Day 1
10:27 AM
Hey, wake up.
Come on. Move.
Move!
If I remain inert, they will keep suffering. Even knowing that everything will restart, I cannot allow them to go through this again.
No reaction. My body doesn't move.
What's happening to me?
My spirit has consumed all its energy. I can no longer manipulate this timeline to an end where the two become allies. I think this ability has been lost amidst so many attempts.
I can't bear killing anymore; I can't endure playing this role. My sanity is on the verge of breaking.
But I cannot, under any circumstances, allow one to harm the other while I exempt myself from this suffering.
So what should I do?
...
"Jocchi, what happened? You haven't eaten anything yet," Manabu asks, concerned. "Are you listening to me?"
"I think he's completely lost it. Maybe he'll be better tomorrow," Shou replies.
I remain unresponsive until the moment Ailiss hides her machine gun.
...
All right. I think I can muster enough energy for this, at least. By doing so, I'll only need to perform two tasks; then, I can rest my mind for most of the time, allowing myself to recover from one iteration to the next. At the same time, I can test more hypotheses to validate the rules of this game.
Once again, I take Ailiss's machine gun. However, this time, I don't plan to carry out a massacre.
I wait for nightfall, and armed, I walk to the old school block. With an empty mind, I descend the stairs to the basement.
I'm aware that the slightest noise I make will be enough for her to notice my presence.
I tread carefully among the debris scattered across the basement floor, especially avoiding that cursed shard of mirror that has caused me trouble countless times. Soon, I spot a shadow between the shelves and continue to approach it slowly.
Despite my efforts, she has likely already noticed me. This time, though, I'm prepared for her less-than-friendly response.
Nostalgically, the barrel of a revolver appears right in my face.
"You have five seconds to answer my questions before I blow your brains out. Who are you? Did you follow me? And most importantly, why are you carrying my machine gun?" Ailiss asks darkly, her brows furrowed.
As I suspected, I could never surpass this girl's sharp instincts, even with all the experience I've gained from these instinctive massacres. Under normal circumstances, she would defeat me in any arena. However, I still possess an advantage gained from being trapped in these repetitions.
"Who am I?" I sigh. "I think I forgot that a long time ago."
"Are you mocking me? You shouldn't confuse bravery with recklessness," she says, pressing the barrel harder against my forehead. "I'll give you one last chance to answer my questions."
"I apologize if you feel disrespected, but it's the truth. In any case, you can call me Mistkerl, Ailiss."
Upon hearing my response, I notice a slight muscle contraction in her. Déjà vu affects the two of them on a smaller scale, yet the mental confusion is enough to paralyze her body for a fraction of a second.
Quickly, I move my left hand to strike the revolver's barrel, causing it to fly away, and then I press the submachine gun's barrel against Ailiss's abdomen.
"What's going on? How did you—" She starts, still confused.
"How do I know your name? That doesn't matter. I know you plan to react, relying on your assassin's reflexes. However, I ask you to surrender. Don't think I'll hesitate just because you're a player, and no matter how skilled you may be, there's no way I'll miss at point-blank range," I interrupt her.
Clearly, I'm bluffing. I could never pull the trigger; I would never harm her. I'm sorry, Ailiss, but this minor threat is necessary. At this point, the ends justify the means.
Seeing no other choice, Ailiss raises her hands with a rather unpleasant expression.
"Tsk. Fine, you got me. What do you want from me?"
She's likely waiting for an opening to disarm me. Any lapse on my part would be enough for her to turn the tables. I need to restrain her carefully.
"For now, I just want you to stay here and not interfere in the game."
With her subdued, I tie her up with three times the usual amount of rope.
"All this?" she remarks, looking at her body wholly wrapped in ropes.
"I know how cunning you are. No precaution is too much when it comes to you."
"I see. So you're aware of my strength. Are you going to tell me how you know so much about me?" she asks, still frustrated by her defeat.
"Maybe another time. For now, I have another important task to complete," I reply, crouching to pick up her revolver and placing it in my pocket. "Don't move. I'll be back as quickly as I can."
There's nothing to celebrate. Now, I must focus on capturing Mikoto.
...
Since no murders have occurred in this iteration, security isn't as alert yet. She stationed some members on guard during my other attempts, which started on the third day. Perhaps she's still not as cautious due to her supposed immunity here. I must wait for Takashi and the other council members to leave the room.
I wait until nightfall, and before Mikoto goes to her post guarding the girls' dormitory, I enter the student council room.
"What is the meaning of this? I was not expecting any visitors at this hour," she says, fixing her sharp gaze on me.
"I don't have time to explain, but you're coming with me."
"Who do you think you are to give me orders? Leave immediately, or I will have you detained for threatening me," she replies, sliding her hand under the desk.
I can't lower my guard just because I was lucky enough to subdue Ailiss. Despite not living in the underworld, Mikoto is highly capable of defending herself. Among those trapped in this reality, she is second only to Ailiss. Unfortunately, I know her very well and can read her subtle movements.
"What do you plan to do with that knife? Drop it right now," I say, walking toward her and pointing the gun at her face.
"A gun? So earlier…," she widens her eyes. "You cannot shoot because I am—" she tries to remain calm as she speaks.
"A player," I interrupt. "Believe me, I don't care about that. However, you value your life, so just come with me without questioning. And to answer your question: No, I didn't force the game to be conjured."
"Then who did? Are you working together? I admit I made a grave mistake. I did not consider the possibility of there being more than one assassin after me."
"Not exactly. Your assumptions weren't wrong, but that's beside the point. Now, drop the knife and come with me."
Mikoto lets the knife fall to the ground, clenches her fists, sighs, and finally stands up.
"Fine, you win. Tell me what you want from me. Are you going to kill me? If so, you already know you can't do it directly."
Nothing I couldn't predict. Clearly, the first thing she would do in such a situation would be to try to buy time for Takashi, Haruki, or another council member to stumble upon us and help her escape.
"Don't try to stall me. I know all your tricks very well. Just walk ahead of me to where I order and understand that I'll know if you try to communicate with anyone along the way."
"You figured that out? I am sure you are a student at this school, but is that your only identity? Who sent you after me?"
"By the way, I didn't grant you permission to ask more questions."
I can't afford the luxury of treating both of them appropriately.
I hide the revolver in my school uniform and continue pointing it at her as a threat, leading her out of the student council room.
I avoid corridors that are likely to be busier and exit the main block with her toward the courtyard.
Still holding the revolver to her back, we head to the hideout where Ailiss is tied up.
Descending the stairs to the basement, Mikoto asks.
"You could not choose a more pleasant place to take me?"
Are you still trying to divert my attention to find an opening for escape? You're very clever, Mikoto. But it won't work.
"Keep walking."
Passing through the debris, I tie Mikoto up and seat her next to Ailiss.
The two girls, now tied up, exchange glances and stare at each other for a few seconds.
They probably feel a certain familiarity, both in relation to the incident that preceded this game and the interference between the timelines themselves.
With this resolved, the worst part is over. Now, I just need to watch them to ensure neither of them escapes. This is definitely a much calmer way to keep them under control than the usual old dramatics.
"Well then. I suppose you'll both remain restless until I give you some explanation about what's happening here," I pause. "The truth is, the three of us are players. To avoid any conflict, I decided to restrain both of you here."
"You are saying you do not intend to kill either of us? What is the point of keeping us tied up here? You know the rules state that we will all die at the end of the deadline," Mikoto retorts.
"Yes, I know. So what?"
"What do you mean, 'so what'? You do not care about your own life? Well, you claimed you did not care about the fact that I am a player when you threatened to kill me… what are your real intentions?"
"What I think or don't think is none of your concern. And what's the point of explaining anything when you'll inevitably forget everything in the end? Just stay quiet until the deadline expires."
Mikoto, bothered by my response, averts her gaze. However, Ailiss continues staring at me like a hungry lion.
"What nonsense you two are arguing about. You got lucky earlier. As soon as I get out of here, consider yourself a dead man," Ailiss says.
"Maybe… I'll be waiting. Good luck with that."
Despite her superhuman strength, the amount of rope I used is enough to keep her like this for a few days. Perhaps this isn't the most appropriate way to treat them, considering how special they are to me. However, I'm desperate. I don't know what else to do.
Moreover, I need to keep up appearances. If I show too much benevolence, they'll feel more confident about trying to escape.
...
A few hours pass, the sun rises, and by this time of day, Takashi and the others must be frantic over Mikoto's sudden disappearance. I'm sure they wouldn't immediately think to look here; the difficulty we had finding Ailiss is proof of that. However, it's only a matter of time before I have to deal with that bothersome guy.
Nonetheless, a concern greater than Takashi weighs on my mind: I'm again letting my emotions take over. Seeing them in this state truly bothers me.
"Do you need anything? Water, food?"
Both remain silent.
"I brought some water bottles and can fetch something for you to eat at lunchtime," I continue.
"Shut up, you piece of trash," Ailiss responds.
On the other hand, Mikoto just stares at me for a few seconds before returning to her vacant gaze.
I know this isn't right. Keeping them like this isn't fair. However, at this point, I can no longer limit myself to what's right. My options are continuously narrowing in this temporal aberration.
I believe it's inevitable that they'll hate me, but it's a price I've always been willing to pay for their sake.