Ryujin steps through the doors of the campus, Kasume right next to him. The twins see possibly the biggest auditorium they've ever been in during their entire lifespan. With speakers on the walls, in the floorboards, and the ceilings. And the largest stage ever. On the stage, there is a podium, a microphone, and a paper shredder. There's a bowl with paper slips in it on the podium.
"Wow..." Kasume murmurs. "It's so big... and this is just the auditorium? I've never seen anything like it... and imagine how big the whole structure must be." She walks ahead of her brother, taking in the sight. The identical duo takes seats in the front, with a clear view of the stage. Students enter one by one all around them, taking seats, as shocked as they are. After everyone gets settled, a woman walks out onto the stage. 'Probably the headmistress..' Kasume thinks.
The woman clears her throat, tapping the microphone for attention. "Your attention, students. Thank you, thank you..." She speaks into the microphone, her voice ringing through the speakers. "I am the headmistress of this school. You may have possibly heard of me... but enough of the small talk. As you may know, this academy is for the most gifted students of Japan-"
A boy in the front row speaks up. "What was that gas earlier? Was that legal?" Everyone murmurs in agreement. "Can you even do that?" A girl asks. Another boy calls out, "Was it planned?" The woman frowns. "Er... yes, it was planned. But that was... a test." Gasps ring around the room. Murmurs spread like wildfire, whispering. "Silence!" The woman calls out. The room quiets down. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying... the gas was a test. Think of it as... a final exam. I will now tell you who actually passed the exam." She draws a slip from the bowl, opening it. She puts it in the paper shredder after memorizing the name. "Asher Kanno..." She calls out a name.
A boy in the front row smirks, whooping in excitement. "Yeah, baby! I made it!" He struts down the aisle. "Failed." The woman finishes her sentence. Asher stops in his tracks. "W-what?" He stutters. The woman smiles. "You heard me. You. Fail. Leave my sight." Asher stays in place, shocked. The woman stares at him. She tilts her head. "What, you didn't know? The first 2 tests meant absolutely nothing. It was the gas that determined whether or not you'd be attending this academy. You failed. The objective of the test was to not stay asleep during the whole 5 minutes. It was a test of mental and physical strength. You, Mr. Kanno, were the first and quickest to fall unconscious out of 300 students. Now. Leave."
Asher remains silent. He wordlessly walks out the door, dragging his feet behind him. Many other students leave as well, knowing that they were unconscious for the whole 5 minutes. Eventually, only 10 stayed. The woman smiles again, pulling out 290 slips and dumping them all in the paper shredder. She calls 2 names, who both refuse to leave. "No! This is completely unfair!" One yells. The other agrees. "I wont stand for this!" Eventually, security is called and the two are escorted out. Eight left, including Ryujin, Kasume, the two girls from earlier, and the others that stayed awake. Kasume knows she failed. But she stays. The woman calls out names. "Megumi Sugawara... pass. Tsubaki Hashibara... pass." The tired girl remains with her blank face, and the coffee girl hugs her, almost crying. "Gen Satoshi... pass." The dark skinned boy sighs in relief. "Hikaru Kobayashi... pass. Ren Kageyama... pass. Kazuki Kurogane... pass." The 3 boys all smile, relieved they passed. Now Kasume knows. Ryujin passed and she didn't. "Ryujin Nakamura... pass." Kasume casts her eyes down, attempting to stop herself from crying. Then... "Kasume Nakamura... pass."