A faint smile tugged at his lips, quickly growing into a triumphant laugh.

  He turned slightly and said with mockery.

  "Ha! Look, Fuji! This rat doesn't even dare to punch me."

  He turned his head toward Fuji, a wide grin still on his face , but it didn't last long.

  The smug expression faded, replaced by confusion, as he noticed Fuji standing completely still... frozen, as if life had been drained from him.

  No movement.

  No breath.

  "Fuji?"

  Haruki called out, his voice laced with unease.

  He slowly turned his head to look around and realized it wasn't just Fuji...

  Everyone was frozen.

  Every student, every movement, every whisper as if time itself had come to a halt.

  And somehow, he was the only one unaffected by this unnatural phenomenon.

  "This... this isn't normal."

  He whispered, barely audible, more to himself than to anyone else as if trying to convince his own mind.

  Suddenly an oval shaped portal appeared in front of him, its edges swirling with hues of violet and black, like a rip in the very fabric of reality.

  Haruki staggered back a few steps, arms raised in shock.

  "Whoa! What the he-"

  His words were cut short as an overwhelming force pulled him forward.

  The portal's gravity was unstoppable; it sucked him in without warning, as if devouring him whole.

  In the blink of an eye, he was falling through a wormhole, spinning endlessly as the tunnel twisted and coiled around him like a storm with no end.

  Haruki screamed in terror, flung through the swirling void, spinning faster and faster as if spiraling down a tunnel of madness.

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  Then - boom!

  His back slammed into hard, rocky ground.

  "Agh... ouch!"

  He groaned, sitting up slowly, fingers clutching at his sore back, trying to make sense of what just happened.

  This… was not the school.

  "Where… am I?"

  He muttered, turning his head to take in his surroundings.

  Towering trees rose like ancient pillars into the sky, dense and majestic far larger than any trees he had ever seen.

  Strange creatures moved silently in the distance, their shapes unfamiliar… and unsettling.

  A creeping fear slithered into his chest, like smoke seeping into his lungs.

  Suddenly he felt something slimy crawling along his arm.

  His whole body froze, a sharp shiver running down his spine.

  He slowly turned his head, his eyes widening with dread…

  There it was.

  A bizarre, massive insect stood calmly on his arm, its alien eyes fixed on him watching.

  He gasped sharply, breath catching in his throat as his face turned pale with terror.

  Then, in a sudden burst of panic, he screamed at the top of his lungs and flung the insect off his arm before bolting into the forest like a madman.

  He had no idea where he was going or where his fear was leading him…

  All he knew was: he had to get out of there now.

  Suddenly, the scene froze in front of you.

  Haruki , the same boy who was talking to you at the beginning reappeared, nervously fiddling with a small remote in his hands.

  He exhaled deeply, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

  "Great... here we go. It's not working."

  He shot you an irritated look, as if you were somehow to blame for this disaster.

  "So what are we supposed to do now?"

  Before he could continue complaining, a girl with bright orange hair suddenly entered the frame.

  She stepped toward him lightly and asked with curious eyes.

  "What's going on?"

  Haruki glanced at her and gestured toward the controller.

  "I think it's... malfunctioning."

  Then he turned his eyes back to you and pointed a thumb in her direction.

  "This is Yami."

  He leaned closer to the screen, tilting his head slightly as if about to reveal a dangerous secret.

  "She's a Viking, so… try not to overanalyze her behavior, alright?"

  Then he stepped back with a grin and turned to Yami.

  "Yami, say hi to the reader."

  Yami gave you a long, judgmental look scanning you from head to toe like you were a bizarre antique.

  Her eyebrows knit together, lips curling in a faint scowl. Then she leaned toward Haruki and muttered sarcastically.

  "This is what people from the future look like? Disappointing."

  Haruki slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter but failed, chuckling as he nudged her shoulder.

  "Come on, you can't just roast the reader like that!"

  Yami rolled her eyes lazily, then raised a hand in a half hearted salute clearly just to get it over with and said in a flat, indifferent voice.

  "Hello."

  Their attention quickly shifted back to the stalled remote, both of them staring at it as if it held the key to their survival.

  Yami extended her hand toward Haruki and said confidently.

  "Give it to me. I know how to handle these things."

  Haruki hesitated for a few seconds, torn between worry and curiosity... but in the end, he handed her the device.

  She pressed one of the buttons, nothing.

  She pressed again ,no response.

  Anger began to show on her face.

  Her jaw clenched tightly, teeth grinding with fury.

  "Urrgh!!"

  ___________