The Ferocious Rabbit Devours Flesh ~Survival of the Fittest at a School in a Chastity-Reversed World~ - 20-21

Chapter 20: The Road to the Gymnasium

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Monday of the following week arrived. Today, there was no breeding practice in the afternoon. Instead, the New Male Student Welcome Recreation was being held. Since I didn’t attend the morning classes, I arrived at school at noon and ate lunch in the cafeteria as usual. Once I finished eating, I returned to the classroom and waited for our homeroom teacher, Haga.

Unlike the time before breeding practice, which the boys had grown somewhat accustomed to, the atmosphere in the classroom felt a bit restless. After a short while, Haga entered along with the sound of the bell signaling the end of the lunch break. It wasn’t just Haga who entered the room. She had brought about five people in black suits with her. Unlike the usual routine, the air became quite somber.

“We are heading to the gymnasium where the New Male Student Welcome Recreation will be held, so everyone please follow me.”

Haga spoke flatly, indifferent to the state of the male students. The boys all stood up while looking perplexed and followed Haga as she left the classroom. The black suits dispersed to surround the line of male students and began to follow along with the procession. It felt as though the purpose of the black suits was to prevent any escape attempts.

Naturally, I had never been to the gymnasium where the recreation was to be held. This was because the only floors I could access in this school were the first basement floor, where the breeding practice took place, the second basement floor, which contained the boys-only classrooms and cafeteria, and the dim parking lot on the first floor used for arrivals and departures. 

I wondered if I was still just a child for feeling a bit of excitement about going to a gymnasium I had never seen before. While the other male students looked tense, I walked along thinking about such carefree things.

Since everyone couldn’t fit in the elevator at once, we split into several groups. I, along with two other male students—a total of three boys—and two monitoring black suits, boarded the very last lift. The digital display inside the elevator showed “2,” and the doors opened. When we stepped out, there was a window that offered a view of the outside. Living underground as we did, I felt like this was the first time we had seen sunlight from within the school.

We continued to move through the building, led by Haga. As we walked down the hallway, I could see classrooms that the female students presumably used. Unlike the male students’ classrooms, I could catch glimpses of everyday school life, with writing utensils and gym uniforms left on the desks. Furthermore, unlike the male floor, the hallway smelled of girls. I liked this scent.

Beyond the hallway that contained practical training rooms in addition to classrooms, there was a staircase, and we went down. After descending and walking down a long corridor, a massive, rugged iron door appeared—one that didn’t look like it belonged to a classroom. The voices of a great number of women leaked out from behind the door; this seemed to be our destination, the gymnasium. When a black suit opened the door, a particularly loud cheer echoed into the passageway.

“Now, let’s go.”

Haga led the way as we entered the gymnasium. Ten chairs were lined up in the center of the gym. This appeared to be the place for the first-year male students. Surrounding that area from the edges of the gym, the female students were seated and calling out things like “Look over here!” or “So cute!” Sitting in the chair made me feel even more surrounded by the female students. It was like a pack of predators surrounding the herbivores known as male students.

Immediately after we took our seats, a woman ascended the stage at the front of the gymnasium. Upon seeing the woman on the stage, the buzzing female students fell silent all at once. From her attire, she looked less like a teacher and more like a high-ranking official. She removed the microphone set on the stage, held it in her hand, and turned her gaze toward us, the male students.

“Male students, congratulations on your enrollment.”

She gave a slow, deliberate bow along with her greeting. Continuing on, she said,

“I am Saeki, the principal of this school. I look forward to working with you from now on.”

She declared this with a smile. That smile looked like something psychotic, as if she were looking at her own beloved children.

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Chapter 21: The New Male Student Welcome Recreation Begins

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“Since the state enacted the Male Protection Law and this school opened, the birth rate has been on a slight upward trend. As someone involved in the administration of this school, I deeply feel that this is a highly significant endeavor.”

The principal was giving a long, drawn-out speech. It was the same back in elementary and middle school. It seemed principals everywhere were prone to long-windedness.

“Now then, I have taken up a great deal of your time, but I shall take my leave here.”

Principal Saeki concluded and stepped down from the stage. After the principal left, another teacher ascended the stage. He was a teacher who wore glasses and gave off a sharp, crisp impression.

“We will now begin the rule explanation for the New Male Student Welcome Recreation. While the female students have received a prior explanation, I believe the male students have not yet been briefed. Male students, please look at your smartphones.”

The smartphone in my pocket vibrated. I picked it up and turned on the screen to find a message had arrived.

『New Male Student Welcome Recreation

First Event: Partner Selection Game

Within a ten-minute time limit, nominate one female student in the gymnasium as your partner. The female students will vote on the resulting pairs, and the pair with the most votes wins. If a partner is not found within the time limit, the school will assign one at random.

Second Event: Quiz Game

A rapid-fire quiz game with a total of ten questions. To prevent communication between the pair, the female students will move to a separate room. The male student will press the buzzer, and the female student will provide the answer. In the event of a tie, the involved pairs will undergo additional questions.

Third Event: Three-Legged Balance Game

The male and female pair each lift one leg; the pair that stays up for the longest time wins. Physical contact or remaining apart is permitted, but the pair is defeated the moment either person’s foot touches the ground.

First Place Rewards:

A: One-month extension of the protection period

B: Right to freely designate the first work experience location

C: Unrestricted Duel Right

Second Place Reward:

1,000,000 points

Third Place Reward:

500,000 points

The first-place rewards are randomly assigned to the three events; you will not know which one is obtained until you win. The second and third-place rewards are fixed for all events.』

The overview of the New Male Rec had arrived. As I had heard beforehand, the first event was a voting game. I didn’t know yet if the second event’s quiz was about trivia or academic ability, but for now, someone with high academic marks would be best. The third event, the balance game, required someone with a strong core, even if cooperation was possible. To win, it was extremely important to find an excellent partner in the first event.

What intrigued me most wasn’t the events, but the rewards. Second and third place were just points, but the problem was the first-place rewards. I could understand “A,” the one-month extension of the protection period. It referred to the protection placed on male students for one month after enrollment; once this expired, female students would be able to purchase male students. It could be called quite a massive reward. Regarding “B,” I recalled Shinozaki-senpai mentioning something about work experience three times a year. It likely meant being able to choose the location for that experience. I had absolutely no idea about “C.” What on earth was an “Unrestricted Duel Right”?

Honestly, with the information I currently possessed, reward “A”—the protection extension—looked the best. However, as written below, since rewards A through C were randomly assigned to the events, I wouldn’t know until I won. The surrounding male students were either talking about the contents after looking at their phones or looking at them in silence.

“Were you all able to confirm the explanation sent to your phones? If there are any questions, I will accept them now.”

Sensing that all the male students had finished checking the explanation, the teacher on the stage prompted us for questions. The boys looked at each other, but no one attempted to ask anything. Honestly, there were things I wanted to ask regarding the first-place rewards, but with the massive crowd of female students surrounding us, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly right for asking questions.

“It seems there are no questions. Well then, we shall now begin the first event of the New Male Student Recreation: the Partner Selection Game. Please find a partner within ten minutes.”

A great cheer rose from the female students’ seats following the declaration of the game’s start.

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