Bright light shone into Hyoudo's eyes as she started to wake. Every time she came back from the simulation, it felt like she had just been ripped out from a long, long dream.
"Welcome back, leader," Aguchi was sitting on the side of her seat, smiling at her.
"Sorry for letting that happen to you…" she replied, groaning as she sat up. Last time she had seen Aguchi, his body was getting torn apart by blue Caerulium, his flesh and blood propelled through the air.
When Aguchi had woken up, he had to restrain himself from screaming through the room like a maniac. So, he instead had pushed his face into his own seat, muffling his own howl. He could swear that he had still felt the sensation of burning bullets digging through his insides, and so he had used the first few minutes after waking up to make sure that he truly was alive. And he wasn't the only one either; the Class D students who had woken up had the same experience, although to various degrees. Enzo, the large, green-eyed, minigun-wielding Class D student was still sitting still, his hand on his shoulder and his eyes glaring into nothingness.
"Saying 'it's no problem' feels wrong here, but it's not like I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen," Aguchi eventually replied. "As long as you use my simulated life to assure victory, I don't mind being your shield."
Hyoudo looked at her classmate, smiling softly. She slowly raised her hand, trying her best to keep it from shaking as she offered a handshake. "Thank you."
"You're always so formal," Aguchi remarked, returning both the handshake and the smile.
"Congratulations on your victory." The Director approached, clapping his hands. Due to the glove on his right hand, the sound was muffled rather than a proper, satisfying clap. "You definitely deserved it."
"Thank you."
"Thanks…" Aguchi couldn't force himself to sound genuine. If he would be honest, right now he couldn't bear to show any gratitude to this man. Of course, in the end, he himself made the decision to come here and to fight in these battles, and yet he couldn't help but mistrust the person to put him into those horrible scenarios.
"How did you do it!?" a panicked voice joined the conversation. "How did you see us through the smoke!? And what's with that sword!?" Yoichi approached them, his face ghostly white and his body shaking. He looked like he could barely stand on his feet. Director Mazato stepped to the side, not wanting to involve himself in this discussion, instead opting to watch from the side-lines.
"Why should we reveal our strategies to our competitor?" Aguchi replied swiftly, not wanting to share any useful information, which only agitated the white-haired boy in front of him even more.
"Playing dirty to win and then acting all mighty about it? Do you have any idea-"
"Stop." Hyoudo's voice was almost authoritative as she put her flat hand in Yoichi's direction. "There is no point in hiding it. Two classes have been watching our fight closely – even Class D will eventually be able to gather all that information," she told Aguchi, calming him down as well before focusing back on Yoichi. Every time she saw him, she could see his head falling off his shoulders. "Three of our classmates had infrared-goggles on. Although the smoke made it slightly less effective, they could still easily make out where you are and the silhouette of your individual body parts."
Yoichi looked down disgruntled as he heard the explanation. They had been completely outmatched.
Before a class battle begins, each class is provided a certain 'budget' of points, with which they can then buy various items listed in a virtual catalogue. Of course, the price varied a lot – there were simple items such as clothing or flashlights, which were relatively cheap, all the way to whole vehicles, that of course had a steep price. Any points that they wouldn't use or were left over would then be added to the budget of the next fight.
Class D had seen Hyoudo training with her sword before and considering that she had somewhat taken a leader role in her class, they decided to focus on countering her. They had all equipped themselves with strong firearms that would be able to hit from large distances. They even put a lot of points into the minigun that Riberio had, which was intended to be able to quickly break through any shields. It worked, although not quickly enough.
"So what were we supposed to do?" Yoichi whined. "We knew we had to stop you from getting too close, so we all agreed to search for an open space with a good view. Although we then had a disagreement on how many people should be guarding our backs..." he explained. He didn't have to, but it felt like he had to defend himself. From his perspective, they had done everything they could. How were they supposed to anticipate a smoke screen? And how could they have possibly defended themselves against it?
"You recognized Class A's weakness against long distances, but there was something you forgot," Mazato interjected, becoming more interested in the discussion. "If you recognized said weakness, don't you think they would too?"
Yoichi didn't know what to say.
"If your enemy has an obvious weakness, you should not only think about how you will take advantage of that, but also what said enemy will do to overcome their weakness. Expecting someone to not consider their own disadvantages will lead to you being unprepared," he further explained. Both Hyoudo and Aguchi were nodding along in agreement, while all Yoichi could do was to grit his teeth in frustration.
"I'm not saying that I expected you to already do this. Instead, I want you to learn and grow from this experience," the Director added, not wanting to demotivate the student. "And even if your strategy or plan crumbles apart, there are still things you can do to turn it around. You wanted to position yourself on the field to avoid a close-combat fight, yet when the smoke screen dropped, you still held your position. Do you think fighting in a situation and battlefield that your enemy created is a good idea? There is nothing wrong with backing away into the forest, waiting until the conditions are in your favor."
Despite the Director's attempt to make him reflect about the outcome, Yoichi didn't seem inspired. Quite the opposite; with nothing left to say, he simply stormed off, going back to his own class.
"Well, I guess they'll need some time to calm down," The Director said, before turning his attention to Hyoudo. "I was very impressed by your skills. I didn't expect you to be able to use the sword so... efficiently."
"Thank you. It took some training to get the hang of it, but now it's starting to feel more and more natural."
Hyoudo had found the sword in the catalogue, and after asking the Director for some explanation, she started to train with it.
'The Ignis Vulnus', or as Hyoudo would call it, 'The Fire Sword', was a relatively expensive item in the catalogue. When she first showed interest in using it, the Director started barraging her with confusing information, going on and on about its genius design.
"In a nutshell, it's a mind-controlled, heat-emitting sword that doesn't yet exist in reality, but we are working on creating it. The design came from the legendary Enomoto Yasao, the same man who invented this simulation," he had eventually ended his explanation.
"Why does it not yet exist?"
"Because while it works in theory, the materials and the production of it are time and money consuming. Not to bore you with even more details, but the metal alloy described in its plans has not been created yet. It's both heat resistant and extremely tough yet weighs even slightly less than steel. We probably won't be able to sharpen the edges quite as much as we want to, but with the intense heat, capable to weaken and even melt any material it comes near to, that isn't an issue."
Though said metal, one could see small lines branching off another, decorating the already beautiful blade. These lines were responsible for heating up the blade – which is where the 'mind-controlled' aspect came in.
In order to make it as efficient as possible, Enomoto had proposed for the wielder to control the flow of the heat through those lines, all just by thought, by using a wireless accessory attached to the fighter's head. That way, one could focus the heat just on the edge of where the impact would happen. Not only could one save energy and fuel, which was stored in the accompanying backpack, but also go beyond the standard level of heat.
That said, even in the simulation, being able to control the flow of the heat whilst being in the middle of a fight was a challenge to be sure. That's why the sword would usually run in default mode; a mode in which all lines are equally powered. The only time in which Hyoudo was able to control the flow herself, was when she had cut through Enzo's minigun. Thinking back on it, it felt like she had never been so concentrated as in that moment. Considering that he was praising her, the Director must have noticed that.
"Where did you learn to fight with a sword?"
"Ever since I was young, I have been visiting a local Martial Arts facility that specialized in sword play. They had their own techniques and style as well," Hyoudo replied to Mazato's question, standing up and preparing to leave the grey room. "Although I'm still not quite used to fighting with a sword like that. Even when I'm wearing protective gear around my arms and torso, it would always feel like my face was inches away from a big fire."
"You were the one who refused to wear the protective helmet."
"It gets in the way and is too heavy. I can't concentrate while wearing it."
Hyoudo was accustomed to being able to move quickly during a fight. The Fire Sword wasn't quite as light as what she was used to, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. The same went for the backpack, which definitely was in the way, but since it was a necessity, she had no choice but to deal with it.
Finally, the last Class A student – Ririka – came to her senses as well, and the students all celebrated their victory. In the opposite corner of the room, Class D was huddled around in a circle, silence oppressing their mood, with not a single person willing to talk.
Finally, all the students were dismissed, leaving the simulation room at last, entering the hallways and following their teachers back to their respective classrooms. Class B and C were waiting in the hallway, watching the students leave. A few of them had planned to give some encouraging words to the losers or join the celebration of the winners, and yet neither came to fruition. Instead, the viewers watched the players without making a single sound. Silence was the only song that seemed befitting of the situation.
"We have a free study hour, should we all go prepare for the upcoming exam?" Akari asked her classmates once the fighters had left. Her voice was as energetic and optimistic as ever, cutting through the depressive atmosphere like it was nothing, giving Rei a whiplash.
After recovering from the shift in tone, every student agreed to tag along; even Rei thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. He wasn't one who was very skilled at motivating himself to study, so if he forced himself to join a study group, it would forcefully put him in a position where he had no choice but to work through the school material.
With him sitting at the very edge, the class was settled around a table in one of the study rooms. Most of them were talking to each other, asking questions and comparing notes and solutions. The written test would cover a lot, with a focus on the history of both the country and academy.
"Woah, your hand-writing sure is clean," Akari remarked, leaning over Rei's notes. The letters he had noted down were connected beautifully, each stroke executed neatly.
"Why aren't you using your tablet? You think writing on paper makes you special or something?" Akki immediately butted in, facing Rei as he sat on the opposite side.
"Shut up, I'm just used to it."
Rei didn't like all the curiosity; it was somewhat embarrassing. It was true that he simply preferred to write with pen and paper. It's what he had always used in his early childhood, back when he would spend his days in his parents' room, sitting on the floor as he drew and wrote out the fantasies in his mind. It had been a peaceful time, even if Rei could not remember all that much about it.
"There you are, Kawakami."
A voice shifted Rei's attention from his warm memories to the present day. As he turned around, he found red-haired Akata standing behind him, having just entered the room. He was smiling kindly as usual, holding two white letters in his right hand. "I have your reward. You know, the tool you earned through rock, paper, scissors," he explained, handing Rei one of the letters. The Class C students looked at Rei in confusion, not quite sure what the context was.
"You gambled while playing rock, paper, scissors?" Akki asked him, squinting his eyes with suspicion.
"No!" Rei denied.
"Technically yes," Akata confirmed.
Not quite trusting the red-head, Kawakami Rei carefully opened the letter, revealing a one-sided paper, filled with handwritten notes.
"What is this?"
Akata leaned in closer, looked around the room before talking in a low, quiet voice.
"The solutions to the upcoming exam."
"What?"
Filled with disbelief, Rei took another look at the piece of paper. It definitely looked like test solutions; there were numbers to indicate the respective test question, with a short and concise answer noted down next to them. The students in the room all immediately gathered around the present that Akata had brought them, but Rei, almost instinctively, folded it back shut.
"How did you get this?"
"I can't tell you that, sorry."
"Did you steal it? Did you break any school rules for this?"
"I did not."
If he was telling the truth, that means that Akata wasn't the primary source of this information but rather got it from someone else.
"Still, I doubt doing this in fair-play in the eyes of the Director. We could rat you out," Rei confronted the boy standing in front of him. Why would he give them such a big advantage over a silly game of rock paper scissors? Were these solutions false and was this just a trap? Or was he serious when he claimed that he wants the classes to get along, outside of the competitions?
"You absolutely could, and I would probably get in huge trouble. They might even expel me."
"So what makes you think that we won't?" This time it was Akki who interrogated their visitor.
"It's simple; how can I expect you to trust me if I don't prove that I trust you?"
What a ridiculous statement. Risking your position as a student in this facility just to earn a bit of trust from a different class – it was pointless in Rei's eyes.
"Don't worry, we won't tell on you, right guys?" Maruta, a fellow Class C student, looked around the room. He had been somewhat of a leader of the class, mostly due to having a talent for organization and socializing. He would often go around checking up on people, reminding the class of assignments and organizing study or entertainment events. Not that Rei had participated in a lot of them.
The class members all nodded a long, with Akari adding a passionate "Yeah!" into the conversation, making Akata sigh in relief.
"As for actually using those solutions, what do you think?" Maruta guided the conversation to the topic at hand: the apparently all-powerful solutions to the upcoming exam. "Don't get me wrong, Yashiro, I fully trust you and I appreciate that you would give us this chance, but this also seems... risky," he continued, speaking both to his classmates as well to Akata Yashiro. "If someone gets caught using these solutions or if we make it too obvious, we could stand at threat of getting punished, possibly expelled."
The academy had made it clear that breaking the rules could lead to serious consequences. Of course, there were different levels to that, but cheating was not appreciated, especially if it involved inside information that they shouldn't even have access to. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that the information was correct to begin with. Even if they trust Akata, if he got the knowledge about the test from a different person, then it could still end up being a complete red herring, maybe even a trap that he had fallen into as well.
"I agree. Plus, I would feel bad about cheating as well. Isn't it more beneficial to rely on our own skills? That way, we will also be further prepared for future exams," Akari added on, and the class appears to hold a shared opinion on the matter.
As for Rei, he would not want to use the solutions either. If he couldn't achieve passing a simple written exam by himself, then he had no right to be here in the first place.
"I understand, that's no problem at all!" Akata replied, nodding along with a smile, before taking the letter back. "But since you're already here, Akari, I have a favor to ask of you," he continued to speak, handing her the second, unopened envelope. "You can refuse if you want, but I'd like you to ask Class D if they would want these solutions. I would do it personally, but you once mentioned that you were close friends with Uyamune, I thought I might leave that to you. He doesn't seem to like me, so if I would offer him these solutions, then he would for sure reject them..." Akata explained, laughing softly in some sort of self-pity.
Uyamune? From the context that Rei gathered, he concluded that it must be Yoichi's last name.
Wait, so the reward I had earned was for every class? This guy is a bit TOO fair.
Akari stared down at the letter in her hand, looking somewhat unsure as she bit her lower lip. "Sure, leave it to me!" she eventually said, looking up at him with a big smile, "I guess I should avoid mentioning your name then, Yashiro?"
"Thanks, you're a life saver! You can take the credit; just tell him you managed to get the information from a reliable source or something," Akata suggested, looking pleased and thankful for the help.
"You don't need to thank me; you're the one supporting everybody! Good luck with your class battle as well!" she said. That's right, if Rei remembered correctly, Class A would compete against Class D in three days. He wasn't aware if Akata and Yoichi had bad blood between them, but even if they didn't, being offered such generous help from your soon-to-be enemy would surely make anyone suspicious.
Akata thanked Akari repeatedly, humbling himself before Akari took her turn to thank him as well. The two of them were pretty much throwing their gratitude back and forth like a tennis ball, each of them fighting with their kindness as their weaponry. Rei didn't know why, but this overly sweet positivity made him sick. The fact that there were many naive people who were willing to put themselves in a disadvantage to help those that they should be competing with in an academy so ruthless made little sense to him, but it was apparent that the world did not care what he deemed illogical.
After having some small talk with every single student in the room, Akata excused himself and left the group alone, allowing them to focus back on their studies. Now that Rei was forced to read through blocks of text again, he regretted not taking the offer of the solutions.
The written test will be held in six days. Not only that, but their own first class-battle is also just eight days away. Everything seemed to approach so quickly, with stress accumulating on Rei's mind. He took a deep breath before focusing back on the material in front of him.
Everything will be fine, I got this.