Chapter 5: Isolation and Survival

The cells were cold and small.

So small that you could barely lie down. Your head and feet would touch the metal walls.

And that was for someone of average height. If you were taller than average, it was even worse.

The cold was unmistakable. The metal walls amplified every sensation, every sound. The stone floor was the only different thing in that metal box. If you could call it a "smell," it was that: cold stone and sterile metal. Nothing else.

These cells were located underground, and in each cell, there was one student.

One could only imagine how many of these cells were built. But these weren't just the so-called "isolation cells." There were still undiscovered rooms, hidden corridors, dark corners that no one knew about.

It was pitch black.

For oxygen, they had installed several pumps along the corridors that transmitted air through the small windows in the doors. The air entered with a constant hiss, a sound that after hours became part of you.

The cells were built right next to each other. Because of this, you could hear the voices of other students. Sometimes they were whispers. Sometimes muffled screams.

Some let out their pain, their shock, their suffering in the form of small drops of salty water that fell silently onto the stone floor.

Some were lost in the infinite abyss of their minds, desperately searching for meaning in all of this and an escape route that was still uncertain.

Some were searching for others. Loneliness bit into them from the inside, consuming them slowly.

And some grew hatred and revenge in their hearts, but their hands were tied. They wanted to scream but their mouths were sewn shut. They wanted to run away but their legs were cut off.

All of this for just one reason: SURVIVAL.

Because they wanted to survive.

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"Hey, Sato!"

Takeru's voice echoed in the metal, amplified by the walls.

"What is it, Aragiri-san?"

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. I don't have a watch."

Silence.

"Ahh, I see, I see."

Takeru stared at the darkness in front of him. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear Sato's breathing from the cell next door.

"Sato, you shouldn't have been here with us, you know? Neither you nor Kobayashi, and not even many of those students. Maybe none of those who are locked up here."

"I know, Aragiri-san. I know."

Another silence, heavier this time.

Then Takeru spoke again, and this time his voice trembled slightly.

"Sato... why did this happen? What did we do wrong? We only wanted answers. There were kids with smiling faces, they were excited about their future. They thought they had a chance to change their lives. They thought they were lucky. That they were chosen. And that they had a chance to make their dreams real. But everything fell apart."

The silence that followed felt eternal.

Then Sato's voice came, calm as always.

"Patience, Aragiri-san. Be patient."

Takeru clenched his fists in the darkness.

"Life isn't beautiful forever," Sato continued. "In fact, I don't think it will ever be easy. And we have to make it easy. And to do that, we must be patient."

"Patient for wealth. Patient for love. Patient for happiness."

"If you can't be patient, then you can't have anything."

"Things will come, but when GOD has chosen. And the time and moment decided by GOD are perfect. But for that, you must be patient. You can't rush anything."

Takeru closed his eyes, even though in the darkness it made no difference.

"How long do I have to be patient, Sato?"

"I don't know. Every person is different, and so is their level of patience. Some are mountains of patience, others not even a grain of sand."

"Is it better to have a lot or a little?"

"Neither. It must be balanced."

Takeru laughed bitterly.

"Hahaha Sato! Teach me this patience too, because my heart is burning right now."

"You have to learn it yourself, Aragiri-san. I can only give you advice. But words have no weight if you don't have the will to act on them."

"Ahhhh Sato, how wonderful it would be if you were my big brother."

"But you're older than me."

"That's exactly why I'm saying it. Being older doesn't mean being wiser."

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Time was passing better now for Takeru, and perhaps for others as well.

Loneliness bites. Even if you're the strongest person who ever existed.

That's why, to survive well both mentally and physically, people need to talk.

It doesn't always have to be another person. It can even be an animal.

But it just needs to be something living that listens to you, even if only for five minutes a day.

But those five minutes must be sincere.

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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS PASSED !

The sound of multiple footsteps descending the metal stairs echoed through the corridors. Each step resonated, amplified, threatening.

It was the guards.

One by one, they began opening the cells.

The sound of locks clicking open. Then the doors opening with a metallic creak.

The students tried to stand up, but their bodies didn't respond. Their legs were numb, asleep after twenty-four hours in that unnatural position. Some tried to move and fell immediately. Others remained seated, unable to take even a single step.

The guards didn't wait. They grabbed them by the arms and dragged them out, one after another.

Some groaned in pain as blood returned to circulate in their legs. Others remained silent, too weak to react.

They dragged them up the stairs, pulling them like sacks.

And then, suddenly, the light.

The sun hit their eyes like a punch.

Everyone closed their eyes instantly, but the pain was already there. It burned. After twenty-four hours of total darkness, even normal daylight seemed blinding.

The students stood still, eyes closed, hands in front of their faces, unable to see.

Minutes passed. Slowly, some began to open their eyes, first a crack, then more.

Their vision returned gradually. Blurry at first, then clearer.

When they could finally see, they found themselves in the courtyard.

The Headmaster was already present on the stage, as if he had been waiting for them for hours.

The students were gathered in front of him. Some still staggering, others leaning on the guards.

Then the Headmaster spoke.

"Good morning everyone, how are you? I hope you're well."

His voice was calm, almost kind.

No one answered.

"From your faces, it seems you're hungry. I can understand, since you haven't eaten since yesterday. But don't worry, because soon you'll eat as much as you want and however you want."

He paused, observing them with an almost paternal look.

"And I'm sorry you've become like this, but I was forced to do it, you know? To keep you under control, it was necessary. And with this, I've confirmed it."

His tone didn't change. Still kind. Still calm.

"From now on, I hope no one tries to play the hero. And if they do, know that the punishment can be more severe than this. It's not just 'can be,' it will definitely be more severe. This is nothing. So if you want to live peacefully, do as we tell you."

He paused.

"And I know that not all of those who were locked up were in the wrong, yet they had to spend time with them. And I apologize for that, but since there were so many of you, we didn't know who was rebellious and who wasn't. So we put everyone inside."

He smiled slightly.

"And I'm sure you'll forgive us for that."

Silence.

"I won't take up too much of your time and I'll leave you, since I also have things to do. And if you have anything to ask, ask your homeroom teachers, because I don't have time to waste. And if I have to intervene, then it won't be good for you."

He raised his voice.

"THAT SAID! HAVE A GOOD DAY! ENJOY YOURSELVES, BECAUSE TODAY YOU DO NOTHING! STARTING TOMORROW, WE'LL PRETEND IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY!"

And he left.

Takeru watched him as he descended from the stage.

The Headmaster walked calmly, hands behind his back. His face was like stone. No emotion. No sign of humanity.

For a moment, Takeru turned and met his gaze.

The Headmaster's eyes were cold. Empty.

There was no humanity in those eyes. It was like looking at something unnatural, something that shouldn't exist.

Takeru looked away.

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From the cafeteria, a smell began to arrive.

An incredibly delicious smell of various dishes. Meat, rice, spices, freshly baked bread.

The hungry students all turned in that direction.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then, as if something had broken inside them, they started running.

BAM!

The cafeteria doors opened.

And chaos exploded.

The majority of students threw themselves forward like hyenas seeing their prey. Pushes. Punches. Slaps. Screams.

They ran in a group, crushing each other, trampling those who fell.

The minority, the weaker students, tried to move forward. They wanted to eat too. But they didn't have enough strength. The number was too great. They were crushed, pushed back, overwhelmed.

Inside the cafeteria, the students who had not been locked up were already sitting at their tables. They were eating peacefully.

But when they saw that scene, they froze.

Goosebumps covered their arms.

They were watching humans devouring each other just to fill their stomachs. And only twenty-four hours had passed.

The Headmaster had said there was food for everyone. But the locked-up students didn't understand that. In their minds, the food would disappear if they didn't get there as fast as possible.

It was such a terrifying scene that some of the non-locked-up students couldn't eat anymore.

They stood up slowly, left their still-full plates, and walked out of the cafeteria. Not all of them. Only those with weaker hearts.

Takeru, despite being strong, didn't move.

He stayed back with Sato and Kobayashi.

They waited in line, in silence, while in front of them the chaos continued.

After a while, Takeru saw Kenji sitting at a table. He hadn't been locked up. He was eating peacefully.

Takeru approached.

"Tanaka Kenji, I see you weren't locked up."

Kenji looked up. He spoke in a low voice, almost embarrassed.

"Hehehe yes, Aragiri-san."

"Where did all your enthusiasm go? The legendary Kenji?"

Takeru knew well. The conditions they were in had changed almost everyone.

"Well, never mind. Tell me, what did you guys do once the rebellious students were locked up?"

Kenji lowered his gaze to his plate.

"Nothing. The teachers from each class said that the day was over and we could go to our assigned rooms. So every student did that. And since most of those who weren't locked up were the well-behaved ones, they stayed in their rooms until morning. After that, the next day, they did almost nothing until you all arrived."

"I see. Thanks, Kenji."

"Don't mention it."

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After everyone had eaten, the guards made them leave the cafeteria.

Outside, a guard was handing out the key to each person's room.

The students walked toward their rooms in silence. The atmosphere was heavy, oppressive.

Some had their eyes down. Others stared at the emptiness ahead.

Then someone started talking.

"The way they treated us... like animals."

"Locked underground for a whole day. For what? For asking questions?"

"They said we'll forgive them. We'll forgive them? And who forgives us?"

Voices rose. Others joined in.

"It's not fair."

"We all know it's not fair."

"So what? What do we do? Rebel again?"

"No, no. You saw what happens. We can't."

"Then what do we do? Just stay here and rot?"

The discussion continued, growing more heated. Frustration, anger, fear. Everything came out.

Then one student shouted.

"ENOUGH! I can't take this atmosphere anymore!"

Everyone turned.

"Seriously, I can't take it. If we keep going like this, we'll go crazy. We have to do something. Detach ourselves from all of this, even just for a bit."

Another nodded.

"He's right. Let's do something. Anything."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Video games? Sports? A walk?"

"Yeah, okay. Let's do that."

Some went to the video game room.

Two students sat in front of the console. One picked up the controller and started playing.

"At least here I can forget for a while," he said without looking at the other.

"Yeah," the second replied. "But tomorrow..."

"Don't think about tomorrow. Let's just play."

The first student nodded and pressed start.

Others decided to walk in the gardens full of flowers.

One student stopped in front of a bush of red roses. He looked at them for a long moment.

"It's surreal," he said aloud. "Such beautiful flowers in a place like this..."

Another student beside him completed the sentence.

"Yeah. It's like they want us to forget."

They remained silent, looking at the flowers.

In the courtyard, a group started playing basketball.

"Hey, pass the ball!"

"Run! Go!"

Someone laughed. A forced laugh, but at least it was a laugh.

"Come on, score!"

The ball went into the basket. More applause, more laughter.

They weren't happy. But at least, for that moment, they weren't thinking about anything else.

Takeru observed everything from a distance.

He saw how everyone was trying to survive in their own way. Some played. Others walked. Others laughed even though there was nothing to laugh about.

Everyone was trying to move forward.

Even though they knew tomorrow it would all start again.

Even though they knew this moment of peace was temporary.

The guards distributed the keys. The students headed toward their rooms.

To rest.

Even though this rest was nothing but an illusion.