1:00 PM
"Four hours have passed, and nothing. I believe I've made a mistake, as apparently, they don't care about you that much," I state emotionlessly, looking down at her.
"It's just as well they don't come... They aren't stupid enough to fall for your little game. They surely know what you're planning," Miyu responds disdainfully.
Despite his eccentricity and detachment from reality, Manabu is rather resourceful when needed, while Shou would usually be screaming that he's going to kill me while running around every corner of the school. Their absence can only mean one thing: those two are involved. As such, I need to revisit my plans and adapt to this unforeseen circumstance.
"I don't think that's the case. Perhaps it's just incompetence and a lack of will to look for you. Either way, it's time for me to get their attention. If they don't come to me willingly, I'll have to force them—or go after them myself."
I already have an excellent idea of how to lure them.
"You can't be the same Johann-kun. How could you have changed so much? Are you possessed or something? Your eyes have no sparkle left; I see not a shred of humanity in your face. I no longer see an old friend but a monster standing before me..." Miyu's bravery falters, and she begins to cry, her words punctuated by gasps.
I can see her genuine emotions starting to surface. She's frightened and unconsciously seeking solace in an emotional appeal.
Does she truly believe that after everything I've done, I'd be moved by mere tears?
"What are you talking about? Possession? I assure you, I'm the same person as always. However, your final observation isn't entirely incorrect."
"The same person as always? You can't be serious... all this time... all this time, you've been lying? I thought you were our friend! Manabu-kun, Shimizu-kun, and I always saw you as a dear friend! What did you gain from deceiving us?!"
"Speak more quietly," I point the machine gun at her.
She will expose my location to the student council if she keeps yelling.
"What will you do? Kill me? Then capturing me would've been pointless," she says, her face twisting in disgust.
"Far from it. An acquaintance of mine often says there are other methods besides death to get what you want," I shift my aim to her limbs. "But to answer your question, I never deceived you. As much as it pains me to admit, I also saw you as friends—and still do. Now, in the name of our friendship, do me the favor of staying quiet until I return," I say as I gag her again.
Then, I lift her, shove her into a janitor's closet, lock the door, and leave.
With Miyu under control, I must now find a way to draw those two here. I believe creating minor chaos would suffice for this occasion.
I take Ailiss's machine gun and rearrange the ammunition to ensure it lasts as long as possible. I'll need the flow of shots to remain continuous for an extended period.
In other worlds, Ailiss rigorously trained me in the art of firearms. However, our training was limited to one type of weapon: the revolver. Strangely, I've quickly adapted to a larger weapon, and upon reflection, I've absorbed specific nuances between them without even realizing it.
I descend the stairs of the block toward the courtyard. These steps feel much longer than before. It's as if I'm descending an infinite staircase, each step symbolizing a piece of my humanity slipping away, dragging me deeper into this abyss.
Every step I take echoes through the empty block sounds reverberating far beyond the physical world. Why such silence? Apparently, no human has dared to descend to this same plane as I, making me the only one walking this level of degeneration.
If someone were here, they would easily identify me by the clear sound of my footsteps. However, I have nothing to worry about, for they are all cowards placing their false hopes in my princesses.
People like this should be prepared for my judgment. Now I see that I am far from being a messiah; instead, I am the true god of death, designated to judge who may or may not breathe the same air as them.
Finally, after an eternity of mental descent, I leave the block where I remained hidden throughout the morning.
I look around and see that the courtyard is not very crowded. I wish this environment were always this serene.
However, as I begin my search in the courtyard, I quickly spot a few victims.
Probably among the few groups that chose to reside away from the sovereignty of the two. How can I put it? It's not like they'd be safe under the student council's care anyway—after all, I plan to kill everyone regardless. But whatever their intentions with this attitude were, separating like this was a terrible idea. At least under council oversight, they'd have a negligible chance of survival.
I fix the sights on them and pull the trigger without the slightest hesitation. When firing, I feel no mental block—it's as natural to me as any mundane daily activity.
Their pierced bodies collapse to the ground. And thus, three fewer souls... They didn't even have time to react; it was so quick they didn't even die knowing the cause of their death.
The sound of gunfire and the splattering blood should suffice to continue the chaos. However, I must do this as crudely as possible to maximize their repulsion toward me.
I begin to feel an inexplicable thrill and start humming the melody of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Ode to Joy.
In my case, it's more like Ode to Love. Yes, this is proof of how much I love them. Gods, behold how far I am willing to go for the sake of my beloved ones!
As I hum this beautiful symphony with emotion, I head toward the main block, shooting anyone I see in my path.
Mother? Father? Siblings? Friends? Lovers? Each shot I fire severs the bonds of the person in question with their loved ones. Although these people mean nothing to me, there is undoubtedly someone who cares deeply for them.
My conscience simply ignores these factors because they are subjective values. And no matter how strong these people's ties to their loved ones may be, it doesn't come close to what I feel for those two. Ultimately, it's nothing personal—you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One by one, I increase the red sea forming on the ground. The liquid flows onto the snow that fell last night, slowly staining its purity.
Ode to Love!
"Please, no!" a student begs, crouching down.
Without hesitation, I lower my aim and shoot her in the face, disfiguring it.
Although the machine gun allows for continuous fire, I try to use as little ammunition per target as possible, ensuring that I take more time before needing to reload.
Ode to Love!
"You can kill me, but let her live," says a boy, standing in front of his companion.
I understand. There are people of all kinds of conduct here. From those who flee, abandoning their supposed friends, to those who risk their lives to protect them.
Clearly, this gesture of heroism is a farce, but it doesn't matter. Ultimately, it makes no difference because I will spare no one. When you meet death, whether your conduct in life was altruistic or selfish is irrelevant.
I kill both the girl and the boy who tried to protect her, just as I killed those who tried to flee and those who tried to fight back.
Love! An Ode to Love!
I finish humming, ending my spectacle. Then, I observe the results of all my dedication, my feelings, and my loyalty to my goddesses.
If necessary, for the sake of my beloved ones, I could easily slaughter every living human on this planet in the cruelest ways I can imagine, for Ailiss and Mikoto are the only things that matter.
3:12 PM
With the first stage of carnage complete, I return to the block where I'm keeping Miyu hostage and leave a deliberate trail of blood. This way, I'll be able to attract my passage to meet the two of them.
Since Ailiss's offensive abilities are practically nullified against another player, combined with my lies about foreseeing the future and manipulating the game's properties, I've created a false appearance of superiority.
Thus, I imagine they are avoiding direct confrontation at all costs. Mikoto must be devising a more subtle approach to circumvent my supposed abilities. However, considering clairvoyance as part of the equation, she must have reached the same conclusion as I: there is no valid solution.
I don't intend to invade the main block just yet, as I need to kill more and more. Until my image becomes as despicable as possible to them, I cannot rest.
I open the closet and forcibly pull Miyu out. As soon as I remove her gag, she begins to protest.
"What were those noises?! Johann-kun, what the hell were you doing? Don't tell me you..." she trails off, her fear evident.
"I was just doing a little cleaning up," I say, watching her eyes widen. "But don't worry, I didn't touch those two. In fact, I didn't even encounter them during the process. Not to mention, they're necessary pieces for me."
"This won't go unpunished! You'll pay for everything you're doing, you bastard!"
Still clinging to this thought? Karma is merely an illusion we create to comfort ourselves.
"Who will make me pay? None of you even have the courage to fight back because you know the consequences. You're all too pathetic to pose any threat to me."
"I don't know by whom. But justice is always served..."
"Spare me. Now, stay quiet because our guests are arriving. If you say anything you shouldn't, you know what will happen to you and your dear friends."
Miyu and I fall silent, listening to the sound of hurried footsteps ascending the block's stairs.
The sound of footsteps stops, giving way to a war cry.
"Johann! So this is where you've been?! You bastard! How could you do this to Miyu-chan?! I'll kill you!" Shou, brimming with rage, yells before running toward me.
However, I don't even need to react. He's stopped midway by his own ally.
"Wait, Shoucchi! Don't you see? Miyucchi could die if you charge at him like this," Manabu says, holding him by the shoulder.
You're indeed quite sensible in adverse situations, Manabu. With just the move of a finger, I could blow this girl's brains out, and anyone with a hint of rationality would act cautiously.
In any case, they've come after all. How should I approach this? Why didn't they attack me earlier? The explanations for their delayed action boil down to knowing my location and perhaps receiving permission to conduct the rescue. However, Shou isn't the type to obey or not based on permission... so why? Why didn't they search for me earlier? Why didn't they appear during the massacre I just carried out?
"And what are we supposed to do?! Sit and wait for him to hand her over willingly? Don't you see the situation Miyu-chan is in? We need to get her out of this maniac's grasp now! We have no other choice!" Shou protests angrily.
"That would be ideal, but think carefully... we can still negotiate. A violent confrontation with him will only make things worse. What do you plan to do against someone armed with a hostage? Do you expect him to put down his weapon because he wants a fair fight with you? Besides, he wouldn't have captured her for no reason—he wouldn't have done this unless he was open to negotiation."
"Negotiate with a criminal like him?! You must be insane! That's out of the question, Manabu! There's no talking with a maniac; we'd be lowering ourselves to his level!" Shou continues to protest.
"I already said we have no choice—it's this or nothing! If someone important to me were kidnapped, I'd negotiate even with a terrorist to save them!"
Unexpectedly, Shou widens his eyes and relents.
Well, now that Shou's blood has cooled, I think I can talk a bit with the two of them.
"You took longer than I expected. Why didn't you come this morning right after the incident? I was beginning to think you stopped caring about her safety," I comment.
"Kaichou advised us to wait. However, neither Shoucchi nor I could suppress our anxiety about saving her. When we saw what you did in the school courtyards, it was the tipping point for us to defy the student council's orders and decide to rescue her on our own," Manabu replies.
So those two really are involved in this. Why would they stop them from acting? It's never been their style to sympathize and control others' recklessness. Could they have deduced that I kidnapped Miyu to lure them to me? There's no other explanation for why they reprimanded them like that; naturally, they would let them run to their deaths if that's what they wished.
Furthermore, I'll let them talk to gather more information.
"I see."
"Why? Why are you doing this, Johann?! I can't understand! Go to hell! Weren't we friends?!" Shou protests.
It seems his blood hasn't cooled as much as I thought, and I'm already tired of the same questions. They would never understand my actions—not even Ailiss and Mikoto could comprehend them.
"Hey, Manabu. Shut him up, or I'll kill her."
Instantly, Miyu, still gagged, begins to whimper desperately. I imagine her survival instinct has finally shown itself—after all, she's just a poor girl who doesn't want to die.
Shou quickly quiets down, glaring at me with the most furious expression in the world. It's like a volcano holding back its eruption.
"We won't achieve anything this way, Shoucchi. His reasons are secondary for now; we must focus on freeing Miyucchi. Once she's safe, you can do whatever you want. Do you understand our position?" Manabu turns to me. "Surely, you wouldn't be keeping her here for no reason. What do you want in exchange for her?"
"It seems you're quicker to understand things, Manabu. If you want Miyu back, you'll have to comply with a few tasks," I comment.
"And? Under what conditions will you release her?"
"I need help meeting those two. Clearly, my firepower exceeds yours. However, I imagine the council will increase its patrols around the blocks and force me to enter through the main entrance. Therefore, make them retreat so I don't face an ambush in the lobby, and bring them to me. In the meantime, I also want you to keep me informed about the council's decisions regarding surveillance, and if any point in my order fails, inform me immediately."
"Fine. We'll do it. Then you'll release Miyucchi?"
Too easy to be true... Ailiss and Mikoto must have not only reprimanded them but still hold some influence over this meeting. I can't underestimate those two's cunning.
"Hey, Manabu, answer me something. Did they send you here, didn't they?"