Chapter four: dodge ball

"Yes, I'm coming," said Miss Inko as she opened the door.

"Good day, Miss Inko. I'm Hachiro Fujita. May I come in?"

"Sure," she replied hesitantly, stepping aside to let him in.

Hachiro entered the home, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a disconcerting smile. Miss Inko quickly turned to Shinzu and Ganix and said, "Go upstairs."

Despite her instructions, the two boys quietly crept to a spot where they could watch what was happening.

Miss Inko sat across from Hachiro, her composure visibly shaken. "So, Mr. Fujita, what brings you here?"

"I'm from the Crimson High Council. I'm here to recruit some of the children from your orphanage to join our school," Hachiro said smoothly.

Miss Inko began to sweat, her fear evident as she shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. I won't allow these children to go to that place. Please leave."

Hachiro's smile turned cold. "Miss Inko, I don't think you're in a position to refuse. You'll gain financial benefits for cooperating, and if you decline… well, the government might stop funding your orphanage altogether."

"No… no way. How could it come to this?" she stammered, her voice breaking. "Why should I send these children to their deaths? Crimson High… it's nothing but a nightmare."

"Oh? Were you a past student?" Hachiro's grin widened. "How fascinating. I'd love to know how you survived. Care to share?"

Miss Inko's voice dropped to a whisper, trembling with emotion. "I was part of one of the first batches of students at Crimson High. Most of us didn't make it out alive. I was weak—I would've died if my brother hadn't made a deal to stay in my place and get me out. Since then, I've hated violence. My answer is still no."

Hachiro's gaze hardened. "You don't want me to shut down your orphanage, do you? This doesn't have to be so difficult. I only need three children. Decide now."

Miss Inko froze, paralyzed by the weight of the decision. But before she could respond, Shinzu and Ganix stepped forward from the stairs.

"We'll go," Shinzu said firmly. "Where do we sign up?"

"Shinzu, Ganix, no! This isn't a game!" Miss Inko cried.

"It's fine, Miss Inko," Shinzu said with a determined look. "You don't need to worry about us. We'll be okay."

"How touching," Hachiro said mockingly. "But I asked for three students."

Shinzu nodded. "It'll be me, Ganix, and our youngest brother, Kalino."

Ganix's eyes widened in shock. "Shinzu, are you insane? Kalino isn't suited for this kind of environment!"

"Just trust me," Shinzu said.

Ganix sighed. "Fine."

Hachiro clapped his hands. "Perfect. Shall we leave?"

From the other room, Shinori burst into the scene. "I'm going too!"

"No, Shinori, you don't have to do this. He only asked for three of us," Shinzu protested.

"I don't care. I'm coming," she said firmly.

Miss Inko pleaded with her, "Shinori, this school is dangerous! Shinzu has already decided to go, and I believe in him. He'll survive, but you don't need to do this."

Hachiro interjected, "The more, the merrier. Let her come."

Shinzu looked at Shinori, conflicted. "You don't know what you're getting into. Please reconsider."

"I've already decided," she replied, unwavering.

"Very well," Hachiro said. "Since you're all coming, let me explain a bit about Crimson High. At this school, you'll be given a weapon called Raiki. It starts as a bracelet, but it transforms into a weapon if you can unlock its power. You'll use your Raiki to fight other students—often to the death. The student who stands at the top of the school is crowned the Crimson King and lives a life of luxury. That's all you need to know for now."

Shinzu and Ganix exchanged sinister smiles. "Then I'll become the Crimson King," Shinzu declared.

"Good. Shall we go now?" Hachiro asked.

The four replied in unison, "Yeah."

---

Crimson High

"Welcome to Crimson High, first-year students. I'm Principal Yamazaki Ito," the principal announced from the stage.

"At this school, we offer some of the best academics in the world. Graduating from here guarantees you any job you desire. However, from this point forward, all contact with the outside world will be cut off. You'll be given a bracelet called Raiki, which serves as both a utility and a weapon. Unlocking its weapon form is crucial for survival because, here, you'll fight to the death. Only the strongest will rise to the top and become the Crimson King."

The crowd murmured in shock. One student stood up, shouting, "What?! This is insane! I didn't sign up for this!"

"You belong to us now," Principal Ito replied coldly. "Your parents signed the contract, and that's all that matters. Accept your new reality."

The principal continued, "My executives will distribute your Raiki. The current Crimson King will demonstrate its usage."

A student with a commanding presence stepped forward. "I'm Kujiro Ryo, the Crimson King. This is my Raiki—Tear All Apart, Kenjuku Ureign."

A mechanical claw formed around his hand, radiating power.

"Your Raiki can be either scientific or relic-based. Mine is a relic weapon. Your classes and rank will depend on the strength of your Raiki. Good luck," Kujiro concluded, stepping off the stage.

Shinzu glanced at his bracelet and smiled. "This is going to be interesting.

After the principal finished speaking, he took the stage and said, "To put on your Raiki, you just have to place your finger on the screen. It will examine your body. This is the end of your orientation. Now, classes will begin."

As the students exited the hall, Shinzu, Ganix, and Kalino started a discussion.

"Ganix and Kalino, what class are you in?" asked Shinzu.

"I'm in Class R," replied Ganix.

"Me too, big brother," said Kalino.

Shinori, feeling left out, chimed in, "Are you forgetting me? I'm here too, you know."

"I know you're in Class A," replied Shinzu.

"How do you know that?" Shinori asked curiously.

Shinzu smirked. "Because I saw you looking at my Raiki when I was checking my class, and you blushed. I figured we're in the same class."

Shinori stammered, "Uhh... yeah. I was just glad I didn't end up by myself."

Changing the subject, Shinzu asked, "Ganix and Kalino, what class do you have now?"

"Uh… PE," replied Ganix with uncertainty.

Kalino clarified, "It's short for Physical Education, but it's basically gym class."

"Alright, after first period, we'll meet at the school square," Shinzu concluded.

---

In the gym, their teacher greeted them. "Good day, students. I'm your gym or PE teacher, Mr. Satoshi. I will be teaching you how to predict attacks, whether they're physical or projectile. To start, we'll play a game of dodgeball. There will be two teams: red symbolizes predators, and blue symbolizes prey. The rules are simple: you cannot catch the ball. If you try, you're out. This simulates real-life scenarios where your body might freeze when defending against an attack, so evasion is your best option. Now, break into your teams."

"So Kalino is on the predator team," said Ganix. "This might be fun since Kalino is good at throwing things. We've encouraged him to play sports like dodgeball and cricket."

Meanwhile, Kalino thought to himself, Looks like I'm up against Ganix. This will be tough since he's a two-time champion in gymnastics. But I can't lose—not now. I have to prove I can keep up with my brothers.

"Now, begin!" announced Mr. Satoshi. "This is a five-minute match. Prey must survive until the time is up."

"Alright, I just have to move fast and not get hit," Ganix murmured.

Kalino strategized, Should I take out Ganix first? No. I'll help the others, then team up against him. This plan can work.

The game began.

"Here goes nothing," said Yutaka, age 19, R Rank 15, as he threw the ball at a student. The student evaded it.

"Nice try, but that was weak," taunted Hiro, age 16, R Rank 23.

"You're right where I want you," Yutaka smirked.

Hiro moved right, as predicted, and Yutaka's teammate Kazuki, age 15, R Rank 5, knocked him out. "You lost because I'm a genius. That's two down, 13 more to go," Kazuki bragged.

Looking at the scoreboard, Kazuki exclaimed, "What?! They've only got four left? How did they knock out so many already?"

"You guys are just too slow," said Takuya, age 18, R Rank 1, having taken out six players.

Kazuki noticed another player who had knocked out three opponents despite not looking physically strong.

"You tried your best, and you looked beautiful while doing it. I didn't hit you too hard, did I?" said Kalino, age 15, R Rank 28.

"No, it wasn't that hard. Thanks for going easy on me," replied Asami, age 16, R Rank 26.

Soon, it was down to just four prey. Ganix thought, What now? It's just me and one other guy. Kalino is a handful, but the numbers are against me. I only have one minute left. Can I survive?

At that moment, the predator team launched their attack.

"I guess this is it. Me and the other guy are out," Ganix thought.

But suddenly, a student spun around, kicking the balls and hitting several opponents.

"What the heck is he doing?" Ganix exclaimed.

The student, Naoko, age 18, R Rank 2, shouted, "Sensei, I'm not out, right? You said we can't catch the ball, but you didn't say we couldn't repel it!"

"Yes, you're correct," Mr. Satoshi confirmed. "Repelling an attack gives you options to free yourself and keeps opponents at bay. In battles, you must adapt and find ways to win despite disadvantages."

Naoko took out six opponents. "That guy might be able to turn this around!" Ganix observed.

Katashi, age 16, R Rank 19, prepared his next throw. "This one will knock out the last prey," he said.

But Ganix sidestepped the ball, launching a corkscrew flip and kicking the ball, knocking out Katashi.