5:21 PM
I’ve been on a call with Masaru for around a hefty hour. Something had gone wrong, very wrong.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T GIVE HER THE POTION?!” I shout over the phone.
“Sorry, Kibe. I really am.”
“THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU GIVE HER THE FREAKING LOVE POTION?!”
“Kibe, don’t you think trying to court her for a single rooftop is already foolish? More so with the love potion… even we have a line to draw.”
“DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY THINGS I HAD TO DO FOR THAT POTION?!”
Aside from persuasion, I technically haven’t done anything for that potion, but ‘will’ as per my agreement with Arisu.
“I deeply apologize for my selfish actions.”
“Urgh… where did you put the contents at least?”
“I… threw it out.”
“WHAT?!”
“I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT! I certainly couldn’t drink it, so I threw it instead!”
I sit on my bed morosely contempting the situation at hand. This is bad, this is really bad. I rub my fingers on my forehead.
This is what I get for trusting other people… no, this isn’t the time I should be doubting my accomplices. I know his progress is doing retively fast, but perhaps a week may have been pushing it to the limit.
“I’m sorry… perhaps I was asking too much.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Fine, we’ll have to start the challenges now,” I decre.
“Even without you?”
“We have to move things somewhere. I can’t keep waiting here, so inform the rest of them tomorrow or even message them. It’s up to you people for now.”
“Then is there still any point in proceeding with the sick act?”
“There is, I can work behind the scenes that way. I still expect progress on your end, even if you do not end up conquering her heart by then, we can use something with that established friendly retionship.”
Besides, we can always come back to that pn ter if the time given to him wasn’t enough.
…
..
.
May 25, 20XX
8:02 AM
Ring. Ring.
The school bell rings.
We all gather over at Takashi’s seat.
“So… Kibe wants us to carry on the challenges?” Madoka asks.
“Yes, precisely,” I reply.
“Where did we leave off again?” Katsuro questions.
“Loss. Snakes & Ladders. Our time. Challenge,” Takashi blurts out.
“Okay, so what do we go with? The eating or the sleeping challenge?” I query.
“I think we do the sleeping challenge for the tter? I am confident that it will take a while before we finish,” Madoka answers.
“Good thinking dude, it’s just about sleeping anyway,” Katsuro replies.
“This is very stressful… Takashi, can you enlighten us with a dark joke of yours? Haven’t heard one of them in ages.”
“If another version of yourself were to kill you, is it homicide or suicide?”
“Ah, truly dark. You truly are a master, Takashi.”
Yano-sensei arrives at his desk.
“Oops, it seems to be time,” I decre, “Let’s talk ter boys. Also, we should inform the girls about our decision by lunch.”
“Yeah,” Madoka responds.
“Good luck to us!” Katsuro cheers.
“Luck,” Takashi states.
“Yeah, I wish us luck,” I nervously reply.
I seriously hope we win this, because I just put us in serious jeopardy.
…
..
.
12:04 PM, Lunchtime
The boys and the girls were all gathered outside.
“So, what did you call us out for?” Mari asks.
“Kibe informed us yesterday… he said he wanted us to continue this challenge at the very least,” I broadcast.
“Aw, what a thoughtful leader!” Tanimoto-san cheers.
“So, you guys thought of a challenge already? It’s your turn, remember?” Goda-san queries.
“Do we have to give you boys a 10-minute timer?” Mari teases.
“No, there is no need. We already thought up of a challenge,” Madoka replies.
“Oh ho? Tell us all about it.”
“Alright, save your lunches and snacks for 1 PM, we are having an eating competition!” Katsuro announces.
“An eating competition… is it just to see how much food we can stuff in our mouths? PFFT!” Mari mocks.
“Nonsense! That would be boring as hell! There is a reason we set it up at 1 PM, it’s so that a teacher is present,” I reply.
“Hang on…” Goda-san says, getting a hint of what we’re saying.
“Ah, I see what you guys are pying at; it’s the old-fashioned eat-or-get-caught challenge is it?” Tanimoto-san excims.
“You catch on quickly, but of course, the scaling has to keep going up,” Katsuro responds.
“I see, what are the rules you guys thought of?”
Alright, let’s rehearse what Kibe said.
“It will be a manner of elimination, each round a boy or girl will eat a snack, if they are not caught, the next one to eat must be that of the opposite gender. However, there are conditions to the next eater – they should eat food that produces sounds that are louder than the previous, otherwise, they have to eat another food as a penalty,” I expin.
“I understand, then what if the person runs out of food?” Mari insists.
“They have to either buy more or switch with another person of the same group.”
Since I said so much, I clear my throat first then proceed expining.
“This process carries on until the person who ate the test gets caught. The next round begins with the opposite gender of the one who began st round. It is also a rule that no one should eat the food of the same kind, which applies to all rounds. A new round will not forget what was eaten the previous round.”
“Um, what happens when someone gets sick from eating too much food?” Goda-san asks.
“Good question. Those who get sick are eliminated.”
“Great! And as usual, no sabotaging from each group,” Tanimoto-san reassures.
“Those were all the rules we have thought of… any objections?”
No one raises their hand. It seems the rules have been established quite nicely and fairly.
“Final question, who will be the judge of the loudness?” Mari asks.
“I can do it!” Kazuhiko-san volunteered.
We all turn to Arita Kazuhiko who appears from the door of the cssroom.
“Well, we have it settled then!” Tanimoto-san cheers, “I wish you the best of luck boys.”
She offers her hand.
“Likewise,” I answer boldly.
We both shake our hands for a fair game.
…
..
.
1:00 PM
Ring. Ring.
The school bell rings.
“Already time it seems, let’s head back inside,” Tanimoto-san insists.
We all head inside.
Yano-sensei arrives at his desk and begins to teach English only minutes after.
Note: Let the challenge begin!
Round 1
The boys and girls keep looking, giving a feel at each other to see who would come first. Eventually, Takashi leads the start by eating a cssic banana.
Munch. Munch. Munch.
He finishes the banana barely making any sound that registers on the teacher’s brain.
Kazuhiko-san gives the thumbs-up.
Konishi-chan volunteers by eating Oreos.
Crack. Crunch.
The sound was faint, but was obviously louder than the previous food that had just been eaten.
Kazuhiko-san gives another thumbs-up. Time for the next one.
Madoka takes the lead and grabs some crackers.
Crunch. Crunch.
He finishes his food with no problem.
There was a slight pause, but Goda-san takes out some potato chips and began munching on them.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
She finishes her food and lick over the barbeque-fvored powder on her fingers.
It was the boys’ turn. None of us knew who should take initiative. We only had some food simir to what they had eaten, but most of the foods we had were either not loud enough, saved up for the next rounds, or were the same kind as what had been consumed. This case applied to Katsuro, his foods, were potato chips, cookies, and crackers, coincidentally. The only other food he had were jawbreakers.
“I got no choice.”
He takes out his only allowed food and bit it.
Crack.
However…
“I-I suddenly feel a presence behind me,” he thought as he took his first bite.
He turns around to see Yano-sensei with gring fiery eyes.
“Looks like you particurly enjoy eating loud foods, don’t you, Hara-kun?” he asks menacingly.
“Oh, h-hello sir…”
“You’re coming with me outside.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yano-sensei goes to the door and he follows after. Before leaving, he faces the rest of the us and gives us a salute.
“Sorry boys, I had no choice. You go win the challenge for me.”
Admitting defeat, he leaves the room.
“KATSURO!!!” Madoka yells.
Takashi cries.
I bang the desk.
“Damn it!”
The girls simply stares wondering what on Earth we were doing.
“They’re so overdramatic, he’s not dead or anything,” Mari thought.
Note: The unfair hellish ndscape had taken its first prey. Who’s next?
END OF EPISODE 34
