..............
[Friday, November 12, 04:28 pm]
A cold wind ruffled his bangs as he opened the metal door. Yumeto slowly moves his gaze left and right.
I saw a boy standing on the other side of the wire netting to prevent falling.
The boy turned his back on Yumeto. He has a slim build and is shorter than Yumeto.
Yumeto's heart beats early.
"King...."
Yumeto took a deep breath in him and started walking in the direction of the boy. He feels his breathing getting rougher.
.....Meet Sousuke-kun, who got us involved in the king's game. Yuna and the others died because of Sousuke-kun. Why did Sousuke-kun make us play a king's game.....
Yumeto's thoughts stopped in front of the wire mesh.
"That's...that's stupid..."
Yumeto looks dumbfounded at the boy behind the wire mesh.
"Why... why you..."
Hearing Yumeto's voice, the boy turned around.
The boy was fair-skinned and wore big glasses. His deep eyes are serene and his thin lips form a smile.
Yumeto said the boy's name.
"Seiya-kun..."
"Hi, Yumeto-kun."
Seiya raised his right hand over the wire mesh.
"It's been a week. Nice to meet you again."
"..... why are you here?"
"That's because I'm the king."
Saying that, Seiya smiled.
"Actually, I didn't mean to show up, but you were the last one. I thought this might be fate too."
"..... I see. That corpse in the equipment room was Sousuke-kun."
"Yeah. He have been confined in the equipment room for a long time so that he can take my place."
"In the equipment room?"
"That's right. Few people know about it, but that equipment room has a storage space under the floor. It's not even two tatami mats wide, but it was enough to tie Sousuke-kun and roll him around. "
"In such a small place....."
"I gave him proper food and water. When I could act on my own."
Seiya glanced in the direction of the equipment room.
"The day before starting the king's game, I called Sousuke to school in the middle of the night and put him to sleep with sleeping pills. And I infected him with the Keldo virus. After that, I used his mobile phone to send Iori an email about him."
"To increase the number of suspects..."
Seiya shook his head at Yumeto's mutter.
"That's right. When I planned to start playing the king's game in our class, the question was how I would make people think I wasn't the king. If they finds out right away that I'm the king, I can't kill all my classmates. That's why Sousuke-kun went missing and then everyone will think he's the king."
"Perhaps Hideyuki and Takeshi were suspected by the police because....."
"Yeah. In the garden of Hideyuki-kun's house, I buried the knife I used when I killed Reborn's follower. For Takeshi, I used his smartphone during breaks without permission and accessed sites with information related to the Keldo virus and Nano queen. The police must have found that part."
"Was it your strategy to leave traces of modifying Nano Queen's program on your home computer?"
"That's right. I intentionally infected my computer with a virus and sent a nano queen-related program from an internet cafe to my computer. The Japanese police are excellent, If they notice that, I can deviate from being a suspect. Actually, I was planning on leaking that information to you at an appropriate time."
Seiya touched the bridge of his glasses with his right index finger.
"Oops, sorry. These glasses are a little slippery. Actually, I prefer my old glasses, but I used them for the corpse trick. If you leave those glasses next to the corpse with their whole skin peeled off, you'll misunderstand it. Well, before that, the equipment room was a closed room, so there's no doubt about it though."
".....I see. Locking you in the equipment room was also part of the strategy."
Yumeto remembered Seiya's words.
'If you tie your hands and feet and confine yourself in the equipment room, you will die because of your own orders.'
"Are you saying that for Seiichiro-kun to hear it?"
"Yeah. I know Seiichiro-kun's personality. If I said something like that, I expected him to do the same thing. After that, I used a small knife hidden in my shoe to cut the string off and switch places with Sousuke-kun. Since Sousuke-kun was tied up, he didn't take a single step, and it's certain that he'll be the one to receive the punishment. All that's left is for me to hide in the place where Sousuke-kun was confined.
However, I was impatient because the key seemed to be found sooner than expected. If it was Seiichiro-kun, I expected him to never hand over the key until the order was completed. Well, when you found the key early, I was planning to make it like the door wouldn't open from the inside."
Squinting his eyes behind his glasses, Seiya continued.
"It was difficult in many ways. For the second order, I had Sousuke-kun randomly write down the names of his classmates, put them together with the paper I had written, and vote. Well, even with Sousuke-kun's vote, the one with the lowest score was Ryuji-kun. The 4th order is cleared because I let him have a playing cards. And the 5th order, I also gave him a fragment of a stone pillar. Although, I didn't expect Souta-kun and the others will hide the stone pillars."
"Did you put that fragment in Yoko's bag?"
"Yeah. The seventh order was also a critical moment. There was a possibility that Hideyuki-kun would write my name. In order to reduce that possibility even a little, I make Yoko-san to become a candidate for the king. And Hideyuki made a mistake. That's when I felt the presence of god."
"God?"
"Yes. God allowed me to kill all my classmates. That's why I didn't die in the middle of the king's game."
Seiya spread his arms out and looked up at the orange sky. The eyes behind the glasses are sparkling.
"Ever since the king's game began, there have been many situations where I might have died. I could have been caught in playing tag game, and I could have been killed by Iwamoto-sensei. But I didn't die. And no one knew that I was the king.This is God's will."
"There's no way that's possible!"
Yumeto let out a loud voice and grabbed his wire mesh with both hands.
"Is it God's will to make you kill your classmates? What you're saying is ridiculous!"
His fingers turn white as he grips the wire mesh.
"You killed over 30 people, right? And most of them were classmates. I can't believe you're this insane!"
"I killed them... huh. Isn't that fine?"
"That's fine....."
".....Yumeto-kun. I believe there is a heaven."
"Heaven?"
"Yeah. I think that after the body dies, all sins will be forgiven and humans will go to heaven. That's why there's no need to worry about the death of the body."
"Isn't that your idea! Everyone else wanted to live!"
Yumeto shook his head and shouted.
"Yuna-san, Tokisada-kun, no, not just our comrades, Yohei-kun, Seiichiro-kun, and Hideyuki-kun were desperately trying to live. You shouldn't be allowed to take that life!"
"That's the case of an innocent human being. The students of class 2A have killed Tomoki-kun. Taking someone else's life and then complaining about it being taken away from you? Isn't that strange?"
"No! Tomoki-kun committed suicide, didn't he? Seiichiro-kun and the others were the ones who caused it, but they didn't kill him. Besides, some of the other classmates tried to stop the bullying too. There must have been a lot!"
"It doesn't matter. The ones who killed Tomoki-kun were all the students in Class 2A. Including me too."
Seiya's expression darkened.
"I couldn't help Tomoki-kun. I couldn't stop his bullying even though he was in so much pain. And I didn't realize that Tomoki-kun was worried enough to commit suicide. Even I love him so much...."
"Did you.... love?"
Seiya's words stiffened Yumeto's expression.
"...What does that mean?"
"It means that I loved Tomoki-kun."
Seiya looked straight at Yumeto.
"You seem surprised. But sometimes men can love men. It's nothing strange in this world. No, it's not, I didn't love Tomoki-kun because he's a man. It doesn't matter if Tomoki's body is male or female. I loved his pure heart."
"Heart..."
"That's what's important. I don't care about the body. Gender and age don't matter."
"I see. What was written in the king's letter was true."
"Ah, that cipher. It didn't matter if it was found out or not, but Yumeto seems to have noticed."
"The first person who noticed it was Souta. He told me in the mountains."
"Mountain.... I don't understand the conversation there. I can understand if it's on the school grounds."
"Eavesdropping..."
Seiya nod his head at Yumeto's mutter.
"Yes. Before I started playing king's game, I installed dozens of wiretapping devices in my school. Thanks to that, I was able to gather information on other groups too. Well, I had limited time to listen to the conversation. After I pretended to be dead, I could hear as much as I wanted."
"You used that information to give the orders, right?"
"Yeah. I need to calculate if there are any people who doubt me, and if I ordered any order, who will be more likely to die. Also, it doesn't matter who died."
Seiya took out a smartphone from his pocket. The smartphone had a different color than the one Seiya had before.
"I used this smartphone to access a computer containing the Nano Queen program. But I don't need it anymore."
"Where is that computer?"
"It's in an old apartment in Saitama City. The Reborn believer I killed was preparing to start the king's game in Kanto, and I was allowed to use it like that. And because it was someone else's phone, I guess the police couldn't find it. Halfway through, I threatened them to stop the investigation either."
"Even if they stop investigating, I think they should know that you're the king."
Yumeto moved his gaze to the school gate. There were detectives looking at me in protective clothing.
"I thought Sousuke's corpse was you, so I reported it to the detective. And yet, isn't it strange that you're on the roof of the school building?"
"I understand. Anyway, after the Keldo virus is dead, the corpse will also be DNA tested. I just wish it could buy time."
"Are you going to turn yourself in?"
"Turn myself in? How can I do that...."
Seiya chuckled and laughed.
"My goal is to kill all my classmates and start my school life over again with Tomoki in Heaven. I wrote it properly in the king's letter, isn't it?"
"Die... Then, what is this order?"
"Ah, the one that asks surviving classmates to join their hands together within two hours. It's just a little game. You and I are the only survivors, so that's what I ordered"
".....What do you mean?"
"I'm at a loss in thinking. What should I do with Yumeto-kun?"
Yumeto's face was reflected in the eyes behind the glasses.
"You are a transfer student and have nothing to do with Tomoki-kun's death. In that case, you survived until the end, and I wonder if there is a choice not to kill you. However....."
"However?"
"You've been playing the king's game with everyone for two weeks. If that's the case, I think it's okay to recognize you as our classmate. Besides, I think you're necessary."
"What do you need me for?"
"For my new school life in heaven. You are brave and have the power to doing thing. you didn't lose to Seiichiro and the others, and you risked your life to protect our classmates. If we had someone with such a wonderful heart, our class would surely come together. Tomoki-kun must also want to meet you."
"....Seiya-kun"
Yumeto looked sadly at Seiya on the other side of the wire mesh.
"I don't understand what you're thinking. Killing your classmate to start new school life in heaven? I don't think that's what Tomoki-kun wanted. Tomoki-kun has a pure heart, was it?"
"....That's right. Tomoki-kun didn't think of that. When we met at the shopping street in front of the station, he was just wondering if it was his fault that he was being bullied. So, It was my intention that start the king's game. I'm different from Tomoki-kun. There's darkness in my heart"
"Darkness..."
"Yes. Ever since I was a child, I thought there was a deep dark place in my heart. I felt a strange excitement when I saw the news that people died in murders or accidents. I didn't like my personality, So I tried to be nice to people. Even if you wish for someone's death in your heart, it doesn't matter as long as you don't act in reality. You see, there are tons of war movies and murder dramas out there. There must be a lot of people who are interested in people's death."
"Then why did you start playing the king's game? This is reality, isn't it? You actually killed your classmate!"
"Maybe it's because of the previous king's game. Death became a familiar thing during the king's game that involved high school students from all over the country. Many people fought and died in front of me. In such a situation, my heart was dyed in darkness more and more...."
Seiya closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
"I started attending Akaikeyama high school in a mentally ill state, and then I met someone who saved me."
"That's Tomoki-kun?"
"Yeah, Tomoki was a really kind boy. He took care not only of people, but of dogs, cats, and insects as well. Just by being near him, I could feel the darkness in my heart disappearing. Even so, I couldn't protect such a pure existence like that"
Seiya's hand, which was holding the smartphone, began to tremble.
"Seiichiro and the others were clever, aiming for him when there was no one to protect Tomoki, They repeatedly bullied him. And Tomoki-kun died without anyone being able to stop them. That's when my heart was completely broken."
"Broken...."
"That's right. My heart was completely stained with darkness. The group of Seiichiro and others who repeatedly bullied, the classmates who were indifferent to Tomoki's bullying, the useless classmates who couldn't stop the bullying. I hated it, everyone, and the one that hated the most is myself."
"So, you also participated in the king's game?"
Seiya nodded at Yumeto's question.
"Because I am a sinner too. Unless I atone for my sins, I won't be able to see Tomoki-kun in heaven."
".....I don't know anymore....That kind of thinking....."
Yumeto's eyes filled with tears.
"If you have that kind of determine, why didn't you help Tomoki-kun? There must have been a number of his classmates who tried to help Tomoki. If everyone cooperated, we should have been able to stop Seiichiro-kun and the others, It must be so!"
".....Yeah, you're right. If you had been in our class from the beginning, I don't think Tomoki-kun would have died. That's really unfortunate, but there's no point in saying that anymore. Everyone's dead except us."
"Seiya-kun, is that really your wish?"
"That's a strange way of saying it. I'm saying that I want to restart my school life with Tomoki-kun and everyone else, right? Why would you say such a thing?"
"This is the order for this time."
Yumeto points to the smartphone Seiya is holding.
"You called this order is just a little game, but I think it's a little different."
"Different?"
"That's right. Clearing this order is easy. If you and I join hands, neither of us will be punished. You said you were wondering whether to help me, I think that Seiya-kun himself also wants to live, so you gave this order."
"...I see. Is there such a way of thinking?"
Seiya lowered his gaze to the screen of the smartphone he was holding.
"It's true that I may had some obsession with my physical body. But what would happen if I survived? Spend the rest of my life in prison?"
"Even so, It is still good!"
Yumeto hit the wire mesh with his open hand.
"I don't know if there is heaven, but if it's really there, you don't have to go right away, right? Humans die anyway. In that case, I think you should pay for the crime of killing your classmate before you die."
"..."
"I can't forgive you for killing Yuna and the others. But I don't want you to die. I want you to live and atone for your sins."
"..... No, you should stop."
Seiya shook his head left and right.
"I have no regrets in this world without Tomoki-kun. Besides, I intend to atone for all my sins by dying."
"Seiya-kun..."
"Yumeto-kun, do you know 'Purgatory' ?"
"Purgatory?"
"Yeah. 'Purgatory' is a place somewhere between heaven and hell. By cleansing your sins, you can go to heaven. I created a place called purgatory in this world."
The eyes behind the glasses shine in the orange setting sun.
"This place was purgatory. And all the classmates I killed are now in heaven, atoning for their sins of not being able to help Tomoki-kun. I'm sure they're waiting for me to come."
"Do you think the classes that were fought in the king's game will return to normal?"
"Of course. That's what heaven is like. We all committed sins, and we all received our punishment. There's no more fighting in heaven. Seiichiro-kun must have understood how futile it is to have classmates fight with each other through the king's game."
Seiya stared at Yumeto.
"Yumeto-kun, I can prevent you from being punished for the king's game. If I put this right hand on your hand, the order will be clear. And I'm the only one who should jump from here, However...."
"However?"
"You are necessary for our class. That's why I'm going to let you die too."
"...I see. That's your choice, right?"
"Yeah. Don't you think it's better too? Because if you die here, you'll be able to see Yuna-san and Fuka-san right away."
"You also know about the confession, did you?"
"I was just listening with a eavesdropper device at that time. So, which person do you choose?"
".....I have decided who to choose."
Yumeto answered firmly.
"But I can't tell you."
"So, you want to tell them directly in heaven? That would be better."
For several tens of seconds, Yumeto and Seiya stared at each other in silence. Seiya smiled softly.
Then, Seiya's smartphone rang the alarm.
"Okay, 10 minutes left and two hours will have passed. I'm about to go then."
"Are you going to jump before you get punished?"
"Yeah. It's easier to die that way. It's concrete under here, and I'm sure I'll die instantly."
"Seiya-kun... are you really going to die?"
"Oh, but I'll see you again soon."
Saying that, Seiya spread his hands to the left and right. Seiya's shadow forms a cross shape on the rooftop where it turns orange.
"Well then, I'll go first. Let's meet again!"
Showing a clear smile, Seiya tilted his body.
"Seiya-kun!"
Yumeto tried to climb the wire mesh, but Seiya's body disappeared from the roof before he could do so. A few seconds later, the sound of something being crushed reached Yumeto's ears.
"Ah..."
Yumeto tightly closed his eyelids while still holding on to his wire mesh.
"Idiot, you....."
The fact that Seiya, whom he thought was dead, was actually a king beyond Yumeto's expectations. An image of Seiya from when he was in the same group with him pops up in his mind.
Tears streamed down Yumeto's cheeks and fell to his feet.
""Seiya-kun.....you were writing 'I'm sorry' in the equipment room, weren't you? It wasn't just that you deceived us about not being tied, but you really wanted to apologize for everything, right?"
No one answered Yumeto's question.
Yumeto hated the king who killed many of his classmates and involved himself in the king's game. However, now he knew that the king was Seiya, the hatred had faded from Yumeto's heart.
"Is this result really what you wanted?"
A cold wind, like the arrival of winter, hits Yumeto's cheeks.
He pulls a smartphone out of his pocket and checks the remaining time for his order.
"Five minutes left..."
A dry voice escaped from Yumeto's mouth.
....................