Perhaps I have genuinely become desensitized, but the only thing I feel when seeing these mutilated remains is disgust. I should not be so accustomed to this. Yet, I get the faint impression that scenes like this, at my feet, have become a common sight in my daily life. What is wrong with me?
"W-What... horror," a trembling voice emerges from the doorway.
This gruesome scene leaves Natsuki, who has just arrived, in a state of shock.
"This was the last straw," Haruki comments as he arrives at the scene.
"Tell me, Haruki. When you witness a tragedy like this, do you feel motivated to kill Ailiss? Even knowing that you'll inevitably die if you do it?" I ask.
"I wish I could say yes..." he replies, looking down. "...but I don't know how I would act in the moment," he adds, still with his head lowered after a few seconds.
Putting aside any pretense, he likely only knew the victims by sight, so there is no genuine motivation for such a declaration of war.
"Don't feel bad about it; that is an honest answer. We are just ordinary high school students. Our natural reaction is to survive, not to act heroically."
Now that I have said this, I realize something... could it be another anomaly? Why do I feel so ready to abandon my life for Mikoto's safety? It feels as though this, like this pile of corpses, is already a regular occurrence.
Well, it hardly matters. Whether influenced or acting of my own volition, my decision to protect her is irrelevant. Saving Mikoto has become an end in itself for me. Even if she protests against it, I am willing to sacrifice myself for her. That's the only thing that matters to me.
A trail of red footprints is visible down the corridors. I alert the others about it. Following the trail, we arrive directly at the old school block, where we previously suspected Ailiss's hideout to be.
With this confirmation, we can no longer postpone our attack. Thus, we summon the rest of the council members to invade the location.
11:35 AM
The time for our counterattack has finally arrived. We gather everyone for an abrupt invasion. Standing in front of the block housing Ailiss's hideout, each person seems lost in their own thoughts.
Manabu stares into the distance with a detached expression, while Miyu, beside him, displays strong signs of anxiety.
Meanwhile, Haruki speaks with the boys recruited by the council, explaining how the assault will proceed.
In the end, none of this planning will likely matter. Someone without experience could never predict the enemy's behavior.
"Does everyone understand their roles? Let me briefly recap. Half of you will be led by me and the other half by Manabu-san. There are three entrances to the block's basement. Johann-san will use the first one, and the rest of us will take the other two," Haruki explains, pointing to the Xs and circles he has drawn on the ground.
Then, Mikoto, who has strangely not addressed our earlier conversation, approaches the group and interrupts Haruki's explanation.
"Excuse me for interrupting; however, there have been changes to the plan regarding Johann. The two of us will serve as bait simultaneously," she says, looking at me. "We will face her together. Right?" she adds with a smile.
You intend to keep me close to restrict my actions, right?
"Very well, Kaichou. This doesn't affect the plan much—whether one or two decoys, the procedure remains the same."
Considering how little confidence I've in this organized assault, I had secretly planned to move ahead with a knife. However, Mikoto's change of heart regarding this plan leaves my hands tied.
"Miyu-san and Natsuki-chan will observe the operation from a distance. In the worst-case scenario, they should attempt to call for reinforcements," Haruki continues with his explanation.
While Haruki elaborates on our actions, I focus on Miyu and Manabu, who are standing off to the side. She tries to say something, and he is so distracted that he nods at every sentence, not paying attention to her words.
"I never had the courage to tell you this before—we have been friends since childhood. But I have always seen you as more than just a friend. I like you very much, Manabu-kun," Miyu confesses, her face entirely red.
"Yes, I understa—" he stops mid-sentence, startled by what she just said. "W-What?!"
Manabu freezes, moving his arms awkwardly, his face as red as Miyu's.
"You dummy, don't make me repeat it," she says, pouting and looking away.
"I wasn't prepared to hear something like that outside of an eroge," he sighs. "If I come back alive from this mission, I'll give you a proper answer," Manabu says, recovering himself.
You would have had more time to prepare a response if you weren't so scatterbrained. The way Miyu has always talked to you practically gave it away.
12:05 PM
Initially, everything unfolds as planned. Haruki and Manabu take their respective groups to the basement's side entrances. They now await Mikoto and me to fulfill our roles as decoys and reconnaissance.
I sigh and carefully observe her face. She wears her usual expression that conveys a certain emotional detachment. In the end, she is as calm as ever.
"Are you ready?" she asks, holding my hand without taking her eyes off the staircase ahead of us.
Not as much as I'd like, to be honest, I wish to avoid this at all costs. I cannot shake the bad feeling about the conflict ahead—a foreboding that will not stop tormenting me. However, we have no choice.
"Let's go," I say, masking my hesitation.
We cautiously descend the stairs.
Step by step, the tension in the air grows more intense. With my senses on high alert, we arrive in a dimly lit area that resembles an old storage room.
Everything here is in disarray. With so many shelves and old furniture, the space has become a confusing labyrinth. Were the staff never paid to clean this place?
It is even difficult to move around. I don't know how Haruki and Manabu will manage to enter without making noise—I nearly stepped on some broken glass on the floor. Despite the chaos, I have an uncanny intuition about the best paths to take.
It feels as though I have been here before.
"This way," I whisper to Mikoto.
Intending to guide her through a clear path between the shelves, I extend my hand toward her.
However, at that moment, as I turn my back to the path I was mapping out, a shadow emerges, putting me back on high alert.
"Well, well, I never imagined the two of you would come together. This makes things much easier for me," Ailiss's voice startles us.
She steps out from behind one of the shelves, confidently standing before us. I take two steps back and position myself in front of Mikoto.
Better than anyone, I know how dangerous the girl before us can be. Appearances can be deceiving at first glance, but this maiden with long blonde hair has the spirit of an innate predator. I cannot let her approach Mikoto, no matter the cost.
"How did you know we would come? And how did you anticipate all the student council's movements? Did you use some kind of magic with clairvoyant attributes?" Mikoto asks.
"So many questions for someone cornered... I've my means. Naturally, I'm not going to tell you how I did it. It would make no sense to bother explaining details when you are about to die—it would just be a waste of time."
So there is no way around it. I still held a sliver of hope for a twist to exonerate Ailiss. Until I saw her kill, I didn't want to believe she was indeed the murderer.
"Very well, the means aren't of much importance to me. However, there is something I need to hear directly from you. Do you admit to being responsible for the series of murders?" I ask.
"Yes, it was me. What of it? I was bored, and they were just trash that makes no difference in this world. Therefore, entertaining myself is a far nobler purpose than merely existing," she replies with a tone of superiority.
So it was all just a matter of amusement? From our first conversation, I could identify various elements of sadism in her speech. However, I never imagined it would be as trivial as this. There is no reason with someone cloaked in so much sociopathy.
"How can you commit so many atrocities without showing a shred of remorse? We are talking about human lives—lives that have nothing to do with our problems," Mikoto confronts her.
"Don't be so sanctimonious. You don't care about them either. After all, you put everyone in this game, risking their lives to save yourself. Isn't that selfish of you?"
Last night, Mikoto claimed she only conjured the game because she was under attack—in other words, pressured by you. So, do not lump her in the same category. The two of you are entirely different.
"And why were you after her?" I question.
"There is no personal grudge or anything of the sort. I am a professional assassin. My job is to kill other black magic users, nothing more," she says, her expression turning serious. "But enough questions. You aren't able to ask anything, and it's time for me to have some fun."
Ailiss begins to walk toward us with a weapon in hand.
It was with that weapon that she coldly killed Shou. She seems to be telling the truth about being a professional assassin, but does that not imply someone hired her to kill Mikoto? If that is the case, it doesn't absolve her of her evil deeds, but perhaps we could convince her to abandon this and focus on the next target.
On the other hand, I doubt we've enough money to bribe her. And even if we did, as she herself claimed, she's likely more driven by the pleasure of killing than by money itself.
"If I were you, I would think twice before acting. Killing us will mean your death as well. In other words, your position is the same as ours—you are trapped in this game," Mikoto says, trying to dissuade her.
"Fufu," she chuckles lightly. "Do you really think so? Have you not realized that I altered the reality within your beloved ritual?" she responds, continuing to approach.
"Altered reality? Are you saying you can change the mechanics of a black magic conjuration? I have never heard of such an ability, not even from the most experienced black magic user."
"Shocked by something so simple? Your scope of possibilities is terribly narrow, like a model princess priestess limited to the knowledge passed down by your predecessors. Thanks to all this rigid traditionalism, you overlooked an important possibility."
Ailiss pauses, closes her eyes, lets out a small laugh, and speaks again.
"But I won't force you to believe me. Think what you like. In the end, you know it is true—the properties of this reality have been tampered with."
So, she is the cause of these anomalies? We don't know how much the principles Mikoto explained to me last night have been altered. Perhaps some stipulated rules don't apply to her, but we've no way to judge the veracity of this information.