The Riot (1)

(A note: the author added a description at the end of the previous chapter to make things easier to understand. You can take a look if you like.)

And so, with the arrival of the next day, the four first-year classes officially began their joint physical fitness test.

But the location of this exam left everyone baffled. There was a perfectly good sports field available, yet they had chosen a recently built one at the far end of the school grounds.

And since it was connected to an undeveloped jungle, the place was not only desolate and dangerous, but the network signal also came and went.

Many students didn't want to take part, but the school had issued an explicit order this time. Anyone who couldn't participate had to provide proof from a hospital; anyone else who openly refused or tried to get out of it would face the harshest possible punishment.

"Basically, you'll lose all your Private Points, the school will revoke every right you're entitled to as a student, and your class will also have its monthly points reduced."

"Once you're caught, you might as well drop out. There'll be no way to survive otherwise."

"Tea... Teacher, are you sure it's okay to hold the exam here?" Just then, a frail girl from Class C bit her lip and worked up the courage to ask, her voice trembling with fear.

Uncomfortable from all the strange smells in the air, the others cast her sympathetic glances when they heard her question.

But the usually calm and gentle teacher turned and shot her a murderous glare. The girl burst into tears, and the others, who had been about to complain, fell silent and lowered their heads.

There was no choice. No one dared to openly defy or oppose the school. What had happened during the lottery had already made it clear that doing so would be like inviting disaster.

Besides, the place didn't even have security cameras installed yet, and the network signal was terrible. If they really angered a teacher, they might be secretly targeted. They'd probably end up being forced to drop out anyway.

Of course, for all that, anyone chosen to become a teacher naturally had their own basic principles.

It was just that, because they had been lightly hypnotized, they now subconsciously regarded anyone who defied the physical fitness test as someone who had crossed their personal line. That was why they all acted so coldly and aggressively.

As long as no one crossed that line, however, they would behave just as they usually did. They wouldn't realize anything was wrong, and would even think everything was perfectly reasonable.

That was what made this kind of hypnosis so frightening. It drained the instigator's mental energy, and if they couldn't control it, it could easily backfire, causing severe brain damage or even brain death. But in return, its effects were remarkable.

In the end, just before the exam began, the class teachers offered a more or less reasonable explanation.

The gist was: "The original sports field has to be reserved for the graduating students in the upper grades. So, to avoid disrupting their training and to keep from delaying our own exams, we had no choice but to hold it here."

Finally, a middle-aged man who had recently joined the school's leadership team and was serving as the chief examiner for the joint test even offered an apology to the classes below, looking thoroughly ashamed.

But that over-the-top performance... Surely only someone nearsighted would believe he was really sorry.

Meanwhile, up in the top tier of the vast sports arena's circular stands, everyone else had already gathered on the first level to compete. Yet two girls and a boy had stayed up there instead of joining them, watching the people below and exchanging bewildered looks.

"Kushida, is the camera ready?"

"Mm~"

"But, Master~ why are we hiding so far away? If Hirata-kun finds out later, he'll be mad at us," Kushida Kikyo asked, puzzled.

"It'll be fine~ Heh, the show's about to begin." Rinya's lips curled into a smile.

Ibuki Mio had been called over too. She was also puzzled, but when she saw the playful look on her master's face, she quickly realized that something might go very wrong with this exam.

So she simply stayed there with them and watched.

And so, with unease in their hearts, the four classes finished getting ready.

The middle-aged man from the school's leadership team rose to announce the rules for the exam.

"As follows: this exam consists of eight events."

"Each person may take part in only two different events.

"No cheating or interfering with others in any way during the exam. Anyone caught doing so will be disqualified, and their class will also lose the corresponding exam points."

The points awarded for the events were as follows: "First place gets five points, second place three, third place two, and fourth through tenth place each get one point. Everyone below that gets zero."

"All right, that's all. The exam begins now!" the man announced.

The first event was the most physically demanding one: the boys' one-thousand-meter run.

Each class had to send three competitors, making twelve in total across the four classes.

Because of the poor conditions,

Classes A and B, hoping to finish as quickly as possible, each sent three tall, lean boys who looked like they had impressive explosive power.

Classes C and D were already at a disadvantage. To save their strength for the events to come, their leaders had no choice but to put the strategy they had discussed earlier into practice. They used a horse-racing strategy and sent several boys of rather average build to compete.

And since all the competitors from Classes C and D were hardcore shut-ins, the moment they stepped onto the field and saw everyone around them sneering and laughing, their social anxiety made it impossible to focus on the race.

"Peeep!"

The moment the starting whistle blew, the competitors from Classes A and B shot forward like arrows.

The boys from Classes C and D hadn't even reacted yet. The result was obvious...

It took them around ten minutes to stagger across the finish line. They had become the butt of everyone's jokes. Still, the other students in their classes applauded them. No matter what, they had persevered—and that was enough to secure the two points guaranteed by the rules.

"Sorry, everyone~" The three boys from Class D returned to their group and lowered their heads bitterly.

No one blamed them, of course. Running had always been their weakness.

But by now, everyone understood that being assigned to a weak event meant facing pressure beyond simply losing. They might have to endure endless mockery and scorn from those around them.

Not everyone could endure having their dignity trampled on and still see things through to the end, as those classmates had just done.

As a result, over the next three events—the long jump, shot put, and push-ups...

Even after Classes C and D put half their top competitors in, they had barely managed to earn eighteen points. Classes A and B, on the other hand, had already reached fifty.

Half the events were over, and there was hardly any suspense left about who would win.

Even the leaders of Classes C and D were starting to sigh in resignation, when—

Suddenly!

Just then, a girl's terrified scream drew everyone's attention.

"Ugh... Help! Somebody, help me!"

When everyone looked over, they saw the tall, burly boy who had just won first place in the shot put gripping a petite girl by the throat and squeezing hard.

Everyone stared in shock and disbelief.

That big, burly boy was famous in his class for being good-natured. How could he just attack someone out of nowhere?

But just then, some of the students who had already competed began to look strange...

"W-what's wrong with him?"

"Everyone, let's stop him!" shouted a boy from Class A with a strong sense of male entitlement.

He was about to rush over and stop the attacker himself.

But in the next moment, when he turned to see whether anyone else was following, the righteous indignation on his face froze.

The orderly class around him, which had been chatting and laughing just moments ago, had suddenly erupted into chaos.

Some were attacked by classmates who had suddenly gone berserk. Others hadn't even had time to react before the panicked crowd knocked them to the ground.

"H-how did this happen all of a sudden~"

"Teacher! Teacher! Call the police!"

The boy desperately looked toward the teachers, only to discover, to his despair, that even they...

"Ah, how could this..."

"Thud!"

Before the boy could finish speaking, another frenzied student tackled him to the ground.

The muffled sounds of punches and kicks followed, accompanied by intermittent screams...

The other three classes were in the same state. Fighting, cursing, and the sounds of things being smashed filled the air.

More and more people were infected by the smells of the chemicals spread over the equipment.

Their faces flushed crimson, and they fought more and more viciously, unable to feel pain.

The effects of the liquid would wear off after about ten minutes as it evaporated into the air, but until then, it was very difficult to stop.

"W-what's happening to them..." On the second level of the stands, the girl pushing the wheelchair, Kamuro Masumi, stared in horror.

"Heh~ Who knows?" the white-haired girl in the wheelchair replied with a faint smile.

Her beautiful, serene face showed no reaction at all to the fighting below.

But her cool, sharp eyes gradually took on a mischievous glint.

"Ayanokoji-kun... I almost feel sorry for you~ Hehe."