Blaine woke up several hours later with a slight headache. He must have hit his head on the ground when he collapsed. He rubbed his temple and slowly sat up.
That was when he realized he was sitting at a desk. It was not the same desk as the one he had at Keio Shonan-Fujisawa Junior High School. Its surface was a little rougher and there were crude drawings all over it.
Blaine looked around the room and saw that everyone else was sitting at a desk as well. They were sitting in the exact same seating arrangement they had followed all year.
The lights were off and the shutters were drawn, but Blaine had very good night vision. He quickly determined that everyone was accounted for, much to his relief.
It was a little cold in the room, so Blaine decided to fasten up his jacket. But when he reached his shirt collar, he felt something on his neck. Something cold and metallic, like a steel necklace. It was not tightly constricting, but it was firmly clasped around his throat. He thought about trying to pull it off, but his instincts told him to leave it alone for the moment. After all, he did not know what it could be or what it was capable of; he dared not mess with something he knew nothing about. So he decided to just stay put.
All around him, his classmates started waking up one-by-one. Everyone started whispering all at once. Blaine could make out random comments such as "Talk about a knockout!" "The fuck is going on?" "Are we all here?" "I have a bad feeling about this." "Where the hell are we?" "Is there something on my neck?" "This place looks like shit!" "I don't like this; not at all."
Blaine could see that everyone else had a collar around his or her neck, too. But the most anyone dared to do was finger it closely. They were all wise enough not to mess with it.
After a minute, a few people started looking around for their friends and got out of their desks. Blaine ran to Kiyomi and she welcomed him with open arms. He could see that she was afraid. They were all afraid. Kiyomi felt like crying; Blaine whispered "Shhh… It's alright. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine."
"I certainly hope so," remarked Asayo, "I wonder if this is the class trip?"
"If it is, the faculty must have a very twisted sense of humor," Tatsuo commented, "Hell of a way to start it out, if you ask me."
"Guys, I don't think this is the class trip," Chieko stated nervously, "I think this is something… much, much different."
"Like what, Chieko?" asked Riyeko Imamura.
"What else could it be?" said Wataru Koumura.
"Well, I have only one theory," Chieko slowly replied. She was trembling, almost as if she was going to collapse. Genji and Goro went to her and helped her stand up straight. Then they escorted her to her chair.
"Take it easy, Chieko," Genji instructed his partner, as she sat down "So, what do you think this is?"
"I… I think…" Chieko began, but stopped herself. She then resumed "Maybe… it's better I don't say."
"And maybe it's better than you do," stated Genji. He put his hands on Chieko's shoulders and knelt down to her level. He looked her in the eyes and said softly "Now, tell us; what do you think is going on here?"
Chieko did not respond immediately. She just rubbed her hands together and fidgeted for a few seconds. After a long minute of silence, Osamu Sano started getting annoyed. He shouted "Damnit, Chieko. Where the hell are we?"
"Calm down, Osamu," Kaminari Ishida said to her group's leader, "Now's not the time to get stuff up our asses!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?" yelled Tamayo Shintani, "This isn't exactly any Good Ship Lollipop here!"
"Will you all just shut up so that Chieko can speak?" shouted Genji.
This alarmed most of the class. Genji rarely raised his voice unless he was angry, and they did not see him get angry very often. Everyone quickly quieted down and turned to Chieko. Genji spoke as delicately as one possibly could and said "Go on, Chieko, please; where do you think we are?"
Chieko took a deep breath and replied in a disturbingly tranquil voice "I think… we might actually be in… the Program."
That was enough to set off most of the class. Several of the girls screamed, several of the boys shuttered, and the rest just looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
Across the room, Sayeko Watanabe was having an asthma attack. She leaned against a desk as she struggled to catch her breath. Hitoshi Ohara went over to help her. He put her arm over his shoulder and led her back to his desk. Jakobe Tanaka walked over to her and asked in concern "Are you alright? What do you need?"
"My… my inhaler…" she weakly uttered, pointing to her bag, "F-front pocket."
Jakobe quickly took Sayeko's bag, unzipped the front pocket, pulled out her inhaler, and gave it to her. To her relief, it was full. She put the nozzle into her mouth and gave herself two shots. After catching her breath, she managed to calm down a little. But like almost everyone else in the room, she was still freaking out.
Blaine was the only one who remained indifferent to Chieko's theory. He was just confused by her words. However, Kiyomi was now sobbing into his shoulder; so he reasoned out on his own that whatever "the Program" was, it must have been something very unpleasant and very terrible.
Blaine stated aloud "What exactly is this 'Program?' I'm not familiar with it."
Everyone looked to him as one, staring at him as if they had misheard him.
"You mean… you don't know?" uttered Kazumitsu Hayashi.
"No, I don't," Blaine replied bluntly, "And it would appear I'm the only one among us that doesn't. So would anyone care to 'enlighten' me?"
No one answered at first; obviously, they did not want to talk about this "Program." After a few moments' long silence, Goro stepped forward and began to explain. He started off with "The Program is the one thing that every ninth-grade student in this country dreads the most, especially around graduation time."
"I can see that on my own," stated Blaine, "But what is it? That's what I want to know."
"I would have thought you'd know of it, Blaine," remarked Genji, "You've proven on multiple occasions that you researched just about every Japanese school law before you came to this country."
"And I did," Blaine confirmed, "But I guess I missed a few; none of the ones I looked up said anything about a 'Program.'"
"Did you ever look up the Millennium Educational Reform Act?" queried Genji.
Blaine stood thinking for a while, and then his eyes flashed open. He looked back at Genji and replied "I actually did try looking that one up several times. But every time I tried to open it back home, I was denied access."
"Makes sense," commented Genji, "I suppose now's as good a time as any to find out what that law is all about. You see-"
Before Genji could say another word, Chiaki Iwasaki suddenly interrupted him, saying "Shhh!"
The rest of the class turned their attention towards her.
"What is it, Chiaki?" asked Shizuye Chida.
Chiaki slowly raised her hand to her ear and whispered to the others "Don't you guys hear that?"
Everyone remained absolutely silent to take a moment to listen. After a few seconds, Tsukasa Yoshizawa flatly remarked "I don't hear anything."
Several of the others shushed him. Chiaki urged him "Try listening harder!"
Once more, everyone waited in silence. This time, they did hear something. It sounded like… footfalls. Boots marching across a concrete floor. The sound was actually resonating from inside the building. When everyone listened even more closely, they realized that the footsteps were getting closer! Someone was coming right towards them!
Soon enough, the footsteps reached the door to the room. The students heard the sound of keys being clinked and locks being turned. A moment later, the door was swiftly opened. A man in a gray business suit entered the room, turning the lights on as he entered. He was followed by at least a dozen Japanese soldiers, all armed and in full uniform.
There was in fact a teacher's desk in front of the students' desks. The man in the business suit was holding on to a tan file in one hand. He dropped it onto the desk and solemnly turned to face the forty-five students of Class 3-A. He frowned when he saw that most of them were out of their desks.
"Return to your seats immediately," he uttered in a hauntingly calm voice. Slowly, everyone made their way back to their desks. Blaine was among the last to sit down, and his desk was directly in front of the man in the business suit.
The man himself appeared to be about thirty-five years old. His hair was neatly combed, he had a strong build, and whenever he smiled his grin bore an expression of decadent pleasure. At first glance, one would have thought him to be a bureaucrat. But the typical bureaucrat did not carry a Walther PPK in his belt. This man did, and he looked more than willing to use it.
"Welcome, my young friends, to the most exciting event of your life!" he announced in a dramatic tone of delight, "I know you must have many questions at the moment, but just bear with me for a few moments. All will be explained in time."
The classmates put aside their questions for the present; all of them gave the man in the gray suit their undivided attention.
The man grinned and continued speaking: "Allow me to introduce myself. I am your new teacher, Shigenori Furutani. I'd try to learn you all by your names, but most of you probably won't be around long enough for that to matter. So I will simply skip the formalities and get straight to the point."
There was a brief pause, but the pause generated an ominous atmosphere all over the room. Blaine felt quite uncomfortable by this man's talk, especially with him claiming that most of them would not "be around long enough."
After a moment, Furutani went on: "I want you all to ask yourselves something. How much do you like your friends? Specifically the ones from this class? I'm certain most of you would trust your friends with an errand, a favor, a secret, or a personal possession. But how many of you feel you can trust a friend with your life? Don't even bother raising your hand; we're going to put that theory to the test over the next few days. Just imagine all the excitement that will come out of it: Betrayal, deception, hatred, revelations of the past, and so much more! Oh, just another glorious day in the Program!"
At those words, the color drained from every single student's face. Chieko was right; it was the Program!
Of course, Blaine knew nothing of the Program; Genji had been interrupted before he had gotten a chance to explain it. Blaine was really feeling singled out at this point, being the only one in his class that did not know about such a thing. So he decided to find out on his own and satisfy his curiosity once and for all, even if he did not like what came of it.
Ever so slowly, Blaine raised his hand into the air. Furutani easily noticed him and pointed to him, saying "Yes, young sir? You have a question, I presume?"
"I do indeed… sir," Blaine tentatively responded. He had a feeling that this man was dangerous. In a few minutes, his suspicions would be confirmed. "Forgive me if I sound… ignorant, but I must ask you; what exactly is this 'Program?' I feel foolish being the only one among my class that has no prior knowledge of this subject."
Furutani raised an eyebrow. "You honestly know nothing of it?"
"All I know is that it has something to do with the Millennium Educational Reform Act of 1947," Blaine clarified, "Other than that, I'm completely in the dark."
Furutani scoffed and stepped forward. Then he explained in detail: "It's partially because of your country that it the law was passed in the first place. Your country dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. Over one hundred thousand people dead; thousands more sick and dying of radiation poisoning. What choice did Japan have but to surrender? But of course, that doesn't matter. All that does matter is that we never fully recovered from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So in 1947, the Millennium Educational Reform Act was passed in order to keep this country's youth in line, as well as prepare them in case another Great War was to ensue. The Millennium Educational Reform Act has proven to be quite controversial, but no one has ever tried repealing it. Most likely because of how effective and popular the Program has become. Now here is the part that answers your question. So I'd suggest you listen closely, as I do not like repeating myself."
Blaine edged forward slightly to let Furutani know that he had his undivided attention. The man in the gray suit continued with the explanation: "Every year, the government selects a completely random class of ninth-graders from anywhere in the country from a lottery. The entire class is then brought to a secluded area and entered into a fierce game of survival, known by most as 'the Program.' The audiences at home prefer to call it by its proper name: Battle Royale. Now, you see, my young American scholar, the rules of Battle Royale are fairly simple: Kill or be killed, and the last man standing wins."
A firm idea of the Program started dawning on Blaine as to what the Program really was. Furutani could tell that the message was getting through to him, based simply on the shocked expression that was spreading across Blaine's face.
Furutani quickly added in: "Just in case there's any ambiguity left in my words, I'll simplify it even further: the students in the selected class must kill each other off… until only one of them is left alive."
Blaine felt his breath leave him. Now everything made perfect sense to him. He just felt even more foolish for not having asked anyone about this before that day. His curiosity was finally set aside, but it was replaced by sheer terror and shock.
This was not happening, he told himself. It should not happen. Could not happen. Would not happen. Must not happen. No matter how much he denied it or doubted it, he was unable to ignore it. Deep down, he already knew that all of this was really happening right in front of him.
"So then… the movie theater…" he spoke softly, realization dawning on him.
"Yes, the movie theater was arranged weeks in advance," Furutani replied, "Renting out the entire theater was easy enough; the hard part was singling out the theater itself when we ventilated the room with the knockout gas. But we always find a way to pull through. I recall that the staff was reluctant to partake in your capture. But when one is forced to pick between children of strangers or their own families, I suppose it is only natural for one to be more concerned about the latter's well-being."
Furutani was enjoying himself; he adored having so much control in his present situation. He was also taking the strain off of it by making sick jokes. Of course, none of the students laughed, but the soldiers chuckled every once in a while.
"Now then," Furutani announced, as he turned to the chalkboard, "Before I get into the rules, I must address your present scenario. Yes, this is really happening; I suggest you let that sink in. The sooner you believe it, the sooner you will be able to grasp the concept of this game. Right now, you should abandon all hope of rescue or dismissal. We do not accept bribes, extortions, or trade-offs, regardless of how wealthy or prestigious your family is. And yes, your parents have already been informed. Many of them were wise enough to accept the news and leave it at that. Some of them were foolish enough to threaten the messenger. Those of you whose parents fall into the latter category, you will most likely be reunited with them very soon. But not at your home."
Several of the girls in the class were already close to tears, while some of the boys looked away angrily. Blaine had only met the parents of two of his classmates: Kiyomi's and Tatsuo's. He hoped that all of them had not protested when they had been given the bad news.
Then something suddenly occurred to Blaine. He raised his hand again. Furutani sighed in slight annoyance and asked him "What is it, white boy?"
"I was just wondering, sir…" Blaine began hesitantly, "Who did you contact on my behalf? No one in my family lives in this country."
Furutani stood thinking for a moment; then he turned around and picked up the file he had tossed onto the teacher's desk. He opened it up and flipped to a certain page.
"Ah, Rhodes Blaine-kun," he announced, turning back to face the class, "So that's the name of our special guest. Charmed to finally know you."
"The feeling is mutual," Blaine grumbled in a bothered tone.
"Because you were staying with the ambassador to the Kanagawa Prefecture, we paid him a little visit at the American embassy in Fujisawa," explained Furutani, "I myself delivered the message under military escort. The ambassador expressed his disbelief and shock to a certain extent. He did protest your selection, but he did not physically threaten me. Of course, even if he had, there was nothing we could do about it, as he was protected under law. And fortunately for you, the same thing goes for your mother."
Blaine's eyes lit up when he heard those words. He uttered in a quick voice "What… are you talking about?"
"Your mother – Doctor Hillary Rhodes, I believe – was with the ambassador when we delivered the message," Furutani elucidated, "She handled it very well at first. She went to great length to retain her composure and her image. But before long, she broke down completely. She then proceeded to launch violent threats at yours truly and my colleagues. Had she not been protected under the ambassadorial law, she would have met a most unpleasant end."
Furutani paused for a moment and then looked up at the ceiling. Then he muttered in mild amusement "It's a shame really, Rhodes. Your mother is a very beautiful woman… for an American. Had she not been protected under law, there's no telling what my men and I would have done to her. Who knows… we probably would have had us a pink party right then and there… Just the thought of it brings me pleasure."
Blaine knew full well that in Japan, some people used "pink party" as a euphemism for "gang-rape." To hear someone talk that way about his mother filled him with a great rage. He stood up from his desk and shouted in anger "You shut up about my mother, you deranged bastard son of a harlot! No one talks about her like that!"
Furutani raised an eyebrow and simply smirked in response. "You have a fiery spirit. An ideal feature for a potential winner of the Program."
"If you think for one second I'll play along with this sick, twisted bullshit game of yours, you are wrong!" Blaine shouted.
"Of course you say that now," remarked Furutani, "I guess you still need a little convincing. I said earlier that your mother and the ambassador were protected under law, as they were staying at the American embassy. Unfortunately, the same thing did not apply to your teacher."
This attracted the attention of most of the class.
"What have you done with Kawano-sensei?" demanded Chieko.
Furutani just smiled and turned to two of the soldiers standing at the door. He nodded his head once at them. In response, one of them opened the door and the other stepped under the frame and made a gesture to some more soldiers standing guard outside.
A moment later, two more soldiers wheeled in a chair with wheels. A woman was sitting down in the chair. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back, her feet were handcuffed around the front axle, and a black sack was drawn over her head.
The soldiers rolled her chair over to the teacher's desk and left her there. Furutani then walked over to the woman and stood next to her. Many of the students were certain they knew who this woman was; their theories were confirmed when Furutani removed the black sack from her head.
There was their teacher, Nami Kawano. But she looked much different from the way her class knew her. Nami Kawano was a beautiful woman who always dressed in style and elegance. She never used much makeup; just enough to brighten her complexion. Her long black hair was usually tied up in a ponytail and it ran a few inches below her shoulders. Her smile always brought warm feelings to her students.
The woman they saw in the chair held a quite different appearance. Her clothes were wrinkled, torn, and messy, almost as if they had been thrown onto her. Her face, arms, and body were covered with cuts and bruises, and had her shirt been removed, they would have seen even worse injuries along her torso. Her hair had been messed up, some parts of it flowing in different directions. Her makeup was smeared across her face; her cheeks were stained with tear-streaks.
Furutani turned to the students and announced "Whenever a class is chosen for the Program, the teacher more often than not puts up heavy opposition to the students' selection. The ones that do not oppose are allowed to return to their jobs. The ones that do, such as Kawano-sensei here… we make an example of them."
All the students could see their teacher's pain and most of them felt for her. She had been beaten and raped by Furutani and the soldiers repeatedly less than an hour before the students had woken up.
"At least we still had our pink party," commented Furutani. Some of the soldiers chuckled in agreement as he added in "Kawano-sensei was more than a suitable alternative to young Blaine's mother."
Ms. Kawano slowly looked up at her class and looked around at them. She spoke in a voice that was just barely audible enough for them all to hear: "I'm so sorry. I should have tried harder to protect you all. Now you're all going to fall… because I wasn't strong enough to save you."
"Kawano-sensei, you mustn't say such things!" stated Chiaki Iwasaki to her teacher. She looked at Furutani and demanded fearlessly "Release her, she has done no wrong!"
"Untrue," stated Furutani, "She struck two of my men before we were forced to resort to more extreme measures. That in itself is punishable by death."
Once more, Furutani redirected his attention towards Blaine.
"She particularly protested your involvement in the Program, Master Rhodes," Furutani informed the American scholar, "Even after we tried 'persuading' her to see things our way, she kept going on about how you did not belong here."
"He was supposed to go home today!" Ms. Kawano yelled at Furutani, trying to sound brave "I encouraged him to stay until graduation! It's my fault he's still here!"
"No, Kawano-sensei," Blaine spoke softly to his teacher as he remained standing, "You had no way of knowing that this class would be selected for the Program. It's my own fault I'm here."
"Regardless of whose fault it is, the rest of you must accept the present circumstances," Furutani stated flatly. He looked around the classroom and proclaimed "Watch this very closely; I will only do it once."
At that, one of the soldiers put the black sack back over Ms. Kawano's head and tightened it up. Then another soldier leaned the chair back so that Ms. Kawano's head was angled towards the ceiling. Furutani removed his Walther PPK from his belt, put the barrel of the gun to the center of her forehead, pulled back the hammer, and squeezed his index finger around the trigger.
So much activity happened in the next second. Several students screamed, others recoiled, and others were just left frozen in their seats. Immediately after Furutani pulled the trigger, an ear-piercing sound filled the room and a bullet was projected from the gun's chamber. It sailed forward and went straight through the black sack, through Ms. Kawano's forehead, into her skull, through the right cerebral hemisphere of her brain, through the back of her skull, through the back of her head, and through the other end of the black sack. The bullet's final destination was the chalkboard. It ended up lodged just above the rack on the board.
A moment later, the soldier holding back the seat released it, and Ms. Kawano's body slumped forward. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was dead. Nor was there any doubt that they were not dreaming, hallucinating, or living out a very sick joke. They were in the Program, alright. There was no denying that this was really happening.
Furutani gestured to the same two soldiers to wheel the chair out of the room. Once they had removed Ms. Kawano's body, the door was closed. The only difference between before and after Ms. Kawano had been in the room was that the chalkboard had a bullet lodged near the bottom of it, as well as splatters of Ms. Kawano's blood in various spots.
Furutani pulled back his gun's hammer once more to eject the empty bullet shell from his gun's chamber and then he returned his gun to his belt. He rubbed his hands together and walked back to the front of the desk. His expression had not changed in the slightest; he still bore that same sadistic smile.
He leaned back against the desk and announced "Now then, on to the game. It cannot officially begin until all the rules are explained, after all. Here is where you must pay very close attention, and act as if your lives depend on these rules. Because they do."
Most of the students were still unable to believe that their beloved teacher was gone. However, they had little choice but to accept it. So they all sat up straight and paid especially close attention to Furutani.
The Program Instructor began with: "Every year, the Program takes place in a new location. Sometimes it's an island, sometimes it's a ghetto, sometimes it's an abandoned university campus. This year, we have brought you to a more cosmopolitan area. We are in an industrious section in the neighboring Saitama Prefecture. For security reasons, I will not specify which city. All you need to know is that the entire town was evacuated within the past few days in preparation for this. We told them it was due to threat of a terrorist attack, which was more than enough to encourage them to cooperate."
Furutani then walked over to the windows and opened the blinds. There were bars on the other side of the glass, but all the students could catch a nice glimpse of the city. There were many tall buildings and corporations. They could even make out a skyscraper a few blocks down.
"Beautiful, is it not?" stated Furutani, "A much better selection than usual, I'd say. We've got five-star hotels, computer companies, and some of the best pubs in the Prefecture. All without staff, of course. This game of survival heavily involves a 'do it yourself' connotation. You'll be pleased to know that the electricity and running water still work. However, internet and phone lines have been disabled; there is no way for you to contact the outside world."
Furutani then gestured towards the door. It was opened once more and two soldiers wheeled in a large Bellman cart. There were forty-five duffle bags piled on the cart. Each of the bags had the Japanese symbol for one of the numbers between 1 and 22 stitched onto it, as well as either the Japanese symbol for "Male" or "Female." There was one bag that was left without a symbol.
Furutani directed everyone's attention to the cart and announced "Along with your backpacks, you'll be given these supply packs. Inside them, you'll find some provisions that will last you over the next few days. You will each get bottled water, field rations, a map, a compass, a flashlight, and a watch. Most importantly, you'll each get a weapon. It could be anything from a submachine gun Uzi to a stapler. The weapons were randomly assigned in order to eliminate any unfairness, so not everyone will get a gun or a knife. Make a note to check your bags when you leave the building."
Furutani then moved over to the chalkboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and began drawing a large square. The rectangle was ten inches in length on each side. Then he divided the square into ten rows, and split each of the rows into ten columns. He then gave each of the rows a letter in the English alphabet from A to J in descending vertical order and he gave each of the columns a number from 1 to 10 in descending horizontal order. After that, he drew a large "X" on the square labeled "C-5."
Once that was done, Furutani turned to the class and announced "The city encompasses an approximate total of one hundred square miles, each divided into different zones. Your current location – the city's main high school – is located right here in C-5. I will remain here with the soldiers throughout the duration of the game, monitoring your progress. There are cameras installed all over the city; we'll be watching you from every corner."
Furutani then pointed out the sides of the square and announced "The edges of the perimeter have all been sealed off. Electric fencing, border guards, and surveillance systems have all been established there. So you can forsake any hope of escaping through the city gates."
He turned back to the class and went on: "Some of you like young Master Rhodes here may have plans to just avoid playing the game altogether and instead just spend the time hiding out. That would be a foolish idea. You can certainly spend some of your time hiding out, but eventually you will be drawn out of your comfort spots. Because where you hide may turn out to be a danger zone. What is a danger zone? Well, that's where those necklaces you are wearing come in to play."
At those words, every single student in the class brought their hands up to their necks, even those that had yet to notice the necklaces did so. Blaine himself was nervously pressing his palms against his necklace, as it suddenly felt a lot more dangerous to him.
Furutani smiled and went on "Your necklaces monitor your pulse and they've all been fitted with a tracking device that tells us your exact location. They are also waterproof, shockproof, fireproof, and cannot be safely removed by the wearer without a specific set of tools. That's not even the best part; the best part is that each of the collars is rigged with enough explosive to set off an avalanche! If you are caught in a danger zone at any time, or if you try removing your collar, your necklace will detonate! I'm certain you can guess what will happen. Truthfully, I'm not entirely certain. Sometimes the skin around the throat is blown off and sometimes the head is blown to pieces. Most likely, your head will be severed from your vertebrae."
Several people shuddered at how calmly Furutani explained the collars' capabilities to them. Everyone quickly withdrew their hands from their necks.
"Getting back to the danger zones…" stated Furutani, "I will be making announcements four times a day, at 6:00 and 12:00 A.M. and P.M. Every two hours starting at 0700 hours, a random area on the map will become a danger zone. Keep up with the announcements so that you can note down the specified zones at which times. I will also list off those who died in the previous six hours at each announcement to help you keep track of who's still out there. Some of you may be contemplating the idea of coming back to the school and wreaking havoc on it. I should warn you that such actions would be unwise. Not only because you would be outnumbered and outgunned, but also because ten minutes after the last student leaves, C-5 becomes a permanent danger zone. It will remain a danger zone until a winner has been determined."
This was all a great deal to take in all at once. But for their own sakes, the entire class was able to retain everything Furutani told them.
"One last thing," Furutani added in, "If twenty-four whole hours go by without a single death, all the necklaces will automatically detonate. No one will win the game. And no one wants that now, right?"
Naturally, no one physically responded. Most of them were just concerned with making plans to stay alive.
Furutani scratched his head as if he was thinking. Then he stepped forward and announced "Well, I guess that's everything… except for the 'new rule.'"
This snapped everyone back to attention. New rule? What new rule?
Furutani noted their inquisitiveness and smirked. He stated "I can see you are all curious to know about this new rule. I'm certain you will find it to be beneficial on your part. You see, it has to do with your young American friend… Master Blaine Rhodes."
Blaine was surprised to hear this. Up until this point, he had just been sitting in his chair, listening like everyone else. But now there was a new rule that made him the center of attention. What could it possibly be?
"As I said before, the main rule of a Battle Royale is that only one winner can be alive in the end," Furutani remarked, "That still stands. But because of the inclusion of an American this year, the officials who run the Program got together and came up with a generous new policy."
There was a brief pause. Then Furutani went on: "Do you want to know what it is? If you do, listen to me very closely."
Everyone collectively leaned forward and kept their ears open. Furutani then told them "The new rule is this: There may actually be two winners this year. The traditional winner would be whoever the last one standing is. The other winner will not have to wait until the game ends. Because the other winner… is whoever kills Master Rhodes."
Blaine felt like throwing up right there. He did not turn around, but he was certain that all of his classmates' eyes were focused on him. He really wished he could just disappear into thin air at that time; the situation was getting worse and worse. Now it seemed downright hopeless for him.
Furutani smiled in complete wickedness and rested one of his hands on Blaine's desk. He spoke to him in that same amused tone: "Your late teacher Nami Kawano was right about one thing, Master Rhodes. Originally, you were not supposed to be part of this Program. There is a reason the exchange program was set up the way it was: so that all the American scholars studying abroad in Japan would be back home before graduation. That way, any possibility of them getting involved in the Program would be put aside. But your class had already been selected when your request to remain until graduation came through. So I got together with the rest of the officials and we decided to up the stakes. I mean, didn't you stop to think about why your request to remain was approved so quickly?"
"As a matter of fact… I did," Blaine muttered through gritted teeth, "I knew this country was ruled under a totalitarian regime, but I didn't know it had anything as barbaric as this."
Furutani just remained smiling and stood up straight.
Out of nowhere, someone shouted in madness. Everyone turned their attention towards the source of the noise. It was Kazuki Chikuda. He had jumped out of his desk and he was now running down the aisle. A few people noticed he was running… directly for Blaine! His arms were outstretched as if he meant to use them to seize Blaine by the throat.
Immediately, Furutani stepped between Kazuki and Blaine and pulled out his Walther PPK. He pulled back the hammer and aimed it at Kazuki's head. Just before reaching Blaine, Kazuki stopped in his tracks, his attention now focused on the gun in front of him.
"You are Kazuki Chikuda, I presume?" he said.
The class loner slowly nodded his head, shaking in his stance.
Furutani smiled and said "You were wise to stop, Master Chikuda. It is rare that an entire class makes it out into the Program without the instructor having to kill one or more of them off. Let's keep the class whole for now. Is that understood? Good. Now, I'd like you to explain your actions."
Kazuki was twitching violently. He could barely even stand still as he turned his eyes towards Blaine. He told Furutani "W-well, s-sir, it's just that… you… you said… whoever kills Blaine… is automatically excused… from the rest of the Program."
Furutani slowly nodded and remarked "Indeed, I did just say that. I admire your eagerness to play the game, Master Chikuda. But I must remind you that the game has not even started yet. It is illegal for you or any of your classmates to kill each other before the game begins."
"Oh, al-alright then," Kazuki said, nodding in understanding as he slowly returned to his desk. Once he sat down, he asked "In that case, when does the game begin?"
"I was just getting to that," Furutani replied as he returned his gun to his belt, "You will all leave the school one at a time in two-minute intervals. I will call your names out in order of your class number, as this is the order in which you shall all leave. As soon as the first student has left the building… the game begins."
"The last thing I need to discuss is what the winner receives," he went on, "In addition to a signed certificate from our beloved leader, the winner receives enough prize money to have him or her set for life. That applies to both winners; the last one standing and Master Rhodes'… executioner. However, if it should turn out that the last two people standing are Master Rhodes and another person… then whoever emerges victorious will receive double the normal amount of prize money. One winner; double the fee. Take that into consideration, if you would."
Furutani looked around the room. He was no longer facing a room of frightened children. He was facing a room of tense young adults. They had all been friends just hours earlier. Now under a special set of circumstances, the strength of their friendships would be tested.
Furutani took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Now then, everything has been properly addressed. Are there any questions?"
No one raised their hands. Evidently, Furutani had answered them all already.
"Now then," he said as he picked up the file on the desk and opened it up, "It is time to get started. I will call out your names in your class order. I would advise against lingering in the hallway; there is a guard at the front entrance that informs us when each student has left the building. If it takes a student longer than thirty seconds to reach the entrance after leaving this room, the guard has orders to take that student out. Is that clear?"
Without even waiting for a response, Furutani continued: "Now then, onto the roll call. Because he has no class number, and because of the… bounty I put on him, I believe it is only fair that the first person to leave the school be our guest… Rhodes Blaine-kun!"
Blaine felt all the attention on himself yet again. As soon as he stepped through that door, the Program would start. But if he stayed behind, he would be signing his own death warrant anyway.
Blaine pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. He reached down, picked up his backpack off the ground, and slung it over his shoulders.
One of the soldiers at the Bellman cart had picked the bag with no stitched number off the top. As Blaine approached the door, the soldier tossed him the bag. He caught it swiftly in both his arms. Another soldier opened up the door and gestured for him to go out.
Just before leaving, Blaine turned to get a good look at Class 3-A. This would be the last time he would see all forty-four of them in the same place. He spent a long moment concentrating on Tatsuo and Kiyomi. His best friend just gave him a thumbs-up and his girlfriend mouthed the words "I love you."
Blaine returned the thumbs-up to Tatuso and mouthed "I love you, too" back to Kiyomi. Then he turned around and stepped out into the hallway.
The Game Begins
Day 1 – 00:45 Hours
45 Students Remaining
Note: Well, what do you think? I'd like to know your thoughts on this chapter, particularly on the "new rule" I put in. Do you like it? Do you like the chapter in general? I'd like to know your take on what I have so far.
