## **Chapter 3: The Predator's Stage**
The auditorium was packed, the air humming with low murmurs as students settled into their seats. I sat near the middle, blending into the sea of uniforms. Around me, some students whispered excitedly about the school's prestige, while others scanned the stage with anticipation.
I didn't care about the ceremony. I had already memorized everything I needed to know about NIFL. **This place was built to cultivate the elite—leaders, strategists, competitors. People who thrived under pressure.**
None of that concerned me.
But then I saw **him** step onto the stage.
Ichika Renji.
His presence silenced the room almost instantly. He walked with confidence, his posture relaxed but commanding. The **vice president of the student government.** That explained a lot.
Ichika adjusted the microphone, then smiled—**a smile that didn't reach his eyes.**
"Welcome, first-years." His voice was smooth, calculated. "You are now part of an institution that does not tolerate mediocrity. NIFL exists for those who seek to rise above, for those who understand that true success is earned, not given."
His gaze swept across the crowd… then landed directly on me.
I didn't move. I didn't react.
"Here, you will be tested in ways you never imagined. Strength, intellect, adaptability—these are the qualities that separate the leaders from the forgotten."
He was still looking at me.
I kept my breathing steady, my posture relaxed. **He was toying with me.**
"There are those who strive for excellence," Ichika continued, his smirk deepening. "And then there are those who drift, content to fade into the background. But let me be clear—" His tone sharpened, almost challenging.
"**Those without ambition have nothing to gain in this world.**"
The auditorium was silent. Some students sat straighter, as if absorbing his words. Others exchanged glances, uncertain.
I didn't move. **I knew exactly what he was doing.**
This wasn't just a speech. **This was a message.**
Ichika held my gaze for a moment longer, then turned away smoothly, as if the exchange had never happened.
The rest of his speech continued in the same vein—words of encouragement laced with an underlying challenge. He spoke about the expectations placed upon us, the importance of proving ourselves, the inevitable clash between those who would rise and those who would be trampled beneath them.
The students around me absorbed it all, some nodding, others already sizing up their competition.
I remained still. **Unmoved.**
When the speech ended, thunderous applause erupted through the hall. Ichika stepped back, offering a slight bow before leaving the stage.
As he walked past my row, I felt his gaze flicker toward me again.
A silent warning. A game already in motion.
I exhaled quietly. **So, this is how it's going to be.**
---
### **End of Chapter 3**
## **Chapter 4: The Weight of a Name**
The entrance ceremony had ended, and the hallways buzzed with the energy of new students finding their homeroom classes. Conversations blurred together, a mix of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity.
I walked through the crowd, steps measured, face unreadable. My classmates drifted in groups, but I remained alone. That was the plan—**blend in, stay unremarkable, be nothing more than another name in the system.**
But that plan had already started to crumble.
Ichika Renji had seen to that.
He was ahead of me, his gait relaxed as he moved through the students, almost as if the world itself was shifting around him. He had the presence of someone who already knew he was above the rest.
I caught up to him, stepping in beside him without a word. He noticed immediately, his lips curving into that ever-present smirk.
"Well, well," he mused, not even looking at me. "I was wondering when you'd come find me."
I kept my tone neutral. "How do you know so much about this school?"
Ichika chuckled, finally turning his head toward me. "Straight to the point. I like that." He tapped his temple. "Simple answer? My father is a major donor. One of the biggest, actually. The moment I stepped into NIFL, I was already the **vice president** of the student government."
I studied him carefully. That explained the confidence, the insider knowledge. Ichika Renji wasn't just another student—**he was someone with connections, influence, and power.**
"And what exactly do you gain from bothering me?" I asked.
Ichika stopped walking. The noise of the students around us seemed distant, as if we existed in a separate space from them. He turned fully to face me, eyes sharp with something between amusement and calculation.
"Kei Fuyushima…" He let the name roll off his tongue, like he was testing how it sounded. "Or rather, Kei **Fushimiya**."
I felt my fingers twitch slightly. Just for a second. A minuscule reaction—but Ichika caught it.
He grinned. "Ah, so you do care."
I didn't answer.
Ichika continued, his voice quieter but cutting. "The **Fushimiya family**—a lineage of brilliance. A name that carries weight. But you?" He tilted his head. "Most people shrugged off your last name because… well, **no one knows you exist.**"
The words hung in the air.
"Your family barely mentions you," Ichika went on. "The media never acknowledges a 'second son.' It's almost like the **Fushimiya family erased you.**"
I clenched my jaw but kept my face blank. **This was nothing new.**
I had known this for years. My father's silence, my brother's disdain, the weight of a name that was never truly mine.
Ichika, however, wasn't finished.
"I'll admit, I was surprised when I found out," he said. "Because when I was younger, your older brother—**he inspired me.** His brilliance, his discipline—he was the kind of person I wanted to surpass."
He took a step closer, just enough that I could feel the intensity behind his words.
"So when I heard that he had a younger brother, I thought—*maybe I finally have a worthy opponent.*"
I exhaled slowly. "Your expectations were misplaced."
Ichika laughed, a soft, knowing sound. "Maybe. But I don't believe in coincidences. You, hiding in Class C, pretending to be average? It's just another test, isn't it? Another game?" His grin sharpened. "I intend to **win.**"
I held his gaze, my voice steady. "My family doesn't concern me."
Ichika's eyes gleamed with something dangerous. "Maybe not. But **I will defeat you.** And when I do, I'll prove that I am superior in every way."
Then, just like that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his confident stride never faltering.
I stood there, unmoving.
My world at NIFL had officially been disrupted.
**The past I had buried—the name I had abandoned—had finally caught up to me.**
And worse… Ichika Renji had just declared war.
---
### **End of Chapter 4**