02:45 PM
Takumi Hoshino sat alone in the empty music room, fingers drumming silently against the grand piano.
His smile was gone.
Seventy-nine percent.
That number echoed in his mind, louder than the notes he used to play.
Arisa Kurobane's whisper had infected him.
"I won't tell anyone… but I know."
The Control Spiral
Takumi had spent his entire life perfecting the role of the golden boy.
Top grades.
Perfect leadership.
Everyone's role model.
And now?
Now he was playing a game where exposure meant annihilation.
He knew his Marionette Code had been weaponized against him.
Fear of failure.
Fear of losing control.
But Takumi wasn't going to collapse.
He wasn't going to let Arisa win.
If she wanted to play dirty, he'd go darker.
Step One: Shift the Narrative
Takumi opened his private group chat—one where most of the class leaders discussed school events.
Takumi:
"Hey, guys. Just a heads up. I've noticed Arisa Kurobane's been acting… strange lately. She mentioned some stuff about teachers and grades that felt kinda invasive. Just looking out for everyone."
The message was subtle.
Not an accusation. Just a seed.
A seed that would grow into social suspicion.
He knew exactly how people worked.
If someone starts whispering too much about private things, people pull away. They label you as dangerous.
That was Social Isolation Protocol 101.
Meanwhile: Yuto's Inner Lab
Yuto Sagawa was still at home, lying on his bed with one hand behind his head, phone glowing in the dark room.
Aika Fujimoto had sent him another DM.
Aika:
"Hey… can I send you more of my art? I don't usually show anyone…"
Yuto smirked.
There it is.
Stage Two: Emotional Hook.
Once someone opens their vulnerabilities to you, they become dependent on your feedback.
Yuto typed back quickly, no hesitation.
Unknown:
"Please do. Honestly, you might be the best artist I've seen in this school."
Aika's reply came almost instantly.
Aika:
"Really? Thank you… it means a lot. More than you know."
Yuto closed the chat, his face calm.
She'll cling to me now.
And once she was fully dependent, she'd do whatever he asked—artistic collaboration, private chats, favors.
Maybe even betray someone else.
The Director's Observation Log
Cycle 01 – Day 1: Update
Emotional manipulation phase successful.
Targets entering dependency loops.
Control Points: Updating…
On a screen in the surveillance chamber, the Marionette Protocol leaderboard shifted again.
1st: Yuto Sagawa – 24 points
2nd: Arisa Kurobane – 23 points
3rd: Takumi Hoshino – 19 points
But beneath the surface, all three players were making the same mistake:
They believed they were in control.
What they hadn't realized yet was this:
The Director had planted false Marionette Codes among the real ones.
Not every weakness they were exploiting was genuine.
Some were traps—designed to test whether players could distinguish real flaws from fabricated bait.
And soon, the difference between truth and manipulation would blur.
In the Marionette Protocol, even the manipulators were being manipulated.
They just didn't know it yet.