Volume 4
Chapter 1: The Phantom Bishop Emerges
February 13th, 2027.
The classroom was unusually quiet.
Mr. Unagi stood at the front of Class 1-C, teaching a lesson that most of the class had already stopped paying attention to. Some students were doodling in notebooks. Others stared at their phones beneath their desks.
As for me, I was staring out the window.
My thoughts kept returning to New Year's Eve.
That abandoned facility.
Principal Sobu.
Aoi.
Tetsuya.
The deadlock.
No matter how many times I replayed it in my head, I still couldn't determine who had gained the most from that encounter.
"By the way," Mr. Unagi suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts, "tomorrow's that special exam. It should be interesting."
The class immediately became more attentive.
Special exams always had that effect.
Then the intercom activated.
A burst of static echoed through the room.
Everyone looked up.
A distorted voice spoke through a voice changer.
"Hello, National Institute of Future Leaders."
The classroom fell silent.
"I am the Phantom Bishop."
A few students exchanged confused looks.
"I suggest everyone check their phones immediately."
Almost instantly, notification sounds rang throughout the room.
Including mine.
I pulled out my phone.
The moment the screen loaded, several students gasped.
Leaked screenshots.
Messages from the freshman student government group chat.
I skimmed through them.
Nine members.
Names including Naoki Shirayuki, Reina, Hina, Ichika Renji, Reika Amamiya, Kenji Sakamoto, and several others.
More importantly...
The messages exposed something else.
Evidence suggesting that Ichika, Reika, and Kenji had helped orchestrate cheating during the Survival Gauntlet.
The classroom erupted into whispers.
Then I noticed something.
My name.
One message from Ichika read:
"I wonder if Kei will be able to handle this."
The room became even quieter.
Then everyone looked at me.
Wonderful.
Ayame leaned forward.
"Kei... what the heck is this about?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know."
That wasn't entirely true.
But speculation without evidence was worthless.
Before anyone could continue, the distorted voice returned through the intercom.
"These disgusting, hypocritical tyrants don't deserve the right to govern anyone."
The entire school was probably listening.
"The student government system is fundamentally flawed. Have you never questioned why student government members are almost always selected from Class A?"
The voice paused.
"That is all for now."
The intercom shut off.
The silence that followed was somehow louder.
Shuto folded his arms.
"Why would they be focused on Kei of all people?"
He sounded genuinely confused.
"Sure, he got attention during the Survival Gauntlet, but he's basically just a regular student."
If only things were that simple.
Mr. Unagi clapped his hands.
"Enough."
Everyone looked toward him.
"Do any of you know what's happening tomorrow?"
Hiro immediately raised his hand.
"Valentine's Day?"
Mr. Unagi looked physically pained.
He rubbed his forehead.
"It's always something stupid with you teenagers."
Several students laughed.
"Who cares about Valentine's Day? I'm talking about the special exam."
The laughter disappeared.
"From what I've heard, a lot of students could be expelled."
Daiko leaned back in his chair.
"Says the old guy who's never getting a Valentine."
A piece of chalk flew across the room.
Direct hit.
Daiko grabbed his forehead.
"Ouch."
Mr. Unagi pointed toward the door.
"Class dismissed."
Everyone began gathering their belongings.
"Oh, and one more thing."
The class paused.
"I highly recommend going to bed early."
"How early?" someone asked.
"Six PM."
Half the class burst into laughter.
Daiko looked horrified.
"Who the hell sleeps at six?"
The room emptied shortly afterward.
The hallways were crowded with students discussing the Phantom Bishop.
Everyone had an opinion.
Nobody had answers.
As I walked, I overheard several seniors talking nearby.
"So what do you think of this new Puppeteer wannabe?"
One of them laughed.
"Just a cheap knockoff."
Another nodded.
"The real Puppeteer was terrifying."
I continued walking.
Eventually, I arrived at the library.
Predictably, Naoki was there.
Alone.
A cup of coffee rested beside him.
He looked perfectly calm despite the chaos spreading throughout the school.
I sat across from him.
"What game are you playing, Naoki?"
He glanced up from his book.
A faint smile appeared.
"I'm not the Phantom Bishop, if that's what you're asking."
"Who else has the motive?"
I studied his expression.
"It could be someone from Class 1-B."
"Or?"
"A non-ranked student."
Naoki immediately shook his head.
"I doubt it."
His answer came too quickly.
"Why?"
"Non-ranked students avoid us."
He closed his book.
"They hear stories about ranked students."
I couldn't really blame them.
Kenji and Reika had nearly started a forest fire during the Survival Gauntlet.
Our reputation wasn't exactly great.
Naoki took a sip of coffee.
"Who do you think the Phantom Bishop is?"
Before I could answer, another voice interrupted.
"Oh, please."
Both of us froze.
The voice came from nearby.
"They're nothing more than a cheap imitation."
There was amusement in the speaker's tone.
"We already know what kind of monsters exist in this school."
My eyes narrowed.
"Because we ourselves are those monsters."
A pause.
"Isn't that right, Naoki Shirayuki?"
My body stiffened.
"And Kei Fushimiya?"
Very few people knew that name.
Naoki calmly turned toward the window.
I followed his gaze.
A student sat casually on the windowsill outside.
As though climbing the building was completely normal.
Naoki's expression remained unchanged.
"So."
He closed his book.
"You're the new student they call Shinko Sukamo."
The student smiled.
And for the first time that day, I felt that the special exam tomorrow might not be the biggest problem waiting for us.