Chapter 1.3 - Capture

After casually excusing myself, I began stepping toward the third-year dorm. My intentions beyond the original plot of the story; an unknown territory I probably shouldn't tread lightly. So many risks were involved, even expulsion was on the line. However, if I hesitated, I wouldn't be able to put my prospects into reality. It was something only I could do...

And I had absolute confidence in my plan.

"Excuse me. I'd like to have a few words with you." I politely called out.

"Huh? Who is i-?" the moment they saw my face, their faces contorted with displeasure. "YOU!"

"It's rather important for you to listen, otherwi-"

"Do you want to get punched in the face again? Hah?" the aggressive one flinged their fist. "Get out of sight before we beat the shit out of you, Defect."

My eyebrow went up looking at the sheer audacity to threaten me right after he screwed himself over. I pointed towards the camera hanging from a pole across the street. "You plan to beat me again? Right in front of that?"

"Tch" he clicked his tongue. "Let's get outta here. This guy's not worth it."

"Yeah, he's a freakshow. we don't have time for this. C'mon..." his friend nodded.

The boys gave me an ugly glare before turning his back on me. All of them were pretending to be unaffected by my unexpected appearance. Of course, I had noticed how cautious they were being around me. Their fidgety nature proved that.

I took a deep breath once before letting it out.

"I give you my word. If you don't turn back right now, you will regret it for the rest of your high school lives."

"....."

Immediately they stopped on their tracks with puzzled expression. My dark gaze constantly burning a hole into each of their figures. The sharpness in my voice shocked them to their core. Whatever came out of my mouth was absolute and ignoring me wouldn't be a wise choice for them.

"W-what?" they stammered.

"Physical violence, threatening, bullying a first-year student, vandalizing private property, loitering in public place etc. Half an hour from now, I will press these charges upon each and every single one of you."

"H-huh?" all of them uttered in unison, visibly confused by my accusations.

'Twist the truth and point them out' exactly how a lawyer would fabricate dirt on the opposition party, doesn't matter if the opposition were truly innocent.

It goes without saying that I was exaggerating things a bit. But I was almost a hundred percent certain that my charade would be successful enough to put them through some serious psychological turmoil. They made a lot of miscalculations by underestimating us, which I used as my leverage. All I needed to do was to sew the threads of fear through their skin.

"What the hell do you think you're talking about? Do you know how serious your accusations are?" the one who was previously referred as Kizuki by the other exclaimed.

"The seriousness of my accusations would be proved without delay if you take it to the student council. Or would it be better if we take take things to the upper level?" I replied.

The moment they learned about the name 'upper level', they shuddered in utter fear.

I knew how unrealistic and illogical it was, in terms of a real life scenario. But then again, my current one was a fictional world, so anything goes.

When viewed from a normal people's perspective, some would say they weren't guilty. A simple punch like that would simply be dismissed as a by-product of an argument between teenagers. However, this school is not your average high school. They takes these things seriously here.

"Oi! Stop messing around! If you do that, then we'll be in deep shit you know!?"

"Is that supposed to be my problem?" I raised my eyebrow at them.

"You asshole! Do you even have any evidence to back your claims?" another one spattered.

"I do." I calmly replied as I fished my phone out. After navigating to a specific folder, I began playing the video in front of them.

"Huh?" in unison, they uttered in disbelief.

"You bastard! Delete it now! Otherwise things would get ugly real soon!"

"Try to erase it forcefully, and see what happens next."

If he really does attack me this time, I would be legally entitled to use self-defense on him.

"....."

"Are you not going to jump me?"

They silently gritted their teeth and clutched their fists. Taking their silence as the answer, I continued my merciless lecture.

"This is just a copy of the original. I have backups of this video file elsewhere. Besides, there was a CCTV camera present, in case if if you've missed it." I calmly explained.

"Dammit! The fuck's wrong with this messed up situation?" one of them murmured.

"It was you people who brought this dilemma upon yourselves."

"But you provoked us!"

"If you check the evidence you'll see who provoked whom first. Besides, provocation is never a good enough reason to get violent. It doesn't give you the right to break the rules. Sure, I may get a few disciplinary lectures for provoking you. But what about you three? I'm sure you all know the rules better than me, senpai."

Even outside the boundaries, we are met with thousands of provocations on a daily basis, but does that necessarily give us the legal right to get violent?

The answer is obvious. And for every bad action within the confines of society, there is always a method of retribution prepared for it.

Of course, it would be a different story it you're careful enough not to leave any evidence/witness alive. In that case, feel free to do whatever you want, as long as you're not caught.

Those seniors? They had comically failed that task.

"Then again, this entire farce was never a coincidence to begin with." I continued.

"W-what are you talking about?" one of them sweatdropped.

"From the very beginning, you approached us with intention of extorting points. You tried to trigger the redhead to rile him up and act violently. You were planning to blackmail him with a video afterwards, weren't you?"

I pointed towards the phone on one of their breast pocket.

"N-no! W-we were not!" they immediately tried hiding it.

"The tables have turned on you. Face it, you're in a dilemma now, regardless if you acknowledge those claims or not. It's only natural for the school to punish the rule breakers. And as a first year and one of the affected of your 'bullying', I have every right to point fingers at you."

The trio looked at each other, utter defeat in their eyes. They mumbled a few words to each other before one of them asked. "What do you want?"

"Are you suggesting a negotiation?"

"Yes. Let's make a deal. We'll give you private points in exchange of deleting all copies of this video. How does that sound?"

"Points, huh?"

"Yeah! Private points. You know how the point system works, right?"

I like this one. He's actually smart for a change.

"Hm.." I pretended to think about it while tapping my phone on my chin. "I understand."

"So? What do you say?" he reluctantly asked.

"As interesting as it is, I will decline your offer. I will not delete the video for such a cheap condition."

"Wh-what?" The boy was flabbergasted, as were his friends.

Here's the question. Why do you think I did all of that in the first place?

To get more private points?

Yes, that's part of it. But I had a target much higher than mere pocket money.

"Deleting the video is out of the question." I declared. "However, in exchange for all your private points and complete secrecy of this event, I will not report this incident to the student council or any authoritarian party."

Deleting the video would be beyond stupidity. What guarantee did I have that they wouldn't come after me once the deal was done? If I deleted the video, then I would have nothing to defend myself with.

"A-all of them?"

"N-no way!" they mumbled in disbelief.

They could either give me everything they had to secure their residency. That way they only had to wait a month to be replenished. Or, they could give me nothing and in exchange get expelled immediately; thus losing their chance at getting into a better college or a better job later in life.

I felt bad for using them as my cash cow. But it was them who willingly fell right into my trap. So they only had themselves to blame.

"Okay, I'll be a bit graceful and ask for eighty percent of your total points. If you agree with my terms then we can go ahead and write a memorandum." I closed my eyes for their answer.

"Still! No way!"

"There's no fucking way we're giving away that many points!"

"H-hey, how about we give you half of our points, huh? We have to live the month too, you know?"

"Forget what I said earlier. Let's go back to the original deal." I sighed. "It's either everything you have, or it's a ticket 'outside the school boundaries'. Make your call."

"B-but..."

"All, or nothing." I glared, making my stance clear.

They kept glancing at each other again and again. The concern on their face was visible as if their life was flashing before their eyes. Somehow I had managed to fill their eyes with absolute despair. I kind of felt bad.

In any case, I did not want to give them enough breathing room. If possible, I wanted to choke the life out of them.

"It's a shame then. Well, I guess I'll see you three in the student council room."

"Hey! HEY! Wait!" they screamed in panic. "We'll give up our points. Just... please delete the video."

At this point, they were pleading for mercy. But unfortunately, their pleas went deaf on my ears.

"I can ensure you that I won't expose you. But as I said before, deleting the clip is out of the question." I replied.

"I-I see.." he slumped his head in utter defeat.

"However..." I paused, which seemingly put them on suspense. "Things may or may not change depending on what you do in the future."

"Huh?"

There it is...

"What do you mean by that?" they hesitatingly asked.

To ease them from their suspense, I calmly replied.. "I may or may not end up deleting the video, if you help me from time to time."

"Are you really going to do that?"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word."

I usually like to compare 'Hope' with drugs, or sedatives, or a bait. When there's darkness all around you, you naturally run toward the tiniest source of light without caring about what's in front of you. In the same concept, I like to flash a small ray hope into someone who's cradled with despair. Nine out of ten times, they'd desperately run toward it, like insects flying toward the fly trap.

I will never delete the video, no matter what. I merely gave them a possibility, the 'hope' of me deleting it in the future. Being under pressure, they would only be able to think linearly and only see the pro's of my proposal. That's all I wanted.

[This is BS cringe. I know, I'm aware of it. But please bare with me :( ]

"Fine. We'll agree with those terms."

I tore a paper from one of the notebooks, and wrote the necessary conditions of the trade.

In the contract, I agreed to (temporarily) refrain from pressing a charge against them, and not to upload the video evidence on any social media, or send it to a third party. In exchange, they (three of them) would send me their private points and vow of complete secrecy until they graduate. In an event that I ever felt threatened by their words and actions, I will have the right to nullify the memorandum and take necessary actions against them.

If any of the party decided to break one of the conditions, they will be expelled from the academy, effective immediately. All four of us signed the memorandum.

All of them hesitantly pulled out their phones, ready to trade. It was actually my first time transferring points from one ID to another. In the end I decided to be generous and accepted eighty percent of their total points.

"You better keep your end of the deal, kouhai!"

"I will. As long as you respect the conditions of memorandum."

I really won't show anyone this video, unless they're asking for it.

"By the way, what's your name, first year?"

I have a feeling that if I reveal my real name to them, it'll turn out to be a world full of trouble for me. That's why I told them whatever name that came into my mind.

"Kagami Toshiki." As soon as I said that, I suddenly felt the killing intent rising in the air.

"Kagami, remember what you did today. Someday, you will definitely regret your actions."

"Don't worry. I'll be mindful of that."

As the conversation was killed, we walked away on our own respective paths.

╗🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁 ╚

I was staring at the terminal of the points app with a satisfied look. After all, one million six thousand points was no small amount. That seven digit number burning on my screen was the proof of my plan's success. I was a bit fretful at first, thinking about the repercussions in case of a failure. But after seeing things come through, I was beyond happy. I could barely stop myself from dancing on that spot.

In any case, this was an enormous stride toward my future prospects.

By the way...

"....."

I quickly opened the camera app and switched it to front camera mode. I made it seem like I was typing something on lime, but in actuality I poked the camera above my shoulder to capture the person near me. When I confirmed his position, I let out an exasperated sigh.

It was time to finally confront the tail. I slowly approached a nearby building. When I turned a corner, I stopped walking and leaned on the corner of the wall. A few seconds later I heard footsteps closing in on my direction. It was rushed, as if they were trying to catch up to me. The sound continued to grow loud, and when it was the loudest, it halted. What came next was the following...

"Good evening."

After hearing my unexpected greetings, his eyes widened briefly.

"... Good evening."

"I thought you left earlier than me. What happened?"

"I had to go somewh-"

"How much did you hear?" Not wanting to prolong our conversation, I went straight to the point.

"...What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

I looked at him sharply, analyzing even the briefest amount of changes in his body language. We both silently observed each other, waiting for the other person to react.

Personally, I would've preferred to leave the main cast alone on situations like this. But unfortunately, the scenario didn't allow me to back off now. That gaze that I felt back there, it was definitely him. I'm sure of it. In other words, he followed us ever since the plan had begun.

"...Can I ask a question?" Ayanokouji inquired.

"Go ahead."

"Back then, who's name did you give?"

"Should I take it that you heard everything?"

"Answer me."

It was an obvious answer.

It was because of those third year students. I wasn't underestimating them or anything. In fact, I was almost a hundred percent sure that whatever happened today won't be end of it.

Even though I had the option to nullify the memorandum and report to the school, that did not solve the problem permanently. The problem would occur when it'll be the time for them to leave the school. If they were smart and stubborn enough to hold a grudge against me by the end of the year, they'll surely try to sabotage me; be it by spreading rumors, or complaining to the new student council president etc.

That's exactly why I gave them a fake name.

"If I'm being honest, I didn't have anyone specific in mind. I merely went with the first name that came into my mind."

"So, the person's name you just stated..."

"That person doesn't exist." I shrugged.

It was the same name I had put inside the memorandum. In short, if they find out about the fact that it was a fake, the memorandum would immediately go void. But I highly doubt the probability of that ever happening. And besides, I have literal proof of their assault.

"Then, how did you know I was there?" Ayanokouji asked. I was well aware of how inconspicuous I was. If I was in his place, I would be suspicious of myself too.

"Your chestnut brown hair is hard to miss, Ayanokouji."

But then again, I didn't care.

"I felt your presence back near the third year dorms when I was talking to the seniors. You heard everything, didn't you?" I added.

After silently analyzing for a few more moments, Ayanokouji parted his lips, "Even if I did, what are you going to do?"

Honestly, there were many many things I could do to silence him. Trying to kill him was kind of tempting, but that'd pretty much destroy the entire purpose of this story. If anything, I'd like to get along with this bastard, regardless of how twisted his worldview was.

"Give me your phone for a moment." I asked.

"Why should I give it to you?"

"You'll understand."

Ayanokouji silently reached for his pocket and pulled his phone out. After getting his phone, I typed his credentials and the necessary amount on my points app.

"So you're trying to bribe me?" he commented.

"No, of course no-... well, maybe a little."

Not entirely convinced of my schemes, Ayanokouji raised his eyebrow. "Are sure it's okay for me to have them?"

"As long as you keep silent about this it should be fine."

After further confirmation, I hit send and closed my phone. Few seconds later, a notification popped on Ayanokouji's phone.

[300,000 Private Points Received]

That sentence alongside his new point balance were burning on the interface of the point app's terminal. Ayanokouji stared at the screen with slightly wide eyes before taking the phone back from my hands.

"I understand. I'll keep my mouth close about it. Will it be enough?"

"Thank you." Though I couldn't fully trust this guy no matter what, I was actually happy to reach this conclusion with him.

"One last question, Levent."

"What?"

"I just want to know how you deduced that the seniors were after Sudou's points?"

What a question..

"I saw them frequently glancing at Sudou when he was making a scene back there. Just a glance and I could tell that they were the type of people who'd try things like that."

Honestly, the 'real' answer was something I should definitely not give to a character. I didn't know what would happen if I told him about my actual thought process. I should at least enjoy the leverage I currently have, before the butterfly flutters it's wing to create a hurricane of probabilities.

"I'm actually curious about your thoughts. What do you think?" trying to avoid further complications, I asked.

"I didn't think anything particular about them. But, they won't be stepping near your shadow for quite some time, that's for sure."

"Seems like it."

We continued walking towards the dormitory until we reached there. It was way larger than what I had initially thought it was. We went inside the building, received our room key card and a dormitory guide. Then we boarded the elevator car and went to our designated floor.

🄾🅄🅃🅂🄸🄳🄴🅁

'This really can't be happening.'

Room no. 402.

The room right next to the protagonist's. Apparently, we were made to be neighbors for the next three years. Damn, what's with this probability?

"I guess we'll be neighbors here too, huh..." Ayanokouji mused.

"So it seems." I responded.

I was a bit surprised when I receive the room key card. Was it because we boarded the dormitory together? At any rate, we were now at an arms length from each other.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Leaving those words, he went inside his room, as I went inside mine.

As soon as I placed my key card on the security panel, it made a beep sound and the door opened shortly after. A large room revealed itself as I pushed the door open. It was about two times larger than the room I used to stay at. The room was not only big, it was clean, polished and well-ventilated. The smell of new painting struck my nose. Perhaps they renovated the dormitory for the new first years?

I checked every nook and cranny of the apartment. The bathroom was spacious. The water and the electricity worked just fine. There was also an air conditioner installed on the room. The furniture required for a student to stay comfortably were already there. Just a little bit of adjustment here and there and we would be good to go. It truly felt like something that could only exist in a fantasy.

"Before I forget, I should probably write down as much as possible."

I didn't exactly have a photographic memory, but I had confidence in my memorizing skills. But regardless, it was still better to write down the details, just in case I ever happen to forget some parts. Currently, it was a situation where informations were valuable, and they would inevitably prove to be essential in forming future plans to act efficiently.

That's why I sat down on the desk and reached for my bag. I turned the cover of a brand new notebook and started writing. One by one, I wrote every possible detail I could remember from the original story of YouZitsu. And I was enjoying it. It felt like I was reading the story all over again. This time, I was the author, I was the character and I was the reader.

Every piece of events, and the characters involved. Every events that impacted the plot, and the lesser lesser events that followed. Every solutions and their alternatives. Every key factors and the theories. I was tired, but my hand wouldn't stop. It moved the moment I remembered something new.

At some point I couldn't remember anymore. I closed the notebook and started at the cover.

Can it be called a notebook anymore? If a character ever sees something like this, wouldn't they start calling this something like a 'revelation', or a 'prophecy'?

I closed the notebook and crashed on my bed. The brand new bedsheets sucked away all the fatigue. I felt relief, and a bit of joy.

The receptionist told us about the regulations of the dorm. We didn't need to pay the utility bills, but we were advised to keep everything under control. They even gave us the schedule for the trash disposal. The internet was also provided by the school. Long story short, I didn't need to worry about anything.

Is this heaven?

Think about it, Levent. No more annoying roommates. No need to worry about rents or bills anymore. No car shall honk me awake now!

I was finally free. Free from all the concerns that constricted me. 'That woman' won't be able to get me anymore. No one will try to kill me anymore. I won't have to do anything I don't want to no more.

Yes, I am free.

But trapped inside a fictional world.

"..."

I love books. I loved them more than anything.

Back in the days when I had lost everything, and my existence being as much as a mouse, I only this had one companion by my side.

The dark letters blooming on a white page, the gap between the black print. It was too small a space for anyone to go into, but a perfect place for a little boy who stubbornly denied reality. A world only for myself. My escape.

Classroom of the Elite, or in short YouZitsu was a Japanese light novel, shorter than the ones I was used to reading. Without any expectations, I flipped the first page.

The soliloquy of an unknown teenage boy questioning the equality of society. The reality of school hierarchy strengthened by the unrealistic rules. I honestly didn't like how it all began. At some point, I began to yawn and reach for another book. However, just when I thought I would stop reading it...

The pages wouldn't stop turning.

It was honestly mediocre compared to other pieces of fiction I had read. But I couldn't help myself from asking, what happens next?

In the end, I enjoyed reading it than anything else. The papers turned and turned, stacking up like snow. In the story, I became Ayanokouji, the socially awkward boy who was a mastermind, the great strategist, the anti hero with a unique worldview. But by far what I could relate most was...

Just like me, he was a victim of situation.

"Can't believe I'm actually here."

I closed my eyes and gently rubbed my fingers on top of them.

Lucid dream, a state of dream where the dreamer is conscious of their dreaming state. That is what I would like to call this situation. It felt as though if I went ahead and opened my eyes, I would wake up in my original world where I got stabbed. Then there'd be no denying of whatever would happen to me next.

However, the fingers touching the rough surface of my skin felt too real. And when my eyes revealed the iris, the same white ceiling greeted me.

White.

The color white reminds me of all the memories I had of my previous world. A world that I'm no longer a part of. A world that will soon forget me.

I had played my role, and I had reached the end of it. Now, I'm part of a new world where I would have to assume a new role. What will I do? How will I continue from here?

I don't know. But for now, one thing's for sure.

This time, I will simply not be another cog of this world.

Current balance: 1,300,000 ¶¶