trapped..

---

I had always known there was something more to life, something beyond the streets I roamed, the cramped hotel room I called home. So when I heard about the prestigious high school—the one that wasn't just for academic elites but for something else, something secret—I knew exactly what I was getting into. They told us, after all. The man who visited said it straight: "This school is a facility, a training ground for Japan's future spies."

I applied without hesitation.

That night, they told me they'd come for me. Midnight. I waited, my thoughts a mix of excitement and unease. At exactly twelve, a black van pulled up outside the hotel where I was staying. My eyes narrowed. It was time.

I stepped out of the hotel, cold air biting at my skin. A man in a black suit greeted me with a smile that felt too practiced. "Hello, Taro," he said, patting me on the head like I was a lost kid. I didn’t appreciate that. I smacked his hand away.

"You're very silent for a 14-year-old boy," he remarked, but I didn’t bother answering. Words seemed unnecessary. I knew what this was.

I climbed into the van, and as I scanned the seats, I noticed something strange. There were other kids, maybe my age, maybe younger, all sleeping. Peaceful, but almost unnaturally so. It unsettled me. “It must’ve been a long ride for them,” I thought, but something wasn’t right.

I took a seat at the back, my senses on edge. That’s when I noticed the man in the suit and the driver. Both of them suddenly covered their noses. My eyes flicked to the front. The driver pressed a button on the dashboard, and the air conditioning hummed to life.

My chest tightened.

Poison.

A cold wave of realization hit me before the gas did. I couldn’t fight it. My vision blurred, my body went limp, and then—darkness.

I woke with a start, gasping for air. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to make sense of where I was. The room... white. Blinding white. I looked down at myself. White clothes, too. Sterile, cold.

What the hell was this place?

Before I could stand, a monitor flickered on. The voice from the van—it was him.

"Hello, children," the voice greeted. "As you can see, you're in a white room right now. For the next month, you'll all be stuck here."

My eyes darted around, searching for a way out, but there was none. Just four walls and a single red button on my left.

"That button," the voice continued, "is your only escape. Press it, and you can leave anytime. But if you do, your rank in this school will drop significantly."

I clenched my fists. *Rank*? I hadn’t even stepped foot in the school, and they were already testing me. Trapping me.

The voice droned on. "Don’t worry, you'll be provided with three meals a day. After this part of the entrance exam, I'll explain our ranking system."

I stared at the red button. Escape was right there. So easy. But at what cost?

My rank.

This was a game. A twisted, psychological test. How long could I last? How long would the others last?

I wasn’t going to be the first to break.

This place wasn’t going to win against me....

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***