"The results of the two special exams during the first semester's summer vacation for the first-year students—the Uninhabited Island and the Privileged Student Exam—have both been finalized."
Inside the student council room at the top floor of the club building at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, a purple-haired girl with a tightly tied bun reported in a meticulous tone to Student Council President Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Manabu, while processing documents in his hand, nodded slightly, signaling Tachibana Akane to continue reading.
"In the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, the first to fourth place rankings were: Class 1-C, Class 1-B, Class 1-D, and Class 1-A."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Tachibana's pupils. Seeing Class A ranked last in a special exam was a rare event, even for a senior like her. She tried to recall a previous exam where that had happened, but nothing came to mind. Of course, that was largely thanks to Horikita Manabu's capabilities.
Horikita's face remained calm, as tranquil as still water.
"What about the changes in class points?"
"After the Uninhabited Island exam, Class C's points have now surpassed those of Class B. If no further changes occur this month, once the second semester begins, Class 1-C will officially become Class 1-B."
"As for the subsequent Privileged Student Special Exam, there was no change in class points."
Apparently finding the contents on the document hard to believe, Tachibana stared at it for a while before continuing, her voice slightly hesitant:
"All twelve groups achieved Result One and used the acquired 83.5 million points to bet on a 12-player Werewolf game played individually."
"The ultimate winners were Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A, Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-C, and Karuizawa Kei from Class 1-D."
"Each of them received approximately 27.8 million personal points."
This shattered the school record for personal point holdings. Previously, even with underhanded means, the most anyone had obtained was around 12 million. But now, three people held nearly 27 million each.
For perspective, even students in Class A only receive 100,000 points per month—1.2 million a year, and 3.6 million over three years. The amount these three earned equaled the total earnings of 7-8 Class A students over their entire school life.
Moreover, the 20 million mark held special significance at the Advanced Nurturing High School:
A one-time opportunity to change classes, or protection from expulsion.
In other words, these three students were essentially guaranteed graduation. As long as they avoided expulsion, they could switch to Class A in their third year and enjoy all the benefits provided by the school.
Even Tachibana couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy and jealousy. After all, under Horikita Manabu's leadership, the third-year Class A had fought through countless obstacles to maintain their top position. Yet now, three first-years had achieved in one semester what took them three years.
However, Horikita Manabu looked somewhat puzzled. Adjusting his glasses, he asked:
"Who initiated this Werewolf game?"
"Apparently, it was Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-C."
Tachibana glanced around cautiously. Since their duty hours were over, the other student council members, including the vice presidents, had already left. She then quietly added:
"The boy you met before, President."
"I know."
Horikita nodded. After a moment of thought, he stood and said:
"Once the first-year students return, have him join the student council."
"Eh? President, but hasn't recruitment already ended? Ichinose-san from Class B has already joined."
Tachibana asked, clearly surprised.
The student council, as the highest-ranking club in the school with partial rule-making authority, conducted recruitment with the utmost care. This year, under Horikita's instructions, they hadn't planned to recruit any first-years. However, Vice President Nagumo went over his head and forcibly added Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B.
So hearing that Horikita now wanted to bring someone else in confused Tachibana.
"It's not an issue. I recruited him back then; it just wasn't publicly announced. All the paperwork is complete and valid."
Horikita explained calmly, eyes gazing out at the clear blue sky beyond the window:
"He is the game-changer."
In his mind, he recalled their first meeting, and the pact formed between him and Kitagawa Ryo.
As Student Council President, Horikita Manabu saw Kitagawa Ryo as a trump card against Nagumo.
And as an older brother, he hoped Ryo could help change his sister, Horikita Suzune.
From every perspective, there was no better candidate than Kitagawa Ryo.
-------------------------------------
7 PM. In Kitagawa Ryo's room, he and Ryuuen Kakeru were lazily tapping away on their controllers while staring at the retro game screen and chatting idly.
"As expected of your choice, Ryuuen. This game is soaked in nostalgia."
Kitagawa glanced at the pixelated main screen with the game title front and center: "Dungeons & Dragons."
"From the name to the visuals, it's practically a relic from the last century."
Ishizaki Daichi had been enthusiastic about joining the gaming session at first, but after watching the old-school screen for a few moments, he grew bored and dragged Yamada off to the pool. They probably weren't even there to swim.
Leaning lazily against the chair's backrest, Kitagawa threw a look at Ryuuen.
"Let's start."
"The game may be old, but as one of the pioneers of RPGs, its storyline is quite solid," Ryuuen said with a relaxed smile. Having survived two special exams, he had finally let down his guard, confident that the school wouldn't spring any more surprises.
He skillfully maneuvered his character into the dungeon. "Multiple floors, treasure hunting, gear upgrades, and a final boss at the bottom—it's classic."
Kitagawa glanced at the back of the game box and smirked. "This plot is as standard as it gets."
The complex system wasn't very welcoming to newcomers, but Ryuuen had assured him that once you got used to it, you'd be hooked. That was why he'd invited Kitagawa to play tonight.
The story wasn't laid out explicitly. Instead, players had to piece it together through monster dialogue and item descriptions, which was why the game had been praised for its narrative back in the day.
The prologue ended, and a pixel-art image of adventurers gathering in a tavern appeared.
"Alright, let's create our characters and form a party."
"Didn't think this thing actually had online co-op..."
With a wry comment, Kitagawa casually created a character and joined Ryuuen's prepped server. As the game loaded, he took a sip of juice.
"Feels like it's been forever since we gamed together."
"That's because we usually just settle things with fists," Ryuuen replied offhandedly.
Once the team was formed, the screen faded in with new text:
"Adventurers, until now, you've been lost in sweet dreams, wasting your lives. But now, your real journey begins. No matter which path you choose, an ending awaits—and it will change your fate, for better or worse..."
"The last party reached the deepest depths but never returned. May you fare better."
They read the words aloud as the grand BGM played. Despite the primitive pixel visuals, the intro left a strong impression, as if the vast dungeon had truly opened before them.
But traditional RPG mechanics—grinding battles and treasure hunting—quickly became monotonous. After a brief taste of the gameplay, Ryuuen used a downloaded mod to max out both characters' levels.
They breezed through the main story, slashing enemies left and right, but the writing was genuinely impressive. The dialogue had flair.
"Here it comes..."
The visuals shifted dramatically. Ominous music signaled the arrival of the penultimate boss: the Knight of Time. He went down in three minutes.
Then came the final boss: a red dragon. At Ryuuen's suggestion, Kitagawa saved the game.
With a powerful critical strike, the dragon fell. A medal floated from its corpse, signifying the adventurers' ultimate triumph.
But then the story continued.
In disbelief, Kitagawa watched as the once-close party members began slaughtering each other for the sole reward.
"They all died..."
Everyone lay beside the dragon, silent. No victor.
"Alright, reload the save," Ryuuen quickly said, seemingly expecting this scripted twist.
The screen returned to the dragon's appearance.
"What the hell...?"
This time, the red dragon, now inexplicably stronger, one-shot their maxed-out party, despite top-tier gear.
"Must be the developer's twisted sense of humor."
Melancholic music played. The end credits rolled.
Ryuuen tossed his controller aside and leaned back.
"Either you kill the dragon and kill each other, or die by its hand. Why should every story end perfectly? Sometimes the enemy suddenly grows stronger, sometimes conflict erupts within. Who can say?"
He stretched.
"That's a direct quote from the developer in an interview."
Kitagawa rubbed his sore neck and sighed. "Did the creator go through something traumatic? That's a messed-up story. And the party's friendship was paper-thin."
Ryuuen laughed and restarted the game. The prologue now read:
"The last adventurers, Kitagawa Ryo and Ryuuen Kakeru, reached the deepest depths, but never returned. May you succeed."
"A loop-based game? Think the ending will change this time?"
Intrigued, Kitagawa sipped his juice.
Ryuuen created new characters, fast-forwarded to the ending, and zoomed in on Kitagawa.
"See for yourself."
They reached the final floor again and found the corpses of their previous party and the dragon. The new heroes laughed at the past adventurers' so-called friendship, took the treasure, and returned to town in glory.
Their names were still Kitagawa and Ryuuen, but their personalities felt entirely different.
Last time, they killed each other. This time, they stood united.
"What if we try again?"
"It's a fifty-fifty split," Ryuuen replied. "Friend or foe."
Pixelated petals fell on the street. NPCs sang and danced in celebration.
"So this happy ending is the real one?"
"Nope."
Ryuuen exited the game—but the screen continued.
The once-cheering NPCs looted the heroes, stripped their gear, and dumped them into the abyss.
"Get out, outsiders!" they all yelled.
Then they returned to their roles, smiling as if nothing happened, ready for the next batch of adventurers.
The once-epic victory theme now felt eerie.
"Fourth-wall breaking game, huh?"
Despite the crude graphics, the scene struck a chord with Kitagawa.
"We're just projections to the NPCs—foreign beings. Once we've served our purpose, we're disposable."
Ryuuen shrugged. "And players never really see game characters as equals, do they?"
"...Maybe some do."
"Some people find their only solace in games."
Kitagawa leaned on his arm, staring at the distorted screen.
"If only you'd been there back then..."
Though cryptic, Ryuuen seemed to understand.
"Yeah. I've thought about it a lot too. If I had been there, maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe things wouldn't be so messed up with you, Karuizawa, and Shiina."
"I still don't get why you lost it like that. You're not impulsive."
Kitagawa flexed his fingers. He could almost feel the sticky blood again.
"Maybe Kei and I are more alike than I thought."
"You never had friends before, but you weren't bullied either, right?"
Ryuuen studied him. Since the Werewolf game ended, Kitagawa had been acting strange.
"...Who knows."
Kitagawa shrugged, lounging back on the bed. His fist clenched, pulsing with explosive strength—enough to match Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Isn't seeking truth in a virtual world kinda messed up?"
Ryuuen blinked. "Wait, don't tell me you've been rejecting her feelings because you're in love with a 2D character?"
"Not talking to you anymore."
Kitagawa rolled over on the bed.
Everything felt too real. Even his worried friend watching him.
Condensation dripped down the juice glass. Ice cubes clinked.
With eyes closed, he could hear the sea breeze and waves outside. He was on a luxury cruise ship.
He could walk out now to pools, fine dining, spas.
So real.
He turned over in bed.
He was just in a cramped, damp underground room, having the grandest dream.
That was all.
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