The Trembling of Panglai Academy!

Kazuma Shinkyo
Illustration: Hirofumi Nakamura

“Panglai Academy” is a massive private boarding high school towering over Utsuhara Island, an isolated South Pacific island located 1,800 km south of Tokyo. With a student body numbering 200,000 and including faculty and staff—totaling nearly 300,000 people—the academy is so excessively populated that under the banner of self-reliance and autonomy, every club, hobby group, committee, unofficial organization, and even illegal factions secretly thrive. Students here live a uniquely eccentric school life. The legendary series, originally launched as a Play-by-Mail (PBM) game and later expanded across various media, returns in full force—this time set at Panglai Academy in the 2020s, where a certain new student stirs up fresh chaos.

Episode 04: This Student Is Supposed to Save the School—or Something Like That—but Neither He Nor the Author Really Knows How Yet. He’s Just Entered the Old Library! (Part 2)

Yes—before us lies a marsh so unnerving it’s hard to imagine anything more unsettling. Rather, it’s less of a lake than a thick mud pit. And right in its center stands the old library.

Officially marked on campus maps as a large “pond,” this body of water is nothing like what you’d expect from such a description. It looks exactly like a failed batch of congealed stew into which last month’s green juice was dumped, then mixed with laundry from the boys’ dormitory for three days straight—resulting in this surface.

Unnerving.
I say it again: unnerving.
It’s so eerie that you’d instinctively point at the window and scream if not for one simple fact: there are no windows here—we’re outside.

“Rhetorical expression, please ignore. In fact, it wasn’t even a real statement.”

“I suppose… but—”

While whispering to Kento like this,

“—therefore! Thus I place my hope in your love of books and dedication to the school! Even if you’re expelled seven times, return again and serve the academy! …That’s all!”

The long-winded lecture from earlier finally ended before us. The speaker was none other than the commander of our book-return expedition—upon closer inspection, that same stern-faced committee member from orientation day—the very same Edo-style rickshaw driver known for his loud “chikachika” voice during last year’s cafeteria district incident, and who served at the reception desk during sports festival committee duties. Incredible. He’s currently a model of perfect attendance.

But the commander doesn’t enter the building. Instead, he’s seated on an elaborate folding chair set up in front of a tent by the station, tapping what looks like a sumo referee’s fan against his palm with rhythmic thumps.

“Actually,” Kento murmured, “that was originally a military flag used by Sengoku warlords—sumo referees only adopted it later.”
“And formally speaking, it’s called ‘gunbai sansen,’ and during battle it served to——”

Kento continues elaborating for several moments—but most of what he says is just him reading out facts from the internet (a realization I’ve recently come to). So we’ll just ignore that. What’s more concerning right now—since a mysterious chant has been echoing faintly from the hill north of the station ever since.

Behind the expedition command post, across the plaza in front of the station:
A line stretches out—protesters? Rioters preparing for action? A religious ceremony? Hard to tell. Squinting and reading banners and signs:

< Pure Panglai Party >
< Tangerine >
< The Library Committee is a Deep Student Council >
< Panglai First >
< Students with less than five years’ enrollment are not students at all >
< Indigenous people should leave the island >
< Reading is bad for your health >
< No clubs, no life >
< One more tangerine >
And so on.

“Oh, that’s PH1,” Kento says.
“PH1?” I glance sideways at him.
“Pure Hourai First—this is a new faction opposing the government’s fund cuts, allegedly backed by the Nonomiya Group.”
“Wait… isn’t the Nonomiya Group secretly running the current student council?”
“Oh? So you know quite a bit about this, Suzuko-san!” Kento suddenly beams. “That’s exactly what makes it interesting—the theory now at the forefront is that they’re deliberately stoking opposition to intensify conflict.” He pulls out a poster-sized paper from his pocket. “Here’s PH1—this side is the current student council, here’s the old Hourai Association, and this creature coiled around them? The giant reptile of the Japan Trench, known as ‘The Fictional Dog.’ At the pyramid’s peak: the Nonomiya family. All these upperclassmen, with the top tier being the thirteen Beautiful Women, just below them—fourteen drenched female teachers…”

Come to think of it, Kento is not only in the Library Committee and Media Reporters’ Committee—he’s also a member of the Grotesque Research Society.
So quietly, me and Ap-chan slipped away from Kento and followed other expedition members.

Now at the front entrance of the old library:
As rumored, massive double doors flanked by thick Doric-style stone columns. Passing through this distinctly Taishō-era modernist structure sends chills down your spine—so much so that you can’t stop trembling. Without thinking, I grabbed Kento’s arm (he’d somehow been pushed forward by his self-propelled backpack and was following us nonchalantly, casually looking up at the library entrance). My tremors spread to him—and then to the next member, who started shuddering violently, followed by another shaking wildly—

“Are you okay, little cat?”

Even Suzu-sama began swaying. It felt like a wave at Koshien Stadium! Oh no—this is just like the orientation ceremony all over again! I’ll get yet another nickname!

But right before disaster struck, the trembling stopped.

It was Aimi-senpai.
She firmly gripped Suzu-sama’s shoulder and lifted Kento up with one hand onto her shoulder—her grip instantly acted as a stabilizer.
Incredible! Wonderful! But for some reason, she didn’t let go of him immediately afterward. Only after everyone had stepped through the massive doors into the dimly lit interior did Aimi-senpai finally release Kento (thanks to her muscles).

On the other side of the double doors lay a grand hall—dark, dusty, and dripping with atmosphere.

When Suzu-sama gracefully raised one arm, every member lined up in perfect formation. The person at the far right stepped forward:

“Second-year Wu Chen, Mao-no Kyōno, Jindachi (Sada Kazu)!”
With that name announced, he flashed his weapon—a swift glint of steel. He looked just like the third-generation Kaminari Kanetaka.

“Also second-year Kishi: Nagira Shiro Goro Munori.” The one beside him wielded a weighted chain over eight shaku long.

“Third-year Ichi Chū: Amatsuzaki Francesca! My blood carries the wind of Sicily and the heat of Panglai—please do remember me!”

“Third-year Inzetsu: Tsukimiin Reika… though I’m not worthy to introduce myself, my shadow conceals a thousand shadow-eels…”

“Sixth-year first year, Gui You: Shichifukujin Fuku Taro! Bearing the small hammer of Daikokuten, I have arrived with treasures!”

“Fourth-year third year, Gengo: Li Xiaolong from Beijing—the ‘Ancient Dragon’! The Bagua Palm shall pierce through heaven and earth!”

“Fifth-year first year, Bing Shen: Adina Tafari, a cybernetic from Tanzania. My electronic eyes see all!”

“Sixth-year second year, Gui You: Anastasia Alekseyevna Ivanova, the ‘Ice Queen’ of Moscow! With my telepathy, I read every wicked thought!”

“Also sixth-year, also third year, Gui You: Ngonbe Makumba, the ‘Forest Phantom.’ The cursed artifact in my hands is forbidden in our country—this must remain secret from Brazil’s National Association of Ethnology.”

“Seventh-year second year, Ding Hai: Dave ‘The Cheeseburger’ Kendrik! This is my junk food fighting style!”

“Twelfth-year third year, Bing Wu: Patel Zenshō-ji, ‘Black Cube’ Ami-kā! No meaning in my name—only this spatial twisting technique matters.”

“Second-year Ren Chen: Sofia López, the ‘Dancer of Fire’ from Mexico City. Watch as I burn you to ash with my fire dance!”

“Third-year Yi You: Tamara ‘Queen of Ethiopia’ Berete! My Ge’ez scripture will shatter this dark river!”

I was overwhelmed—staring at all these members with tears in my eyes. If they’re here, then this book return mission is bound to succeed!

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※ Next installment scheduled for October 18.

Panglai Academy’s Trembling! Serialized Page