The room was still, but the silence wasn't calm—it was crushing. Like the space itself was holding its breath, waiting to see whether the next word would light a spark… or burn everything down.
Nao's fingers hovered over the buzzer, the sweat on her palm threatening to slide it off. Her ears rang, not from noise—but from the pressure. Her vision blurred slightly around the edges as she kept her eyes forward, her breath shallow.
She wasn't debating anymore. She was trapped. Caged by truth, by silence, by the weight of what Viki's words really meant.
*"She knows."*
Nao's fingers clenched into a fist. She slowly pressed the buzzer.
*Light on Nao.*
The crowd leaned in. Some with curiosity. Others with malice. A few, pity.
Nao stood. Her chair screeched faintly across the polished floor, sending chills down the back of a few students nearby.
She lifted her chin. Her voice was soft—but clear.
>"Silence… isn't just survival."
>"Sometimes… silence is all that's left when you've been robbed of your voice, your power, and your right to exist."
She looked across the room—straight at Viki.>"But what happens when silence becomes *complicity*? When we stay quiet not to protect ourselves… but to protect a lie?"
Whispers flared across the audience. Viki blinked, but her smirk stayed—tighter now.
Nao's fingers twitched.
>"No one is innocent when they let evil win. Not even the quiet ones. And especially not the ones who knew better… but chose to shut their eyes."
She paused, inhaling sharply.
>"So yes. Power can be earned through silence. But it will *never* be clean."
*Group B score: 57%*
The room burst into mixed reactions—some clapping, some stunned into silence, others exchanging glances, suddenly *uncertain* about the girl they thought they knew.
Nathan leaned back, his eyes unreadable. Ria looked down, lips parted in shock.
Viki?
Still. But her hands under the table were *trembling*—a microscopic twitch in her index finger as she clenched her fist around her skirt.
The scoreboard buzzed again.**Group A – 60%
Group B – 57%**
Nao slowly sat down.
Her hands were still trembling—but her silence this time… was earned. It was no longer cowardice.
---
The tension was now *thick*, almost visible—like mist clinging to everyone's skin.
Eyes shifted.
Ria stared at Nao, lips parted, almost… proud.
Nathan gave her a side glance. Not a smile. Not praise. Something quieter—respect? Or maybe guilt?
Across the hall, *Viki's smirk faded.* Not completely. But that *calculated poise* she always wore? It cracked… for just a second.
She reached for her water, but her hand paused midway.
She was losing control of the room.
*Kaze*, seated beside her, leaned in.
"You okay?" he whispered, voice low.
She didn't respond. Just sipped slowly, blinking harder than necessary.
MICHELLE'S ROOM – SAME TIME*
Michelle sat cross-legged, watching the debate livestream from her screen.
She wasn't even breathing.
Her eyes were glued to Nao.
"Did she… figure it out?" she whispered.She turned to the photo on her desk—*a family picture*, cracked from where she had smashed a cup hours earlier.
"Nao, don't you dare ruin this…"
---
*BACK TO DEBATE HALL*
The screen flickered.
*"Final round for today – Free counterpoint. Each team selects one speaker. No interruption allowed. 3 minutes."*
The hall hushed.
Mrs. Marion stepped forward.
"Choose wisely. This round is your anchor."
Both teams hesitated.
Then—
**Group A: Nathan buzzed.
Group B: Viki buzzed.**
Another gasp across the room.
"Oh this is gonna be bloody," someone whispered.
Mrs. Marion smiled coldly. "Mr. Williams would be very entertained."
---
*Light on Nathan first.*
He stood slowly. Straightened his collar. That usual lazy demeanor? Gone. He looked straight at Viki.
"silence is strength," he began, tone low. "But real strength? That's knowing when to speak."
He turned slightly .
"Silence can protect the guilty. But it can also destroy the innocent. there's no power in guilt. Just chains."
He looked back at Viki.
"And some people? They wear silence like a crown. But deep down, they're drowning in the weight of their lies."
*Light on Viki.*
She didn't stand.
She slowly got to her feet with *intent*, brushing her skirt lightly. Her voice? Cold, calm, venom-laced silk.
"Chains?" she echoed. "Isn't it funny… how the guilty always sound the most poetic when trying to cleanse their sins?"
"I'm not here to convince you I'm pure. I'm not. But I'm not weak enough to whine over *consequences* I caused. I own them."
Then her eyes fixed on Nao.
"And to those trying to dig up corpses to feed their justice fantasies... be warned. Grave-digging sometimes brings up things far darker than you're ready to face."
A long pause.
Then—
"Silence can be justified... not to pursue power. But to survive what power *attracts*."
*SCOREBOARD BUZZES:*
Group A – 72%
Group B – 70%
The day ends.
The debate was over—for now.
But the *war*?
*Just began.*
---
The debate hall emptied in waves—first the clatter of shoes, then murmured opinions, then silence. But tension? That stayed behind like a ghost, clinging to every wall, every breath, every name unspoken.
Nao stepped out into the corridor, her notebook tight to her chest, the weight of the USB still pressing at the bottom of her bag like it had teeth. Every word she had spoken echoed in her head like it wasn't hers. Like someone else had taken the floor in her place.
Beside her, Ria caught up. She didn't speak. Not yet.
Ahead, Nathan walked in slow, heavy steps, his shoulders broad and unreadable. The hallway's golden light stretched long shadows behind him.
Behind them, Viki emerged last.
Her heels clicked softly—never rushed, never hesitant.
Flanked by Kaze and Takumi, she looked like a queen in her court.
But her eyes—sharp and deliberate—were fixed only on Nao.
*"Bravo, Nao,"* Viki said at last, her voice velvet-laced with poison. "Your little speech? Almost sounded like a confession."
Nao didn't answer. Couldn't. She simply stood there, frozen somewhere between shame and defiance.
Viki took a few more steps forward. The space between them collapsed like breath pulled too close.*"But then again… confession doesn't always mean honesty."*
She smiled. Not kindly.
Nao's voice barely escaped her throat.
*"What do you want, Viki?"*
Viki tilted her head, studying her like a puzzle she'd already solved.
Her lips curved.
"Power isn't given, hero,"* she whispered. "It's taken. And truth? That's just the prettiest weapon we pretend is clean."
She turned to walk past. But her voice drifted back like a shadow:
"Careful, though… weapons cut both ways."
And then she disappeared down the corridor with her crew. No glance back. No permission left behind.
Nao stood still, pulse ticking behind her ears.
"You were amazing,"Ria finally said. Her voice, unlike Viki's, felt too soft to hold the weight of what just passed.
Nao didn't respond.
Because something heavier was pressing at her chest. Something darker.
Behind her, Nathan paused.
He turned halfway..hesitant but left anyways.
Then he was gone.
---