ᴠᴇɪʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀʙʏʀɪɴᴛʜ [] ᴄᴏᴛᴇ x ᴅᴀɴᴍᴀᴄʜɪ []

[] Chapter 1:- Labyrinth City Orario []

__________________________________________

Flashback

Kudo Ikusei, or Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, was the school Matsuo had suggested to me. The Japanese government created it with the express purpose of developing future leaders.

The most impressive statistic about this school was its near 100 percent placement rate for students advancing into higher education or entering the workforce. But that was irrelevant to me.

What really interested me were the school's restrictions. Being forced to live in the dormitories, forbidden to leave the campus, and prohibited from contacting anyone on the outside-this school was isolated from the city.

It was perfect for me to hide from that man. Of course, I knew he would eventually find me, but it didn't matter as long as I could enjoy these peaceful moments of my life, even if only for a few months. That's why I chose this school.

And so, I found myself sitting inside the bus headed for Kudo Ikusei. The bus was packed with adults and students, all wearing the same school-issued uniform as me.

I was lucky enough to find a seat, but the same couldn't be said for the old lady standing inside the bus, her legs trembling slightly. I ignored it, closed my eyes, and drifted into a deep slumber.

The next thing I remember, when I opened my eyes, was that I was no longer on the bus where I was supposed to be.

I looked around. There wasn't much light, as if I were in some kind of cave.

Flashback Ends
__________________________________________

I sighed as I began following the bloodied path, the same path which that white haired boy ran through, knowing full well that it would lead me out.
......

.....

....

...

..

.

After a while, I noticed a bright light coming from above, revealing a set of stairs that seemed to lead to the surface. I started climbing and finally reached the exit.

A blinding light hit my face, and I blinked slowly, my eyes adjusting after nearly two hours inside what appeared to be a labyrinth.

As I opened my eyes fully, I quickly became uncomfortable, sensing the occasional glances from nearly everyone around me.

I could tell why-the reason being my clothes.

Ignoring the stares, I walked away from the exit. After a quick glance behind me, I saw a massive tower, beneath which was the labyrinth from where I had just emerged.

Babel Tower, right? It seemed almost as if it touched the sky.

"I need to figure some things out..." I muttered under my breath, heading toward what appeared to be a market area bustling with merchants and customers.

"That'll be 800 valis," I overheard one merchant say to a customer.

'Valis, huh? Seems to be the currency around here,' I thought, continuing to weave my way through the crowd.

"Huh?" As I was making my way through the crowd, aimlessly, I got pulled to the side by a rough hand. Naturally, a voice escaped my lips.

I turned around to see who did that to me. It was one of the merchants, about as tall as me, with a certain hint of greed in his eyes. A purple scarf was wrapped around his face, leaving only space for his eyes to see.