Ryo and Kyouko arrived to where everyone was. The lips on their faces curled into a smile as they saw the two of them! All of them gathered around in a circle.
We did it, Ryo!" Arata exclaimed happily, jumping over and over again. Everyone was truly happy, after passing that test, whether luck or pure skill is the one that got them through, it doesn't matter. For them, passing is all that matters.
"You guys were so cool earlier!!!" Hina excitedly hollers with beaming eyes.
"I agree. The final clash was so nerve-wracking!" Airi added.
Everyone was joyous and happy. However, Ryo's mind was wandering far around.
A memory from the past emerged in his mind. A memory he desperately wants to get away from.
A trigger... The Art of Fire... The technique was taught to him by a special someone. He remembered him, as he used that technique.
His heart felt sunken, and his face became emotionless, as the flashbacks on the past continued.
A peaceful night, with a raging fire in front of him... Devouring everyone.
While, Kyouko, at the corner of her eyes, noticed Ryo's empty expression. With polite concern, she asked,
"What's wrong, Kyosuke-san?"
It took a few seconds, but Ryo blurted out a few words.
"It's nothing. Why?" He nonchalantly responded, not even looking at Kyouko.
Kyouko felt unsatisfied with his answer. However, she decided to not push him any further.
"Alright."
Then, she walked up to the others.
"The council has prepared a feast right at your respective rooms, you guys could go back and celebrate there." She said.
Everyone jumped high up in Celebration, with cheerful noises and laughter filling the air.
Kyouko smiled to herself, as she quietly left the place, and went somewhere else.
But before doing so, she whispered something to Ryo.
"Join them."
Before right past him, he looked at the cheerful group in front of him.
"How absurd." He mumbled.
He believed that he didn't belong to this kind of group. Uninterested, and gloomy, he doesn't match very well for a set of enthusiastic people.
...
Meanwhile, Kyouko made her way towards the council office, where a cloth was laid on the floor at the rooftop of that building, with foods and drinks all around, resembling a picnic. Moreover, the ground was topped with grasses all over, making it a realistic outdoor picnic.
Oinamu Stella, Ayako Yukime, Kajiyashaki Ryujin, and another member of the council were sitting there.
Stella, who was fixing the food, noticed Kyouko. With an enthusiastic greeting, she rushed towards Kyouko.
"Kyouko-chan!!!" She yelled out as she ran over to Kyouko and hugged her.
"S-Stella-Senpai?" Kyouko blurted out, bewildered and surprised, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"I'm so glad you made it! How do you like the grassy ground?"
"It's beautiful, it makes the picnic much more realistic."
"I know right, I know right!" Stella enthusiastically said, similar to a child.
Ryujin and Yukime stared at them from the picnic area.
"How joyous Stella is," Yukime said as her lips slightly curled into a satisfied smile.
"I know right? The Stella-Senpai I saw during the exousia incident was far different from right now."
"Stella has her share of experiences akin to what Atsumasa Ayumi encountered. She deeply knows the feeling of being pushed around, the feeling of being controlled. And as such, I commend her for going up against that kind of treatment. She'll now protect those people who are oppressed by another. "
Yukime looked at Stella proudly, as their past memories flooded back in.
"You two sure are closed, aren't you?" Ryujin remarked with a smile.
"Indeed, we are. Well, her aside,"
Yukime turned her gaze towards the other council member just behind them.
The other council member was a girl, with a long, brown ponytail, and a pair of glasses. She was apparently sleeping while sitting up.
"She's still sleeping, isn't she?" Yukime lets out a sigh.
"W-Well... When I picked her up from her dormitory... Well..." Ryujin muttered...
I only slept for 16 hours! I need more!"
"Well, that's what she told me..."
"..."
...
Yukime again lets out a sigh, before she moves a little bit closer to her co-member. Then, in a gentle voice and a gentle shake, she began trying to wake her up.
"Yasuna, Yasuna. Wake up."
With a few moments of gentle shaking, Yasuna finally awoke.
She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around mindlessly for a few seconds, before finally coming back to her senses.
"U-Uh... Ah!" Her eyes widened as soon as she realized where she was.
"I-I-I'm waking... not sleeping..." She murmured embarrassingly.
"W-Waking?" Blurted Ryujin, as he tried his best to hide his laughter.
"Ryujin... why are you laughing?" Asked Yasuna, looking at him with squinted and confused eyes.
"You're definitely sleeping, Yasuna." Ryujin teased, as he continued to keep his laughter.
He waited for a reply... but... in the next seconds, only the cute sounds of her gentle breathing were heard. Ryujin looked at her and there she was, asleep once again.
He stared at her in disbelief.
"Just how many hours does she need?!" He murmured in sheer disappointment.
"Well, let her be, for now at least," Yukime suggested, as she stood up, and went towards the fruit baskets.
"Let's prepare some chocolate-covered strawberries, shall we?" Yukime offered,
"Let's do it!"
...
Meanwhile,
"W-Wow..." Hina blurted out.
Earlier, all of them returned to their room, happily and joyously, proud of themselves that they passed the test. However, an unexpected scenario would soon hit them.
When they returned back to Class-B's room, together with Airi and Arata, in their disbelief and shock, there was no one in the room.
It was eerily empty... They stopped right at the entrance door.
"I-It's just absurd to think how many students have failed..." Haruto said, bewildered by the emptiness of the room.
"J-Just how many students were eliminated?" Arata added.
Ryo looked around and noticed that the things scattered around from the previous days were now cleaned up. He took a few steps and arrived at the boy's room, where the others followed right behind him.
Now, just a few bags are lying beside the bed. Most of them are gone. Only his, Haruto's, and another bag remained.
However, he wasn't surprised. In fact, he already expected this kind of result.
Given Ryujin's strength, of course, this would be the result.
He thought to himself.
"W-We're very lucky to have survived the test, aren't we?" Haruto said as he looked around nervously.
"Y-Yeah... we are..." Arata replied in the same terrified tone as Haruto.
Suddenly, a set of voices began yelling out from outside their room. It was the sound of angry yelling.
Hina quickly rushed up to the boys in the boy's room.
"H-Hey, there's some sort of fight outside. A-Aoki-san is being threatened!" Hina trembled.
They immediately rushed outside, and saw there was a group of people surrounding Aoki Reina.
"Just how are you going to explain yourself?" One of the people said.
"Sabotaging us, and eliminating most of our friends, what do you think you're doing?!" One of them added angrily exclaimed.
The people around her were furious, and fuming. However, Reina still has her smile plastered on her face.
"Oh, did I say that?" She taunted, with a giggle.
This made one of the men furious, causing him to suddenly launch a punch towards Reina.
But, before it could reach her, Airi instinctively launched a set of icicles emerging from the ground, that froze the man's whole arm.
"I don't know who you all are, but you are not going to cause trouble within these halls!" Airi exclaimed in a fierce tone.
Reina's eyes widened at the unexpected action Airi took. She was ready to take them all, however, Airi got to them first.
Her lips curled into an amused smile before she looked once again at the people around her.
"Calm down, everyone. Akamine-san said not to cause any trouble." Reina said as she walked past the group of people, and beside Airi.
Seeing the fierce look of Airi and the others, the group of peope decided to retreat, albeit with still fierce looks on their faces.
"Wooh, you saved me, Akamine-san. Thank you so much." Reina bowed her head in thankfullness.
"No worries, Aoki-san. Who were they, if I may ask?" Airi replied.
"Hmm, let's say they are some friends I've met along the exam."
"Friends, you say...?" Airi skeptically blurted out.
"They look like bad people. Are you sure they're friends?" Hina asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Yes, Ayane-san, they are. They mean no harm, it's just the way they are." Reina replied with a smile..
"Anyway, thank you for the help. I should get going now." Reina added.
She turned her gaze towards Ryo and they made eye contact. As she walked right across him, she didn't broke contact, she deeply stared right into Ryo's passionless eyes.
"What?" Ryo asked, disturbed.
However, she only responded with a slight giggle before completely walking right past him. He stared at her slowly disappearing figure.
"Something's with that girl." He thought to himself. But for now, he decided to brush it off, and turned back his head back onto the group.
They continued back inside, and did their conversation from the beginning.
Inside was really empty and holloe, void of any other human being other than them.
"By the way guys, I thought the council would give sum' reward for those who survived? Where are they?" Arata asked,
And just like before, speak of the devil. The room doors opened, and behind those doors were trays of bountiful and deliciouss set of foods, laid in a long table being pushed inside by a person.
"W-Wow, s-so many foods!"
Their eyes turned excited, and glittered in awe.
Suddenly, a voice spoke throughout the speakers.
"Please enjoy a bountiful lunch given by the council."
The familiar female announcer said.
"It's for us??!?! Then," Arata, drooling and impatient, immediately grabbed spoonfuls of each dish back onto his plate.
"Not fair Arata! Let me get some too!" Hina demanded, before she also grabbed spoonfuls of each dish.
Everyone, excluding Ryo, was having fun.
Ryo only sat on the living room couch, staring at the closed Tv.
As they were getting foods, Haruto noticed this and decided to sit across Ryo.