September 30th.
[ Good morning, my dear students~! ]
[ Before your two-day holiday break, the Principal has prepared a fun and exciting activity for everyone.
It is called "Strange Collections."
The Principal has been closely observing your active discussions on the Campus Forum—from the beginning of the school year up to the most recent threads about the strange and mysterious places within our academy. Some of you even started polls to vote on which locations felt the most unsettling.
As a result, we now present the TOP 10 Strangest Places in the Academy.
[Mechanics]
• Students may form groups, with a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 30. You may investigate with close friends or with your entire class.
• Each group will be given one or two blank books, depending on your confidence level.
• All Top 10 Strange Places are open for investigation. Each group must choose two locations to explore.
• Using the blank book(s), groups must collect "evidence" and form logical deductions based on their findings.
• The Top 10 most beautifully written "Strange Collections" will be selected based on a combined score:
– 50% from the Principal's evaluation
– 50% from student voting in the Campus Forum
Remember: the more logical, immersive, and beautifully written your story is, the higher the chance it will be selected and rewarded.
Let's also take this chance to mingle, chat, and get to know your classmates a little better. Have fun, dear students~! ]
***
The activity will begin after lunch. The first phase—investigation and exploration—will take place from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
During this time, students are free to visit the Strange Places, though some areas are normally forbidden due to safety concerns, such as Abandoned Building A, SH Forest, and the Rooftops.
For this special occasion, the Principal has deployed numerous security personnel and teachers to oversee the activity, ensuring it runs smoothly despite being conducted on a whim.
The second phase is the writing phase, during which students will compile their findings. All submissions of the "Strange Collections" must be turned in before 11:59 PM, when the activity officially ends.
As expected, freshmen are the most excited, while lower-year students look on with envy and jealousy.
Sophomores and seniors are mostly indifferent—they'd rather enjoy a free day to relax from academics than take part in such a bustling and exhausting activity.
Still, some of them can't help but feel a twinge of envy, wishing they could join in the fun.
***
"Aren't you participating, Mirae?" Celestine asked, gently putting down her fork and taking a napkin to dab the corner of her lips. On her side was a towering stack of ten plates—and she was only just getting started.
Celestine and Mirae were in the clubroom dining area, while in the main room, Castiel lounged on the velvet sofa, softly muttering curses as he manipulated the hero in a certain MOBA game.
Jun Rui sat on his swivel chair, staring out the window while munching on some junk food.
There were no classes today because of the Principal's activity, so Ren Ryū and Hwan Seojin didn't come to school.
"I don't know who I should group with," Mirae sighed.
"Mm? Why don't you go with your class?"
"Well, that's what I thought too. But my class… I don't know why, two days ago they suddenly started looking at me strangely. I don't remember doing anything embarrassing recently." Mirae sighed again.
"Mirae," Celestine said suddenly, her expression serious.
"Huh?" Mirae looked at her.
"Are your classmates… isolating you?"
"I don't think so…" Mirae replied.
She was just an average student; she didn't expect everyone to pay attention to her, and there was nothing special about her that would make anyone isolate her.
"Remember to call me if you're going back to your classroom," Celestine said.
"Why?"
She smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she meticulously wiped a knife on her hand. "I'll talk to your Head Teacher."
"Huh?! B-But…!"
"That's final." When Mirae saw her smile and the knife in her hand, she didn't dare argue and hastily nodded.
"By the way, you could ask Juri to be your partner for the activity," Celestine added.
"P-President?" Mirae asked, confused. "But the activity is only for freshmen."
Celestine smiled faintly, looking at her patiently, as if she were gazing at a silly child. "Juri is a freshman."
"H-Huh?! Really?" Realizing her outburst, Mirae coughed awkwardly. "Oh… sorry."
"It's understandable."
Mirae fell silent, thinking, Right. I actually forgot that the President is a student and a freshman at that.
She had never seen Juri attend class. She didn't even know where his classroom was, as she only ever saw him in the clubroom. If it weren't for the clubroom being part of the school, she might have thought it was his home.
And he was actually a freshman? Mirae had thought he was a senior preparing for college entrance exams, since she sometimes saw him reading college textbooks and solving advanced mathematics problems.
Though, she also sometimes thought he might be in a lower year because of his short height and playful personality.
"What are you thinking~?"
Mirae's heart stopped. She jumped, twisting mid-air to land behind Celestine, wanting to pull her away and escape.
She only realized she had panicked when she heard a playful laugh, a mocking question, and a calm voice.
"90 over 100! Hilarious but too exaggerated!" Jun Rui announced mischievously, laughing as he now sat where Mirae had been, his body almost melting on his sit as he slapped his tummy.
"Are you okay?" Castiel asked, rushing over after hearing Mirae scream, his brows furrowed from his own bad mood over a losing streak.
"Let go, Mirae. I'm eating," Celestine said.
"I… I'm okay. I just got startled," Mirae said, though mostly to herself.
Castiel glanced her up and down, clicked his tongue, murmured something to himself, and returned to the main room.
"Why did you do that, President?" Mirae asked weakly, slowly sitting beside Celestine, who had already built another stack of twenty plates.
Jun Rui was no longer laughing. He sat languidly in his chair, looking at them seriously, as if he hadn't just laughed breathlessly a moment ago.
"What did I do?" he asked.
Yes, what did he do? He had only asked a question of someone deep in thought. Clearly, her reaction had been unexpected.
Mirae swallowed her embarrassment and remained silent.
City-dwellers really—
"I heard you want to participate in the Principal's activity. I, your kind president, will voluntarily join you—in exchange for ten snacks only," Jun Rui offered.
"Wow, really, President?" Mirae exclaimed, her grievance immediately vanishing.
She looked at him gratefully, thinking how kind he was to volunteer to go with her, a lonely freshman.
Celestine gracefully bit the macaroon and thought, 'Silly girl. Juri clearly wants to participate, but he framed it as if he were doing her a favor. He probably emptied his snack reserves and still hasn't had enough.'
***
"What place are we going to explore, President?" Mirae asked, hugging the blank book tightly to her chest as they walked.
She didn't expect that, despite his short legs, Jun Rui could walk such a fast pace, his steps were brisk.
Instead of answering, Jun Rui asked, "All freshman classes have 29 students, correct?"
"I… I'm not sure," Mirae replied, frowning slightly.
Jun Rui didn't bother for her uncertain answer. He continued, leaning a bit forward as if sharing a secret, "But the announcement said the maximum per group is 30. If every class has 29 students, where does the extra student come from? From another class? Or… is it really just a coincidence?"
Mirae hesitated. "Maybe… maybe it's just a coincidence, President."
How could such a simple mechanic have a hidden complication?
"I saw one particular participant list earlier," Jun Rui said, tapping his blank book with his finger. "It has 30 members—all from the same class. I even asked the class president of that class, and he confirmed it. They have 30 students in total."
"R-Really? B-But…" Mirae's words faltered.
"You think my intel is wrong?" Jun Rui asked, his expression serious. "That one class has 30 students and the rest have 29? We'll see if I'm mistaken… or if there's something interesting going on behind the scenes."
Mirae hugged her blank book a little tighter. For a moment, a question asked by someone crossed her mind: Aren't you a member of Paranormal Club?
She frowned, trying to remember. Who was it that asked me that question?
Her gaze flicked to Jun Rui , who seemed completely fired up with what he said, unaware of her lingering doubt.