---
Reina closed her book with a soft snap.
Keiji slumped into a chair beside her, and Luna quietly followed, sitting down as well.
Keiji sighed.
"So... anyone know what the rules for this first game are?"
Reina gave a small, reluctant nod.
"Yeah. My brother told me a little."
Luna leaned in curiously.
"You have a brother?"
Reina let out another sigh.
"I did. He played in this school a few years ago... He went through the first game too."
"Really?" Luna blinked, surprised.
"Yeah," Reina said, voice low. "But... he didn't tell me how to win it. Just how it works."
Luna's smile faded.
"Aw..."
"But," Reina continued, "he did tell me the rules. That might help."
Before she could explain further, the bell rang loudly through the hall.
Keiji sighed again.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough."
Reina stood up, tucking her book under her arm, and walked out.
Luna quickly followed her.
Keiji trailed behind, hands in his pockets.
---
They entered the classroom.
The air buzzed with nervous chatter.
Students whispered from every side.
"Did you hear?"
"They're starting the first game today."
"What if it's dangerous?"
Keiji took his seat. Luna sat beside him. Reina sat near the window, as always.
Just then, their homeroom teacher Kozue Yukishiro stepped inside, her heels echoing with each step.
She clapped her hands.
"Quiet down."
The class fell silent.
Kozue crossed her arms and looked around the room.
"Now, let me explain the first game. It's called... 'Find the Killers.'"
Gasps rippled through the classroom.
"Killers?!"
Kozue nodded calmly.
"Yes. Two of your classmates have been secretly assigned the role of 'killer.' The rest of you must work together to identify and eliminate them."
A boy in the back shouted, "Wait — what if they kill us?!"
Kozue smiled coldly.
"Relax. You won't die. The 'killer' uses a special knife — a prop. If they tag you with it and it shines, you're considered 'killed' and are eliminated from the game."
The class exhaled in relief, though tension still hung heavy.
"One more thing," Kozue added.
"If you lose the game — meaning, if you're eliminated and you fail to catch a killer — you must pay 10,000 points. If you don't have that many..."
She let the sentence hang.
The class stared at her, horrified.
"Expelled," she finished.
A heavy silence followed.
Then the bell rang again.
---
The class followed Kozue through the school grounds, passing familiar hallways until they stopped outside a tall, abandoned-looking building.
Kozue turned to face them.
"This is your game zone. You'll be here until the game ends. You have three days to find both killers."
Riven, the confident boy from before, stepped forward.
"Wait. Two killers? That's a lot."
Kozue simply smiled.
"Good luck."
She walked away, her heels fading into the distance.
---
Inside the building, the students split into two camps: boys and girls.
Riven took charge quickly.
"Alright, boys. We need a plan."
He drew a line in the dirt with a stick.
"Our camp is this side. Girls take that side."
He pointed to the other end of the hallway.
"We'll rotate watch duty, and we need someone guarding supplies."
Another boy raised his hand.
"I'll do it."
The boys nodded and started building their space.
---
On the girls' side, Luna helped others prepare food and organize bags.
Reina sat quietly by the wall, reading her book — again.
Suddenly, Miyu Hoshizora, the sassy, popular girl from earlier, stomped over.
"Hey. Why aren't you helping?"
Reina didn't respond.
Miyu's eye twitched.
"I'm talking to you!"
Still, Reina didn't look up.
Miyu's face twisted with irritation.
Without warning, she snatched Reina's book from her hands and threw it into the nearby campfire.
The girls around them gasped.
The flames caught quickly. Reina stared silently at the fire, her expression unreadable.
Next time...
--