The puppeteer of the elites (CoTE) ON HIATUS

Sports festival events

A boy with shaggy black hair and clear blue eyes was drawing on a piece of paper a girl. She had long, straight locks, and a blank expression on her face. "What are you drawing?" He heard a voice ask. He smiled at her direction. "Ah, Keiko. I'm drawing you!" She looked at the picture and stared for a bit. "Do I really look like that?" She asked, pointing at the eyes he had drawn. They were bright and watery, like that of an enthusiastic child. "Haha... Who knows? I just felt... like they suited you better!" He rubbed the back of his head.

"Why do you always draw people? Why not anything else?" She asked, placing the paper back in front of him. He smiled sadly. "Do you know anyone outside this room?" She shook her head. They weren't allowed to talk to anyone besides the instructors and other children there, so it was impossible. "Isn't that the same for everyone here then? Those who are alive, those who are gone, nobody from the outside ever knew them. So, we will all inevitably be forgotten. Isn't that sad?" The girl pondered this. Is it sad to be forgotten? To leave this world or dwell in it, knowing that everyone doesn't know you?

"That's why, I want to draw everyone here! I want to preserve the memories of all who have been forgotten, so one day... we will be remembered. Did you know, Keiko? Humans are only alive and breathing, because they believe someone else needs them. In other words, they have hope. This world can still survive without us humans. So we have no obligations to it. But..." he smiled brightly, putting his hands up in an extravagant manner. The girl looked at him, anticipating the end of his sentence.

"We have an obligation to those around us. We believe that we can help them, and they can help us. That is why you and I are still alive. We have yet to fulfill our purpose."

I remembered his words. I remember them all, every single action he made, every time he smiled. Every drawing he drew.

He really was... a fool. A dreamer. But above all, he was...

Caring.

Keiko POV

Today we have to discuss how we are going to break the class up into the events. Each person has to do at least one event and can only do up to a maximum of three events. The events are:

4 x 100 metres relay

Tug of war

Cavalry battle

100 metres sprinting

Long jump

Ball toss

Martial arts fight

Swimming 100 meters

However, as I suspected, there are also mind sports. There is chess and checkers, which is probably what Sakayanagi will go for. The martial arts fight seems quite interesting, and it doesn't seem to be a normal event. The rules are that you cannot hit in the sensitive areas of the body or the head, and you must pin the person down to win. It is a mixed gender event. This one is optional, since not everyone is knowledgeable of martial arts, but it yields a much higher monetary award. I believe that we might be participating in it judging from how we are in need of more points to get an even bigger lead on class B.

I can also tell that Sakayanagi will be using the rule that each person can do a maximum of three events to her advantage. She's going to force me to do three isn't she... well, I don't particularly mind, but it might be a hassle depending on my opponents. I need to make it look like I just barely won if that person is well known for their craft. "Ugh..." my head hurt. Analyzing, scrutinizing, observing, controlling... everyone is a puppet on my strings if I play my cards right. But, this is such a hassle. I would rather conserve my energy. I'm so... tired. This world lost all its color to me a long time ago. Why am I here? I wonder... what my past self would say. Would I have laughed at my situation? Let loose and enjoyed myself? Slapped myself and told myself to wake up? Who knows? The past will always stay in the past. I can't change it. My future... well, I can't change that either. All I can do is make sure my future is stable, and see how normal people act.