Chapter 2: Honest Deception【Part 1】

Anza

I squint at the display, fighting the harsh sunlight to make out the stripped-down, basic layout. The phone is already connected to the school network—outside connectivity seems unlikely.

Figures…

“Toma, is yours the same?” I shove the phone screen toward the side of his face.

“Hm?” He half-turns with the slowness of an old man checking the weather. “Oh. Haven’t really looked at it yet. Doubt it matters much for now.” He shifts his attention back to the swelling crowd.

“Agh! Don’t be such a lone wolf, Toma!” I huff, my foot drumming against the pavement. “Just hand me your student ID card already! I want to add your number so we can call in case we lose each other later!”

He does not turn, or respond.

Instead, his hand slides out of his pocket and blindly offers the card backward.

I snatch it, pressing the plastic against the back of my phone until it registers with a short chime.

My very first phone contact! I wonder how many numbers I can pack into this thing…

“Speaking of getting lost,” he mumbles, tilting his head to scan the crowd. “Where exactly did our resident natural disaster go? Did security drag Asuka off the island already?”

“I thought she was ahead of me, so I just kept moving,” I answer, slipping the card back into his pocket. “Should we start looking for her?”

“Don’t worry about it. She’s probably already nagging some staff member to find us. She’ll catch up.”

“Maybe once we’re inside there’s a way to find people, how else do—”

A screech bursts from the stage speakers.

I gasp, my shoulders jump as my head snaps toward the noise.

“Students of the fifth year of Kyousei Academy, welcome to the island. I am Headmaster Sato.” The voice drags over the crowd’s murmur. “I am honored to be at your service during your time here. Let me—”

It sounds warm and human, yet a digital filter seems to warp the audio.

“Hey! Anza! TOMA!” a voice shouts.

Only one person has that volume during a time like this.

An arm cuts through the sea of uniforms, pushing past the students beside us.

“Asuka! Where were you?” I hiss, caught between relief and irritation.

“Total nightmare,” she groans, dropping her weight against my shoulder. “I got the grumpiest desk worker on the entire island! He made me go through this whole process of shipping back my phone because he wouldn’t let me through with it.”

I stare at her, dumbfounded. “Don’t tell me you actually tried that!”

“Don’t feed into her drama, Anza,” Toma mutters without turning around.

“It didn’t have to be a drama!” Asuka retorts, her voice rising slightly. “They clearly told us ‘one bag and whatever you can carry’ so technically—“

“Technically nothing, you knew exactly what you were getting into,” I cut in, shaking my head.

“Hey!” Asuka huffs, crossing her arms. “I was just negotiating, and there is no rule against testing them.”

“I thought you were joking when you said you’d—”

“Could you two cut it out already?” Toma huffs, cutting us off with a sharp side-eye. “Some of us are actually trying to listen to instructions instead of ‘negotiating’ them.”

I catch myself, noticing the quieter crowd around us.

“Sorry,” I whisper sheepishly with a quick nod.

Up on the stage, a row of figures arrange themselves like chess pieces.

Asuka leans closer with a grin, whispering, “I will tell you all about how he snapped later.”

“...and arrayed before you is the school faculty.” the disembodied voice continues in the background. “They represent your potential advisors. This institution values choice—including who helps shape your future—”

“Wow! How many teachers does this school even have?” I quickly clap a hand over my mouth, only moving my eyes to confirm the back of Toma his head is still facing me.

“Pffft—they line up more like prison guards getting ready to dish out a beating than teachers.” Asuka tries to hold in her laugh while mimicking their rigid posture.

“Then maybe stop drawing their attention to us,” Toma chuckles faintly.

I think he is losing it a bit…

“You know.” He pinches his forehead, looking back at us with a cynical smile. “They go after the mouthiest ones first. And from one fellow inmate to another, you are practically screaming for it.”

Asuka tosses her hair. “Please. If they wanted to beat us up, they wouldn’t have bothered giving us these cute uniforms first. I bet they’re only standing in for the Headmaster because they woke up with your weak spine this morning, Toma.”

Toma his smirk twitches.

It looks like he is suppressing whatever comeback he had planned, turning back to lock his gaze forward.

I press my palms against my face to stifle a laugh.

The broadcast keeps droning over the speakers. “Remember that whoever you choose here today ca—hhHHIIGgh—not be altered later, choose—”

The voice pitches for a split second, a glitch that shatters whatever illusion of warmth remains.

I stiffen at the sudden distortion, my eyes snap back to the stage.

“Wait,” I whisper, squinting at the raised platform. “Can you guys actually see who’s talking?”

“No,” Toma says, his head subtly tilting as he studies the area. “There’s no microphone or audio equipment on that stage. The sound is coming from somewhere else entirely. Whoever we’re hearing is not here, nor did they intend to show their face.”

It is a simple deduction I easily follow, but... “Why do you suppose they felt that was necessary, Toma?”

“Maybe because they sound like a little girl, and otherwise nobody takes them seriously!” Asuka chirps, weaving side to side with her hands stacked flat under her chin.

Toma rolls his eyes, drawing a breath. “More likely because—”

“Now listen closely.” The broadcast cuts in, drowning him out as the voice takes over. “Your devices will prompt you to start the selection process. The profiles contain information each educator chose to share. Remember, they are financially incentivized to earn your partnership—”

Silence sweeps over the courtyard as the weight of the words settles over the crowd.

The voice fills in the vacuum. “Once confirmed, your device will display a clearance key for the gates ahead. Further down the road, the Student President will hold an address at the central plaza. Attendance is at your own discretion. Choose wisely.”

A sharp click echoes through the courtyard and the speakers die.

Before the crowd can find its voice again, a synchronized wave of vibrations ripples across the square as people start grabbing their phones.

I grab mine too, opening the fresh notification.

It displays rows of stiff, corporate headshots accompanied by even drier descriptions.

“Let’s pick someone quickly and get moving,” Asuka huffs, already furiously scrolling on her screen. “I want to see the dorms so bad!”

Nothing stands out from the blur of entries, until—

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 2: Honest Deception【Part 2】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Official publishing platforms and updates are exclusively communicated on Bluesky: @Limited-Infinity

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