The day before Game 5 did not feel like preparation.
It felt like someone was setting the stage for a public execution.
Campus-2 looked cleaner in the morning, like the institution had polished the floors and washed the walls so the cameras could pretend this place was "orderly." Staff stood in pairs near the corners with radios clipped to their belts. Security at the gates looked sharper, less bored. Even the vending machines sounded louder, humming like they were nervous too.
XH woke up with his ribs aching and his jaw tight, as if he had been biting down in his sleep to keep himself from saying something dangerous. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the blank wall for a moment.
He did not hear laughter from the hallway.
He heard whisper-walking.
JP slammed a drawer shut and muttered, "They're moving weird today."
TZ was tying his shoes calmly, but his knee bounced the whole time, a tiny betrayal of nerves.
NS stood at the window again, arms crossed, eyes scanning the compound like he was watching routes, not weather.
XH watched him for half a second.
NS's calm used to feel like stability.
Now it felt like something smooth that could hide a blade.
JP turned and held up his phone. "It's public now."
XH's stomach dropped before he even asked.
"Wink," JP said, voice low. "She posted."
The room tightened instantly.
TZ's fingers paused on his shoelace.
NS's eyes narrowed slightly.
XH didn't take the phone from JP. He didn't want to. The idea of reading it made his throat go dry.
JP read it anyway, because JP was the kind of person who ripped bandaids off instead of waiting.
"Medical Track captain accused of stalking," JP said, with disgust in his voice. "She claims he had explicit photos. She says he took them. She says she feels unsafe."
XH's chest went cold.
His hands clenched.
He did not say the first words that rose in his mouth because those words were not useful in a place that collected reactions like trophies.
TZ's voice came quiet. "It's a frame."
JP's laugh was sharp. "No kidding."
NS didn't speak immediately.
He stared out the window as if he was thinking, then said calmly, "The staff knows."
XH's head turned fast. "How."
NS's voice stayed even. "Because it's already in the hallway talk."
JP's jaw tightened. "Students asked for CCTV last night. Staff said the cameras are out. Or the footage is gone. Pick your favorite lie."
XH's stomach twisted.
CCTV gone.
Of course it was gone.
In this institution, truth always went missing right when it was needed.
JP leaned in, eyes sharp. "Listen to me. You do not speak to her alone. You do not go anywhere alone. You do not let them corner you."
XH's jaw clenched. "I didn't do anything."
JP nodded quickly. "I know. That's not the point. They don't need you to do it. They just need the story to live long enough."
TZ exhaled slowly. "They want him unstable. They want him isolated."
NS's voice came calm. "And they want the girls to doubt him."
XH felt rage flare in his ribs.
Not because that was an insight.
Because it was true.
And because part of him felt, sickly, that NS sounded too composed saying it.
They walked out into the morning air, and it felt like the campus had already decided XH was guilty, not fully, not openly, but the way a crowd decides before a trial. Students glanced at him and then looked away too quickly. Some stared a second too long. Some whispered behind hands.
XH kept his face neutral.
Inside, his heart was kicking against his ribs like it wanted out.
In the cafeteria, the major clusters were tighter than usual. Health Track sat together like a defensive formation. Other majors sat like spectators.
Wink was there.
XH saw her before he wanted to.
She sat with VT's group, posture confident, head slightly tilted like she was enjoying the attention. She wasn't crying. She wasn't shaking. She wasn't hiding.
She looked like someone who had already been rehearsed.
VT sat two seats away from her, calm smile, watching the room like a director watching actors hit their marks.
XH's stomach turned.
Kitty sat with NC and Anna, quiet, eyes tired. She looked up when XH walked in, her gaze searching his face for proof. Not proof of guilt. Proof that he was still himself.
June sat with Cherry and Jihye, posture perfect. Her expression stayed calm, but her eyes flicked toward VT's table and then toward XH. She had that look again, the one that said she was calculating what the world was doing to them.
Cherry's jaw was tight, angry on behalf of the group.
Jihye sat quiet, fingers tapping her knee like she was counting down to a disaster.
XH sat with JP, TZ, and NS. He forced himself to eat a few bites. Food felt like ash.
JP leaned in, voice low. "She posted at dawn. Staff already has it printed. They're acting like they care about safety."
TZ muttered, "They care about leverage."
XH's eyes stayed on his tray. "CCTV is gone."
JP nodded. "Conveniently."
NS's voice came calm. "It's still a problem."
XH's jaw tightened. "What do you mean still."
NS looked at XH, expression steady. "It's public. People will believe the first thing they hear. Especially if it fits their story of you."
XH felt a sharp edge rise. "My story."
NS didn't blink. "Captain. Favorite. Hot headed. Unstable. The institution already painted you that way."
JP swallowed. "Stop feeding the narrative."
TZ nodded slightly. "We ignore it. We win Game 5. We leave."
XH wanted to believe that.
But the accusation wasn't just noise.
It was a knife aimed at his relationships.
And he could already see the first cut forming.
June's phone lit up across the cafeteria. June glanced down, then turned the screen slightly away, fingers moving quickly. Not like texting a friend. Like responding to someone in a way she did not want the table to witness.
XH's eyes flicked without meaning to.
He caught a glimpse of the contact name.
NS.
His stomach tightened so hard he almost stopped breathing.
The message content was too quick to read, but the shape of it was enough.
Private.
Frequent.
June's lips pressed together after she sent the message. She looked up and met XH's gaze for half a second.
Then she looked away.
Calm.
Controlled.
Like she had decided not to explain.
XH's fingers curled around his spoon.
He forced them to relax.
He did not explode.
Not here.
Not under watchers.
But something inside him shifted.
A small crack.
The kind that would widen later.
After breakfast, the campus got herded toward the square and then toward the main hall for mandatory "unity rehearsal" and "media training." The institution was trying to move the student body like a choreographed crowd.
XH walked with his team. Students whispered as he passed.
Stalking.
Photos.
Wink.
Captain.
Unstable.
JP glared at anyone who whispered too loud.
TZ kept his head down.
NS walked calmly, almost too calmly.
In the hallway outside the main hall, Wink stood with VT's cohort near the admin corridor, laughing softly. When she saw XH approaching, she tilted her head slightly, like she wanted him to notice her.
XH did not stop.
Wink's voice rose just enough to be heard.
"I told them," she said, too casually. "I don't want him near me."
The sentence hit the hallway like a slap.
Students looked.
Staff looked.
XH felt heat surge in his chest.
JP's shoulders tensed.
TZ's jaw clenched.
NS's face stayed neutral.
XH's voice came low, controlled. "I don't even know you."
Wink smiled faintly, as if that line was funny.
VT's eyes lingered on XH, calm smile, and something cold sat behind it.
The kind of smile people wear when they think the law doesn't apply to them.
The main hall was bright with stage lights and cameras. Flags. Banners. Staff with clipboards. Security at exits.
The presenter spoke with a polished voice.
"Tomorrow's Game 5 is under public oversight," he announced. "We will demonstrate discipline, excellence, and stability."
JP muttered, "They love that word."
They made both cohorts rehearse their walkout and handshake again.
XH climbed the stage steps with his chest tight.
VT offered his hand again.
XH took it because refusing would become a headline.
VT leaned in with the same camera smile and whispered low.
"Careful," VT said. "Public loves a fall."
XH's jaw clenched.
VT's grip tightened slightly, then released.
The presenter made them pose for unity photos, as if smiling together could erase the fact that one side was framing the other.
After rehearsal came media training.
They lectured students on how to answer questions.
They told them to speak of unity.
They told them not to speculate.
They told them to avoid "negative statements."
A staff member asked, "If asked about the accusation, what do you say."
XH's stomach dropped.
The accusation had been woven into training already.
That fast.
That planned.
The staff member smiled professionally.
"Correct answer," he said, "is that the institution is handling it with care and responsibility."
JP's hand shot up. "And if the CCTV is gone."
Nervous laughter rippled.
The staff member's smile tightened. "We avoid discussing operational details."
JP leaned back with a grin that was not friendly.
As students filed out, XH felt the hallways tighten again with whispers.
He stepped toward a window for air.
Kitty stood down the corridor with NC, face pale, fingers twisting around her notebook.
June stood a few steps away with Cherry and Jihye, phone in hand, screen angled away.
NS walked behind June.
And for a second, XH saw it.
NS's eyes flick to June's phone.
NS's mouth curve slightly, faint.
June's shoulders relax a fraction.
Then June typed again.
XH's chest tightened.
He wanted to tell himself it was about the game.
He wanted to tell himself it was strategy.
But the feeling in his gut wasn't rational.
It was human.
He walked away before he did something stupid.
Later, in the dorm compound corridor, XH saw Wink again.
This time she was alone for half a minute, leaning against the wall near the admin wing like she belonged there.
She looked up as XH passed, and her voice dropped into something softer, almost flirtatious.
"You know," Wink said, "it's too late now. People already believe me."
XH's stomach turned.
He didn't respond.
Wink continued, voice lazy. "You could apologize. It might look better."
XH stopped and turned slowly.
His voice was low and steady. "I didn't do anything. And you know that."
Wink's smile sharpened. "Maybe."
Then she leaned closer just enough to make it feel like she was testing the boundary.
"You're cute when you're angry," she said.
The line was deliberate.
A trap.
If XH reacted, it could be twisted.
If XH stepped away too fast, it could be framed as guilt.
XH stayed still.
His jaw clenched.
NS appeared at the far end of the corridor, walking toward them.
Wink's eyes flicked to NS.
Her expression changed instantly, like someone switching masks. Her smile softened into something sweeter.
She turned slightly, letting her hair fall forward as if she was performing innocence.
"NS," Wink said brightly, "can I ask you something."
NS slowed, eyes unreadable.
XH felt his chest tighten.
Wink stepped closer to NS, voice dropping.
"You're different," Wink said. "You're not like him."
XH's hands clenched.
NS looked at her calmly. "Move."
Wink blinked, surprised. "Excuse me."
NS's voice stayed flat. "Move away from him."
Wink's smile returned, smaller, sly. "You're protective."
NS didn't smile. "I'm tired."
Wink leaned in again, voice low, trying to pull him into the trap.
"You could be on my side," she whispered. "VT takes care of his people."
NS stared at her for a beat, then spoke quietly, and the words landed sharp.
"I don't like you," NS said. "I like one of the two girls."
Wink froze.
XH's chest tightened.
Wink's smile faltered, then sharpened again. "June or Kitty."
NS didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
The heat of the choice sat in the corridor like smoke.
Wink laughed softly, trying to recover. "Good luck."
She walked away with her head high, but her eyes were cold now.
XH stared after her, heart pounding.
NS turned to XH, expression calm again. Too calm.
"Don't talk to her again," NS said.
XH's voice came low, edged. "You're giving me orders now."
NS's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm trying to keep you alive."
Alive.
That word landed wrong in XH's chest.
Because VT's smile had felt like something more than a game threat.
Because junta kids didn't talk like normal kids.
They talked like consequences were for other people.
That night, the red board got updated again.
Not names in red yet.
But more stamps.
More pending reviews.
More paper clipped like it was building a wall.
Curfew tightened.
Dorm inspection announced.
Game 5 confirmed televised and binding.
In the girls' dorm, Kitty sat on her bed staring at her phone, seeing posts, seeing comments, seeing the accusation spreading like poison. Her fingers trembled as she scrolled. Her face looked tired, but her eyes looked stubborn.
June sat at her desk, phone lighting up again.
A message from NS.
June typed back quickly, then angled the phone away.
Cherry watched June's phone angle and rolled her eyes.
NC watched June's face and stayed quiet.
Jihye tapped her knee and whispered to herself, "This is how people fall. Not with fists. With stories."
In the boys' dorm, XH lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, hearing the campus whisper his name like it was already a verdict.
JP muttered dark jokes in the corner to keep his anger from turning into violence.
TZ breathed slowly, trying to stay calm.
NS sat at his desk, quiet.
XH turned his head slightly.
NS's face was neutral.
But XH could feel it now.
That snake tendency.
Not loud betrayal.
Quiet positioning.
Different words for different ears.
Helpful.
Calm.
Poisonous.
Outside, rain started again, soft at first, then steady.
No forecast.
No warning.
Just rain arriving on the day before the knife.
And somewhere in the institution's offices, people were preparing tomorrow's storyline.
A game on camera.
A captain under accusation.
A cohort tied 2–2.
And a family of junta influence that believed if the scoreboard didn't give them victory, other methods would.
XH closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to keep his anger contained.
Because tomorrow would not only decide who stayed in Campus-2.
Tomorrow would decide whether his brotherhood survived the poison.