..............
Yumeto's thoughts were interrupted by Hideyuki's voice.
"I understand everyone's opinion. Let me use it as a reference."
"And whose name are you going to write?"
At Narumi's question, Hideyuki's cheeks fluttered.
".... Just give me some time. There's something I want to investigate."
"That's quite teasing. Well, it can't be helped. If you write the name of someone who isn't the king, Hideyuki will die."
"That's how it is. I want to guess who the king is, both for myself and for you guys who aren't kings."
Saying that, Hideyuki left the classroom.
....................
Soon after Hideyuki left, the group members gathered at Yumeto's seat.
"Chairman, who is he going to choose?"
Fuka glances at the door of the classroom where Hideyuki left.
"There is a possibility that my name will be written...…"
"Fuka-san is fine. Maybe I'll be the one whose name is written."
Seiya said in a dark voice. His eyes are red and bloodshot behind his glasses, and his complexion is as white as a candle.
"I'm not a king..."
"That's what everyone would says. Of course, the king can say it too."
Fuka tapped Seiya strongly on the shoulder.
"We in the same group want to believe Seiya-kun, but I don't think the chairman feels that way. Well, you can't do anything about this order all by yourself."
"I agree."
"Seiya-kun, it's pointless to be depressed."
Yumeto called out to Seiya.
"Rather than that, we should find the king and tell about it to Hideyuki-kun."
"But how are you going to find the king? If the king isn't Sousuke-kun, they should be able to use someone else's mobile phone or smartphone to operate a computer with the Nano Queen program installed. If it's such a small thing, you can hide it anywhere."
"If you find it, at least you can stop the king's game orders..."
"That's difficult. If I were the king, I'd hide it in a plastic bag somewhere on Mt. Akaikeyama. Then, it would be almost impossible to find it."
"But you can't hide it too far away, can you? Even everyone's in their group be somewhere. But you'll stand out if you're gone for that long."
"Even if you think about that, we won't be able to make it in time for this order."
Tokisada interrupted the conversation between Yumeto and Seiya. Tokisada let out a sigh as he brushed back his ragged hair.
"Even if you find a hidden mobile phone or smartphone, you won't know who it belongs to, right? I agree with looking for it, but right now it's better to find the king."
"..... Who does Tokisada think is the king?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Because I'm not good at thinking about such things. But shouldn't we are thinking about their motives or something like that?"
"Motivation..."
"Yeah. Why the king started playing the King's game in our class. It's highly likely that about Tomoki killed himself after being bullied, but if that's the case, the one who was on good terms with Tomoki would be suspicious."
Tokisada glances at Yuna next to Yumeto.
"If you think about it honestly, Yuna would be suspicious, but this isn't limited to Tomoki, she would stopped anyone for being bullied. I think Yuna is different."
"Oh, thank you. Tokisada-kun."
When Yuna bows her head, Tokisada flaps her right hand left and right.
"How nice of you to thank me. Well, even if I think you're different, it doesn't mean anything. If Hideyuki thinks Yuna is the king, you will be punished by be written your name on piece of paper and died."
"Yeah... it can't be helped if I die because of how suspicion of me. But if that happens, Hideyuki-kun will die too."
"But I don't want Yuna to die."
When Yumeto said that, Yuna's cheeks turned red.
With Fuka's staring eyes, she saw Yumeto.
"Yumeto, are you confessing to Yuna in this situation?"
"No, it's not!"
Yumeto's face turned red this time.
"Not only Yuna-san, but I also don't want Fuka-san, Seiya-kun and Tokisada-kun to die too."
"...That's right. I don't want everyone in the group to die either. The same goes for my other classmates."
Fuka turns her gaze to her classmates who are gathering in groups.
"Perhaps, I would be relieved if other groups were punished."
"So do I. If it wasn't for the King's game, we might have gotten along, but..."
"Even after the King's game is over, it may not be possible to repair it."
"Yes...."
In Yumeto's mind, events from the past began to emerge. In order 1, Yumi and the others died with a sound order. In Order 2, Ryuji is voted to dead. In Order 3, Noa and the others were caught in a tag game and died. In order 4, Kanon and the others died without being able to find the cards. Iwamoto-sensei was killed by Souta during Order 6. And Wakaba, who was killed by Satoshi.
If they hadn't been caught up in the King's game, they would all still be alive.
.....And at least one person will die from this order. If Hideyuki can't guess the king, two people will die.
Sweat dripped from Yumeto's neck, staining the collar of his white shirt.
...................
[November 4th (Thursday) 04:25 pm]
When Hideyuki entered the classroom, the classroom suddenly fell silent.
"Everyone seems to be here."
With a pale face, Hideyuki moved to the front of the lecturer's desk.
"..... I've narrowed it down to three people."
"Three people, you mean the name that will write on a paper?"
Hideyuki gave a wry smile to Yohei's question.
"Of course. I'm going to choose between these three."
"W-Who's name are you writing? Is it Sousuke after all?"
"It's not Sousuke. I decided that Sousuke wasn't the king."
Hearing those words, Seiichiro rushed over to Hideyuki.
"Hey, Chairman! Do you want to die!"
"I don't want to die, so I won't write Sousuke's name."
Hideyuki put his hand to Seiichiro's mouth when he was about to speak.
"The reason I decided that Sousuke wasn't the king, because of the content of the order."
"What is the order?"
"Yeah. Do you remember what order 6 was about?"
"Iwamoto-sensei collects the heads of his students, isn't it?"
"That's right. That order can't be order unless Iwamoto-sensei is alive. If Sousuke is the king, how did he know that Iwamoto-sensei was alive? There was also the possibility that Iwamoto-sensei was dead."
"Uh, that's...You can heard about it from the news or something, didn't you? It's on the news about who died, the police and family should know about it sooner."
"No, you didn't know who would be able to clear order 5, 'Do X', until the very last minute. We all learned that Iwamoto-sensei was touching the stone pillar when Souta told us at the top of Mt. Akaikeyama. And that information shouldn't have been known even to the police. In other words, If Sousuke was a king, it was impossible to obtain information from outside and give orders like that."
"Then..."
Seiichiro cleared his throat.
"Is there a king among us?"
"That's how it is. Sousuke was probably killed by the king. And they must be hiding the corpse somewhere. That way, Sousuke will be the most suspicious suspect who's been missing since the King's game began."
Narumi, who was listening to their conversation, tapped her index finger on the desk.
"I see. If you think about it that way, it seems likely that the king will be someone who can easily understand the situation in the school. So, who are the three people you've narrowed down to? I'm not good at being teased because I don't like M."
"It's not you, so don't worry."
"...Hmm. I appreciate that, but then who are they?
"The first is Takeshi, the second is Seiya."
Takeshi and Seiya's faces stiffened at Hideyuki's words.
"Both of them were suspected by the police, and they both like games. Especially Seiya, same as Tomoki, he wasn't even in the group. I was curious that he was in the same situation as Tomoki who committed suicide."
"Who is the other one?"
"The third person is Yoko from our group."
Everyone's gaze was focused on Yoko who was sitting on the chair.
"Wh...Me....."
Yoko opened her eyes wide and shook her plump body.
"H-Hideyuki-kun! Why are you doubting me?"
Yoko's voice echoes in the classroom.
"There are many people who are more suspicious than me, aren't there? But why you still...."
"This is the reason for my suspicion."
Hideyuki took a small piece of stone out of his pocket and placed it on the lectern. Yoko's face turned white in an instant.
"Why.... that?"
"Was it this stone that you threw away?"
"Ah...."
"Yesterday evening, you were throwing something at the trailhead of Mt. Akaikeyama. After that, you returned to the school building while paying attention to your surroundings. I was watching it from the fourth floor window"
Taking a deep breath, Hideyuki stared at Yoko.
"I didn't think anything of it at the time. I think that you, who got caught up in this situation, are throwing stones that have fallen here and there to clear the animal. But when this order made me have to find the king, and I started to doubt everyone, I got curious. I wonder what you were throwing. So, just now, when I checked the bushes near the trailhead, I found this."
"Hey, Chairman!"
Seiichiro raised his voice and pointed at the stone on top of the lectern.
"Yoko was throwing that stone, so what the heck? Isn't it just a stone?"
"This stone is a fragment of the stone pillar at the top of Mt. Akaikeyama."
Hideyuki showed Seiichiro the surface of the processed stone.
"There is no doubt that this color and part of the carved letters are correct. And the fragment of the stone pillar that I received from Yumeto should be the only one, but Yoko-san has a different fragment of the stone pillar. How could you have something like that? There's no way our group could get it."
"That is..."
Sweat dripped from Yoko's face.
"No, that's not right. That stone pillar fragment was in my bag before I knew it."
"In your bag?"
"Uh, yeah. After Iwamoto-sensei died, I looked at the bag and it was inside. I already finished the order to touch the stone pillar, so..."
"Did you throw it away because you didn't want to be questioned?"
Hideyuki rolled the piece of stone pillar on his palm.
"...Well, it's possible that the King put a fragment of the stone pillar in Yoko's bag in order to increase the number of suspects. However, I think it's more likely that the king, who knew the content of the order, had the fragment of the stone pillar with them just in case. In that case you can be the king"
"Hideyuki-kun! Are you suspicious of fellow members of the same group?"
"I can't help it this time. I'm not only suspicious of you, I'm also suspicious of Takeshi."
Hideyuki's gaze shifts to Yoko, Takeshi, and Seiya.
"Out of these three, who would I choose?"
"Hideyuki-kun"
Yumeto called out to Hideyuki.
"Are you really going to choose between those three? Is it possible that the king isn't among them?"
"That's right. There are other people that I'm interested in. But if I already narrow it down, who can't help it, right? I've decided that the king is among these three."
"In that case...…"
"You don't have to say any more. You're trying to say that Seiya-kun from the same group isn't the king, right?"
"..."
"Yumeto-kun, you seem to be the calm type and smart. However, I cannot trust your opinion regarding this matter. I'm sure it's going to be a statement to protect your friends."
Seiya placed a hand on Yumeto's shoulder who silent.
"Thank you, Yumeto-kun. that's enough."
"Enough...., if Hideyuki-kun writes your name, you'll be punished, right?"
"That can't be helped. It's up to Hideyuki-kun to decide."
Seiya turned his gaze to Hideyuki.
"Hideyuki-kun, I'm not the king. If you choose me, Hideyuki-kun will also be punished."
"The king would say the same thing."
Hideyuki shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
"You, Takeshi, and Yoko. Did you guy have something to say? But I'm the one who makes the final decision. I will guess the king and finish this game!"
The inside of the classroom fell silent at the strong-willed words.
Hideyuki closed his eyelids as he tied his lips in a straight line. His brow furrowed, and his hands at the lecturer's table trembled slightly.
Seeing Hideyuki's anguished expression, Yumeto's lips twisted.
...If Hideyuki chooses Seiya, Seiya will be punished. And if Seiya isn't the king, Hideyuki himself will be punished.
The face of Seiya, who was next to him, had become almost transparent. He put his hands on a chest and bowed like that. Takeshi and Yoko were staring at Hideyuki with bloodshot eyes.
After a few minutes of silence, Hideyuki opened his eyelids.
"I've decided..."
"Who did you choose?"
Hideyuki shook his head left and right at Yumeto's question.
"I will announce it after writing. The person who be wrote will not try to stop me."
Saying so, Hideyuki took out a paper and a ballpoint pen from his pocket. He puts the paper on the lectern and writes someone's name on it with a ballpoint pen.
"The name I wrote was..."
Hideyuki showed Yumeto and the others a piece of paper with their names written on it.
There was written "Yoko Marui".
"Wh...my name..."
Yoko stumbled closer to Hideyuki. Her plump cheeks jerked and her upper and lower front teeth clicked.
"Why, wh.., me..."
"I couldn't believe the story that someone put a stone pillar fragment in your bag."
Hideyuki casts a cold gaze at Yoko.
"If that was true, you should have told me, the leader of the group. Speaking for myself, I never doubted you were a king."
"But...I'm not a king!"
"Even if so, it's too late. I've already written your name."
"No way ....."
Yoko got down on her knees and began to shed tears.
Hideyuki raised his eyebrows at that figure.
"Yoko-san, stop acting. You're the king, aren't you?"
"Huh... acting ..."
"Your plan was perfect. If I hadn't seen you throwing the stone shards, I wouldn't have even made you a candidate for king. That's why you gave me this order. To ridicule me for not being able to guess."
"..."
"Now, that's enough. At least let tell us why you started playing the king's game before you get punished."
Hearing Hideyuki's words, Yoko stood up.
"...W-I'm...the king....."
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, and Yoko's wrist bent at an unusual angle.
"Ah....."
Yoko stared blankly at her broken wrist.
"Uh, lie..."
The sound of a dead tree breaking resounded, and this time Yoko's right shoulder dropped. In addition, both her legs are broken and her torso is broken to her back.
"G...Gaga...."
With her body bent over, Yoko raised her voice.
"Ou... King... Gobu!"
Yoko spewed blood from her mouth and stopped from moving. Both eyes are wide open, looking up at the ceiling with resentment.
Yumeto averted his gaze from Yoko, who was dead in a folded state. He had hardly spoken to Yoko, but even so, sadness spread in his heart.
Laughter could be heard in the silent classroom.
"Fu....fufufu! Hahaha...It's over! It's over!"
Hideyuki was the one who laughed. Hideyuki continued to laugh with a hoarse voice.
"The King is dead. This is the end of the king's game. We were saved!"
".....were saved?"
Hearing Miki's mutter, Hideyuki nod his head.
"Yeah. The king was Yoko. No more orders....."
"Ah...ah....."
Miki pressed her cheeks with both of her hands. Her eyes are filled with tears, and a look of joy emerges on her face.
"I'm glad. It's already over...."
At the same time, the other students raise their voices in relief.
"Is it over...?"
"Ha, ha, you did it! Chairman"
"We were saved..."
"Yeah, we survived. If we don't receive an order, even if the Keldo virus remains in our body, we'll be fine. Hokkaido people are still alive until now."
"But why did Yoko do this?"
"I don't care about such a thing. Someone, please call the police."
"I will report them"
Hideyuki said while staring at Yoko's corpse.
"Even though she was the king, They were the one who punished Yoko. I should explain properly..."
Hideyuki's mouth remained open as he stiffened. His wide-open eyes stare at his own broken wrist.
"Wh..... that's stupid..."
Boki..... Boki...Boki....
A series of sounds resembling the breaking of dry dead trees can be heard.
"B... gaga..."
Hideyuki's back bends in the opposite direction, just like Yoko did.
"Wh... why..."
Those were the last words of him. Hideyuki died with a disbelieving expression on his face. His neck is also broken, and his head is bent at a sharp angle.
"Hideyuki...you....."
Yumeto's throat rose like a wave.
...Hideyuki was punished. In other words, Yoko wasn't a king.
Yuna, who was nearby, opened her pale lips.
"The King's Game is still going on....."
Yumeto's spine trembled at those words.
....................