............
[Monday, November 1, 07:28 am]
"A little more than four hours, huh?"
"Why are you acting like it's someone else's business?"
In the classroom where the morning sun shines, Narumi pokes Yumeto's chest with her index finger.
"What do you mean you haven't caught a single one yet? There must be a lot of prey, right? What the hell have you been doing all this time?"
"For the time being, I checked inside the school. Staff room, infirmary room, and science room."
"So you didn't see anyone?"
"No, I saw a few. Was that...um....Junichi Takeoka and Noa Shimizu?"
Yumeto pointed to the gymnasium that he could see through the window.
"I think they saw me and fled towards the gym. It was over an hour ago, so I don't think they were there anymore."
"...What's that? You're not going to catch them at all, are you? And even Souta-kun."
Narumi glared at Souta, who was stuffing his mouth with the sandwiches provided.
"What is 'clearing is not that difficult'? If this continues, we will be punished, you know?"
"Hmm... I'm sorry, sorry."
Souta swallowed his sandwich and smiled.
"No, everyone is surprisingly cautious, isn't it? Iwamoto-sensei is well hidden, and the chairman's group seems to have taken refuge in the mountains. I'm sure Hideyuki-kun is the one who's organizing them. As expected of a genius."
"You expected them to run into the mountains, didn't you? Why didn't you go to the mountains to catch them?"
"Well, I don't want to go into the mountains as much as possible. Besides, I get sleepy at night. I get sick if I don't sleep for eight hours."
"...Huh. Really, that's too little sense of danger."
Narumi's neat eyebrows lifted.
"Are you two going to die like this?"
"No, I don't think so. But it's unfair that we're the only ones to be blamed. Even Narumi-san hasn't caught anyone."
"Well, I'm a girl, so there's no way I can catch a boy in a tag game!"
"There are girls too, right? Narumi-san is also good at sports, so if she's aiming for that, she'll be an easy winner."
Souta looked at Narumi's legs that stretched out.
"I mean, maybe you can catch a boy too, right?"
"Souta-kun, don't be so unreasonable!"
"It's not unreasonable. I just know what you're thinking."
"My thoughts?"
Narumi's eyes narrowed like her cat's eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"Are you trying to get us to kill your classmates so you don't get your hands dirty?"
Souta smiles, showing his white teeth.
"It doesn't seem like it's a crime to kill someone on the King's game's orders, but that's still a bad reputation. Especially since you probably care about that too"
"...You knew that, so you didn't catch everyone?"
"Maybe that too."
Souta's gaze shifts to Yumeto.
"Yumeto-kun, you seem to be worried about whether or not you will catch your classmate."
"That's not true."
Yumeto answered with a squeezed voice.
"Because I don't want to die."
"But you don't want to kill your classmates either."
"..."
"You voted for Ryuji-kun, but now you're worried."
"I don't want to treat everyone equally in King's game."
"In that case, you should catch them quickly. There are a lot of classmates with whom you have little contact, right?"
"I know!"
"Do you really understand?"
Souta peered into Yumeto's face, which voice turned into a strong tone.
"I get the feeling that Yumeto is just a mouthful. After all, you have no intention of catching your classmates.".
"No! I'm..."
"See?, you're lost in thought again. Take it easy. It's just a game."
"A game?"
"That's right. It's a game where you risk your life."
Souta picks up the plastic bottle that was on his desk.
"I don't know who the king is, but I am grateful to them."
"Grateful...Do you really mean that?"
"Oh, It's not just about living a long life. It's important how you live your life."
"A life that gets caught up in the king's game is wonderful?"
"I won't go into that, but death game movies and manga are popular, aren't they? It seems that they enjoy imagining what they would do if they were involved."
"Because it's fiction. When you can die like this, you can't have fun."
"No, no, I'm excited because I might die."
"Excited..."
Yumeto's mouth is half open. It was as if the boy in front of him who looked like a junior high school student had transformed into something eerie.
Souta touches Yumeto's arm, whose face turned pale.
"Don't look so strange. Everyone has their own ideas, right? Because even those who are running away are trying to kill us."
"Kill us?"
"Yes. They know that if we don't catch any of them, we will be punished and die. And yet they are running away. I don't blame them for doing that. But when we'll try to catch them, you can't blame us, can you?"
"That is…."
Narumi clicked her tongue beside Yumeto, who had become silent.
"Yumeto-kun is also useless, so in the end, I have no choice but to do it too."
Narumi takes out a smart phone from her bag and starts working with it.
"What are you doing, Narumi-san?"
"It's decided, isn't it? Action to survive."
A pink tongue crawled across her plump lips.
.........…
A few minutes later, the classroom door opened and a chubby boy appeared. The boy gasped and called out to Narumi.
"Narumi-san! You're alone."
"Yeah. Shirou-kun, you came."
Narumi called the boy's name. Narumi's voice had a feeling of anxiety mixed in it, unlike her tone just before now.
"I'm glad. I wanted to see Shirou-kun one last time."
"Oh, me?"
Shiro's plump cheeks turned red.
"But ... in the end..."
"You know that, right? With this order, we haven't captured anyone. Neither Souta nor Yumeto seem to have much of a desire to capture their classmates."
Narumi glanced at Yumeto.
"Of course, so am I. I can't stand that my classmates are being punished because of me."
Seeing Narumi shaking her body little by little, Souta chuckled.
"As expected of her, Narumi-san."
Souta whispered in Yumeto's ear.
"What do you mean by as expected?"
"You can tell just by looking at it, Yumeto-kun."
Yumeto and Souta hid behind their desks and watched Narumi in front of the podium. Narumi's eyes are moist and she's holding her hands together on her chest.
"Shiro-kun, I want only you to survive this king's game."
"..... Narumi-san"
"Ah, don't come any closer!"
Narumi shakes her head left and right when Shiro tries to approach her.
"You know the contents of the order, right? If you touch me, Shirou-kun may be punished."
"Ah...."
Shirou stopped moving his body.
"No way... Then, I can't touch Narumi-san?"
"Yeah. It's impossible."
Narumi's eyes filled with tears.
"I finally realized that I like Shirou-kun."
"Narumi-san..."
"I'm sorry. I suddenly saying a surprised thing, right?
"Uh... yeah. I thought Narumi-san didn't like me."
Shiro looks down at Narumi.
"I'm fat, and I'm not good at studying or exercising...."
"It doesn't matter! Shirou-kun is kind, and if he were my lover, I'm sure he would take good care of me."
"Of course! I can do anything for Narumi-san."
"...But we can't be lovers. Because in three hours, I'll be punished and die."
Narumi smiles awkwardly with tears in her eyes.
"I think I can't be help but die. But I have regrets."
"Regret?"
"Yeah. I wanted to kiss Shirou-kun for the last time."
"K-kiss?"
Shiro's face turns red like a ripe tomato.
"Kiss, ku...mouth to mouth like that?"
"...Yeah. But I can't. If you touch me, Shirou-kun will be punished."
"Ah...."
"I'm sorry for saying something strange. I should be happy just to see Shirou-kun at the end."
"Narumi-san..."
"Now go! I don't want the person I love to see me die."
Narumi puts her fingers together on her chest.
"Goodbye, Shirou-kun."
"W...Wait!"
Shirou shouted in a hoarse voice.
"Narumi-san, catch me!"
"Huh? Catch you?"
"Yeah. That way, Narumi-san won't have to die."
"But then, Shirou-kun..."
"I'm fine. If I can die for Narumi-san, it's my wish."
"…Will you really die for me?"
At Narumi's question, Shiro shook his head up and down several times.
"Yeah. It's a man's job to protect the girl he likes."
"Shiro-kun....."
Narumi slowly approaches Shirou. Shiro didn't move from his spot. He stares at Narumi in front of him with mesmerizing eyes.
"I love you, Shiro-kun."
Saying so, Narumi puts her lips to Shirou's and wraps her hands around his back. At that moment, Shirou's body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.
"Ah....."
With both eyes wide open, Shiro leans back. His reddened cheeks turned white, and an anguished expression emerged.
"Na...Narumi...I love....you..."
Shirou fell on his back to the floor, still holding his left chest with his right hand.
"Shiro....kun?"
Shirou didn't respond to Narumi's voice. His eyes are open, he is staring at the ceiling and does not seem to be breathing.
Souta approaches the collapsed Shiro, and he looks into his face.
"...It looks like he's dead. This time it's like punishment for a heart attack."
"Seem like it."
Narumi wipes her lips with the back of her hand while looking down at Shirou's corpse.
"...…It was my first time, but I wonder if it's feel like this."
"Hmm? Is it about your first kiss?"
"...kill people...."
The edge of Narumi's lips lifted tightly.
"Shiro-kun was a really nice person. He died for me."
"Did you have romantic feelings? You said you liked him earlier."
"Are you kidding! There's someone else who I like."
"Heh..., who are they?"
"Myself."
Narumi brushes her brown hair.
"I like myself, for my looks and my personality. It would be great if I could live forever at this young age."
"Far from living forever, if you're unlucky, you'll die in a few hours."
"Then, we're acting someting so that it doesn't happen!"
Narumi's gaze shifted to Yumeto.
"Well, I've cleared the quota properly. Now it's your turn to kill them."
"Turn to kill..."
"Yes. I won't forgive you for not getting your hands dirty. Yumeto and Souta are responsible for catching the other two."
"..."
Narumi's words stiffened Yumeto's expression.
..................
[Monday, November 1, 10:40 am]
Yumeto opened the door to the classroom on the fourth floor. It was used as a storeroom, and the signboards and props that had been used for cultural festivals in the past were scattered around. Light shines through the gaps in the piled desks by the window, making the dust floating in the air sparkle.
"I don't think you're hiding in a place like this."
With a sigh, slip through the cardboard props.
"And even if I find someone....."
...Will I be able to catch them? Right in front of me.....
"No....there is no choice but to catch them! What are you worrying about now!"
Hitting his cheek with both hands, Yumeto shouted.
"I will definitely survive!"
At that moment, the black cloth hanging on the stacked desks moved slightly. Yumeto's body started to move.
"...Who is there?"
No one answers Yumeto's called.
Yumeto slowly approached the desk and brushed off the black cloth with one hand.
"Ah....."
Fuka was under the desk. Fuka, still holding the utility knife, was glaring at Yumeto like a cornered cat.
"Don't come any closer!"
I can hear the ticking and the sound of extending the blade of the cutter knife.
"If you get close, I'll use this. Don't complain if you get hurt!"
"..."
"What! You didn't even want to talk? You used to talking properly when you were with Yuna."
"... You should run to the mountains."
"Eh..."
"If It's a mountain, it's will harder to find."
Yumeto took a step back.
"Perhaps Narumi-san doesn't want to catch you anymore. Souta-kun must be trying to catch the people inside the school. He didn't seem to want to go into the mountains."
"...What do you mean?"
Fuka crawled out from under the desk, still holding the utility knife.
"Why aren't you trying to catch me? You haven't cleared the order yet, have you?"
"Yes. Also, if we don't catch another two, we demons will be punished."
"Then, why?"
"I discriminate against my classmates."
"Discrimination?"
"Yeah. Apparently, I don't want you to dead."
With a wry smile, Yuuto shrugged his shoulders.
"That's why I'm looking for another classmate."
"Wait a minute! Why are you letting me go?"
Fuka's eyebrows lifted.
"I only talked to Yumeto once, right? And yet you still miss this chance? Even your life is at stake?"
"I don't really understand it myself, but if I dare say it, it's because your words."
"My words?"
"When I talked to you, Fuka-san said, 'I will do whatever I can to survive' right?"
"...So what?"
"At that time, you had a scary face. I could see the feeling of trying to survive even if it meant sacrificing your classmates."
Yumeto's line of sight shifted to Fuka's cutter knife.
"Even now, yes. You're desperately trying to survive."
"Of course! I don't want to die."
"But you still don't really want to fight with your classmates, Don't you think so?"
"..."
"I feel like that feeling is strong for Fuka-san. I don't want to catch someone like that."
Yumeto turned his back on Fuka and headed for the door.
"Be careful when you leave here. I missed you like this, but it will be useless if you get caught in end."
"Yumeto-kun..."
He heard Fuka's voice behind him, but Yumeto ignored it and went out into the hallway.
.................
[Monday, November 1, 11:13 am]
As soon as I went down the stairs, I saw a female student. The female student must have noticed Yumeto, her eyes wide open. Yumeto realizes that the girl student is Noa Shimizu.
"....Eh…eh! "
Noa twisted her face in terror and ran down in hallway. Instinctively, Yumeto follows after her. Yumeto's legs slowed down when he saw the back of Noa desperately running away.
...What are you going to do after chasing her? Are you really going to catch Noa-san?
Yumeto never talked to Noa. She was seen running away with Junichi Takeoka in the morning, but she was alone now. Still, I was hesitant to catch her.
...Noah did nothing wrong. She's just herself, she's just running away from the demon servants. She desperately wants to live.
Before I knew it, Yumeto's legs stopped. In the middle of the corridor, I look at Noa's back as she runs away.
At that moment, Souta appeared as if to block Noa's escape route. Noa's legs stop perfectly.
"Finally, I found them."
With an innocent smile, Souta approaches Noa.
"There wasn't much time left, so I was a little impatient. Well, I'm glad."
"H...help me, Souta-kun. We're classmates, right?"
Souta shook his head from side to side at Noa's tearful face.
"I can't do that. We both have our lives at stake."
"Ugh..."
"Well, you lost the game. Even though it's a tag game, I can't believe you're in a place like this"
"No! Someone help me!"
Turning her back on Souta, Noa starts running. After that, Souta chased after her with a smile. In the blink of an eye, the gap between the two narrowed, and Souta's hand touched Noa's back.
"Yep, I caught you."
"Ah...."
Noa's face contorted in pain. She's gagged and both of her knees are broken, and she falls face down on the spot. Seeing her like that, Souta smiled.
"With this, I have cleared my quota."
Souta approached the dumbfounded Yumeto.
"Yumeto-kun, that was a nice assist. Thanks to you chasing Noa-san from the other side, I was able to catch her."
"…...Me?"
Yumeto stares at Noa, who is lying face down. Noa has already died, she doesn't even move.
"Noa-san....."
"Hmm? Yumeto-kun and Noa-san haven't talked much, right?"
"...Yeah. I only said hello on the first day of my transfer, but...."
"Then why are you making such a sad face? By catching Noa-san, the chances of you being saved have increased."
Souta makes a strange face.
"Ah... Maybe you was in love with Noa-san? But it's impossible i think, Because Noa had a boyfriend in same classmate, he....."
Suddenly, there was a noise behind Yumeto. When he turned around, his classmate Junichi Takeoka was standing there with a pale face.
"...Noa..."
Junichi stumbles over to Noa.
"Hey, Noa. What's wrong? Wake up."
"She's already dead." Souta said.
"The punishment for this King's Game is a heart attack."
"A heart attack...isn't that a lie?"
Junichi lifts up Noa's body.
"Hey, Noa. You're not dead, are you? You're just unconscious, aren't you?"
Noa's neck is snapped and her parched tongue sticks out of her open mouth.
"No..Noa..."
Junichi's body began to tremble, and tears fell from his eyes.
"Why…why is Noa dying....Ahhh...!"
Seeing Junichi crying, Souta's eyes shone. He lifts the corners of his lips like a child with a prank.
"Well, that's unfortunate. Noa-san managed to run away, but because Yumeto-kun was faster of her."
"Souta-kun, what are you saying!"
Towards Yumeto, who was trying to refuse, Souta continues his words.
"Well, you don't have to apologize so much. Noa-san should be caught by Yumeto-kun because you don't have anything to do with it. Even if Noa-san gets punished because of that, it's not Yumeto-kun's fault."
"Yumeto....You killed Noa?"
Junichi looked at Yumeto with bright red eyes.
"You..."
"No, I'm..."
"Aaaaaaah!"
Junichi screamed as he tackled Yumeto.
"You, you killed Noa!"
While riding a him, Junichi punched Yumeto in the face. The floor hits the back of his head, and Yumeto's vision turns white.
"I'll kill you! I kill you even i will die!"
Junichi's hands strangle Yumeto's neck. Yumeto's face contorted in pain. In his blurred vision, he could see Junichi's face, which was red with anger. Junichi keeps strangling Yumeto while shedding tears.
"Die, die, die, die!"
"Gah.....uh....."
Yumeto's eyes turn red, and his consciousness fades away. His hand, which was slightly trembling, grabbed Junichi's wrist, but he didn't have the strength to pull it off.
"Apologize! Apologize to Noa and die! And..."
Suddenly, the force that was strangling him become lower. Yumeto opened his mouth wide and took in his breath. He coughs at the air that rushes in and looks at Junichi who was above him.
Junichi stood still, still holding his left breast. His eyes stare into space without blinking. Before long, Junichi's body tilted and fell sideways next to Yumeto.
"Ah....."
Yumeto sat up and stared at his hands. His hand that grabbed Junichi's wrist...
"I....caught Junichi?"
"It looks like it."
Souta squatted down in front of Junichi.
"Whereever you touch it, you get caught. Well, according to the rules of tag game, isn't it?"
"I see..."
Tears welled up in Junichi's eyes, who was lying down next to him. The tears slowly run down his cheeks and wet the floor.
"Well, with this, we, the demons, have cleared the order."
"...Souta-kun"
"Hmm, just now? It's fine, Noa was running away from you and she was caught by me and she was dead. First of all, no one cares anymore who will get caught. "
Souta tapped Junichi's forehead with his index finger.
"Besides, I thought you should clear your quota too. Isn't it unfair that only me and Narumi-san become murderers?"
"Murderer... huh?"
"Don't worry. It won't be a crime anyway."
"That's not what I care about."
Yumeto takes a deep breath and touches Junichi's body.
"Souta-kun, can you help me? I have to take Junichi-kun and Noa-san to the school gate."
"Take them... hey, even if you leave it here, the police will deal with it later, right?"
"Everyone can see it here. No one wants to see their classmates dead."
"I think I've gotten used to it."
Shrugging his shoulders, Souta let out a sigh.
"This is the 7th classmate who died. The rest is um..... Since Sousuke-kun isn't here. It's remain 24 students and Iwamoto-sensei, right?"
"Seven dead..."
"I don't think we'll end up with just 7 people though. I don't think there is a king among the dead students, and the king's game will continue."
Yumeto bit his lip hard at Souta's words.
............