A long-limbed creature crouched in the hallway, weeping.
Its enormous body completely blocked the way.
Bai Yuze backed away inch by inch, afraid of disturbing the monster in front of him.
"Is that even human?"
Whether the creature in front of him was human or not, the best thing to do for now was keep his distance.
Bai Yuze was incredibly grateful that he could see in the dark. Otherwise, he probably would have ended up giving the monster in front of him a warm embrace.
Since the way ahead was blocked, Bai Yuze turned and took another route, glancing back at the creature from time to time in case it tried to ambush him.
Fortunately, the other route led Bai Yuze to the end of the hallway.
He looked around and realized he was inside a dilapidated house.
How could this hallway lead to a run-down house?
Suddenly, the surroundings began to collapse, and the ground started disappearing.
"Am I about to wake up?"
Bai Yuze immediately realized he was about to leave this absurd yet vivid dream, so he tried hard to remember what he had seen.
"A strange hallway, a long-limbed creature, a dilapidated house! And..."
A flash of white light passed, and Bai Yuze opened his eyes, his gaze clouded with confusion.
"Classmate Bai, it's time to attend the opening ceremony."
Beside him, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled at him.
"Classmate Sakayanagi! Do you have some paper and a pen? I have something really important to do!"
Though Sakayanagi Arisu looked a little puzzled, she still handed Bai Yuze the paper and pen. He took them and quickly wrote down what he had seen in the dream.
When he was done, Bai Yuze let out a breath and began thinking about what had happened in his dream.
If it had been an ordinary nightmare, Bai Yuze wouldn't have given it a second thought. But ever since arriving in this strange Classroom of the Elite world, he had grown cautious, afraid that one careless mistake might get him killed again.
"Did you dream about something interesting, Classmate Bai?"
Bai Yuze had been asleep, and the first thing he did after waking was ask her for paper and a pen. So he must have dreamed about something, whether it was interesting or not.
"Uh... Interesting... probably isn't the word I'd use."
A hallway, a creature, a house—none of those things had anything to do with "interesting."
"Never mind. Let's hurry to the opening ceremony."
Bai Yuze changed the subject. Seeing that, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't press him any further. She simply picked up her cane and headed with Bai Yuze to the opening ceremony.
The moment they stepped out of the classroom, a voice called out to Bai Yuze.
"Bai Yuze, come with me to the office."
It was Mashima Tomoya, Class A's homeroom teacher.
"Teacher, don't we still have the opening ceremony?"
Judging by the time, the ceremony was about to begin. It seemed strange to have a talk now.
Mashima's expression grew complicated.
"You don't need to attend the opening ceremony. That's also what the school's higher-ups decided."
Hearing Mashima's words, Bai Yuze looked at Sakayanagi Arisu with a puzzled expression.
Sakayanagi Arisu looked just as puzzled.
"Looks like Sakayanagi Arisu doesn't know about this. So is the Mashima-sensei in front of me really Mashima?"
Mashima seemed to notice Bai Yuze's wariness. He covered his head and gave a wry smile.
"I wasn't turned into one of those things. I just want to talk to you about what happened earlier."
Perhaps afraid that Bai Yuze would panic and run away, Mashima took a few steps back.
"Then repeat the rules on that piece of paper from the classroom."
Bai Yuze still wasn't convinced.
In the end, Mashima had to repeat those rules before Bai Yuze finally trusted him.
"Sorry, Classmate Sakayanagi. You'll have to go to the opening ceremony by yourself."
"That's all right."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled gently, then left.
Bai Yuze followed Mashima to the office.
There were no other teachers in the office.
Mashima pulled over a chair and sat down, then pushed another chair toward Bai Yuze.
"Sit."
"No need. I can listen standing up."
Mashima smiled and picked up the teapot, pouring two cups of water.
"Sit down. This conversation between us won't be short."
Bai Yuze had no choice but to sit. As soon as he did, Mashima held out his hand.
"Hand it over."
"What?"
"The thing."
Bai Yuze was completely confused. What was going on? Were people in anime Japan all so cryptic?
"I mean the Gui Dan," Mashima said, pausing. "The vermilion orb."
"I don't have it anymore..."
"The school won't take it for free. We'll transfer four million points to you."
"I really don't have it..."
Bai Yuze repeated the same thing.
Mashima furrowed his brow.
"That thing won't do you any good. If you carry it around, it'll keep bringing you misfortune."
"I'm really not lying!"
Bai Yuze told Mashima what had just happened. After listening, Mashima fell silent.
"Classmate Bai... Do you prefer a peaceful life, or one full of adventure?"
"Uh... A peaceful one, I guess. Why?"
In his previous life, Bai Yuze had been a shut-in, and he knew his own limits. Those adventurous tales were best left to the protagonists.
"I'm sorry... The life you want may gradually slip away from you..."
Bai Yuze: ???
"Did you dream about a strange hallway?"
Mashima smiled at Bai Yuze's astonished expression and tried to reassure him.
"Don't be surprised. That hallway is actually one of the Gui Dan's abilities. What you saw was what you're about to experience. You'll encounter the things you saw in your dream later."
"What I'm about to experience?" Bai Yuze pondered. "Will I die?"
"That depends on what you can do."
Mashima smiled and picked up his cup to drink.
"Since you say this is an ability, I'm not the only person who has it, right?"
Bai Yuze was certain of one thing: he might be special, but he wasn't the only one.
Mashima's familiarity with this ability meant that he either had it himself or had met someone who did.
"That's right. You're not the only student with this ability. As for how many others there are, you'll have to find out for yourself."
Mashima didn't deny it. He openly confirmed Bai Yuze's guess.
"One last question: what kind of school is this, really?"
"Haha, sorry. I can't explain it clearly. If you survive, I won't need to waste my breath explaining it to you."
Mashima smiled as he answered, and his words made it clear that Bai Yuze's experiences from here on out would be dangerous.
"All right. You still haven't bought the things you need for your dorm room, have you? Hurry along. If the store closes, you won't be able to buy them."
Mashima simply gestured for Bai Yuze to leave. He had thought it would take a lot of effort to convince Bai Yuze to hand over the Gui Dan. Now that Bai Yuze had absorbed it, there wasn't much left to discuss.
Bai Yuze nodded and stood up. Just as he stepped out of the office, Mashima called after him.
"Bai Yuze, make sure you come back alive."
Bai Yuze said nothing and closed the door behind him.
Before you continue