:Kairo City, early morning.
Touzen Academy stood like a monolith of intellect amidst the urban sprawl. Inside its glass-paneled walls, Class 2-B filed into their seats, eyes sharp, voices hushed. A chill of calculation ran through the room.
Yesterday's trial had shocked them. They'd misjudged the outcome. The story they dismissed as fake had been real, and someone they hadn't even considered had slipped through with points.
"Good morning, students," the AI voice buzzed calmly. "Welcome to Phase Two of the Sympathy Spiral."
Monitors blinked to life, showing point tallies beside each student's name.
Sena - 14 Points
Riku - 12 Points
Yumi - 9 Points
Takao - 8 Points
Rei - 5 Points
Some scoffed at Rei's score.
"Poor guy's still at the bottom," Takao muttered.
But Sena's eyes narrowed just slightly. "Doesn't mean he's out."
The AI continued. "New rules: Alliances are permitted. Each student will submit two stories again. One is real, one is fabricated. Additionally, the system will insert one artificial fake story. If the class selects that story, no penalties. If not, and a real story is chosen, its author loses triple points."
Gasps. Nervous laughter.
"Damn," Yumi whispered. "That's brutal."
Takao laughed. "Then we better not mess up."
"Game on," Riku smirked.
In the corner, Rei scribbled something in his notebook. No one noticed. They didn't bother to.
His thoughts, however, were far from idle.
"Two alliances already forming. Riku and Sena are leaning logic-heavy. Yumi's strategy is emotional saturation. Takao's chasing power... I'll place my piece in the noise."
He glanced once at the ceiling, then resumed his calm expression.
--
Lunchtime: The Lounge
"Let's form an alliance," Riku proposed, leaning across the table toward Sena.
"You're only asking because we both read inconsistencies," Sena replied.
"I'm asking because we both want to win. Yumi's manipulating sympathy, Takao's bluffing intelligence. Rei... forget him. We need precision."
Sena hesitated. "We observe separately, then sync our votes?"
"Deal."
Elsewhere:
Yumi giggled. "Takao, let's flood the game with tragedy. Trauma always wins votes."
He shrugged. "Works for me. I'll even fake a family death if that helps."
And Rei? He sat alone, quietly eating, occasionally glancing at the window. A butterfly landed on the ledge.
"Chaos is often loud. Control... is quiet."
--
Later That Day: Story Submissions
Everyone submitted their stories. Heartbreak. Abuse. Manipulation. Some entries bled emotion; others dripped logic.
Rei submitted:
"The Broken Clock" (fictitious) — a story of a boy stuck in a loop of time, each day repeating without change.
"The Broken Brother" (true) — a vague tale of an older sibling growing colder and colder until one day he vanished.
Both stories were subtle. Abstract. Forgettable.
Perfect.
--
Classroom Debate
"Story 2 feels too clean," said Yumi. "Maybe it's the system's?"
"No, Story 3 has a contradiction. The mother dies twice in two different paragraphs," Riku countered.
"Story 6 was boring. Probably the fake," Takao shrugged.
"Boring doesn't mean fake," Sena retorted.
They divided tasks. Cross-examined. Argued.
Rei simply listened.
"They're reacting. Predictable. Takao's bluff is already unraveling. Sena suspects Riku. Yumi's appealing too hard. This isn't about stories anymore—it's about people trying to survive a game they don't understand."
He smiled gently when asked about his picks.
"I just voted randomly," he said.
Nobody questioned it.
--
Evening Results
AI Voice: "Most Convincing Fake Story: Story 2 — 'The Forgotten Diary.'
System's Inserted Story: Story 7 — 'The Broken Clock.'
Incorrectly Chosen Real Story: Story 3 — 'Bruises Under the Moon.'
Author of Story 3: Yumi. Penalty enacted. -3 Points."
Yumi's smile faded.
"Author of Story 7: Rei. Bonus awarded. +10 Points."
Eyes turned to him.
He blinked. "Oh. That's unexpected."
Takao scoffed. "Lucky break."
Riku stared harder. Sena wrote something down.
--
Nightfall
Sena texted Riku: "We missed something."
Riku: "You thinking Rei?"
Sena: "Maybe. He's invisible. That's either a weakness—or a strategy."
Rei sat on his bed, notebook open. One word written: "Thread Two - Pulled."
He looked out the window. The same butterfly from earlier fluttered past.
"Soon they'll spin themselves into a trap of their own making. All I do is tighten the spiral."
Fade to black..