(Shuto's Perspective)
I sat on a log just outside the camp, staring up at the stars, bored out of my mind.
Kei, Kaito, Haruto, and Satoshi had been gone for more than half an hour. And now Ayame and Mei were missing too. My fingers tapped rhythmically against my knee. The air was too still. Too quiet. I hated it.
Then—
**Boom.**
A flare shot up into the night sky, its color staining the clouds a deep **crimson red**. I froze.
That wasn't a normal flare.
That was *not* from Class X.
A chill ran through me as I turned and saw a figure approaching from the jungle.
At first it was just a silhouette.
Then I saw the red hair tied up in a bun, streaked with rose highlights.
His grin was wild, teeth showing like a wolf ready to tear something apart.
**"Oh crap."**
It was **Kenji**. And he looked *furious*.
I scrambled back and reached for the emergency whistle the school issued us. I shoved it between my lips and **blew as hard as I could**, the sound piercing the night.
"**EVERYONE, WAKE UP! IT'S KENJI—AND HE'S GOT A FLARE GUN!**"
Tents rustled. Sleepy voices mumbled.
Students began to pour out of their shelters, dazed but alarmed.
A boy from Class B stepped out, dark-haired with a bun, green eyes locked onto the chaos.
I recognized him immediately.
**"Wait, you're Minato Mori, right? Kaito's right-hand?"**
He gave me a dry look. "Who's that behind you?"
A cold breath hit the back of my neck.
Before I could even *think*, an arm wrapped around my throat.
Tight.
**Kenji.**
He'd snuck up and caught me off guard.
My hands instinctively tried to claw him off, but he was *strong*—stronger than I'd expected. My lungs burned.
More students rushed out, some shouting.
"Let him go!"
Kenji just laughed, holding me in place like a twisted puppet.
"You," he pointed at a random student, "go get the drones."
Minato stepped forward, calm but sharp-eyed. "You're going to force a vote. You want the drones to record the majority choosing to *surrender*, don't you? That's how Class X loses."
Kenji chuckled, resting his chin on my shoulder like this was some game. "Smart guy. Figures you're from Class B."
I could barely breathe. My knees were starting to give out.
But Kenji didn't let go.
"You're not passing out yet," he whispered in my ear. "You need to stay awake… for this."
Soon, the drones hovered overhead.
The vote began. Students hesitated.
But fear is a powerful motivator—and Kenji holding me hostage was enough to sway most of them.
One by one, they raised their hands.
Some just wanted to end the nightmare.
Others were too scared to say otherwise.
Eventually, the drones began processing the results.
Kenji *finally* released me. I dropped to the ground, gasping, coughing, feeling like I'd just drowned.
Minato knelt beside me, helping me sit upright.
I followed his gaze and saw them—**Kei**, **Kaito**, **Ayame**, **Mei**, and **Haruto**—all sprinting back toward the camp.
They were too late.
Minato didn't even flinch. "We've already lost."
My throat was raw. "What… what do you mean?"
Minato sighed. "Votes are cast. Most chose to surrender. Even if they're here now, it's done."
I clenched my fists. "So that's it…?"
Kenji stood with his arms folded, laughing under his breath.
Like a man who'd already won.
Minato added, "Now that the token of death is active, nobody's going to resist. Not unless they want to be hospitalized."
"But… you knew they were gone, didn't you?" I asked, struggling to my feet.
"I knew Kaito was gone," he said. "If he left me behind, he had something important to do. I figured Kei was with him."
The drones beeped.
Their robotic voice echoed through the camp:
> **"Voting has been processed."**
Kei and the others reached the base just in time to hear it.
Too late to change it.
I looked at them, especially Kei.
I could see it in his eyes.
This wasn't over.
Not for him.
Not for any of us.
(Kei's Perspective)
We ran.
The jungle blurred past me, feet pounding the dirt, adrenaline chasing me harder than any threat ever could. Kaito was just ahead, his breathing sharp. Behind me, Ayame carried Mei, Haruto was silent, and I kept my eyes forward—toward the faint glow ahead.
The camp.
As we emerged from the trees, I saw them—**two drones**, lights flickering, displays glowing with a loading screen.
And standing below them… was **Kenji**.
Alive. Smiling.
My eyes shifted. Someone was helping Shuto up. A boy with dark hair tied in a bun. I didn't recognize him.
Then Kaito called out, voice rough with anger.
"**Minato! What the hell is happening here?!**"
So that was his name. *Minato*, Kaito's right-hand. I made a mental note.
Before anyone could say more, the drones emitted a low beep, then a robotic voice followed:
> **"Voting has been processed."**
Kaito stiffened. Ayame furrowed her brows. And I...
I stared.
A percentage flashed across the drone screen.
**92%.**
> **"It appears more than 90% of the students have voted YES."**
Ayame stepped forward.
"Yes to what?"
Then it hit me.
Like a trap snapping shut around my chest, like a cruel hand gripping my heart. My thoughts moved faster than I could speak.
The flare.
The panic.
The vote.
**A surrender vote.**
My eyes slowly widened.
Kenji saw it on my face—saw me understand—and his grin stretched wider, smug and venomous.
> **"Yes to surrender. The exam is over. Class X loses. Class A wins the survival gauntlet."**
Kaito lost it.
"**WHAT?! THAT'S CRAP!**"
Haruto looked down, fists trembling, lips pressed tight to keep the anger from spilling.
I…
I said nothing.
I stood still. My head lowered. Hair casting a shadow over my eyes.
I didn't want them to see my face.
Ayame stepped closer, her voice gentle and uncertain.
"Kei… are you okay?"
I couldn't answer.
Mei was quiet too, watching me, unsure.
Kenji chuckled. "You look different, Kei. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Still, I said nothing.
The drone interrupted, its monotone voice striking like a gavel:
> **"The cruise ship will arrive shortly. All students are to proceed to the docks."**
I didn't move. But I could hear the shuffle of students obeying.
Class X walked past me. Some glanced my way. Others didn't bother.
Then Reika showed up, smug and triumphant.
"I heard the news. We won."
She looked at me with her usual smirk—expecting something. Rage. Retort. Sarcasm.
But I gave her nothing.
Just silence.
Ayame asked how she escaped. Reika bragged like a child showing off a cheap trophy. I didn't listen.
Minato leaned toward Kaito and whispered, "Is that Kei guy okay? He looks like he's gonna lose it."
Kaito answered, "I think we should just go."
He didn't look back.
Minato nodded, and one by one, they all began to leave.
Haruto hesitated, pausing to glance at me—his expression somewhere between pity and understanding.
I felt their backs as they turned on me. All of them.
Then...
**Something broke.**
I screamed.
"**GOD DAMMIT!!!**"
My voice ripped through the camp like a storm.
I dropped to my knees, fists smashing into the dirt, again and again, raw and unfiltered. My body trembled—not from weakness, but fury. The kind I'd buried for too long.
The kind that only failure could unleash.
Everyone stopped. Turned.
Haruto's eyes widened.
Kaito turned around, shocked… then smiled. Like he was proud I'd finally shown something.
Kenji and Reika froze, shaken for the first time.
Even *they* weren't expecting this.
Minato and Shuto stood still, unsure of what they were witnessing.
Ayame and Mei… they looked at me like they wanted to help. But they didn't move.
No one did.
They just watched me, silent and distant, as I stayed there—on the ground, fists clenched in the dirt.
Refusing to accept that it was over.
But it was.....