15 - Everything Fine

The stern teacher entered the classroom, now a sodden mess, weaving his way among the soaked students who stood outside. They watched Hiroki spray water with an unusual calmness.

Upon noticing the teacher, they all shared the same thought: Hiroki was in inescapable trouble this time.

He WILL get expelled, or worse.

The teacher surveyed the waterlogged classroom and then fixed his gaze on Hiroki, who was by the chalkboard.

"Ahh, teacher," Yuuto said, turning off the water hose and flashing a nonchalant smile. "My seat was a bit grimy, so I cleaned it before class. I've got evidence if you—"

"Never mind that, Morii, take your seat. Everything is fine with this classroom. The rest of you, do the same," the teacher instructed with an unsettling calmness.

'...What?' Yuuto's brow furrowed in suspicion.

"W-WHAT!?" the students erupted.

"TEACHER, I GET THAT YOU'RE STRICT, BUT LOOK AT THE MESS HIROKI CAUSED!!"

"YEAH! THE ENTIRE CLASSROOM'S FILLED WITH WATER BECAUSE THAT CRAZY BASTARD USED THE HOSE AND—"

"BE QUIET!! Take... Your. Seats. Everything... Is fine with this classroom," he commanded, silencing the angry crowd with stern authority.

'For once I agree with those numbnuts. Something's off with him,' Yuuto thought, eyeing the teacher's vacant expression.

'...Mr. Morii... You're the closest one to your seat, yet you're not taking it? Even though everything is fine with your seat?" the teacher pointed out sharply.

'...Let's play along for now. Something interesting is going on,' Yuuto thought as he settled into his waterlogged seat.

The other students exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to react.

"Everything is fine...?"

"Y-you heard the teacher... E-everything is fine..." They gradually calmed down, although a little weirded out.

After a few moments of hesitation, they reluctantly returned to their drenched seats out of respect for their teacher.

The class resumed as usual, adding to the surreal nature of the situation.

"Teacher," a voice piped up.

"Yes, Nana?" the teacher responded with unsettling nonchalance.

"Uhm... There's a lot of water here... Could we take a few minutes to dry everything off?" The student asked, shifting uncomfortably in her soaked seat, her classmates nodding in agreement.

"I see you completely dry. Everything is fine in this classroom. We'll continue with the lesson," the teacher insisted, dismissing her concern.

The students shared bewildered looks, sensing that something was profoundly amiss with the teacher, yet none dared to speak up.

At that moment, the teacher glanced at his watch.

'This teacher... This behavior and his repetitive insistence... Everything is fine with this classroom... It's almost as if he's—'

"Morii," the teacher suddenly said, turning his attention to Yuuto, cutting his thoughts short.

Yuuto met the teacher's gaze as all the students' attention shifted towards him.

"Come with me. Someone needs you. Don't worry, since everything is fine," the teacher stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

"...Right," Yuuto murmured, rising from his seat and walking towards the teacher, who was waiting by the classroom door.

"Meanwhile, you students watch this... Educational video." The teacher said as he turned on the TV in the classroom.

The students exchanged uneasy glances. Despite their dislike for Yuuto, they were baffled by the unfolding events. It felt as though they were trapped in a surreal nightmare; some even pinched themselves, hoping to wake up.

Yuuto and the teacher exited the classroom as the TV inside played.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" Yuuto inquired as they moved further from the classroom, the teacher's face revealing nothing.

Elsewhere...

"Alright... Hiroki Morii.... Let the games... Begin..!!" Satoshi declared with a wicked smile on his face.

Back outside the classroom...

The teacher suddenly thrust a sharp pen towards Yuuto's abdomen. Reacting swiftly, Yuuto caught the pen in his palm, the tip piercing his skin as blood began to trickle down.

'Fuck..!!! I knew he'd try something, so I managed to block it...!! But I went and got myself stabbed... The hell with this weak body!!' Yuuto gritted his teeth, pain etching his features.

But the teacher persisted.

"Everything is... Fine...!! Morii...!!" the teacher gasped, struggling to drive the pen deeper as if compelled by some unseen force.

Yuuto looked deeper into his eyes.

'Right... This is an NTR world... This bastard.. Has been hypnotized! Who did it!?'

"Grr...!!!" Yuuto grunted as he seized the teacher's wrist as he pressed against his palm.

Yuuto immediately looked around, noticing security cameras.

'I can't risk injuring him too severely—there might be an NTR schemer with the ability to alter evidence lurking around. But I still need to neutralize him...!'

"GENTLY...? Nope!"

As the teacher's hand trembled, pushing relentlessly, Yuuto quickly transitioned from defense to assertive control. Grabbing the teacher's wrist, he spun sideways, pulling the arm into a vulnerable position. With the teacher's elbow secured against his torso, Yuuto clasped his hands together and executed a sharp twist, forcefully snapping the area around the teacher's wrist.

"GAHHH!!!" The teacher howled as the pain surged, the pen still lodged in Yuuto's hand.

Without hesitation, Yuuto moved behind him and forcefully slammed his head against the steel lockers.

"E-...E-...verything... IS FIN.EE...!!!" The teacher's chant turned into a slurred mumble as his vision blurred. With the teacher weakened, Yuuto tackled him, forcefully planting his face onto the ground, effectively knocking him out.

"GRH...!!" Yuuto grunted as he stood up, confirming the teacher was down and out.

'Haah... Haa... I do feel stronger. If it were me from four days ago, I wouldn't have managed this. Did I really get stronger in just one day...? Or is it because I'm no longer injured?' He pondered, pulling the pen from his palm.

Blood emerged and flowed freely, trickling onto the floor.

'A hypnotist... I'm up against a hypnotist, right...?' His thoughts raced as he observed the faculty staff exiting their classrooms in a bizarrely synchronized manner.

They all stopped simultaneously, then turned to look at him at the exact same moment.

'...Something's definitely off with them too,' Yuuto concluded, tearing a piece of his shirt and wrapping it around his palm.

"You're bleeding..!!" A teacher shouted as he ran toward Yuuto, concern etched on his face.

'This guy seems to be showing genuine emotion... Not hypnotized, then?' Yuuto mused, relaxing slightly as the teacher approached.

"Don't worry, Morii...!!" the teacher reassured as he drew near.

"Everything is fine with you..." The teacher intoned blankly, charging at Yuuto with a razor-sharp metal ruler.

Yuuto didn't even need to see the ruler to react; he instinctively rolled to the side as he heard that chant.

'Damn it..!!' He thought, swiftly tripping the teacher with a well-placed foot.

As he focused on the teacher, students began pouring out of their classrooms, all except from his own. More appeared from the downstairs hallways.

Unified, over 100 students surrounded him from both sides, their chant echoing monotonously:

"Everything is fine with this..."

Yuuto's eyes widened as he scanned the sea of faces encircling him.

'That's a bit more than 20 people...'