Chapter 2

Gold Ingot's voice was coming from the speakers. "Now that Journal is awake, all students must gather in the gymnasium."

Journal got off the bed like on Gold Ingot's heartless order.

I have to go...

"I-it's nothing... I'll tell you later."

ii •pii

Suddenly, Plasma Ball--the Harmony School Level Sniper--came up to them and pointed at Journal.

"You're late, Journal! Explain yourself!"

The other students frowned, obviously wondering why Plasma Ball was demanding

this answer from someone who was sick. But Journal smiled kindly and quickly gave his answer.

"I was sleeping in the infirmary because I wasn't feeling well. Could you put my name down on the class note(3)?"

Why did I say that? It's as if... I was used to it. It was just like the way people breathed without consciously moving their lungs. Somewhere in his mind, the idea that 'Answering like this will make the conversation go smoothly' had come up and out of his mouth in sentences.

Why? Why?

Each time he tried to find out why, the headache worsened. Journal stumbled through his thoughts, when suddenly—

A TV popped up from behind a table set up in the gymnasium and spun around as it spoke in a clear voice.

"Ah, is everyone here?"

He sounded as though he was leading the students on a picnic, but no one looked particularly  in the mood.

"What's next? Are we gonna sea jack a luxury cruise liner and come face-to-face with a gigantic worm?" 

Of course, the one exception was the Harmony School Level Mayhem, Chainsaw. He still thought the school was staging an event for them.

Gold Ingot ignored him and spoke in a cutesy tone.

"Today I'm gonna teach you bastards about our wonderful school system. 'System', huh? Isn't that such a nice word? It smells almost as dangerous as death! I hope you bastards grow up to be real hard-boiled villains who can trample over the corpses of your friends. I don't mind naughty students, as long as they're malicious!" 

The incomprehensible introductory statement came to a close. Gold Ingot continued, bringing to light the despicable system in the school—the school trial.

"-—...So, that means just killing someone isn't enough. You have to kill them without anyone else finding out." 

Gold Ingot went on about the rules pertaining to graduation. But perhaps because there hadn't been any murders so far, the students did not seem to be in much dissonance.

If no one was killed, there would be no graduation. But they could not guarantee that a murder would not occur. As the students stood in suspicion and doubt, Gold Ingot continued his explanation... 

"H-hey, wait a second!"

One of the girls stepped forward as Gold Ingot explained about the rules

dubbed "lessons".

"Huh...?" 

As Caramel Cube watched the girl unleash her anger, the rhythm of his pulsating headache began to change.

"What you've been saying... It's all messed up!"

"Huh?"

The Sniper Girl raised her voice in complaint. She looked like a different person from the smiling student in the infirmary.

Was Plasma... always like that? 

No. She's different. Plasma acts like that, sure, but...

Was she really Like that?

...? Huh? What am I thinking...? As Caramel Cube struggled with her confusion and headache, the back-and-forth between Gold Ingot and the girl continued.

"So what are you saying? You're not going to cooperate? If you don't, I will have to penalize you!"

"Huh? Penalize...?" 

"Maybe I'll lock you up in a dark, scary prison..."

No.

This time, Caramel Cube's suspicions fell on Gold Ingot.

Lock her up?

No... They... they wouldn't... stop there... 

A series of images flashed through his mind, leaving Caramel Cube with the impression that she had just watched a parade. But she realized that was a mistake. What she saw were buildings on fire, and the red lights illuminating the scenes were originally inside the bodies of people.

Dissonance. 

It wasn't confined to just the school, or even Japan. Images of death and destruction all over the world slowly popped up in her mind, all to the rhythm of her pulsating headache.

I... I've seen all this before...

Other than the fact of the indescribable violence taking place in the images, there was one thing connecting them all. 

'They'? Who are 'they'...? They're...

The images rampaging in his memories contained pillagers wearing smiling masks. They took away everything—money, valuables, lives, families, dignity, pasts, futures, or—harmony. 

The masks of the pillagers looked identical to the face of the doll arguing with the students before him.

"Shut up! I don't care what you say. I'm never going to go along with this!"

"It's your body. Do whatever you want!" 

"You're the one doing whatever he wants! Go on, I won't have anything to do with your sick game!"

"Your overwhelming display of rage... actually kinda scared me. B-but I... I won't give in to evil! 

This is the way, fighting to the very end. So... if you want to move forward, you'll have to go through me!" 

Gold Ingot swung his arms around as he charged at the girl with pitter-patter steps. But she stomped down on the self-proclaimed headmaster with ease.

"Eeek!"

"Satisfied?" She asked, eyes wide open. Gold Ingot spoke, still pinned underfoot.

"That's what I should be asking you." 

"What?"

"Violence against the teacher is forbidden. It's in violation of the school rules..."

A chill ran down Caramel Cube's spine. 

Plasma Ball is going to be killed.

It was because Gold Ingot's words carried a tone of terrible danger. It was not a suspicion or a guess. It was as though Caramel Cube knew the danger represented by the symbol of Gold Ingot from the beginning.

At this rate... he's going to kill...

Her mind had not yet fully understood the circumstances. But as she raced towards her memories of the truth, she found herself racing forward physically as well.

Plasma Ball...?

Her feet landed on the floor in beat with the dull aching of her head.

She felt dizzy.

No... She's... She's...—

"Summon magic! Save me, Flechas mortales!"

Gold Ingot's high-pitched scream came at almost the very moment that Caramel Cube rushed towards the girl, screaming her nickname.

"Plasmi! Look out!"

"What...?"

The girl widened her eyes in shock. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid Caramel Cube as she charged towards her, she stepped back with speed and reflexes unthinkable for a teenaged girl. And at that very moment, countless spears pierced the place where she had been standing only a moment earlier.

"...Ugh?!" The sudden turn of events left the girl and the other students wide- eyed in shock. Contraptions installed in the gymnasium floor and walls had suddenly shot out spears towards her, not that Caramel Cube herself could tell.

Huh? Why... Why'd I call Her... Plasmi...?

...Plasmi...?

As she grasped for answers, she felt a sharp impact in her side, followed by deathly pain running down her spine and carrying through her entire body. The arrow lodged in her side tore apart her muscles and shot out her back, covered in blood and lipids. At that very moment, the dark fog in her mind was dragged into death itself, as her struggling consciousness remembered everything.

Because of the special electrical signal and the chemical formula the escape switch had provided him with, Journal had found escape. He had found an escape from the game where he and his classmates had been robbed of their memories and forced to play a survival game of dissonance.