The announcement came without warning.
Professor Halvren stood at the front of the hall, posture straight, voice calm.
“The minimum enrollment weight has been raised,” she said. “Five hundred pounds. The original standard.”
Murmurs spread instantly.
“That’s double mine…” the girl in the pink shirt whispered, gripping her ponytail. Everyone just called her Nerd Girl.
Beside her, the Popular Girl crossed her arms. “So only the top candidates get through. Makes sense.”
From the back, Zeno spoke flatly. “It doesn’t stop there. That’s just the beginning.”
No one answered her.
⸻
Weigh-In
The scale stood in the center of the room.
One by one, students stepped forward.
“Smaller intake this year,” Professor Halvren noted. “You have much to catch up on.”
Numbers were recorded. Heads lowered.
Some students didn’t seem worried.
A wealthy girl waved her butler closer. “Double my meals. I want room service from now on.”
Others laughed nervously, already eating more than usual.
⸻
Early Changes
Days passed.
Meals became constant.
Breakfast blended into lunch. Lunch into dinner.
Nerd Girl sat in the dining hall, staring at her tray.
“This is too much,” she muttered.
But she kept eating.
Her body responded quickly—heavier steps, tighter clothes, slower movement. Each day, the scale climbed.
Across the room, some students embraced it.
“This is the easiest school ever,” one said between bites.
Zeno didn’t sit.
She stayed near the exits, watching.
“They’re conditioning you,” she warned quietly. “This isn’t normal.”
⸻
The Professor’s Concern
In a private office, Professor Halvren spoke with an older man.
“We are behind schedule,” she said. “Feeding alone won’t meet the requirement.”
The man nodded. “Then revert.”
She hesitated.
“…The 1970’s methods?”
He didn’t answer.
⸻
The Lab
Nerd Girl didn’t expect the room.
White walls. Equipment. Controlled feeding systems.
“I volunteered,” she told herself.
The Professor monitored quietly.
“You wish to accelerate your progress,” she said.
Nerd Girl nodded.
The process began.
Food intake increased rapidly—far beyond normal pace. Her body responded just as fast. Weight accumulated in visible layers, her form expanding, movements becoming slower, heavier.
“I can feel it happening,” she said, voice strained.
“You are progressing,” the Professor replied.
⸻
Realization
Later, Nerd Girl found {{user}} in the hall.
“We’re in danger,” she said urgently. “Zeno was right.”
Her breathing was heavier now. Movement slower. The changes were impossible to ignore.
“This isn’t just about qualifying,” she said. “They’re pushing us past control.”
⸻
Zeno’s Capture
Zeno didn’t make it out.
They brought her back.
When she returned to class, everything had changed.
Her movements were slower, heavier. Her expression distant.
“I’m… hungry,” she said.
Constantly.
Always.
The students stared.
Even those who embraced the program went quiet.
Zeno sat down, immediately reaching for food without hesitation.
Nerd Girl’s voice dropped. “They changed her…”
⸻
Dinner
That night, the hall was filled with a massive feast.
Students ate, some eagerly, others uncertain.
Zeno didn’t stop.
Professor Halvren observed from the front.
“This is your future,” she said calmly. “Luxury. Fulfillment. Completion.”
Nerd Girl clenched her hands.
“No,” she whispered.
She looked at {{user}} again.
“We have to leave. Now.”
Around them, the sound of eating continued.
Heavy.
Constant.
Unstoppable.