"What are you talking about? As if it were possible for me to memorize responses for everything you might say."
"Exactly. How did you manage to anticipate what I was going to say? The difference in your last sentence is remarkable compared to the previous ones. It was the first time you said something genuinely, even though the content still does not seem truthful. Moreover, your reaction when I mentioned that I knew you were a player, as well as when I showed you the accusation, did not match the situation you are in. You did not show any sign of concern," she pauses. "Is this some kind of setup against the student council?"
This is starting to get disturbing. It's almost as if her penetrating gaze can dig through my mind and judge the truth of my words. I can't build any defense between us.
If I stay silent for too long, I'll be admitting defeat. Since my prepared responses weren't designed for such a situation, I have to come up with something, at least while Takashi is still here.
"W-well…" I stammer.
"If you have decided to keep playing dumb, then I will need to take more direct measures," she sighs. "Tell me, Johann, you saw it, did you not?"
Saw it? Is she referring to the professor's actual disappearance? I see. So, she knows about Death… That can only mean one thing.
Is Mikoto a player?
"Yukihara-san?! You shouldn't touch on that subject!" Takashi exclaims, startled by her words.
Damn, this is quite problematic. She's not just an ally; she's connected to the game. If that's the case, I need to reevaluate how to proceed from here. This information wasn't included in my premonitions.
"Do not interfere. I am the one talking to him. Have you been promoted to a higher position than mine to think you can question my actions?" she glares at him sharply. "Not to mention, this was necessary. We could not advance the conversation without pressuring him in this way," she turns back to me. "Now, there is no escape. Your reaction showed that you know exactly what I am referring to. Do you still plan to keep up this farce?"
I sigh.
There's no way around it; I'll have to reveal myself in front of Takashi.
"You saw it too?" I ask.
"Yes. As you can see, I hold the same role as you in this game. Now, answer me. How much did you know about this accusation?" she narrows her eyes.
So, it's true. I wanted to deny it, but both Ailiss and Mikoto are players… How will I handle this situation?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I subtly glance at Takashi.
I can't continue this disingenuous conversation, but at the same time, I don't want to come clean with him here. Considering her notable skills in behavioral analysis, she might understand this nonverbal communication.
"Tanaka-kun, could you leave us alone for a moment? Take the opportunity to watch the hallway and ensure no other council members enter the room during the interrogation," she orders Takashi.
She perfectly picks up on the message, as expected.
"Don't you think being alone with him is too risky? I still don't fully trust him, to say the least," Takashi responds, visibly nervous.
"Are you insinuating that I made a mistake in my judgment? Is that what I just heard?" she counters coldly.
"Apologies, I wasn't insinuating anything. It's merely a precaution. We can't let our guard down."
"Tanaka-kun, when I do not ask for your opinion, please keep quiet and just do as I say. Or have you become the student council president without my knowledge?"
The way she talks to her subordinates is so harsh that even I, who have no sympathy for Takashi, feel a bit sorry for him.
He nods reluctantly and leaves the room, head down.
Thinking about it, maybe he won't end up being as significant a threat as I sense. Still, my instincts tell me to keep her away from him.
"Well, I have rid you of the obstacle, so start explaining yourself now. Or I will assume you are a potential enemy," she stares at me coldly.
I barely had time to process the contempt Takashi endured before the curse turned against me.
Any misstep could ruin everything. Her view of me doesn't seem favorable as it is. I think I should just tell the truth, as she'll likely see through any lie I come up with anyway.
"The truth is, I was able to visualize this event before it happened, which is why I was already somewhat aware of the nature of our conversation. To say I can see the future isn't accurate, as it doesn't depend entirely on my will. But in many ways, you could attribute the ability of premonition to me."
"A seer, huh? Then how did you not foresee that I would notice your artificial behavior? I think your abilities are not all that great."
"As I said, I don't know everything. They're fragments of the future that pass before my eyes. With them, I was able to construct our conversation similarly to what I foresaw. Additionally, most of what I access is more abstract, like future emotions, rather than concrete information."
"And what were your intentions with all this? You knew the proposal I would make from the start, did you not? What is the point of this theater you tried to stage?"
"My intention is precisely this. Mikoto, please be my ally in this game. With you as an ally, I believe we can end the game quickly and with the fewest possible fatalities."
"Mikoto?" she widens her eyes and places her hands on her forehead. "I see this hidden ability of yours appears to have some basis. At first, I intended to make you call me that, but your anticipation has left me confused."
Has she also been affected by this strange déjà vu sensation? It's not so unusual, after all. Ailiss experienced the same effect when I foresaw and cited a term she associated with me.
"I believe I developed this ability because I'm a player. And since you're also one, it may interfere with your memories on a smaller scale than it does with mine."
"I understand. Very well, as it was my original intention to ally with you, I see no reason to deny it now. However, I cannot help but remain cautious of you. What guarantees that you are not merely taking advantage of this? Since you have knowledge of the future, you could very well be planning only your own victory, waiting for the right moment to betray me. While your ability makes you an interesting ally, it also makes you a risky one."
"Don't worry about that. You don't need to concern yourself at all. I've seen further into the future, and I can assure you I won't break this alliance under any circumstances."
"Johann, you know as well as I do that this does not count as evidence," she sighs. "You are basing the truth of your claims once again on your own words. At least justify why you will not break this alliance."
It's a bit hard to put into words, and I don't know if she'll take something so abstract seriously. However, in my position, it's not the time to feel embarrassed or intimidated about expressing something like this.
"The reason, briefly, is that I'll gradually fall in love with you. I've seen it in my premonitions."
"Fall in love?" she chuckles softly. "I would not be surprised if that were the case, but you will not deceive me so easily. You are lying, are you not? I noticed some hesitation in your claim."
Technically, she's correct. The way I expressed myself wasn't entirely truthful, but it's not a lie in the way she assumes.
"Indeed. I can't hide anything from you. I can't fall in love with you because I'm already in love."
"It is surprising how easily you can spout such nonsense. It almost feels like you are copying my plans," she smiles. "But all right, I will trust you for now."
Plans? Now that she's brought it up, I notice a particular pattern of provocations in the future flashes. Could it be an attempt to win me over? But what's the point of that if I've already admitted to serving her? Is she planning to carry this game further, or could the future I saw already have been altered?
This could be a significant problem. Assuming the future can change means that, at some point, I didn't meet the conditions to reach the point I foresaw.
For now, I think I should talk to her about Ailiss. Sooner or later, Mikoto will need to know about her existence.
"By the way, there's something important I think I should point out. There's someone else included in this alliance."
"Could you tell me who it is?"
"Since she's only recently arrived in the city, I'm not sure if you know her well. But it's the exchange student."
"I have not had the opportunity to talk to her, but I have seen her briefly and am aware of who she is. However, I am a bit doubtful of her reliability, especially since she is a complete stranger. What led you to include her in this alliance?"
It's natural to suspect Ailiss. Her arrival at the school coincided with the materialization of this supernatural reality. Thus, her presence is, at the very least, suspicious.
"The same reason I sought you out: pure conviction. From my premonitions, this person in question will be extremely important for us to escape the game, and despite any suspicions, she is necessary."
"Fine by me. I already said I would trust your word. But since she is another girl—and a very beautiful one at that—I am afraid I might get a little jealous seeing the boy who just declared himself to me walking beside her," she replies with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Yeah... Apparently, you don't know her personality.
"That's nothing to worry about. Regardless of my feelings, it's impossible for someone like her to reciprocate. Moreover, I intend to schedule a meeting between us soon to develop a joint plan."
I can't let it slip that Ailiss is a player. Since the three of us are the players, it could be a bit problematic for them to accept.
8:06 PM
"The vice president seems more irritated than usual," Shou comments.
"By the way, has he been giving us hostile looks, or is it just my imagination?" Manabu replies.
A natural reaction after receiving a scolding of that magnitude from his greatest idol while seeing his adversary treated courteously by her. From his perspective, his world has collapsed.
Unfortunately, I can now say that I understand him perfectly. After being influenced by this intense wave of future emotions, I, like him, have come to place those two as the reason I'm still alive.
"I can even imagine who might be responsible for this," Shou says, glancing sideways.
"What did you discuss this afternoon to make him so angry?" Manabu asks.
"I only denied the accusations made against me, that's all."
Whether he's irritated or not matters little compared to the major problem I discovered during this conversation. Mikoto is, unfortunately, the third player.
I spent the entire afternoon thinking about the fact that the three of us are players, and I couldn't come up with a single agreeable solution. There simply is no way out. According to the rules, one of us three must necessarily die.
Keeping in mind that all three of us surviving is impossible, I'm left with only two options.
The first is to sacrifice one of them for the other, which is entirely unthinkable. Just trying to visualize a scene where I abandon one of them brings a terrible tightness to my chest. I'd rather die in the most painful way possible than send one of them to their death, and I could never choose between two people I love so much. My emotional connection to them is so strong that it's like asking someone to choose between two children—no, it's far more intense than that.
And so, we arrive at the only valid option: suicide.
I regret not being able to see what the future holds for us, but this is the only way out. It couldn't be any other way. The funniest part is that my survival instinct barely reacted to this conclusion—it was easy to deduce from the start that I would need to act this way. I'm so mesmerized by those two that my brain has overridden its most primitive instincts.
Honestly, when I stop to reason, none of this makes much sense. For someone so devoid of empathy like me to give up everything for a love that blossomed so inexplicably...
Truthfully, when I think about the past, I have the vague impression that I always knew my end would come this way. The idea of suicide has always walked beside me.
I would give anything to spend just a bit more time with them, but my death is inevitable.
It's something that must be done. If I can save them this way, I'll do it without hesitation for even a moment.