Sakamochi's 6 a.m. announcement woke up Tadakatsu. He hadn't even slept two hours, but insisted it was enough and untied the handkerchief from his wrist to get a good grip on the gun. Then he sat by Mitsuko and Yuichiro. Yuichiro insisted on her sleeping before him, but Mitsuko abstained, so Yuichiro ended up lying down. (By this time, they had learned that four students—Keita Iijima, Toshinori Oda, Yutaka Seto, and Shinji Mimura—had recently died. The new forbidden zones were not in their vicinity.) Tadakatsu was dismayed to find out the belt on Mitsuko's wrists had been unfastened, but Yuichiro managed to convince him it would be okay. Of course, even if Yuichiro hadn't unfastened the belt, Mitsuko had plans to have it unfastened anyway…using Tadakatsu.
Now then.
She couldn't really afford to take her time. If Hiroki Sugimura showed up he'd completely blow her cover. (She wondered, what is he doing wandering around like that anyway? Is he, like Yuichiro and Tadakatsu, trying to find others to hook up with?) And there was…that machine gun shooter. Although Yuichiro had said to Mitsuko with a smile, "I might not be able to sleep," he went out like a light in five minutes. Given how he was an otaku boy, he couldn't have much stamina. He must be tired. Unlike Tadakatsu who snored, Yuichiro fell into the hushed deep sleep of a little baby. Tadakatsu kept a good distance of three meters on her left, sitting against a tree. He had short, cropped hair and light acne above his cheekbones. And the eyes above them…were cautiously watching Mitsuko. The revolver in his right hand was no longer pointed at her, but his finger was definitely on the trigger, as if to indicate he could shoot her at any moment.
Mitsuko waited another half hour…and then after making sure Yuichiro, whose back faced them, was still asleep, she turned to Tadakatsu and quietly said, "You don't have to look at me like that. I'm harmless."
Tadakatsu grimaced. "You never know."
As if responding to Tadakatsu's retort, Yuichiro's body stirred a little. For a while Mitsuko and Tadakatsu looked at Yuichiro's back. His deep breathing resumed, though. Without looking over at Tadakatsu, Mitsuko took a deep breath to indicate her fatigue. Then she moved her legs, putting her right knee down on the ground and bringing her left knee up. Her pleated skirt smoothly slid down, revealing most of her white thighs, but Mitsuko just looked around, pretending not to notice.
She could tell Tadakatsu had tensed up. Ha. Maybe you can see my panties? They're hot pink silk. Mitsuko stayed in this position. Then she slowly looked over at Tadakatsu. Tadakatsu nervously looked up. Of course…until then his eyes had been glued to her thighs. But Mitsuko still acted as if she were clueless and said, "Hey, Tadakatsu."
"What?"
Tadakatsu seemed to be doing his best to maintain his intimidating stance, but now there was a slight tremble in his voice.
"I am so scared."
She thought Tadakatsu would say something nasty again, but he didn't respond and only stared at her.
"Aren't you scared?"
Tadakatsu's brow moved a little, but then he said, "Of course, I am. That's why I'm being so careful with you."
Mitsuko looked sadly away from Tadakatsu. "So you still won't trust me."
"Don't hold it against me," Tadakatsu said, but his tone of voice wasn't even half as hostile as it had been.
"I know I'm repeating myself, but I just don't want to die."
Mitsuko quickly looked back at Tadakatsu. She said a little emphatically, "I'm in the same boat too. I don't want to die. But if you don't trust me, then we'll never be able to cooperate and find a way to save ourselves."
"Uh, well…" Tadakatsu nodded as if relenting. "Well…I know that but…" Mitsuko smiled warmly. She looked into her opponent's eyes and her well-formed, red lips smiled___It was different from the one she wore during her somewhat idyllic conversation with Yuichiro. This one was Mitsuko Souma's special fallen angel's smile. Tadakatsu's eyes were glazed, seduced.
"Hey, Tadakatsu," she continued as she returned to her terrified-girl face. This constant switch between expressions, the virgin and the whore, day and night. Wow. Sounds like a movie title.
"Wh-what?"
"I know I keep on saying this, but I'm just so scared."
"U-uh huh."
"So…" She looked at him directly again.
"So?"
Any trace of antagonism and suspicion was now gone from Tadakatsu's voice and face. Mitsuko tilted her head slightly and asked, "Can we talk a little?"
"…talk?" He knit his brows. "Aren't we doing that right now?…" Mitsuko hissed, "Don't be stupid. Do I have to spell it out?" Her eyes glued on Tadakatsu, she pointed her chin at Yuichiro. "Not here, okay? I want to talk to you, but not with Yuichiro here." His mouth slightly open, Tadakatsu gazed over at Yuichiro…and then looked back at Mitsuko.
"Okay?" Mitsuko said. She got up, looked around, and decided the thicket behind Tadakatsu would be best. She walked over to Tadakatsu, tilted her head slightly, and then proceeded forward. She wasn't sure whether he would take the bait…but then after a while she could tell he was nibbling. Mitsuko stopped approximately twenty meters away from where Yuichiro slept. Just like the previous area, it was a small opening surrounded by bushes.
When she turned around, Tadakatsu appeared, wading through the thicket. His eyes were glazed. But maybe it was subconscious___He still kept a tight grip on his gun.
Mitsuko immediately pulled down the side zipper of her skirt. Her pleated skirt fell to the ground, exposing her thighs in the dull morning light. She could tell he was holding his breath. Then she removed her scarf and undressed. Unlike the other girls she'd never be so square as to wear an undershirt, so she only had her underwear on now. Oh right, she had to take off her shoes. After she took them off, she stared at Tadakatsu with her fallen angel's smile.
"M-Mitsuko…" Tadakatsu barely managed to utter.
Mitsuko decided to make sure. "I'm so scared, Tadakatsu. So…"
Tadakatsu awkwardly approached Mitsuko.
Mitsuko looked down at his right hand, pretending to suddenly notice the gun, and said, "Put that thing somewhere else."
Tadakatsu lifted his hand, as if he suddenly became aware of its existence, and gazed at it. Then he put it down, away from them.
He approached her again.
Mitsuko gave a nice smile, spread out her arms, and wrapped her hands around his neck. His body trembled but the moment Mitsuko offered her lips, he immediately began sucking on them. Mitsuko received him by breathing heavily.
After a while their lips separated.
Mitsuko looked up at Tadakatsu's eyes and said, "This is your first time, huh?"
"So what?" Tadakatsu said, his voice trembling.
They fell down on the grass, Mitsuko underneath.
Tadakatsu immediately went for her breasts.
You idiot, you're supposed to make out for a while before you do that, Mitsuko thought. Instead she moaned, "Ahh…" Tadakatsu's rough hands slipped off her bra and clutched at her well-endowed breasts, now exposed. Then his face went down there.
"Ahh…ahh…"
She continued pretending to be turned on (in exaggerated porn-video style), but meanwhile her right hand was reaching down to her panties....
Her fingertips touched a hard, thin object.
Gang girls probably didn't use such cheap, clunky weapons anymore. But it'd been Mitsuko's weapon of choice for a long time now. The most useful weapon right now for her was in fact something she could hide in her panties.
Tadakatsu was preoccupied with kissing Mitsuko's breasts. His left hand reached between her legs. Mitsuko then let out a moan…but Tadakatsu's eyes were concentrating on her breasts. His scalp was exposed.
Mitsuko slowly moved her right hand near his neck.
Sorry, Tadakatsu. But at least you get to go out with a nice memory, so you can forgive me, right? Too bad we won't go all the way, though.
Mitsuko's right ring finger gently touched Tadakatsu's neck. The object was between her index and middle finger.
Kaw kaw, a bird cried, unfortunately, to her right.
Tadakatsu raised his head reflexively and glanced over in that direction. It was only the sound of a bird crying. What really made Tadakatsu's eyes open wide was of course…
…the razor blade in Mitsuko's hand right in front of his face.
Damn it!
How bad can my timing be, the thought sort of crossed her mind, but Mitsuko didn't care as she automatically swung the blade.
He groaned and pulled away from Mitsuko. The blade skimmed his neck, but the cut was way too shallow to be fatal. My oh my, good reflexes. That's right, you're a baseball jock. Tadakatsu stood up, his eyes open wide, staring down at Mitsuko, her body half raised. He appeared to be on the verge of saying something but seemed at a loss for words.
She could care less about Tadakatsu's state. She leaped up and made a dash for the revolver immediately to her right.
But Tadakatsu's body flew in front of her in a head-first slide. He scooped the gun from the ground, rolled over, and got up on his knees. Ever since elementary school Tadakatsu played the shortstop position formerly occupied by Shuya Nanahara (even though she and Shuya went to different schools Shuya's reputation as a star player in Little League was so widespread even Mitsuko had heard of him), so the Shiroiwa Junior High School baseball team is in good hands, huh? Well, at least you didn't take off your pants. You would have looked pretty pathetic naked.
That was besides the point, though. Once Mitsuko realized Tadakatsu would get the gun before she did, she changed course. She heard gunshots behind her, but they missed as she ran into the thicket. She could hear Tadakatsu chasing her. He would catch up. That was for sure. She got out of the thicket. There was Yuichiro Takiguchi. He looked like he'd heard the gunfire, got up, and then realizing Mitsuko and Tadakatsu were gone, was looking around, but the moment his eyes found her, they opened wide. (Of course. She was half naked. What a bonus! Mitsuko Souma's One Night Show. Oh wait, but it's morning.)
"Yuichiro!" Mitsuko raised her voice and ran towards Yuichiro. She didn't forget to crumple up her face.
"Wh-what happened, Mitsuko?"
By the time Tadakatsu Hatagami made his way through the bushes, Mitsuko was behind Yuichiro's back. Because Yuichiro was only four or five centimeters taller than her, she couldn't really hide behind him, but oh well.
"Yuichiro!" Tadakatsu stopped and held his gun, groaning. "Get out of my way!"
"H-hold on." His face still drowsy, Yuichiro spoke quickly perhaps because he didn't fully grasp the situation. Mitsuko grabbed his shoulders from behind and pressed her half naked body against his back. Yuichiro said, "What is wrong with you?"
"Mitsuko tried to kill me! I told you, man!"
Still hiding behind Yuichiro, Mitsuko said in a feeble voice, "Th-that's not true. Tadakatsu tried to force me to…he threatened me with that gun. Please, help me, Yuichiro!"
Tadakatsu's face contorted in dismay. "I-it's not true, Yuichiro! Th-that's right. Look!" Tadakatsu pointed at his neck with the fingers of his empty left hand. The narrow cut had a slight blood stain. "She went at me with a razor blade!"
Yuichiro turned around and looked at Mitsuko out of the corner of his eye. Mitsuko shook her head (as cutely as possible, as if terrified, now she was playing the virgin).
"I was so desperate…I had to use my nails on him. Then…Tadakatsu got mad…and tried to shoot me…"
She had already gotten rid of the razor blade in the shrubs. Even if she were forced to take off all her clothes (she was nearly naked anyway now) for a body search, they'd find no evidence. Now Tadakatsu's face flushed red with anger.
"Move, Yuichiro!" he shouted. "I'm shooting her!"
"Hold on," Yuichiro said, trying his best to sound calm, "I…that's right…I can't tell who's telling the truth."
"What!?" Tadakatsu raised his voice, but Yuichiro wasn't intimidated. He reached out his right hand to Tadakatsu.
"Give me your gun. Then we'll see who's telling the truth."
Tadakatsu's face contorted as if he were on the verge of crying out of misery. And wearing this face he screamed at Yuichiro, "We can't afford to take our time here! You're going to get killed too if we don't get rid of her now!"
Mitsuko cried out, "That's awful. I would never do that. Help me, Yuichiro." She squeezed his shoulders tightly.
Yuichiro patiently extended his hand. "Give it to me, Tadakatsu if you're telling the truth." Tadakatsu grimaced again.
But eventually, after taking a long, deep breath, letting his shoulders down, he exhaled and lowered his gun. He put his finger on the trigger guard, flipped the gun grip forward, and offered it to Yuichiro as if he had no choice.
Of course she still wore her weepy face… but there was a faint glimmer in her eyes. The key moment would be when the gun was in Yuichiro's hands. It should be easy to take away from him. The question was how.
Yuichiro nodded and came forward.
But then…
It was a move that was almost identical to the one Hiroki Sugimura had made with the Colt Government against her. Like a magic trick, the gun flipped over in his hand. Simultaneously, Tadakatsu got down on his right knee and leaned sideways. The gun was pointed directly at Mitsuko, its line of fire passing right by Yuichiro's left shoulder. Now that she wasn't clinging to Yuichiro's back Mitsuko was completely exposed.
Yuichiro followed the gun's target and quickly looked back at Mitsuko.
Mitsuko's eyes opened wide.
I'm dead now—
Without hesitating, Tadakatsu pulled the trigger.
Gunfire. Two shots.
Yuichiro's body fell down slowly as if in slow motion right in front of her. Beyond it was the frightened face of Tadakatsu.
By then Mitsuko had picked up the sickle Yuichiro had beside him when he went to sleep. She threw it. It spun through the air. Its banana-shaped blade lodged into Tadakatsu's right shoulder. He groaned and dropped his gun.
Mitsuko didn't waste a single moment. She picked up the bat and dashed forward. She leapt over Yuichiro, who was lying face down, ran towards Tadakatsu, and with this forward momentum took a full swing at his head as he staggered, clutching his right shoulder.
Hey there. Here's something familiar, a bat. Hope you like it.
Thud. The end of the bat landed in the center of his face. She'd crushed in his nose cartilage and cheekbones, tearing out several of his teeth.
Tadakatsu fainted. Mitsuko swung at his forehead. KRAK! His forehead caved in. His eyes bulged out and his hands balled up into fists. One more swing, this time she aimed at the bridge of his nose. Mitsuko Souma's Special Training for One Thousand Catches. Come on, come on, this next one's going into center field.
Blood burst out of Tadakatsu's nostrils with this blow.
Mitsuko put the bat down. Tadakatsu's entire face was immersed in blood. He was dead by now. Thick streams of blood came dripping out of his ears and his deformed nose.
Mitsuko tossed the bat and picked up the pistol lying to her left.
Then she walked over to Yuichiro who was lying down on his face.
The blood stain spread all over the grass underneath.
He had shielded Mitsuko. That one instant.
Mitsuko slowly knelt down by Yuichiro. She could tell he was still breathing as she bent over. After some consideration, Mitsuko moved over to block Yuichiro's view of Tadakatsu's corpse. Then she grabbed his shoulder to turn him over.
Yuichiro moaned, "Urgh," and opened his eyes in a daze. His school coat had two holes, one in the left chest and the other in his side. Blood came pouring out, absorbed by the black fabric. Mitsuko held Yuichiro up.
His eyes wandered around for a while. Then he looked at Mitsuko. His short breaths came intermittently, matching his heartbeat. "M-Mitsuko…" he said, "wh-what about Tadakatsu?" Mitsuko shook her head. "He panicked after he shot you and just ran away." Tadakatsu had tried to kill Mitsuko so this explanation didn't make much sense. But…maybe he couldn't think much anymore. Yuichiro seemed to nod slightly.
"R-really…" His eyes seemed out of focus. He might only have a partial image of Mitsuko now. "Y-you didn't get hurt, I hope?"
"I'm fine." She nodded. And then said, "You saved me." Yuichiro seemed to form a slight grin. "I-I'm so sorry. I-I don't think I can protect you anymore. I-I can't m-m-move…"
Foams of blood came bursting out the sides of his mouth. His lungs must have been punctured.
"I know." She leaned over and gently hugged his body.
Mitsuko's long black hair fell onto his chest, its ends stained by the blood pouring out of his wounds. Before she pressed her lips against his, Yuichiro's eyes moved slightly but then they shut. This kiss was different from the whore's kiss she gave to Tadakatsu moments ago. It was soft, warm, and kind even though it might have been mixed with the taste of blood.
Their lips parted. Yuichiro opened his eyes again in a semi-daze.
"I-I'm sorry…" he said, "it looks like…"
Mitsuko smiled. "I know."
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! With these dull gunshots Yuichiro's eyes opened wide.
Staring up at Mitsuko's face, and probably having no idea what had just happened, Yuichiro Takiguchi was now dead.
Mitsuko slowly removed the smoking revolver from Yuichiro's stomach and held Yuichiro's body again. She looked into his now vacant eyes.
"You were pretty cool. You even made me a little happy. I won't forget you." She closed her eyes. Almost remorsefully, she once again gently pressed her lips against Yuichiro's. His lips were still warm.
The sunlight was finally shining on the western slope of the northern mountain. Under Mitsuko's head, blocking this light, Yuichiro's pupils dilated rapidly.
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