Chapter 4: Doomsday Game! The Chosen Ren and Yukino!
During the extended break between classes, Ren usually stayed in the classroom, a quiet observer of the mundane school life around him. Starting today, however, that would change.
He found Hiratsuka-sensei and, after a brief but confusing explanation on his part, successfully established a new club: the "Supernatural Research Club." As the name suggested, it was a club for researching the supernatural.
He hoped that in the future, people in the school who encountered strange, inexplicable events would come to him. This way, he could quickly make contact and resolve issues under the guise of a commission, not only gaining doomsday points but also preventing the spread of anomalies.
The clubroom, a dusty, forgotten classroom, had just been established. Inside, apart from a large table and a few stools, there was nothing else. He planned to recruit a few people in the afternoon, as at least five were needed for a club to be officially formed.
Just as he was about to clean the floor, there was a knock on the door. "Come in?" he called out, wondering who it could be.
The door opened, and it was Hiratsuka-sensei. Behind her, with a cold and guarded expression, followed Yukino Yukinoshita.
Hiratsuka-sensei surveyed the empty classroom, her gaze finally settling on Ren. This student gave her a headache. He always achieved first place with full marks. He also achieved the best results in sports. He was handsome, with neat, messy black hair and striking golden eyes. Yet, it was precisely such an excellent student who suddenly wanted to establish a "Supernatural Research Club."
However, what puzzled her most was the girl behind her. Yukino Yukinoshita, the third-ranked student in the grade, actually wanted to join this absurd club. She felt the world had gone mad.
"Shizuka-sensei, Yukinoshita-san, is there something you need?" Ren asked calmly.
Hiratsuka-sensei irritably ran a hand through her hair. "It's like this. Yukinoshita wants to join your... Supernatural Research Club."
"Oh?" He looked at Yukino in surprise.
Feeling the scrutiny of his golden eyes, Yukino subconsciously pressed down on her skirt, the memory of him placing his jacket there still fresh and embarrassing.
He withdrew his gaze. "Alright. I happen to be short on people." He agreed easily.
"That's good. I have nothing else, so I'll be leaving." After a final, worried glance at the two, she sighed and departed, closing the door behind her.
Yukino sat on a stool, not saying a word. The silence was thick with unspoken questions.
Ren saw her internal struggle and said, half-jokingly, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about what happened yesterday."
As soon as the words were spoken, she instantly became flustered. "Encountering such a terrifying thing, that kind of reaction is a perfectly normal physiological response! Please, Ren-kun, don't speak carelessly!" No matter how much she explained, she couldn't hide her flushed earlobes and tightly clenched fists. Being seen in such a frightened, pathetic state was truly shameful!
Ren found her like this quite cute, much better than her usual icy demeanor. She noticed his amused gaze, which only made her feel more ashamed and annoyed.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down and asked what she truly wanted to know. Her expression was serious and complex. "Can you tell me, what was that… monster?"
He glanced at her, telling her plainly, "Sometimes, ignorance is bliss." Those who cannot see such things are fortunate.
She was smart and understood what he meant. Biting her lip and clenching her fists, she didn't want to give up. "But I want to know!"
He waved his hand indifferently. "I'm not going to tell you. I have my reasons." This was not only for her protection, but also due to the nature of the Cognitive Doomsday.
"But I…" She was about to say something, but then stopped abruptly. A strange sound, a digital chime, echoed not in the room, but directly in her mind.
Do you want to understand the meaning of life?
[YES] or [Yes]?
Strange text appeared in the air before her, shimmering with an unnatural light.
"Did you see that?" Ren's voice cut through her shock. He was asking her. Such text had also appeared before his eyes, and at the same time, Yukino was staring blankly ahead.
"You saw it too? What is this?" she was full of questions.
He shook his head. "I don't know. It didn't give an option to refuse. Just pick one and adapt." Knowing the world was full of doomsday elements, he didn't believe this was a joke. He chose 'Yes'.
The next moment, a sensation of weightlessness came over his body. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a dilapidated classroom. Before he could observe, another prompt popped up.
Welcome to the Doomsday Game!
Congratulations on being selected as one of the first five players!
Player Mission: At least one person must survive for seven days.
Failure Penalty: The game enters reality.
At the same time, a prompt also came from the Doomsday Chat Group.
[You have come into contact with one of the world's Abnormal Doomsday factors!]
[The Doomsday Chat Group has established a connection. Rewards will be converted into doomsday points!]
This string of information caught Ren completely off guard.
[Inorin Note:
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