We didn't arrive at a classroom. Nor at a gym. Not even a school building.
Before us stood a tower. Real, solid, towering. Tall, with gray walls and glassless windows. Five floors. One entrance. Not a single trace of comfort.
— "Welcome," said the supervisor standing at the entrance. "This is the Tower of Balance."
There were many of us. All four classes — together. Twenty-five students per class. One hundred. One hundred players. And one exit — at the end of the trial.
— "The trial will last five days. Special conditions apply. Each class is assigned to a floor. On each floor — limited resources, tasks, traps, and most importantly — challenges that require inter-floor cooperation."
He paused.
— "And yes. For breaking the balance — punishments. Sometimes minor. Sometimes… exclusion."
Many exchanged glances.
I felt Mina tense up beside me. Since the events of the last trial, she stayed closer. But still reserved. We hadn't talked about what happened. Not aloud.
— "Observers and the student council will be involved in this trial. You are also allowed to submit reports if you notice any violations. But every report comes at a price."
Ai Sanada stepped closer to me, but didn't address me directly. She simply said quietly:
— "Ready?"
— "Are you?"
She didn't answer. Just smiled and walked back to her class.
The first floor — was assigned to Class 2-D.
We stepped inside. Old concrete, metal doors, bits of wiring hanging from the ceiling. On the wall — a screen lit up. A message appeared:
> "Task 1: Maintain control over your floor. You have 8 hours to establish internal communications and gain access to resources.
You may send requests for help to other floors — but only through the system.
Be cautious: information distortion is part of the trial."
— "Control," someone muttered. "So we defend?"
— "Not just that," I replied. "It means: maintain order, identify threats, understand the structure."
I could already see how the traps would interfere. How panic would disrupt balance. And how 'alliances' would turn into fiction.
— "Takumi," Aoi called out. "We've got a list of students with assigned roles. Some are temporary. Others are hidden. We need to identify the key ones — fast."
— "Let's begin."
I approached the screen. At the bottom, in small print, a line glowed:
> "In this tower, even the air can be a weapon."