Chapter I: Once Again, That Bizarre Announcement. (2/2)

1:02 PM

After finishing my lunch, I stand up and head toward the classroom. Inevitably, the trio decides to follow me once again. As we ascend the main building's staircase, Manabu and Shou are engrossed in a conversation about something that I'm sure doesn't concern me.

On our way back to the classroom, we encounter an eccentric figure with long blonde hair leaning against the hallway wall.

Before I can come to any conclusion, Manabu whispers his first thought.

"A delinquent?"

That would have been my first guess, too, but no. Apparently, it's the exchange student Shou was so excited about. Her beauty is as striking as the student council president's. Honestly, I've never seen anyone as stunning as those two, making Yukihara Mikoto my only point of comparison.

I glance back and see the trio hesitating to proceed down this hallway. I suppose it's a natural reaction to such a commanding presence. But not for me.

I'm the first to walk past her. Her eyes remain fixed downward, and I imagine that our mediocre presences barely disturb her concentration. Maybe it's a blessing for them—we're like small animals crossing a lion's territory.

Shou follows, his face rigid, eyes wide as if he's seen a ghost, and visibly sweating. I guess he's abandoned any ideas of pursuing this girl.

But there's something unusual about the scene. She's wearing pants. In the West, it's common for schoolgirls to wear pants as part of their uniform, but in Japan? Did she refuse to adopt the local standard?

Once we're past her, they start debating the encounter.

"Are you giving up, Shoucchi?" Manabu asks.

"Do you even need to ask? This is just like Kaichou, or maybe worse. How could anyone survive that kind of aura?" Shou says, covering his face in disappointment.

Another testament to her supernatural presence is Shou's rare display of rationality, realizing he stands no chance.

"Just like Kaichou, she's a rare case of a 3D girl with a 2D soul. Is there even room for two of them in the same school?"

"You mean in the same world," Shou replies, still incredulous.

"I agree with you guys, but something is bugging me. Why was she wearing pants?" Miyu asks.

"Seriously?! I didn't even notice that," Shou responds, surprised.

1:09 PM

At the moment, I'm hoping the teacher arrives soon because whenever he's late, he extends the lesson at the end of class.

Why do I even need to be in this remedial class? Oh, right, it's my fault. I made a deal with the principal to maintain 100% attendance so I wouldn't have to join any extracurricular activities like clubs.

Kobayashi Keiko, the class representative, walks in with her head hung low. She exudes an aura of defeat.

Miyu goes up to her to strike up a conversation, naturally wanting to connect with someone from the upper echelons of the school hierarchy.

"Kobayashi-san, is something wrong?" she asks with a bright smile.

"Ugh, I couldn't bring myself to tell Kaichou that I failed the math test. Luckily, she canceled the meeting, so she didn't ask why I had to skip council duties this afternoon," Keiko says, awkwardly scratching her head.

"Why are you so afraid of her finding out? Could you get expelled from the council?" Miyu asks, surprised.

"It's hard to put into words, but when you're around someone as amazing as Kaichou, it's tough to feel at ease without excelling at everything you do."

Miyu keeps smiling but looks concerned.

The teacher walks in, and everyone standing quickly returns to their seats.

Clearly annoyed, he opens his bag and pulls out a stack of papers. Glaring at the sheets with disdain, he starts speaking.

"Alright, as you all know, the class average on the math test was abysmal. Because of this, the coordinator has requested I hold remedial sessions during club hours."

He sighs, looking weary, and continues.

"I'm very disappointed in you. Only one student didn't fail. I expected more from you, especially you, Kobayashi."

She averts her gaze downward like a dog caught chewing on its owner's shoes.

Then he looks at me and says,

"Johann, however, congratulations on acing the test."

I nod politely, and he resumes his lecture, emphasizing that students should dedicate at least an hour of their free time to review the material.

The teacher begins the lesson with simple math exercises from the test.

Until... the speakers crackle at 2:17 PM. Everyone turns their attention to them, eager for an escape from boredom. They probably expect an unusual announcement from the principal or president, anything to break the monotony.

To their disappointment, the expected voice doesn't come, creating a wave of collective unease.

"Is it broken?" a student whispers.

The static stops abruptly, and finally, a rather strange announcement is made.

"It's your turn, Onee-chan."

"Ah, right."

The voices of two children.

"Hello, everyone! From now on, we're going to play a game!"

This was unexpected—a prank using the school's speakers.

I look around and see everyone murmuring. The teacher stares at the speakers, visibly irritated by the interruption.

"All right, here's how the game will work. There are only three players, but don't worry—everyone can participate!" the second voice continues enthusiastically.

No students are matching the age of these voices. Probably, some staff member brought their kids to work, and the mischievous children snuck into the audio room to play a prank.

"And the rules are very simple: the game ends immediately with the death of one of the three players," the explanation continues.

The class stirs uncomfortably upon hearing the word "death." What are these kids watching to come up with an idea like this? Maybe an older person is behind the prank and made them do it.

"However, the one responsible for the player's death—whether they are another player or not—will face the same fate as their victim. The game lasts 150 hours starting now," the animated voice gradually shifts into something more serious and lifeless.

Everyone is frozen in place, utterly confused. This is becoming disturbingly unsettling. Obviously, there's no chance this could be real.

But why? Why does this joke disturb me so profoundly? I feel a crushing anxiety with every word, a suffocating pressure, as if I'm at the deepest point of an ocean, being crushed by a massive column of water.

"And most importantly, no one is forced to participate!" The excitement in the voice briefly returns but then shifts back to the somber tone for the following sentence. "You can simply forfeit by leaving through the main gate. In that case, your soul will be consumed, and you will vanish. Remember: the price for leaving the game is a life. The three players will soon realize they are the chosen ones."

2:19 PM

The children's voices stop, and the speakers go silent. I look around and see everyone with their mouths agape.

The teacher's remark breaks the silence.

"Get back to focusing on the lesson!" he grumbles, turning back to the board. "Kids these days... They'll even break into a school to pull a prank."

"As if something like this could be real. We're not in a movie; this is real life," Keiko says, scratching her head.

She probably believed that nonsense but is now trying to cover it up to avoid looking foolish.

"That story was well-crafted. Hahaha," another student chuckles.

Gradually, the students return their focus to the blackboard and the sound of chalk tapping against it.

"In this problem, the dimension is easily found using the cosine law," the teacher continues writing on the board.

The calm doesn't last long. This time, a scream from outside reignites the tension.

"What was that?!" a student exclaims, rushing to the window.

About seventy percent of the class abruptly stands and crowds around the window, eager to satisfy their curiosity. The teacher tries to get them to sit back down.

"Everyone, focus on the lesson! I don't have all day," the teacher complains.

"Oh my God! It looks like someone died!" a classmate shouts.

Died? What?

"Stay in the classroom. I'll check what happened," the teacher says.

They completely ignore him, rushing out the door toward the courtyard.

"Oh, heavens. I'm not paid enough for this," he mutters, following them.

Taking advantage of the now clear view, I walk to the window. A crowd of students has gathered around the main gate, seemingly from all the other classes. Soon after, my classmates join the growing throng.

From this angle, it's hard to make sense of what's happening. Maybe I should head to a hallway window for a better view.

Something tells me there's more to this scene than meets the eye. An absence of something I can't quite define is bothering me. My eyes scan the area, but no answer comes to quell the instinct hammering in my head.

I leave the classroom, searching for a vantage point to better understand the commotion. Perhaps from another perspective, I can identify what's causing this unease.

2:29 PM

I'm not in the mood to go all the way to the courtyard, so I wander the corridor until I find a good spot to observe the chaos.

I encountered a familiar figure in the school's social circle, Hasegawa Haruki. It seems he had the same idea as me and is watching the commotion from a hallway window.

"Ah, Johann-san. How are you?" he greets me as he notices my presence.

"What a surprise. You know my name?" I reply.

"Shouldn't I? You stand out for your academic performance and for being a foreigner," he says, smiling amicably.

He plays the role of the good guy flawlessly.

I stop beside him, leaning against the window to try and understand the source of the uproar.

"Well, whatever. Do you know what's going on?"

He shakes his head and points toward the school's main gate.

"I just got here, so I don't know the details. But look at what's at the school's entrance."

I see several staff uniforms and teacher's attire, but the one that stands out is a student's uniform.

"Arai-kun disappeared right before my eyes!" a girl cries, her face streaked with tears.

It seems some first-year girls are acting as witnesses. But what they're saying is impossible. Then again, I wouldn't mind if that loud and arrogant guy really did disappear.

"Alright, enough of this. Everyone back inside the school!" a teacher finally tries to restore order.

"But we're in danger!" another protests.

The teacher walks toward the school's exit, examining the staff's discarded clothes and Asahi's presumed uniform. He turns to the crowd of students and speaks as he crosses the gate.

"Nonsense! This is completely unreal. See? I can walk out fre—"

Just as he's about to finish his sentence, the teacher disappears, leaving only his clothes behind as evidence he was ever there.

The girls closest to the gate scream in terror.

"The teacher disappeared too!" another student shouts.

Judging by their reactions, this is apparently what everyone else saw. But what I witnessed shook me to my core. So much so that I could barely scream or run. I'm completely frozen.

Standing just beyond the gate is the figure responsible for the teacher's "disappearance."

Death.

It was Death who reaped the teacher.