February 22th.

I think I stayed way too late chatting with Yulia last night...

"I can't stand for this! No one is actually doing jack-shit about this! Aren't you all pissed off about it too?"

Midst the cafeteria, a young brave man stood on top of the steel tables. Carrying his usual golden pendant around his neck, Tsudo shouted in direction of all of us. By all of us, I mean the people who even bothered to show up in this cold cafeteria.

"Shut up already. You know he's in for some shit once he returns..."

While Tatsu was correct, it still didn't deny the fact that there was no one doing anything about Kawahara's rampage.

It had been the second day ever since Kawahara had taken a hold of all the food from the kitchen.

Now, what was I doing here?

Certainly, there would be no point in being here.

No food to eat. The freezing chilly air that consumed this atmosphere in the middle of the winter would make anyone want to crawl right back to their comfy beds right away...

Therefore, what for...?

"Will this really work though...?"

I had decided to ignore Tsudo's verbal rampage and marched forward to a certain location. Coincidentally, that location just so happened to be in the cafeteria.

The cafeteria is fairly simple, there's nothing remotely remarking about it. I almost confuse it for a relaxing lair more than anything since it's obnoxiously dead in terms of vividness...

There were 10 tables overall and almost every single one of them was not occupied. Right now, the only ones who stood in this cold room were Tsudo, Tatsu, Ryoken, I, and...

"Hey, man..."

Located in the furthest table down south, stood aloof Rayazaki, who was already in his uniform. Usually, we only dress up when we have to leave for classes, but for some reason, Rayazaki was already in his green uniform.

The ever standard green blazer followed up with a red tie. Noticeably, a set of green pants were accompanied with it.

As for me, I simply had my blue pajamas. Because there was no reason to embrace this cold in such a cruel manner.

"....What!?"

Oops. It appears that I've startled Rayazaki from the looks of it. It's fairly common. His reaction, that is. His fingers are constantly shaking due to the fact that he is texting in this pure cold.

That has to be hard.

"Don't be so hostile. I just want to talk..."

"I don't believe you. Stay the hell away from my phone or I will report you!"

Maybe there was a rule about this yet I didn't bother to care. There was another chair right next to Rayazaki's seat, but he had the expression of a scared cat who would run away the moment you would approach him.

"Who're you texting?"

"How is that any of your business...?"

Come on, Rayazaki, don't be so dumb. Who would bother to text someone on this broad light shivering atmosphere right at this moment... There was also nothing appealing about this cafeteria. It was just your usual blue colored room with the purpose of sitting down.

Usually, when sitting down you'd have at least something to eat or drink, but there was absolutely no sight of that coming from any of us here.

Regardless, Rayazaki posed a good question. How was that any of my business?

"It's not. But you're shaking man. Why not go back to your room? What's the point of being here?"

"Since when are my actions of your concern..."

Ah, yes. Rayazaki was blocking the screen of his phone so I couldn't possibly see what he was doing. Rayazaki was facing the opposite direction of me, who was still standing.

In other words, he had his entire back against me.

"When are you gonna pay me back, by the way?"

"What do you mean, Rayazaki?"

I had already taken a seat on the dual table alongside him on his left, but he wasn't bothered by my presence anymore. Projecting any sort of hostility was out of the question.

This cold wasn't a joke. Just by checking my phone, there were 7-celsius degrees... It's impressive how someone can stand here...

Especially for someone like Tsudo, who is still somehow trying to make his point to the audience...

"I haven't forgotten, you bastard! You and your schemes, your misconceptions, you should be damn ashamed of being this wrong about something and not showing any remorse for it!"

"Oh, you're talking about that? Just relax, man. You've got a new phone now, don't you?"

"Yes... Hyunda borrowed me. Hyunda's a good guy. But you, are the worst... Stop approaching me please..."

Hyunda? A good person?

Since when?

I guess that's normal in this scenario. Rayazaki has no idea what Hyunda has in mind, so, someone like Hyunda who offered him a phone might seem like a savior.

Hyunda is probably Rayazaki's Messiah, right now. Without Hyunda's existence, the bridge between Rayazaki and Hinagiku would grow shorter and shorter yet thanks to Hyunda, it's only growing larger. In a good way.

"Look, I'm sorry about it. Isn't there any possible way that I can make up for it?"

"Are you deaf? Retarded? Autist? Did I not mention how to make up for it already? Just pay me back!"

"I can't do that. Paying you back is without a doubt impossible right now..."

It's true. It sucks to admit, but I'm financially inferior to almost anyone here. If it weren't for Yulia who paid me yesterday's lunch, I would be starving by now.

What a kind person she is.

This isn't to say that I'm not feeling hungry right now though.

"So...?"

"So, let me make up for it in a way that I can. Not in a way that I can not. Get it?"

"What are you talking about, dude? I just want my phone back or at least money equivalent to the phone you broke. I don't want anything else... You're lucky I'm a kind person and that I'm willing to let that one slide."

Wow, look at you.

Such a nice person, so full of morals.

A person breaks your phone and what do you do?

Oh well, better forgive that person.

"I'm grateful for your kindness. But I just can't shake this guilty feeling off my consciousness. There must be a way that I can make up to you, in a convenient and more plausible way. In a way that not even money will come close to it..."

Rayazaki's expression stiffened quickly. He wasn't bothering to hide his phone screen anymore. My words had captured his attention like a child who had discovered the first toy ever. Truly a wonderous expression.

"I can't understand what you are talking about, dude..."

"For now, you don't. But, think about it. There might just be something."

"Huh? What?"

I then left the cafeteria. It was necessary to leave Rayazaki in a state of confusion.

What is unbeknownst to Rayazaki is that, in a state of confusion, he will be forced to think about those confusing words until he forms a concrete and solid conclusion about the meaning of them.

Furthermore, I wasn't going to bother with anything else. What had to be started was already in motion.

While almost leaving the cafeteria, before doing so, I cast a short glance at Ryoken, who was admiring Tsudo's justice speech somehow admirably.

Plus, it was fucking cold as hell. No fucking way am I staying in this cafeteria any longer.

9.am. Block F. Main classroom.

Who would've thought? Even in this somewhat decently structured classroom, a plag of cold was storming inside it. For instance, I thought of complaining due to how unacceptable this is, but I was quickly remembered that this classroom doesn't have an air conditioner.

No heater also.

In addition to that, every single chair in this classroom was made of sheer steel. Steel so cold that even through uniform clothes, they were emitting permanent cold through my skin.

I guess I have myself to blame over the fact that I don't have any warmer clothes. My table partner, for example, seems pretty comfy. She has a black scarf which contrasts her stunning pink hair.

Even her blue collants came out astonishing. Of course, since the males' uniform had the colors of green and red to it, so did the girls'.

Instead of pants, they had a flowering appealing average size green skirt which was followed with a green blazer.

Although one could argue that the red tie did not suit them, I would say it's exactly the opposite.

Nevertheless, my point was that she was fully dressed up to be warmer than I am, which caused me to be slightly jealous because I was trembling in this abysmal cold.

"Sensei, hear me out today and now, please!"

"Ohh... But I was going to ask everyone to get ready for the P.E class..."

P.E class, you fucking monster?

Do you not have dignity in your soul!? What in the fuck is going through your head for you to think that it's an extremely healthy thing to exercise in the middle of this colossal cold?!

"I need to complain now that everyone is here! It needs to be said!"

Alas, the only one who was in high spirits for a negative reason, was Tsudo. Yes, yesterday, Tsudo did not get his complaint out for one simple reason.

Yuka-sensei just ignored him for the rest of the day.

"Um... I'll give you 5 minutes. Any more than that and it's a no-go. Okay?"

"Sensei, he's probably going to say something stupid. We are wasting time here..."

Arkalee wasn't off the mark by assuming that whatever Tsudo had in store for us to hear would be stupid. Rude, still. Also, it was rare to see Arkalee talk in the first place. Arkalee, under my impression, was just this introverted who had adorable twin-tails.

Just what is it about twin-tails? I love it so much yet I can't grasp the reason for my adoration.

"It's not stupid, I swear! Don't you dare use your feminine bias towards me!"

"I wasn't doing that, jerk..."

Instead of impulsively retaliating at Tsudo, Arkalee just says those passive words.

"So?"

Impressively enough, Yuka-sensei was taking off her jacket to the point where she only had a white shirt visible along with her teacher uniform. Her slender tighs would make any virgin quake, but that's another story.

Nevertheless, she was impatient already. Surely enough, Tsudo had to speak up.

"Our dorm advisor left for a week and hasn't shown any signs of returning before that. How is that admissable?! Aren't dorm advisors supposed to be there to administer order and law for the sake of a better environment!?"

"Hm... Why didn't you say this sooner, Tsudo?"

"I wanted to, but you didn't grant me permission yesterday!"

"I see. Go on."

"His absence allowed chaos to make its entrance to the dorm and it's barely anything you'd consider secure! For example, Kawahara has stolen all the food from the kitchen! Now, before you all assume something unnecessary, I brought along some crucial and real evidence!"

In order to compensate for his strong words, Tsudo immediately reached out from his own right pocket and brought up a piece of paper along with it.

If that's what I think it is, then that's a good start for his own argument.

"Read this, please."

Tsudo's woody classroom table was right in front of Yuka-sensei's desk which contrasted my classroom table when it comes to that distance. Therefore, all Tsudo had to do was to reach out for Yuka-sensei for her to grab that piece of paper and start reading it.

"Let's see... It says... E-Erm, pardon me... 'Your King here. The one and only. I'll be out for a whole week....! If any of you f-fuckers fuck anything up while I'm gone you're all dead......!! P.S: If you want to eat, then make your fucking own food......!!' or so it says..."

Yuka-sensei was showing visible embarrassment for having to read all that profanity out loud.

Please don't misunderstand. She wasn't embarrassed just like a normal person would be. She was slightly horny.

"As you've read, our advisor left us with that message! What would this mean, then!? I think what he meant for us to grasp was that we needed to divide all the food that was in the fridge and in the storehouse in order to eat collectively. Because that's what a normal dorm does. It shares food amongst its peers. Right?"

In all honesty, Tsudo's point was starting to be visible for some of the girls. We, boys, already knew what he was up to. It was something that wasn't on a distant shore but rather, in a close avenue.

Tsudo's spirit was something that was often witnessed but this time, it was grand.

"Yes... That would be the whole point. If your dorm advisor tells you to do such, you are supposed to obey what he tells you to do. It's the same for you girls, right?"

"Yes, sensei! Our advisor is so kind! Whenever she is awake, we have all sorts of talks! She also lets us sleep a little bit late, hehe! She's amazing!"

Once Hinagiku voiced her opinion about what Yuka-sensei had said, Rayazaki flashed a smile.

What for? Are you seriously happy about the situation? Why though?

Just because they have an advisor that's not draconian about his methods? Why don't you feel sorry for yourself, Rayazaki?

"Of course, that's the desirable scenario! That should ALWAYS be the scenario! Yet... There is more to that!"

With quick lighting speed, Tsudo takes out yet another piece of paper and hands it to Yuka-sensei.

"If you may."

He even bowed while saying those words. Tsudo must truly want to prove his point.

"Alright... It says... Wait, is this it?"

"Please say it!"

Tsudo was really trying here. Luckily for him, a certain someone was sound asleep. Even though that someone might just be called out in a matter of seconds...

"Oh well... 'I'm the King now!' or so it says... So, what is this supposed to tell me?"

"I'm glad you asked. You see, a certain someone had this stupid idea of stealing every food from just about everywhere and refuses to share with anyone! Furthermore, just because our room advisor is gone, he is abusing his brute strength as if he is a dictator now!"

Right at that moment, my phone had ringed. I took a moment to look at Rayazaki and Hinagiku but none of them were texting each other from the looks of it. Which means there was only one person who could've texted me right now.

I gave an appropriate reply to her just because I was looking forward to this event and its conclusion.

"Tsudo, calm down. You've been shouting non-stop. Also, who is this certain someone?"

"I'm talking about him! Look at that posture! Those manners! He's not even paying attention damn it! Look! He burned my favorite Manga! He burned Kuzan's wig! Now the dude has no choice but to accept the fact that he really is bald for life!"

"Hey!"

"There's more though! Susaga said that some of his accessories had been stolen too! I'm sure if you ask everyone around here from the male dorm that they will have complaints! This cannot be overlooked any longer! Not only is stealing food intolerable but to steal personal belongings on top of it!? That's straight-up unforgivable, Yuka-sensei!"

Leaving everyone in awe, Tsudo continued his verbal barrage. Honestly speaking, I wasn't expecting him to complain this much, but it was a reasonable complaint.

Also, Tsudo, how are you going to get away from the fact that you just showed everyone in this class a burned hentai manga? Do you realize how idiotic that was?

And of course, let's not forget Kuzan's wig who is not with us anymore. Although your time was short, Kuzan is on his way to embrace baldhood thanks to your absence.

"Well, is this true, boys?"

"Yes!"

"Well, yeah..."

"It sure is. I've never starved this much for once..."

Multiple replies came straight-up, but I didn't bother to give my opinion about it although I was glanced at by Yuka-sensei.

Whatever the reason, Tsudo's point was being made.

And now, the important event was about to start...

"Kawahara... Kawahara. Kawahara! Hey!"

When looking at Kawahara's desk, who, by his side was Akimiyashika, the only visible thing from his side would be his head on top of his crossed forearms.

In other words, the classic sleeping in class posture. But, I don't think a few shouts will do it.

"What is this disrespect!? You steal and steal but then you refuse to take the blame for it!?"

Funny how Tsudo has done acts (supposedly) that imply that several moral codes have been broken yet he fearlessly makes his stand nonetheless.

Sink or swim, eh?

"Aki, could you-"

"Right away!"

She didn't even let Yuka-sensei finish her sentence...

What the hell are you gonna do, you vile creature!?

"Gahh!!"

Unexpectedly, Akimiyashika stroke her right elbow onto Kawahara's back which immediately forced him to come to his senses.

Why am I suddenly reluctant about sleeping in class now? What if that was me?

"I think he's back to his senses now."

Yeah, no shit. You elbowed him like the world was going to end.

"Thank you. But please, be more gentle next time, alright?"

"Yes, my bad. I'll reflect on my action..."

Did Akimiyashika even mean those words? It's as if she's only saying those words for the sake of saying them. If this made any sense.

"Cough... Cough..... Cough...."

That's weird.

Am I hearing what I am hearing from Kawahara?

Could he be...?

"Kawahara, good morning! How are you doing today!? Who would've thought that you had the audacity to sleep in my class!"

After a short while, Kawahara raised his face and...

Why does this man look so dead...?

".......Sorry. Cough, cough. I'm sick. I didn't sleep at all last night."

"You damn liar! You're not sick, you're only pretending to be si-"

"Cough, cough!! Cough!!"

Either this is brilliant acting or he's really sick. Regardless, Tsudo was not able to finish his sentence due to Kawahara's coughing abruptly interrupting him.

"Do you have some tissues with you that I can use...? Cough, cough..."

"You must be joking."

Just give the man some damn tissues, Akimiyashika. I bet you have them.

Is your pride this big? Seriously?

"Please, just one. Or else I might just sneeze all this snot onto you accidentally..."

Now that would be a sight.

"Sensei, can we please continue!? It's obvious he's trying to delay my point by portraying his act! Come on!"

That could very well be the case. Kawahara's non-stop coughing aside, if this was an act then it would be necessary to set up a few steps first.

"We don't have time for this anymore, Tsudo. However, I will personally investigate the dorm later. Talk to me after class and bring me the details about this, okay?"

"Y-Yes!! Thank you so much! Really, really, thank you so much!!"

Yuka-sensei had not forgotten the 5-minute mark and ended the classroom right at that moment. Whether Kawahara was truly sick or not was something beyond my caring.

But, wasn't he screwed if Yuka-sensei performed a full-on investigation later on in our dorm though?

Did I overestimate him too much?

Also, something to notice is that Yuka-sensei would really be working on this. In other words, our complaints were effective to some degree. That degree being, to where they are acknowledged.

All of us started leaving the classroom with quickness and it was then that I met up with her.

"What was that all about? Is it true?"

Our block had a total of five rooms. Two stayed at the upper floor while three remained at the very bottom.

I have no idea why there are five rooms in total when we only use the upper one that's located on the left side of the right one. It's vast and extensive yet that's what's necessary for a classroom of 24 people. Right now, I was descending the small staircase while coming up with a proper answer to give her.

"To some degree, yes. Kawahara truly stole all the food. Now, whether or not he's sick, I have no idea. As Tsudo mentioned, it could very well just be an act."

Yulia noticed that I was walking slow on purpose to prolong our conversation and to create distance. The reason I wanted to create distance was so our conversation could not be heard...

I have something to confess...

No, it's not regarding me, but rather...

"Ah, I see. If you need to eat just tell me. I don't mind taking you to one of the places in school where you can actually eat."

"Oh, thanks, but--"

"Though, hear me out, Daniel! Yesterday, I thought long and hard and I came up with new suicide methods! First of all, what do you think about this? The person who wants to commit suicide goes all the way to the beach and just starts walking towards the sea! Then, when that person has reached a point where the water's depth is so profound that swimming is the only option, the person will not swim, but will keep on walking! Eventually, the person will reach a point where breathing will be impossible and that person will die! How aesthetic is that?!"

This is what I'm talking about.

Ever since we opened up slightly to each other, Yulia's been speaking about suicide methods non-stop. At first, I thought that she was being suicidal and that she was looking at life through a negative perspective, but in reality, she's thinking about these methods not for her, but for other people.

I had no idea it would turn out to be like this.

There's also a slight additional problem.

"That's pretty cool. But it should be done if the person is feeling an immense depression, no? Like, for example... Imagine that if the person who wants to do this type of suicide had just lost his/her loved one... If that's the case, then the depression would make synergy with the water's depth because it would symbolize the depth of the depression."

"I see! I also thought about that! Usually, isn't a suicide method created out of the one who wants to commit suicide in the first place? It's an extreme way to express creativity, in my opinion!"

The problem is that I don't mind her conversation but instead I like it.

She's been in high spirits ever since then, but all she talks about is suicide methods.

"You said methods, right? How many more are there?"

Yulia and I had passed through the whole staircase by now and were on our way to the block's entrance. The chilly weather suddenly became more apparent.

I let out a small breath just to see the freezing air manifest itself. For some reason, I always find joy in doing that.

"Um... Let's see, there are two more. I didn't want to bother you with common ones so I thought about them for a bit, as I briefly mentioned. Alright so... Imagine that you are on a private jet while crossing over the Pacific ocean, but then you decide to suicide by throwing yourself to an endless ocean! But here is the tricky part! You don't die here! Let's suppose that somehow you are able to survive the massive fall and that you find an empty island. In that empty island, which could be a deserted one, you will stay there for a day. Can you guess what happens after a day?"

This scenario is far too hypothetical and unpractical but this is just for the sake of steeming our imagination so what's the harm...

"Does a water tornado suddenly rush over and storms the whole island and the person dies?"

"Naaahhh. You see, that wouldn't be suicide, would it?"

"Well, that's true."

I failed to take that into consideration.

"I'll tell you. The next day, you'd wake up and nothing, for now, would happen."

"Wait, what? That's so anti-climatic."

Her scenario aside, my lips were starting to freeze. The P.E class would occur in a faraway block so we still had to walk a bit. Yet Yulia cared not. She was far more concerned about her own tales of suicide.

"I said 'for now', right? Which means that something eventually happens. You see, you would wait a few hours and see this small wave on the horizon. That's odd, right? Because the horizon line simply doesn't change for no reason. But the true reason for that is because, from very far away, a gigantic tsunami had been formed! And you, a person who wants to suicide, would be fascinated by that, right!?"

"Well, yeah."

I'm pretty sure that Yulia's not referring to me concretely, but just as the person in her scenario.

I also stopped by the drinking fountain that was along the way. Essentially, when leaving block F, there is a small lead way to block E, but before getting to block E, there is a path that diverges to the left and to the right. The path to the right takes you to the public bathrooms while the opposite way simply takes you to the other blocks.

Regardless, there was obviously a structure difference, well no--- structure differences, between block F and the other blocks.

Our block seemed haunted while the other seemed perfectly clean and not dusty.

Nevertheless, the drinking fountain stood in the middle of the left way.

Yulia didn't mind stopping there, even without me not mentioning it.

"Ultimately, you'd just wait for the whole tsunami to consume you. Can you imagine the terror a person would feel when facing something gigantic as a tsunami? Simply imagine yourself facing something that big and tell me that's not scary! Furthermore, you'd get scared and then try to run, but no... It was already too late since the abysmal tsunami had already killed you! Hahaha!"

I also can't drink the water properly because she's worrying me with her cryptic dialogue.

When I was finished drinking, I looked at Yulia's phenomenal appearance. Just her looks alone would be enough to overpower any man on this man that is straight. Yet, in addition to that, her enthusiasm for this is surprisingly tremendous.

Though, that's what's sorta scary.

Because you'd never guess what goes through her mind.

"That's cruel, but that's interesting. Although, you'd have to be extremely brave to deliberately put yourself in front of a tsunami for this to work. The nice twist where the person who wants to commit suicide runs away from the tsunami just as it is about to hit the person is good. It added a glimpse of terror into it."

"Isn't that the whole point of suicide!? Nobody truly wants to commit it, but they just can't stand living any longer, hahaha! They refuse life but then they refuse to kill themselves out of pure fear! How contradicting."

We should probably get going or else we might be late for the class calling. Therefore, I walked towards the P.E field. It didn't really have a name to it, like block F or the other blocks, but it was located at the very south of this school.

Given that our block is located in the middle east, it was a walk.

"It's mainly about how they are not ready for the experience. As you mentioned, someone who wants to suicide doesn't want to suicide. However, they don't have any choice, do they? Their lives are so shit that they have to bet that they end up having a better life in another world or something like that."

"That's what's funny about it. They will willingly do it without any shred of reluctance yet where is the guarantee that they will receive the compensation for suicide?"

Yulia had a point. What would truly be the point of committing suicide if there is no possible guarantee that there is life next? Your whole being could simply cease to exist.

If that's the case, then isn't it way more worth it to make something out of this life that you exist in?

"You have a lot of knowledge about this. Just how much do you truly know?"

Even though we were walking on this freezing cold, Yulia swayed her skirt and posed herself in front of me with her right index finger on the border of her lips. Plus, she blinked her right eye, additionally.

"Not telling~"

Of course, you're not.

All this talk has been hypothetical so far. Nothing that she has told me is real. Or so I think.

"We're going to be late at this rate, you know?"

I had to alert her about this. We had lost like a good 5 minutes while chatting on our way to the respective P.E block.

Also, I felt some small raindrops on my wrists, which indicated that there was a good chance that rain would start pouring soon.

"I know, I know. But, I haven't told you about the third method, have I?"

Yulia just kept on walking in front of me. It was as if she didn't want me to miss out on anything.

I suppose it would inconvenient to just stop the conversation right now.

"You're right. You haven't."

"You want to hear it, right?"

With a simple nod, Yulia took the hint and started speaking.

Frankly speaking, there were a few students passing by but I did not care enough to look at them in the face. All that I know is that some of them would immediately flee due to Yulia's intense words about suicide.

Something I had not understood yet was why they would just flee. Is it really that horrifying to you to be in the presence of people who have done nothing to you?

Unless of course, they are aware of our actual crimes, somehow.

"How about just letting yourself die?"

"Huh...?"

I'm not sure if I got what Yulia just said...

"It's simple... Let's suppose you do the following... You put yourself in a coffin for as long as you can. The amount of oxygen you breathe will automatically be limited. Surely, at the time, you won't notice it but as you go on, it will start to be effectively apparent. Furthermore, you won't get to eat or drink anything. Plus, you'll start to attract bugs onto you. Eventually, you will just rot away."

"I get that, but, isn't that incredibly boring?"

Really, how is that method of suicide any interesting to say the least? If all you do is follow the natural course of death then how do you deal with that boredom?

"Sure, if you look at it from a physical perspective. The body only rots away, but, what about the mind? Can you imagine the insanity of a person who wants to kill him/herself so badly that rotting away is the only thing they can think of? Will that person even be able to keep up with it?"

"Won't the person then just stop the suicide? As you mentioned before, Yulia, nobody truly wants to suicide, they just want a better life. Suicide is an alternative."

"You're correct, Daniel. That's why, for this scenario, to make sure you'd not be able to escape or just simply quit this fearsome endeavor, you'd have to bury yourself in a coffin and tell someone to bury you very deep underneath the soil. Or just simply lock your coffin."

That's one way to go about it. If you lock yourself in a coffin for a very long time then you won't make it out. Eventually, you'll just cease to be and rot away.

Unless your name is Dio Brando.

"Anyways, the main thing to capture here isn't the physical development of the body rotting away, but the mental development and how the person who is doing this will reach virtual insanity soonly. Being trapped in a coffin where you will certainly die, isn't that fascinating!? You can scream all you want but no one will hear you. You can move as you please, it will still not later the result! If you think about it, isn't this method brutal and not practiced due to its brutality? Henceforth, this method is interesting!"

Although I'm somewhat emotionally confused about how it is possible for Yulia to insert so much passion onto this depraved topic, her relentless spirit is nonetheless admirable.

Both I and Yulia didn't have our P.E clothes on. This meant that we would have to dress up and thankfully, we were really close to the P.E block. The massive field could be spotted from afar.

Just on our left, there was an extension of three volleyball fields, while on the main field which was subsequently followed in front of the volleyball fields, there was a soccer field.

Oddly enough, it was divided to a point where there was a basketball court on its right while the soccer field would be on the left. Around them though, was the sprinting and dashing platform that we had already practiced our sprints/dashes in.

"True, it is interesting. But it's only thanks to your reasoning. From the surface, the method itself looks bland and obvious. To contrast that, you mentioned something like virtual insanity. I swear you know a little bit too much about this. Did you practice this or something?"

"Hehe, it's just imagination. Anyone's capable of upholding high and vivid thoughts about any topic if they have compassion. Compassion, that was the very feeling that you deemed as useless, was it not?"

It is useless. However, there was something I could conclude here. The feeling may be useless for me, but it certainly isn't for everyone else.

For someone like Yulia who treasures compassion, this could very well be an emotional trigger for her.

"But, that's not all, Daniel! With compassion, you can take your passion for something to a higher level! Ascend it!"

Certainly, from a moral perspective, you are not wrong.

But Yulia, there's something that you are misunderstanding and that vague misconception is something that has blinded you for only you know when.

That's not compassion.

It's obsession.

Later on that day, at 7 pm.

"Pardon my intrusion...!"

"Thank you so much for coming, sensei!"

I think that there wasn't a single person in this dorm, except for Kawahara, who isn't here.

After all, as we stood at our dorm's entrance, Yuka-sensei had paid us a visit.

Christ, it was freezing. Regardless, we had to be there to receive her. Although I wasn't initially looking forward to this, I was undeniably starving.

Relying on Yulia every damn time for the same thing is pathetic.

Of course, Tsudo was the one who welcomed her. We were still on our uniforms yet some of us preemptively popped smirks on their faces.

It seems that they are really looking forward to this.

"You all waited for me? Aww, thank you."

None of us bothered to oppose her words and we unwillingly trusted Tsudo to handle this.

"Now then, where is Kawahara? Does anyone know?"

Yuka-sensei went right to the topic at hand, but Kawahara was not here.

Well, she asked the question for a reason.

"Probably in his room. I haven't seen him anywhere else..."

While delivering a controversial answer to Yuka-sensei, Tsudo rubbed his chin with his fingers. He was most likely wondering where Kawahara was yet it was obvious.

If we go by the premise that Kawahara truly is sick, then, of course, he is inside his room.

"I see! Well, will anyone bring him here or do I have to?"

The real reason why nobody so far approached Kawahara was due to his brutal methods. If Kawahara, someone who is capable of burning your entire manga collection, lives in the same dorm as you, then you'd instinctively run away.

Besides, Tsudo wasn't physically capable of taking on someone like Kawahara.

"Aniki, wasn't Kawahara inside King George's room though?"

"W-What!?"

The majority of us were surprised by what Kuzan had just said. Also, I couldn't really look at Kuzan without wanting to laugh at him.

No offense to bald men out there, but there are times where looking at that shiny shaved head of yours can turn into a rhapsody of laughs.

"Yuka-sensei, it's as Kuzan says. He's in our King George's room."

"Aye, okay. But why do you all call your advisor by 'King George'?"

Ah.

To a stranger, of course you would wonder. Why, really?

Why go through such lengths just to show respect?

"That's not relevant right now, Yuka-sensei. Either way, can you accompany us and search for Kawahara?"

"Sure, Sagasuga. That's what I'm here for anyways."

Thus, Yuka-sensei entered the rustic dorm. For the record, if any girl entered this dorm, it would automatically be a turn-off.

The air here is almost toxic. And the fact that there isn't a heater in this storm just makes this a dorm with absolutely no conditions.

King George's room is right on the first floor, therefore we didn't have to walk that much.

"By the way, are you all practicing hard with your partners? I've seen some chaotic... pairings so far. Please take this seriously. It's for your own good."

Usually, I would ignore this type of advice, but Yuka-sensei was correct here. Passing the exams is essential to our overall safety.

"Sensei, my partner refuses to practice with me. What should I do...?"

"Rayazaki, your partner is Yukishiro, right? Why can't you two just practice together though?"

"That's because she doesn't leave her phone... Can't you forbid the usage of phones, please?"

"What are you talking about? I already do, though."

"Then, why does she get away with that?"

"I'll talk to Yukishiro. Leave it to me."

"Thanks. But, can't you tell her to actually practice with me though? I really, really want to pass the exam!"

It's amazing how we are just keeping this silence going on.

Great job, my guys. Only Rayazaki and Yuka-sensei are speaking to each other while the rest of us is walking towards King George's room.

"I can't do that, Rayazaki. You and Yukishiro need to work that out. Not just you and her. But the rest of you... Erm... Hyunda, can't you be a little more practical, please?"

"But, sensei, I am trying. It's just that my physical capacity is extremely low. It's really not my fault that my partner is highly athletic, just saying."

If I recall correctly, Hyunda's partner was Arkalee. Accordingly, Arkalee was someone who is highly athletic and judging by her scores, she is most likely fluent in running.

Unlike Hyunda who demonstrated a total embarrassment.

"That's not true though. You can do it. But, you aren't even trying. How can you know if you don't even try, Hyunda?"

Um, that's not how it works.

This is the perfect example of blind motivation.

Someone cannot simply do something accurately just by believing that he/she can do it.

Practice is way too important, but I feel like that's not preached anymore.

In the end, Hyunda remained silent. Perhaps he didn't have any words to say or just didn't felt like saying them.

"Sensei, I'm having a similar problem... My partner... Quite literally refuses to cooperate. She's always doing the work by herself instead of us working together as a team..."

"Tsudo, your partner is Lus, right?"

"Yeah. Every time I approach her she just verbally lashes at me... Isn't there something I can do about it?"

"Yuka-sensei, there's no one here..."

I had to interrupt the small talk to notice Yuka-sensei about something crucial.

Kawahara was not present in the room that we have been walking towards, also noticeably knows as King George's room.

There was something that further caught my attention.

Rayazaki's PS4, Susaga's gadget, and Kuzan's diamonds, they were all gone.

What the hell is going on?

"Hey, Daniel, what's the whole point in checking here? Of course Kawahara isn't here. This isn't his room! We should've just checked his room from the start!"

"He was here previously, believe it or not..."

"I call it bullshit. I bet you sided with that fucker just to delay us. The fuck is this all about, huh?"

Kan was right about to approach and grab me by my collar, but Yuka-sensei stood in front of me to prevent that.

Furthermore, the situation just put me under suspicion for whatever reason.

"Stop that. If he isn't here, then we will check his room. Even all the other rooms."

"Wow, sensei, please not that. Anything but that!"

It appears that Tsudo had something to hide.

Also, what's the matter with Kan? He's been confusing me so much lately.

Every single one of his words and actions, I can't seem to comprehend them that much.

His words about not interacting with anyone here left a mark on me since he was the very first person I met in this school but I had not deciphered the meaning of those words yet.

He never speaks his mind.

"On what floor is his room?"

"Third floor, sensei!"

This time, we were running towards the third floor. Tsudo gave the indications right away.

The rustic staircase almost felt like it would crumble as soon as we all started to climb it at a fast rate. On the other hand, right as we were about to reach the third floor, a small coughing voice could be heard throughout the whole hallway.

"...Tsudo, you didn't lie about this, did you?"

"Of course I didn't! You even asked everyone else about this, sensei!"

"Just for the record, you all didn't lie to me, right? RIGHT?!"

"NO, we did not!"

In a perfect symphony, we gave the perfect answer to this scenario.

Yuka-sensei was probably interpreting the coughing that's coming from the hallway as Kawahara's coughing.

"Alright then... Well, let's see what he has to say about that..."

On the third floor, which was the floor we were currently in, there were three rooms. The middle one was most likely Kawaraha's room since it was the only room in the hall that had a door semi-open.

"Cough... Cough! Cough!"

Jesus Christ, is he faking it or is this really a case of sickness?

Nevertheless, Yuka-sensei rushed to the semi-open door and what she found was...

"Kawahara...?"

"...Ayeee, thash mee. Ya neeed shumuthing, Yuuka-shensei?"

Why is this man so sick?

Also, why is this man full of snot on his damn nose?!

"N-No way... Please don't let him fool you, Yuka-sensei! He stole all of our food! Everyone here knows this!"

It's hard to believe that when you are saying those heartless words at someone who is looking at Kawahara in that state.

Kawahara, who is someone known for walking with a naked top even during the winter is on his polar pajamas which contrasts his usual style of clothes. Plus, he has a ton of tissues on his bed, along with boxes and boxes of tissues.

Just by looking at his nose, you could tell that his nose was on fire. That's the sign that someone has been sneezing a lot and the constant whipping movement provokes that.

We also had firmly invaded Kawahara's room and...

"What the hell, he reads...?"

I couldn't help but say that out loud, but there are just a lot of action mangas here.

Kengan Ashura. And Omega too.

Damn, amazing. Never did I think that I would see a physical copy of Kengan Omega's volumes in real life like this.

Either way, he had plenty of bookshelves filled with mangas. His bookshelves were on the right of his bed, which stayed in the upper left corner of the room.

I suppose it's easier to reach out to them that way?

At the end of his bed, there were plenty of action figures. Mainly Baki ones, though I could spot some Hajime no Ippo ones.

Is that Takamura?

"I know, Tsudo. I already asked everyone about this and they didn't deny it. That's why, Kawahara, you and I, have some talking to do."

Despite seeing the sorry state that Kawahara was in, Yuka-sensei still approached him.

"Giche mee shujst a secund pwease."

I'm fairly sure that either his throat is in a bad state or the amount of snot in his immunity system is making him speak strategy.

It could be both, alternatively.

Kawahara weakly took hold of one of the tissues that were on his right before getting up from his bed and proceed to blow his nose.

"Brrrruuuuuuuuuu."

I think we all just quaked while hearing that monstrosity of a nose blow.

"Brrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu."

But, it continued.

Susaga, tried to come closer, but he accidentally stepped on one of Kawahara's weights.

"Ow!"

What's there to complain about? They are all over the place.

Blame yourself for being blind to the point of kicking something that is visible to the naked eye.

"I'm good now. I can talk. So?"

At last, Kawahara could speak normally.

And, without wasting any time, Yuka-sensei went straight to the point.

"Kawahara, according to Tsudo and just about everyone else, except me, you stole food from the kitchen among with several other accessories that did not belong to you. Is this correct?"

"No, it's not."

Somehow I had a premonition that this would be the case and unfortunately, it was.

"You damn liar! We all saw it, damn it! Just this morning, nothing on the fridge! The storehouse, all empty! You gain nothing by lying here! Coward, just admit that you are at fault for once!"

"If you're not gonna tell the truth at least prepare yourself for a beating, Kawahara!"

Both Tsudo and Kan were demonstrating a considerable amount of anger for Kawahara. In addition, the rest of us were showing revolted expressions. Because, Kawahara, was, without a doubt, lying about this.

"No one is gonna beat anyone, Kan. But, Kawahara, they all are saying that you have done it. Are you still going to stand by your own words?"

Instead of just giving him the final judgment, Yuka-sensei attempted to reason with Kawahara once again, perhaps in hope for a different answer.

"I will stand by my own words. Because I'm not lying. They are. They want to blame me for what they did. If I may speak more, they hate me. So, what do they do? They charge me for something I didn't do. Now, that's unfair. Being charged for someone I didn't do is something that even I can't recover from. Plus, I'm in a very weak physical state. The perfect chance for this, right?"

What is he talking about...?

What is the point in all this? Yuka-sensei will find out once she checks the kitchen and the storage.

You are just digging your own hole, Kawahara.

"Cut the bullshit, man! You're so full of shit! I can't believe you can't even admit your own mistakes! Just do it, damn it! Don't prolong this shit anymore! You took advantage of King George's absence to start this! It's over once we go to the kitchen! You can't do fucking shit against evidence, you know?!"

Tsudo was furious from the looks of it.

Lies aren't his cup of tea. Then again, whose cup of tea is it?

"Evidence? Why are you lying? You, nor anyone here has such a thing against me. See, Yuka-sensei, take a note here. This is manipulation. What's happening right now is Tsudo abusing his numbers to his advantage. By psychologically pressuring me, he is making sure that I make the incorrect choice here. However, I will not falter. Regardless of whether or not they all hate me, I will not lie. I didn't do it."

"Manipulation!? You're the one who's attempting to do that here, you damn coward!"

"Say what you want, Tsudo."

It's obvious that Kawahara is lying but what was going through my mind was something else.

If it's so obvious that in theory, he will lose this argument, then what's the point of being this stubborn about it...?

"Tsudo. Kawahara. I understand that you two have different points, so I will consider both sides equally. Kawahara, I will investigate this dorm fully just to see whether or not what you said is true."

"Yuka-sensei, if I may propose something interesting... What do you say about a challenge?"

"Kawahara, I'm not in the mood for jokes..."

"Come on. I'm serious. Just think about it. What are the odds of me winning here? Pretty laughable once you think about it. Therefore... Should I somehow be correct here, do I get to receive something in return?"

"Don't push your luck, Kawahara. The only thing you will receive, in case you are correct, is being free from punishment. And that is, of course, if you are correct."

"Tsk. Boring."

"Also, be prepared for the consequences in case you are incorrect, Kawahara. I will not tolerate the fact that you took time out of my personal agenda just for the sake of this."

What's the point here...?

What am I not seeing here...?

I couldn't help but keep on wondering and thus, instinctively I looked at Hyunda.

"?"

Why is he smirking like that...?

"Of course, Yuka-sensei. However, shouldn't you distribute equal punishment?"

"Kawahara... I told you not to push your luck..."

"But I'm not pushing my luck though. It's about being fair. If they are all incorrect about their claim then shouldn't they receive punishment for being incorrect? Why do I have to be the only one who receives punishment so one-sidely? That's unfair and you know it. Therefore, it would be logical for the punishment to be equally distributed. Or am I wrong here?"

"You're not wrong here, for sure, but--"

"Also, I just want to briefly mention that this could very well be yet another scenario of manipulation. By increasing the credibility of their claim with numbers, they planned to force this one-sided punishment onto me for absolutely no reason. Tsudo called me a coward, but, isn't he the cowardly one? To suggest something like this without being minimally prepared for the same consequences in case of failure. Injustice, I say."

Kawahara was speaking way too much.

It took the majority of us by surprise how his behavior suddenly contrasted from his usual impulsive self.

And Tsudo was boiling with anger, from the looks of it.

"How many times do I have to tell you that lying won't get you anywhere?!"

"Try all you want, Tsudo. I will not be the victim of your scenario."

Things were heating up quite hard. Tsudo's thirst for Kawahara was incredibly high.

"That's enough! I want you all to accompany me! First of all, we will check the third floor altogether, alright!?"

And so, apparently, that was the plan right now. To check every room in this dorm.

I seriously don't understand why we simply aren't just checking the kitchen but Yuka-sensei must have a different idea in mind, surely.

"Also, Kawahara, you are coming along. I don't care if you are sick or not."

"I get it, I get it. Well, I wasn't planning on staying here either way. I've got a point to prove."

Ultimately, even though Tsudo's facial expression was showing even more anger in it, Kawahara got up and came along. Though he distanced himself quite hard.

Roughly 5 minutes later.

Since there were only two other rooms on this floor, we investigated the two remaining rooms.

The end result was that there was nothing in them. By nothing, I meant "food" from the kitchen.

We were all split but we reunited in the middle of the hall once Yuka-sensei called out to all of us.

"Let's check the second floor then."

"Sensei, we are wasting time... Can't we just go to the kitchen and check it? Same with the storage! It's easier!"

"I hate to admit, but I agree with Tsudo here, Yuka-sensei. It will make my point immediately evident. There's no need to waste time checking the other rooms. Why is that? Because there's nothing there. The food is where it has always been, in the kitchen, in its respective places."

Tsudo and Kawahara agreed with each but it wasn't a friendly agreement, of course.

"I'm in charge here. I make the decisions. We will waste time if you two argue all the time. Therefore, follow me and stop blabbering at once!"

I wasn't complaining. Because I was genuinely interested in the outcome of this.

Hyunda's early smirk is somehow in my mind still.

There were far too many things to consider yet once this investigation was done, it would all be clear.

20 minutes later.

"Told you it was a waste of time."

I'm not sure what the point of all of this is if Kawahara somehow fails here.

Saying 'somehow' is wrong because, in theory, Kawahara is doomed to fail regardless.

Also, we had checked every room in the dorm. Even King George's.

Not even the cafeteria and the bathrooms were unchecked.

We were all in the initial position where it all began.

Right at the entrance, we all stood.

Yuka-sensei was in front of the entrance for some reason.

"With this investigation to every room and every other partial room, I've concluded that there is absolutely no food within the rooms. Not even in Kawahara's room nor Tsudo's room, which are the subjects at hand. You are all witnesses of this, correct? Therefore, we can all mutually agree that we saw the same thing, right?"

"Yes."

Every single one of us mutually agreed to what Yuka-sensei had said.

"Good. Then, we will start investigating the places we have not investigated yet. Which are the kitchen and the storage."

"We should've done that from the start, sensei! It was pointless to spend this time searching inside everyone's room!"

Tsudo was especially salty because we witnessed all of his hentai mangas.

Why be salty though?

You're overflowing with culture. That's not a reason to be salty.

"What I did was for the purpose of no one blaming someone else in case the food happens to be in its place. This way, since we've checked every room, that won't happen. Plus, it would've been the same one way or another. If there isn't anything inside the kitchen and the storage then we would've checked the rooms too. Do you all understand now?"

We simply nodded because what Yuka-sensei had just said was incredibly easy to understand.

There was no degree of hard understanding here.

However, Kawahara begged to differ it seems.

"I can't agree with that. And that's because there's food in the kitchen and the storage which would nullify Tsudo's whole point. Aren't you sugarcoating him a bit too much here, Yuka-sensei?"

"I'm not sugarcoating anyone. I had both sides to consider, Kawahara."

"Not necessarily. There was no need to prove Tsudo's point. Because his point is false and therefore it will be a waste of time. Shall I make a prediction? You will reach the kitchen and you will witness every drawer full of food in its respective places. Same with the storage. Absolutely nothing changed."

"Kawahara, keep your assumptions to yourself, please. Your arrogant attitude is pissing me off."

"Aren't I allowed to express myself in this scenario though? It's eleven against one. Not only is the numerical advantage greater but they are making false claims."

The kitchen entrance was only a few meters away from the cafeteria. By walking through the entrance hall there are two ways. The right way will take you to a staircase on the end of the floor, while the cafeteria stays right in between the staircase and the entrance.

Something to note is that this is commonly called floor zero. Therefore, there are rooms here. Four, to be more precise.

Regardless, what truly was important to note here is that the way to the kitchen was all the way forward.

Though the hall was long, the kitchen itself soon turned out to be visible.

Also, Yuka-sensei started to ignore Kawahara, who got slightly obnoxious.

"This is it, right?"

Asked Yuka-sensei as she started at a large door.

"Yes, Yuka-sensei. That's the entrance of the kitchen."

Sagasuga, who was for some reason, reserved today, spoke.

What's wrong with Sagasuga?

"It's open, right?"

"Uh, yes, Yuka-sensei."

Hm?

Why is this taking so long? Just open the door.

Of course, it's open.

Sagasuga was forced to respond to her this time.

"There aren't any rats in the kitchen, ri-"

"Oh my fucking god woman, just go in!"

Kan's angry response was accurate. Why the fuck are you afraid of walking into a kitchen?

You can perform arm locks but you are afraid of rats?

Nonsense.

"W-What...? But how...?"

As soon as Tsudo walked into the old kitchen, he was rendered speechless. Surely, he wasn't the only one.

Almost all of us became speechless too.

I was still trying to comprehend how this scenario was possible. To be frank, I had never visited the kitchen with all the food in it.

In previous times, I had paid a visit here sometimes but it was in a time where Kawahara had all the food in King George's room. But, as witnessed such as not the case. I'm not saying it's impossible to eat all the food but it's a possibility yet that was not the case.

"I told you so. But, don't worry. You want to check the storage as well, correct? Go ahead. Hey, why don't we all eat? Tsudo, make dinner for us, will ya? Hahahaha!"

Kawahara, once witnessing his victory scenario openly mocked Tsudo and said for him to cook the dinner.

From what I could interpret this was a way of saying: 'You lost so pay for it.'

"Shut up, Kawahara! This hasn't been decided yet--"

"Unfortunately, Tsudo, it has."

While this little chat was going down, Yuka-sensei had already checked the storage which is right next to the kitchen. Ultimately the result turned out to be in Kawahara's favor.

"What!? You can't be serious! This doesn't make any damn sense! Come on, seriously! No, seriously! It's clear that Kawahara put all the food in here this morning! Think about it, what another way would this be possible! In the morning, the food was no here! It was gone! Everyone here agrees with me, right?!"

"................"

Nobody agreed with him.

We quickly noticed how futile it was to side with Tsudo. You'd have to be stupid to side with him at this point.

Not because he was incorrect, but because the evidence was against him.

"T-Then, check the vigilance cameras! I'm sure they will tell a different story! Come on, do it!"

That wasn't a bad idea, but there was just a slight problem.

"Oi, oi, Tsudo. Just stop it, bro. This is so sad to watch. Oh, right. What was it that you said...? That lying wouldn't get me anywhere? Damn, would you look at that? I, for once, did not lie and considering how the events turned out, aren't you the one who's lying here? Or are you going to lie in the face of evidence?"

"Stop screwing around, you manipulator! You obviously set this up! I don't know how but you got all the food in here to your own advantage! I bet you faked your illness too for the sake of it!"

"Tsudo, that's not a very logical claim. Me? Faking illness? Are you retarded or something? Why would I do that? How could I possibly gain the upper edge in an argument through faking illness? Are you mad, bro?"

Oh, he did not just.

"Yeah, you did! You faked illness just so you could look physically weak in front of Yuka-sensei! You even claimed that we were the ones manipulating, but that's not true at all!"

"Me being sick is completely irrelevant here. I won this argument through words and words alone. My physical condition did not play a role in this, therefore your point is invalid. Also, you say strange things. I still stand by my own words. You did manipulate the whole scenario. And the fact that no one agreed with you a few seconds ago just goes to show what happens once the leader of a manipulative scenario fails. The rest loses as well!"

"You're so fucking full of sh-"

The situation itself was escalating to be pointless.

Tsudo was already deemed as the loser and Kawahara was the apparent winner.

I still stand by the idea of having the surveillance cameras checked but Tsudo's credibility just went down so much that no one is bothering to stand by his idea any longer.

"Tsudo, that's enough."

And Yuka-sensei was the one who put the argument to an end.

There was no point anymore.

"As far as evidence goes, the kitchen is full of food and the storage shares the same scenery as well. This is meant to say that Tsudo's whole claim was false and that Kawahara is free from punishment. I'm using evidence as a ground of certification here since it's the most common use and we even went through several rooms just to check this so-called 'evidence'."

We were all, except for Yuka-sensei, aware that Kawahara was lying through his teeth but couldn't do anything about it. Because somehow, Kawahara had put all the food back to its respective places.

But that's not all. All the stolen accessories returned to its respective places in the owner's rooms. This was something that was witnessed back when we checked every room.

If we follow a logical train of thought and accept what we are perceiving, then Kawahara is the victor here.

Nonetheless, Yuka-sensei continued.

"And so, Tsudo and the rest of the boys who agreed with him back in class about his claim will all share the same punishment. If I recall correctly, the ones who didn't agree with his claim were Hyunda, Akihiko and Daniel. Of course, I'm excluding Kawahara since he's rightfully freed from punishment. Nevertheless, the rest, who agreed will all be given punishment for it, as agreed."

Well, I was saved.

I didn't really care much about this anymore. While it is true that Tsudo lost, we got the food back in the end.

We can now safely eat, as long as Kawahara doesn't go on a rampage again.

Also, I'm just gonna be honest here.

This isn't for 'we'.

This is for 'I'.

"Oh, I can't wait for this, I wonder what sort of punishment you will all receive, hahaha. That's what you get for attempting such an evil act!"

And of course, Kawahara springs some salt back to us.

Tsudo was unable to make a comeback because he knew that no matter how much he argued, it wouldn't work.

"Kawahara, make silence. This isn't a joking matter. As for the punishment, it will be applied to everyone who agreed with Tsudo's early claim. In other words, Tsudo, Kuzan, Sagasuga, Tatsu, Susaga, Kan, Ryoken, Rayazaki, you are all to receive punishment. Also, I do not care if you never had the intention of agreeing with Tsudo or not, the fact remains, you all did."

"Hold up teach, that's not right. I just agreed because it was true. This morning, there really wasn't any food. You gotta believe me!"

"Kan, don't be stupid. It's already been proven. Or, are you going to be like Tsudo and go against evidence?"

Needless to say, Kan fell to silence. No one else bothered to make their own stand because it would be useless to do so.

Sincerely I was quite happy with this situation.

However, Tsudo started to glare at me furiously for some reason.

He was right across the kitchen table, which is the exact opposite of my direction.

"Now, allow me to declare the punishment. In the upcoming exam, which is three days from now, should any of those I mentioned and their pairings fail, then the male individual will receive a double supply exam. What does this mean? This means that if you fail, then you will take two supply exams instead of one. For the record, all of you have already taken one. Shall I remind you what happens once you are unable to take your fourth supply exam? I will remind you, anyways. You get expelled. Now, do you know what happens once you are expelled?"

"We get sent to jail? Oh, sorry! You guys do! Hahaha, because I won't take a part of the supply exam either way!"

Once again, Kawahara throws salt at us for no reason at all.

The fucker's enjoying this so hard that he can't erase that damn smug smirk off his face.

"Kawahara, if you don't take your exam seriously then you won't be in a great position either. Don't think that you are in any position to be celebrating this much."

Something I've noticed is that Yuka-sensei's words have been really cold lately.

Why are the world and its people so cold?

"This punishment will take motion at the start of February 23rd, in other words, in a few hours. Any last words?"

It didn't really matter what I had to say because it turned out to be crucial to the fact that I was silent back then.

If anything, I'm proud of myself for unknowingly making the smart move.

I think I'll have a good sleep tonight.

"Wait, sensei. I have something to say..."

"Speak then, Tsudo."

I should mention something, Tsudo, all this time, instead of looking at Kawahara with those eyes of fury, is, instead, looking at me.

This is something beyond my current comprehension. What the hell was there about me more infuriating than Kawahara?

He was the one who screwed you up...

"While it is true that those who agreed with the claim should be punished and obviously, I, who made that claim should respectively get punished too, shouldn't those who have gotten themselves involved to some degree, even if minimal, be a part of this too?"

"I'm sorry?"

Yuka-sensei, unable to understand what Tsudo wanted to say, questioned him.

Everyone was puzzled too, myself included, of course. Even the winner, Kawahara, couldn't quite catch up to what Tsudo was saying.

"Hyunda didn't involve him in this at all. He just searched every room and didn't agree with me back then. Same with Akihiko. I believe that they should be excluded. But, there is one person who got slightly involved in this and isn't being punished for it... and that is you, Daniel!"

W-What?!

Why is he pointing at me?!?!

"What the hell are you talking about, Tsudo! I did absolutely nothing here!"

"No, not true, Daniel! In the beginning, Kuzan asked you if Kawahara was inside King George's room! To Kuzan, you replied affirmatively! You can't deny your involvement in this! By confirming that he was there, you intentionally agreed with my statement about this! Otherwise, you would have done nothing!"

What is this fucker talking about?!

How does that involve me into this?!

"That has nothing to do with it! I confirmed that Kawahara had been inside King George's room previously but I never said that he was there right now! All I said is that it was worth checking since he had been there! That doesn't mean that I agree with you!"

"No... It's all there. You didn't agree with me because back then, you knew that if you had spoken that you'd lost. You already knew this far up, didn't you? If one thinks about it, couldn't you've been the one who put all the food back there?"

"You're speaking utter nonsense! It's already been proven that the food never left its place, damn it!"

Although I knew I was lying, there was no backing down now.

"Regardless, you didn't clarify it to anyone that you had a different opinion about it. Otherwise, what sense does it make to go back on your own words? You said where Kawahara might've been, but wasn't that because there was a hidden purpose behind it? Because you wanted Kawahara to be found? Ultimately, you agreed with me and you know it!"

"Fuck off, Tsudo! I never agreed with you. You're just making shit up this time!"

"Well, Yuka-sensei, isn't it unfair how all of the rest gets punished just for agreeing with my claim but someone who entices further details about the suspect's location doesn't? Isn't that wrong!?"

Shit, this fucker...

He's not even speaking to justify himself, he just wants to send me to the same hell!

"Although your conduct about this is malicious, I can't ignore your point. It's unfair to blame everyone else who made the claim and to let Daniel out of the thread. As a matter of fact, Daniel did worse than agreeing with you, therefore he will receive the same punishment as you."

"What!? You can't be serious right now! All I did was just for the sake of making this less time-consuming!"

"Yes, Daniel. While I am grateful for what you have done, and that you have contributed to this investigation, you will still receive punishment. Don't worry, all you have to do is pass the exam and nothing bad will happen. Same with the rest who received the punishment. Oh yeah, you haven't received, so why are you all crying like little babies?!"

I think that I became slightly furious to the point of slamming my hands into the table while arguing but I didn't notice it.

Shit...

Why do I live in such an unfair world?