Sobu High's main hall had never looked quite like this before.
A massive fir tree stood at the center, but hanging from its branches were not colorful ornaments or stars — instead it was covered entirely in meaningless geometric symbols painted in white oil paint, emanating a sharp, pungent odor. Beneath the tree there were no gift boxes; in their place were only winding white circles drawn in chalk.
Students gathered in small clusters, their faces all wearing the same expression: confused, curious, and with an undercurrent of unease.
This was the grand debut of the new Student Council President's first major event since taking office — the "Winter Solstice Ritual and Survivor Matching Experiment."
"Is this... really a social gathering?" A male student whispered to his friend. "Why do I feel like I've been dragged into a cult meeting?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" His friend glanced around nervously. "Didn't you notice that everyone from Kaihin High has gone completely compliant? I heard their Chairman is still in the hospital, raving about 'entropy increase' and 'synergy' because he dared to question this plan."
Iroha stood in the corner of the stage, wearing the President's sash that seemed slightly too large for her, feeling like a mascot that had been pushed to the gallows. Her only mental anchor was the man standing in the shadows not far from her.
Darius.
The man was watching the "survivors" in the hall with a gaze that resembled someone inspecting sacrificial animals.
"The time has come." Darius glanced at his watch, then nodded to Yui beside him.
Yui took a deep breath and pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie: "Strategy Consultant, please commence the 'seeding.'"
"Understood!" Zaimokuza's enthusiastic voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.
Accompanied by the sound of chiming bells, the hall doors were pushed open. A figure wearing a red Santa costume but with a medieval knight's helmet entered, pushing a trolley loaded with small bags.
"Merry… Christmas…?" From the gap in his helmet, Zaimokuza delivered an indistinct greeting. He was trying to create a cheerful atmosphere, but his bizarre appearance only made people's skin crawl.
He began distributing "gifts" packaged in transparent plastic to the crowd. These were slices of black cake that reflected no light, shaped to resemble gingerbread people.
"What is this?" A female student received one with curiosity and squeezed it. "It's so hard!"
"These are 'blessings' the Chairman personally prepared for us!" Zaimokuza declared in a dramatically poetic tone. "Taste them, and the bonds between you shall reach sublimation!"
Many couples there, partly to show support for the new President and partly out of curiosity, began unwrapping them. One male student, wanting to show off in front of his girlfriend, picked up a piece of the "Antimatter Cake" and took a confident bite.
*CRACK!*
A sharp snapping sound. Not the sound of cake breaking apart. It was the sound of a tooth shattering.
The student's smile froze. The next instant, he clutched his mouth, letting out a groan of pain, tears streaming down immediately. His girlfriend beside him recoiled in shock; the cake in her hands dropped to the floor and produced a sound as though a chunk of iron had been dropped.
"Ow! My tooth!"
"It's rock solid! This isn't a biscuit!"
"Water! Someone get me water quickly!"
In an instant, the hall was filled with overlapping cries of pain. Every couple who had tried to taste the cake, without exception, doubled over clutching their mouths and writhing on the floor. The hall descended into complete chaos.
"Please remain calm."
Darius's voice resonated through the microphone — not loud, but clear enough to silence the noise. He stepped onto the stage, took the microphone, and looked down at the chaos below without expression.
"It appears the first round of filtering has concluded."
"Those who were easily tempted by outward appearance and blindly consumed the forbidden fruit have lost their qualification to become 'survivors.'"
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the single students who had not received any cake and were now gleefully watching the suffering of others.
"Congratulations to those who passed the first trial. This is the revenge of the singles."
The single students were initially stunned, but a second later they erupted in cheers and deafening applause.
"Brilliant!"
"Burn the couples down!"
"Long live the President!"
Iroha stood there slack-jawed. Her brain was no longer capable of processing the information before her eyes.
A Christmas social gathering had been completely transformed into a class struggle between singles and couples. And she, the ceremonial Student Council President, was now being hoisted up as an idol by a mob of fanatical singles.
She instinctively looked toward Darius, her eyes filled with a plea for help. Darius returned her gaze with a "proceed according to plan" look. Iroha closed her eyes in despair.
The chaos continued. The couples who had "fallen" needed to be calmed down, the fanatical singles needed to be redirected, and the entire event was teetering on the edge of total breakdown.
"Do we need Plan B, Commander?" Yui asked tensely. Her Plan B was to detonate a slice of high-purity cake in the middle of the crowd to physically subdue everyone.
"No need." Darius shook his head. His gaze fell on Yukino, who was sitting in the corner with her headphones on, seemingly in a world of her own.
"Witch of the End Times, it's your turn."
Yukino looked up, her cold gaze drilling into Darius. "I refuse."
"This is an order." Darius's tone brooked no argument. "The organization's reputation requires your strength to uphold it. Go — use your voice to soothe these restless souls."
Yukino's fists clenched tight. She would rather fight a bear than go up on stage and sing in this bizarre situation.
"If you don't." Darius added, "I will personally take the stage and read aloud from my 'Aoyama Psychiatric Hospital Observation Diary.'"
Yukino's face went pale instantly. She stood, removed her jacket to reveal a simple white sweater underneath, and stepped onto the stage one deliberate pace at a time, taking the microphone from Darius's hand without sparing him so much as a glance.
The hall gradually fell silent. Every eye turned toward the ice-cold beauty who had suddenly appeared on stage. Without musical accompaniment, without elaborate lighting, Yukino simply stood still — and then her clear, cool voice began to flow.
It was a calm English song that carried a faint trace of melancholy. Her voice was like a clear mountain spring in winter, instantly extinguishing all the fanaticism and chaos on the floor. The students groaning and clutching their mouths went quiet. The cheering singles shut their mouths too.
The entire world seemed to be reduced to nothing but that pure, empty singing voice.
Iroha stared at Yukino on stage in a daze, watching her bathed in the soft glow of the lights like an angel descending to earth. In that moment, she suddenly felt that being controlled by a group of monsters like these was perhaps... not entirely unacceptable.
At the very least, they were genuinely capable of creating "miracles."
The event ultimately concluded in a strange kind of peace. Despite the turbulent process, the reputation of "Sobu High hosting the most hardcore social gathering in history" spread unexpectedly far, even receiving exceptionally high praise within certain communities.
Darius tidied up his monocular, preparing to dismiss the team. A figure blocked his path.
It was Hiratsuka Shizuka. She had an unlit cigarette clamped between her lips, her face as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot.
"Darius."
Her voice was holding back a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"My office. Now."
Please subscribe. So far only six people 😭
If you've been enjoying my work, I would like to invite you to join my Ko-fi community. Supporting me through the paid version isn't just a donation—it is a way to keep this project alive and thriving. Your support directly helps me manage the costs and the effort put into every single chapter.
✨ Benefits:
- Access to more chapters
- Read ahead of the public release
☕ Support here:
Ko-fi: ko-fi.c*m/lovefanfiction
or
bit.ly/4sbFiOM