Day 7
9:29 AM
I wake up abruptly to a loud bang.
Reacting instinctively, Ailiss quickly jumps from my arms, grabs her weapon, and assumes a defensive stance.
"What was that?" I ask, still groggy as I stand up.
"Stay quiet," she snaps, still focused on the noise.
The answer comes naturally. They're after us, likely sent by Mikoto.
The banging continues.
It's getting louder.
Another powerful crash signals that they've broken the door and invaded the hideout. Ailiss hands me her weapon, gesturing for me to stay put, and then vanishes into the labyrinth of debris.
I think I understand her plan. All this clutter will slow them down, and since Ailiss is familiar with the maze of shelves, she'll have the advantage.
I hear various objects falling and glass shattering, indicating that our pursuers aren't even trying to conceal their presence.
A guy emerges from the pile of debris in front of me. Without hesitation, I point the weapon at him. Gradually, more of his allies appear, until there are fifteen of them in total.
"Stay back, or I'll shoot!" I shout.
I can't let them get closer, or I'll lose the advantage of attacking from a distance. At the same time, I can't kill them—Ailiss will probably want to extract information. That means I need to aim for their legs.
"Drop the weapon. Even with it, you can't stop all of us in such a confined space," one of them says, wide-eyed.
Is this guy okay? The way he speaks seems unnatural.
What he's saying, however, is a real problem. My working space is limited to this small area. If they all rush me at once, I won't be able to take them all down. But how far are they willing to go? Aren't they afraid of dying?
Their facial expressions are strange as if they've gone mad, taken drugs, or undergone some kind of brainwashing. It's likely the despair of spending so many hours in this chaos, where they could be killed at any moment, has messed with their heads.
"For you to suggest something that puts me at a disadvantage, should I consider it a bargain? What do I gain by obeying you?" I ask.
"At the very least, you'll have a quick and painless death. Who knows, you might even live. After all, only one player needs to die, and the girl can fulfill that role. By the way, where is she? From what we were told, she should be here."
"'Told?' So she really sent you? It doesn't matter. The only thing relevant is making you regret this insolence."
"Did you really think I'd hand her over? Say another word, and I'll blow your brains out until you're unrecognizable," I say, my anger rising.
"It's a shame you won't cooperate with us—"
The guy's words are interrupted as a chair hits him squarely on the head.
She threw a chair from the labyrinth of debris? I feel like I should be more impressed. But honestly, no act of violence from her surprises me anymore.
"What the hell was tha—" another boy tries to exclaim but is cut off mid-sentence by another blow.
Ailiss reclaims the area with a flying kick, then takes them down individually. She dodges their attacks as if she already knows their movements. It doesn't take long for her to incapacitate all of them.
10:01 AM
With everyone properly tied up, Ailiss begins her interrogation.
"Who sent you? Was it the stuck-up president?" she asks, towering over them.
"I won't say any—AH!" one of the boys yelps as Ailiss kicks him in the face for refusing to answer.
Just watching it hurts. She didn't hold back. If they don't start talking, it's only a matter of minutes before they're all dead.
The punishment doesn't stop there. Ailiss steps to her right and kicks the face of the next tied-up guy then repeats the process with the others.
"Wait, please!" one of them shouts as she approaches.
Ignoring his plea, she kicks him as well. The same punishment is meted out to all fourteen boys.
"Everyone pays for one. We can keep playing until someone decides to talk. Clearly, I won't let you all go, so the first one to speak will have my mercy. The rest of you will beg me to kill you quickly. Believe me, I'm very patient—we can do this for hours," she says with her usual deadly glare.
Her method, though cruel, proves effective. Within three minutes, one of them breaks and finally spills the truth.
"We came because you're players. If one of you dies, this ends quickly. Yes, it was Kaichou who told us about this hideout."
"Did she also claim that both of us are players?" I ask.
"That rumor spread last night, but I don't know if she started it."
After uncovering all the details about the attack and gathering more information about Mikoto's guards, Ailiss turns her attention back to me.
"Let's train your aim," she says.
She's changed her mind? Honestly, I don't mind. My motivation is just as strong as it was yesterday, maybe even more potent. I'd gladly die for Ailiss.
"You stopped me yesterday. I thought you didn't want me to shoot another player."
"That's not the point. I don't plan to let you die. But you can't hesitate when you're in danger. Think about it: If you were alone, do you think you could have taken all of them down before being disarmed?"
"Definitely not. I would've failed miserably."
"Then let's go somewhere else to practice. It'll make me feel a little better about you."
We head to the school gymnasium, where I have more space to train. Strangely, I pick up the practice faster than expected. It feels like I'm revisiting a skill I already had, something sealed in my memory. Aiming and shooting come so naturally; it's as if I was just rusty.
"Not bad. You're still far from a professional, but it's enough for today. After all, our ammo and time are limited," she comments.
Suddenly, our attention turns to the gym entrance as someone walks in. Thankfully, it's a familiar figure running toward us. It's just Keiko. She stops in front of us, out of breath, and announces:
"I finally found you!" she says, pausing to catch her breath.
We forgot to tell her we left the hideout, so she must have searched the entire school for us.
"I've finished my part of the plan," she adds.
11:56 AM
Keiko leaves the gym after detailing her success in persuading the other students. We schedule a meeting at noon with her, Manabu, Miyu, and Shou to discuss our strategy for confronting Mikoto and her subordinates.
I finish practicing my shooting techniques and feel a bit more confident in my self-defense abilities.
I glance at Ailiss and notice she seems distracted. Has she lost track of time?
"It's almost time. Should we head out?" I ask.
She's lounging on the bleachers, looking uninterested in meeting the others.
"We'll leave later. If we arrive on time and they're late, I'll be very annoyed," she says, glancing at her watch indifferently.
Well, fortunately, I think I know how to get her to move. It's a risky play that could irritate her, but I've been lucky lately.
"Keiko was part of the student council, so I'd imagine she's responsible and punctual."
"If we get there and someone's missing, will you take responsibility? In other words, will you let me punch you in the face until I'm no longer angry?" she glares at me.
"Alright, I don't want to take that risk. We'll do as you prefer. But since we're waiting here, why don't we talk about what happened last night?"
"Okay, you win. Let's go," she says, standing up and walking toward the gym exit.
I think I'm getting the hang of dealing with her.
We leave the gym and head to the meeting point in the school courtyard. However, we soon notice something feels off.
What is this?
I look around and see no one nearby. Yet I clearly hear the sound of footsteps following us.
I glance at Ailiss and see her focused; she probably noticed before I did.
"Mistkerl."
"Yes, we're being followed."
I raise my guard and prepare to cover Ailiss's back while waiting for her instructions.
Mikoto must have heard about how we dealt with the lackeys she sent to the hideout. Now, she's likely incited even more people to come after us.
Ailiss stops walking, scans the surroundings, and hands me her weapon. I take it and focus on the approaching sound.
"They won't attack until they find an opening or a false one."
Understanding Ailiss's guidance, we continue walking, pretending not to notice them. I hear their footsteps intensify as we move.
They're coming.
I can't afford to slip up now and end up relying on her. I need to show her I can handle situations like this on my own.
Six guys emerge from the surroundings, rushing toward us. I quickly aim and successfully shoot the left leg of the first boy, who collapses immediately. I do the same with two others, immobilizing three of them.
Yes! It's working! I managed to take down three of them successfully!
But there's no time to celebrate. Last time, Ailiss had to take down fifteen of them while unarmed. If I can't handle these six on my own, it'll be humiliating.
Damn, the remaining three are too close. I'm not sure I can handle them.
I fail to shoot the fourth in time, leading to close combat. He tries to grab my arm holding the weapon, but I deflect his arm with a left-hand strike, thanks to my brief self-defense training with Ailiss. Then, I position the gun directly at his face, subduing him.
Alright, I'm safe.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Wait, where did the other two go?
I scan the area and quickly discover their fate.
Ah, I almost feel sorry for their situation...