................
Yumeto let out a sigh as his hand thrust forward touched the wall of the school building.
"We've arrived at the school building, Tokisada-kun."
When I said that in a low voice, I heard Tokisada's voice behind me.
"Okay! Then, if you keep your hands on the wall and move counterclockwise, you'll be able to get to the back gate of school."
"Yeah. You can go straight from the back door of the school building to the back gate, so as long as you don't make a mistake in the distance, there's no problem."
"Our stride is about 30 steps. The problem is where Seiichiro and the others are."
"Satoshi-kun was ambushing us at the front door, so I think Seiichiro-kun is at the back door. Or maybe he's aiming at another group of students inside the school building."
"Either way, we have to make sure they think we've escaped to Mt. Akaikeyama. If they don't notice it, it's a meaningless strategy."
"Let's make some noise so that it doesn't look artificial. It might be good for us to make it look like we hit the back gate."
"Okay! Well then, shall we go with that plan?"
The two started walking along the walls of the school building.
Sweat dripped from Yumeto's neck as he walked in front of him. Walking in a situation where I couldn't see anything made me feel more tired than I expected. The leaves and branches rustled overhead.
....Calm down. Concentrate only on the presence of people.
At that moment, something soft touched Yumeto's toe.
Yumeto's body reacts with a startle.
"...Someone is down"
"Are they down? Are they Seiichiro?"
"Probably a woman."
Yumeto replied, touching their hair that reached the shoulder.
"This hairstyle is..."
As he moved his hand, it smelled like rusted iron, and Yumeto's hand got wet with a slimy liquid.
Yumeto's heart jumped. He puts his face to the mouth of the lying person, but she doesn't seem to be breathing.
"....Dead"
"Dead? Who's dead?"
"I don't know, but it's probably a girl. Iori-san... no, her hair isn't that long."
Yumeto answered Tokisada's question.
"Maybe she was stabbed with a knife. It looks like it's bleeding."
"The one who killed must have been Seiichiro or Satoshi."
"Yeah. I can't think of anything else. Her body hasn't gotten cold yet, so Seiichiro-kun and the others may be nearby. be careful!"
Yumeto and the others pass by the corpse and head for the back door.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of treading sand ahead. At the same time, there was a whooshing sound and Yumeto's shirt was torn.
"Everyone, escape to Mt. Akaikeyama!"
While shouting that, Yumeto lowered his posture and headed for the back gate.
"Yuna, Fuka, follow me!"
Tokisada also shouts the words he had planned.
.....It's OK. In a situation like this, you shouldn't know the number of footsteps. I'm sure he's thinking everyone in our group would had fled to Mt. Akaikeyama.
Thrusting his right hand forward, Yumeto continued running. I can hear Tokisada breathing next to me.
"Yumeto, hurry up! He's coming from behind!"
"I know!"
The moment Yumeto answered that, the two bodies collapsed at the same time.
"Goo..."
Yumeto realized that he had caught his leg on the rope and fell.
As he stood up, frowning in pain, he heard a crash behind him and heard Tokisada moan.
"Goo, you, who are you? ...Oh, is it Tokisada?"
Seiichiro's voice reaches Yumeto's ears.
"It's a pity. I expected you guys to run away to Mt. Akaikeyama. I thought if I put up a rope here, there would be some stupid prey that would get caught."
"Kuh...don't underestimate me!"
I heard the scraping of clothes and heavy breathing.
"Tokisada-kun!"
Yumeto stopped when he tried to help Tokisada.
....No. I don't know which one is Tokisada. I have to judge the moment he speak out.
"Yumeto, get away from me! I'll beat this guy."
"Don't make yourself look cool. I don't know where, but I should have stabbed you with a knife. You're already getting weaker."
"It's a big wound.....huh. But for me, it's just bleeding a little....."
Seiichiro let out a laugh at Tokisada's repeated heavy breathing.
"If so, I'll stab you again. Until you die from bleeding."
"Before that, I'll beat you to death!"
I heard the sound of bodies colliding.
Yumeto bit his lip hard and listened to the sound of the two fighting. From Seiichiro's words, I can tell that he has a knife. It's a battle with your eyes closed, but there's no doubt that having a knife has an overwhelming advantage.
Yumeto's body stiffened every time he heard the sound of the air splitting.
A few minutes later, someone fell to the ground with a sound like crushing flesh.
"Ku.....ga....."
It was Seiichiro who was groaning.
"It looks like it's my win, Seiichiro."
Tokisada took a deep breath and continued to speak.
"It's not a big deal for boxing. I got a knife, Yumeto!"
"Uh, yeah. I'm here."
Yumeto closed his eyes and walked in the direction of the voice.
"Here you go, take it with you."
A knife is handed over to Yumeto.
Seiichiro's voice was heard from a few meters away.
"Hahahaha! What the hell is your win....Idiot!"
"Are you sore loser? Seiichiro."
"No. Certainly, the knife was stolen, but before that, I should have gouged out your stomach."
At those words, Yumeto's eyelids twitched.
"Tokisada-kun! Are you okay?"
"'I can still talking like this, isn't it? Take it easy."
Tokisada's hand touches Yumeto's shoulder.
"Hey, Seiichiro. If you want to continue, I can go another round with you."
"Hmph... I've already accomplished my goal. There's a knife over there, so there's no need to overdo it. Just now, I killed Miku, and you will die soon. If we kill one more person, Satoshi and I will clear this order."
Seiichiro's voice fades away to somewhere.
".....Well, I admit you have a talent for boxing. You have a pretty powerful punch, even on par with me..."
When I could no longer hear Seiichiro's voice, Tokisada's hand, which was holding Yumeto's shoulder, began to tremble.
Yumeto supports Tokisada who is about to collapse.
"Tokisada, let's go to the school gate. There should be a doctor there."
"No....it's okay"
"Okay? are you not hurt?"
"I can't do it anymore...I can't..."
Tokisada dropped to his knees and collapsed on the spot.
"Tokisada-kun!"
Yumeto's hands were wet with warm liquid.
"So much blood..."
"Oh, yeah. I thought I was stabbed... I think it's probably reached the liver."
"Then you must see a doctor immediately."
"It's Impossible..."
"You can't give up!"
Yumeto grabbed Tokisada's hand and shouted.
"I will not give up. I will definitely help Tokisada-kun! If Tokisada-kun can't move from here, I'll call a doctor to come."
".....That's right. Well then, do your best...See you..."
"I'll be right back."
"Yu... Yumeto"
Tokisada's hand grabbed Yumeto's wrist.
"I have something I want to ask you..."
"Rather than that now..."
"It's okay, just answer my question!"
Tokisada's voice grew louder.
"Hey, Yumeto. You and I... are friends, right?"
"What do you mean....."
Yumeto answered immediately.
"I told you before. We're friends."
"I-Is that so...friend...huh"
"Yuna-san and Fuka-san also think of Tokisada-kun as a friend."
"Ah....that would be nice..."
"There is no doubt. We have to cleared the King's game together!"
"Hahahaha...that's right. Yu...Yumeto...."
"Hmm? What?"
"Friends are really good..."
At the same time as those words, Tokisada's hand left Yumeto's wrist.
"Tokisada-kun?"
"..."
"Tokisada-kun! Tokisada-kun!"
No matter how many times I call him, Tokisada does not respond. I put my hand on his chest and felt his heart stop beating.
"Tokisada-kun..."
Tears flowed down from the gap between the closed eyelids.
"...What is this? You said you would buy me a drink after I turned 20..."
Yumeto's hands began to tremble. The image of Tokisada popped up in his mind. The figure of him talking with head down while carelessly parting his messy hair with hands...
.....Tokisada was like that, but as we acted together, he began to show a smile.
"Tokisada-kun...Thank you. I'm really glad I became friends with you."
....................
[Saturday, November 6, 10:12 pm]
Yumeto walked back in front of the incinerator with heavy steps.
"Yuna-san...Fuka-san...are you there?"
"Ah, Yumeto-kun."
I heard Yuna's voice.
"Welcome back. Did the strategy go well?"
"..."
"Yumeto...kun? What's wrong? I can't hear your voice."
"You couldn't guide them to Mt. Akaikeyama, right?"
Fuka's hand grabbed Yumeto's hand.
"It can't be helped. Seiichiro and the others must be desperate. But I'm grateful that Yumeto-kun and the others care about us, who are girls, and you willing to help us, but we can't get caught that easily either. Tokisada-kun doesn't care that much too. So,You don't have to."
".....Tokisada is dead."
"Heh….....?"
Fuka and Yuna spoke at the same time.
"Did Tokisada die? W-Why?"
"Seiichiro-kun stabbed him with a knife..."
Yumeto's voice trembled as if to endure the pain.
"No way..."
Fuka's hoarse voice reaches Yumeto's ears.
Yumeto digs his nails into his palm and continues his words.
"Also, Miku-san seems to have been killed as well."
"Miku too....."
"Yeah. There was a corpse, and Seiichiro-kun said he killed her too. I can't see him with my eyes, but there's no doubt about it."
"I see...Miku died too."
Fuka's words are interrupted, and Yuna's voice is heard.
Yumeto endured the feeling that his body was being crushed by the surrounding air. He has his eyes closed, so it's as if he's submerged at the bottom of the ocean where no light can reach.
...If I had been more determined, Seiya-kun and Tokisada-kun might not have died.
Remembering the two of them, the back of my eyelids get hot.
.....No! Now is not the time to regret. Seiichiro and his friends plan to kill one more classmate. I have to protect Yuna-san and Fuka-san!
Yumeto opened his mouth wide and took several deep breaths.
"... Fuka-san, Yuna-san. You two are hiding here."
"What are you going to do, Yumeto-kun?"
At Yuna's question, Yumeto fell silent for a few seconds.
"... Seiichiro-kun and the others need to be stopped."
"Stopped..... That's dangerous!"
Yuna's hand grabbed Yumeto's sleeve.
"Tokisada-kun was also killed by Seiichiro-kun, wasn't he?
"Even if we're hiding here, the danger is the same. Seiichiro-kun and the others had roped off the back gate. They should be walking around the grounds now. And have one more classmate to kill."
"To kill..."
"That's why I will stop them. To protect Yuna-san and Fuka-san..."
Yumeto grabbed Yuna by the shoulder.
"I can't bear to see my friends die anymore. And in addition....."
"In addition?"
"Seiya and Tokisada were killed by Seiichiro and the other. I know they're not feel guilty because it's in the King's game. But I can't forgive them..."
Yumeto's voice became lower.
"I'm not a saint. When a good friend of mine is killed, I sometimes feel very hate to the person who killed them."
"What do you mean by hate?"
"..."
Yumeto walks away without answering Yuna's question. Yumeto's face with his eyelids closed had no expression, like a Noh mask.
....................
As he approached the entrance of the school building, he heard the sound of sand being stepped on from several meters away. Yumeto quickly changes direction and starts running along the wall of the school building.
"Hey! Who are you?"
I heard Satoshi's voice and the sound of a knife being swung from behind. Ignoring his words, Yumeto kept running without a word. He rounds the corner of the schoolhouse and picks up his speed, keeping his right hand sticking out in front of him.
In front of the back door, Yumeto felt a strong impact on his shoulder.
"Goo....."
When I groaned, I heard Seiichiro's laughter.
"What is that voice? Is that a transfer student? Did you run here after being chased by Satoshi?"
"Seiichiro-kun, you can't let him escape. If you kill him, the order will be cleared."
Satoshi breathed heavily and said.
"I know. Stay away from me. I'll take care of him with this metal bat."
The bat passed right over Yumeto's head, who was on one knee.
"Come on, transfer student. You have a knife too, right?"
"I have no intention of using a knife."
Saying that, Yumeto slipped past Seiichiro in a forward leaning posture.
"Tch, it's a good time for you to die!"
The sound of the bat being swung was heard, and the tip touched Yumeto's shirt.
"Satoshi, follow me from behind!"
Behind Yumeto, you can hear the footsteps of Seiichiro and Satoshi.
Yumeto kept running, imagining the scenery of the school behind his eyelids.
...And after about 30 steps, you should be in the connecting corridor. Then turn right and take 50 steps...
As he ran, Yumeto calculated.
.... 10 more steps....
A protruding hand touches the metal door.
Yumeto slid the door and opened the door to the gymnasium. At the same time, a metal bat hits the door.
"It's the gym! he's in the gym!"
Seiichiro and Satoshi entered the gym.
"Satoshi, you go to the door on the other side! Block the transfer student's escape route!"
"Understood"
Satoshi ran through the gym along the wall.
Seiichiro tapped the floor of the gymnasium with his metal bat.
"Well, I cornered you. Transfer student."
Yumeto doesn't say a word.
"Come on, are you close? I didn't hear any footsteps."
"..."
"Didn't say anything... huh?"
Seiichiro took a step forward.
"Satoshi, if someone approaches you, you can stab him with a knife."
"Yeah. Let's talk to each other when we move."
"Oh. That's good. Let's clear the order quickly."
Seiichiro closed his eyes and smiled.
"Hey, you think that if you just stay still like this, you'll be saved?"
He made a humming noise with his bat.
"Escape to the gymnasium was a mistake. The floor of the gymnasium echoes when you walk on it. If you move even one step, that's the end."
"..."
"Why don't you talk.... I'm guessing it's within 10 meters."
"Seiichiro-kun"
Satoshi called out to Seiichiro.
"There's a chain on this door. It looks like it won't open."
"Chain?"
The moment Seiichiro said that, the door behind him slammed shut.
"Ah! You!"
Seiichiro ran to the door and grabbed the handle. He tries to slide it, but the door won't open.
"It's already late."
Yumeto said outside the gym.
"From here, I blocked the door with the bicycle chain lock."
"Weren't you in the gym?"
"Yeah. I just opened the door. And I was waiting by the door for you guys to enter the gym. All I have to do now is find the right timing and close the door."
Yumeto turned the chain lock dial with his fingertips.
"I don't know whose bike it is, but I was saved because it only turned one dial. I was able to remove it easily."
"Don't kidding me!"
I heard the sound of a metal bat hitting the door.
"Open this place right now!"
"I can't do it anymore. I turned the dial randomly. I can't even open my eyes, so I don't know the number."
"…..Shhh! Satoshi, take off that chain. Get out of here and kill the transfer student!"
"Isn't that impossible?"
Yumeto replied with a calm voice.
"The chain was taken from a chain pole in the parking a lot for visitors, but it was wrapped around the left and right door handles and locked it again with a padlock."
"Padlock...."
"Yeah. It's the one you used to lock Seiya in. It's sturdy and the chain is heavy. I don't think a knife or metal bat will do anything. It will not open, for sure."
Seiichiro who was on the other side of the door fell silent at Yumeto's words.
I can hear Satoshi's frustrated voice.
"Seiichiro-kun, what he said is true. It's padlocked. You can't remove it."
"..... I understand, it's my lose."
I heard the sound of throwing away a metal bat.
"Transfer student, let's negotiate."
"Negotiate?"
"Yeah. I won't kill your group if you give me the keys. And I'll give you money. One padlock key, one million?"
"..."
"What? Isn't 1 million enough? Then 2 million is fine."
"I don't want the money. Besides, I can't believe what you say. After all, when you leave the gym, you're going to kill anyone, right?"
"Oh, don't do that! If you let us out of here, we'll target either Narumi's group or Hideyuki's group. I swear to heaven and earth."
Seiichiro tapped the door as if knocking.
"Hey, transfer student. Killing Tokisada was bad. Seiya wasn't even a king, so it was my mistake to imprison him. But there's no choice but to make sure you survive, right? We're in the king's game. If you don't want to die, you have no choice but to kill your classmate!"
"...That's right. In order to survive, you have to choose to kill your classmates."
"Right! That's why I'm not bad guy. It's the king who's bad guy."
"But aren't you guys the reason why the king started this game? You bullied Tomoki into committing suicide, isn't it? to take revenge for Tomoki, I got involved in the King's game."
"No, no, even that, you don't know. There may be other reasons."
"If that's the case, there's a possibility that you guys are kings. If it's not Tomoki-kun's revenge. Originally, you just enjoy to bullying them, so you don't care about your classmates, right? Even Tomoki-kun dies, It seems you didn't reflect on it."
"Ah.....a...."
"Well, I can't give you the key either way. I don't have it."
"Didn't....have?"
A hoarse voice came from the other side of the door.
"What do you mean?"
"I hid it. Like you guys."
"Hid it....Don't be silly! We can't leave the gym!"
"Don't worry. The hidden place is inside the gym."
Yumeto continued speaking calmly.
"The key is hidden inside the gym where you are. If you find it, you can open the padlock and remove the chain."
"Where is it? Where did you hide it?"
"You can search for it. There's still about 11 hours until the order is over. Satoshi-kun is here, so if you search desperately, I think you guys'll find it."
"Don't kidding me!"
I heard a strong knock on the door.
"Tell me where it is! I bet you can't find anything thing in the gym!!"
"H-help me... Yumeto"
I heard Satoshi's voice.
"I didn't kill any of your friends. At least help me out."
"You killed Wakaba, didn't you?"
Yumeto faced the door in front of him and opened his mouth.
"You guys are too selfish. If you think it's okay to kill people to save yourself in the King's game, you should prepared to be killed yourself either."
"Prepare...."
"Satoshi, you shut up!"
Suddenly, there was the sound of someone falling to the floor.
"Transfer student, no, Yumeto-kun! Please help me. If we don't kill one more person, we'll be punished and die. I don't want to die."
"In that case, wouldn't there be someone to kill even in the gymnasium?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Only me and Satoshi here..."
Seiichiro's words were interrupted.
"Only me and Satoshi..."
"Yes. There's someone to kill properly, right? Both Seiichiro and Satoshi."
Yumeto glared at Seiichiro and the others on the other side of the door with his eyelids still closed.
"You're the one who thinks it's okay to kill people to save yourself. Just relax and kill each other. Don't worry, you'll be fine if you kill each other"
"We... Are we going to kill each other?"
"...Seiichiro-kun, I am neither a saint nor a hero. It seems that some of the people involved in the king's game acted to help many people, but I'm different. I help those I want to help. In that sense, I might be the same as you."
Yumeto turned his back to the door.
"Seiichiro-kun, Satoshi-kun, if you don't want to kill each other, just find the key. If you guys manage to get out of the gym, I'll deal with you again. See ya"
"Oh, hey! Wait, wait!"
He heard a knock on the door, but Yumeto ignored it and continued walking.
....................