~~~PART 1~~~
Don't lie to yourselves. How terrified would you be if you were being chased down by some big dude in a very dark and claustrophobic alleyway with only one path to go and everyone is right behind you and their fates are up to you alone.
I would be scared beyond belief.
And that is exactly why I stood still frozen as an ice cube paralyzed. But thankfully, that didn't last long, because in the next instant Asahi tried pushing Arisu and subsequently me away furthest from where she was. This was my wake up call to get the fuck out of there.
"...Akagi-san… Give me the flashlight…"
Holmes was helping me see the way with the only flashlight available. She didn't bring her phone with her as she thought having her phone in the same vicinity as Asahi would mean danger, so she left it somewhere back at the club room.
I was at the front, which means I have to be the one deciding which path to take in the multiple corners this maze has, and frankly, I wasn't paying much attention.
Running through a very narrow corridor while carrying someone on your back was taking its toll on me as I stumbled and constantly hit every wall and minor things thrown at me.
"...Ow…!"
"Sorry!"
And eventually, I had to make my first decision. There was a fork in the road and I couldn't remember where we came from.
"Go right, Izumi!"
Luckily, there was someone who actually paid attention to the paths we took and knew exactly which one we had to take.
"Alright… Whoa what?! Dead end?"
She said this way was where we came from, but a giant wall was blocking our way just like before.
Just like before…
"It's a fake just run through it!"
No other choice than to follow her words. Nowhere to go but up I suppose.
I braced myself for impact in case what was in front of me was made out of concrete after all. However, just like Asahi said, it was a fake and I managed to get through the cloth-like material it was made from.
Taking a gamble is scary!
There was no time to reflect on what happened and calm myself down.
"Come back here!!"
The mysterious man was still chasing us. Whatever it was hidden behind that corner was something we definitely shouldn't see. How defensive could he get? What did Asahi see?
Whatever it was, it's gone now. That's one more failure in Asahi's stories for her newspaper.
Nevertheless, we still ran as fast as we could and tried navigating through the dark hallways. Occasionally, there would be a fork in the road and Asahi would tell us exactly where to go. And occasionally, there were things stopping us from advancing like those fake walls, but Asahi would always point to the ones that were fake.
"Wait wait, not that wall! That one's real!"
"Oh dear Christ that was close."
After many challenges and a lot of sweat, we made it to the halfway point. We were at one of the many spots of interest where it was wide enough for 2 people to stand side by side and we could finally let Asahi be the one at the front again.
These spots of interest are also where Holmes sets her traps.
And a glass breaking could be heard.
"Hya—! Oh my god I can't believe that actually scared me."
"No time to be scared Izumi, get a move on!"
"Hang on a minute."
As we were trying to get out of this place as quickly as possible, Arisu stopped us to announce something.
"We could use the tight space to our advantage and trap him. Isn't it exciting? It's not nice to leave here empty handed no?"
"Ho…? I like where this is going."
Of course, only Asahi was interested in his proposal. Me and Holmes just wanted to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
"...Whatever you're thinking of… Hurry on with it…"
"No need to panic, Kiyama-senpai. The Director can surely do it within seconds."
If he calls Asahi the Director then he must've had high expectations for her huh?
"Anyway, I want you all to listen very carefully."
He then went on to explain what he had on his mind. Arisu is a very artistic person, as an artist he takes his work very seriously and dedicates a lot of time and effort into it. More than we would know.
Everyone in school seems to have a bad image of Asahi except for Arisu. I don't know what or how that happened but we could really use someone like that in this situation right now.
Footsteps from the mysterious man that has been chasing us through the maze were getting louder and louder with each explanation. And as soon as he was done explaining, we began to execute the plan.
"It's you isn't it, Asahi-chan!?!?"
Well that guy is certainly on the right track.
~~~PART 2~~~
Heavy breathing could be heard in the deep darkness of the maze accompanied by deep and quick footsteps.
He who has nearly been exposed was now chasing the one who is behind it all, Asahi Akagi.
The loud mechanical *click* says it all. No one ever would go to a place like this at this time of day, and even if someone did then he had made sure to bring in some protection.
He knew the existence of the Maze Masters, the one who had been through this maze several times to remember what it looked like. They needn't any map, they needn't any guidance of any light. They could close their eyes and navigate through the entire maze swiftly.
By acquiring their help, he could fool wandering visitors out of the maze and lead them astray somewhere. They had the ability to create fake walls and passageways to confuse anyone who is not familiar with the layout.
And he thought he could get away with his secret.
Asahi saw what she didn't expect to see. She probably already knew who the guy was based on his voice, but never thought of the possibility someone like him would ever do something like that.
But because she knew, she brought all of us in danger, and we all had to pay the same price to get the hell out of this situation.
However, luckily for us, we brought in a special someone perfect for this operation.
"Asahi-chan! you come back here!!!"
His name was Arisu Nagasawa, and he was an artist.
"Ready when you are."
All artists have one thing in common, they strive for perfection.
"Will this really work?"
So let's see just how flawless Arisu's plan was…
"There is no doubt this will work, Satori-senpai."
~~~PART 3~~~
There's nowhere to go but up.
In a tight corridor there were only so many options available for maneuverability. You could go either the front or back, and that was it. If, in a hypothetical situation, you were to be chased by a 6 ft giant in these tight corridors, you could only go one way. Such linear paths were dangerous.
Which was why when Arisu suggested we should climb up the maze and initiate our plan there, we felt like he was actually on to something.
"Asahi-chan!!! You better not be snooping around here!"
The target was approaching and we're all set. I pray in my heart to whatever god there is that this trap would be successful. I'm especially worried with the bait we're using.
Right as the mysterious man ran through the last corner and was now facing in the direction we were before, he saw one of Asahi's friends. Sitting in the middle of the room.
"Hey, you! If you're here then that means Asahi is also here right?!"
"...eek…!"
It was Holmes.
Unfortunately, her legs don't work and she couldn't climb up the walls like the rest of us. But, she could be used for bait which was what Arisu suggested. I was against this idea at first, but what could I do about it? There was no time for argument and it's not like anyone could carry her up the tall walls.
The man who had been running along all this time was starting to walk slowly and approach Holmes more carefully as he's about to enter the wide space.
His intimidating aura radiates everywhere around him. That face you can't see in the darkness and that slow approach where you doom was likely to be coming any second.
You can't tell when he'll charge at you, if he will charge at you, or will he spare you. All these questions are popping in Holmes' mind as she thought about her escape, but with all of that fear inside of her, she can't think of anything.
"...I-I don't know where she is…!"
Her mind was now empty.
Another advantage of her being the bait is that she can't complain or protest against the idea. What is she gonna do? Run away?
However, just as he was about to approach her,
"Heyho! You're looking for me?"
*click*
Asahi, who came out of nowhere, suddenly dropped down and took a picture way too close to the man. The flash of the camera then stunned him and he ended up faltering backwards with unsteady steps.
That was our queue.
"Senpai, now!"
Without wasting any time me and Arisu then dropped the banner that was used as a fake wall Asahi had gathered. It was long and wide, and our idea was to trap him inside of the thing.
I've always wondered in movies and television how the enemy would always end up stuck in a net trap and they end up becoming immobile. To me they just look like they're flailing mindlessly over something as simple as a net. But then I also remembered how I always have trouble adjusting my blanket at night so I'm keeping my mouth shut.
The darkness must've played a role in the confusion.
And with the man that was chasing us now no longer moving and is fighting for his life against a fallen banner, Asahi used this chance to grab a rope she found along with the banner and used her athletic skills to maneuver around him and tied up his hands on his back as well as his legs.
And with that, the man was made to lay down not being able to get back up.
Mission complete.
"Hahahahaha! And that's why you always wear sunglasses!"
The man behind the plan itself was celebrating on his own. I can't blame him really, if any of my plans would've worked that smoothly I'd also go nuts and burst out with laughter.
"Heeey! Good job you two! I knew you guys could do it! And you too, Sora-chan."
From down below Asahi was congratulating us, as well as Holmes.
The tense atmosphere of the chase sequence was no longer present and we all got in a cheery mood.
"...awawawawawawawa…I-I th-ought my heart-t was gonna stop…"
Except for Holmes.
I climbed back down to where Holmes was to pick her up, and what I found was a trembling midget. Hugging her knees out of comfort and her focus shifted upon the great beyond.
"...W-w-w-Watson…Y-your back p-p-p-please…"
The large appearance of that man must've really scared her out of her mind.
May god bless thou poor soul. I truly feel sorry for you.
I lowered myself to carry her on my back like always before heading to where the others are and meet up with them.
"...I am never doing that ever again…"
"I know how you feel. I know exactly how you feel."
Holmes and I had a little bonding experience as we both came to a mutual understanding of each other.
"...A-arisu…! What's the big idea…!"
"Oh my, my deepest apologies, Kiyama-senpai. Fret not, because I had laid down some countermeasures for yours truly's safety. Ah, watch your steps."
Arisu quickly pointed out the sharp pieces of glass scattered just at the front of the entrance.
"If, in a possible scenario, he were to approach you and he got a bit too close, those glasses will most certainly keep him at bay."
The glasses were, of course, from the bottles Holmes had brought herself for her traps. So you could say there were a variety of ways to apply those things, even though they are literally harmful towards anyone who steps on them.
You do know that's very harmful, right? Not bad, not bad…
Ignoring the obvious death trap, we all walked towards the person who had been chasing us through the hallways.
"L-let me go you brat!"
"No can do. Not until we uncover what it is you're hiding."
And behind the man was Asahi who was restraining him against the wall. Her natural athleticism allowed her to completely overpower even a 6 foot tall male. Impressive.
"Oh, hey guys. Come on, let's see what was behind that corner. So long, Takashi-san."
"Don't you dare go there! Hey—! ow!"
She dropped the guy to his knees and left him completely alone to struggle by himself in the dark. I was a bit cautious on whether or not that was a good decision or not, however, I have faith in Asahi's decision. Surely she knew the consequences of leaving him like that.
We were now in a line again with the same formation as before and walking through the same path as before. And then, we came to the one corner we didn't get to go to.
"And there it is!"
The first to enter was Asahi, and she immediately ran off into the wide space of the well lit corridor.
It was then my turn to go around that corner, and what I saw first was something I couldn't understand at first.
They were multiple boxes.
Boxes with labels with which I couldn't fully understand.
"...Wait, don't tell me these are…"
"Oh my, quite the secret indeed."
"Yup, that's what I thought too."
All 3 of them perfectly knew the situation and meaning behind these shipping crates while I was left in the dark with nothing to go off of with.
"...Oh, sorry Watson, let me explain..."
Short version, These were crates from the next door town filled with bottles of sake and the guy who was chasing us was Takahashi-san the well-known bar owner who's alcohol beverages were really popular amongst the adult population.
However, there was a major problem with his business.
"... He labels his sake as locally made sake…"
And the worst offender was the fact that he was using the next door village's sake.
"... In terms of sake… our villages generally don't get along very well…"
Turns out there was a good history of alcohol banter between the 2 villages. It seems like the 2 had been competing in the sake industry and seeing which one of the other makes the better sake.
"...If this news were to spread… then surely it would attract the attention of the entire village…"
"Well would you look at that. Good for you Asahi, you've got yourself a new hit story."
Rivalries can bring one's spirit and make them do the best they ever could to compete with your rival. It brings out your best, makes you do harder than you already have, and it's a really entertaining thing to watch if you're an outsider.
It's clear as day how many people are going to be attracted to it, yet the person in charge of such a decision wasn't reacting the way I thought she would.
"Hm…"
Instead, she was pondering something.
Her head hanging low deep in thought. She was considering every option there was, but what was there to consider?
"I don't think we should publish this."
From her idle pondering she finally reached her conclusion that shocked me, and only me. Holmes and Arisu nodded in response, they understood the consequences of what would happen if she were to write it.
But so did I.
I knew very well how rivalries could impact a group of people. I knew that a lot of people take pride in their sake and enjoyed it with their buddies, and I knew full well just how betrayed it feels when they've been enjoying their enemies' goods.
I knew how much it could impact his business and reputation.
I knew it.
I knew it all.
Yet, for some reason on the back of my mind, I had thought it was the right thing to do.
…What is wrong with me…
It's the same feeling I had on Tuesday as well when we were capturing stalker images. That time when I had thought of pushing someone off a tiny cliff into a flowing river with giant rocks…
"hm? Izumi are you alright? Your face is a bit pale there."
"Ah— oh, oh yeah. I'm fine…"
"Hm…"
The person who I didn't want to confront the most was now the one who was worried about me. God damnit Asahi…
"Well anyway, I need to talk to Takahashi-san about this whole thing. You guys should stay put and examine more in this room. I'll be back shortly!"
Asahi left the scene to the 3 of us who were now idly standing by. Without orders we didn't exactly have any idea what to do.
"Well, I have to say again for your excellent cooperation with my plan, Satori-senpai. You too, Kiyama-senpai, your acting was marvelous."
"Yeah, no problem."
"..."
I had replied to him positively while Holmes remained quiet and only hid herself more from him on my back.
"Oh dear, did I do something wrong perhaps?"
"...That wasn't acting…"
Her voice was furious but also quiet at the same time. In fact, only I could hear it as Arisu only looked confused and moved his ear closer.
"Anyway, we should take a look around this area. We still have to be cautious because I was certain there were two voices when we heard it the first time."
Then, we all spent the next few moments walking and searching around the area. Other than boxes we couldn't find anything else that was particularly of interest.
Asahi shortly returned declaring she had gained another victim to blackmail with, she insisted she wasn't really going to publish it and spread the news around to poor Takashi-san, and it was only a threat to make him agree on something.
And so, without much of anything else happening, the night went on.
However, that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the day I nearly killed someone and ruined someone else' business.
Stop thinking about it and just sleep, dammit… It's all Asahi's fault…