I created a foundation

But she can't do anything.

She could only watch helplessly as her friends sank into eternal dreams one by one, while she herself was like a butterfly trapped in a spider web, unable to do anything except struggle in vain and scream silently.

The feeling of powerlessness that penetrated deep into her bones was like countless cold poisonous snakes gnawing at her heart, almost suffocating her.

Despair overwhelmed her like a tide.

She could even clearly recall that when the monster called Nightmare stared at her with its eyes with strange patterns, she couldn't even muster the thought of resisting, and her soul was trembling.

"I……"

Yuigahama Yui suddenly raised her head, tears rolling down like pearls from a broken string, her voice was hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone and uncontrollable crying.

She stared intently at Yukinoshita Yukino, the only source of light that opened a way out for them in the endless darkness.

Yukinoshita-san is so strong and so reliable.

And she is just a useless waste.

Yumiko Miura also slowly loosened her arms that were tightly hugging Yuigahama.

She wiped the tears and stains from her face with rough movements, completely lacking the usual refinement and elegance of a "queen".

Her short golden hair, which she was so proud of, was now wet and stuck to her cheeks, with a few strands sticking up unruly, making her look even more disheveled.

Bloodshot covered her eyes, which always had a certain sharpness and arrogance. At this moment, burning in them were resentment, anger, and a desire for power that she herself had not even noticed.

She remembered how she had screamed and tried to run away when the chaos broke out, but found her legs felt as heavy as lead.

She remembered the followers who always surrounded her and called her "Youmiko-sama" and the distorted expressions of fear on their faces.

They cried and begged, but in the end they all fell silently in front of her.

Queen?

In the face of real disaster and death, her ridiculous sense of superiority, along with her pride, were crushed to pieces and became worthless.

"us……"

Yumiko Miura took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound less trembling, but she couldn't hide the heavy sobs.

Her nails dug deep into her palms, and the sharp pain kept her slightly awake.

"We want to join too!"

Yuigahama Yui almost roared out, using all her strength, as if to vent all the fear and unwillingness in her heart.

"Wow... I don't want to do that anymore... I really don't want to do that anymore!"

She was sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking from the violent emotional fluctuations, as if she would fall down at any moment.

"I don't want to watch my friends die in front of me anymore, and I... I'm like a fool, unable to do anything!"

Her words were intermittent, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from her throat, full of accusations of blood and tears.

"That feeling... is so terrible... so helpless... I never want to experience it again..."

Yumiko Miura bit her lower lip tightly, until it turned white and even bled. A rusty smell filled her mouth.

She tried hard to straighten her back, which was slightly hunched due to fear, and tried to maintain her last bit of dignity.

"We may not be as smart and powerful as Ye Shan-san, and we may not want to explore the truth of the world or bear heavy responsibilities."

Her voice still trembled, but every word was extremely clear, with a determination to make a desperate effort.

"We...we just don't want to be useless trash anymore!"

She almost squeezed these words out from between her teeth.

"If, if I could have the power... If I could be like you, Yukinoshita-san..."

Yuigahama Yui's eyes were filled with humble pleading, and she stretched out her hand as if trying to grab a life-saving straw.

"At least... at least next time, when a similar tragedy happens again, we can protect ourselves... and have the opportunity to protect the important people around us..."

"Instead of hiding in the corner and trembling like garbage, waiting for others to rescue you like last night!" Yumiko Miura added, her voice sharp and piercing.

"Please, Yukinoshita-san!"

Yuigahama Yui suddenly bent down and bowed deeply at 90 degrees, her forehead almost touching the cold and dusty ground.

"Please give us a chance! No matter how hard or difficult it is, we are willing to try!"

Yumiko Miura also followed suit and bowed deeply without hesitation, lowering her posture to the lowest level.

Their cries and their prayers echoed in the silent, abandoned school building at dawn, sounding particularly clear and heavy.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood after the battle, as well as a faint hint of hope after despair.

Their choices, unlike Hayato Hayama's, were not well thought out, but full of exploration into the unknown.

Their choices are simpler, purer, and even a bit blind and desperate.

Not for lofty ideals, not for the reality of the world.

Just to avoid repeating the mistakes of last night, just for the simplest and most primitive instinctive desire to protect myself and the people who are important to me.

Yukinoshita Yukino looked at them quietly.

The dim light of early morning outlined her cold profile. In those eyes that were always as calm as an ice lake, there seemed to be a very subtle light flashing, and then quickly disappearing.

She didn't answer immediately.

He just used those eyes that seemed to see through everything to look at the two girls in front of him who were crying miserably but bursting out with amazing courage in despair.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Yuigahama and Miura remained in a bowing posture, their bodies trembling slightly due to tension and exhaustion, waiting for Yukino's final judgment.

The only sounds in the air were their suppressed breathing and the pounding of their hearts.

Finally, Yukinoshita Yukino raised her chin slightly.

Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze, like the most accurate probe, slowly swept over the three people standing in front of her.

The air seemed to still linger with the faint aftertaste of smoke and blood from last night's fierce battle, mixed with the cool and damp air unique to the early morning, stimulating everyone's senses.

Hayato Hayama, once the most dazzling figure on campus, now had a dusty face and disheveled hair, but he still stood tall and straight. Those eyes, always filled with a gentle smile, now shone like tempered steel, a deep and resolute radiance. His breathing was steady, as if he had compressed all his fear and uncertainty into a silent strength within his chest.

Miura Yumiko, the girl who always spared no effort to project the aura of a queen, now looked pale, her gorgeous clothes looking a little disheveled. Yet, her tightly pursed lips, slightly raised jaw, and those eyes, forced to stop trembling as they stared intently at Yukino, all spoke of her inner unyielding spirit. The fear remained, but a stronger will was overriding it.

Yuigahama Yui, who usually wore a natural, disarming smile, seemed unusually quiet at this moment. Her hands were clenched tightly in front of her, her knuckles slightly white from the strain. Her eyes were no longer the naive and dependent look of the past. Instead, they were washed clean by a brutal storm, their clarity frightening. There was a desperate courage in them, a stubborn determination to never look back.

They chose to face it, chose this path that is full of thorns but may also lead to true strength.

The icy expression on Yukinoshita Yukino's face seemed to show a slight loosening.

A very faint smile, as elusive as the first snow in winter, quietly bloomed on her lips and quickly disappeared.

It was neither comfort nor joy.

It is more like a complex resonance with a hint of self-mockery and understanding.

She thought of herself long ago.

That girl who is equally weak and feels helpless and confused in the face of the true face of the world.

At the turning point that changed her life, facing the unfathomable president, she had made a similar choice.

However, the three people in front of her seemed to have more pure courage than she did before, and they had the primitive courage that burst out after being forced into a desperate situation.

Yukinoshita Yukino slowly stood up straight.

The slightly tired look from commanding the battle for a long time disappeared.

Instead, there is an unquestionable majesty and decisiveness belonging to the superior.

Her eyes became sharp, and her voice returned to its former coldness, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, with a metallic texture.

"I am Yukino Yukinoshita, the on-site commander of the SCP Foundation's Tokyo branch and the anomalous incident at the Sleeping Beauty Hotel."

Each of her words was clear and powerful, echoing in the temporarily occupied, slightly empty room.

"'Now, I will formally approve your request.'"

At this moment, the three of them held their breath almost at the same time.

Their eyes were all focused on the calm face of Yukinoshita Yukino, waiting for the final verdict.

"Hayama Hayato."

"Miura Yumiko."

"Yuigahama Yui."

Yukino's voice paused, and her eyes swept over the faces of the three people in turn, as if she wanted to deeply imprint their expressions at the moment in her memory.

"I approve your application to join the team."

No excessive emotional exaggeration, just stating an established fact.

However, this simple sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up indescribable waves in the hearts of the three people.

Maybe it's a sense of relief, maybe it's a heavier sense of responsibility, or maybe it's confusion and expectation about an unknown future.

"From now on, your identities are—SCP Foundation, reserve members."

"D-Class candidate."

Yukino added, her tone showing no sign of softening.

"But this is just the beginning."

Her voice suddenly turned cold, like a Siberian cold wave, instantly dispelling the last trace of warmth in the air.

"Don't think that you have any privileges or can rest easy just because you have this status."

"On the contrary, you have chosen a path that is a hundred times more difficult and ten thousand times more dangerous than that of ordinary people."

Yukino walked to the window, turned her back to the three of them, and looked out at the city that was just waking up.

The rays of the rising sun were trying to penetrate the thick clouds, casting a few faint golden rays on the skyline.

"You will be immediately transported to the Foundation's joint training camp for new recruits located in the suburbs of Tokyo."

"There, you will undergo the Foundation's most basic, and also the most rigorous, screening and training."

"You will learn the true rules of this world—those cruel truths hidden beneath the surface of everyday life that are enough to overturn all your previous understandings."