..............
[November 3 (Wednesday) 02:24 pm.]
When Yumeto and Hinako entered the gymnasium, Souta appeared from behind the curtain. Souta waved his right hand as he rushed over to Yumeto and the others.
"Hey, it looks like you touched the stone pillar safely. How did you find it?"
"... Wakaba-san gave me a fragment of a stone pillar."
Yumeto's voice becomes lower.
"Because of that, Wakaba-san was killed by Satoshi-kun from your group."
"I see. So that's what it was. And you helped other people too. You did something stupid."
"Something stupid?"
"Yeah. If the king was in Hideyuki's group, we might not have received this order.
"Are you willing to sacrifice other students for that?"
"Didn't I tell you before? It will fewer casualties that way."
Hinako glanced at Souta.
"Hey, why don't you just stop gossip about it? Right now, Iwamoto-sensei is more of a problem than that."
"..... Sakura-san and Yoji-kun were killed."
"Hmm, Yoji-kun was also killed? He said he was going to get food, so I was wondering"
"What about Seiichiro-kun?"
"He was in a different place when the order came this time, so I couldn't join him. He may have already fled to Mt. Akaikeyama. It's safer in the mountains."
"If it's not sure, is it dangerous to contact them with a smartphone or mobile phone?"
"I think that careless people who don't put on silent mode in such a situation can die."
Shrugging his shoulders, Souta sighs.
"So, how do you plan to handle this situation, Yumeto-kun?"
"We have no choice but to catch Iwamoto-sensei and restrain him. Otherwise, three more students will die."
"Restrain him...huh. Rather than detaining him, wouldn't it be better to kill him? Anyway, if he can't fulfill the order, Iwamoto-sensei will be punished and die.There's no longer any possibility that the police will catch the king."
"That is....."
Yumeto mutters and moves his mouth.
...Certainly, to restrain Iwamoto-sensei means to punish him. Iwamoto-sensei, who cannot complete the order, will die either way. But....
".... No, it's better not to kill him. The police may have stopped investigating, but the country should continue researching the Keldo virus. If they can create antibodies, The king's threats will become meaningless."
"The antibody will be ready in a little over 20 hours? That's an optimistic outlook."
With an astonished face, Souta let out a sigh.
"Whatever, In order to stop Iwamoto-sensei, all the students should cooperate now."
"Were you still able to cooperate with what happened in previous order like that?"
"Well, let's just forget about the past. Besides, Seiichiro-kun and Satoshi-kun are the only people who can stop Iwamoto-sensei. Oh, and Tokisada-kun"
"Satoshi-kun is so skinny that he can't compete with PE's Iwamoto-sensei, right?"
Yumeto recalled Satoshi's face and frowned.
"Even if you can kill a weak girl, I don't think you can kill Iwamoto-sensei, who has a good physique."
"Yumeto-kun, you shouldn't underestimate Satoshi-kun too much. Satoshi-kun has no remorse for killing people. You know that, don't you?"
"Remorse for killing....?"
"I think Yumeto-kun should also prepare himself. Thinking that you wants to help everyone as much as possible, you're just on the dying side"
Souta lightly taps Yumeto's arm, who has become silent.
"For now, let's do something about Iwamoto-sensei!"
.................
[November 3 (Wednesday) 03:12 pm]
Yumeto was heading to the back gate alone, hiding behind the trunk of a konara oak tree. There was no sign of anyone around him, and the wind swayed the branches and leaves above his head. In Yumeto's mind, the conversation he had with Souta several tens of minutes ago replayed.
[ Yumeto-kun, please guide Iwamoto-sensei to the clubroom building.]
[ Club room building?]
[ Yes. After entering the clubroom building, enter the room on the far right and exit through the window in the back.]
[ A strategy to trap Iwamoto-sensei is in there?]
[ Such that. The windows in that room have warped rails and can only be opened halfway. With Yumeto-kun's delicate physique, you should be able to get away with it, but Iwamoto-sensei won't be able to do it.]
[ What about the door? Even if you lock it, you can open it from inside, right?]
[ I'll do something about that. I have a secret weapon.]
[ What's your secret weapon?]
[ It's about having fun.]
Saying that, Souta stuck out his pink tongue.
Although he didn't fully trust Souta, Yumeto decided to help him with his plan. I am in danger too with Souta's plan, but now I have to do something about Iwamoto-sensei.
Thinking about his friends hiding somewhere, Yumeto clenched his fists. When he saw the back gate, he felt the temperature drop around him.
He has the eerie feeling of hundreds of tiny bugs scurrying down his spine.
...I sense that Iwamoto-sensei is nearby. After all, he is targeting students who want to escape to Mt. Akaikeyama.
Yumeto lowers his posture and walks along the wall of the school building. His breathing ragged and sweat beaded on his forehead. The sound of his own breathing reaches his ears.
With 10 meters remaining to the back gate, Iwamoto emerged from the bushes on the other side of the gate. Iwamoto approached Yumeto with his sunken eyes shining. In his hand, he was holding a hammer that he had stolen from Yoji.
"Yumeto, after all, you're out of luck. Even though you have nothing to do with Tomoki, you still get caught up in the king's game and end up being killed by me?."
"Iwamoto-sensei! Please stop!"
Yumeto yelled as he stepped back.
"Even if you don't clear the king's order, there is a possibility that Iwamoto-sensei will be saved."
"Are you trying to say that the country will do something about it?"
"That's right! If they can develop antibodies to the Keldo virus that we are infected with, we won't have to obey orders. Then everyone will be saved."
"So you're asking me to wait until the last minute to kill the students? So what if they don't develop antibodies? Will you take responsibility and be killed?"
"That is..."
"You can't do it. After all, everyone's life comes first. That's why I'll kill you guys for myself."
"Is it okay to make such a choice?"
"It's true, my actions aren't praiseworthy. I killed my student. However, it's better than being punished in the King's game. I'd do anything to not get that kind of punishment!"
"Kuh..."
Yumeto realizes that he can't persuade Iwamoto, and turns his back on him and starts running.
"Hey! Are you running away again?"
Ignoring Iwamoto's words, Yumeto ran with all his might. He turns the corner of the school building and runs past Konara's books. A few meters behind, Iwamoto chases after him.
"Yumeto, don't run away. Let's fight fair and square!"
"Are you..... kidding...!"
After passing through a narrow paved road, I could see the clubroom building. Yumeto entered the clubroom building without slowing down. At that moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back.
"Gu..."
Yumeto twisted his lips. It looks like he had a hammer thrown in his back. Still, Yumeto's legs didn't stopped and he wasn't there. He runs through a dimly lit hallway and escapes into the room on the far right. The room was filled with cardboard boxes stacked along the walls. It looks like it's packed with club-related materials.
Ahead of his gaze, he sees a small, dusty window. A cardboard box is placed in front of it, so that you can go outside immediately.
Yumeto puts his right foot on the cardboard box and jumps into it, sticking his upper body out of the window. Just as Yumeto was about to go outside, Iwamoto's hand grabbed Yumeto's ankle.
"Finally...I caught you."
Iwamoto lifts Yumeto's leg while breathing heavily.
"You're pretty fast. Alright! I'll give you a 'A' in physical education."
"...Didn't the teacher already quit?"
Yumeto kicks Iwamoto's chest with his grabbed leg. However, Iwamoto's body did not move even the slightest movement. Iwamoto smiled, showing his white teeth.
"Haha, that's right. Well, this is the last teacher's job."
Yumeto's body is pulled by a strong force.
"Guu!"
Yumeto puts his claws on the outer wall to resist, but Iwamoto's power is stronger.
"Yumeto, don't resist. Do like that is more painful. If you stay still, I'll kill you in an instant."
Hearing Iwamoto's words, the blood drained from Yumeto's face. Iwamoto would kill him without hesitation if he was dragged into the room. In an instant, the image of Sakura with her neck broken came to mind.
"That's right, Sensei."
Suddenly, a boy's voice was heard from behind Iwamoto. Yumeto and Iwamoto turned around at the same time. Ahead of his gaze was Souta's figure. he is standing in front of the door, Souta was holding a glass bottle filled with liquid.
The lid was stuffed with cloth, and the tip was emitting an orange flame.
Iwamoto's face turned pale.
"Souta, that can't be..."
"Yes. It's a Molotov cocktail. I drained gasoline from the teacher's car and made it. Oh, don't worry, the sake bottle was dropped on Mt. Akaikeyama. It would be a problem if a student brought alcohol to school."
Souta raised the molotov cocktail with a smile.
"Sensei, you should stay still. I think you'll die faster that way."
"No, stop!"
Ignoring Iwamoto's words, Souta threw the molotov cocktail. The molotov cocktail twirled and shattered at Iwamoto's feet. At that moment, flames enveloped Iwamoto's body.
"Guaaaaaaaaaa!"
Iwamoto let out a scream and released Yumeto's ankle. Yumeto kicks Iwamoto in the chest, which is engulfed in flames, and he jumps out in recoil. Yumeto raised his upper body while brushing the mud off the ground.
Flames were gushing out from the window of the room, and behind it was a black figure wielding both hands.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Mixed with the sound of burning flames, Iwamoto's screams reach Yumeto's ears.
"Gah... agh... ri..."
"Iwamoto-sensei..."
Yumeto approached the window he had jumped out of. Iwamoto was no longer visible, and black smoke was billowing out of the window. The flames must have spread to the surrounding cardboard boxes as well.
"I can't believe you're doing this..."
Yumeto's fingertips trembled as he remembered Souta's face as he threw the Molotov cocktail while laughing. He was able to escape from Iwamoto because of Souta, but he didn't feel like thanking him.
...Certainly, even if Iwamoto-sensei was confined in his room, he might just die under the punishment of the King's Game. But still, if he had any chance of surviving, he shouldn't have been killed like this.
"This way of doing things is no good..."
As if to convince himself, Yumeto muttered.
...With Souta's method, even if there's no order from king's game, everyone will start to fight each other. And if everyone thinks like that...then the killing will begin.
To Yumeto, the black smoke rising into the sky seemed like their hearts that participating in the king's game.
"Everyone's heart is getting dirty. And so am I..."
At that moment, a charred black hand sticks out from the smoke. That hand grabbed Yumeto's neck and tightened it.
"Gah..."
Yumeto's face twisted as he felt a strong force in his throat. I saw two bloodshot eyes in the smoke. It was Iwamoto's eyes.
"Ggaoooooooooo...."
With an eerie scream, Iwamoto's upper body comes out of the window. His face was black and his hair was charred. His workout clothes are also in tatters, revealing some of his skin.
"Yu... me... to...."
Iwamoto's mouth opened wide and he called out Yumeto's name. The skin on his cheeks cracks, and pieces of black flesh peel off.
"Goo!"
Yumeto grabbed Iwamoto's arm with both hands and tried to pull him away. However, Iwamoto's power is strong, and he grips into Yumeto's neck like a snake biting its prey. Unable to breathe, Yumeto's complexion suddenly turns pale.
"S... stop..."
The surrounding scenery becomes blurred and consciousness fades away. In front of him, he could see Iwamoto's glaring eyes. Iwamoto's obsession with life drained Yumeto's energy.
Just before he lost consciousness, someone grabbed Yumeto's body from his back. Just like that, I was pulled away from Iwamoto's hand with a strong force.
"Ah..."
Yumeto took a deep breath as he rolled to the ground. Behind him, someone tapped Yumeto on the shoulder.
"That was a dangerous place, Yumeto."
When I turned around, Tokisada was there. Tokisada shows his white teeth and sits next to Yumeto.
"For the time being, I paid my respect for playing cards order."
"T... Tokisada. Why are you here?"
Yumeto took a deep breath and asked Tokisada.
"Is everyone...are they okay?"
"Yeah. Seiya, Yuna, and Fuka are all hiding in the changing room of the pool. I'm the only one who chased after you and found Iwamoto-sensei where he was, so I came to help you. Iwamoto-sensei and I are the only one who can match power each other."
"Ah, thank you...Tokisada-kun."
Yumeto strained his legs and stood up. The amount of smoke had decreased, and Iwamoto's upper body was visible through the window. Is he already dead? His pitch-black body doesn't even move.
The smell of gasoline and burning meat wafts around.
"Iwamoto-sensei..."
"Did you burn him to death?"
At Tokisada's question, Yumeto shook his head left and right.
"It's Souta-kun. With Molotov cocktails."
"Did he make Molotov cocktails? After all, he's dangerous."
"That's a bad thing to say."
I heard Souta's voice behind me. With light steps, Souta approaches Yumeto and the others.
"Three students were saved because I was making Molotov cocktails, though."
"Were you making molotov cocktails before the next order?"
"Yeah. Depending on the contents of the order, I think it can be used. And it was really helpful this time."
Souta glanced at the charred corpse.
"But humans don't die easily. Or maybe Iwamoto-sensei was tough."
"I wish I could just lock him in that room."
"It's more cruel. It's like a death row prisoner who will be executed the next day. Does Yumeto-kun want to be in that position?"
"Even so, it's better than being killed by his own students!"
Yumeto casts a sharp gaze at Souta.
"If you do it this way, there will be conflicts outside of the King's game. That something should be avoided."
".....should avoid, It's true, but I don't think there was anything you could do about Iwamoto-sensei. He probably won't be able to return to society anymore."
Saying that, Souta took out a smartphone from his pocket.
"For the time being, I think I'll contact Seiichiro-kun and the others. Ah, Yumeto-kun and the others should dealt with this Iwamoto-sensei too, and we're finally here. I helped you out, so that's enough, right?"
"...Understood. We will carry Iwamoto-sensei's body."
Yumeto stares at Iwamoto's charred corpse.
"Iwamoto-sensei...it's really unfortunate that this happened."
Iwamoto didn't reply to Yumeto's words.
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