If she uses the machine gun, only Ailiss and I can confront her due to the game's rules. Therefore, Keiko must deal with her as quickly as possible.
Why hasn't she fired yet?!
"Kaichou, stop! Tell me, was it you who killed Natsuki-chan?!"
"Was it me? And what will you do if I simply deny it?" Mikoto laughs. "Will you switch sides?"
"Wasn't it you?! I know you're trying to deceive me!"
"When did I say that? I do not deny my involvement in this. You are quite confused, are you not? I am simply pointing out that your questions are meaningless. Based on what you have said, my answer would not make any difference, so why try to confirm something like this? Are you afraid?" Mikoto continues descending the stairs.
"It was already clear to me that you're guilty, but I needed to hear a confession directly from you… How can you say such things so openly? She was our friend…" Keiko glares at her angrily. "This won't end like this! I'll avenge what you did to Natsuki-chan!" She keeps aiming at Mikoto, but her hands are trembling intensely.
"No, you will not. You were foolish to switch sides. You know I know you very well. Your relationship with Nakamura-san was not strong enough for you to sacrifice your life for mere vengeance. If you hand over that weapon, I might reconsider having you back on my side."
Mikoto pauses, smirks sarcastically, then resumes speaking.
"One piece of evidence that you are considering rejoining me is the fact that, even now, you still call me 'Kaichou.' Admit it, you prefer to be on the stronger side. You have always been like this, always prioritizing your own well-being. All these questions you have asked were just a pretext to abandon this nonsense, were they not?"
"SHUT UP!"
She's hesitating! Ultimately, Keiko isn't as determined to shoot Mikoto as I thought. Our plan is about to fall apart. Was I wrong about her? Maybe she was only willing to temporarily pursue this revenge while still emotionally charged. If this continues, I'll have to take back the responsibility of killing Mikoto myself.
"But it is the truth. You also thought that crybaby brat was an annoying burden. You told me so yourself, remember? Admit it, deep down; you were grateful for her death because it meant one less deadweight to carry while trying to survive."
"KEIKO! DON'T LISTEN TO HER!" I shout.
Mikoto is trying to confuse her even more. With her confidence shattered, she's completely vulnerable.
"I-I didn't—" Keiko stammers, her wide eyes showing her hesitation.
I try to move toward her to help her recover, but it's already too late.
A loud gunshot echoes through the lobby. Mikoto seizes the moment of hesitation and fires at Keiko. The bullet strikes her hand directly, forcing her to drop the revolver.
Keiko screams in pain as she looks at her now blood-soaked hands.
Her hands? Does Mikoto have an aim as good as Ailiss to shoot with the intention of disarming?
"I am really not cut out for this. In any case, I will not miss next time," Mikoto comments.
No, she was definitely aiming to kill. It was just by chance that she hit Keiko's hands instead.
Damn it, our plan has failed. All I can do now is let Ailiss handle Mikoto's remaining guards while I try to save Keiko from another shot.
I run and position myself in front of Keiko like a shield, ensuring Mikoto can't shoot her again. I look at her injury and confirm that she won't be able to fire a gun in this state. Her fingers are shredded, leaving her incapable of continuing with the plan.
"I'm sorry, Johann-san. I promised revenge, but my body froze at the crucial moment. I'm a failure as a friend. I don't know how I could face Natsuki-chan after this."
"Forget about it. You did the best you could. How are you feeling?" I glance at the smoke and fire spreading through the block. "Do you think you can get out of here on your own?"
Now what? What will we do? Capturing Mikoto and finding someone else to execute her seems impossible with the bit of time we have left. I'm sorry, Ailiss, but someone has to take Keiko's place...
"I need to finish the job. Get the gun for me. I'll try to shoot again," Keiko says through tears.
Doesn't she realize that she won't be able to aim properly with her hands so severely injured? If she couldn't hit Mikoto in perfect condition, doing so in this unstable and deplorable state is entirely unrealistic.
"Impossible. Look at the state you're in. You're in no condition to continue."
"If I don't kill her, what about my revenge?! How will you escape the game?!"
She's unbalanced and seems unwilling to stop insisting until she knows we have another solution.
"We'll find another way. Someone else will take over your role. Come on, you must get out of here and go somewhere safe."
"I'll be fine. Worry about Kaichou," she says, her wide eyes showing her submission to my instructions.
Ailiss is still busy fighting off numerous adversaries, probably taking on about ten guys at once. Manabu and Shou aren't in great shape, either. That means I'll have to resolve this situation on my own. No more passing the responsibility to others; I'll bear this burden myself.
"Johann-kun!" Miyu shouts, running toward us.
"You got here just in time. Get Keiko out of here. I'll cover you," I say, picking up the gun from the floor.
"Alright. I'll take care of her injuries," Miyu says, helping Keiko stand and filtering her breathing with a handkerchief.
I escort the two of them to one of the block's exits that hasn't yet been engulfed by flames and entrust Keiko's care to Miyu. With that, I can return to face Mikoto.
I head back to the stairway. Since shooting Keiko, Mikoto has stopped descending. She's still at the top, waiting for me with a smile on her face.
"Did you choose Keiko as the one to kill me? Someone whose weaknesses I know inside out? I was absolutely certain she would not have the courage to fire," she smirks. "I was going to suggest you choose your allies more carefully next time, but it is a shame there will not be a next time."
Perhaps it was a mistake to rely on someone else for such an important task, but I won't make that mistake this time. I'll handle this myself.
Now, with the gun in hand, I point it at the student council president.
It's time to end this. No matter how much my mind agonizes over her. No matter how inexplicably fond I feel toward Mikoto. I need to finish this before something worse happens to Ailiss. I'll save Ailiss from this game at any cost! Even if it means destroying a part of myself to do it.
"Mikoto, you're not going to surrender, are you?" I ask, looking at her.
The girl's eyes widen, and she looks like she's about to say something, but I hear Ailiss's voice.
"Mistkerl! Don't shoot!" she shouts.
She's trying to stop me again?
"Why? Why not? This is the only way!" I yell back at her.
I'm sorry, but it has to be this way this time. I'd prefer it to be different. I wanted to spend at least one more day by her side, but there's no other choice.
"I don't care if there's a solution or not! I can't explain it here, and I don't even know how to put it into words. I just don't want you to die! Do you understand?! That's an order!" she shouts while kicking and punching her adversaries.
Idiot. You only give me more energy to sacrifice myself for you by implying that you feel something for me. But at the same time, it makes everything so much more painful. Please, don't say anything else, and let me end this once and for all.
I redirect my aim toward Mikoto and see that she's aiming at something beyond me.
"Jocchi! Wait!" Manabu shouts, grabbing my arm.
I look at him and see him pointing outside. Then I notice three guys at the block's entrance, one of them holding Miyu.
I was naive to think they'd be safe outside the block. What do I do? I'm trapped in a no-win situation. I can't simply help them—if I turn my back on Mikoto, she'll kill Shou and Manabu without mercy. Even Ailiss, alone, would end up cornered.
"I made sure to leave some of them outside to cover situations like this," Mikoto says, aiming the machine gun at Miyu.
Damn it, now I can't attack her. Shou and Manabu would stop me since Miyu is being held hostage from a distance.
Wait, is that what Manabu is hiding in his back pocket…?
"Surrender the weapon, or your dear friend will have her face blown apart," Mikoto orders.
"Do as she says! I won't forgive you if you let Miyucchi die!" Manabu exclaims, his back to me.
Got it. This isn't a bad idea at all.
The gun falls to the ground, and I kick it toward the flames. That way, Mikoto will believe we can't retrieve it.
She keeps aiming at Miyu, a mocking smile on her face.
"You are quite obedient. However, unfortunately, you are also very naive. Did I not already tell you? I lie—" Her words are cut off as an object hits her.
I quickly identify the object—a shoe.
Yes, a shoe. Shou threw his shoe at Mikoto's head, making her lose sight of Miyu momentarily. This is our chance to put the plan into action.
"How dare you throw something like that at me, insolent fool? I will take you out first," she says angrily, turning her attention to Shou.
"Help! I don't want to die! Someone save me!" he shouts as he runs to a blind spot.
"Wretch," she mutters. "Alright, a worm like you can wait a bit longer to die."
Ailiss and I run toward Miyu, and with a perfect flying kick, the remarkable girl takes down two of the guys. Taking advantage of the justified distraction of the third, I land my first effective punch.
I haven't yet managed to shield Miyu with my body, so Mikoto is about to shoot her when she's interrupted again. This time, not by a shoe but by a bullet directly to her chest, fired from Manabu's revolver.
"You bastard, how did you get another gun?" Mikoto asks, looking at the weapon I kicked to the floor earlier.
I understand her confusion, but his plan was quite simple. Manabu had his toy gun, and when his back was to me, I switched it with the real one. I kicked the fake gun into the fire, and Mikoto couldn't tell it was plastic from that distance.
In the end, Manabu's habit of bringing his trinkets to school ended up saving us.
The sound of the machine gun ceases, replaced by the sound of it hitting the floor. After dropping her weapon, Mikoto's legs give out.
A powerful anguish starts to overwhelm me, marked by a tightening in my chest, reminiscent of how I felt at the beginning of the game.
I watch the beautiful president, her shirt stained red, about to collapse forward.
Without even thinking about my actions, I rush toward her, climbing the stairs at full speed and catching her before she hits the ground.
I see her face, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.
Unfortunately, I've failed. There should have been a way to save her, too. It's not fair for it to end like this. How I tried… how I tried to think of a way for one of us not to have to die… Why do I still care so much about an enemy with whom I had no connection? I can't understand the mental turmoil I'm experiencing.
I feel shattered inside as if one of the pillars holding me up has been severely fractured. Why do you mean so much to me?
"Idiot, go to your friend," she whispers in my ear.
"Manabu-kun!" Miyu cries, running toward him with Shou.
Manabu? Yes, my best friend is also dying at this moment. And the only thing I care about is the death of an enemy. What kind of garbage human being am I? My moral compass must be broken. Manabu has been with me this entire time and even chose to sacrifice himself at the last moment. The least I could do is stay by his side as he passes.
Why? Why can't I follow the advice she just gave me? My legs won't move from this spot. My eyes can't look away from her for even a second. Every fiber of my being cries out for me to at least accompany her in this farewell.
This adversary showed no empathy for me or my allies. There's no reason for me to act this way. Yet, mysteriously, I can't stop myself from comforting her. Again, I ask myself, why?
"Did it really have to end this way?" I ask.
Time seems to distort around me. To the point where I forget we're in a burning building. Forget once again about my best friend and everyone who supported me up to this point. I can only focus on her inevitable departure and my own regrets.
However, a scream snaps me back to reality and makes me realize the situation around me. Finally, I can let go and say goodbye.
"SOMEONE HELP HIM, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Miyu screams, seeing Manabu gradually stop coughing up blood and go still.