Exactly as depicted in Western culture, a skeleton—the very antithesis of life. It wields a scythe with a blade so sharp it causes anguish just to look at. The dark voids where its eyes should be exude an endless abyss, as though I could see beyond them into the graveyard where all its victims rest.
"Johann-kun, are you okay?" an unexpected whisper pulls me from my thoughts.
Miyu? So, she didn't see what just happened? Considering what the children said over the loudspeakers, this must be a sign that I'm actively participating in this "game" they announced.
"Would you believe me if I said I saw Death itself?"
Her eyes widen, and she falls silent. If I were in her position, I wouldn't believe such a claim either.
Manabu and Shou arrive at the scene.
"Hey, what's going on out there?" Shou asks.
Haruki, who was standing a bit further from me and Miyu, turns to Shou, visibly shaken.
"The teacher dematerialized in front of everyone. It seems real. Anyway, I'm heading to join the rest of the council. See you later."
Haruki quickly leaves the hallway, descending the stairs in a hurry.
I continue observing the crowd and notice that, in unison, they all turn around as if they'd rehearsed it for weeks. It's unnerving how synchronized they are.
Only one presence could command a crowd with such spontaneity. Entering the courtyard with a megaphone in hand, her path parts the masses fluidly. Accompanied by Haruki and the other three primary council members, she steps to the front and faces the crowd with her icy blue gaze. After a few moments, as the commotion finally subsides, she sighs and lifts the megaphone to her lips.
"Stop acting like apes and listen to what we have to say!"
The student council president, Yukihara Mikoto, begins her speech bluntly. However, no one seems bothered by her rudeness.
Ignoring the insult, one frantic student tries to bring up what happened to his classmate.
"BUT ASAHI—"
The president's watchdog, more commonly known as Vice President Tanaka Takashi, doesn't even let the boy finish his comment, cutting him off with a thunderous shout.
"SILENCE! Let Kaichou finish speaking!"
The other council members, Hasegawa Haruki and Kobayashi Keiko appear slightly embarrassed by the vice president's lack of decorum. Nakamura Natsuki, on the other hand, trembles with fear. I can't fathom how she became a class representative; she must have less resolve than I do.
"Hey, Takashi-san. That's not necessary," says Haruki, attempting to mediate. Expected, coming from him.
"Interrupting a superior's speech cannot go unpunished. Don't you agree, Hasegawa-san?"
Being vice president and so close to the president has apparently fostered a strong sense of idolization. But it's the president herself who responds to his outburst.
"I do not recall giving you permission to take such an unnecessary action," she says coldly.
"I was only ensuring you weren't interrupted," he stammers.
"And yet, you wasted more of my time with your unnecessary outburst than if you had simply let the boy finish his statement."
Takashi's eyes widen as he slowly lowers his head in shame.
With Takashi chastened, she tosses a strand of her long hair back and raises the megaphone again.
"As I was saying, the student council is aware of the circumstances we are in and the claims made over the loudspeakers. As you have likely realized, they appear to be true. That being said, we will maintain order among the students while seeking a way to escape this 'game' with the fewest fatalities possible. To achieve this, we need everyone's cooperation. Does anyone object?"
No one could. Everyone is desperate, clinging to the hope of being guided out of this nightmare. And who better to lead them than Yukihara Mikoto? Even in the face of a scene beyond the supernatural, she shows no signs of fear or uncertainty.
4:44 PM
We're in the school's atrium. All the classes are gathered here, and it's driving me mad. Crowds make me anxious, and the overlapping conversations are unbearable.
The president isn't making any more announcements for now. She's just sitting and listening to Vice President Takashi's reports. Since returning to the classroom, I haven't seen that foreign girl again.
Since nothing's happening, I decide to find a corner to rest.
"Hey, Johann, what's up?" Shou calls out.
I was fine until you came to bother me. Shouldn't he be more worried about the current situation?
"What is it this time?"
"I heard we're getting dormitories!" he says excitedly.
We soon head over to where Miyu and the other second-year students are gathered. Keiko and Haruki stand at the front, ready to share the instructions from the student council.
Deliberately, I sit far away from those three nuisances to listen to what the representatives have to say.
Haruki begins.
"Alright, everyone. I think we're all aware that we're confined to the school for a week. Since the sun will set soon, the council has decided to assign dormitories."
Keiko presents a poorly drawn map of the school and explains.
"The rooms on the left side of the building will be the girls' dormitories. The ones on the right will be for the boys. Each room will have a representative, likely a council member. Any questions?"
Keiko's explanation seems thorough, and aside from the quality of the map, no one has any questions—except for one person.
"I object! According to my sources, it should be a single dormitory!" Shou stands and protests dramatically.
I'm relieved I sat far from him. Everyone is either looking at him in confusion or disgust.
Miyu stands and yanks Shou by the tie of his uniform.
"Kobayashi-san, don't take him seriously. It was just a joke," she tries to smooth over his outburst.
Shou resists her pull and persists.
"Miyu-chan, I've never been more serious—OUCH! What was that for?"
She elbows him in the stomach without any subtlety to shut him up.
"It's because of people like your friend here that separate dormitories are necessary," Keiko says, glaring at Shou with disdain.
Their usual antics aren't limited to just the three of them. How can they act so normally when everyone was terrified just a few hours ago?
After the small meeting, the three return to orbiting around me, chatting about the most random topics imaginable.
"You know what makes less sense than splitting up the dormitories? Not investigating the identity of the three players," Shou comments.
His suggestion isn't new; everyone is aware of it. The reason is obvious, but I'd like to hear him state it explicitly.
"And why should they?" I ask.
"We just need to kill one of the three, right? Then we'll be free. Surely someone would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the group."
"Shimizu-kun! Don't say such atrocious things, even as a joke," Miyu snaps, visibly upset.
"I'm sorry, but what's so wrong about what I said, Miyu-chan? Isn't it obvious that this would end the game immediately? That way, we'd save as many people as possible," he tries to justify.
"Can't you see that killing innocent people is barbaric? No matter what you argue, we can't allow the sacrifice of an innocent under any circumstances."
"Well, I agree with Shou. It's the easiest path, isn't it?" I comment.
"Johann-kun!?" Her eyes widen in disbelief.
"See, Miyu-chan? Even Johann agrees with me. And Johann's smart; he must have realized it too."
You don't have to be a genius to connect these dots. The game's rules are too simple, likely designed to provoke this kind of decision sooner or later.
"Honestly, we might not have a choice when the time comes," Manabu concludes.
Miyu turns away, still angry at the boys' attitudes. For a moment, I consider revealing that I'm one of the players, just to see where the conversation would go and how each of them would react. But it's wiser to suppress that thought and keep it a secret.
9:41 PM
Finally, it's time to sleep. I usually aim to be asleep before ten. My lifestyle resembles that of an old man.
We've been assigned to four dormitories. Half the girls are under the president's supervision, while the other half are with Keiko and Natsuki. The boys are split similarly between Haruki and Takashi. Due to Asahi's "disappearance," we're one supervisor short compared to the girls' dormitories. As luck would have it, I'm stuck in Haruki's group with the two lunatics who keep bothering me.
Having someone as understanding as Haruki in charge has its downsides—one being that his group isn't well-disciplined.
Looking around, I see various groups of students. Some are chatting, others are playing cards, but all wear wide smiles as though nothing unusual happened this afternoon.
This irritates me. As a grump, I already dislike seeing others' joy. But seeing it in such an incongruous context makes it worse.
I pinch my arm.
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a dream.
"Hey Johann, come play with us!" Shou calls out.
"I already told you I don't like games," I reply.
Not card games, and certainly not the insanity I've been dragged into.
"Please, keep it down, Shou-san. We can play, but Takashi will scold us if we get too loud. Worse, it could reach the Kaichou's ears, and we'll be in real trouble," Haruki warns.
"Sorry, Haruki. But now, who's going to be my partner?" Shou pouts and looks at Manabu.
"Sorry, maybe after I finish reading my manga," he says without lifting his eyes from the pages.
Realizing I won't be able to sleep as early as I'd hoped, I stand and look out the window. I can see the lights from the other dormitories. The window closest to ours goes dark. It seems that after his scolding this afternoon, Takashi is following orders to the letter. Shortly after, one of the girls' dormitory windows goes dark, too.
I wonder if anyone intends to take this game seriously. I don't know the other two players' dispositions, but they'll unlikely wait until the timer runs out to act.
Day 2
6:48 AM
"Everyone, wake up immediately!"
Takashi's shout jolts me from my precious sleep. Is this an army camp I didn't sign up for?
Still groggy, I check the clock. It's six forty-nine. I have nothing against waking up early; it's usually my routine. But wouldn't it be wiser to let everyone sleep? It'd make their surveillance job much more manageable.
"It's only six! Let us sleep a little longer!" Shou protests.
Shou's protest seems to resonate with the other boys in the dormitory—the collective desire to stay in bed until lunch is palpable. However, sheer willpower won't convince Takashi.
He furrows his brows and snaps back harshly.
"I won't say it twice. Get up. These are the Kaichou's orders."
Ah, so she's the mastermind behind this? Is she trying to maintain regular class schedules just for the sake of order? I wouldn't be surprised.
Knowing the orders come from the president, everyone who joined Shou's democratic rebellion abandons the ship and starts packing their sleeping bags as if the argument never happened.
"And did she even explain why, Takacchi? By the way, where's Harucchi?" Manabu asks.
"Takacchi? Ah... never mind. It's complicated, and I don't have much information yet. But we had some issues with the first treasurer, Hasegawa Haruki."
Now that he mentions it, something does feel off. Haruki is responsible for this dormitory, so he should be the one relaying the president's orders. What happened to him?
Takashi seems extremely tense as he tries to explain. His arms and legs fidget nervously, betraying his anxiety.
"Issues? Is he sick or something? Did you have to take over his duties?"
Silence.
Manabu's question hangs in the air. Takashi's fixed stare says it all without needing words. But it's only when his bitter voice breaks the silence that we fully grasp how our peace is truly doomed.
"He was found dead this morning."