was too taken aback by this situation to laugh. He joined his class, who were all - with some exceptions - nervously observing the situation they're in.

Now that Rei had come to his senses, he finally tackled the important question he had in mind: was this real?

Based on what he was told this was all supposed to be fake - a made up reality, nothing more but a simulation, but...

Rei grabbed a handful of sand and let it rinse through his palm. He could feel it. This felt real. But, if this was real after all, then where were they? It seemed like a tropical island, but that wasn't really helpful. He also couldn't see any houses or other marks of civilization, though that might only be due to his limited view from the beach. He also couldn't spot any ships or other matters of transportation anywhere.

Loud claps interrupted his thought process.

"All right, seems like everyone arrived safely, I'm glad to see that," Director Mazato began to speak once more.

'Arrived', huh?

"As you probably came to conclusion by yourself, you are currently inside the Kaizen Simulation. Meaning none of this is real."

Rei wondered how many of his fellow students wholeheartedly believed this.

"You can find a watch on your left wrist. We will meet here at this very spot in two hours, so at around 6:15 pm. You may do whatever you desire in these two hours, though I encourage you to explore this island. Please don't go too far into the forest though, or else you might not find your way back in time. That's all."

With this, the Director and his staff sat down in foldable chairs, which were conveniently placed below big umbrellas, offering shade.

The hell did he mean by 'That's all'? As expected, multiple hands were raised into the hair, hoping to get answers to their many questions. But Director Mazato just ignored them with an unwavering smile. Hell, he even pulled out a cold drink.

What the hell was going on?

Rei, who was desperately hoping for an explanation, became even more restless. Some students seem to agree, because not only did they start to talk to each other, but they also began to voice their questions without being asked to.

"Can you please prove that we are in a Simulation? I am sure many students would be very glad to make sure that nothing suspicious is going on."

After taking a sip of his drink, the Director began to talk.

"No. Actually, you might want to stop trying to get any answers here, as you will not get any from me or any of the authorities. Furthermore, it might be a good idea to get some shade, as the sun can be quite brutal here. You can also find some water bottles under that tree there."

Evading the question, he pointed towards the forest.

"Is this even allowed!? You basically kidnapped us!" Another student voiced their concerns.

"Kidnapped? You are still in the very same room."

There really seems to be no way to get any answers. The best idea was probably to wait for the two hours to pass and see what will happen, but Rei was sure that he wasn't the only one who just couldn't accept this situation. This felt too real to be fake.

"L-Lets get some shade and water for now and discuss what to do from there on. I think it would be best to stay together, or at least in groups of four." Murata suggested. Nobody seemed to have anything against that idea, so as a class, they headed towards the forest. Rei was sure that most people realized by now that there was no point in trying to get answers from the Director. If so, then what was the point in these two hours? Should they just get adjusted to the simulation? But then again, there were so many indications that something wasn't right. For example, if this was just a simulation, was there really a need to be cautious of a heatstroke and dehydration? Sure, one can still feel the hot sun and have a dry mouth, but if this world truly is artificial, then there should be no consequences on their real bodies. Furthermore, the Director used the word 'arrived' at the beginning, indicating that there was at least some kind of journey to get to this island. Was this maybe supposed to be a test if they can figure out if this is real or not? If so, he might ask for an answer at the end of those two hours from each student. That also meant that there should be a way to confirm the truth on this very island by themselves - given that one is smart enough to figure it out.

Happy with his conclusion, Rei started to observe his surroundings in more detail, hoping to find some indication to the answer, while grabbing a water bottle and refreshing himself.

"So, what do you guys think?" It was Akari who threw this vague question into the group.

"I don't know about you, but this seems rather exciting. That said, this really is exciting." The green haired boy shared his rather simple opinion.

"Well, considering that we don't know if this is real or not, that might very well be the reason why we're here. After all, Director Mazato wants to see who is competent and who isn't. If he gave us two hours to find out where we are, that would offer a good challenge." Murata seems to have ended up with the same idea as Rei.

"I don't think there is any need to worry, guys. Not only is there really no need for the school to harm us, but there is also zero sense in going about it in such a... weird, roundabout way, right? So while this isn't exactly a normal situation, I think we should just cheer up and relax." The only one who doesn't seem to be tense at all is that green haired boy. Rei still hasn't figured out his name, so he was staring at him, trying to remember.

"U-Ummm... it's Watochi Raku. Raku is fine, really."

Shit, seems like he noticed. And of course it's another weirdo that instantly wants to be called by his first name.

“I wouldn’t be so relaxed. After all, they did tell us that we need to be prepared to risk our lives to get the job. That also means that we can’t be sure that there are no dangers here, so we might really want to use these two hours for the best,” Tenji disagreed.

“Well, how should we use the time then?”

“Let’s say Murata is right and we really have to find out if this is inside the Simulation or not. Then that would also mean that there is a way to prove this. Considering that we only have two hours, the way to prove it can’t take too long, it also can’t be something that’s too far away. It obviously is also possible that we have already gotten the required proof, but just haven’t realized it yet.”

The class got quiet. Everyone was thinking of what their purpose here was and how they should proceed.

Rei himself has constantly been in deep thought. The fact that the information they gained from the Academy staff has to be a major part. Why else would they not explain everything, if it was the students job to figure it out by themselves. Why else would they give them two hours of absolute freedom, without any specification? But then again, Rei just doesn’t see a logical way to prove anything. Of course, there might be something hidden on this Island, but would that really make sense? After all, going into the forest and just searching for something, without even having the slightest idea what that something is, seems pointless. It would only be a matter of luck on who finds it first.

“We have about one hour and 40 minutes left. Why don’t we stroll through the forest, maybe we get some ideas? It’s not like we have anything better to do,” Akari proposed. And so, they entered the green forest, but as it turns out, it was harder to maneuver than expected. The forest was thick, with bushes and trees blocking their path. It was also hard to gain a proper foothold, since the ground was covered in roots.

Actually, Rei would imagine that such Islands are very rare. Sure, they could probably find an island near the Kingdom of Fuji that had a similar climate, but the fact that it hasn’t been populated by now is weird.

Without saying all too much, Class 1-C explored the island, still keeping in mind to not stray too far from the beach.

“We have been going on for over an hour now and most of us are almost out of water. Plus it’s way too hot, man. Shouldn’t we start to go back?” Raku complained.

“I-I agree, but does anyone know where we have to go to find the place where we started?” For the first time on this trip, Tenji’s little sister spoke up.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Back when we woke up on the beach, the sun was setting basically right in our backs, so straight across the ocean. If we follow the sun now, we will at least find our way to the beach, and from there we can walk to the meeting place.” Murata explained.

What a pointless trip this was. Even though he didn’t expect much, Rei was still disappointed. He had at least hoped that he would get some new ideas for a possible solution to the problem, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

With a big sigh, the group turned around and tracked their way back to the meeting point. Most students were already there, sitting and chilling in the shade. Some were even sleeping. They must’ve either deemed the task as pointless, not even realized that there was a task in the first place or maybe even found an answer. Considering that they were competing for the director's grace, Rei hoped that the latter wasn’t the case.

Even though there was still about half an hour left, the last students returned to the meeting point, probably because everyone was afraid of being too late and making a bad impression. The director stood up and shared a few words with the staff, who immediately went on to bring forth some big plastic boxes.

“Please stand next to each other in a line,” the director spoke firmly. Immediately, the students hurried to follow his orders, usually standing next to their classmates. While the staff was opening the boxes, the director took his time to stare each student in the eyes. His unwavering smile and confident posture combined with his mysterious behavior was nothing less but intimidating.

“I want you all to pay close attention now,” the director started to speak, as a member of staff took out a certain thing and handed it to Director Mazato. That object that he handled with absolute confidence made the students the most nervous they have been so far. The existence of such an object in this place shouldn’t be surprising at all, and yet Rei couldn’t help but panic when he saw it in the hands of the most unpredictable person he has met. A tool of destruction. A gun.

“You will all be handed a gun just like this one. It is currently in safe mode, but please still be extremely careful.”

The staff handed out the weapons. Even though Rei still hasn’t processed where this was going, a heavy pistol was pressed into his hands. It was pretty much completely dark silver, with various details on it, such as a blue, slightly glowing bar indicating some sort of energy level. Rei heard that in recent years, most handguns that were using explosive Cordite powder, got replaced by new electromagnetic guns. Though he didn’t know too much about them - after all, this was the first time he actually held one in his own hands.

So, what will happen now? Rei knew that they would eventually train using lethal weapons, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. Furthermore, they are supposed to believe that this wasn’t reality, and while Rei suspects that this is true, he still has no actual proof to support that theory. The main reason he thinks that this must be a simulation is that it would make no sense otherwise considering the academy’s goal. Why would they bring the students all the way out to an uninhabited island and then give them guns without explaining anything? No matter how you look at it, it seems way too risky considering that probably none of the students have actual experience in handling a weapon. Furthermore, the Academy can’t risk the lives of their important “future elite” that they are investing so much money in just for a simple test, can they? So no matter what happens, Rei was almost 100% sure that his life wasn’t in any kind of danger but… only almost.

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“So, I see everyone has gotten their guns. These guns are adjusted to you, meaning that only you can activate them. To do so, you can place your thumb on the finger scanner on the back of the gun. This will activate the electromagnetic charge, meaning that after that, you can trigger the gun. Currently, it only has one bullet loaded, though once charged, it could potentially fire a huge amount of bullets before having to be recharged,” even though the director explained how to activate the gun, nobody dared to do so just yet. Everyone was waiting for another person to make the first move.

“While the gun does not have as much of a recoil as classic Cordite guns, some recoil is to be expected, so please be careful. Also, please don’t underestimate the force needed to actually push the trigger, so once you made up your mind to shoot, please make sure to pull the trigger without holding back.” While explaining the mechanics of the gun, the director was almost playing with it, such as twirling it in his fingers or throwing it from one hand to another, all while the gun is charged. Considering that this was the man that just explained the safety measures of the weapon, this definitely didn’t help to calm the students down. The worst part is that nobody knew what they would actually do with the gun. There was nothing around to indicate that they would train their aim, since nothing like training dummies or any other potential targets were in sight. The gun only holding one bullet was obviously also very suspicious.

Rei was so invested in trying to make sense of this situation, that he had to give his all to not lose himself in his thoughts and miss any of Director Mazato’s explanation.

“So, this should be everything you need to know for now. Of course, you will learn about the more detailed mechanics of our weaponry through this next year, including this gun. But for now, I have a simpler task for you. After completion, you will return to the school and wait until everyone is finished. The time limit for this task is twenty minutes. After that, you will be forcefully returned to the school.”

So there really was a task ahead.

Considering that there was a time limit, that must mean that there was also something specific to achieve. Maybe something like hunting down an animal? That would be pretty hard with just one shot, no experience and only twenty minutes, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising for this Academy to hold high expectations. Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any penalty for not being able to complete this task - except not impressing the director of course - so the task being difficult was a logical possibility.

The director took a big breath, before suddenly pointing the gun against his own head.

“Your task is to end your own life. By far the most effective way, considering the type of gun you have, is to shoot yourself in the head. To ensure that you die as soon as possible with the least amount of pain, aiming at either side of the temple is the most safe way. Sticking the gun in your mouth, pointing upwards, or aiming it at your forehead will work too, but there are more cases where this method leads to situations where the bullet does not penetrate-”

As the Director was going on about explaining the details, Rei still has not moved on from the first sentence.

Your task is to end your own life.

Suicide. Taking one’s life. No matter the words, the outcome was the same: Death. Rei’s head went crazy. He suddenly lost all his energy. His breathing accelerated and he felt extremely hot.

“Calm down, calm down, Rei,” he tried to tell himself, but it didn’t work. What the hell was this situation? In the background, he could hear some students throwing arguments against the director, who seemed to ignore them all and continued to casually explain the task, still wearing his almost creepy smile. But that wasn’t important right now. Right now, all he had to do was to sort out his thoughts. Analyze the situation and his possible actions.

There are currently thirty-three students on an unknown, uninhabited island. They all have a gun with one bullet and there seems no way to get off this island, since they had no way to communicate to the outside world. So the only way to get out of this would be to rely on the help of the Academy.

But it was also this very Academy that has instructed them to take their own lives.

“...the time limit of twenty minutes starts… now. You may begin.” Rei heard those words that the Director spoke. That’s right, there was no time to panic. The chance of this being real has gotten even smaller now. After all, there was no way that the Academy would actually bring their students out just to have them take their own life, it just wouldn’t make sense. There was also no way they could possibly avoid the consequences of doing such a thing. Basically, every information they received was evident of this world being fake. So with this in mind, even if Rei shot himself, he wouldn’t actually die…

He looked at the gun in his hands and immediately felt sick, like he was about to puke or pass out. He just wanted to run away, but he knew that that wouldn’t lead to anything. Even if he hid somewhere in the forest, he wouldn’t be able to survive for very long and it was only a matter of time until the staff would find him.

Again, Rei calmed himself. There are essentially three options he had right now. The first one was to comply and accept the task. This would mean that he would make a great impression on the Director, but it obviously also held the biggest risk. If this was a simulation, he would successfully gain an advantage in graduating from this school, if it wasn’t, it would cost his life. That didn’t seem like a fair deal at all.

The second option was to wait. While this seemed like the safest option at first, Rei also remembered the explanation of the time limit.

“The time limit for this task is twenty minutes. After that, you will be forcefully returned to the school.” Those were the words that Director Mazato had spoken. What the hell does this even entail?

Rei glanced towards the staff. Not only the director, but also the rest of the present staff had weapons in their hands. Some of them even possessed actual rifles instead of a simple one-hand gun.

‘Forcefully returned to the school’, huh? So there was a chance that they would actually shoot the students after those twenty minutes ended.

Rei looked at his watch. He had about fifteen minutes left to make a decision. Waiting until the end was not only low reward, since it would mean he failed the task, but it basically also entailed the same risk of death as the first option. But he could take some time to see what the other students chose to do, that definitely wouldn’t hurt.

For the first time after being explained the task, Rei took some time to examine his surroundings. Most students were quiet and it didn’t seem like anyone had come to a decision yet. Some were lying on the ground, some even seemed close to tearing up. Well, that wasn’t very surprising. There was a good chance that some of the students believed this island to be real. If so, then this decision would be nearly impossible to make.

Of course, there was still option three. Probably the most radical option that Rei could come up with. While it could still easily end in his death, it also held the possibility of gaining some answers about this predicament. The big drawback of this option was that, while it could possibly reduce the chance of death, it also held no truly positive outcome.

Wait, what if the gun wasn’t even loaded? That way, the task could one’s resolve without actually exposing the students to any serious harm-

The quietness was shattered by sudden screams of multiple students. Shortly after, to the left side of Rei, a body fell to the ground. With a thump, the boy hit the sandy ground and stopped moving. His red hair seemed familiar to Rei - yes - it was Akata from Class B, who had introduced himself to Rei during the lunch break. In place of his friendly smile, he now wore a blank expression, showing no emotion - no life - whatsoever. Blood was streaming out of his head, soon forming a red puddle beneath him.

The commotion between the students soon transformed into a quiet pressure, as everyone focused on the dead body.

The guns were loaded. Akata was dead. This was the first time Rei had seen a fresh corpse. No matter if his dead body was just an illusion or real, the impact was the same. Even though this outcome was no proof that any of this was real, Rei’s doubts became even bigger. He could hear sobbing from both sides. But as the ten minute threshold was passed, more screams appeared, as a long haired girl fell to the ground. Her uniform had the letter ‘A’ printed on the side. And she wasn’t the only one. Soon, the third and then the fourth student followed. The dull sound that was produced as they fell on the beach seemed louder than the actual gunshots.

What the hell was Rei supposed to do? No matter how long he thought about it, all options seemed terrible and it didn’t seem like he could gain any more information from just waiting. The sight of the dead bodies has further upset his mind, so it was even harder to gain a clear picture. Option two wouldn’t help anymore, and he didn’t have the strength to go with the first option, so…

Rei took a deep breath. Then another one. Another one. To him, it only seemed like a few seconds passed like this, but after looking at his watch, he confirmed that he had only approximately five minutes left. He had to make a choice.

Slowly, he extended his quivering thumb, and pressed it against the finger scanner. Immediately, the gun made a whirring noise for a few seconds, before the finger scanner lit up green, indicating that the gun was ready. Seeing this, Akari, who was standing next to him, stared at him. In the corner of his eye he could see her concerned, anxious expression. But still, he had already decided to commit to this. And so, while he could hear the sobbing of students, while he could see the pools of blood, while he could sense his heart beating faster, he lifted his gun, pointing it at the head. Not his own - but the one of the director. Option three.

“You are… Kawakami Rei, right?” Director Mazato asked in a polite tone, seemingly unfazed.

Rei didn’t answer.

“I am sure you are aware of what you are doing. Pointing your gun at any staff member is not a very good first impression,” Mazato continued, chuckling as he pointed out the obvious.

“If… if this isn’t real, then you have nothing to fear, do you?” Rei spoke up. The other students, especially the ones of his class, were completely taken aback by his action. Yes, this was the decision Rei had come to. He was hoping that he could gain some information out of the director. If this was real, not only should he be panicking, but he could also threaten him to get out of this situation. Of course, actually shooting him would do no good, but he was still hoping to gain at least some hint about the authenticity of the portrayed reality. But instead of showing any kind of nervousness, the director acted as calm as always.

“If you want to shoot, that is your decision,” he spoke, as he stepped even closer to Rei, who instinctively stepped back, trying to hold a certain amount of distance between the two of them.

“But may I remind you that your own actions not only affect yourself, but also your entire class? After all, I will decide which class shall graduate based on the actions of every single member. That includes you too, of course.”

Rei glanced towards his classmates, who all gave him worried looks.

So? Rei was here to achieve his own dreams, not for the sake of the ones of his classmates. He wasn’t going to give up and risk his own life just to favor some random people he has never met before.

“Well, to be honest, this decision of yours is quite interesting, but it definitely leaves you with a huge disadvantage. You may have thought that you could make up for this mistake later on, but to be honest, that would be quite difficult. After all, as people say, the first impression is quite important. So how about I give you a second chance?” The director kept speaking, still walking towards Rei. Soon, he was pretty much pressing his forehead against Rei’s gun.

“If you change your mind immediately and successfully finish the task, I will forget this incident. If you don’t, or even worse, if you decide to shoot me, you will be expelled without a second thought.”

Hearing this, the fear and frustration inside Rei reached a peak. From the beginning, he never intended to shoot, but rather just wanted to gain some information and then act accordingly. But now, even just backing off and lowering his gun was not enough. If he didn’t decide to take his own life, he was guaranteed to be expelled, to lose the one opportunity to reach his dream.

Instinctively, Rei looked behind him. The abyss was dark and he could barely hold his position on the hill, as the weight attached to his chain got heavier and heavier. Was he really going to fall once again? Was he really going to lose so much progress again? He looked up. The kind light was right there, waiting for him. But he knew that taking the next step was risky. He could fall, maybe even to the very bottom of the abyss. But he could also successfully get closer to his goal. And if he waited any longer, the weight would drag him down multiple meters - it would take ages to make up for that loss.

“Make your decision, now. Either take a leap of faith, or succumb to your own fear, throwing away your chance at the future you aimed for.” As if he read Rei’s mind, the director's voice brought Rei back to reality.

What the hell am I doing?

The weight had told him so many times that it was useless, that he had no chance at doing any good. That it just wasn’t meant to be. Was he really going to prove it right, just because he was too scared to take a single step? If he can’t even do this much, how was he going to change anything? Running away from taking the step forever would be equivalent to accepting defeat - accepting that he will never reach that light.

In a sudden movement, Rei pressed the gun against the side of his own head. He clenched his teeth and pinched his eyes together.

Do it.

He could still see the director in front of him, smiling.

Prove that you are able to make a change.

Slowly but surely, he increased the force of his finger against the trigger. More. Just a little bit more. Just one bit mo-.

Pain shot through his head. For a short moment, it felt like fire was penetrating and spreading through his brain. But that was only an instant - a moment so short that, if someone had told Rei that it was just an imagination, he might just believe them. After that, he could feel himself falling on the floor. His sight was gone, he was surrounded by darkness. He gave up on breathing, as it just felt like a nuisance at this point. He couldn’t feel anything anymore - no cold, no warmth. It was a strange feeling. Even his pounding heartbeat had stopped annoying him and he felt as if he was the calmest he had ever been. Strangely, he could still hear faint voices coming from outside. They seemed so clear, so perfectly understandable, and yet he couldn’t make sense of them at all. Ah, now he realized. He was dying. He had made the wrong choice, hadn’t he? He threw his life away. He had taken the step, slipped, and had fallen into the endless abyss. The weight must be laughing at him right now.

Soon, even the smallest and most quiet thoughts disappeared. With that, Rei was surrounded by absolute tranquility. If he could just stay here forever. Far away from all his worries, from his thoughts, from his stress. Far away from that wasteland. Just him, alone, here, in this endless, shallow pond. He was laying there, just existing, just being. The water surrounding him was so still - so calm - that it felt like he was floating. But, sadly, that didn’t last forever. Something grabbed Rei by the head and forced him underwater. Shocked, he began to scream, gasping for air, even though he wasn’t even breathing before. Whatever the invisible force was, it was dragging him down at an amazing speed. Faster, faster, faster. Soon, the light of the surface vanished, and he was forcibly dragged down into the darkness. As he looked down though, he saw more light, almost as if there was another surface below him. And then, he fell down the sea. The sea was above him, he was falling further away. For a moment, he could even see his own reflection in the water surface above him. It didn’t look like him at all though. As the feeling of gravity set in further, it felt like he was being pulled in all directions. The calm sea was below him once more, but it was also above him. Around him. And yet he was still falling, in every direction, but in no direction at all. His body was torn apart and he - every part of him - flew outside of where he had been.

The first thing Rei did was take a breath. It felt like he had been holding it for hours now. Above him, he only saw a gray ceiling. This feeling of waking up somewhere was so familiar to him, so he instantly knew what to do. He carefully sat up and took a look around him. He was sitting on the chair, the wires still attached to him.

A rush of relief overtook him. He couldn’t believe it. It was true: Kaizen Simulation exists. And he had made the right call, he had taken a step in the right direction. Once the immense stress slowly faded away, he collapsed back into his seat, just staring at the boring ceiling.

“I did it…”