"Of course, the school isn't entirely heartless. We understand that under such high-pressure environments, you might inevitably suffer mental breakdowns.
Therefore, each time you pass a trial, the school will give you a holiday. We call this period a 'cooling-off period.' Of course, if you don't wish to leave, you can also stay at the school.
What you need to do is wear this watch so the school can contact you and bring you back when a Strange Dungeon descends again."
Masaki Tomoya pulled a watch from his pocket. His words made all the students present light up; staying in school for three full years could indeed lead to a sense of loneliness.
Especially under the shroud of The Strange World, it's even more despair-inducing. Therefore, the school's high-ranking officials unanimously decided to give students who had just passed the trial a break until they could accept it...
So, some might ask, what if some students can never accept it? It's simple: those who can't accept it will eventually break down and die in The Strange World. The school is only responsible for guiding them and providing them with relatively safe scenarios, but the rule of the jungle and survival of the fittest will not change.
"Teacher, I remember the rules mentioned that 'those with supreme strength' can disregard school rules. How does one qualify as 'one with supreme strength'?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's pleasant voice rang out, but Bai Yuze felt she wasn't asking the question out of genuine curiosity, but rather pointing out someone.
"That's a very good question, but it's one you'll have to explore on your own."
"You can't answer? That's truly a pity~"
Sakayanagi Arisu replied with a hint of regret, then fell silent.
(Masaki said to explore, but he didn't say to exchange information using points. Could it be that there are places outside the school for trading?)
Bai Yuze suddenly remembered the 'innocent people' Masaki Tomoya mentioned. Does that mean most of the places for exchanging information outside are run by criminals?
This felt like a large-scale social experiment, where everyone has their own identity and their own needs.
However, Bai Yuze was a bit troubled. He had arrived here inexplicably. How was he supposed to know where his home was? And it wasn't even certain if he had a home in this world!
"Oh, and one more thing: to make it easier for everyone to go out, the school can convert the points on your phone into cash. To ensure everyone has a pleasant holiday experience, the exchange rate is one-to-one."
Even the A-class students couldn't help but cheer at this.
Bai Yuze, on the other hand, was wondering if he should leave the school.
"What's wrong, Bai? Is something bothering you? Would you like to visit my home during the holiday?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was persistent, still teasing Bai Yuze, and he responded.
"Sure, do you have any very straight sticks at your house?"
"Very straight sticks? I'm sorry, I don't have anything like that at my house."
Sakayanagi Arisu was a bit puzzled. What use would a very straight stick be? For stoking a fire?
"Then I'm not going."
Bai Yuze refused directly, but Sakayanagi Arisu still smiled.
"What if I ask my family to help me find one?"
"Then I'll go take a look, but I'll leave right after I've touched the stick."
Sakayanagi Arisu could barely suppress her anger. Was this guy a blockhead? Why couldn't he stop talking about sticks?
A pair of sunglasses suddenly appeared in Sakayanagi Arisu's hand, and she secretly used a Town-Suppression Strange Object on Bai Yuze.
[Eye of the Heart: Can see the deepest desires of the target. Cooldown: 48 hours]
The Town-Suppression Strange Object Sakayanagi Arisu used was bought by her father at a high price, and it was a rare, unlimited-use Town-Suppression Strange Object. Only those in the upper echelons dared to trade such an item; anywhere else, you'd be robbed and killed the moment you pulled it out.
Bai Yuze's attention was drawn to the sunglasses, and then he felt his inner self being peered into.
And Sakayanagi Arisu's expression was even more spectacular.
She saw a field of daylilies, and within it, a young man wielding a pure, natural, and perfectly straight wooden stick, battling a daylily spirit.
Sakayanagi Arisu: ...
It was hard to imagine what the inner world of a model student who neither smoked nor drank was truly like...
Sakayanagi Arisu began to suspect if the strange object in her hand had hallucinogenic side effects. How could she see such a bizarre scene?
Sakayanagi Arisu withdrew. At this moment, she no longer doubted if Bai Yuze was just teasing her; he genuinely liked straight wooden sticks!
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you're dismissed. The school will send a bus to pick you up tomorrow. For those who don't want to leave, please sign this sheet; I'll collect it this afternoon."
Masaki Tomoya left after saying this, while Bai Yuze pulled out his phone and sent a message to Horikita Manabu. There were many things he couldn't conveniently ask directly in class.
At this moment, Katsuragi Kohei's loyal admirer (commonly known as a sycophant) — Totsuka Yahiko — stepped forward.
"Classmates, our safe return this time is largely thanks to Katsuragi. I propose that Katsuragi become our class leader!"
Some people immediately gathered around Katsuragi Kohei.
"But… we weren't in the same dungeon as Katsuragi… I think Sakayanagi can lead us…"
The Sakayanagi faction was not to be outdone, and they all gathered around Sakayanagi Arisu.
The class instantly split into three factions: the Katsuragi faction, the Sakayanagi faction, and... the fence-sitter faction like Bai Yuze... From the arguments between the two factions, Bai Yuze learned that most of the A-class students had been grouped together, but one group was led to victory by Katsuragi, and the other by Sakayanagi.
Then, thinking about the Strange Dungeon he had experienced and the news that only Yamauchi Haruki had been eliminated in the first year...
Bai Yuze suspected that The Strange World was targeting him!
Although the people from the two factions were arguing fiercely, their leaders did not speak, merely looking at each other. At this moment, with the numbers of both factions being equal, it meant the final vote rested with Bai Yuze, who was observing from the side.
"Sakayanagi, how do you want to resolve this?"
"Oh my~ Since Katsuragi has such charisma, it truly caught me off guard."
"Hmph! Sakayanagi, with your bad legs, just step down obediently! Katsuragi alone is enough to manage A-class!"
As the saying goes, a dog barks fiercely when its master is present. Since the master was nearby, the dog would naturally bark more aggressively.
"Oh dear~ Katsuragi truly has a loyal little dog~"
"You!"
Totsuka Yahiko was angry; Sakayanagi Arisu's words had hit a nerve! What was wrong with being a sycophant! Sycophants had their own dignity too!
"Totsuka! Stop it!"
Before Katsuragi could stop him, Totsuka Yahiko reached out towards Sakayanagi Arisu.
Bai Yuze had initially wanted to help, but seeing Kito Hayato by Sakayanagi's side already in a defensive stance, he abandoned the idea of intervening.
"Ugh… that hurts!"
Totsuka Yahiko's hand was grabbed by Kito Hayato, and Totsuka Yahiko felt as if his hand was about to be crushed.
"Oh my~ Ge Cheng, your dog isn't behaving~"
"I'm very sorry, this is indeed our fault. I hope you will let Totsuka go."
Katsuragi Kohei lowered his head. After all, Totsuka Yahiko had been rude first, attacking someone's physical flaw. Sakayanagi Arisu immediately found it uninteresting, so she had Kito Hayato release Totsuka Yahiko.
"Why make things so stiff~ Don't we have a suitable choice right here beside us?"
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. Her meaning was clear: she wanted Bai Yuze to make a choice.
But when they turned their attention to Bai Yuze, they found that he had already slipped away.
On the table, there was a note that read:
[I choose strawberry pie... apple pie... mango pie... and Italian pie!]