A Life Without Color

Chapter 6

The door burst open and a wave of guards came crashing in. All were wielding batons and shields.

They're really not taking any chances here.

The first guard came rushing at me with his arm outstretched. This wasn't exactly a good time to dawdle, so I dodged his clumsy blow and got behind him to push the pressure point on his neck. Looking over at Kouenji, it seemed like he had done something similar as he also had a knocked out man in a guard uniform lying at his feet. The rest of the guards seemed somewhat unsettled by the fact that we had managed to knock out two of them within the first 10 seconds of the fight.

I don't know what they're so surprised about. Fighting child monsters is exactly what they signed up for.

As if a barrier had come down, the rest of the guards came charging in, intent on restraining the two of us. The rest of our classmates were left alone to remain at their desks. I ducked down under a punch aimed at my head and used my right foot to sweep two guards off their feet. The cheers of our classmates functioned as background noise, while the grunts and screams of the guards were in the foreground as Koenji and I continued to knock down guard after guard.

Unfortunately, no matter how skilled someone is, there's always the possibility of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. After a couple minutes of futile resistance, I was completely surrounded and my hands were yanked behind my back and cuffed.

"Unhand me, you cretins! When I get out of here I will have you all made eunuchs and you shall feast on your own flesh!"

Jeez Kouenji, that's a pretty messed up threat. I think he may be becoming slightly more insane than he already was. And that's a pretty high bar to exceed.

A well built man in a white suit strode in front of us as we stood there, each restrained by at least 5 guards. He was the first staff member I recognized after coming back. This man was someone who held great power and influence in the white room, and was not one to be trifled with. When I was here as a child, he was known as someone to avoid at all costs. The one who was called to mete out discipline. The last stop before a trip to the professor's office.

His appearance was elegant as usual. From his perfectly coiffed black hair down to the white lilly resting gently in his suit pocket. No one who saw this man in public would ever guess that he was the type to dirty his hands with the blood of children.

He looked down his chin at Kouenji and I, and made a face like he smelled something putrid. His gaze quickly swept over Kouenji, before meeting and holding my own. His eyes never left mine as he slowly pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and started to put them on.

Of course, I knew what was about to happen. One doesn't rebel against authority and get away with it without suffering some pain in this place. However, it wasn't like this man and I hadn't dealt with each other before. I was certain that anything he could dish out would be within the range that Koeji and I could endure. The same could not be said for the rest of them, which is why it was important for them to stay out of it.

The man walked over to Kouenji and stared right at him, as if daring him to say anything. Kouenji narrowed his eyes, but wisely chose to remain silent. He seemed to have picked up on the tension of the moment, and deduced that speaking up could get him killed.

Thud!

The reason this man was feared by the majority of the students in the white room, was that he was often called in to take charge of the more physical punishments for severe offenses. While I'd never seen his expression change while fulfilling his duties, I was convinced that he was a complete sociopath.