After agreeing to participate in the rather suspicious task, we followed the Director back inside the main building towards the simulation room. I took the time to look around, trying to remember the faces of the participating students. At this point I've been able to memorize the names of the entire grade, including the student council and some of the more important staff members. Still, I only have detailed intel on a smaller percentage, so many of them are still complete mysteries to me. Any sort of task or activity will give me the opportunity to judge the characters of the participators. That said, this is all going a little too.... smoothly.
Think about it, why are there so many chances for me to gain information on the people surrounding me? For example the time that was given to us to explore the simulated island, or when we were asked to "prepare" for the upcoming physical assessment tests today. These instances didn't really make sense. In both cases, there wasn't enough information given to come to any sort of conclusion. They were pointless. In the simulated island, there was no way to figure out if it was real or not. You had to make an educated guess based on intuition and how much you knew about this institution already. And for the physical assessment tests, while you did have some time to warm up, nobody really needs that much time for that - it would be counterproductive.
Yet, they were strangely helpful to me. I could take enough time to observe the behaviour of my peers. Their emotional state, their abilities to grasp a situation and the decisions they made. It's a treasure of vital insight into my enemies and friends alike.
But why were those situations prepared? Did the staff need some extra time to prepare? No, that didn't seem the case for either instance. Neither could I see any time consuming activities by the staff, nor would it make sense for a seemingly highly organized institution to waste that much time.
In short, it only leaves one highly likely possibility left: someone else is also trying to gain intel on the students. Someone who has both a motive to strive for as much information as possible while also holding the power to make the necessary decisions. It could of course be one of the teachers, but from what I have seen, none of them were very attentive during the tests. Then how about the student council? It seems that, as the only absolvents of the three year training, they have quite the impactful say on decisions, and the student council president does seem like a rather interesting person but... they didn't seem to be present during the tests either. Basically, it would by far make the most sense if the one making these decisions was him.
I looked straight ahead. The Director was strolling through the hallways, whistling a tune as he does so. He usually seems very relaxed and almost unserious, yet he was present in both tests, has the most power in this academy as far as I know and he doesn't seem to be stupid either. Plus of course, it does make sense for him to want a good insight into the students, since he will have to make the decision on which class should graduate in the end. There is just one problem. I've never seen him taking any notes. There are 32 students, all thinking about what to do, how to act, what to say and what decisions to implement. Even for me it's pretty difficult to gain a good insight in all of them, so I am mostly just focused on the more interesting ones for now. Then again, considering that he's the Director, he might have instructed some staff to do that for him, so that he can analyze the notes in the end.
Well, either way, the Director is trying to understand his students. That's why I can't allow myself to slip up. Even if he dug up my past records, there should be nothing of value to be found. I'm also confident that he won't see through me in a one-on-one, and so far he also hasn't made any moves that would suggest that he's onto me. Still, I can't fully ignore his presence yet. In order to win, I will either have to have him on my side or have full control over his decisions. The second option is way too risky to even attempt; even if I would find a weakness in him, if I try to exploit it and it backfires, it will all be over. When it comes to pure power, I can't even compare myself to him. Not only is he the Director at this institution, but he also seems to have tight connection to the world of politics as well. That's why I have no choice but to be on his side. If an enemy is too powerful for you, just turn them into a friend. I'll have to be the most perfect student possible. No, that's not enough. I'll have to turn my class into a well oiled machine, so powerful that we triumph over the other three classes with ease and give Director Mazato no choice but to let us graduate. The upcoming class battles are the perfect chance for this. An opportunity I can't waste.
That said, there are also some other factors that have been making me rather uneasy. There are just too many unclear parts of this institution. Parts that make only little sense. For example, what even is the point of it? They said they want to recruit the "perfect soldier", who are not only trained in combat but also have a good knowledge of politics and history. That makes sense, it really does. But isn't this a little over the top? All this just to get eight elite soldiers? Is that investment really worth it? From the perspective of the government, would it really make sense to put so much money into a few people? What if it doesn't work? What if these eight people don't become as good as they expected them to? Or even worse, what if those destined eight turn on the government? Maybe they even refuse to work for them. We have no legal obligation to actually work as government officials after graduation - most sane people would just take all the money the earned and leave. Sure, there are a few people here and there with enough motivation to actually take this further - I am one of them - but is that truly a fair gamble?
And then there is the simulation. What on earth is it? They're trying to tell us that we had technology so advanced, yet nobody knows about it? We don't seem to streamline it, we don't seem to use it in day to day civilisation, but why the hell not? The way the school staff talked about it, it seemed like this school was one of the few places that actually had access to it. If that's true then there must be more. There is no way the government would waste such technology on a hopeful project like this.
As my thoughts were running out of control, we arrived at the destination, and the thick doors opened, leading us inside the eerily grey room. Once again we were placed into our seats, and the staff members helped us putting on the equipment. I was taking the chance to look around. As people were waiting to be connected, their personalities were showing. Some were fidgeting in their seat, others were talking happily, another portion didn't seem to be anxious at all.
I thought about the people I saw. So far, I didn't determine any threat to me. None of these people really had the skills to win against me, at least with how they are now. That said, I can't get overconfident. As I said before, I still don't know much about many of them, and the possibility that some of them have a greater potential than I can see now is high. For example, let's take the girl that is happily making small talk. She seems to be somewhat nervous, but at the same time, she's able to hide that fact by doing what she's best at - talking. Ahane Akari, Class C. I've already looked a little into her, I can't deny that she's interesting. She has already made friends across classes, even I have talked multiple times with her. Basically, she might have an information network rivaling mine. No matter how much you look into a person, there are certain things you only get to know by being close friends with them. Someone they can trust. It's not like I'm not doing the same, but I might need to prioritize it more. I'm on my way to becoming pretty popular, but so far that effort has mostly been in my own class. If I see it necessary, I will have to take control of her and her network of friends. It definitely wouldn't be impossible... it's actually becoming more and more of an attractive option.
The person she is talking to is Kawakami Rei. I don't know much about him yet, but I did notice that he has outstanding physical skills. He doesn't seem to be very social though, which will surely limit his potential.
I looked to the other side of the room. A tall guy was resting on the chair, seemingly indifferent to the thought of being pulled into the simulation. Ribeiro Enzo, Class D. His parents have apparently moved here from South America when he was just a kid. Considering that this country isn't exactly foreigner friendly, you don't see that all too often. The important part is his performance in the physical assessment tests. When it comes to physical ability, he might be the apex. He is approximately 194 cm tall. His entire body is defined with muscles, and in combination with the tattoo that's climbing up his right arm and the stern look in his green eyes, it's an understatement to call him intimidating. Well, he also seems to rely strongly on his strength, and it's not like I haven't dealt with people like him before, so this shouldn't be an issue.
Soon, it was my turn to be connected, and a staff member starts plugging in various cables on my body, before placing some weird looking helmet around my head. I read the name plate of the staff member. I guess having friends among the staff would be beneficial as well.
"This isn't dangerous, right, Mr. Kaichi?" I asked, chuckling as I tried to loosen the stiff atmosphere.
"If you don't do anything stupid it isn't."
"Something stupid? What would that be?"
"Something like trying to remove the cables right when you get placed into the simulation..." he answered. It seems he was still trying to uphold some professionalism, I guess that's to be expected. He was a middle aged man, probably around 40. Now that I think about it, getting a job at such a promising institution must be quite exciting, even if you're just working as a regular staff. Even just getting access to this technology must be a dream for many engineers. The staff must be quite capable then.
"What would happen if I were to do that?" I asked, continuing the light conversation as Mr. Kaichi moved on to the person next to me, my classmate, Kozaki Reina.
"If you were to remove only a few of the cables before getting sucked into the simulation, it wouldn't be able to accurately read your physical specs. What exactly would happen is hard to say. Maybe you would be partly paralyzed. Maybe your body would feel only slightly off. Maybe you would be way too weak to even stand. Maybe you wouldn't notice a difference at all..." Mr. Kaichi listed all the possibilities, before turning back to me.
"Or maybe your existence inside the Kaizen Simulation would be unstable and your body would disintegrate into nothingness," he told me in his raspy voice, making some creepy hand movements.
At the mention of the horror scenario, Kozaki shivered in her seat.
"Don't move."
He is quite talkative when it comes to his job, huh? I guess the best way to be skilled at something is to be passionate about it.
I wanted to ask him about his work experience, but he had already moved on to the next person. Oh well, at least I've made a first impression. Even a light conversation like this will give me a slight advantage. After all, would you rather trust someone who have never talked to or someone who you have exchanged a few nice words with?
The again, I don't think I'll ever get in the situation where I'll have to rely on the staff power to deal with an issue.
My seat started to move backwards, turning into a bed, signalling that it's starting. It's only my second time in the simulation, so I can't say that I'm not nervous. Still, whatever this task will be, I am confident that I can clear it. Considering that the Director mentioned that it's a dangerous task in relation with the physical assessment tests, maybe it's a test on how well we can handle guns? I still did not have a proper read on the Director's personality, so it would be hard to guess what he had planned for us. It could be something devilishly tricky or something boringly straightforward. It truly felt like it all depended on his mood.
I was now lying down, staring at the grey ceiling when the room went dark. If I continue like this, I am sure I will win this. I am not talking about this simple test, I am talking about this race of classes, the race towards graduation. And even everything that comes after it.
I will slowly and carefully spin a web of control. Each string will bring me information, influence my enemy's steps and move my allies at will. By the time the class battle tests are over, before anyone will even have the slightest clue of what's going on, my web will have developed too far to be stopped. My victory will be set in stone.
As I smiled in the darkness, my mind was suddenly pulled towards the void.