The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, Starting with *The Fruit of Grisaia*

A sound like the static of an old television losing its signal exploded in the deepest recesses of the mind.

Immediately following was a nauseating sensation of being peeled apart.

For Ryuen Kakeru, Ichinose Honami, and the others, the memories of the previous second were still vivid—

Someone was preparing to throw a punch, someone was walking down a sun-drenched corridor clutching documents, someone was elegantly lifting a cup of black tea.

But the next second, reality was brutally severed.

There was no transition, no waking up from a coma.

This was a purely physical extraction.

It felt as if their entire bodies had been sliced into countless micron-thin layers, starting from the cerebral cortex, down the spine, through the internal organs and limbs, forcibly stuffed bit by bit into this narrow conduit, and then reassembled.

"Ugh..."

When consciousness regained control of the body, the first reaction was the imbalance brought on by gravity.

"Clang!"

Arisugawa Arisu had been sitting in a chair, but now that the air had replaced the seat beneath her, her petite frame tumbled directly onto the wooden floor.

Losing the support of her cane, she had to struggle to prop herself up with both hands, her white beret sliding off to the side.

"Ah!"

Ichinose Honami let out a cry of surprise. The documents she had been holding in her arms hadn't followed her; she grabbed at empty air, stumbled back two steps, and hit the wall with her back.

"Ugh—"

Kushida Kikyo fared the worst. Because she had already dropped her facade, she had to cover her face tightly with both hands to prevent her usual perfect mask from being completely shattered in this sudden turn of events.

Ryuen Kakeru reacted the fastest.

As a delinquent accustomed to fighting, he adjusted his center of gravity the moment he landed, assuming a defensive stance and scanning his surroundings with vigilance.

"Where is this place?!"

Ryuen's irritable voice rang out.

But he quickly realized that his lackeys were nowhere to be found, and this was not the familiar classroom of Class C.

It was a completely unfamiliar, enclosed room.

Outside the window was pitch black, and the room was filled with the smell of moldy tatami mats, as well as...

"♪ A new morning has arrived? ♪"

"♪ A morning full of hope? ♪"

Eerily cheerful radio calisthenics music blared from an unknown object in the center of the room.

In the center of the room.

Under everyone's gaze, a massive, pitch-black sphere about a meter in diameter hovered there.

"...Hah."

Only then did a faint sigh come from the corner of the room.

Everyone followed the sound.

They saw a boy who seemed to have just grasped the situation, pushing himself up from the floor in a daze, rubbing his temples while surveying his surroundings with eyes that were not panicked, but sufficiently confused.

It was Su Wei.

Of course, this was just acting.

As the administrator, he was the only one who had been prepared.

The reason he specifically chose to speak last was, naturally, to appreciate the expressions rarely seen on the faces of these elites.

Not bad. Although they're a bit disheveled, they're calmer than I imagined.

Su Wei pondered inwardly, while outwardly pretending to have just realized the situation, speaking with some hesitation:

"That's... Ichinose from Class B, and classmate Kushida?"

"Have we been kidnapped?"

Seeing a fellow student, the originally panicked Kushida Kikyo seemed to find a pillar of support:

"Su Wei?! You're here too... Kidnapped? But, we were just at school a moment ago..."

"Shut up!"

Ryuen Kakeru interrupted this meaningless pleasantry, strode to the window, and pushed hard, only to find it wouldn't budge, as if it had been welded shut.

He rushed to the only wooden door and kicked it with all his might.

Bang!

The door panel shook, but it still wouldn't open.

"Damn it!" Ryuen turned back, his gaze locking onto Arisugawa Arisu, who was struggling to pick up her hat, and he suddenly revealed a malicious grin. "Heh, the crippled princess of Class A is here too."

"Hey, is this some trick your Class A pulled? Dragging us to a hellhole like this, what kind of game are you trying to play?"

Sakayanagi Arisu had already readjusted her beret.

Even while sitting on the ground, her legs unable to move, appearing somewhat disheveled, there was not a hint of fear in her violet eyes.

She tilted her head slightly, wearing an air of condescending indifference, as if she were the one truly standing tall.

"Hehe, Ryuen-kun's imagination remains as impoverished as ever."

"If this were a tactic of Class A, I would choose a more elegant method, rather than a miracle like teleportation... something that defies even current science."

Sakayanagi pointed toward the Black Sphere.

"Rather than suspecting one another, don't you all think that thing is the key?"

As her voice fell.

Everyone's gaze refocused on the Black Sphere.

Su Wei, blending into the crowd, also displayed a timely look of surprise and shrank back.

But in his heart, he was already struggling to keep a straight face.

Alright, the tutorial is over.

Since everyone is here, let's get down to business.

The music stopped abruptly.

Rows of glaring white text appeared on the surface of the Black Sphere without warning:

[Welcome to the real world, students of Advanced Nurturing High School.]

[The game of house is over. This is a special exam called survival, stripped of hypocrisy and protection.]

[Here, academic background, family status, and lies are meaningless. Only those who survive are worthy of being called "Classroom of the Elite."]

The text flickered again, seemingly carrying a mocking tone:

[From this moment on, you will join the trial as the first batch of qualified candidates.]

[Performance in this round will be calculated into S-Points based on contribution.]

[S-Points can be exchanged at a 1:10 ratio for real class evaluation points, or used to purchase equipment and redeem your own lives.]

Seeing the mention of class evaluation points, the pupils of the previously hostile Ryuen Kakeru constricted, and even the usually composed Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but sit up straight.

"Class evaluation points..."

"A one-to-ten exchange rate..."

Before they could digest the information, the text on the Black Sphere shifted again, this time accompanied by a blurry snapshot.

In the photo was a terrifying figure wearing a convenience store uniform, its head split into several tentacles, currently devouring something.

[Go and hunt this thing down.]

[Target Name: Parasite *1]

[Characteristics: Head blooms like a flower, high attack power, emotionless but capable of contemplating life.]

[Likes: Fresh brains, discounted bento boxes nearing expiration, the feeling of unease.]

[Catchphrase: So annoying, how annoying.]

[Time Limit: 60:00]

[Failure Penalty: Total annihilation of all members.]

[Friendly Reminder: As newcomers, you may use one item for free each time, and each person has three chances. Feel free to court death.]

"Click—"

The text froze, and the sides of the Black Sphere suddenly emitted the sound of hydraulic transmission.

Like an armory opening in a sci-fi movie, the sphere slowly slid open to the sides, revealing the dim blue light inside and the weapons quietly displayed within.

It was not the complex full set of equipment from the original work; there were only five X-GUNs and Y-GUNs gleaming with a cold light, along with five black sword hilts.

There were no combat suits.

Clearly, this had been meticulously adjusted by Su Wei.

[Armory opened.]

[Please select one weapon each.]

[Friendly reminder: If you don't take one, you will really die.]

Su Wei watched as everyone's expressions froze, laughing inwardly.

A tutorial, of course, had to be hardcore.

Besides, how could he give away something as good as a combat suit, which boosts physical fitness tenfold, for free?

He had to make them trade points for it so that they would fight desperately for those points.

Only by forcing them to face monsters with their bare bodies would the survival instinct, born from struggling on the edge of life and death, be the most delicious and delightful thing to witness.

"Parasite...?"

Ichinose Honami trembled, her face as pale as paper.

"Eat... eat brains? Does such a thing really exist?"

"Hmph, playing god and acting like a ghost."

Ryuen Kakeru cursed, but his body was honest.

He rushed toward the opened Black Sphere at the first opportunity, instinctively reaching out to grab a sword hilt.

Compared to a toy gun of unknown principle, as a delinquent, he trusted a cold weapon he could hold in his hand more.

"Whether it's real or not, one slash will tell."

Ryuen Kakeru tried swinging it; the black blade extended, and the edge cut through the air with a shrill whistle.

"If this is a prank, I'll use this blade to chop off the hands and feet of the mastermind. If it's real..."

He licked his lips.

"Then it'll be even more interesting."

"My, how barbaric."

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head, her gaze locked onto the two black guns.

For someone with limited mobility, a ranged weapon seemed to be the only choice.

She turned to look at Su Wei, her eyes filled with inquiry:

"This classmate, aren't you going to choose together? According to what this Black Sphere says, there are only three types of weapons. What are your thoughts?"

Su Wei did not answer Sakayanagi immediately, instead looking at the Black Sphere's countdown, his tone becoming urgent:

"Look, I think small talk can wait until later. Look up there, there are only thirty seconds left on the countdown."

[00:39]