Glimmer of hope

A month had passed since Fujimiya joined Sue High School and became a member of the Defective Thrive Club. He had already formed a friendship bond with Shin but not with the other club members. As the day broke, Fujimiya awakened from a disturbing dream that he had been experiencing for the last two years. "Again, huh."

"Eiko-chan, good morning."

"What do you want, Keitaro?"

"Gloomy as always." As Keitaro spoke those words, his face changed from a funny expression to a more serious one. "I hope you're excited for this week's tournament."

While expressing a devilish smile, Keitaro walked past Eiko and joined a group of girls standing by the road. As Eiko looked at the sky while stretching her right hand to cover the sun, she let out a smooth sigh. "So it begins."

As Fujimiya walked into the classroom and took his seat, he let out a smooth yawn, a sign of tiredness. "Didn't get enough sleep, Fuji?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Have you heard the rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"About the tournament? The school holds a tournament, and the winner is granted a huge prize." He giggled.

"Huh."

"The scary thing about this tournament is that only the participants are allowed at the venue."

As Shin noticed the curiosity in Fujimiya's face, he averted. "But you know it's just a rumor, so don't get worked up." He then held Fujimiya's shoulders before returning to his seat. Fujimiya, holding a novel in his right hand and a pencil in the other, let out a smooth and soft sigh. "It's finally begun, huh?"

In a luxurious room, a rectangular table with four expensive chairs was in place. Four people were engrossed in a deep conversation, led by a man in his mid-50s who spoke vigorously. "What will we do now? Who knew that he would join the school, tsk."

"Calm down, Director Amado," said a man in his early 30s, who appeared calm and undisturbed by the situation.

"How do you expect me to calm down, you brat? He's probably here to cause trouble just like he did two years ago."

"What will we do, Headmaster Ren Keitaro?" As the other three looked at the man seated at the other end of the table, he confidently opened his eyes and let out a scary smile. "No need to worry. It's all according to plan. We will finally destroy him this time."

"How will we be able to stop him? He's like a walking devil, Ren."

"The boy only works better when alone. Unfortunately for him, this is a team competition." Ren held a picture in his right hand and placed it on the table. It was a picture of a girl who appeared to be Eiko Tsubasa. "We have a trump card this time. It's time to witness your own downfall before it even begins, Fujimiya Himeko."

During the lunch break, as usual, Fujimiya spent this time sleeping on the bench on the roof. As footsteps approached, he slowly opened his eyes to see the long, silky silver hair blown by the wind, revealing the beautiful side of Tachibana Inaban. As Fujimiya sat up, Inaban, holding two homemade lunch boxes, sat next to him. "Always a loner? Commoner," Inaban teased.

"I am not a loner; I just enjoy my time alone."

"Here, take it, I made too much."

"Thanks." As Fujimiya accepted with a smile, leaving Inaban puzzled as it was the first time she had seen him smile. She quickly started eating, and Fujimiya chuckled softly. "I'm surprised you only let me see this side of your personality," he remarked.

"It just happens that you're always around me when I loosen up," Inaban explained, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I guess it's also cute," Fujimiya added, causing Inaban to blush.

"Oh, your face is a bit red," he observed, teasing her.

"No, it's not," Inaban denied. "Stupid, Fujimiya," she spoke with a shy voice and quickly left.

As Fujimiya finished his lunch, he looked up at the blue sky and let out a loud yawn. "Guess the sister is the lost lamb of the family, interesting. Guess I'll just hang onto her for a bit," he mused to himself. Fujimiya then headed straight to class, where he found Sakura Haruko standing at the door looking for Shin. He approached her.

"Ah, huh, it's just you, Fujimiya."

"Yeah, sorry for scaring you. Are you looking for someone?"

"No, no, no," Sakura responded, relieved, before admitting she was looking for Shin. "Okay, leave it to me," Fujimiya offered, heading into the classroom. Meanwhile, Sakura was approached by Shin, feeling embarrassed.

As Fujimiya took his seat, he reflected on the interesting turn of events. "Hey, Inaban, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mashiro interrupted Inaban's thoughts.

"What's up, Mashiro?" Inaban responded.

"You have been acting strangely since coming back from the lunch break. Is anything the matter?" Mashiro asked, concerned.

"Ah, it's nothing, I'm just tired. That's all," Inaban lied, avoiding the truth.

"You know you can always talk to me, for I'm your best friend," Mashiro reassured her before leaving.

"Okay, but don't worry about me, Mashiro."

Left alone, Inaban laid her head on the locker and let out a sigh of relief, questioning her feelings towards Fujimiya. "What's wrong with me? Why is my heart always pounding so fast while talking to Fuji? Wait, it can't be that I'm in lo…," as she mused to herself.

"Hey, Inaban." Being interrupted by Shin.

"What do you want, loser?"

"Let's go on a date?" Shin spoke those words while closing his eyes as if he was expecting a harsh reply.

"Huh, are you out of your mind?" Inaban reacted, surprised.

"Oh, are you worried Fuji might find out?" Shin teased.

"Why would I be worried about that?" Inaban responded, feeling embarrassed and flustered.

"You're so easy to read, dear sister. I'll pick you up on Sunday," Shin stated with a scary tone before whispering something in Inaban's ear, leaving her in a tremor.

"15th May 2024 (Two weeks before the Tournament's day)"

"Tagami Yuichi," Fujimiya called.

"You know, it's inappropriate for juniors to be stalking their seniors," Tagami answered while removing his glasses.

Fujimiya, who was standing next to the bathroom door, looked directly into Yuichi's eyes with a serious expression on his face.

"Let's find a place where we can talk quietly, President," Fujimiya said as he led the way to the rooftop.

"Don't tell me you've come to confess your love to me?" Yuichi jokingly said.

"Surrender the club's presidency to me, Tagami," Fujimiya said courageously.

"Why should I do that?" Tagami spoke frustratingly.

"Because I will make the impossible happen… I will win the Death March series for you," Fujimiya said with a smirk on his face. Flustered by these words, Yuichi tilted his head slightly to the right while adjusting his glasses.

"Huh, and how did you know the tournament's name? Only former participants know the name," Yuichi asked curiously.

"I've got my sources, so what's your answer?" Fujimiya replied confidently.

Yuichi walked slowly to the edge of the roof and looked down, then took out his phone and looked at it for a moment. After a while, he walked straight back to where Fujimiya was standing, looking at him with curiosity while Fujimiya stood his ground. Yuichi Tagami let out a huge grin.

"Let's see what you're made of, Fujimiya," Yuichi said with a smile.

"Don't tell the other members, I need to confirm something first," Fujimiya said frustratedly.

"One more thing, what's in it for me?" Yuichi asked.

"Half of the prize money, five million yen," Fujimiya replied. The way he said it indicated he was not lying.

"In return, I would like you to tell me everything about this year's tournament."

"I only know that this tournament is just a recruitment for something big," Yuichi stated as he sat on the bench.

"Do you know any students who are likely to advance to the preliminary stage?"

"For this year, it's a teamwork project, I guess… let's see, Kamaiyo's team, Keitaro's team, Tsunade's team, and the first-year Eiko's team, probably," Yuichi stated with a sigh.

"Teamwork, tsk," Fujimiya said disappointedly.

"I guess that comes as a shock," Yuichi said, looking surprised.

"How many members per team?" Fujimiya asked with no interest.

"Four."

Fujimiya walked away, stopping at the exit door and looked at Yuichi with a smile.

"You really have a weird personality, senpai," Fujimiya said smilingly.

"Sheesh, you really scared me," Yuichi said, looking surprised.

Fujimiya walked away, leaving Yuichi behind, staring at the forming nimbus clouds.

"Fujimiya Himeko, let's see how you will entertain me," Yuichi mumbled to himself.

"17th May 2024 (12 days before the tournament's day)"

As Fujimiya went to relax at his usual place during lunchtime, he was surprised to find Tachibana seated and enjoying her lunch. Walking towards her, puzzled by Fujimiya's sudden appearance, Tachibana let out a smooth and soft shout. "Never knew the princess had such a huge appetite," Fujimiya teased.

"It's just that my mom packed a lot today," Tachibana replied calmly, leaving Fujimiya in shock.

"I know, here, let's share," offering some of her lunch to Fujimiya, who still looked surprised.

"Thank you, I guess," Fujimiya said, appreciating the offer.

After some minutes of silence, Fujimiya interrupted the silence with a weird question.

"Hey, Tachibana, let's say I tell you that I like you, what would you do?" Fujimiya asked while looking at Tachibana, who seemed embarrassed by the question.

"Why… why would you ask such a weird question… Do you mean you like me?" Tachibana replied, trembling with shyness. Fujimiya didn't reply to the question but turned around and looked directly into Tachibana's eyes. She stood up and ran to class. Clapping sounds made Fujimiya avert his attention towards the tank tower on the rooftop.

"Bravo, such a wonderful performance, never fail to amuse me, Fujimiya," Yuichi Tagami said, laughing.

"What do you want, Yuichi?" Fujimiya asked with a distressful voice.

"First, what's your relationship with Inaban, Fujimiya?" Yuichi asked with curiosity.

"I just needed to confirm something," Fujimiya replied.

"Ok, I happen to have some useful information about the tournament. Want to hear it?" Yuichi said, smiling, capturing Fujimiya's attention.

"21st May 2024 (8 days till the tournament's day)"

"Sup, Shin," Fujimiya greeted Shin with an unusual tone, prompting Shin to be curious about what happened to Fujimiya.

"Did something just happen?" Shin asked with curiosity.

"I just heard some interesting rumors about you," Fujimiya said with a smirk.

"What kind of rumors?" Shin asked, his voice dropping with nervousness.

"That you are dating Sakura," Fujimiya said, looking directly into Shin's eyes.

"No way," Shin said, disappointed.

"Could you do me a favor as a friend?" Fujimiya asked calmly.

"Yeah, anything," Shin said, looking happy.

"I want you to get close to Sakura," Fujimiya said, looking directly into Shin's eyes as if he was begging.

"Why would I do that?" Shin asked, looking confused.

"No reason, I just want our club members to become close friends. So what do you say, will you grant me this one wish?" Fujimiya asked calmly.

"Huh, okay," Shin said, letting out a smooth sigh, agreeing with no complaints. Later, at 9 in the evening, Fujimiya received a call from an unknown number with hesitation in picking up the call.

"Hello," Fujimiya received the call. After listening carefully to the caller's words for a few minutes, Fujimiya let out a soft sigh and replied, "Yes, ma'am, I will do my best." As the call ended, Fujimiya lay on his bed facing the ceiling, with a clenched fist. "I will destroy you all," he mumbled to himself before falling asleep.

"28th May 2024, Present day (1 day before the tournament starts)"

"You're so easy to read, dear sister. I'll pick you up on Sunday," Shin states with a scary tone before whispering something in Inaban's ear, leaving her in a tremor. Hours later, at the school gate, Yuichi, who was waiting for Fujimiya, stood there patiently. As Fujimiya approached him, Yuichi unfolded his arms and walked to meet Fujimiya.

"Why did you ask to meet here?" Fujimiya asked.

"Fujimiya, are you sure about this plan? It's like you're setting a time bomb that even you can't escape," Yuichi asked, looking angry.

"I never said I was going to escape. No need to worry; the only thing that matters is for me to keep my promise to you," Fujimiya replied with confidence.

"Okay, hear me out. I just received some new intel," reaching for his smartphone.

Meanwhile, at the club's room, seated impatiently were the other three members. Tachibana, looking at the seat where Fujimiya normally sits, couldn't contain her curiosity and banged the table, startling both Sakura and Shin, who were engrossed in a deep conversation.

"Where is the president? He called for the meeting and he's late. Also, Fujimiya is late; something is definitely off. I'm going..." Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Fujimiya, who was standing at the door alongside Yuichi.

"Never knew you two knew each other very well," Shin stated.

"President, why did you summon us today? I thought there were no club activities today?" Tachibana stated.

"As of today, I'm no longer the club president, but Fujimiya is," Yuichi stated.

Much to Fujimiya and Yuichi's surprise, the other members accepted without raising suspicions.

"All four of us will be participating in the upcoming tournament," Fujimiya stated, leaving a grin on his face.

"Huh," all three exclaimed loudly.

Confused by Fujimiya's statements, Shin, who seemed less puzzled, raised his hand. Fujimiya pointed at Shin and stood up.

"By tournament, you don't mean from the rumors, right?" Shin asked.

"No, it's the one, a team competition, and I think as a club, we can win," Fujimiya answered confidently.

"Hey, what's your motive in joining this unknown tournament?" Tachibana asked curiously.

"To be honest, it's just to kill my boredom. You can say it's just a selfish reason," Fujimiya answered, smiling timidly.

"Um, can I ask a question?" Sakura asked with a shy voice.

"Sure," Fujimiya answered.

"What kind of tournament will we be participating in?" Sakura asked confidently.

"Let's see, I don't know," Fujimiya answered while chuckling.

"Huh, are you serious?" Tachibana asked angrily.

"But I'm not forcing anyone, I'm just asking a favor for a selfish reason. It's your own decision to make," Fujimiya said those words calmly.

"What makes you sure we can win?" Tachibana asked.

"I didn't say we can win; we're just going to have fun. That's what friends do, right?" Fujimiya asked while displaying a charming smile.

As the meeting was adjourned, with the conclusion of participating in the tournament, set to take place tomorrow.