Chapter 4: The Truth Behind the Bars

A female figure entered the classroom.

Tall, she must have been around 25-28 years old. She didn't look old at first glance, so a young teacher.

But this had more flaws than advantages.

If you saw her sharp eyes behind those thin lenses of her glasses, you could already sense that things weren't going to go too well.

"Good morning everyone. How are you?"

Everyone answered in chorus: "Fine."

"Good boys and girls, I am your homeroom teacher, my name is Tachibana Akari. I will guide you for the next 3 years. Besides me, you will have the practical teacher, Suzuki Kazuki, whom you will see tomorrow. We will be the only teachers and we will teach you everything: I will handle the theoretical subjects and he will handle the practical ones.

I know it's different, but you have to get used to it. This institute is very different from the high schools you attended. Now, for the next 3 years, you must work this way. It will be strange but you will have to adapt."

After that, the teacher took attendance and asked the students what hopes they had for the future and what they wanted to do. In short, the usual things teachers ask on the first days.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Takeru raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"But why are there so many guards here?"

"For security."

"Security? For whom?"

"For ours and yours."

"I mean... doesn't it seem a bit excessive to you? In my opinion there are too many."

"The more the better. And it's only for you."

Only for us? What kind of answer is that?

"Alright."

"Does anyone else have a question?"

Takeru raised his hand again.

"Yes?"

"Why is this place built this way, so resistant and far from everyone?"

"For security."

"Okay."

Always the same answer. Something's not right.

"Anyone else?"

Takeru raised his hand once more.

The teacher looked at him with an icy stare. "What do you want?"

"How many years have you been teaching?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You seem too young to be a teacher."

"And you seem too old to be in class."

Well, I asked for that one.

Hearing this, sounds of smiles began to spread through the class. They weren't bursting out laughing, but it was enough.

"You brought that on yourself," Sato said.

"I'm realizing that."

Then Takeru's gaze landed on Kobayashi, who was trying to laugh without showing it, but it was clearly noticeable.

Good.

Another boy raised his hand.

"Yes, tell me."

"But professor, how will the program be divided for the first trimester and year? How will we proceed?"

Hearing this, a smile appeared on the teacher's face. She snapped her fingers and said: "So, today and tomorrow you won't do almost anything. You will only have to take a test, it's like an entrance exam to see how prepared you are."

Hearing this, the students became a bit worried.

"Don't worry too much. The topics won't be as difficult as you think they are. They're only on:

PROBLEM SOLVING

SITUATION HANDLING

GUN MANAGEMENT

EMERGENCY MEDICAL

COMBAT—"

"WAIT, WAIT!" Takeru exclaimed.

"Professor, what is this?"

"Why, don't you know? It was all written in the form."

"No."

The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly. Her smile became thinner.

"Well... on the form it was clearly written that your children will spend 3 years here in this institute, without the possibility of going outside or contacting their relatives."

A heavy silence fell over the class.

"In exchange, you will be given every necessity in the world: 5-star food, swimming pools, playgrounds, expensive game cafés, libraries and much more. But everything inside this school, without going outside."

She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in.

"In exchange, your parents will receive 1 million yen every day on a daily basis, as long as you are here. And not only that: if your score is high, the money will increase."

Some students exchanged confused looks, others began to turn pale.

"The money won't only go to them, but also to you. Once you manage to pass the third year, everything your parents received... you will get triple that amount. And in addition, your wish, whatever it may be, will be granted.

ANY WISH YOU HAVE."

"But surely it won't be that simple to spend these 3 years, right?" Takeru said in a fairly low voice.

The teacher looked at him. For a moment, something appeared in her eyes that seemed like... amusement?

"Yes, you're right. In exchange, you must enter the HOLLOW."

HOLLOW? What the heck is that?

"Mr. Aragiri, moderate your language," the teacher said.

"I will, but only for those who are worthy of it."

The teacher became irritated. She clenched her jaw, her breath coming out tense from her nose.

"Mr. Aragiri, the first day of school hasn't even ended yet, and you've already started showing your true colors. But I'm certain you will straighten out very soon."

So the teacher continued with her speech.

"The HOLLOW are places you will go to through portals created by the institute—"

"What?! Portals? Where are we, in a fantasy world?!"

"ARAGIRI, SHUT UP!" a female classmate shouted.

"AT LEAST LET US HEAR WHAT SHE'S SAYING, AND YOU'RE SPOUTING YOUR NONSENSE!"

Big words.

But her expression was like that of a little girl holding back her tears.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and listen," Takeru muttered.

"The HOLLOW are places identical to Japan: same cities, streets, villages. Everything! In short, they are parallel dimensions. The only difference is that there are no living beings there... except for the Detroit."

The teacher pressed a button on the remote. The interactive whiteboard turned on.

"The Detroit are these here."

"And you must fight against them, and kill them before they kill you."

A humanoid figure. Or rather, something that had the shape of a human body, but was not human. It had no face, no features. It was just... darkness. As if it had been created from a black and dense fog that moved slowly. The silhouette seemed solid but at the same time unreal.

Something that came out of a fantasy novel.

And then the sound.

The teacher activated the audio.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu..."

A long, distorted, unnatural moan. It wasn't words, it wasn't even an animal sound. It was something wrong, something that shouldn't exist.

It was a sound that was a mix of sadness/madness/suffering.

The class froze.

Some students literally stuck to their chairs, as if they wanted to sink through them. Others couldn't speak or move their bodies. A girl in the back started trembling. A boy had his eyes wide open, fixed on the screen, as if hypnotized by the horror.

Many had tears streaming down.

Another was about to... Dang, that guy's almost going to wet himself.

Professor Tachibana observed the class with calm. Too much calm. Almost as if she was enjoying the show.

"There are various types of Detroit," she continued in a neutral, almost didactic tone, "differentiated in height, strength, agility and so on. But we'll go more in depth later."

No one spoke.

No one moved.

The atmosphere had become terrifying.

Takeru clenched his teeth.

His eyes wide open, piercing directly into the teacher's.

The red veins became thick and seemed to be pumping.

This woman is sadistic.

You can clearly see the joy in her eyes, how she's enjoying the misery of others.

Takeru looked at the others. Sato was there praying without stopping. His lips were a train that wouldn't stop, so much so that his forehead was wet with his sweat.

Kobayashi had become pale as a corpse.

A girl next to him was crying silently. Her scene was heartbreaking: mouth sealed, gaze downward. No sound. Only tears streaming down her cheeks and nothing else.

Enough.

ENOUGH!

Not yet!

They deceived us! They brought us here like rats in a trap.

The teacher, sitting at the desk, was laughing. It wasn't a visible laugh, it was a stifled smile. Her lips remained tense, but a corner curved slightly: she was enjoying it too much to be able to hide it.

And that was the breaking point.

Takeru slammed his fist on the desk many times with all the strength he had.

The noise echoed through the classroom.

And it overpowered all the misery that was there.

Everyone turned toward him, startled.

"ENOUGH!"

Takeru's voice resonated through the room, hard and full of anger.

He stood up.

His veins were clearly visible.

"I want answers," he said, staring into Tachibana's eyes.

"If you have questions," she said with glacial calm, "go to the Headmaster."

"Direction?"

"Exit, turn right, last room you see."

"Thanks."

Takeru turned toward the door, but before leaving he turned toward the class.

"If anyone wants to come, come along. Others can stay here."

Silence.

Then, slowly, Sato stood up.

"I... I'm coming with you."

Kobayashi, with trembling hands, also stood up.

"Me too."

Another boy, then a girl, then three more.

In a few seconds half the class was standing.

Professor Tachibana observed them without saying anything. Then, with an almost imperceptible smile, she said: "All of you go. The Headmaster is waiting for you."

Not just those from Takeru's class. EVERYONE!

Groups of kids were coming out of the classrooms: confused, terrified, angry. They exchanged glances, talked among themselves with agitated voices.

"Did you also see those... things?!"

"Yes! The Detroit! What is that?!"

"We can't leave for 3 years?!"

"Did my parents know?!"

Chaos was spreading like wildfire.

The guards observed motionless, without intervening, as if everything was planned.

Takeru walked fast, with Sato and the others behind him. Anger burned in his chest.

That darn old man, and his stupid smile. I'll break his teeth and then make him swallow them, then we'll see how he smiles.

They arrived in front of the Headmaster's office.

The door was open.

But it was full of students. In fact, almost to the corridor it was full of students trying to get inside.

Everyone was talking, shouting and demanding explanations.

And in the center of the room, sitting behind the desk, there he was.

The Headmaster.

But he was no longer the same kind old man as before.

His eyes were cold, calculating, evil.

He looked at the students with an expression that seemed to say: I already have you in my grasp.

To the first ones in front, he said calmly:

"Sit down."

No one sat down.

"I said sit down!"

This time the tone was different. Dangerous.

There were 3 chairs. The first 3 sat on them.

Takeru and his class were very far away.

They couldn't get in, due to the overcrowding.

So the Headmaster, to facilitate things, used the microphone, with speakers throughout the school, and said:

"Ask whatever you want."

Then he passed a microphone to one of the 3 students.

"You deceived us. You brought us here with lies. We knew nothing about... those things, the Detroit, the HOLLOW, nothing!" the student said with a trembling voice.

"Everything was in the contract."

"What contract?!"

"The one you and your parents signed."

"What contract? You didn't give us any contract!"

"Your memory is poor. You should eat almonds. But don't worry, I'll tell you."

Then, from the desk drawer, he pulled out some papers.

They were the forms they had given us.

"This is the contract," the old man said.

"And there are all your signatures on it."

"But... but... but this is wrong! It wasn't clearly written that we would do these things, like HOLLOW, Detroit..."

"There's no need to specify things. We wrote that you would do practical activities, and you signed this without thinking twice. It's not our fault, but YOURS!"

"It doesn't matter," the student said, clenching his fists, "we'll leave here and tell everyone: the police, the newspapers, everyone! About what you're doing here."

The Headmaster laughed.

A low, disturbing laugh.

"You'll leave? And where exactly?"

"Out of this cursed place!"

"I'm sorry, but... you can't."

"What?"

The Headmaster cleared his throat.

"The doors are sealed, communications are blocked. There are no phones, there's no external internet. For the next 3 years this is your world."

"You're joking..."

"And even if you found a way to get out," the Headmaster continued, "you couldn't say anything."

He took a file from the desk and opened it.

"Clause 7, paragraph 3: confidentiality obligation. Any student who violates this clause will be subject to 40 years of imprisonment and compensation of 10 million yen. Furthermore, all money received by parents will be immediately withdrawn and must be returned."

"And this doesn't only apply to you, but also to your families. And don't think I'm just talking nonsense. Look here: there are the signatures of the prime minister and all important entities.

So you know what that means?

That we have the government's support.

Therefore

you

cannot

do

ANYTHING!"

The silence was total.

Takeru felt the blood freeze in his veins.

You... you are monsters.

The Headmaster smiled. A cold, ruthless smile.

"We are benefactors. Your parents will receive a million a day. You will become strong, you'll have money, power, anything you desire. And who's an orphan? BETTER! More money for them! Hahaha!"

He crossed his hands and said in a very low voice:

"Win and survive, or die trying."

Someone started crying.

Others remained silent, with empty gazes.

A boy suddenly stood up shouting: "I don't accept this! You can't keep us here!"

He lunged toward the Headmaster, but two guards immediately blocked him, grabbing him by the arms.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Other students started rebelling. Some were shouting, others were trying to reach the door.

Students started running here and there.

Some were trying to run toward the exit, others were trying to take weapons from the guards.

Chaos exploded.

The Headmaster didn't move. He pressed a button on the desk and then said through the microphone:

"Dear kids, I hope this attitude is the first and last time. And this time I won't do almost anything to you. But know this: if it happens again, remember that there are about more than a thousand of you, but the guards, armed with armor and weapons, are 10,000, and they will do everything at my command. So think before you act. Thank you.

And for the students who tried to rebel:

Take them away, to the isolation chambers. 24 hours. No food, no water, no light."

The guards entered en masse, grabbing the students who were rebelling.

They took everyone.

Including Takeru, who was trying to get out of that mass.

The guards took every rebel and dragged them to the basement, where these isolation chambers were.

And they threw them inside.

For the next

24

hours.