Chapter 13: Silence before Chaos

Monday morning.

The sun had risen like any ordinary day. The hallways of the Excellence High School were filled with chatter, muffled laughter, tired glances. But amidst the familiar routine, a heavy silence hung over Class C.

No one knew why, but Kenta was no longer the same.

He entered the classroom with an empty look, moving mechanically. His friends avoided him. He no longer spoke. Even his closest lieutenants didn’t dare disturb him.

Class D, on the other hand, was calm. Too calm.

Winner sat in his usual spot, gaze turned to the window, looking indifferent. Salia, from time to time, cast discreet glances in his direction. She was the only one who knew the truth. The only one who had seen with her own eyes what this boy was capable of when he decided to get his hands dirty.

But she remained silent. Just like him.

No one must know.

---

Teachers’ lounge.

A cold-eyed teacher examined a file on his desk.

— “Hmm… Kenta Iwamura. Partial absences. Declining grades. Loss of control over his class…”

He closed the file.

— “It seems the balance is starting to shift. Interesting.”

---

Schoolyard.

Rumors were spreading about something else entirely: the next special exam.

— “Did you hear? The next test is supposed to be even worse than the last one.”

— “Like what? Another avatar game?”

— “No. Something more… direct.”

Winner, seated on a bench in the shade, listened to everything. He didn’t need to ask questions. The answers always came on their own.

A group of Class A students walked past him.

— “Class D got lucky on the last test. They won’t survive the next one.”

Winner smiled faintly.

— Luck has never had a place in my plans.

---

End of the day. Class D.

The homeroom teacher entered with a stack of papers. She handed them out slowly.

— “Here are your individual results.”

The students rushed to check their grades. Murmurs. Whispers.

— “Huh? How did Winner get so many points?!”

— “He was always in the background though…”

— “Told you, it was probably Salia who did everything.”

Winner hadn’t moved. He looked at the paper without reading it. He already knew what was written on it.

His score: 99 points.

A record for Class D.

But he didn’t lift his eyes. He let the illusions do their work.

He remained in the shadows.