2:29 PM
My plan initially focused on terrifying Mikoto. However, by a twist of fate, the one who catches me off guard and surprisingly presses me against the wall is Ailiss.
"You bastard, it was you, wasn't it? Tell me where it is now!" she grabs me by the collar and interrogates me with her deadly gaze.
I understand. Possibly due to the incidents I've been causing, she felt threatened and played her trump card. However, she couldn't find the machine gun she had hidden in the yard three days ago. It's no wonder she suspects me, considering Mikoto and I are the other players—and thus, her enemies.
Regarding my guilt, in the end, she isn't wrong. She's a very shrewd girl; it's no wonder she's a professional assassin.
Naturally, I must deny the theft to the bitter end. After all, that weapon could be very useful in a worst-case scenario.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, please let me go. We can talk about this calmly, and maybe I can help you somehow."
"You don't know? Tell me another one," she presses me harder against the wall. "If you don't tell me where you hid my machine gun, you'll start missing the feeling of being able to move your own limbs," her gaze hardens. "I'm not joking..."
Her dark voice, capable of conveying her anger even while expressionless, fascinates me even in such moments. For now, I must remain as passive as possible, making it clear that I'm no threat.
"I really don't know about your machine gun; I didn't even know you had another weapon until you mentioned it now. But if hurting me makes you feel better... go ahead."
"You're pretty brave to say something like that to me. Maybe I should take your advice—what do you think?" she presses me even harder.
She's really not joking—I'm being suffocated. I hoped this would be the moment she'd show some compassion. But apparently, I forgot it's impossible for this girl to feel even a shred of mercy. Either way, I can't back down now, or it will all be for nothing.
"I'm willing to endure this for your sake," I reply, struggling with the pain.
"I see I won't get anywhere this way—you'll pass out if I continue," she lets go, and I collapse to the floor as she glares down at me. "If it wasn't you, who else could it be? As far as I know, only you have the clairvoyance necessary for such a thing."
I know very well I can't claim she was followed or something similar. That would violate her pride.
So, I'll simply advance the lie I planned to tell both of them tonight. In the end, it'll be a good way to catalyze reconciliation. Given the current circumstances, which couldn't be more chaotic, they'll likely yield to my explanation.
"I don't know, but I have a suspicion."
"Tell me more," she stares at me, intrigued.
"That's what I was trying to talk about yesterday, but you didn't let me finish the meeting. I wasn't so sure of my theories; everything was still very nebulous. However, the poison-related deaths made something obvious to me: there's another player. Maybe they're the ones who stole your machine gun," I say as I stand and justify myself to her.
"Another player? I thought you already understood black magic. This is absurd—it's like—"
"Like violating the laws of physics," I finish her sentence. "I know that very well. But you must have realized it's happening. So we can't cling to such purely theoretical statements," I look her in the eye. "Answer me: isn't this 'game' very different from others you've been in? Haven't you found anything strange about it?"
From what she told me in other worlds, those loudspeakers are a tangible anomaly. I can use her own suspicions to persuade her, exploiting confirmation bias.
"Tsk," she narrows her eyes. "You're right on this point. There are elements here that shouldn't exist, and your clairvoyance is one of them."
"Deep down, you know I'm not talking nonsense. So please, can we agree to another discussion tonight? Something is very wrong with all this, and through my premonitions, I've concluded that we need all three players to defeat this common enemy."
"You still don't understand, do you? I need to kill her. I came here only for that—this is my revenge. You might have gained some clairvoyance in here, but you have no idea what I went through to reach this point. I won't back down from my ambitions because of a mere distortion of the game; I can't retreat due to a minor difficulty," she stares at me fiercely.
"If you persist with this mindset, your revenge will unfortunately end here. This battle is far from the ordinary fights you're used to winning. Our only chance of victory is if we all work together. I have no idea how many other black magic users exist in the world, but if you can't tolerate the survival of at least one, this will be your last victim. Besides, I've already convinced her to cooperate with you."
"I understand that, from a pragmatic point of view, a truce with her would be the best option. However, allying with her is basically a betrayal of my principles, and that's out of the question."
She's deeply committed to her ideals, and I probably won't change her mind with mere rational arguments. Ironically, I know very well how to affect this stone-hearted being emotionally.
"To hell with principles! Do you think your father would care about that? Do you think he'd care about your revenge at a time like this? He'd only want you to survive!" I raise my voice.
"How do you...?" she pauses and widens her eyes. "I'm surprised at how much I'd reveal to you in the future," she sighs. "Fine, I'll give you one more vote of confidence, but let me warn you—it'll be the last."
"Don't worry—you won't need another," I reply with a friendly smile.
With that, half of the initial phase of my plan has been expedited. It couldn't be more perfect.
4:11 PM
With things partially settled with Ailiss, I must return to my plan of terrorizing the student council and regaining Mikoto's alliance. For this, I decide to use another high-ranking member as a scapegoat.
Considering that the three boys are already dead and Natsuki, due to her sensitivity, is incapable of helping with anything, all the work falls on Mikoto and Keiko. Thus, Keiko is her last resource before collapsing.
Without Keiko, Mikoto will see herself as isolated. She'll have no support, and with that, she'll be forced to reconsider her stance.
It's not as if I'm doing this without remorse. I feel terrible putting Mikoto in such a tense situation, watching all her acquaintances fall one by one. But this is the only way for her to reconcile with Ailiss and, consequently, survive. In this case, the ends justify the means.
As long as the future of those two is at stake, any measure is perfectly valid. There are no restrictions on what can be tested.
I begin my search for the next victim, and after a few minutes of scouring the area, I spot Keiko near the student council building.
Judging by her posture, she seems pretty worn out, confirming my thesis. She's likely being crushed by the pressure—the pressure of being responsible for so many lives. It's a heavy burden to bear on one's shoulders.
I approach her, and she lets out a deep sigh before she notices me.
"Tired?" I ask.
"Ah, don't scare me like that!" she startles, then calms down when she realizes it's me. "But yes, I'm exhausted, to say the least—exhausted."
"How are those two doing? I imagine it's been hard for you to coordinate everything alone," I sit beside her.
"Kaichou remains cold as ice, while Natsuki-chan... well, she's been crying all afternoon for Haruki-kun. I can't blame her—it was so sudden, and we weren't prepared."
As I suspected, the council's reality aligns with appearances. There's no escape—they're entirely cornered.
"And you? Have you had time to process your feelings? It's not just Natsuki who deserves time to mourn a friend's death. You need to recover a bit from this loss, too."
"Unfortunately, no... You know, I really needed some time to cry. Haruki-kun was a very close friend to me; maybe I even saw him as more than a friend. But I can't falter now. Natsuki needs me to be strong. At this point, I have to stay focused—for her and for myself," she lets a few tears escape while smiling bitterly.
"It's okay to cry. I do it almost daily. But if you'll forgive me for interrupting your moment of emotion, I must ask you a question."
"A question? What is it?" she turns to me, surprised.
I believe we've had a similar conversation in another timeline, so I think this is a reliable method to get her to follow my instructions.
"Are you willing to take revenge? Would you like to bring justice to Haruki's killer?"
"Revenge? Are you saying you know who the culprit is?"
"More or less—I have my suspicions. In fact, several clues point to this person. And I need someone trustworthy to help me with this investigation."
"So you want my help?" she wipes away her tears.
"Exactly. If you're interested, please follow me," I stand up.
She nods, and I extend my hand to help her up.
"If I can do something to take down the bastard who murdered Haruki-kun and at the same time save Natsuki-chan and everyone else, I'll do it without hesitation. We need to stop this series of murders," she replies with determination.
As I remember, despite not being as strong as Mikoto or Ailiss, Keiko is a very courageous girl. Unfortunately, it's this same determination that will take her life.
"Wise decision. If my suspicions are correct, then you'll have your revenge today."
Keiko follows me to one of the highest floors of one of the secondary blocks.
"So, what do you want to show me? Weren't we going after the suspect?"
"It's not very safe to go after them directly. We need to be cautious, and there's something interesting for you to see before anything else. It'll be better viewed from up here, and this way, we won't be noticed," I point to the window.
The dimensions of this corridor's window are large enough to start at knee height. In other words, it is geometrically perfect for this type of occasion.
"Understood," she replies.
I open the window and feel a light breeze enter the room. The cold air brushes my face as I watch the sun in the orange sky making its way to rest. Without a doubt, it's an excellent final view of the world.
In a way, you're pretty privileged for this, Keiko. Consider it a thank-you for your cooperation in other timelines.
"Perfect, they're still there," I pretend, calling her over. "Look at this—there's some strange movement by a few students near the school garage. I suspect they might be planning to steal the school bus. But what they intend to do with it, I can't say for sure. Do you have any ideas?" I continue.
"Stealing the bus?! Are you serious?! That makes no sense at all, but we need to inform Kaichou immediately!" she approaches the corridor's window. "Hey, wait—I don't see anything. Where are they?" she asks, confused, squinting her eyes.
I'm sorry, Keiko. It's nothing personal; honestly, it even bothers me a little. But unfortunately, I need you to die now. Since I have no antipathy toward you, I promise to be quick.
"They're right there," I step back two steps and stop behind her. "Let me help you see them better."
I look ahead and see the contrast of her silhouette's shadow against the window with the external light.
"I still don't see anything. Are you sure they're there?"
Then, using both my arms, I abruptly push Keiko with all my strength toward the window.
Caught off guard, her body falls out of the block.
I only hear her brief scream as she falls, followed by a thud on the ground. I check the window and confirm her body isn't moving. Naturally, a fall from this height was enough to kill her.
I gaze at the exterior for a few seconds.
A death like this didn't physically stain my hands red, but the marks on my soul only grow. As tormenting as this becomes, I won't stop—I'll continue just as the sky changes from blue to red and finally to the darkness of night.
Now, I need to get out of here before a crowd gathers in front of the block.
However, as I turn my back to the window, I'm met with something unexpected.
Was I seen? Damn it! I need to take her out, too—immediately!
"J-Johann-kun?! W-what d-did you do?" Miyu stammers, her eyes wide in shock.
Damn it, this annoying girl followed me here. I can't let her ruin everything! But thinking about it, if I try to kill her, I probably won't leave here unnoticed. I need to get out of this block as quickly as possible.
"Listen closely," I walk over to her and grab her shoulders. "If you say anything about this, I won't just kill you—I'll eliminate those two. Especially Manabu. I know he's special to you, so stay quiet."
I press my hands harder on her shoulders, emphasizing my anger.
By taking Shou and Manabu as psychological hostages, she might cooperate with me in her panicked state. But eventually, I'll have to deal with her—I might tie her up as a solution to avoid killing my friends.
She, completely terrified, nods as I mention his name. Then, I grab her hand and leave the crime scene quickly.
"W-who are you? What have you done with Johann-kun? He would never do something so monstrous..." she asks, still in shock.
What are you talking about, Miyu?
Don't you see?
I'm the same as always.