Hiss

"Hiss—"

At that speculation, everyone sucked in a sharp breath. After all, what high school senior didn't hope to get into a better university?

The problem was that this so-called hope was often no different from an unattainable wish. So the closer they got to the college entrance exam, and the more mock exams they endured, the more clearly they saw where they stood—and how far they were from where they wanted to be.

But...

If seeing themselves clearly meant having to spend their senior year of high school in this bizarre place...

"Isn't there hardly anyone in this school?"

"There are plenty of people in this school!"

Just as the question left someone's lips, a voice came from nearby. Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw a young man, who looked relatively mature despite his youthful appearance, emerge from the bathroom. He spoke as casually as if he were making small talk.

"What do you mean?" They hadn't been trying to hide anything, so none of them felt as though they'd been eavesdropped on. They were more concerned about what he meant.

"Nothing in particular. This school is modeled after your real-life school, but nobody knows how big it actually is."

The young man answered. Heris reacted quickly.

"Then how do you know?"

"You'll understand once school lets out. This school is 'fully boarding.' After classes, you'll have to go to the dormitory next door to do your homework. If your school doesn't have a dormitory, it'll take the form of an off-campus hotel. Either way, you'll see far more students there than a school could possibly accommodate."

The young man gave them the explanation calmly, then waved a hand.

"Anything else? If not, I'm going back to studying."

"Um, can we go back?" Paril asked almost without