Love

As I troubled and angered the teacher, he repeatedly kicked me out the door.

"What's so great with this emperor" I scoffed towards my dorm. From that day forward, I harboured a deep resentment for the emperor. I could not think anyi but bad things came from the emperor and could not understand the need to respect him like a father.

After much thought, I found that I also could not understand those who would oppose the banner of the Sun. The banner didn't even resemble anything I ever seen . The emblem look like an origami of a flower than a lotus. it was too small, and riddled with fripperous designs.

Looking at it, I thought: Compared to me, this flag is a failure. When I shared my opinions with the boy who I made friends with but he advised,

"You'll just anger him again, so it's best to keep quiet."

Even though this Boy Nobi was a fellow friend, it seemed he thought quite differently from me . I had even asked him if he honestly saw the emblem in that banner.

"Yea, and it's actually quite good; see how those outlines show the rays. It really captures the kingdom's essence doesn't it," is what he answered.

I could not think of anything but look weird into his face. I was given a complaint by the teacher who caught me makeing funand was punished into running laps and not eating for 2 days but I spent my time in forest eating what's edible. As I trained harder, my weaker body became stronger with the punishment given and it was worth the risk but still was a burden to the teacher who I call him from behind a Oni.

I spend my monotonous days in camp working harder to defeat the tyrant king. Training and language learning were extremely important for children my age. It was my duty to protect my loved ones and exact revenge on King Nomura; on sunny days, rainy days, and snowy days; in the morning, afternoon, and night; I practiced endlessly to be the best.

When it came to studying, it was a given that difficult words would be drilled into my head for memorization. We learned how to salute, how to act around superiors, and how to use respectful language. Teachers rose to the rank of superior officers, dispensing corporal punishment as divine guidance to those who disobeyed.

They were taught standardized battle tactics from start to finish in order to destroy the fools who would oppose His Majesty's Empire.

What were they standing for? I'd ask and get beaten for it.

"When you reach the age of majority, you will join His Majesty's service. You will work hard in exchange for your upbringing. .... Not that I expect any of you to pass your test "during our meeting, commanded the teacher

I didn't want to bring it up, but I'm leaving now, I could say, though she ended up holding back. I sat in the room once more, thinking about how disgusting my compliance felt. "All for the sake of His Majesty," I had repeated in rooms with no signs of light. Day after day, I had done it until I was insane.

My voice was tired, and her throat was dry; I was on the verge of passing out. In that place of cyclical suffering, I grew to despise "His Majesty." I began to believe that I would rather kill than honor him.

During such trying times, my only solace was found at mealtime, because the gentle smiles of the other children had also faded. I didn't laugh, and I didn't enjoy the meals with the others. However, there was one day when the meals became monotonous.

The kids were all supposed to drink a black liquid. It was a medicine to strengthen the body, but it had the murky appearance of muddy water. Although the other kids drank without complaint, I couldn't. Not only was its appearance repulsive, but its odor was unlike anything she'd ever smelled. It had a rusty flavor.

I was smacked by the trainers and had the liquid forcefully rammed down my throat after refusing to go on. Breathing became painful, and I was assaulted with violent nausea.

"It's too soon to be rejected. Was it distilled to the required concentration? "one of the reainers said

"There was no doubt about it. The other kids are already fine "said another

"... Because the amount varies from person to person, even if we calculate it correctly, there will always be some anomalies," explained another.

"Why is he the special one? Not that it'd be shocking to lose him… There's no reason to help now, so why don't we just clean this up already?" said the cook

"Not yet. Let us treat him for the time being. He probably won't make it until the test, but not being weak should serve him well. Waste not, desire not."

"Understood. Isolate him and keep an eye on him "said the trainers as they led me into the room

I realized that living here was worse than dying in front of King Nomura as I walked the line between life and death for three days, ever closer to the abyss. By some miracle, I survived, and from that day forward, taking the black drug no longer caused me to vomit blood.

Unfortunately, I had not experienced any of its advantages. Instead, I was impaired and had been dubbed the "number one failure." I could no longer recognize people's faces without putting in a lot of effort. At the very least, the boy did his best to lighten my load.

I had no idea how many years I had spent in that boring camp. Children vanished, and newcomers steadily increased in number to take their place. They had reduced by half their original strength of over a hundred people, only to be reinforced by new faces. Their numbers had even risen to 200 without their knowledge.

The new arrivals already had settled but they were not allowed to use them in the camp. Those who rebelled were placed in the room we despised the most, and for a time, when it was time to sleep, ceaseless cries echoed through the halls. Such a sound caused me great distress; however, the newcomers gradually adjusted. Nighttime sobbing gradually gave way to stifled laughter.

I, too, found happiness. The new kids knew a lot about the outside world. Their stories were always fascinating to hear, and I worked hard to imprint every detail into her memory.

The best of them all was the boy named Sagama; with his extensive knowledge, his stories were always the most interesting. When the teachers weren't looking, he'd tell fantastic, entertaining stories. I was able to get a good sense of the outside world from his stories. I couldn't place his face, but I could tell he was a healthy young man with a bright smile.

However, in only half a year, the boy withered and died. All he could do until the end was moan in pain. It was impossible to hear a good story once more. I was exhausted.

Yumi, the girl who moved into my old room, eventually became my best friend. She managed to brighten up during this time, despite her quivering voice and always-on-the-verge-of-crying face. She read a book she had smuggled in before going to bed.

The title of the book she brought was unusual. Yumi would sneak into my room because I couldn't read because I was illiterate. She read a book she had smuggled in before going to bed. She crept into my futon, and the two of them read until they were too tired to continue and fell asleep.

The book was fascinating, but what piqued my interest the most was that the story changed every time, despite the fact that there was only one book. Whatever their stories were, they all had one thing in common. There was always a happy ending, no matter what happened. I could always listen calmly; after all, sad stories were exhausting to hear.

The most intriguing aspect of one story was the protagonist running for his life towards the sun. It was almost at the sun when it became engulfed in flames and burned to death. The main character became a star in the sky shortly after dying in the flames.

In my heart, I was a little jealous of the main character because, despite no longer having a body, it was able to survive by basking in the sun's rays. I was confident that the protagonist had found happiness. Yumi made a puzzled noise in response to those words. She rubbed my head and kissed me on the cheek, assuring me that we would soon be free of this hellish existence. I agreed with her, looked her in the eyes, kissed her, and spent our time together in bed.

"How can only one book, always have a different story in it?" I wondered one evening. Because... it's a mysterious book. It generates a new story every time I start reading it.. It sure is an amazing book," Yumi smiled as she replied.

I was about to say something about what an amazing treasure the book was when I noticed Yumi's face looked sad in some way. I wanted to know why, but I couldn't because I couldn't see her face well. I began to embrace her one dream with each reading of the story. I wanted to find my own happiness, just like the character. So I asked Yumi where I could find happiness.

"I have no idea either. However, if we live long enough to leave this place, let us look for it together "and our small forms embraced

"It's a promise," I said quietly, with a firm nod, and Yumi smiled weakly.

She pushed me into the bed, removed my shirt, and touched my body ribs as I kissed her cheek to her shoulder bone. Then she removed her gown and stood in her exposed body, covered in lashes from the teachers, and took my arms and placed them in her breasts, forcing me to rub them and lay next to my face, sharing a kiss.

The next day, on my way to meet Yumi for morning training, I noticed a crowd and dashed to her room, only to discover that another one I adored had died right in front of my eyes.

Yumi, indeed, died. When I tried to wake her up, I discovered that her body had already turned cold. Regardless of how many times I shook her. Yumi's eyes refused to open. When I rushed to the teachers, I learned that Yumi hadn't been eating any of her food recently.

"It's entirely your fault. You forced her to drink that strange black liquid "said the coach

"... No experiment can avoid failure. Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good," the teacher said. "... You should have died then..." "the other train stated

I aimed a murderous glare at the teacher. I expected to be beaten as usual, but the teacher walked away without saying anything. That night, on my way to the toilet, I heard a voice from a room leaking light under the door.

"His Majesty desires a comprehensive report on the experiment as well as an official investigation. I will issue the report as auditor."

"I'll resubmit mine, so you don't have to worry."

"I'm curious as to why you keep interfering with my report. This is clearly a power grab."

"Don't say that; we're on time, so I'm confident the report will be favorable." said the coach

"Is everything going well? Please don't make me laugh. The number of deaths has risen dramatically in recent months. But, on the other hand, you have some pretty embarrassing results!" said the instructor. I can hear the teachers' voices.

"Unfortunately, auditor, we simply do not agree. My Daybreak is exactly on time. His Majesty's hopes will not be dashed. We can easily meet our next goal if we leverage what we have "the chef stated

"Sorry, but that is probably not possible. In a brief examination, I might miss some falsifications, but one of your subordinates provided evidence." said the instructor

"... I'm sorry, but we don't need you any longer. This is the end of your irresponsible meddling."

"You're squandering these children's lives, and His Majesty's deception must end. You will take complete responsibility for this." a man stated

"Don't think you can escape this, o hypocrite. You cretins are exactly like us. How many children's lives have been taken from them here? I don't understand how you could deal them the final blow by rendering their sacrifices meaningless. No matter what you do or who you ask, everyone will tell you that the experiment must be completed "screamed the teacher as he sat smoking his pipe.

"In either case, you've been arrested. Please do not resist, or violent means will be used "As he stood up, the man said

Despite the fact that the teacher's enraged voice could be heard from the teachers' rooms, none of them responded. A storm of sounds followed, followed by the sound of something shattering, all followed by several screams, until the sounds finally stopped.