Chapter 60: Air (Atmosphere)
When Shimizu took a step forward from the back door and entered the classroom, he felt the door behind him close automatically in an instant.

There is no looking back. Now that the decision has been made, there is no way to go back and escape.

Shimizu looked around the classroom. The clock on the wall showed it was six forty-five in the morning. Except for Amamiya Iori and Kondo Yuichi, all the students in the class had arrived at school.

Everyone is immersed in their own world. Some are concentrating on reading books, some are chatting leisurely, and some are even playing and fighting. Everything seems to be no different from daily life in reality.

When Shimizu Jian came to his seat, Kikuchi Kei who was sitting in front of him turned around and greeted him, then turned back to continue reading.

Is this really the world of Amamiya Iori's heart?
Qing Shuijian couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Both the people and the objects were so similar to the real world, as if it was just a change of scene.

Just then, a familiar voice came from the front door of the classroom.

"good morning everyone!"

"Ah, everyone, look, it's Kondo-san and Amamiya-san. They came to school together again today. They look so loving."

Everyone's attention was drawn to the scene where Kondo Yuichi and Amamiya Iori walked into the classroom hand in hand.

"What a perfect couple."

Some classmates talked quietly, their tone full of envy and blessings.

"Yes, yes, childhood sweethearts are great. I'm so envious."

"Kondo-san, you two will definitely get married and stay together forever."

"Really? Thank you, everyone. Thank you, everyone."

Faced with the enthusiastic blessings from his classmates, Kondo Yuichi touched the back of his head embarrassedly and smiled brightly.

However, when Shimizumi's gaze turned to the silent Amemiya Iori beside him, his pupils couldn't help but shrink.

He was shocked to find that Amamiya Iori's hands, feet, and even her neck were tightly bound by huge black chains that were thicker than her arms.

Her eyes were dull, empty and confused, as if she had lost all emotion and vitality, like a puppet being manipulated.

What was even more shocking was that her face was as pale as a piece of white paper, as if she was enduring tremendous pain.

What's wrong with these people? Can't they see?

Amamiya Iori was clearly in so much pain right before their eyes, yet they could just smile and ignore it.

"Iori!"

Seeing that he couldn't stand it anymore, Qing Shui stood up from his seat and shouted.

"Oh? I thought it was someone else, it turned out to be Jian. How could you call Iori by his name? That's very rude. After all, not everyone is like me, who has been childhood sweethearts with Iori since we were young. I hope you will be more careful with your words in the future and put yourself in the right place."

Kondo Yuichi showed a strange and sinister smile on his face, which made Shimizu feel a piercing chill, as if surrounded by an invisible cold air flow.

Other students in the class also turned their heads to look over, their eyes focused on Shimizu Mi and Kondo Yuichi like they were attracted by magnets.

Because he was sitting in the back row, Qingshui Jian did not notice these details.

But now, he suddenly realized that it was not just Amamiya Iori, the eyes of all these classmates were empty and lifeless, as if they had lost the color of emotion, like a blank painting.

There was no life or emotion in their eyes, only dead silence and indifference. Everyone seemed to be controlled by some invisible force, as if there were invisible strings above their heads pulling their limbs and controlling their every move.

Being stared at by a group of emotionless puppets like this, Qing Shuijian felt an indescribable depression and weirdness!
"What exactly is going on……"

Everything smelled wrong.

It is obvious that the only one who is tied to the childhood sweetheart character is Amamiya Iori, and at most there is one more person, Kondo Yuichi. The others should have nothing to do with this and there is no reason for them to be involved.

However, the situation before me was unbelievable.

The eyes, expressions and movements of the students in these classes all seemed extremely strange, as if they were controlled by some invisible mysterious force.

They are not associated with any relevant personalities, so why do they behave in such strange ways?

If you think about it, the same is true for the family members of Amamiya Iori and Kondo Yuichi. Although it is Amamiya Iori who is tied to the childhood sweetheart character, these people are still trying their best to bring the two together.

"Hey, look at the look in Shimizu-san's eyes when he looked at Amemiya-san just now. Could it be that he likes Amemiya-san?" "No way. It's so unlucky to be liked by a scumbag like that. Amemiya-san is so pitiful."

"You're right. Kondo-san and Amamiya-san are indeed a better match."

"That's right, childhood sweethearts should be together forever."

Qingshuijian heard whispering sounds. No, these voices did not come from the mouths of his classmates, but sounded directly in his mind.

Moreover, he was surprised to find that these sounds were mixed with a strange atmosphere... or perhaps, a strange "air".

It was a strange "air" that filled the entire classroom and had a light blue color.

Just like the special effects that only appear in anime and games, light blue "air" drifted out from somewhere in the classroom.

Shimizu followed the flow of the "air" and was surprised to find that it was all emanating from Kondo Yuichi's body.

Kondo Yuichi was surrounded by this light blue "air", which seemed to form a unique aura.

Shimizu stared at this strange "air" and gradually understood the strong meaning contained in it - this is an "air" called "childhood sweethearts".

"Childhood sweethearts should be together forever. I, Kondo Yuichi, am Amamiya Iori's childhood sweetheart. Only I can bring her happiness."

This strong belief, like invisible air, permeated the entire classroom.

What shocked Qing Shuijian even more was that everyone in the classroom seemed to be infected by this "air". Their eyes, expressions and actions all revealed their identification with this "air".

In such an environment, if you want to avoid being excluded and if you want to fit in, you have to be able to read the atmosphere and observe other people’s words and expressions.

There is no self-assertion, no opposition or argument. This is their survival skill as they read the "air" all the time.

These people unconsciously integrated into this "air", taking it as right, and following Kondo Yuichi's idea, believing that "Amamiya Iori should be with her childhood sweetheart Kondo Yuichi forever, only in this way will she be happy."

Such an idea was clearly abnormal, but these people accepted it without question, ignoring Amamiya Iori's own feelings.

No, if this situation happened, it might be due to Iori Amamiya's own fault.

Amemiya Iori is bound by her "personality" and wears a false mask called "smile". She is forced to obey the ideas of others and play the role of the "Amemiya Iori" that others expect.

Precisely because she was unable to express her true thoughts, the people around her became more convinced that the "air" emanating from Kondo Yuichi was correct, so they began to slowly blend into this "air", further strengthening this atmosphere.

In this cycle, Kondo Yuichi's emotional control is strengthened, while Amamiya Iori finds it increasingly difficult to break free from his constraints.

To be honest, even Qingshuijian himself found these speculations ridiculous, but the facts were right in front of him, which made him feel cold.

Atmosphere is something that is very contagious, especially in this era where everyone follows the trend and goes along with the atmosphere on their own.

Such a conjecture may be full of holes, but in this way, everything can be explained.

Now Kondo Yuichi is like an "infectious body". The "air" he exudes affects his classmates in school and makes them accept this "air".

Then it makes sense that when he returned home and took this kind of "air" out of school, his family and Amamiya Iori's mother would be affected.

After realizing this, Qing Shuijian sighed in his heart.

The tricky question now is how to change these people's unconsciousness. They don't even notice the "abnormality", let alone regard this abnormality as abnormal.

In their eyes, this is "normal"!
There are probably thousands of such people in the school alone, not to mention how many people Kondo Yuichi has "infected" outside the school.

The "air" that cannot be touched but exists truly, the "air" that cannot be resisted at all.

If Shimizumi follows this "air" and becomes a part of that unknown group, he will also become one of the people who hurt Amamiya Iori.

Ultimately, the reason for the current situation is that these people are unconsciously reading the "air" around them.

In this case, in order to break Kondo Yuichi's "air", Shimizu must create a stronger "air" that covers the original "air" and forces everyone to pay attention, forcing them to read the "air" he created.

There was an unprecedented light flashing in Qing Shuijian's eyes, a light of determination and courage.

(End of this chapter)