Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Just then, a soft voice came from the periphery. "I’m not afraid. I can be on Sue’s team." Sophia looked at Joanna Kennedy. "Jojo, can you team up with Julius?"

"..." Joanna Kennedy was still trying to figure out what was going on, a blank look on her face. "Me?"

"Yes. Is that okay?"

Sophia repeated the question, and Joanna Kennedy finally realized what was happening.

’Simon Lockwood is afraid of the dark? How did I not know?’

Though Joanna Kennedy was filled with doubt, she answered without hesitation, "I can."

With the fear-of-the-dark issue resolved, the group split into four teams to search for clues. The classroom was dim, but fortunately, everyone had their bags with them. They took out flashlights, which barely illuminated the space before them.

Once they had walked a little farther, Simon Lockwood reached out and grabbed the strap of Joanna Kennedy’s backpack. Meeting her confused gaze, he said with a straight face, "I’m afraid of the dark."

Joanna Kennedy: "..."

Their mics would pick up everything. Joanna Kennedy took a deep breath. "Stay close to me."

"Okay." Simon Lockwood nodded earnestly, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Joanna Kennedy was preoccupied and had no real interest in searching for clues. After she circled back to the same spot for the third time, Simon Lockwood covered his mic and asked softly, "Joanna Kennedy, what’s wrong?"

Joanna Kennedy opened her mouth. For a moment, she wanted to tell Simon Lockwood about those absurd "memories," but in the end, she simply lowered her head and shook it.

’This isn’t the time or place for a chat.’

"We’ll talk when we get back," Joanna Kennedy said, lowering her gaze to hide the emotion in her eyes. "Let’s hurry and find the clues."

Simon Lockwood understood her and didn’t press further. His hand on her backpack strap slid down. In the darkness, hidden by their loose-fitting school uniforms, he took Joanna Kennedy’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

His large, warm, dry hand was like a soothing balm, and Joanna Kennedy’s sullen, anxious mood improved slightly.

The classroom was huge, and since the teams were searching in different areas, they didn’t have to worry about running into the others. Joanna Kennedy made no effort to put distance between herself and Simon Lockwood.

After searching from the seats near the center aisle all the way to the ones by the window, Joanna Kennedy spotted a timer. She crouched down, and just as she was about to touch it, the classroom lights suddenly blazed to life. In that same instant, a large hand covered her eyes.

"I found the switch!" Henry Hughes shouted, pleasantly surprised. His announcement was followed by joking complaints from the others.

"Hughes, you could have given us a warning! You nearly blinded me."

"Seriously, man, that’s not cool..."

Amid the clamor of voices, Joanna Kennedy blinked instinctively. Her long eyelashes brushed against the palm over her eyes, creating a faint, tingling itch.

Simon Lockwood’s fingers stiffened for a moment before he calmly pulled his hand away.

"There’s something under the timer," Simon Lockwood said.

Joanna Kennedy snapped back to reality, her face a little red. "Oh, right, right."

She crouched down and picked up the timer and the slip of paper beneath it. The paper had a math problem written on it. By now, the others had also found their respective timers and notes.

[One hour has passed. All players, please hurry up and Escape.]

An announcement blared from a loudspeaker. Everyone gathered in the middle of the classroom, placing the four slips of paper on a central table.

"They’re all math problems. What’s that supposed to mean? Do they want us to solve them?"

"I guess so."

Everyone stared at the notes, completely baffled. The classroom door didn’t have a combination lock, so what good would a bunch of numbers be?

"Could it... be related to the timer?" Joanna Kennedy voiced, then instinctively glanced at Simon Lockwood.

She had a habit of looking to him for answers, and "Julius," as if it were the most natural thing in the world, agreed. "That’s possible."

As everyone watched, "Julius" picked up the timer and examined it for a moment. He pressed something on it, and a combination dial popped out from the bottom.

"...That’s a combination dial," Dunley said.

As he turned it, the ten Arabic numerals appeared in sequence, but nothing happened with the timer.

"Looks like we have to solve the problems first," Miles Sutton, the oldest, said, once again taking on the role of their leader. "Everyone solve the problem from the note you found."

The timers and notes were matched pairs. Joanna Kennedy took back the ones she had found, and the group sat around the table. They pulled black pens and notebooks from their bags and started working on the problems.

A few minutes later, all four problems were solved. They entered the codes into the timers one by one. With a CLICK, the timers popped open, revealing brownish-yellow "sticks" in everyone’s line of sight.

When they saw what the objects were, they all couldn’t help but gasp.

’Are variety shows really this daring these days?! This is actually dynamite!’

Joanna Kennedy was also stunned for a second. ’No wonder the production team gave us sunglasses.’

They were all model citizens; anyone would be stunned by the sudden appearance of dynamite. The atmosphere grew tense. Henry Hughes tried to lighten the mood, saying, "So, are we supposed to... blast our own way out?"

"Surely not..." Miles Sutton went pale. He’d never imagined that being on a show could be life-threatening. ’But,’ he thought, ’if the production team is letting us use it, it can’t be that dangerous.’ With that, he relaxed a bit. "Should we... give it a try?"

The timers were still counting down. After the initial shock, everyone calmed down, sharing Miles Sutton’s sentiment: if the show provided it, it must be safe.

Dunley, being from Meridia, had some experience with this sort of thing. He went forward to examine it closely, then smiled. "Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe."

At his words, everyone finally relaxed.

The timers, with the dynamite inside, were placed by the door. The camera captured everyone’s expressions, and outside, the director smiled in satisfaction.

This type of explosive wasn’t very powerful; it was mainly a prop for filming. Four sticks were just enough to blow the door open without harming anyone.

’An explosion on camera—a first in the history of variety shows!’

The people in the room, unaware of the director’s thoughts, set up the explosives and retreated to the far wall. Henry Hughes swallowed nervously. "S-should I press it?"

Even knowing it wasn’t dangerous, everyone couldn’t help but feel nervous at a moment like this, their eyes glued to Henry Hughes.

Where no one was looking, Susan Lee quietly shifted to a spot behind Joanna Kennedy, a vicious glint in her eye.

’The explosion isn’t strong enough to hurt anyone, but it’s definitely enough to scare them,’ she thought. ’If Joanna Kennedy gets scared out of her wits on camera, how will she ever have the nerve to act so high and mighty in front of me again?’

Her heart pounded. She could already picture Joanna Kennedy’s miserable, terrified state.

Joanna Kennedy didn’t notice. Her eyes were fixed on the detonator in Henry Hughes’s hand as she unconsciously leaned closer to the man beside her. Her face grew paler and paler, until her whole body was trembling.

’I’ve never seen an explosion before,’ she thought clearly. And yet, the fear was bone-deep, as if etched into her very soul. Her heart felt hollow, and a terrifying sense of impending loss completely overwhelmed her.

A dense, enclosed forest... the deafening blast of an explosion... and the continuous cascade of falling rocks...

A sharp pain shot through Joanna Kennedy’s head, and the scene before her eyes began to blur and distort.

It was as if she had fallen into a nightmare from which she would never awaken.

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