Kei Fushimiya's Perspective
The match was over.
At some point, my consciousness had finally returned to the present.
I stood there silently, wooden sword still in my hand.
Sweat dripped from my forehead.
Across from me, Ryōichi was breathing heavily while Satoshi sat on the ground, exhausted.
For several seconds, I simply stared.
Then I remembered.
I had won.
By two points.
A strange feeling settled over me.
I remembered every movement.
Every strike.
Every feint.
Every exchange.
Yet none of it felt real.
During the fight, my body had continued moving while my thoughts remained trapped somewhere else entirely.
Back in the past.
Back in memories I would rather forget.
It felt as though someone else had fought in my place.
"...Match over."
Hina's voice echoed throughout the room.
Everyone looked surprised.
Some appeared confused.
Others irritated.
Ryōichi himself seemed more intrigued than disappointed.
Only one person wasn't surprised.
Ichika Renji.
The moment I looked at him, he simply smirked.
As if he had expected this outcome from the beginning.
Maybe he had.
I didn't care enough to ask.
The room filled with conversation.
People discussed the match.
Debated certain moments.
Questioned how I managed to pull ahead near the end.
Their voices blended together into meaningless noise.
I had already lost interest.
Without saying a word, I turned around and left.
No celebrations.
No victory speech.
No acknowledgement.
Just silence.
The hallway was empty.
The cold December air seeped through the windows as I walked back toward my dorm.
For some reason, the memories from earlier still lingered in my mind.
Father.
Aoi.
Sakura.
The graduation.
The beginning of everything.
I opened my dorm room door.
Entered.
Placed my wooden sword against the wall.
Then collapsed onto my bed.
And slept.
---
Seven Hours Later...
December 23rd, 2026.
Morning.
The day of the Third Game.
The Sword Duel.
I was already awake.
Already dressed.
Already prepared.
The wooden sword rested against my shoulder as I walked through campus.
Students crowded the pathways.
Everyone seemed excited.
Nervous.
Energetic.
I couldn't relate.
To me, it was just another obstacle.
Another task.
Nothing more.
Eventually, I reached the auditorium.
The moment I entered, noise flooded my ears.
Hundreds of students occupied the spectator benches.
Conversations echoed throughout the building.
At the center of the auditorium sat a large black combat mat.
The battlefield.
Participants were required to wear traditional martial arts uniforms.
The school apparently wanted the event to appear more dramatic.
A pointless detail.
My gaze swept across the room.
Ichika stood near the center.
His uniform contained golden patterns and decorative designs that seemed unnecessarily extravagant.
Typical.
He looked less like a participant and more like someone attending his own coronation.
On the opposite side stood Scarlet, Iron, and Dusk.
All three appeared confident.
Ryōichi arrived shortly afterward.
The moment he entered, his eyes scanned the room as if searching for someone worthy of entertaining him.
Then he noticed me.
A grin spread across his face.
Ichika walked over.
"Well?" he said. "Ready to beat these losers?"
I ignored him.
Ryōichi laughed.
"Let's see if there's any real competition today."
Around us, the remaining participants continued gathering.
Kaito.
Kenji.
Several upperclassmen.
Several freshmen.
All preparing themselves.
All believing they could win.
I simply tightened my grip on the wooden sword.
Soon enough, the event would begin.
And with it, another piece of this ridiculous Sports Festival would finally be over.
END OF CHAPTER
---
PARP FILE DOCUMENT 01
PUPPETEER AGE RESURRECTION PROJECT
DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTED
CLEARANCE LEVEL: PARP MEMBERS ONLY
WARNING
DO NOT SHARE THIS DOCUMENT WITH ANY INDIVIDUAL OUTSIDE OF THE PROJECT.
ESPECIALLY AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES.
Failure to comply may result in immediate termination of project privileges and containment protocols.
---
Project Codename: Puppeteer Mythos
(Name created by Researcher Paul after approximately seven hours of paperwork-induced boredom.)
Date: June 7th, 2024
---
Subject Report
Subject 00, also known as [REDACTED], has provided the strongest evidence thus far that the objectives of the Puppeteer Age Resurrection Project may be achievable.
The possibility of artificially producing a leader capable of reshaping an entire generation appears increasingly realistic.
Subject 00 demonstrated extraordinary psychological influence during the graduation ceremony conducted on May 31st, 2024.
Notable observations include:
- Complete emotional detachment from long-term associates.
- Willingness to discard personal relationships for strategic gain.
- Successful manipulation of institutional structures.
- Public declaration of ideological superiority.
- High-level influence over peers despite social backlash.
The subject's actions indicate that exceptional individuals may not be isolated anomalies.
The primary purpose of PARP is not to wait for miracles.
It is to determine whether miracles can be systematically reproduced.
---
Risk Assessment
Project Risk Level: EXTREME
Should the existence of PARP become known internationally, particularly to the United States government, immediate geopolitical consequences are expected.
Current projections estimate a significant probability of international conflict should evidence of multinational participation become public.
As a precautionary measure:
- All project files may be destroyed if exposure becomes unavoidable.
- Participant identities may be erased.
- Associated facilities may be abandoned.
Further details have been redacted.
---
Institutional Acquisition Report
Through external pressure and strategic negotiation, the principal of [REDACTED] has agreed to resign.
Project leadership will assume indirect influence over the institution.
The incoming principal will be:
[REDACTED]
This transition marks the beginning of the next stage of PARP operations.
---
Researcher's Note
Written by: Paul
Right.
So apparently everyone watched a manipulative teenager publicly discard every meaningful relationship he had and somehow reached the conclusion:
"We should make more of those."
Brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.
What could possibly go wrong?
It's not as if we're creating a future international incident or anything.
Certainly not one large enough to destabilize several governments.
And definitely not one that could result in a second historical disaster for Japan.
That would be ridiculous.
For legal reasons, I would like this document to clearly state that I have requested resignation from this project seventeen separate times.
All seventeen requests were denied.
If some random teenager somehow discovers these files in the future and accidentally causes a global catastrophe by leaking them...
I take zero responsibility.
None.
Not a single percent.
I don't get paid enough to deal with this nonsense.
— Paul