..............
[Sunday, October 31, 02:24 am]
Yumeto was looking at the school gate from the classroom window. A group of men in protective clothing gather in front of the school gate, where they're loading Ryuji's corpse onto a truck. Seeing that scene, Yumeto's body suddenly thickened.
"Yumeto....kun"
Before I knew it, Yuna was next to me. Yuna looked worriedly into Yumeto's face.
"Are you okay? You look pale."
"Somehow, i think."
Yumeto slaps his cheeks with both hands.
"Ryuji-kun wasn't a very good classmate. and he was like to attack anyone"
"....Yes"
"But I didn't think he wanted to kill me like that."
"I agree"
"In the end, it's like i killed him..."
"It's for me, right?"
Yuna's eyes swayed like water.
"Didn't you say that Ryuji-kun will threatened other classmates too? Yohei-kun and I were the only people who often talked with Yumeto-kun."
"It's not just for Yuna-san. Besides, Yuna-san helped me too."
"Help Yumeto-kun?"
"The last ballot was the one that Yuna wrote. You gave me a plus point, didn't you?"
"...Why do you think so?"
"The only person who seems to give me a plus point is Yuna. Besides, you gave yourself a minus point too, weren't you?"
"I see. Surprisingly, even a secret ballot can be found out."
Yuna smiled shyly.
"I didn't feel like I wanted to die, but I just couldn't choose. no matter what other party that i will giving minus points"
"Yeah. My choice would be either my classmate or my homeroom teacher, Iwamoto-sensei. I still didn't have the courage to do like that. I definitely didn't want to die."
Yumeto took out a smartphone from his pocket. An email from his mother is displayed on the LCD screen.
[*Censored: Just now, the police came to our house and searched your room. It looks like they're investigating the homes of all your classmates. I know Yumeto is not the culprit. Please don't die. I pray from the bottom of my heart that Yumeto is safe.]
"...Mom is sick."
"Is it a very bad sick?"
"I wonder if it's a mental illness. My father, who was working away from home, got caught up in the king's game in Hokkaido and died. I think it's because of that."
"King's game...…"
"Yeah. Mom was told by the police that my father was dead, and she collapsed. Then she fell ill and she's recovering at our granpa home now."
Yumeto looks up at the moon floating in the night sky.
"Actually, I was planning to take care of her with Grandpa. I hope she doesn't get worse from this."
"That's right. If Yumeto dies, I'm sure your mother will be sad."
"Yes..."
In Yumeto's mind, the image of his mother, who was worried about him, emerged.
....If my father died in the king's game and I died in the same way, my mother would surely not be able to bear it.
So I....
Yumeto's thoughts stopped at the sound of the door opening. Looking back, Miyauchi and Kawashima in protective clothing were in front of the door. The two stand side by side on the podium and look around at the students in the classroom.
"I have something to report to you."
I heard Miyauchi's voice from inside the protective clothing.
"Report? What is it?"
Iwamoto asked with a weary face.
"You haven't found the king yet, have you?"
"Yes, but the suspect has been found."
At those words, the classroom erupted.
"Hey! Who are they? Who's the suspect?"
Seiichiro rushes to the podium.
"They're the one who got us into the King's Game, right?"
"It is not decided that it is absolutely."
"Even so, tell us too! We are the parties involved!"
"....Yes. It would be good for everyone to know."
After Miyauchi glanced at Kawashima, he continued.
"The suspect's name is Sousuke Kido."
"Is Sousuke the suspect?"
"Yes. You said Sousuke Kido didn't come to school, but he wasn't at home either. Besides, we found traces of his searching for information on the Keldo Virus and Nano Queen on the computer he was using."
"Then it's decided, isn't it?"
Seiichiro's voice grew louder.
"He didn't have any friends, and he had a dark personality. And..."
"Is there a possibility that he resent the class because you were bullying him?"
"..No, no, that's not the case."
Miyauchi let out a sigh at Seiichiro's mumbling mouth.
"Anyway, we're looking for Sousuke Kido. It's not a coincidence that he disappeared on the day the King's Game started."
"So there's no king in here?"
Iwamoto asked Miyauchi a question.
"Originally, I also thought that this possibility was low. If there is a king among you , you will be infected with the Keldo virus yourself"
After hearing Miyauchi's story, the students started making a fuss.
"Sousuke is the king, are you serious?"
"I don't know. We haven't talked much."
"But he was looking into the Keldo virus on his computer, right? If that's the case, then he's definitely the king."
"No, I've done some research on Keldo virus and Nano Queen too. There's no one in Japan who isn't interested in that."
"But, except for Sousuke-kun, everyone is infected with the Keldo virus, right?
"Please calm down."
Kawashima, who was beside Miyauchi, let out a calm voice.
"Still, Sousuke Kido is not necessarily the culprit. he's just a suspect."
"It doesn't matter if he's a suspect, so hurry up and catch him!"
Yohei approaches Kawashima with a tearful face.
"If the king is not caught, another order will come!"
"I understand. We are also working tirelessly to continue the investigation."
"Seriously, please. At this rate, we're going crazy."
Yohei's words touched Yumeto's heart.
....You're right. We are break down every time we receive an order from the King's game. The death of a classmate becomes a matter of course, and our emotions are lost gradually.
Suddenly feeling nauseous, Yumeto covered his mouth with both hands.
.............
[October 31 (Sunday) 12:00 pm.]
At 12 o'clock, the ring tone of the email rang in the classroom. With a pale face, Yumeto checked the screen of the smartphone in his hand. The king's game mail was displayed on the LCD screen.
[10/31 12:00 pm. ]
Sender: King
Subject: King's Game
Text: This is the King's game played by Akaikeyama High School 2nd grade class A students and their homeroom teacher Kazuyuki Iwamoto.
The King's orders are absolute, so be sure to obey them.
*Withdrawal is not permitted.
*Order 3: Narumi Makimura, Souta Kanzuka, and Yumeto Sasayama become demons, and after 10 minutes the whole class starts playing tag game. The tag game ends when three people are caught. Punish the three people who were caught. If you can't catch 3 people within 24 hours, punish the demon. END]
"...I'm a demon?"
Yumeto checked the contents of the email again.
....With this order, the three of them will definitely be punished. The demons, or the others who were captured. Or both.....
When I looked up, I met the eyes of Miki, the vice-chairman who was sitting in front of me. Miki let out a short scream and stood up from her chair. That was the signal. My classmates grimaced and rushed to the door.
"R...Run away! If they catch you, you'll die."
"But where are you running to?"
"Anywhere! Anyway, get away from here!"
The number of students in the classroom is steadily decreasing.
"Yumeto... kun..."
Yuna, who was sitting next to him, called out to Yumeto.
"What are you going to do? This order..."
"You should run away"
"Eh?"
"That's right!, run away! I have no intention of catching you, but I don't know about the other two."
Yumeto looked at the time displayed on his smartphone.
"There's seven minutes left and the tag game will begins. I don't want you to be punished!"
"...I understood"
Putting her face close to Yumeto's ear, Yuna moved her mouth.
"...That's why"
When Yuna leaves the classroom, the only ones left are Yumeto, Narumi, and Souta Kanzuka from Seiichiro's group.
"Um...ah..."
Souta approached Yumeto with an innocent smile.
"This is the first time we've talked, isn't it, Yumeto-kun?"
"I agree."
Yumeto stares at Souta in front of him.
....Souta-kun, who Fuka-san said he was dangerous yesterday? He looks like a junior high school student, but there's something about him that makes me feel different.
Souta fluttered his clear double eyelids and peered into Yumeto's face.
"Hmm? Are you on guard?"
"Well, I heard that Souta-kun is in Seiichiro-kun's group."
"Ah ha...ha. It's true that I often act with Seiichiro-kun and the others, but you're not afraid of us, are you?"
A soft voice that hasn't changed yet reaches Yumeto's ears.
"Because you didn't take a step back against that Ryuji-kun. You're not the type to be the target of bullying who appearance is delicate and weak."
"It's the same for you, isn't it? You're short and I don't think you have the strength."
"Ah...you mean that? About that i think...."
Souta's lips protrude slightly.
"Well...now is not the time to talk about such things."
"That's right"
Narumi interrupted Yumeto and Souta's conversation.
"We've become demons in a tag game. We have to catch the three of them somehow."
"Are you going to catch them?"
At Yumeto's question, Narumi raised her eyebrows.
"Of course. Or do you want to die, Yumeto-kun?"
"I don't want to die, but anyone we catch will die."
"What are you talking about now? Didn't Yumeto vote for Ryuji in the order just now? And he, Ryuji, was punished and died. You're already killing people. "
"......."
"It's okay, Narumi-san."
Souta started speaking in place of Yumeto who was silent.
"Yumeto-kun is discriminating against his classmates."
"Discrimination?"
"Yeah. It seems that Ryuji-kun has threatened Yumeto-kun, and it's because of that personality. Didn't you think it was okay to kill him?"
"... Well, it's only natural that Ryuji should be killed. Or rather, because of your group, even we got caught up in the king's game. Really, it's the worst."
"That's not confirmed yet."
"Huh? Didn't we start playing the king's game in revenge for Sousuke's bullying?"
Souta sat down on a nearby desk.
"Certainly, there was a time when we were bullying Sousuke-kun. Because of that, Sousuke-kun might hold a grudge against us. But the sentences written on that piece of paper don't look like Sousuke-kun."
"Don't look like Sousuke-kun?"
"Yeah. After all, Sousuke-kun and Tomoki-kun shouldn't have gotten along that well. We once threw water on Tomoki-kun in the men's restroom together too."
"Did that happen?"
"Well, I think there was some excitement on the spot. However, I don't think it's human behavior to start a King's Game for Tomoki-kun's revenge."
"But it's the same for everyone else, isn't it?"
Narumi crosses her arm with a grumpy face.
"Well, that's a digression, Right now, clearing the King's Game is my top priority over finding the culprit."
"It's not that difficult to clear."
"Is that so?
"Yeah, running away is a disadvantage. After all, you can't leave the school grounds, can you?"
"Ah...I see. The police are surrounding you, so you can't escape to town."
"Yeah. You can escape to the mountain above the school, but it's a small mountain. I don't think there are that many places to hide."
"Then it's more likely that you're hiding in the school grounds, then...."
Narumi puts her hand to her mouth and thinks.
"...Hey, I have a little suggestion."
"What's your suggestion?"
"It's about, protecting each other's friends"
Narumi looked at Yumeto and Souta alternately.
"This order seems to be easy for us to clear. In that case, wouldn't it be nice to protect your comrades?"
"In other words, you can't catch Wakaba-san, Iori-san, and Hisashi-kun from Narumi-san's group, right?"
Narumi shook her head at Souta's words.
"That's right. In exchange, I won't catch Seiichiro and the others either."
"I see. That's not bad either. If you think about the possibility that the King's Game will continue, you should leave your companions."
"Right? The police are unreliable. In the end, we got the order this time too"
"...Understood. I'll go along with that suggestion. Whoever you want to catch is fine."
"Well, it's decided."
Narumi clapped her hands together and looked at Yumeto.
"What are you going to do? Yumeto-kun?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. You just transferred to another school, but don't you have a classmate you want to protect?"
"The classmate I want to protect..."
The image of Yuna popped into Yumeto's mind.
"... Do you want to help Yuna-san and Yohei-kun?"
"Heh...., Yuna. Is this the girl that Yumeto-kun likes?"
"It's not like that. It's just that Yuna-san and Yohei-kun, we were sitting close to each other and talked a lot."
"Hmm. If you had chosen Yuna because of her looks, I think I would have been a bit shocked."
Narumi's expression changed. Her eyes are moist and her tongue, visible through her half-open lips, moves like a living creature. Yumeto's heart skipped a beat as he felt a gaze that seemed to entangle him. He didn't have any particular feelings for Narumi, but he could feel his face heating up.
"...Why is Narumi-san shocked? You're not interested in me, are you?"
"Huh? Not really. I thought it was cool to see you evenly competing with Ryuji."
Narumi grabbed Yumeto's hand with both of her hands.
"It was wonderful to see you sticking to your will without being servile, even against opponents that he couldn't beat with power."
"Yumeto-kun, be careful."
Souta taps Yumeto on the back.
"Because Narumi-san is the queen of the class. She might tempting you as anytime disposable soldier."
"Horrible! I never thought of that."
Narumi pouted her lips and complained about that to Souta.
"It's purely because I like Yumeto-kun."
"I don't think so.... Uh, it's about time."
Souta turned his gaze to the clock hanging on the wall of the classroom.
"Then it's conclude about the contract. We won't catch Narumi's group, Seiichiro's group, Yuna, and Yohei."
"Roger that! So, the hunt is begins."
Narumi's lips turned into a bow like a crescent moon.
...................
[October 31 (Sunday) 01:18 pm]
After parting ways with Souta and the others, Yumeto was walking down the corridor. There are no people in his sight, only the sound of his own footsteps. When he looks out the window, he feel empty. It seems like everyone is hiding somewhere.
"it's obvious, isn't it..."
Narumi's proposal may have been passed on to the students in Narumi and Seiichiro's group, but for the fleeing side, the information from the demon, even if it's a friend, can't be blindly trusted.
"I don't like this order."
Yumeto muttered quietly.
.....The previous order is to vote, but this time it's an order that everyone fights over among them. I feel that the king's purpose is not to kill us, but to make us fight each other.
Yumeto remembers the image of Sousuke he saw on the first day of his transfer. He was shorter than Yumeto, and his bangs were attached around his eyebrows. My impression of him was that he seemed like any other schoolboy.
....If Sousuke-kun is the king, we can't do anything because we can't leave school. I have no choice but to leave it to the police, but it should be difficult to catch him if he threaten to spread the Keldo virus. Ultimately, even if the perpetrator is known, the chances of the case being solved are low.
"No, now I have to think about this orders..."
He shook his head left and right and opened the science room door on the second floor. There are no people inside. Yumeto slipped through the large desk and headed for the science preparation room.
When I opened the door, I found a row of metal shelves in a dimly lit room. Inside the shelves are beakers, microscopes, and other equipment used in experiments. Along the back wall, posters used in class are rolled up in cardboard boxes.
"Yuna-san, are you there?"
When Yumeto muttered in a low voice, the cardboard box containing the poster moved and Yuna's face appeared.
"Yumeto-kun!"
Yuna tried to approach him but Yumeto stopped her with his right hand.
"You shouldn't come near me. The meaning of catching in a tag game can be just a touch."
"I see."
Yuna takes a step back.
"So, how are things going with Narumi-san and the others?"
"I think They're looking for everyone by now."
"...It can't be helped, right? If you don't catch someone, Narumi-san and the others will be punished."
"But I don't think Yuna-san and Yohei-kun will be caught."
"Huh? Why?"
"We told each other who we didn't want them to be caught. Narumi-san and Souta-kun picked from their own groups. And I said Yuna-san and Yohei-kun's names."
Yumeto's eyebrows wrinkled.
"I don't know if it will be like that to the last minute, but I think you will be fine in the beginning."
"Then, the target is the chairman's group or those who are not in the group, right?"
"Yeah. Chasing is overwhelmingly advantageous."
"...There is no way to save everyone....."
Yuna whispered in a low voice.
"What are you going to do, Yumeto-kun?"
"I'll wait until the last minute, hoping that the police will catch the King within 24 hours or do something about the Keldo virus. But..."
For a moment, Yumeto's words stopped.
"If that's not possible, I think I will catch someone."
Startled, Yuna's body trembled.
"Are you really going to catch them?"
"...…Yeah. Because I don't want to die."
"Yeah. No one wants to die. No one..."
"Yuna-san?"
Yuna was crying. Tears spilled out of her big eyes.
"Why...why do we have to go through something like this?"
"..."
Yumeto tries to get close to Yuna, but he immediately stops.
"I don't know either. But I'm pretty sure the king hates the students in our class.
"Sousuke-kun?"
"Sousuke-kun isn't necessarily the king, though. However, I think they're definitely someone related to our class. Probably someone who had something to do with Tomoki-kun who committed suicide."
"You say they're related. So, are they friends?"
Yuna wiped her tears from her eyes.
"But I don't think Tomoki-kun had any friends. He often acted alone. At least the conversation was like the same with everyone else."
"The people who bullying Tomoki-kun were Seiichiro-kun's group, right?"
"Yeah. I think Seiichiro-kun and Ryuji-kun played a central role in bullying him."
"Was there anyone who tried to stop the bullying at that time?"
"Do you mean that person is suspicious?"
"It's not as suspicious, but it's true that they tried to help Tomoki-kun."
"... I think the chairman, Hideyuki-kun, and the vice chairman, Miki-san, often stopped them. Also, there were a lot of people from the chairman's group, like Hinako-san and Takeshi-kun. Yohei-kun is also like kind of joking, but he once protected Tomoki-kun. Even so, the person who helped Tomoki-kun the most was someone else."
"Who are they?"
"It's me."
Yuna's eyes looked straight at Yumeto.
"I think I was the one protecting Tomoki-kun the most."
"..."
In the dark science preparation room, Yuna's eyes seemed to shine, and Yumeto's throat moved.
......................