Number 1333

The New Year's Tournament

The next day, every prisoner inside Nanba is escorted inside a huge arena, where the warden is ready to do her speech in front of everyone. Yamato and Hajime stand in between the Cell 13, while one of them hold No. 33's cloak to avoid that he sneaks away as he always does. Jyugo tries to reassure him, he got that Ayu doesn't like being around so many people for too much time, and he definitely hates noisy places. That arena is both of them right now, so he understands Ayu's will to sneak away too.

<<Let's get down to business. To celebrates New Year's, we'll now begin Nanba Prison's traditional event!>> Momoko shouts with her deep voice, <<Our New Year's Tournament will now begin!>>

"New Year's Tournament?" think the members of the Cell 13, looking at the huge strip of paper that flew down from the warden's bleacher.

A shadow comes out behind Hyakushiki and stands like a soldier. It's the supervisor of the Building 4, Kenshiro Yozakura. He makes a few more steps forward and speaks with his powerful voice.

<<I will now announce the participants from each building for the New Year's Tournament.>> and he starts with the list for each supervisor and each building.

<<The hell is this?>> whispers Uno confused, so Hajime decides to explain what's happening so those idiots will shut up for a while.

<<The New Year's Tournament is an annual event where inmates and officers cooperate.>> he says keeping his hands behind the back, <<A prize is given to the winning building and its guards.>>

<<In our case, we get a bonus.>> continues Yamato, <<While each inmate will receive any one item they want.>>

<<What?!>> suddenly, everyone got so hyped for this event, <<Hajime!! Let us participate!!>> of course not Ayu who just wants to go back to his cell or somewhere else is fine.

"Oh crap! We shouldn't let them know!" Sugoroku regrets already what he did, but Seitarou saves the moment, calming the prisoners down.

<<B-but, the warden gets to choose the participants->>

<<Next, Building 13 will be represented by Cell 13.>> Yozakura's voice silences the cute guard and the whole group.

<<WHY?!>> exclaim the three officers, in the whole building, why that cell? What they want to see? Hajime running here and there to fix those imbeciles' mistakes? Oh hell no!

---

When the annunciation is over, following a precise order and scheme, all the inmates and officers must take a seat in the arena and wait their turn. Jyugo and his friends are trying to make feel Ayu comfortable, he keeps pushing down his hood, he hides his hands and he can't even run away, Yamato is sit next to him and Hajime is not that far too, so... Uno gets a bit annoyed when he hears some prisoners speaking ill about Number 33, they keep saying that he's mercilessly, a monster that kills silently in the night... Such rumors upset him quickly.

<<Yo, Hajime.>> luckily, someone distracts him from them, <<To think Cell 13 is representing Building 13, what an unfortunate way to start the new year, huh?>> is the responsible of the Building 5, Samon Gokuu.

<<Hah?>> remarks Hajime annoyed.

<<Building 5 will win this year!>> between these two a heated atmosphere is raising fast, <<After all, Cell 8 is representing us.>>

<<I don't care about winning, but I won't tolerate losing to you, fucking monkey.>>

<<My goodness.>> a new voice stops the fight and brings the attention on another officer, <<You two always get into it the moment you see each other. How unsightly.>>