Rei was being pulled through the air in a violent way. He swayed left and right, like he was attached to some kind of rope, which was pulling him through the fabric of reality. The force was so great that he could feel his body being stretched in all dimensions. Then he suddenly crashed into something, and his body splattered across space.
He opened his eyes. His head was hurting. Above him was a familiar, grey ceiling. He was in the simulation room of the Academy. He looked around. He seemed to be the only student in the room; all the other seats were empty. Leaned against the wall, talking to another staff member, was director Mazato, who noticed Rei and came up walking to him.
"How are you feeling? Quite the punch you took there!" he said, smirking. Rei sat up, grabbing his forehead.
"What happened?"
"You went unconscious. Don't worry, similar to what you experienced when you shot yourself, this isn't an issue at all. Actually, if you're unconscious or dead while being transported back to reality, it allows for the smoothest transition," the Director explained. That made sense. Suddenly going from being conscious to going through that horrible trip when leaving the simulation sounded like a experience he could gladly do without.
"I see... I lost, didn't I?"
"You sure did," the Director chuckled. That wasn't really the response Rei had hoped to hear. To go out with one punch, how pathetic he was.
"I want to ask you something," unexpectedly, Rei found himself prolonging the conversation. "Why didn't you stop the fight between Hyoudo and Ribeiro? You were watching, weren't you?"
"I told this to some others already, but I had no reason to stop the fight. Both parties were conscious, yet didn't give up."
"I understand not wanting to make hasty decisions and call off a fight early, but..."
But it just felt wrong. There HAD to be something wrong with this logic.
"That fight might've only been in the simulation, but it was a real experience nonetheless. We are just teenagers, don't you think that's a little... cruel?" Rei's mind went back to the sight of Hyoudo's bloody, deformed face. He couldn't shake the image off, it was like it haunted him.
"But each of you decided to come here out of your own volition, didn't you? And Hyoudo had every chance to give up."
"But you should know that her decision not to give up was stupid!" Rei exclaimed, getting more frustrated. Why was arguing against the Director always so infuriating? It felt like his words made sense, yet the meaning behind them didn't. Rei couldn't accept that what happened there was morally correct. It shouldn't be.
"You are the adult responsible! You should know better than put us through unnecessary horrors like that!" he said, leaning forward with stern eyes. Meanwhile, the Director's smile didn't vanish.
"Kawakami, why do you think I chose to open this academy for late teenagers like you? Why would I pick a bunch of bratty seventeen-year-olds over adults, who already have a lot of valuable experiences?" Mazato leaned in as well, his eye contact unwavering. Rei wanted to protest the "bratty" comment, but he decided to just listen.
"Because I want to shape you." The Director's voice felt heavy, like he was admitting to a sin. "Of course I knew better. Of course I could tell that Hyoudo was going to lose. But after this, she might've realized that as well. Ribeiro will give his best to never let a fight end like that again. They will learn."
That's... that's just...
"That's just cruel! You can teach us these things without... going so extreme. Nobody should go through such an experience..." Rei said. The helplessness of losing a fight. Of a stronger opponent holding you down. With no escape, no way to fight back. The feeling of despair crept up inside Rei's heart, triggering memories in his mind.
"Pff... hahahaha!" Suddenly, the Director burst out into light laughter. "'Nobody should go through such an experience', huh? Say, have you forgotten where you are?"
"Huh?"
"Do you think that is the last time you will see such a sight? Do you think we train you for nothing? Sure, 'elite soldiers' might not be the best description for the role you'll have to fill. You can think of it more, as, let's say, 'leaders'. Leaders that can lead the country in politics, but also stand at the frontline to protect it. Do you think fighting for this country is a light task? Don't joke with me. Don't underestimate the battlefield."
The Director's words felt like venom, filled with animosity. Rei was scared.
"You will experience that again, and maybe even worse. So it's better to learn to deal with it in a safe environment, don't you think?"
Then, like a switch, the Director's voice felt so calm and logical. The conversation felt like a boat in a heavy storm, being hit by one wave after another, with the captain having no control over the flow.
"Because your job will be to deal with it. And to use that experience to make sure that nobody else has to. Because you're a sacrifice. Because that is your purpose."
Rei was too stunned to speak. He felt so childish. I guess he really had underestimated his position. Was this really what he wanted his future to be like?
No, he had no other choice. Like the Director said, this was his purpose. Without it, what would he do? Without a hill to climb, without a light to chase, where would the point be? This purpose was the only thing he could hold onto.
"But don't worry, child!" The Director put on a childish grin, pointing at Rei in an exaggerated manner. "We will make sure that you are ready! So just believe in us!"
The Director really had the power to change the atmosphere of the room with a few words, huh? What a scary man.
As Rei was about to leave the room, he quickly turned back to the Director.
"That reminds me, what happened after I went unconscious? Did the winners of each group fight each other as well?" Rei asked. That had been in his mind ever since the Director specifically split the students into four groups. That way the tournament style could be continued with the four winners.
"You're a smart one, aren't you? Yes, they did. And before you ask, Ribeiro won."
"I see..."
With that, Rei left the room. He was beat - it seemed being unconscious didn't give him a lot of rest at all. He made his way to his room, but was stopped in the hallway.
"There you are! Feeling okay?" Akari asked curiously. Behind her stood a familiar guy. As far as he can remember, Rei saw them together before. He had white dyed hair, with a light blue strand, matching his eye color, standing out. Combined with a pair of earrings, he gave off similar vibes to Akki. Rei didn't like it. On his shoulder, the letter "D" was imprinted in red.
"Ah, this is Yoichi. He's a childhood friend of mine!" Akari introduced him, using what seems to be his first name. Yoichi put on a light smile as he looked at Rei.
"This is Rei, a weirdo in my class," Akari said as she turned to Yoichi. Being called a 'weirdo' by Akari gave him a bigger whiplash than any conversation with the Director ever could.
"Haha, nice to meet you, Rei," Yoichi said extending his hand. Something was off. It felt like, just like Rei himself, this guy also had no interest in talking to him. But unlike someone like Akki, he still tried to act friendly. Well, some people just find it important to seem polite, Rei thought.
But he wasn't interested in that. He didn't want to keep on acting friendly with someone he had no interest in talked to, so instead he just nodded and walked off. In the back, he could hear Akari's words.
"Don't worry, that's just how he is. A weirdo, right?"
Normally this would make Rei angry, but for some reason, he could just shake it off as a joke. Maybe because it was Akari who said it? What was her relation to Yoichi anyway? They were childhood friends, sure. But there was also that conversation that Rei had overheard. He can't remember what it was about, but they were talking about something being completed or doable in a few months. Well, it had nothing to do with him so... he wasn't interested at all.
He took a glance back. Akari was cheerfully engaged in a conversation with Yoichi. Rei should be happy - maybe if she finds even more friends she'll bother him less.
He arrived at the building holding the student dorms and stepped into the elevator. The doors were about to close when a foot was placed between them, stopping it.
"Ah, it's the guy that lost to Ribeiro!" Ouma Fukachi from Class B stepped through. The guy who pathetically lost against Hyoudo. Behind him was Akata, also from Class B. Rei didn't know if he had participated in the tournament, as he hadn't been in his group.
"..."
Rei didn't reply, and instead just made space for the two students.
"What? Did I offend you? Hey, at least you got to beat up the guy who won against my brother, right? Thanks for that!" he said with a grin, throwing an am around Rei.
"...You're welcome," Rei replied. He hated overly energetic people like this, especially the ones who have no sense of physical boundaries. But at the same time, it felt great to be praised for beating up Akki, so he allowed it.
"Don't worry about it! Yashiro also lost against Ribeiro, so don't sweat it!" he explained, pointing back at the red haired Akata. That must mean that Akata was a group winner.
"Ahaha, don't remind me please..." the red hair replied, scratching his cheek.
The elevator doors closed and it started to move upwards. With Fukuchi's arm still around him, the ride felt far longer than it actually was.
"Well, maybe I get to fight you myself one day. You better be prepared, you hear me? I haven't shown my true power back then," Fukuchi said with an ominous chuckle, putting his hand over the his left eye, which was the one that wasn't covered by the stupid looking eye-patch.
'What is wrong with this guy?' is all that Rei could think, so he just nodded along.
The doors finally opened one floor before Rei's, and with an exaggerated movement, including a twirl, Fukuchi stepped out. "So long, my friend! May you become a witness of Fukuchi the Great!" he yelled out, laughing.
"Sorry about that," Akata started speaking, staying behind for another moment. "He doesn't mean it in a bad way. I know he may seem like an idiot, but he's actually smarter than he leads on, so I hope you can forgive him for his behavior."
Akata gave Rei a heartfelt smile, before leaving the elevator as well,
"See you tomorrow, Kawakami."
Without any further interruptions, Rei had finally made it to his room, only to find Akki sitting there, fiddling on his phone.
"Ugh, what are you doing here?"
"This is my room too, dipshit."
Rei lied down on his bed, closing his eyes. He just wanted to relax, but Akki had to make it difficult.
"That reminds me, don't you dare put on that bright screen saver on your phone again while we sleep! I need the room to be pitch dark to sleep."
Ah, that. Rei had an app which would show a warm, white light on his phone. Basically an artificial night light.
"No, having a pitch dark room sucks. Don't be so sensitive," Rei replied.
"Huh!? How am I the sensitive one? Why do you need that crap anyway? Are you afraid of the dark or what?"
Rei opened his eyes and frowned.
"I'm not afraid or scared. I just... sleep better if there is some light."
He didn't like complete darkness. It felt like anyone could just step through the door without him noticing, creeping up to him. He wouldn't notice if a man came home, and before he'd know it, a man would pull on his hair, or throw him out of his small bed, or kick him, or grab him by the neck and shut his windpipe close. Shit.
Rei closed his eyes once again, turning around to face the wall.
"Well, I sleep better if there is no light. So deal with it and stop inconveniencing me. I sleep badly as is with you in the room," Akki said, and with that left the room, probably to meet up with friends or something. Rei curled up his bed.
From there on, he would wait for Akki to fall asleep, before turning on the app and going to sleep himself.