In the forest clearing at dusk, several simple makeshift stoves had been erected.
The students were divided into groups, with each group responsible for preparing a portion of the ingredients to collectively complete the curry feast that evening.
Hayato's group was, naturally, perfectly harmonious—full of laughter and banter. The chopping and washing of vegetables proceeded in an orderly fashion, as though they were filming a teen idol drama.
On the other side, however, the group where Darius was stationed had a completely different atmosphere.
"President, the potatoes have been processed! Awaiting further instructions!" Yui held up a peeler. Skewered on the tip of the blade was a peeled potato riddled with holes and shaped in a bizarre form, resembling a totem carved by a primitive tribe.
"Good, Agent 'Pink Hazard.'" Darius, wearing his gas mask and rubber gloves, was using a pair of tweezers to meticulously transfer various spices from small vials into a stainless steel bowl. "Perform standard cubic cuts on the target (potatoes). Margin of error must not exceed three millimeters. This is to ensure that during the 'pyrolysis reaction' to follow, all units receive heat uniformly."
"Yes, sir!" Yui immediately carried out the order.
Yukino was given the simplest task—lighting the fire. She crouched in front of the stove with an expressionless face, holding the gas lighter Shizuka had given her.
"Class-D Personnel, what are you waiting for?" Darius's voice came from behind the gas mask. "Activate the 'Heat Source' immediately. We require a stable flame of at least eight hundred degrees Celsius to activate the 'Dormant Spores' within the spices."
Yukino took a deep breath and lit the lighter. A tiny reddish-orange flame danced at her fingertip.
"Insufficient." Darius shook his head. "Energy output too low. Witch of the End, release your power. What you need is a hellfire capable of incinerating all things—not this feeble flame that couldn't even set a single sheet of paper alight."
Yukino's hand trembled, her lighter nearly dropping to the ground. She felt as though she was no longer lighting a cooking fire, but presiding over the summoning ritual of a malevolent demon.
At last, under Shizuka's roaring threat to "deduct points if that fire isn't lit," the firewood inside the stove was finally coaxed into a proper blaze.
Next came the "Chemical Weapon" formulation phase.
Yui tipped all the cut vegetables—which more closely resembled works of postmodern art—into a large pot at once. Then Darius lifted the steel bowl containing an assortment of powders.
"The experiment commences," He announced solemnly. "Step one: add 'Catalyst A.'" He sprinkled in a pinch of turmeric powder.
"Step two: introduce the 'Inertia Stabilizer.'" A handful of salt.
"Step three: inject the 'Neurotoxin Complex'!" He poured the entire contents of a dark red powder—a blend of chili powder, pepper powder, black pepper, and over a dozen other unidentifiable spices—into the pot.
*SSSIZZLE!*
Instantly, thick colorful smoke billowed up from inside the pot, accompanied by an extremely pungent aroma. Students from neighboring groups who caught a whiff immediately turned around with expressions of horror.
"Final step." Darius raised a package of block curry roux, "insert the 'Solid Energy Core.'"
The curry block was thrown into the pot and melted rapidly. The curry, which should have turned a golden yellow, emerged from this series of "chemical reactions" slowly transforming into a color that could only be described as... deep purple, with a strange and unsettling sheen.
The pot bubbled and gurgled, and every bursting bubble sounded like a groan rising from the depths of an abyss.
"Complete." Darius nodded with satisfaction. "High-concentration antiviral serum, finished product."
He ladled out a bowl, picked it up, and walked in a straight line toward Hayato's neighboring group.
"As an adjacent unit, we have decided to share our latest research findings with you." Darius extended the bowl of purple sludge radiating an unpleasant aura toward Hayato. "Please conduct the first phase of clinical trials."
Hayato stared at the purple substance in the bowl, which seemed to be slowly moving of its own accord. For the first time, his perfect smile cracked.
"Darius-kun, this is..."
"This is an honor." Darius's tone left no room for objection. "You will be the first person to validate this 'Hope.' Eat."
Everyone around them held their breath. Under the cold, emotionless gaze of Darius's eyes, Hayato felt that if he refused, the next instant he would be classified as a "traitor" and executed on the spot.
With a trembling hand he picked up the spoon, scooped a small amount, and under the watchful eyes of everyone present, closed his eyes and put it in his mouth.
Time seemed to stop. One second. Two seconds.
Hayato's eyes suddenly flew wide open, his pupils dilating at once, and his face displayed an expression of extreme terror.
"Grandma... Great-Grandma..." he extended his hand toward empty space ahead of him, calling out in a delirious voice, "Why is Grandma here? Didn't Grandma pass away ten years ago?"
Having said that, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed flat on his back in a dead faint.
"Hayama-kun!" Yumiko and the others screamed in alarm.
The scene descended into total chaos. Only Darius calmly produced a small notebook and pen from his pocket, and began writing rapidly.
"Test subject: Mass-production clone type 'Hayato.' Dosage consumed: 5 milliliters. Reaction: Strong visual hallucinations manifested, subject initiated cross-dimensional communication with deceased relatives. Three seconds later, vital signs temporarily ceased."
Finished writing, he closed the notebook with satisfaction and drew his conclusion: "Good—lethal dosage falls within a controllable range."
At that very moment, Shizuka arrived with a flushed face, snatching the "Biochemical Weapon" pot from Darius's hands.
"Darius! Come with me!"
After Hayato was rushed to the medical room and confirmed to have merely fainted briefly due to his senses receiving excessive stimulation, Shizuka finally erupted. She gathered everyone in the clearing with barely suppressed fury.
"Given that certain students have demonstrated an excess of... enthusiasm, I have decided to add one additional activity to tonight's agenda on short notice!"
Her gaze swept toward Darius, sharp as a blade.
"Tomorrow night, we will be holding a Test of Courage!"
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