The school corridor stretched long and gloomy. Paint peeled from the walls, and several neon lights flickered, throwing moving shadows on the walls like dancing ghosts.
Kaito's leather shoes tapped against the cracked floor—tok… tok… tok—the rhythm becoming the only sound in the hallway.
❝The clinic was strange, and now this corridor's dead quiet. Seriously, this school is really showing off its 'horror aesthetic.'❞
He stopped in front of a wooden door once painted white—half the paint had already peeled away, revealing dull, splintered wood underneath. Above the door hung a worn-out sign that read: Room 2-B.
Kaito exhaled.
"All right. At least I can start from here. A classroom, right?"
He pushed the door open. Creeeak!
---
Inside the Classroom
The first thing he saw were a dozen students sitting in complete disarray. Some sat properly in their chairs, others stood on top of them, and one crouched on a desk swaying back and forth. The air was thick with the stench of antiseptic mixed with sweat.
Kaito stood in the doorway, staring with a flat expression.
❝Hm… this class seems… a little different.❞
A student by the window suddenly turned his head. His hair was messy, his eyes dull, and his grin stretched unnaturally wide.
"Teacher…? Are you… me in the future? Because I feel like… you're me, but already broken."
Kaito went silent for several seconds, narrowing his eyes.
"…What?"
Another student, a girl with a red ribbon in her hair, slapped her desk hard.
"No! He's not anyone's older version! He's… an alien in disguise! Can't you see? That black blazer is camouflage. I can smell the galaxy on him!"
Kaito raised a hand, trying to calm them down.
"Ehh… no. I'm the new tea—"
Before he could finish, a boy in the corner stood up, pointing a pencil toward the ceiling.
"In that case, who gets to eat the sun?! I signed up first!"
The room suddenly erupted.
"The sun belongs to everyone, idiot!"
"The new teacher must've brought the planetary contract!"
"No, he's just a cosmic pizza delivery guy!"
Kaito stared at the chaos, his face still flat but a vein pulsing faintly on his temple.
❝…Okay. What the hell are they even talking about… Even an A.I. would glitch trying to process this.❞
He sighed deeply and stepped further into the room.
"All right. I don't know what you're all arguing about, but—"
Suddenly, a female student approached him. Her eyes were wide, blinking rarely, and her stiff smile stretched unsettlingly. She stared at Kaito far too closely for far too long.
"Teacher… you'll stay here, right… even if I cut off your ears?"
Kaito froze.
❝…Did I just hear a threat, or was that a local way of saying hello?❞
He calmly took half a step back.
"Ehm. I'd rather keep my ears attached, thank you."
The girl chuckled lightly, then walked back to her desk, muttering to herself.
Kaito finally stood at the front of the class, hands slipped into his blazer pockets. His face was expressionless, but his eyes scanned sharply.
"All right. So you're all… students here?"
The replies came all at once, a jumbled mess:
"I'm not a student, I'm a spy from the future."
"I'm just a talking chair."
"He's lying, I'm actually God, but on vacation."
Kaito stared at them, unblinking.
❝Zaid… if this is what you call a school… I want to file the loudest complaint imaginable.❞
He leaned against the teacher's desk, covered in scribbles and scratches.
"Well… looks like today's going to be longer than I thought."
TRIIINGGG!
The school bell rang shrilly, screeching like it came from a rusted loudspeaker. The sound made Kaito's ears ring uncomfortably.
The students instantly erupted into wild motion. Some rushed to the door laughing, others rolled across the floor, and one screamed "It's time for sun-lunch!" before climbing out the window.
Kaito pressed his palm against his forehead.
❝I'm certain now… this is not a normal school. Not even close.❞
He decided to leave. The wooden door creaked as he pushed it open.
As Kaito stepped outside, the once silent corridor transformed into a flood of students. Dozens packed the hallway—some running, some shouting at nothing, some dragging broken dolls, some banging their heads against the wall while laughing, and some holding animated conversations with… blank walls.
Kaito stood still amidst the chaos, scanning the scene with his usual blank expression, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of restrained bewilderment.
❝No wonder it was quiet this morning. The students… were still locked in their cages.❞
In the middle of the disorder, he spotted a familiar figure: Max. The boy strolled calmly through the crowd, jacket loose, a tool in his right hand.
Kaito stepped toward him.
"Hey, Max."
Max turned, a faint smile on his lips. "Oh, Teacher. So, how was your first class?"
Kaito exhaled, his tone dry.
"If that was supposed to be a class… I'd say it looked more like… a psychiatric ward."
Max chuckled softly, closing his book.
"Hmm… exactly. Because that's what it really is."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
Max glanced around briefly, observing the students—one singing with a spoon, another dancing alone, another sleeping flat on the hallway floor. Only then did he return his gaze to Kaito.
"Velstrance Institute isn't a normal school. Every student here… suffers from mental illness, developmental disorders, or severe behavioral problems."
Kaito fell silent, narrowing his eyes at the words.
"…So it's some kind of… special school?"
Max nodded slowly. "Yes. But not the kind you imagine. It's more like… a prison dressed as a school. The governor before Zaid didn't know where to put them, so this place was built. Doctor Budi manages it. Robot teachers are sent here not to educate, but to watch over them—and heal them, if possible."
Kaito let out a long breath, staring at the peeling ceiling above.
❝So that's why Zaid told me nothing. He knew if I heard this from the start, I'd refuse outright.❞
Max's voice grew steady, though his eyes stayed sharp.
"Do you know what's most dangerous in this school, Teacher?"
Kaito looked at him. "What?"
Max's gaze hardened, his tone calm but serious.
"Not their weapons. Not their violence. What's most dangerous… is their way of thinking. Their logic is different. Their world is different. If you try to fight them with ordinary logic, you'll lose—before you even realize you've lost."
Kaito went silent again, slipping his hands deeper into his pockets as he watched the crowd of deranged students.
"…Hmph. So basically, I need to learn the philosophy of madmen just to survive here?"
Max gave a faint smile, nodding.
"Something like that."
Kaito finally walked alongside Max, letting the chaos of the hallway swirl past them.
❝This school… is unlike anywhere I've ever lived. If I let my guard down even a little… I might be the one who loses his sanity.❞
With a cold gaze, Kaito muttered under his breath:
"All right. If this is the place… let's see who breaks first. Me, or this school."
Their footsteps echoed along the peeling corridor. The neon lights above flickered, sometimes going completely dark, making the atmosphere resemble that of an abandoned hospital.
Max walked ahead, hands tucked in his jacket. Meanwhile, Kaito scanned each window and classroom door they passed.
❝The further I go, the clearer it feels: this isn't a school. It's an experimental prison.❞
Max stopped in front of a half-open steel door. He turned to Kaito.
"Inside… there's someone you should probably meet."
Kaito raised a brow.
"Meet? You mean a student?"
Max simply nodded, then pushed the door open.
---
Workshop Room – Inside the School
The moment they entered, the stench of chemicals hit Kaito's nose. Tables were littered with empty energy drink cans, spent batteries, wires, and dented metal pots. In the center sat a high-school boy in uniform, assembling something with unnerving focus—yet with the ease of someone building a toy.
The boy had short black hair streaked with red highlights. A faint smile rested on his lips. His hands moved swiftly, combining nails, white powder, and wires into a small device.
He looked up at Kaito and Max, eyes gleaming with calm enthusiasm.
"Oh. The new teacher, huh?" His voice was friendly. "My name's Ren. Nice to meet you."
❝Friendly… but those eyes burn like a fire looking for gasoline.❞ Kaito thought, narrowing his gaze.
On a side table lay an open notebook. The handwriting was neat, but filled with sketches of explosions, chemical formulas, and eerie notes. On the cover was written:
Disorder: Pyromania & Explosive Obsession Disorder
Skills: Improvised bombs, quick traps, explosive tactics
Note: Do not let him get bored. If he's bored, something will explode.
Kaito swallowed. ❝So this kid… is a demolition specialist. And the doctor writes it out like a proud résumé.❞
Max stepped further in, speaking casually.
"Ren. Don't scare the new teacher off."
Ren chuckled softly, still playing with the wires.
"Relax. I'm friendly. As long as no one interferes with my experiments, we'll be fine."
Kaito gave him a flat look.
"Experiments? That's… a bomb, isn't it?"
Ren turned to him, grinning innocently.
"Of course. What did you think it was, a birthday cake?"
❝Unbelievable. He admits it with pride.❞
Kaito sighed and turned to Max.
"Doctor… Doctor Budi actually lets a student like this roam free?"
Max just shrugged, expression blank.
"If you restrict him, he'll blow up the school even faster. Better to give him space."
❝What kind of logic is that!?❞ Kaito thought, his patience slipping.
Ren placed the small bomb on the table behind him.
"All right, this prototype just needs a test—"
BOOOOM!!!
The explosion shook the room violently. Flames licked the walls, wood splinters flying. Kaito instinctively raised his arm to shield his face, the shockwave pushing him back a step.
Thick smoke filled the workshop, alarms blaring.
Ren emerged from the haze, face smudged with soot—yet still smiling as if nothing happened.
"Oops. Hehe. Used a bit too much powder. Don't worry, the next bomb will be more stable."
Kaito gawked.
"'Oops'!? You nearly blew your own head off!"
Max, unfazed, simply dusted off his jacket.
"Typical. If it doesn't explode, it's not Ren."
Ren looked at Kaito, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Teacher, wanna try building one? I can show you how to make a bomb with just kitchen supplies. It's fun!"
Kaito froze, then slowly covered his face with his hand.
❝Good God. Did they send me to a school… or an amateur terrorist camp?❞