...............
[November 12 (Friday) 00:12 am]
"It's been a day..."
As Yuna checked her mobile phone screen, she muttered.
"Yes...."
Yumeto, who was standing by the window in the clubroom building, let out a dark voice.
"If Satoshi-kun, Iori-san, and Hinako-san aren't dead, in the next 13 hours someone will be randomly punished."
"We're likely to be punished, right? Because we're three of the six who survived."
"Yuna-san and Fuka-san won't be punished."
Yumeto grabbed the knife in his pocket from above his pants.
"If I kill Satoshi-kun, random people won't die."
"Yumeto-kun!"
Yuna let out a loud voice. Fuka, who was wrapped in a blanket in the corner of the room, also changed her complexion when she heard Yumeto's words.
"Yumeto-kun, are you going to kill Satoshi-kun?"
"I've already killed many people. I voted for Ryuji-kun to be punished, and I caught and killed Junichi-kun in a tag game. And I was the one who pushed Hisashi-kun off the cliff."
"But that was because the other party tried to harm Yumeto, right?"
Fuka grabs Yumeto's hand tightly.
"Killing Satoshi-kun in the current situation means actively killing your classmates, right?"
"That's fine!"
Yumeto's voice echoes in the room.
"Satoshi-kun should be aiming for me too, so there shouldn't be any problem if we attack first from here. Besides, there's a high possibility that Satoshi-kun is the king. I should kill him to to prevent him from giving further orders!"
"Yumeto-kun..."
"Even I don't think I'd be happy to kill my classmates. But if you girls died as a result of the king's game, I think I'd regret it for the rest of my life. That's why I'll fight Satoshi-kun alone."
"Fighting alone is dangerous!"
Yuna grabbed Yumeto's shirt.
"Then we'll help you too. We're friends."
"That's no good!"
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to help me kill people."
Yumeto shouted back.
"That's why I will kill Satoshi-kun by myself! This is my role."
"Role?"
Fuka's eyebrows lifted.
"We don't want that kind of thing. I don't want to leave the dirty role to Yumeto-kun alone."
"Me too!"
Yuna also agrees with Fuka's words.
"I don't want to kill my classmates either. But if it's to protect someone more important to me, I'll choose to kill someone."
"Yuna-san..."
"We've cleared the orders of the king's game so far. I think there are many classmates who died because we survived. Indirectly, I'm also a murderer."
Yuna's eyes flickered like the surface of a lake swaying in the wind.
"When the king's game started, I thought it would be better for me to die than to kill my classmates. That feeling hasn't changed, but I don't want the person I love to die either. I'm prepared to kill people for that."
"..... Are you really thinking about that?"
"Yumeto-kun is the same, isn't he? He's trying to kill Satoshi-kun to protect Fuka and me. If he's like that, you'll be guilty of the same. The crime of killing a classmate!"
"Of course, that's what I intend to do too."
Fuka brought her face closer to Yumeto.
"We are friends, aren't we? If Yumeto decides to kill Satoshi, we will help him."
"Is it really okay? It seems that killing people in the king's game isn't a crime, but I'm sure you'll suffer for the rest of your life, right?"
"It's the same even if we don't help Yumeto-kun. We've sacrificed our classmates for our own survival. We can't hide that fact."
Before I knew it, Fuka was in tears.
"Why... why did we get caught up in the king's game? Is it because we couldn't stop Tomoki-kun's bullying?"
"That is..."
"There's no point in saying this to Yumeto-kun, as a transfer student. Yumeto-kun was just get caught up to involved with this"
"No. I'm already a member of this class. Although it was a short time, I was deeply involved with everyone."
Thinking of the face of his dead classmate, Yumeto make his lips in a straight line.
..................
The yellowish-white light leaking from the windows of all the classrooms makes the entire school stand out in the darkness. Yumeto, who was watching the spectacle from the front of the back gate, felt his heart beat faster in the back of his left chest. Looking back, I could see Mt. Akaikeyama shrouded in darkness. The fire has already been extinguished, the lights of the police and the Self-Defense Forces illuminate the blackened trees.
The wind that blew down from Mt. Akaikeyama shook Yumeto's bangs.
"A little over ten hours..."
....If no one dies at this rate, someone will be punished at random. But, if everyone was motivated, they would see the lights of the school and come down from mountain to kill someone of the same sex.
"Is this also according to the king's plan? The king order the punishment to be random and have us kill each other. But..."
Yumeto brought his clenched fist to above his mouth.
..... But this situation means that there is a possibility that the king will be killed by someone. Whether the king is male or female.
Suddenly, Souta's words replayed in his head.
'Actually, it would be better if Narumi-san and the others also died. Because the king is a girl.'
"Is the king a girl..."
.....Narumi-san is the only girl who died due to this order. The possibility of Narumi-san being the king isn't zero, but Iori-san and Hinako-san are more suspicious. And.....
"Yuna-san and Fuka-san are girls too....."
Yumeto remembers seeing Yuna on his way to school the day the king game started. Yuna was looking at the school building in the middle of the road covered with fallen leaves.
.....Why did Yuna stop at that time? Maybe she didn't want to go to school early?
Yumeto's throat protrudes greatly.
...If Yuna-san is a king, she can go to school earlier, put the keldo virus in a vase, and then she can come out from school. And if she walks into the classroom with me, I will not think she's left the vase behind.
"That's impossible!"
Yumeto shook his head left and right, trying to erase his own thoughts.
....There's no way Yuna-san is the king. And Fuka-san should be different too. If the king is still alive, it must be one of Iori-san, Hinako-san, and Satoshi-kun. There's no need to think that Yuna-san and Fuka-san are kings!
"Yumeto-kun..."
Suddenly, I heard a girl's voice behind me.
When I turned around, Yuna and Fuka were there.
The two rush to Yumeto in front of the back gate.
"All the lights in the classroom have been turned on."
"Ah, thank you."
With a tense face, Yumeto thanked Yuna for calling out to him.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. More importantly, be careful. There was no one in the school building, but they should be gathering here from now on."
"To kill us?"
"Yeah, Iori-san was trying to kill you girls. Hinako-san pushed Narumi-san into the flames. Satoshi-kun shouldn't hesitate to kill his classmates. The advantage is the three of us acting together, but we can't let our guard down."
"So what are we going to do now?"
"Let's keep an eye on the back gate. It's highly likely that all three of them are still in the mountains."
Yumeto stared at the trailhead of Mt. Akaikeyama in the moonlight.
..................
[Friday, November 12, 03:15 am]
Yumeto's eyes widened as he sensed someone at the back gate. A girl stands in the middle of the back gate. Seeing her hair fluttering in the wind, Yumeto realized that the girl was Iori.
"Iori-san...isn't it?"
"Is that voice Yumeto-kun?"
Iori slowly approached Yumeto. Iori's eyes gleamed like cat's eyes, and she held an old mowing sickle in her right hand.
"I don't need you, can you move away from me?"
"That's impossible."
Yumeto answered firmly.
"Your objective is to kill Yuna-san and Fuka-san, right? Then I'll be your opponent."
"A boy can't kill a girl, can't he?"
"But I can immobilize you."
Yumeto took a knife out of his pocket and took a step forward.
"If it's simple power, I'm better as a male. Besides, you shouldn't be able to kill a male like me too."
"Your opponent is me, transfer student."
Satoshi's voice came from behind Iori. Satoshi stands next to Iori while dragging a metal bat.
"So you're back at school? Quite of brave for you."
"Why are you with Iori-san?"
"I just made a new group."
Satoshi grabbed Iori's shoulder with his non-bat hand.
"I knew you guys were acting as a trio of mixed men and women. In that case, I should team up with a girl as well, Iori wants that too."
"That's right. It looks like Narumi and Souta are dead."
As Iori stared at Yuna and Fuka behind Yumeto, she let out a gloomy voice.
"If I want to kill Yuna and Fuka, Yumeto will get in the way. In that case, let Satoshi kill Yumeto and have him killed. If two people in your group die, the order can be cleared."
"I won't let you do that!"
Fuka shouted from behind Yumeto. In her hand is a hammer that she got in the staff room.
"If that's what you want, I can kill you without hesitation."
"Fuka is also motivated. That will help me because it's easier for me to kill you too."
"Huh? Even if you teamed up with Satoshi-kun, we'd have an advantage in terms of number of people. Because It's 2 vs 3."
"It's not about the number of people. It's about whether you have a strong or weak will to kill your opponent. And your group has a weak will to kill your classmates!"
Iori affirmed.
"I'm sure you decided to kill us because you were worried about it, right? And you're still worried. Can you really kill your classmates?"
"That is..."
"You see? Fuka. Everything show up on your face."
Satoshi, who was next to Iori, burst into laughter. The lights leaking from the school building cast the shadows of Satoshi's slender limbs on the ground.
"It's just as Iori said. You can't beat me, transfer student."
"You...."
Yumeto stopped his words halfway through.
....As expected, Satoshi-kun's personality has changed. This way of speaking is like Seiichiro-kun.
"Who are you?"
"Huh? Don't say weird things. I'm Satoshi."
"No! Haven't you noticed that your personality has changed? Now you're like Seiichiro-kun."
"That's obvious."
"Obvious?"
"Yeah. I killed Seiichiro and took in his power."
"Took in..."
"That's right"
Satoshi's head shook from side to side. Satoshi's expression disappeared.
"I can take in the personality of the person I killed."
Satoshi's tone changed. His voice is darker and lower than before.
"That's why I have Seiichiro inside of me. And he's telling me to kill you."
"Satoshi-kun..."
Yumeto felt as if insects were crawling all over his body. Satoshi's face in front of him seemed to match Seiichiro's face.
"Actually, I was going to kill you sooner. But Wakaba-chan inside of me got in the way of that."
"Wakaba-san?"
"Yeah. I killed that girl too. Wakaba-chan liked you. Because of that, she didn't want to kill you."
Satoshi twitches his cheeks and smiles.
"But the only way for me to survive is to kill you. Wakaba-chan agreed too. If my body dies, Wakaba-chan's consciousness will also disappear."
A thin hand raised a metal bat.
"That's why I'm going to have you die, transfer student!"
Satoshi swung his metal bat down at Yumeto's head. Yumeto dodged the attack by deflecting his upper body.
The tip of the metal bat collides with the ground, sending dust clouds.
"I'm opening my eyes this time. You can't lock me in the gym like before."
"...I know"
Yumeto gripped the handle of the knife in his right hand.
"But in a way, it was good."
"Good?"
"If it is Satoshi-kun's willing, I can kill you without hesitation."
"Oh! Are you finally serious? If that's the case, I have to be serious too."
Satoshi threw down the metal bat and took out a knife from his pocket. The light leaking from the school building is reflected him on the silver blade.
"My hobby is collecting knives. I always carried my favorite things hidden in bag. The knife you have is mine too."
"Everytime..."
"Yes. In other words, I'm used to handling knives."
As he said this, Satoshi stepped on his right leg and moved his knife-holding hand to the side. Yumeto's bangs fell to the ground.
"It's a shame. You almost lost your sight in both eyes."
"Ku....."
Sweat dripped from Yuuto's forehead. He slowly backs away, holding his knife against his chest.
Before I knew it, Iori, who had been behind Satoshi, had disappeared. When he moved his gaze, Fuka and Yuna who were in front of the back gate were no longer there. Apparently, they are fighting inside the school building.
.....Hurry up and get to help them!
The desire to help Yuna and Fuka moved Yumeto's body. Raise your voice and thrust the knife into Satoshi's chest. Satoshi dodges the attack by bending his body into a dogleg.
"Naive!"
With his body still bent, Satoshi swung the knife down. A sharp pain runs through Yumeto's protruding arm.
"Guu!"
Yumeto grabbed his arm and distanced himself from Satoshi. Bright red blood flowed out from the gap in his hand that held his arm. Seeing that, Satoshi's mouth opened wide.
"Heh, heh! After all, your attack doesn't have enough murderous intent. Then, you can't even hurt me."
"..... It's true that you're better at handling knives than I am, but I've never lost a fight either."
"This isn't a fight. It's killing each other."
Also, Satoshi's wording changes.
"Don't worry. By now, Iori should have killed Yuna and Fuka. You guys can die together. Are you happy?"
"It won't happen. We will definitely survive."
"In this situation, you can utter such a line. So, how are you going to survive from here?"
"This is what I do!"
Saying that, Yumeto turned his back on Satoshi and started running.
"Oh, hey! Are you trying to run away?"
Satoshi's voice can be heard from behind.
"If you want to run away, I'm going to help Iori! Is that okay?"
"It's decided that it's no good!"
Yumeto turned around and threw the knife he was holding. The knife went straight to Satoshi's chest.
"Ugh!"
Satoshi held out his left arm. A knife pierces his arm.
"Guaah! Shit!"
With a groan, Satoshi pulled the knife out of his arm.
"What the hell are you doing!"
"Isn't it natural to kill each other?"
"Gee... No, you're right."
With his face distorted in pain, Satoshi grabbed the two knives with both hands.
"Now you have no more weapons."
"Then, I will just run away."
Yumeto ran with all his might.
"I don't let you escape. You're going to die here!"
Hearing Satoshi's voice behind him, Yumeto lifted the corners of his lips slightly.
.....It's fine. If I don't have a weapon, Satoshi-kun will target me. I shouldn't go to Yuna and the others right now. later this.....
Continue running along the wall of the school building and head for the entrance. Yumeto entered the school building through the entrance and picked up the mop that was placed next to the door. Just like that, he hits Satoshi's head as if he were swinging a bat.
With a loud bang, Satoshi's body fell on his back.
Yumeto rushes over to the collapsed Satoshi and raises the mop. At that moment, Satoshi sat up and stabbed Yumeto's left leg with a knife.
"Kuh..."
Yumeto twists his face and backs away.
"Heh..heh..heh! Now it's getting harder to escape."
Satoshi stood up with a high-pitched laugh. Blood is dripping from his head.
"You're going to die here anyway, so I'll let you see him one last time."
".... Do you want me to meet him?"
"Yeah. You... No, it's the person all your classmates were looking for."
When he said that, Satoshi's smiling expression changed. His eyes narrow and his eyebrows drop.
"Phew..."
A low, dark voice reached Yumeto's ears.
"Are you Yumeto? Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you?"
"Oh. I've never met you."
"You never met me....."
Yumeto held his stabbed leg with his hand and asked Satoshi a question.
"Satoshi-kun must have killed Seiichiro-kun and Wakaba-san. Didn't they meet with me before?"
"..... My name is Tomoki."
Satoshi replied with an expressionless face.
"Tomoki... Tomoki-kun, who committed suicide?"
"Yeah. That's why I haven't met you before."
"It is a such a fool thing...."
Yumeto opened his eyes wide and stared at Satoshi. Satoshi's appearance hasn't changed. However, the atmosphere felt different.
....The tone and attitude he have now is neither Satoshi-kun nor Seiichiro-kun. He is different from Wakaba. Is he really Tomoki-kun?
"No... Then, why is Tomoki-kun inside Satoshi-kun?"
"That's because Satoshi-kun bullied and killed me. It seems that Satoshi-kun can take in the spirit of the person he killed."
Satoshi bends his neck and smiles.
"I'm sure he was aware that he bullied me and that make him killed me. Thanks to that, I was able to take my revenge easily."
"Revenge...No way..."
"Yes. I am the king!"
Satoshi's eyes opened wide. At those words, Yumeto's heart jumped.
....................