"What exactly are you planning to do?" Masashi asked, looking at the man who was smiling the entire time.
"They may not know, but one person here should know what I intend to do—and that person is you, Gennai Masashi."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Is that so? Then maybe this will jog your memory."
Maruo walked to the center of the room and pulled back a large canvas covering something on the floor.
Masashi looked at the object on the ground and felt a chill run through his body.
"So, it was you."
"You finally remember, don't you, Gennai?" Maruo said, touching his chest with hatred in his eyes.
"Why did you bring us here? You want money, right? As long as you don't hurt me, I'll give you whatever amount you want," shouted Shizuko's boyfriend.
"So, you're rich?" Maruo walked over to him.
"Y-yes. My father is a CEO. As long as you—" Before he could finish, Maruo kicked him, sending him and the chair crashing to the floor.
"Do you think I brought you all here for money? How pathetic—you don't even know how you're going to die. Gennai, care to satisfy their curiosity?" Maruo asked with a smile.
"No, you can't kill me! I don't want to die! I'll give you anything you want, just don't kill me..." Murata cried hysterically at the mention of death.
Murata's reaction made the others panic, and they began to scream and cry.
Maruo walked over and slapped Murata hard, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I hate it when people interrupt me. Anyone who screams again will die immediately." As he spoke, he pulled a gleaming scalpel from his pocket.
No one dared make a sound. The room fell silent again, with only the sound of labored breathing and the muffled sobs of girls trying not to cry.
"Gennai, don't you want to explain? If you stay silent, they're going to suffer more," Maruo said, feigning regret.
The others, seeing a sliver of hope, stared intently at Masashi.
After a moment, when he still remained silent, a few of the boys looked like they wanted to curse, but the sight of Maruo silenced them.
Masashi looked around at the dozen young men and women, sighed, and finally said, "He's the Tokyo Ripper, the one who's been causing a huge commotion recently."
"What?!" Everyone gasped.
Although the police had kept the news out of the media to avoid widespread panic, in this age of information, word had still gotten out. And everyone here knew what the term "Tokyo Ripper" implied. Despair immediately overtook them, and a wave of intense fear swept through the room.
"You haven't finished, have you, Gennai? If it weren't for your meddling, those idiot cops would never have found me. So, someone who can predict my movements must know why I'm doing this," Maruo said as he gently caressed a large, strange pattern on the floor that covered most of it, exuding an eerie aura.
"You only want him, right? What does this have to do with us? Please let me go, I swear I won't tell anyone about this. Please, believe me," pleaded a boy Masashi didn't recognize.
"Yes, it's just him you're after. Please, let us go," Shizuko's boyfriend and Murata added loudly.
"Let us go, please. Let me leave."
"Gennai, see? This is humanity's true nature."
"I'm sorry, but I need more than just him—I need all of you. If any one of you is missing, my ritual could fail. So none of you can be excluded." Maruo calmly wiped his scalpel with a microfiber cloth.
"You actually believe that performing this ridiculous ritual will make your wish come true? You're as childish as they come," Masashi sneered.