Thursday, Week 5. Two weeks counted off calendar. Morning. Aishi residence.

Here I am again.

Alone.

In the darkness.

...

I am an actress.

One that has no regret.

I love my career.

I love my body.

I love my fans.

I love to perform.

I love the gifts I receive.

People love me.

If I were to be insecure about something, what would it be?

My sizes? My face shape? My eye color? My overall talent in acting? Do I fear that someday I'll fail?

No. I'm confident. Audacious, proud, and fearless. I present my shows for all to enjoy, young girls look up to me as an idol, I make thousands of dollars per show, smart, and to top it all off, a perfect soulmate.

But if I had to have one weakness...what could it be?

...

...

...

Ah! That's right! My hair!

My hair. It's gorgeous. People love to look at my hair. I have pamphlets that litter the bathroom that describe many hairstyles that have yet to be worn. But I'm running out of pamphlets. I couldn't possibly wear the same hairstyle a second time, that'd be boring! People will lose interest! That can't happen!

I love styling my hair all morning. I'd do it all day if it meant I'd get heads turning my way.

I need more styles. I need them to be pretty. I can't be pretty if I always look the same. It's the truth. Pretty styles for a pretty girl. That's me.

They'd laugh at me if I betray my promise...to never wear the same hairstyle twice. They'd shame me...hate me, loathe me, ignore me, tease me...hurt me.

I need help. I need more styles. There just aren't anymore to find.

Please, help me.

I'm scared to go outside like this.

Help me.

Please.

I sit up from the fetal position I remained in underneath the table. I can see it...Kizana is mildly insecure about her hair. Imagine that. It occurred to me when I recalled Aoi Ryugoku blurting out the facts a few weeks ago.

Tomorrow's the play. It starts right after school ends and lasts until 6:00. There's a chance that I can still stop the play completely. I just need Kizana to have another one of her outbreaks, one last time. I just need to find her...pamphlets.

I amble my way into Akademi High. People are milling here and there and are discussing the play.

"Do good, Kokona!"

"Kokona, you're gonna do great, I believe in you!"

"Hey, Aki! Who are you playing again?"

"Are tickets sold out yet?"

"Jeez, I wish it was tomorrow already!"

"Reo better do good, I bet a hundred yen on him."

"Shion, are you ready?"

"Soma-san is playing Masato."

Their conversations mean absolutely nothing to me. I eavesdrop while I change my shoes and pretend to scroll through my phone, trying to hear anything that'll give me clues to where Kizana would hide her special papers.

"Oh! Ayano-sama!"

I look up in response to the unfamiliar voice. "Huh?"

Three girls stand shoulder-to-shoulder and bow in front of me. The first one is short with small blue pigtails and big, bright blue eyes. The second in the middle is much taller than the rest, and has black shoulder-length hair and crimson eyes, almost looking evil. The third one is...medium-sized height with short, dark-green hair and emerald eyes.

Except, the third girl has white, pointy antennas sticking out of the sides of her head. Her eyes are expressionless, but she moves in sync with the others.

"Aishi-san, we are at your service!" The first one proudly states.

"Did you just call me, Ayano-'sama'?"

First giggles, and second shrugs. "Of course we did! Kizana-sama has told us to watch over you! You see, ever since that horrible incident that happened a few weeks ago, she has been horribly worried about your safety."

I lift an eyebrow.

Second blinks. "And so we are here to be your bodyguards."

"Bodyguards?"

"Hai," says third. "Watashitachi wa anata o jama suru mono o koroshimasu."

I stare back at third. Her voice is weird and robotic. I narrow my eyes. "That's a bit much."

"She's into a lot of dark stuff, don't mind her," says first.

"You three look really fishy. There's no way Kizana would care about that much, she hates me. Something's wrong here," I suspect, eyeballing second. "Do you guys even take classes here?"

Third gives a thumbs up. "Watashitachiha sābisu no sukiru o manabimashita! Aku o hakai suru! Aku o hakai suru! Aku o hakai suru!"

"Th-That's enough, Ro, you'll get us in trouble," says first. Third seems the most sinister out of them all. Her eyes give me weird vibes...she rarely blinks, and the way her legs move are stiff, like a moving toy soldier.

"Don't mind Ro," adds second, swatting a stray wisp of black hair out of her eyes. "Anyway, I'm Neme, and this is Renzoku Satsujin," she says, introducing herself and first.

"Call me Ren-chan, or Ren for short!"

"Yeah, okay...so, what do you expect to do to whoever threatens me in the first place?" I ask.

"Koroshimasu."

"No!" Spits back Ren. "Koroshite wa ikenai, Ro-san!"

"Hai."

Ro seems to be a little ill in the mind, and mixing that together with her appearance makes it seem more suspicious than these three already are. "I haven't seen you guys around here often. Are you transfers, or? You know, I don't wanna know. Thanks for offering, but I don't need any help. Go about your day."

"Ah, it's not that simple, Aishi-san," Neme interrupts. "I'm afraid we're working on a full budget deal."

"So you guys aren't from Akademi."

"Well, Ro is," replies Ren.

"Don't care. I need to do something, so you three can just—"

Ro grabs my shoulder and stares into my eyes. Her cold, empty eyes send alarming signals down my spine. Her mouth moves stiffly as she says, "Anata wa mokuhyōdesu. Tāgetto wa shinu hitsuyō ga arimasu. Mokuhyō o korosu."

"E-Eh?!" I shriek, then move my glance over to Neme and Ren.

Ren gives me a cold glare. "Ro-chan, you ruin everything," she says lowly, approaching me quietly. I try to flail out of Ro's grasp, but her hands, cold as metal, latch around me and hold my arms behind me. Screaming isn't an option in this situation, Ro's got her hand clasped around my mouth.

What is going on?!

Neme moves closer and holds something up to me, and once I breathe in the scent, my mind immediately goes blank, and I can feel myself getting lighter by the second. Eventually, all is but darkness.

What just happened?

Am I dead?

Did I pass out?

Was I tricked?

Is this hell?

Mom stands with her hands behind her back. Her friend, Yurei, is talking with her. I watch from behind Yurei.

Yurei sighs. "I just don't know what to do anymore. My parents say they'll send me away if I fail chemistry. I can't afford to go to Europe!" She cries, sniffling. Mom stares blankly back at her.

Mom moves closer to the mirror and reveals what she has in her hand. A pink comb. She brushes her hair neatly, passing through me like a ghost. The bathroom hasn't changed. "You could of course bribe sensei for a better grade," she suggests.

"Ryoba, that's crazy talk. He hates me more than I hate myself," replies Yurei in dismay.

"Don't push yourself too far, Yu-san," Mom says. "You'll regret it later on," and begins to brush her delicate cascades of hair. Yurei sighs and joins Mom with the mirror, watching her glide the comb through her hair with ease. Mom looks over at Yurei and smiles. "Besides, you're my best friend, right?"

"...yeah," Yurei replies with a long, stressed sigh. "Yeah, I am."

I stand beside Mom. Her long hair sways with the movement of the comb, and eventually, she stares at herself in the mirror. My glance is forced down at her hand, the hand the comb is tightly held in. Mom's fingers pull the top of the comb, and the handle of it unlatches.

Getting a closer inspection, the comb part of the brush detaches from the handle completely, revealing a sharp, shining blade in the bathroom light. Her face traces back over to Yurei.

"Yurei," she starts.

"Yeah?"

"..."

And from there, my vision went white.

Slowly, my eyes flutter open, blurry images soon coming into focus. I attempt to move my arms, but I almost can't feel anything below my neck. I'm laying on my side, my arms and legs restrained from movement, and my mouth...something is covering my mouth. I can't talk.

"...Mom...?" I mutter, searching for my mother. Was that bathroom event a dream? It looked so...realistic.

"Anata no okāsan wa riyō dekimasen," a familiar voice says. I can already tell who's beside me, and so I glare. Ro sits primly on the floor with her arms hugging her legs. Her eyes stare blankly into mine, a cold shiver giving me threatening signs left and right. But she never blinks.

I rest my head back on my side, and two people talk silently to each other in front of me. Ren and Neme. Ren looks back at me for a second, then realizes that I've awoken.

"Ah! Ohayo, Ayano-chan!"

I grunt from behind the fabric. Neme taunts me by snickering at my attempt of speech. "Ren, what time is it?"

"Um...lemme see," she starts, then squints somewhere at the wall. "Uh, it's 3:19 PM, sir."

I ponder the reason why she referred to Neme as 'sir', but not so much. The more important thing I'm wondering about is where the hell I am as of now. My eyes adjust to the dark atmosphere and focus, now being able to make out a few pieces of old furniture placed randomly around the room. The room itself is huge, looking almost like an abandoned warehouse.

Ren and Neme discuss what's going on in their own lives, but when Ren glances back at me, they begin whispering. Eventually, they both turn around, Ren speaking first as her small blue pigtails bounce up and down.

"Ayano-san, you're probabaly wondering, 'where am I right now?' 'who are these people?' and so on. Well, I'm here to tell you that everything is okay!" She cheerfully says, giving me two thumbs up. I squint at her like she's ridiculous. "N-Now now, Ayano-san. We're not gonna hurt you or anything."

Ro nods and says, "Shō ga owaru made, anata wa kokode shika taizai shite imasu."

"Hwat fhow?" I muffle out, and so Ro removes the fabric and allows me to repeat my question. "What show?"

"Gakkō de Kizana no asobi."

"What!?" I shriek, horrified. Are you kidding me?! The show is today?! And it begins at. 3:30! It's 3:19! Oh my god! And they're keeping me here until it's over?! No! No, no, no! This isn't good at all!

That bitch! Kizana must've hired these freaks to keep me hostage until everyone goes home! That means I won't be able to stop anything! Not good, not good!

I begin to writhe, writhe until the cables around my wrists begin to scratch into my skin, making a throbbing pain be sent from my wrists and up through my arms. Catching my breath, I take a glance at Ro, but her eyes were already staring at mine, locked and ready.

"Sore wa nani mo shimasen," she says, stating the obvious. It seems like Japanese is the only language she can speak in, but luckily her words aren't too hard to interpret.

"Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious. You're a real help," I sarcastically say, making Ro continue to rest her head on her knees.

Ren trots over to me. "Hey Ayano-cha—"

BLAM!

"Eek!" Shrieks Ren, startled by the sudden noise. Lifting my head, I'm able to make out someone standing at the entrance of the warehouse, staring at us. "Who're you?" Ren asks. Ro slowly, but surely makes her way to her feet.

Ren's leg is in my way of seeing who exactly is here, but according to Neme, who is drawing a sharp blade, none of these girls know who this person is.

"Ro!" I hear them shout. Ro flinches, then looks down in disgust. The silhouette keeps shouting. "What the actual hell is going on here?!"

"Sir, please leave immediately," Neme calmly but fiercely threatens, making sure her weapon is in plain sight. "We're not here to hurt you or anybody else, and unless you want to change that, I recommend that you turn around. Now."

I see arms fly to the side. "What? Who are you freaks? And what did you do to Ro? Ro, come back here!"

"Masutā Kaga, watashi wa kono kara okane o kasegu imasu!" Ro says back.

"I don't care—what, what, what?! Money?! Say what?! Ro, get your metallic ass back over here this instant!" He yells, louder. He sounds pretty mad...but now I know who he is. Kaga Kusha. Also, metallic ass?

Ro begins to screech. "Watashi wa anata no kojin-tekina doreide wa arimasen yo!"

"Exaclty! I programmed you to not be a slave, but to be the next step in taking over the world! You think I made you because I wanted you to satisfy my own needs? Ro, you have human intelligence, your own mind! You were created from steel! From wires, from cameras, everything! I spent almost my daily life creating you, and you completely abandon our original plan for this?!"

Ro screams. "Anata wa zettai ni hijōshikida, sā!"

Silence.

More silence.

"Heheheh..." he laughs. "Ro, I'm afraid the only one who's insane here is you."

BEEP

"Nani? Ā, īe! Ren, Neme, hashiru! Watashi kara hanarete, ima!" Ro begins to scream, as her body trembles violently. Confused, Neme and Ren look back at her, and suddenly, Ro's eyes turn a bright crimson red. Her foot trudges behind her as she slowly approaches Ren. Ren herself begins to back up from Ro in fear, and Neme watches in anticipation.

Ro, in pure panic, tries to restrain herself. "Ren, hashiri nasai! Toridasu! Toridasu! Koko kara deteike! Getto... Shinu. Shinu. Shinu. Shinu. Shinu."

"Wh-Wha?! Ro, snap out of it! Ro, stop! STOP!" Ren screams.

Ro backs Ren up against the wall, and, in absolute pain and agony, Ren screams at the top of her lungs. I'm unable to see exactly what's going, but I catch a glimpse of Ro holding a severed arm. Neme covers her mouth in horror and disgust, and I hear more splashes and cracking sounds that are almost drowned out by Ren's shrieks.

"Oh my god!" Screams Neme, then vomiting. The show isn't over. Kaga snuck up behind Neme and grabbed her with a remote in his hands. She struggles wildly to escape as Ro is still trudging toward her friend. The impending doom suddenly gets me running, the want for such a sight coming in hard.

"No, no! Ro, stop! Stop stop stop! Let me go! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't want to do this! I was forced, I swear! I'll turn myself in, just PLEASE! Let me live, please! God! Ro, please! You're my friend, sto—"

"Damare," Ro rudely demands, grabbing Neme's face. "Watashi wa anata no tomodachide wa nakattadesu."

And so, the only thing that was left of Neme in the end, was a puddle of blood, an arm, her body with organs clearly showing, and her bottom jaw broken and loose. It was all so much to look at. Too much to look at. Ro, though, seemed to be under mind control. Kaga silently stares down at what Ro did, laughing quietly to himself.

"Well," he finally starts off. "You're safe now"

He begins to untie me as I get free, my bones cracking from lack of movement. "How did you find me here?"

"I chipped Ro," he replies. "Robots come in handy sometimes. Other times, you catch them KIDNAPPING INNOCENT PEOPLE!" He abruptly shouts.

"She's a what?"

"A robot. I designed her myself. You like her?"

"Whoa. Yeah, I do. This whole time I thought she was a real person."

He proudly stands tall. "Genius work is worth it in the end."

Together, we exit the warehouse with Ro. "Thanks for saving me and not killing me."

He flushes. "Y-Yeah."

"Well...Wait, Kaga!"

"Huh?"

"What time is it?!"

Instead of Kaga replying, Ro, behind me, chimes in. "4:03 p.m."

"Aw, shit! Kaga, thanks for your help, but I really gotta go! I'll probabaly see you at school, later!" And take off down the road. I realize that I'm in Buraza Town. I was in the old building people used to joke about as a haunted area. Turns out he rumors were true. Very true.

I see the school up ahead. The gym lights are on, and it's showcasing a sign advertising the play. Grunting to myself, I hurry up more, ignoring my legs that are telling me to take a break.

I burst inside the gym, push through the crowd, run up the side, show my ID and authority as a stage crew member, and get to work. Climbing up the ladder, I listen to Kizana as she and Senpai act out their roles.

"Keichii, you finally arrived..."

Senpai's character, Keichii, responds. "Tsubaki...how long have you been waiting here?"

"As long as it took! Keichii, you know how much I love you, right?"

"Tsubaki, I do. I really do. But...that's what I was afraid of. I felt the same, and I was too shy to admit it."

"You've made me happy for a long time, Keichii. Keichii...will you...will you kiss me, Keichii?"

I make it up the ladder and cringe at her words. I need to hurry! I run across the overhead bridge and see a different girl in my spot of the light. She notices me, and starts to look around.

"Yuuko, move!" I demand, grabbing her.

"W-What?"

"Move!"

"But the play—HAGH! Agh! HAAAGH!" She struggles, my hands tightening around her neck, hitting her unconscious spots. I gently lay her down and move her aside, and begin aligning the light up with the red X on the floor.

"Tsubaki, are...are you sure? You'd give up your whole life fortune for me?"

"Anything for you!" Kizana responds, melodramatically. I must admit, she is a fantastic actress.

I begin to work with the bolts on the light, and panic overcomes me when I see the two get closer. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! Hurry up!

"Keichii..." Kizana starts. A noise catches her attention, and so she looks up at the light shining brightly down on her. "W...W-Will you, kiss me, Keichii...?" Her voice sounds uneasy.

Senpai, however, stays in perfect character. "Yes...Kizana."

W...W-Was that a mistake? That better be a mistake! He said her real name instead of her character name! She...She actually did brainwash him! How fucking dare she!

The light loosens up. The two students close the space between them.

The noise Kizana heard is now being heard throughout the entire audotorium. People look at each other in confusion, and ponder what exactly is going on. Senpai hears it too, and takes a step back.

"What was—"

KAABAAAM!

Silence. Utter silence.

...

...

...

Screaming. Lots of screaming. People...running, yes, lots of running.

Senpai stares at Kizana...or, what was left of her. The entire light collapsed and fell on her. The only things that were left of her was an arm that was sticking out from underneath the object, blood swiftly rushing out.

Some of the blood even made it on the crowd, and even Senpai himself. He, however, stands there. Staring. Shocked. Traumatized. Until he holds his head, falls to his knees, gazes at the mutilated body before him...

and screams.

Feedback is appreciated.