11:48 PM
After this failure, everything became clear. How do you make enemies take the same side in a battle? The answer is obvious. It's not the first time, nor will it be the last, that something like this happens.
Throughout history, such as in ancient Greece, a common enemy has been the reason to unite forces with a rival. So it was with Sparta and Athens, and so it will be with these two.
I reach into my pocket and take out the keyring I stole earlier today. Then, I realize a very affordable resource that I could use to implement my plan.
I will be the scapegoat for this; I need to become the villain of this story. But I can't be just any enemy—I must be the cruelest of all so that ice and fire are forced to harmonize to defeat me. I am willing to become not just a monster but a demon if necessary.
The fragments of memories from past worlds fuel me with an idea. Instinctively, I walk to the staff room and, using the key, open one of the lockers.
I pick up a vial and observe it closely.
"A surprise? Let me guess… did you manipulate its composition to make it more lethal? I don't know if I can consider Laplace's Demons allies, but this is a generous help."
Yes, I remember now. In other worlds, this poison was used as a tool to create chaos in the school and destabilize the opponent. Since both had this idea on another occasion, it wouldn't be strange for them to have it again. Therefore, I must take all the vials to another location. I think the same place where I hid Ailiss's machine gun will be appropriate.
And now it's time to take action…
Before hiding the vials, I sneak over to the school's water dispenser, lower the gallon, make sure no one is nearby, and then pour the poison inside.
Knowing that Mikoto is very cautious and has her own water dispenser, there's no risk of her being affected. And Ailiss, who likely won't even come to the main block, even less so.
I return to the dormitory, open the door, and find myself facing Shou and Manabu.
"Damn, Johann. Where were you? Look at this!" Shou points to his black eye. "That girl is a monster! Want some advice? Stay away from her!" he says, terrified.
Her presence must have been so insignificant to her that she didn't even bother to tell me about this beating.
"I'm sorry. I was lamenting getting rejected twice on the same day."
"Eh?!" they react, startled.
"By the way, now that you mention it, it's already quite late. Isn't the vice president going to show up?" Manabu asks, his face also swollen.
Even during our meeting, Mikoto hadn't realized his disappearance.
"Yeah, where is he? Anyway, let's take advantage and play cards while he's not here."
Day 5
6:22 AM
Everyone is sleeping peacefully. However, this false sense of security is abruptly shattered.
"Hey, guys! Help me here!" a boy shouts.
With the cry from our classmate, everyone wakes up confused, still trying to understand what's happening.
"What's going on? And what time is it? It's still dark..." Shou grumbles, looking at the window.
"Quick, guys! He's cold and not breathing!" the boy continues, screaming in panic.
"Huh?!" Shou reacts, startled.
As they grasp what has just been reported, they rush toward the student, calling for help. However, it's a vain attempt to save him—if his body is cold, it means his organs stopped functioning hours ago.
I get up and also walk over to observe the fruit of my trap.
This was precisely the reaction I planned to provoke. I believe that through this impact, they'll begin to act more congruently with their roles within this game, and the anomaly will lose its strength.
"Dead," one boy pauses, his voice trembling. "He's dead," he says, sweating nervously.
This is probably the first time they've seen a corpse—at least in this world. Mere deaths by poisoning aren't that impactful. I wonder what their reaction would be to Takashi's body.
"No. Not just that… he was murdered," a voice emerges behind us.
We turn around to see Haruki holding a water bottle.
Not bad. It was to be expected that the student council would connect the dots quickly. After all, the targets of my attack weren't limited to this dormitory. I can conclude that my attack was effective in other dormitories as well, achieving excellent results.
"Why are you saying that, Haruki? Are you suggesting the contents of that bottle are…?" Manabu asks, staring at the object in his hands.
"Exactly. He was poisoned. It didn't happen to him alone; we had other victims in other dormitories. We quickly identified what the victims had in common—they all filled their bottles during the night. Therefore, Kaichou concluded that someone poured poison into the hallway water dispenser," Haruki explains, still visibly uncomfortable.
Fear is evident on everyone's faces because, until now, this deadly game posed no tangible threat to their lives. However, from now on, they'll have to get used to it, as murders will become much more frequent if I have my way.
"This is madness… But who would do something so absurd?" Shou asks.
"Isn't it obvious? Such a person has existed among us from the start. I believe they were just waiting for the right moment to act. The culprit is possibly the one who trapped us in this reality, and these deaths are connected to the game imposed on us," I reply.
"We need to find this bastard and make him pay!"
"I agree, Shoucchi. But there's something more important: Miyucchi. Is she okay?!" Manabu comments.
"Good point. Let's check on her and make sure everything's fine."
The beginning of the plan was well executed. Now, it's only a matter of time… So, Mikoto, what will you do about this?