The sound of soft laughter echoed faintly.
Under the bright lights, someone stood before her, chuckling quietly.
Beside her, a figure knelt on the ground, trembling violently—sweat, tears, and snot dripping uncontrollably.
Others stood nearby, murmuring and laughing among themselves.
Then, the one standing before her slowly spoke in a pleasant, melodic voice:
[Now, I order you—pluck out your left eye.]
The kneeling figure trembled, as if trying to scream, but their body no longer obeyed them. Slowly, their hands rose, fingers stretching toward their own eyes.
The next moment, Miko heard the wet, squelching sound of blood bursting forth.
[Good. Now, pluck out your right eye. This time, twist your fingers twice inside the socket.]
The voice spoke again, suppressing a hint of amusement.
Dark red splattered across the floor.
There were no screams.
Though the kneeling figure trembled violently, drenched in blood—looking as if they might collapse at any moment—they made no sound. No crying, no wailing. Just trembling, still kneeling obediently.
[Wow, it actually works!]
Someone nearby gasped in amazement.
[Earlier, we told them to shut up, and they really couldn't speak! Then we told them not to move, and they froze! Now they're even gouging out their own eyes! Hahaha, they can't even cry!]
Another whistled excitedly, their voice brimming with glee.
[Let's try something else! Can they walk in a straight line? They can't see anymore, right?]
A third voice chimed in, egging them on.
Soon, more joined in, shouting out commands, laughing as they brainstormed ideas.
The one who had given the orders remained still, watching the kneeling figure—now blind—with quiet amusement before speaking again.
[Stand up.]
The third command.
The eyeless figure staggered to their feet—
—only to collapse immediately.
Without sight, their balance was destroyed. Yet their body, no longer their own, forced them up again.
They rose.
Fell.
Rose again.
Fell again.
After three attempts, they finally stood, trembling violently.
[Spin in circles. Don't stop until I say so.]
The fourth command.
The blind figure began spinning—
—then toppled over.
But the order compelled them back up.
Spin. Fall. Rise. Spin. Fall.
Like a grotesque clown act, they repeated the motions endlessly, staggering, flailing, rising, spinning, collapsing.
The spectators laughed.
One by one, they roared with delight at the struggling figure.
They seemed genuinely entertained.
Each laughed without restraint.
Until the spinning figure could no longer stand.
Until the body in the pool of blood only twitched faintly.
[Ugh, they're done already? So boring.]
[Commands stop working when they're about to die, huh?]
[Whatever. This one's broken. Let's find another.]
[What about this one next to us?]
[That's a [Problem Student], not a [Bad Student]. We can't kill them. Gotta think carefully.]
Then, their gazes slowly turned—
—toward Miko.
…Huh?
Miko froze, only now realizing she, too, was kneeling.
They surrounded her.
All of them.
Smiling.
Laughing.
The grins made her blood run cold. Her breath hitched.
[Not a [Bad Student]? Lame.]
One sighed in disappointment.
[But even [Problem Students] can be fun to play with~]
Another sounded eager.
[Class is about to start. Hurry up—we can't make the teacher wait.]
A third spoke dismissively, as if Miko's life mattered less than punctuality.
She couldn't move.
Her body refused to obey.
Like an invisible force pinned her in place.
What's… happening to me…?
Terror coiled in her chest.
She shivered—the only movement she could manage.
The laughter grew louder as they noticed her fear.
[Let's go with the eyes again. You—use your hands to pluck out both eyes. Keep them intact.]
The commander giggled before delivering the order.
Miko's mouth opened—but no sound came out.
Her hands rose on their own.
Fingers stretched toward her eyes.
Closer.
Closer.
No—!
She strained against the control—but her body barely twitched.
No… no…!
Even her silent screams changed nothing.
Her fingertips touched her eyelids—
—and something forced them open.
She couldn't blink.
Couldn't look away.
Could only watch as her own fingers pressed against her eyeballs.
Am I… going to die here…?
Her hands tensed—
—ready to dig in—
Thud.
A tall figure appeared beside her.
The control shattered.
The laughter cut off.
[Class is starting. What are you all doing?]
A cold voice rang out.
[Good morning, Teacher!]
The students immediately bowed in unison.
[Is this how [Outstanding Students] behave? Stop wasting time and study.]
The ram-headed figure loomed over them, voice stern.
[Sorry, Teacher! We got carried away.]
They apologized smoothly.
Only then did Miko regain control of her body.
She looked around—
—and realized she was in a lavishly decorated classroom. Only twelve seats.
And the students numbered…
[You. And you. Come here.]
The ram-headed figure pointed at the commanding student—
—then at Miko.
The compulsion returned.
Miko stood stiffly, walking mechanically toward the door alongside the other student.
[Yes, Teacher?]
The student smiled politely, voice pleasant.
As if they hadn't just tortured someone to death moments ago.
[Let me teach you something.]
The ram-headed figure's tone was icy.
[Please enlighten me, Teacher.]
The student bowed slightly, grin widening.
[First lesson: Even nobles can fall. Leave yourself an exit—or you'll regret it.]
The ram-headed figure adjusted the student's collar.
[Thank you for the wisdom, Teacher.]
The student remained still, smiling.
[Second lesson: Mind control? Mental erosion? Identity overwriting? I've seen it all before. Did you really think this cheap trick would work on me?]
With that, Takakai yanked the gold badge from the student's chest.
The smiling face contorted—
—into a bloody, eyeless mask, screaming in agony.
Click.
Takakai flipped the lights off.
Darkness swallowed the room.
The charging figure vanished.
The pristine classroom reverted to ruins.
The twelve students became corpses once more.
Takakai turned, pinning the golden badge to Miko's collar.
Then—before the shadow outside the window could crash through—
—he stabbed a blood-red key into the door.
The next instant, they stepped through a toilet stall door—
—and emerged back in the restroom near the records room.
"You okay?"
Takakai kept the ram mask on, watching Miko closely after locking the door behind them.
"Y-Yeah… I'm… fine…"
She slumped against the stall door, gasping for air.
The nightmare remained vivid—her heart still pounding violently.
Those twelve [Outstanding Students]… they killed each other…
When Takakai turned off the lights, she'd seen it—
—the numbers on the blackboard.
12 → 11 → 9 → 6 → 4…
Finally: 1.
But…
All twelve were dead. So why didn't it reach zero?
Is there… still one left?
Rustle.
Something brushed against her side.
Miko looked down.
A black pen had rolled out from under the stall door, stopping at her leg.
Why is this here?
She reached for it—
—and froze.
Soft laughter echoed from inside the stall.
Slowly, Miko leaned down—
—and peered through the gap beneath the door.
Two eyes stared back.