I stare down at him, my mouth hanging open. He's writhing around on the ground, but every time one of his hand gets close to the gunshot wound, it hovers above the puncture before drifting back to the ground. Yuichiro is whimpering too, and the sound almost causes me pain. It hurts me because I did this to him. He's going to die because of me.
No! Not just my fault. That whore, that fucking bitch! This is her fault too. Why did Yuichiro jump in the way of the gun? For her? I wonder if she got to him while I was asleep. I mean, they were still talking when I woke up, but she could have gotten him off with his pants still on…
No, what am I thinking? Yuichiro jumped in the way of the gun because he wanted to save her life. Sex didn't have anything to do with it. He honestly believes that there's some good hidden somewhere inside her. Well, maybe he's right. But if it's really there, then it's hiding pretty good. She tried to kill me. Twice.
If only Yuichiro had believed me. We could have blown her head off when we first ran into her. Then Yuichiro wouldn't have a bullet deep in his stomach, and she-
Wait a minute, where did she go?
My answer comes in the form of a curved blade slicing deep into my nose. The pressure makes me crinkle my face, like I can feel a sneeze coming on but it just won't leave. That's right. The whole reason I wanted to shoot her. I saw her looking at the sickle; I saw her making a plan to end us. I guess she couldn't have asked for a better distraction.
The blade is removed from my face, but the pressure remains, and I can feel lots of liquid running down my face. It feels like sweat, but it tastes like blood. Maybe it's a little of both. The blade returns, this time to the top of my skull. It forces me downward to the ground, and I can feel more blood running down my head.
It's not fair – I was supposed to win. I was given the bat, but Yuichiro gave me the gun. As long as it didn't hurt, he didn't care about dying. He said I could kill him right then and there on the beach, right after handing over the gun. But I couldn't do it. Yuichiro knew he couldn't win, and he knew that I could. He gave me the gun so I could win, because that's what friends do.
I don't think I would have ever shot him. On purpose, I mean. Does that mean that I couldn't have won either? If it came down to me and him, could I have shot him? I guess that doesn't really matter anymore. I'm about to die and Yuichiro's not far behind me. It's all her fault.
Mitsuko Souma. Hardcore Souma.
It's her name for a reason. I should have been more cautious, I should have stopped her while I had the chance. I should have waited until Yuichiro fell asleep and put a bullet right between her eyes. But I didn't. And now, I'm going to die.
I'm sorry, Yuichiro. The gun you gave me was completely useless in my hands. You should have kept it yourself, and you should have stayed far away from me. Maybe if we hadn't met, maybe you would have found it deep inside you to pull the trigger when it counted. Maybe you could have won.
Please, forgive me, Yuichiro. She was just too smart for me. She was too fast, too deadly.
I see the blade flash towards my face one last time, as the sight of Yuichiro's body fades to black.
I'm sorry.