CHAPTER 8: DOUBLE-EDGED BLADE

Takeru and Haruto left the bathroom and headed toward their respective classes.

When Takeru arrived, Sato and Kobayashi approached him immediately.

"We saw Haruto go in. What happened between you two?" Sato asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"You have a strange smile on your face."

"It's nothing. That guy just challenged me." Takeru looked at Sato directly. "And you know how much I love challenges."

"He's already ahead of you by two rounds, you know that, right?" Sato said.

"DON'T WORRY," Takeru said with absolute confidence.

After the break, the professor called everyone back to the center of the field.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, NOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE TEST! THE NEXT EXERCISES ARE WEIGHT LIFTING!

IN FRONT OF YOU, THERE'S A SERIES OF WEIGHTS STARTING FROM TEN KG AND GOING UP!

HERE, ALL THE MUSCLES IN YOUR BODY MUST WORK, SO BE WELL PREPARED.

AGAIN, I'LL CALL IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

ARAGIRI TAKERU!"

Takeru approached the platform.

The students watched in silence. Some curious, others too exhausted to care.

Takeru lifted the barbell and gradually increased the weight. His muscles tensed, his breathing controlled.

. . .

. .

.

"GOOD! TWO HUNDRED KG! ARAGIRI TAKERU!"

Scattered applause. Sato whistled.

The professor continued calling names. One after another, students tried. Some collapsed early, others held on.

Then it was Haruto's turn.

"ABE HARUTO!"

Haruto approached calmly. He lifted the weight with ease, increasing it slowly.

"ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY KG! ABE HARUTO!"

Takeru caught Haruto's gaze. Haruto smiled. A slight smile, but Takeru understood it perfectly.

One-two to him.

. . .

"NOW YOU NEED TO DO PUSH-UPS! HOW MANY CAN YOU DO IN ONE MINUTE!"

Takeru got into position. Arms extended, back straight.

The whistle sounded.

Takeru began. Fast but controlled. Every movement precise.

The minute ended.

"THIRTY-TWO! ARAGIRI TAKERU!"

Haruto was next. He positioned himself with the same calm as before.

The whistle sounded.

Haruto went fast. Faster than Takeru. His movements were fluid, almost mechanical.

"FORTY-SEVEN! ABE HARUTO!"

Takeru clenched his fists. Haruto looked at him and smiled again.

Three-one.

. . .

"NOW PLANK! HOLD IT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!"

Takeru got into position. Elbows on the ground, body straight as a board.

The timer started.

One minute passed. Two minutes. Three.

His muscles burned. Sweat dripped down his forehead. But Takeru didn't move.

Four minutes. Five minutes.

"FIVE MINUTES! ARAGIRI TAKERU!"

Takeru stood up slowly. His breathing was heavy.

Then it was Haruto's turn.

Haruto held the position. He didn't tremble. He didn't sweat. He was like a statue.

Four minutes passed. Four fifty.

At four minutes and fifty-five seconds, Haruto gave in.

"FOUR MINUTES AND FIFTY-FIVE SECONDS! ABE HARUTO!"

Takeru smiled. Haruto looked at him. This time he didn't smile.

Three-two.

. . .

The professor continued calling out exercises.

Squats. Standing long jump. Carrying heavy weights.

Every time, Takeru and Haruto challenged each other in silence.

When one won, he looked at the other. When one lost, he gritted his teeth.

The other students were too busy surviving to pay attention. Sato and Kobayashi were nearly dead from exhaustion. Even the most athletic girls began to collapse.

But Takeru and Haruto continued.

. . .

. .

.

It was ten in the morning.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! THE FINAL RESULTS ARE:

ARAGIRI TAKERU AND ABE HARUTO ARE TIED! SIX TO SIX!

ARAGIRI WON THE CHALLENGES THAT REQUIRED MORE STRENGTH, WHILE ABE WON THOSE THAT REQUIRED MORE ATHLETICISM!

EXCELLENT WORK TO BOTH!"

Takeru looked at Haruto from across the field. Haruto returned the gaze.

Six to six.

"NOW FOR THE LAST EXERCISE YOU'LL DO IS THE TEAM GAME!

THE TEAMS HAVE BEEN CREATED RANDOMLY USING SCHOOL SOFTWARE, AND NOW MY COLLEAGUES AND I WILL ANNOUNCE THE TEAMS. STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO GO WHERE INDICATED BY THE INSTRUCTORS!"

The professor began calling out names.

. . .

. .

.

Good, I'm on team number eight.

Takeru looked around.

So let's see where this number eight is. Ah! There it is, the flag for number eight.

Takeru approached. There were already other team members present. He saw two girls and two boys besides himself.

One of the boys was Kenji.

"Ah, Kenji! Your class is doing practical lessons today too! I didn't see you around."

"Aragiri-san, you know I was the student council president at the school, and it's my duty to help others even HERE!. I was doing exactly that."

"Yeah yeah, sure. Anyway! How did the exercises go?"

"Not bad. I'm higher than half the class."

"Good, that's good."

Takeru's gaze then fell on the remaining members.

In front were two girls. One was tall with short hair, a slim and athletic body, and extreme seriousness in her eyes, as if they were empty inside.

She doesn't seem like a very social person.

Next to her, the second girl was the opposite. She was a bit shorter, had more weight on her, long hair, and glasses that she kept adjusting every two minutes.

This one's a bit better.

"Good morning! How are you? My name is Aragiri Takeru. I'm from class 1-J1!"

The girl with glasses spoke very politely.

"GOOD MORNING!"

. . .

"Sorry if that was loud!"

"No no no, go ahead, continue! I like enthusiasm," Takeru said.

"Thank you. So my name is Otou Shizuka, and I'm from class 1-H1!"

"Good, that's good. Nice to meet you, Otou-san."

Takeru turned to the serious girl and extended his hand for a greeting.

"Midorikawa Himari. Class 1-S."

She didn't return the greeting.

It was the second time that day someone hadn't shaken his hand.

"Hehehe, alright. Midorikawa-san, I hope we get along.

WAIT!

You're the girl who came in third in the fifteen-minute run! I was really impressed by your athleticism!"

But she didn't respond.

Then behind them, there was a boy at the back, all crouched down.

Takeru looked at him and approached.

"Hey kid! What's wrong? Why are you like this?"

He didn't respond. His body seemed to tremble.

Takeru asked again. "Kid! Is everything okay? What's wrong?"

Nothing. Takeru sat down next to him to see better and heard a stuttering murmur.

Something's wrong. Definitely.

Takeru put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong? Tell us."

The guy stayed silent for a while, then started saying something.

Sob.

Sob.

"I miss my mother. I want to go home. I don't want to be here."

"I understand," Takeru said calmly.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ANYTHING! EVERYONE HERE IS A MONSTER!"

. . .

The guy started to panic. He said random things, his breathing became frantic.

Takeru felt irritated for a moment but held back his annoyance. He stood up and went to Kenji.

"Who is this guy?" he asked quietly.

"He's a boy from the class next to mine. He's been like this since the beginning. He only says one thing: that he wants to go home. He just can't overcome the situation."

"He's not entirely wrong," Takeru said, looking at the crouched boy.

Takeru returned to him. He observed him for a few seconds. The boy continued to tremble, to sob.

Takeru knew that a person wouldn't be consoled even if you did something. The trauma was too heavy.

He left it in GOD's hands, thinking that only GOD could give strength.

"Alright, let's prepare for the challenge," Takeru said, returning to the others.

"EVERYONE, HERE ARE ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED FOR THIS CHALLENGE!

EACH OF YOU WILL HAVE A GUN, OBVIOUSLY FAKE!

THE AMMUNITION WILL BE PROJECTILES CONTAINING COLORS THAT WILL EXPLODE ON CONTACT WITH THE SKIN.

THE OBJECTIVE IS: KEEP YOUR TEAM ALIVE UNTIL THE END AND MAKE AS MANY ELIMINATIONS AS POSSIBLE.

WITH THIS CHALLENGE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW YOU WORK AS A TEAM, SINCE IN HALLOW YOU'LL GO AS A TEAM.

THE RULES ARE SIMPLE:

IF A STUDENT GETS HIT, THEY MUST EXIT.

YOU CANNOT USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE GUNS WE GIVE YOU.

AVOID SHOOTING AT SENSITIVE ORGANS LIKE THE EYES!

AND THEN, BESIDES THE GUNS, YOU'LL ONLY HAVE THREE SHIELDS AND YOU MUST MANAGE THEM WELL!

GET READY BECAUSE WE'RE STARTING RIGHT AWAY!"

Takeru picked up a gun and weighed it in his hand.

"Alright everyone, here we are. Now we need to think about who holds the shields. I have an idea, if it's okay with you. Me, Kenji, and Midorikawa-san will hold the shields. Kenji will protect that boy, Midorikawa will protect Otou-san. I'll attack from the front. What do you think?"

Midorikawa's face wasn't satisfied.

"No. I think the shields should be held by me, Kenji-kun, and Otou-san. You're already strong and have more realistic experience, so you know how to defend yourself without one. And if we're talking about the boy, I don't care. We can leave him like that. He's useless anyway."

"I agree but only with half of what you said. It's true I can manage without a shield, but we need to keep the guy too. So Kenji, you take care of him."

"Alright, I'll handle him," Kenji said.

"Good. Now, the ammunition isn't infinite. We'll only have fourteen shots each, so don't waste them. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Good."

The teams positioned themselves in the school's immense courtyard. The field was vast. There were some scattered trees and a few bushes, but otherwise, it was all open.

Takeru observed the situation.

The teams were arranged in rows. His team was in the last row, near the walls but in the middle. There were two teams both to the right and left.

We're surrounded.

He looked toward Haruto's team. They were far away, on the other side of the field.

Good.

Takeru noticed that many students were excited, agitated. They talked among themselves, laughed nervously. They weren't focused.

Perfect.

"READY?"

The professor raised the whistle.

"ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET..."

Takeru crouched slightly. His eyes scanned the field.

"GO!"

PIIIIII

As expected, the students weren't composed.

As soon as the whistle blew, some started shooting randomly. They screamed, ran in all directions. It was chaos.

"SHIELDS UP! FALL BACK TO THE LEFT CORNER!" Takeru ordered.

Kenji, Midorikawa, and Otou raised their shields and formed a triangle. Kenji in front, Midorikawa to the right, Otou to the left. In the center were Takeru and the boy.

"MOVE SLOWLY! DON'T SHOOT!"

The team began to fall back slowly toward the left corner of the courtyard, where there was a tree.

Colored projectiles exploded around them. Some hit the shields, others whistled through the air.

Takeru walked backward, holding the boy by the arm. Occasionally he stepped out of the triangle, fired a precise shot, eliminated someone, and returned inside.

His reputation as an ex-gangster began to circulate. Some teams, seeing him, preferred to keep their distance.

"KEEP FALLING BACK!"

After a minute, they reached the corner. The tree was behind them.

But in front of them was a squad already positioned.

"STOP," Takeru ordered.

He stepped out of the triangle and fired three quick shots.

PAM. PAM. PAM.

Three students fell, stained with color.

"SPACE CLEAR. POSITION YOURSELVES."

The team positioned themselves behind the tree. They had a clear view of the field.

The chaos continued.

Students ran, shot, fell. Already in the first minute, many teams were eliminated.

"DON'T ATTACK. WAIT," Takeru said.

He positioned himself behind the tree, breathing heavily. The gun was still in his hand.

Kenji, Midorikawa, and Otou formed a line in front of him. The boy was sitting behind, trembling but silent.

"Aragiri-san, why aren't we attacking?" Kenji asked.

"Because we don't need to. Let them eliminate each other."

Kenji seemed confused. A person like Takeru—short-tempered, active, with that personality—was behaving so defensively. It was strange.

But he said nothing.

Half an hour passed.

The field was emptier. Of the two hundred students, many teams had been eliminated. Only about ten teams remained, all positioned in strategic points.

The professors watched with interest. One of them was writing something in a notebook.

The game had become slower. The shots had decreased drastically. Only necessary ones could be heard.

Takeru checked his ammunition.

Five shots.

He looked at Kenji and Midorikawa.

"How many do you have?"

"Seven," Kenji said.

"Nine," Midorikawa said.

Takeru nodded. His head was pressed against the tree trunk. His breathing was heavy, sweat dripped down his forehead. His eyes were fixed on Haruto, on the other side of the field.

The gun in his hand started to slip because of the sweat. Takeru immediately wiped it on his shirt.

"Aragiri-san, I propose we get out of here," Kenji said.

"No."

"But—"

"We're not leaving until we're certain. Even if we have to stay here for hours."

Kenji fell silent. The others didn't say anything either. The boy was sitting behind, still trembling but silent.

The professors watched the circus with joy.

One team got bored. They started advancing toward them, fast, aggressive.

Takeru stepped out slightly from cover and fired to intimidate them, but he didn't hit anyone.

They didn't stop. They came like bulls.

Damn. If they get in, I'll lose useful teammates.

Takeru thought quickly, but nothing came to mind.

Meanwhile, Midorikawa fired. She hit one of the guys.

But the others didn't stop. They intended to get in.

Then Otou, without saying anything, stood up.

"OTOU, NO—" Takeru tried to stop her, but his voice didn't come out.

The guys saw Otou. They removed their shields to shoot.

They hit Otou.

But at that moment, Takeru and Midorikawa eliminated the remaining four.

PAM. PAM. PAM. PAM.

Takeru looked at Otou. She was stained with color. She had to exit.

Otou turned slowly and headed toward the exit without saying a word.

Takeru watched her with anguish, but he couldn't do anything.

They had lost a member.

But the squad had survived.

"TAKE THEIR AMMO AND SHIELDS!" Takeru ordered.

Kenji and Midorikawa moved quickly. They took the projectiles and shields from the eliminated guys.

The game became more intense.

More time passed.

Only three teams remained.

Kenji had been eliminated during a sudden raid.

The boy, Ren, had been used in another tactical move.

"Ren," Takeru had said. "You're fast. Just run. Do what you know how to do."

Ren had looked at Takeru with frightened eyes.

"I... I can't..."

"You can. Just run. You don't have to do anything else."

Ren had nodded, trembling.

During the raid, Ren had run toward the enemy while they were busy shooting at him. Takeru and Midorikawa had finished off the guys.

But Ren and Kenji had been eliminated.

The third team was eliminated by Haruto's team.

Now only two teams remained.

Haruto's team: three members.

Takeru's team: two members. Him and Midorikawa.

Takeru looked at Midorikawa.

"Let's attack."

Midorikawa nodded.

Takeru stepped out from cover, ready to move.

But then—

Something sharp hit him.

A sharp pain in his shoulder.

Takeru froze. He turned his head.

He saw a small cafeteria knife stuck in his shoulder. A small wound, one he'd received many times in the past.

But his body wasn't responding.

He couldn't move properly.

He looked at who had thrown the knife.

Midorikawa.

There was a strange smile on her face. A cold, unsettling smile.

Takeru's blood boiled. His eyes turned red with rage.

He raised his hand to grab her, to seize her.

But the pain was excruciating.

His body began to lose control.

His legs gave out.

He fell to his knees.

Then he fell to the ground.

The last thing he saw was Midorikawa's unsettling expression staring down at him.

Then everything went black.