Note: Once again, thanks to 8bitmatter and Rockythetigre for the reviews.
Rockythetigre, I'd like to address some of the points you made. First off, you started your review with "Thanks for answering the questions and sorry if I review this story too much." It's my pleasure to fill in the blanks for you; I'll always answer your questions. However, the latter half of that sentence startled me a bit. You really MUST be new to this website, my friend. You don't EVER have to apologize for reviewing this story. That's like apologizing just for reading it. You see, reviews are something all authors covet and look forward to. I'm friends with some of the other authors on this website, and a few of them would KILL for a review as long as the ones you've given me. However, in the future, I'd prefer it if your reviews were a little more on any thoughts or criticism you may have for the actual chapter and a little less on responding to these messages I leave you. Not that there's anything wrong with your response, but the main purpose of reviewing is to discuss the story's contents, not to converse with the author.
However, I'm very grateful that you think this story would make a decent sequel to the original Battle Royale if it ever became an anime. Those kind words mean a lot to me. Oh, and I don't see any need for concern about people getting nightmares or any such thing. After all, Battle Royale is not meant for the faint of heart! Anyone who can stand reading the book or watching the movie should be able to get through an anime based off the manga.
Also, using Kaminari's acid on the collars would be a VERY bad idea. I'll clarify why later within the chapter itself.
8bitmatter, don't worry; I understand your viewpoint. It's not your fault if you can't think of Blaine as anything less than a near-perfect student. The fault is my own for focusing so much on his talents and so little on his shortcomings. Just to reassure you, Blaine is not infallible. He'll end up making several serious mistakes in the future. And – as you may have noticed – he's already made quite a few, like when he did not shoot Genji in the back of the head at the hotel in Chapter 27 when he had the opportunity.
On that note, I'm glad to know that Genji is making your blood boil. That's the effect I was hoping he would have on people. It also won't be long before I bring out his entire backstory. When that happens, you'll see that he's not as indestructible as he appears to be. I'm not necessarily saying he'll be killed off, but I've got another dramatic plot twist prepared for it.
I'm also glad you had a positive impression on Yasuko and Mamoru. Their subplot was one of my favorites, even though I wrote it and finished it rather early in this story. You could call it literal poetic justice.
By the way, you're not the first person to express annoyance at how "so many girls" are attracted to Blaine. I want to get this out in the open: There are only FOUR girls in the class who are/were interested in Blaine. Two of them were Namiko and Rumi, and the only reason they were interested in him was because he was the first American male they ever met who was about the same age as them. They would have made the same approach towards any other such individual. Also, they didn't really "like" him; they just wanted him to fuck them. As for Tamayo… well, her interest in Blaine was something I came up with last moment. I never really intended for it to go anywhere. So you see, Kiyomi is the only girl in the class who actually likes Blaine in a romantic sense, and she's already with him. Aside from that, she's the only one of the four that's still alive.
Alright, onto the chapter!
Yuriye Sakaguchi (Girl #9) and Tomoe Yamakawa (Girl #21) were relieved to have located each other. However, they still had a lot to get done before they could celebrate their good fortune. Their friends Shizuye Chida, Chiaki Iwasaki, and Yuuga Suzuki were still out in the city. Neither of the girls would allow themselves a moment's rest until those three were found.
After their meet-up at the entrance to the parking garage, the two of them prudently decided to find shelter before they did anything else. So they gathered up their supplies and went into the car wash. They decided to make the place their hideout for the present. After all, it was small, it was secluded, and it was fortifiable. It made an ideal haven.
The girls set themselves up behind the clerk's desk. Once they were settled in, the two of them started discussing various topics. These topics included what they had already been through, what they could be up against, and what they felt needed to be done.
"There's not really much for me to say," Yuriye remarked, "I was staying in the western apartment complex from dawn 'til dusk. The map kept me busy in those twelve long hours. I took most of that time to familiarize myself with the layout of the city and to work out an outline for locating you and the others. Basically, my plan was to methodically search each major foundation until I found you all."
"I admire how much detail and effort you're putting into this plan," commented Tomoe, "However, I think it's a little too time-consuming. If your intent is to only go searching at night, you wouldn't get much done before sunrise. Aside from that, even if the sun stayed down all day tomorrow, you wouldn't have nearly enough time to cover the entire grid. Believe me, this city is much larger than the map makes it out to be."
"How would you know?" queried Yuriye.
"Because I've been all over it," Tomoe informed her, "As soon as I left the school, I started exercising my legs. Rather than spending my time to form a search plan, I decided to go ahead and start searching the city straight away. I certainly covered plenty of ground in that time. I managed to traverse through a significant percentage of the city. I mean, I must have run dozens of miles in the first few hours alone."
"Wow, Tomoe," Yuriye stated in admiration, "You don't seem the least bit tired. How many times did you break to catch a breather?"
"I only stopped once for about forty minutes at four o'clock," Tomoe recalled, "That was mostly to have some bread and water. Other than that, I haven't had anything to eat or drink all day."
"That's impressive, but it's not very good for your health," Yuriye advised her. She turned to her supply pack, opened it up, and pulled out a bottle of water. She held it out to Tomoe and stated "Here, I want you to take this. Drink it all down."
"Yuriye, I have my own supply of water," the track star reminded the petite girl, "There's no need for you to give me some of your share."
"Sure there is," Yuriye argued, "Dehydration can take its toll on anyone after eighteen hours of marathon running, even with breaks. If you want to keep dashing around the city like you've been doing, you'll need plenty of liquids in your system. Besides, my metabolism is slower than yours. I don't need as much water."
Tomoe hesitantly reached out for the water bottle, but stopped just as her hand touched its neck. She looked up at Yuriye and asked her "You're sure about this?"
Yuriye simply scoffed and responded with "Of course I am. Just relax and take it, Tomoe. It's not like it's poisoned or anything."
Yuriye had meant this last statement as a joke. But as soon as she said it, Tomoe appeared to be taken aback. Yuriye quickly realized that her friend may have misinterpreted what she had just told her. She looked down and muttered bleakly "Then again, if you think it is, I can't really blame you for having that suspicion."
"No, no, I'd never suspect you, Yuriye," Tomoe reassured her friend, taking the water bottle willingly, "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I was mostly just surprised that you're still able to make jokes about death."
"It's just one of the things I'm doing to cope with the scenario," Yuriye elucidated, "I'm trying to make it seem less tense than it has to be. Besides, you're usually the jolliest of the group. I figured you wouldn't mind."
"When you put it that way, I suppose I don't," said Tomoe. She unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and took a long drink. Then it was about a third empty, she lowered the bottle and swallowed. Then she turned to her friend and told her "Thanks. I didn't realize how thirsty I was."
"You earned it," Yuriye declared to her. She turned back to her supply pack and got out her map and flashlight. Then she turned to Tomoe and asked her "So, which sections of the city have you been through today?"
"I'll tell you in a moment," stated Tomoe. She set the water bottle down, picked up her own supply pack, and got out her own flashlight and map. Then she explained while pointing out certain areas of the city "I spent a good part of the morning along the northern border of the city, mainly the area east of the school. After the morning announcements, I covered the regions west of the school. I searched most of the area along the western border between the noon and evening announcements. Once that was over, I decided to investigate the center of the city next. I was on my way to City Hall when I passed by this place. I probably would have walked right by it had I not seen the beam of your flashlight emanating from the entrance of that garage."
"Good thing you spotted me when you did," Yuriye commented, "I was going to head south once I was done searching this place. That would have been in almost the opposite direction as you."
"I guess we just got lucky," Tomoe hypothesized, "You're the first person I've encountered today that I'm willing to trust."
"What do you mean?" asked Yuriye, "How many other members of the class have you come across?"
"Officially, none," Tomoe replied, "However, I was in close proximity to three different incidents today. This morning, when I was along the northeastern corner of the city, a car drove by me. The headlights were off and it was driving at less than twenty miles per hour. I didn't even notice it until it was less than ten meters away from me."
"Who was in it?" said Yuriye in interest.
"I didn't have time to make out any faces," Tomoe recalled, "Aside from that, nobody in our class has an official license to drive yet. Most don't even have their permits. I have no idea who it could have been."
"That doesn't sound anything to worry about," Yuriye assured her, "Sure, some people may have a faster means of transportation. We could just avoid them if we want to be cautious."
"That's certainly true," remarked Tomoe, "However, there are two other things you should know about. This morning, I heard some heavy gunshots near the northwestern corner of the city. They sounded far away, but that implied that they may have been long-range rounds. This afternoon, when I was near the western border, I actually heard an explosion."
"An explosion?" Yuriye repeated, a little stunned "Are you sure?"
"Yes, very," Tomoe confirmed. She had another swig of water and went on "I think it originated from the gas station. It must have been a big one, because I could actually see smoke and a bright light in the distance."
"Wow, that is not a good sign," commented Yuriye, "Not at all. How'd you handle yourself?"
"I did what I do best; I bolted," Tomoe answered bluntly. She added in while gesturing to her rifle, "I didn't even have this out at the time. You see, it came in the form of a kit. I put it together when I stopped up to have my late lunch."
"So you were unarmed for the whole morning and most of the afternoon?" said Yuriye in amazement, holding up her hacksaw, "That's incredible. I've barely taken this thing out of my sight since I left the school. Don't feel very safe without it."
"Until we're out of this place, we shouldn't feel safe at all," Tomoe countered, "That brings me to another topic that's been on my mind."
"What might that be?" queried Yuriye.
"I'm willing to bet the others are just as concerned about us as we are about them," Tomoe rationalized "If that's the case, they're probably spending their time looking for us, as well. That goes for all of them: Yuuga, Chiaki, and even Shizuye."
"That's certainly a reasonable assumption," Yuriye concurred, "Tomoe, what exactly are you getting at here?"
"It's simple, Yuriye," Tomoe continued, pausing to take another drink before continuing with "Our friends are most likely out searching for us. If so, we all focusing on the same objective. An objective which intrinsically focuses only on the present. With this in mind, that bids the question: who's thinking about what we do after we find each other?"
Yuriye did not answer immediately. She took a moment to think about this point. Then she said "That certainly is a notable concern. Do you believe any of them could be thinking that far ahead?"
"They may be," Tomoe admitted, "But if they're not, then we have a problem. I don't want to stay around in the city any longer than we have to. As soon as we group together with the others, we need to get them and ourselves out of here."
"How do you propose we do that?" queried Yuriye, "The borders of the city are surrounded by fences."
"I know; I've seen them," Tomoe notified her, having another drink of water, "They're at least twenty feet tall, and they're made of electrolyzed barbed wire. What we really have to worry about is the guards. They're only stationed every few hundred feet, but they don't let anything on the ground or air evade their notice. So walking right out isn't an option."
"So we can't go through the fences or over them," Yuriye concluded. She rubbed her chin and tried to think up another alternative. Then she thought aloud "Guess that means we'll have to find a way under them."
"Under it?" stated Tomoe.
"Yeah, maybe there's a tunnel or passage that runs beneath the city," Yuriye theorized, "Only problem is that I have no idea where to even begin to search."
There were a few more minutes of silence. Then Tomoe's eyes lit up, her facial expression brightened, and she said loudly and in elation, "Yuriye, that's it!"
Yuriye hastily shushed her friend. Tomoe grinned and said "Sorry, I just got a little excited."
"About what?" Yuriye inquired.
"Yuriye, when you turn on a sink or a shower, where does the water drain?" Tomoe began easily.
"The sewers," Yuriye answered directly.
"Bingo," Tomoe retorted, "We could use the sewers. They form a type of underground labyrinth that runs all over the city. If we could find a way into them, we could go anywhere in the city we wanted to. We may even find a passage leading out of the city."
"You're putting a lot of that on faith, Tomoe," Yuriye uneasily pointed out.
"I know I am," Tomoe admitted, "But as of right now, that's the best hope of escape we've got."
"If that's the case, I trust your judgment," Yuriye told her, "But I'd feel a little safer if we checked them out first."
"Alright, that's fair enough," Tomoe accepted, "But let's wait until after the midnight announcements to investigate. We may be down there a long time, and I'm pretty certain the army didn't go to the trouble of installing loudspeakers in the sewers. I don't want to miss anything important."
"Understandable," Yuriye concurred, "What should we do until then?"
"What we were doing before this," Tomoe answered. She took one last drink from the water bottle, emptying it. Then she put the empty bottle in her supply pack, closed it up, and got back to her feet. She held her hand out to Yuriye and finished with "We keep looking for the others."
Yuriye shrugged, zipped up her supply pack, took her friend's hand, and allowed her to pull her to her feet. Then she proposed "I was thinking about searching the area north of here next."
"I've already been there," Tomoe enlightened her, "There's nothing of interest up there except for a restaurant, which was where I stopped to break."
"What about further up that way?" asked Yuriye.
"The gas station," Tomoe answered, "On a side note, I think that's also where that explosion originated from."
"I may have heard the explosion, too," Yuriye recounted, "But it was extremely faint; I was in the southwestern corner of the city in the western apartment complex when it happened. The explosion sounded as though it came from that general area."
"Even though it's been hours since that happened, I think we should stay away from the gas station," Tomoe recommended, "Other people could have been drawn to it after the explosion. That includes people who are playing this game. The last thing we need is a deadly encounter."
"I agree," Yuriye told her, "We'll mark the gas station as an unacceptable risk."
Tomoe found this to be a sensible arrangement. The two girls examined their maps and decided they would head to the east next. There were several other large buildings and foundations in that direction, one of which was the supermarket.
Unbeknownst to Tomoe and Yuriye, the gas station was exactly where they wanted to be at this time.
…
"I think you're right," Yuuga Suzuki said to Gakuto Yamashita as they examined Teru Machida's body, "He has definitely been strangled. But what makes you so certain it was a whip?"
"Look at the red marks around his neck," Gakuto pointed out, "They're rough and uneven. Had he been strangled by anything else – such as a rope, a wire, or even a pearl necklace – the marks would have left behind a much smoother pattern. Only a whip could dig into a person's skin this deeply and erratically."
"Then where's the whip?" inquired Toshirou Oosaki, looking all over the area.
"It's got to be around here somewhere," stated Chiaki Iwasaki, "It must be."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Gakuto asked her suspiciously.
"I'm… I'm not," Chiaki claimed casually, "It's just a hunch. A really strong hunch."
"In that case, I'll see if I can find it," Toshirou thought aloud, shining his flashlight around the area, "If it is here, then we can confirm how Teru died."
"We might also get some idea of who killed him," Yuuga theorized, standing up straight. He turned to his classmates and inquired "Do you want any help, Toshirou?"
"No, I think I've got it," Toshirou responded, "After all, this area isn't too large. If there's anything out of place here, I'll find it."
"You do that," Gakuto remarked flatly as he turned back to the gas station, "In the meantime, I'm going to take another look at this scene. I'll see if I can determine what exactly happened here."
"You mind if I help?" offered Yuuga.
"Be my guest," was all Gakuto said, "Maybe you'll notice something I won't. Or can't."
Yuuga shrugged and remarked "Perhaps I will."
The two of them went to work looking over the gas station, the car, and the alley across the street. At the same time, Toshirou searched the surrounding area. He kept his eyes open for a whip, but he was mostly looking for any sign of a long, thin, wavy object.
Chiaki was left standing on her own with nothing specific to do. She decided to just stand watch while her male classmates busied themselves.
"What happened here?" Yuuga asked as he and Gakuto examined the car.
"We've concluded that someone must have set the car on fire," Gakuto elucidated, "Our group was actually using this vehicle for gathering materials and reconnaissance. Toshirou and I were driving it all over the city this morning."
"We also came across Teru this morning while we were on our run," Toshirou added in, "That's how we learned all about his plans concerning the school."
"What was it like when you first heard it from him?" inquired Yuuga.
"At first we weren't quite sure what to make of that idea," Gakuto recalled, "However, as he went further into detail, we gradually became more convinced that his plan had a rational opportunity of success. I mean, he definitely seemed certain of himself that it would he had a decent chance working out."
"You could almost say it was too good to be true," stated Toshirou.
"As of right now, it was," Yuuga pointed out, "I mean, Teru's dead and his disruption code was taken."
"Unfortunately, that's true," Toshirou concurred, "But I'm curious; how did you guys know his code was gone before you even got here?"
"That's an excellent question," stated Gakuto, "In fact, on that subject, how did you know about the code in the first place and how did you know to come here to find Teru's body?"
"We'll tell you that in a moment," Yuuga assured them, "Right now, I just want to investigate this area and make certain we're not overlooking anything. After that, we'll tell you everything. Right, Chiaki?"
"Yeah, of course," the bold girl answered. She was totally sincere when she said this. She remembered when she first saw Gakuto and Toshirou that morning. It was right after they had left the supermarket and right before she had met Kotoyo. While they had intended to make chemical weapons, she felt confident that they would make a good couple of allies. If she was going to work with them, she would have to share everything she knew. Or almost everything, at the least.
"Does your group have a specific base?" asked Yuuga.
"Up until a few hours ago, yes," Gakuto answered, "We were using the bar in D-7. Our entire group was staking out there. Once we found out the area was going to become a danger zone, we gathered up our goods and moved out."
"Where are Osamu and Reika?" queried Chiaki.
"Unless they're already there, they're on their way to the mall at the northern border of the city," Toshirou remarked, "After we left the bar, we thought of using the mall as part of an escape plan for after we disable the school. We decided to split up into pairs in order to get more done in less time. That's why we're here and they're not."
"Do you think they're alright?" stated Yuuga as he and Gakuto examined the interior of the car a second time.
"While I feel we can't take anything for granted anymore, I have faith in Osamu and Reika and their ability to survive," Toshirou told him, "Once we're finished here or once we've recovered that code, we'll rendezvous with them at the carpentry shop."
"Why the carpentry shop?" asked Chiaki.
"Because that's where we left all our chemicals and other supplies," Gakuto told her.
"Sounds like a fine little plan," Yuuga commented. At this point, he and Gakuto had finished studying the car and they began walking across the street to the alley. As they walked, Yuuga shined his flashlight on the two figures sprawled across the ground.
"Am I to assume that these other bodies are Kazumitsu and Kaminari?" he enquired.
"You are correct," Toshirou answered dismally, "When Gakuto and I got back to the bar, the car was dangerously low on gasoline. Osamu wanted it the tank to be full in case we needed to make a quick getaway. So Kazumitsu and Kaminari volunteered to go on a gas run. It should have been an easy errand for the two of them to run. They never came back."
"We never heard anything about them again until the evening announcements," Gakuto added in.
Yuuga kneeled down next to Kaminari and looked her charred remains over. "Yeah, she was definitely burned to death. Take a look at her facial expressions. She must have been totally aware when it happened."
"That's just downright harsh," Gakuto stated in disgust, "I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy. Not even Seiji."
"Who?" asked Chiaki.
"A member of the Yakuza that our group does business with on occasion," Toshirou clarified, "He's a complete idiot. If ever there was a totally brain-dead human being, it would be him. He gives the Yakuza a bad name. And that's saying something."
"So you guys actually do business with the gangsters?" queried Yuuga.
"Yeah, what of it?" Gakuto casually remarked, "You don't have a problem with that, do you, Yuuga?"
Yuuga hesitated to respond. But ultimately, he simply shrugged and responded "I suppose not. At the moment, we have much bigger things to worry about. What you guys do in your spare time is the least of my worries. If anything, maybe your experience with them could be an advantage to all of us."
"How so?" asked Toshirou.
"You're familiar with this type of danger," Yuuga remarked, "You're experienced in developing weapons, you can handle high-level equipment, and I'll bet you've made a few gambles with your own lives beforehand."
"You make some good points," Gakuto agreed, "But in the end, those qualities didn't do much good for Kazumitsu and Kaminari."
"But you guys are still alive, aren't you?" argued Chiaki.
There were a few moments of silence before Toshirou replied with "Well… you got us there."
Gakuto and Yuuga took a look across the street next. They noted that pieces of a mostly-transparent substance were littered at the ground between the entrance to the alley and Kazumitsu's body. Yuuga picked a few of them up and looked them over.
"Is that… glass?" he commented.
"I think it is," Gakuto confirmed. He picked up another shard and sniffed it. He stated "They smell like petroleum, gasoline, and motor oil. I found a few bottles full of those chemicals in that car."
"What do you suppose that means?" queried Yuuga.
"Looks like they were making some Molotov cocktails," Gakuto speculated, "Clever thinking. I was actually going to suggest that back at the bar. It's the first use I had in mind for all those empty liquor bottles."
"The bar had a stash of empty bottles?" stated Yuuga.
"They weren't empty when we first got there," Toshirou enlightened him, "We picked out a significant percentage of the bar's inventory to help us make nitroglycerin. With the exception of a small bottle of vodka, we used all of them for that use alone. But we kept the bottles in reserve."
"Shame most of them went to waste anyway," Gakuto commented, "Then again, a lot of our materials went to waste. I suppose we were lucky enough that we got out all the chemicals and equipment we needed to make more nitroglycerin."
"About how much have you two made?" queried Chiaki.
"Around a quart," Toshirou estimated, "We're hoping to make more before too much time passes."
"If we can find time for that, we will," Gakuto assured him, "But for the present, we've got more pressing matters to attend to."
Once they were done examining the alley, they turned to Kazumitsu's body. Yuuga began to search him, but Gakuto stopped him and stated "Don't trouble yourself. I already frisked him before you and Chiaki got here. All I found on him was this."
At that, he held up a folded piece of paper. Then he said "I haven't looked at it yet. I'm not even certain it's that important. But Kazumitsu rarely – if ever – carried single sheet papers on hand. He always kept them in a folder or binder. He was really serious about having that much organization. With that in mind, I found it particularly odd that this paper was in his jacket."
"You going to look at it now?" asked Yuuga.
"No, not right now," answered Gakuto as he tucked the paper into his supply pack, "I'll worry about that later."
The next three minutes were spent mostly in silence. The quiet atmosphere was broken when Toshirou announced "Ah-ha! Found it!"
The other three turned in his direction and saw that he was holding a long, thin, wavy object in his left hand. It was the whip.
Gakuto just smirked and stated "I knew you could find it. Where was it?"
"Right behind Teru's body, if you can believe it," Toshirou stated cheekily. A moment later, his expression became a little more stern and he said "Of course, you do realize what this means."
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten what Kotoyo told us," Gakuto responded, "Now we know what became of her whip."
There were a few more moments of silence. Then Gakuto turned to Chiaki and Yuuga and stated "Oh, I suppose that deserves a little explanation. You see, right after we encountered Teru, we ran into Kotoyo at the supermarket. We were picking up soap there to help us create the glycerin we needed. We had a little exchange of information with her."
"She certainly seemed content when you guys left her," Chiaki interjected.
Toshirou and Gakuto were surprised to hear her say this. The latter asked him "What do you mean by that, Chiaki?"
"I saw you guys leave the supermarket this morning," she replied straightforwardly, "Shortly after I left, I met up with Kotoyo. She and I formed a partnership. A few hours after the evening announcement, we joined up with Yuuga."
"Yeah, that was an adventure," Yuuga cockily stated, "I only wish you two had been a little more subtle. It would have saved us about eight minutes of prowling through the streets."
"Wait a minute, you guys were working with Kotoyo?" Toshirou stated eagerly.
"Yeah, I spent the better part of the day with her," Chiaki said with a modicum of discomfort, "How else do think we came to learn about Teru's plans? She told us everything you told her."
"Good to know the news of resistance is spreading through the class," Gakuto remarked, "So, where is Kotoyo? Is she still with you?"
Yuuga and Chiaki looked at each other in unpleasant silence. Then Yuuga turned to the others and told them "I'm afraid she's dead."
Gakuto and Toshirou were shocked. Kotoyo had been in very good spirits when they had last seen her. With the exception of Teru, she had been the only person outside of their group that they were willing to trust. Now she was gone, too.
Toshirou tightened his facial expression and demanded "Who did it?"
"The same bastard that did this," Yuuga replied, "I assume Kotoyo told you about how Hitoshi saved her life this morning?"
"Yeah, but he wasn't so lucky," Gakuto recalled, "Since he had switched out his revolver for Kotoyo's whip, that same asshole that killed him must have been the one who did this."
"It was the same asshole," Yuuga confirmed, "We ran into that guy at the hotel. He was carrying Teru's harpoon rifle. We also found out he stole Teru's disruption code. He actually boasted about it and showed us the flash drive."
"I was standing guard in the front room while Yuuga and Kotoyo were searching the offices," Chiaki took over explaining, "Somehow, that guy managed to slip in without me noticing. We fought, and he managed to disarm me. Fortunately, Kotoyo and Yuuga showed up before he had a chance to finish me off. But we were left in a very compromising scenario."
"How'd you get out of that mess?" asked Toshirou.
"You can thank Kiyomi, Tatsuo, and Blaine for that," Yuuga told him, "I had been staying with them at City Hall before I ran into Chiaki and Kotoyo. They knew I was heading for the hotel, so when I didn't get back in time, they went looking for me. They managed to chase away that hooded bastard before Chiaki and I were hurt. But he killed Kotoyo."
"What do you mean by 'hooded bastard?'" inquired Toshirou.
"The guy was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood drawn over his head," Yuuga specified, "We never got a good look at his face, and he managed to disguise his voice very well. All I could tell about him was that he was male. Other than that, I have no idea who he was."
Toshirou and Gakuto turned to each other again. They were both equally confused by Yuuga's lack of awareness as to the identity of the hooded figure.
"Should I tell him, or do you want to?" queried Toshirou.
"I'll do it," Gakuto decided.
"Tell me what?" Yuuga said in perplexity.
At this time, Yuuga was standing a few feet in front of Gakuto. The chemist placed his hand on the emphatic boy's shoulder and stated "Yuuga, you do realize that that 'hooded figure' was Genji, right?"
Yuuga's face went absolutely pale; so pale that the others could clearly make him out in the dark without using their flashlights. He uttered quietly "How… how do you know this?"
Toshirou stated straightforwardly "Kotoyo told us this morning. It was one of the first things we learned from her. She told us it in very fine detail, I might add. She never said anything about him wearing a hooded sweatshirt."
Yuuga was stunned. "That's odd. She never told me or Chiaki it was him. Right, Chiaki?"
Yuuga waited for a response. When none came, he turned to Chiaki and repeated "Is that right, Chiaki?"
Despite the darkness, Yuuga could make out Chiaki's face. Her eyes were focused on the ground, her nose was wrinkled, and her lips were parted at the center of her mouth. He could read that sort of face anywhere. It was the face of guilt.
Yuuga took a couple steps towards Chiaki and asked her tensely "Chiaki… is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Chiaki started to shake her head, but after a moment, she nodded instead.
Yuuga said heatedly "You knew that son of a bitch was Genji?"
"Yes," she uttered softly. At this time, she could not even stand to look Yuuga in the eyes.
"You knew but you didn't tell me?" he shouted furiously.
"Would it have made any difference at the time?" she disputed.
"Maybe not, but I would have liked to know who was after us!" Yuuga snapped back.
"You were going to find out… eventually," she insisted.
"Would that have been before or after he killed more of us?" Yuuga yelled at her, "Just how long were you going to keep this a secret from me?"
Right then, Gakuto took Yuuga by his arms and told him, "Yuuga, calm the hell down!"
Yuuga turned his head towards his classmate and stared him in the eyes. Then he scoffed and remarked "'Calm down?' I've got extensive lessons and experience in emotional self-control and you're telling me to calm down? Don't you tell me to calm down, Gakuto."
"I can't really blame him for reacting this way," Toshirou commented, "After all, I'd certainly want to know who among our classmates is playing this game for real."
"I'm certain Chiaki had a good reason for keeping this a secret," Gakuto theorized.
"Maybe she did," Toshirou reasoned. Then he turned to their female classmate and added in "If that's the case, I'd like to know what."
Chiaki hesitated for a moment. Then she sighed and stated "I stayed silent… because of you two."
Gakuto and Toshirou appeared to be quite surprised by this answer. The latter of them said "'Us?'"
"Well, indirectly, yes," she clarified, "You see, I joined up with Kotoyo almost immediately after you left her. I told her everything I already knew – which wasn't much – and vice versa. That included Genji's position in this game. She agreed to help me in my efforts to find Yuuga and the members of my clique. I suggested sharing everything she told me with them once we found them. She agreed to share everything except Genji's betrayal."
"Why's that?" asked Toshirou.
"Her reasoning was that when she told you about him, the two of you seemed very distraught or uncomfortable," Chiaki told them, "She was concerned that knowing about what Genji did had seriously affected your personal wellbeing. However, neither of you spent that much time socializing with him back home. But if you two took the news that badly, the rest of the class might take it even worse. She didn't want to cause any more serious worry than she had to. So she asked me to keep quiet."
"That I can actually understand and sympathize with," Gakuto remarked.
"Perhaps, but you still shouldn't conceal such information from your allies," Toshirou countered.
"Well, in that case, how did the members of your group take the news?" queried Chiaki.
Toshirou and Gakuto paused for a few moment to think about this response. Finally, Gakuto told her "I honestly can't remember how they reacted."
"Umm, actually…" Toshirou tentatively began, "I don't think we ever got around to telling them about Genji. For that matter, we didn't even mention anything about Kotoyo. We only told them about our encounter with Teru."
"Aha, you see!" Chiaki smirked in satisfaction, "You can't criticize me for keeping information a secret while you're also holding that information to yourself. That's hypocrisy."
"She's got a point," Gakuto concurred.
"I guess she does," Toshirou stated, "But before we go on, I'd like to know something. Is there anything else anybody knows about that we should all know? I don't mean just Chiaki; I'm referring to all of us. Are there any more secrets among us?"
Over the next minute, he looked around the area from Gakuto, to Chiaki, to Yuuga, and back to Gakuto. He waited for them to say something. Finally, he said "No? That's good."
"In that case, maybe we can stop throwing accusations at each other and start cooperating," Gakuto suggested. He turned to Chiaki and Yuuga and stated "Consider the present circumstances. We all have the same objective, the same motivation, and the same enemy. I think we'd all seek to benefit by forming a type of coalition with each other. You guys interested?"
"Absolutely interested," Chiaki replied brightly, "If it weren't for you guys, we would never have even known about Teru's plan. Also, Kotoyo convinced me that you guys have everyone's best interests in mind. So you can count me in."
"Good to know," commented Toshirou. He turned to the empathic boy and asked him "What about you, Yuuga? You want in?"
Yuuga's face had returned to its usual emotionless appearance. Inwardly, he still felt a little conflicted about the scenario. However, his options were still as limited as they had been all day. He simply gazed back and forth between his three classmates and stood deeply thinking about the scenario for a while. Then he let out a deep sigh, nodded, and stated "Seeing as how we've already been working together for the past half-hour, I feel you guys can be trusted. In addition to this, if we all work together, it'll be much easier to find Genji, kill him, and recover Teru's disruption code. You've made another ally."
"This is excellent," remarked Gakuto. He then took a moment to look around the area and he thought aloud "There's still plenty of work to go around. Let's get back to it!"
…
"Goddamn it, this hurts," Michio Ueno (Boy #4) muttered angrily, trying to put weight on his left leg.
Michio was not having a good day. Then again, no one in Class 3-A was. However, nobody else in Class 3-A had a broken limb to contend with.
It had been almost ten hours since Michio's duel with Jakobe Tanaka. Although he emerged as the victor, he was still quite angered by what his win had cost him.
Immediately after he killed Jakobe, Michio headed off to the east. Initially, he had no specific destination in mind. All he was concerned about was finding a way to ease the splitting pain in his knee. He moved at a very slow pace, as his injury had reduced him to a third his normal speed.
Every time he set his left foot on the ground, he could feel an uncomfortable pang of agony. This agony was not restricted to his kneecap; he could feel it throughout his entire leg. The pain only got worse overtime.
Michio managed to traverse about two miles before he became desperate to find shelter and treat his knee. So he straightened out his glasses, took out his map, and looked it over for medical facilities. He quickly determined he was near the eastern border of G-7. He became extremely annoyed when he discovered that the hospital was in F-5. He would have had to turn around and go back the way he came in order to get there. He was not willing to accept that option. If he did, the last couple hours would simply have gone to waste. Aside from that, he had no desire to revisit the mess he had made.
He had been slightly less than two miles away from the eastern apartment complex at the time, but he was not willing to consider it as an option. Mostly because he was not certain he would find anything useful there.
Fortunately for him, he managed to pinpoint a pharmacy in J-7. However, it took him quite a while to get there. Even though the pharmacy was directly south of him, he did not have a clear, straight path that way. He had to walk around H-7, as it had been the first square of the map to become a danger zone that day. He was forced to travel through the zones east of that vicinity to reach the pharmacy.
On his way there, Michio started to develop an uneasy feeling. He got a strange idea that he was being followed. Eventually, after over an hour of glancing over his shoulder, he dismissed that notion as nothing more than simple, needless worry.
He finally arrived at the pharmacy about an hour after the evening announcements. Only then was Michio wholeheartedly glad he had avoided going to the hospital. As it turned out, F-5 had also become a danger zone by that time.
Immediately after he arrived at the pharmacy, Michio went to work getting some aid for his knee. However, he had barely any idea what to do or how to begin. He simply started by gathering up anything he thought would be useful. First, he found a bottle of painkillers. He managed to swallow a small handful of them with the help of some of his bottled water. They eased his discomfort marginally, but not nearly enough to his liking.
After the painkillers set in, Michio sat down on a bench near the back of the shop and examined his injury a little closer. Externally, the worst he had was a scab on the spot Jakobe had struck him. Internally, his kneecap and the entire joint below it had been shattered. None of the skin had been penetrated or badly damaged, which meant that Michio was not in danger of getting an infection. However, he could not bend his leg at all. Every time he tried to, he felt a piercing jolt of pain.
There was nothing he could do to repair the bones on his own. However, he knew a way to prevent his wound from getting any worse.
In the back room, Michio found some medical tape and two long wooden sticks. Once he had them, he returned to the bench. He measured the lengths of the sticks in relation to the length of his leg, and found that the sticks were about two feet longer. In order for his idea to work, they would all have to be the same length as his leg.
To remedy this problem, he drew his sword out of its sheath. Then he laid the sticks out on the bench and allowed the additional two feet hang off. After that, he used his sword to carefully saw off the extra two feet.
Once he did this, he straightened his leg out in front of him. He lined the two sticks up on either side of his leg and held them there with his left hand. Then he used his right hand to draw out a length of the medical tape. Once he had a long strip out, he began wrapping it around his upper leg and the closer ends of the sticks. He wrapped it many times over, making sure to pull it tightly into place each time. Then he got another long strip out and wrapped it just as tightly and just as many times around his lower leg and the further ends of the sticks.
This was the first time he had ever put a splint on one of his own limbs. However, it was not the first time he had put a splint on anyone altogether.
Two years earlier, Michio had been invited by a friend of his named Bokuzen Oguni to go on a week-long trip camping in the mountains of a town adjacent to Fujisawa. In addition to Michio, Bokuzen had invited three of his other friends to join him. Michio did not know them as well as Bokuzen did, but he was always looking to make new friends. So he accepted Bokuzen's invitation.
None of the boys' parents had accompanied them. The only adult that went with them was a mountain ranger who also functioned as their escort and guide.
The first few days of the trip went fairly well. At first, most of the group just paid attention to all the bothersome things in the environment, such as the insects, poisonous plants, and humid weather. The only two who did not complain about anything were the mountain ranger and Michio. The mountain ranger was amused by how none of the boys were used to "roughing it," so to speak. While he taught the boys a few tricks and techniques to camping in the wilderness, Michio came up with numerous ways of keeping his friends entertained and in good moods.
This was fairly easy for him to accomplish. Within a half-hour of telling some amusing anecdotes, all of Michio's friends were grinning again. This was to be expected; anyone who knew Michio very well also knew that it was difficult to remain in bad humor while in his company. He always made his friends feel appreciated and special. In fact, Michio may have been the main reason the group decided to keep the trip going after the first night. Bokuzen was grateful for that.
The first five days had gone very smoothly. The boys and the ranger had a fine time hiking, sightseeing, swimming, and generally exploring the mountains. While most of the activities were quite rigorous, they were also quite enjoyable.
It was not until the sixth day that something went horribly wrong.
On that day, the boys and the ranger went rock-climbing to reach the peak of the mountain. The ranger said that this was normally an all-day event, so they were out from the late morning until the early evening. They managed to reach the top of the mountain a couple hours before sunset. They stayed up there a while to admire the view and to have some fun with the echoes.
When dusk came along, they headed back to their campsite. However, about half-way up the mountain, they had to scale down an entirely vertical fifty-foot wall of rock. From the base, that wall was the only way up to the top of the mountain. But from where the boys and the ranger were, the wall was the only way down to the bottom of it. They used a chain to scale down it one at a time, and they also had to make do without safety harnesses.
The ranger went first to ensure that the chain was sturdy and secure. Once he was down, the boys followed him one at a time. The first three got down without a hitch. When Michio's turn came, he took his time climbing down, as he and heights did not get along well. Plus, he did not want to risk dropping his glasses as he descended.
He took so long that Bokuzen – who happened to be the last person left – became impatient and tried to get Michio to hurry up. Eventually, Michio did reach the bottom of the wall. Bokuzen then proceeded to climb down the wall. However, he may have been a little too eager to reach the bottom, as he rushed down the chain. When he was about twenty feet above the ground, he slipped and fell. He landed on the ground before his friends even had a chance to catch him. The moment he hit the ground, they could all hear the sound of a bone break.
Next thing they knew, Bokuzen was shouting in anguish. His leg was bent at an abnormal angle, and his femur was sticking out of his skin. The others immediately went to his aid.
Bokuzen's friends managed to get him to hold still long enough for the mountain ranger to examine the injury. The prognosis was not promising. Bokuzen's leg needed to be treated and soon. But it would have been impossible to carry him down the mountain by themselves; there were too many obstacles that could only be passed when on foot or in the daylight.
The only solution was to have Bokuzen lifted off the mountain. The mountain ranger quickly came up with a plan for this. He told the other boys that he would need their assistance in order for it to work. They all agreed to give him their full cooperation.
He explained to the boys that his fellow rangers kept a helicopter at their station. It was specifically intended for emergency situations, just like the one they were in. However, the ranger station was near the base of the mountain. He told the boys that some of them needed to make their way down to the station. There had to be three of them for this; one to mark the trail, one to alert the other rangers, and one to accompany them on the way back up.
While they did this, the mountain ranger said that he needed to start a fire in order to properly signal down his colleagues to their location. But in order to do that, he had to climb to higher ground; there were too many tall trees at the base of the stone wall.
This meant one of the boys would have to stay behind with Bokuzen. Michio volunteered for this task, as he felt partially responsible.
After everyone else left to accomplish their tasks, Michio turned his attention to the hurt Bokuzen.
"I'm really sorry this happened to you, Bokuzen" he told his friend as he helped him sit up against a rock.
"Don't be, Michio" Bokuzen assured him, "It's my own fault I was in such a hurry to get down from there."
After helping Bokuzen get comfortable, Michio took a close look at his leg. He had asked him "How's it feel?"
"It only hurts if I move it," Bokuzen had answered, "In other words, it's useless."
"In that case, we've got to make certain you don't move it at all," Michio realized. He picked up his flashlight and instructed his friend "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Michio left Bokuzen on his own for a couple minutes. He came back with a pair of long branches that had fallen from a tree. He made certain the branches had no thorns, leaves, twigs, or anything else on them that would get in the way. Then he straightened out Bokuzen's broken leg and used some cloth to tie the branches to it.
When he was done, Bokuzen smirked and said "Thanks. I think that's actually doing me some good."
"Just take it easy and don't make any sudden movements," Michio advised him.
"Can do," Bokuzen agreed.
The two boys were on their own for over two hours. They decided to turn their flashlights off in order to conserve the batteries. With the exception of the city lights in the distance, they were left completely in the dark.
Bokuzen was very depressed about his leg. Even though Michio had been able to bandage it, the bone was still sticking out. Just looking at it made him feel sick. Aside from that, he could not stop thinking about was how much trouble his leg would bring him when he got home. He would have to stay in the hospital for a few days for surgery and recovery. After that, he'd need a wheelchair, then crutches… it would be months before he would be able to walk straight again.
Fortunately, he had Michio with him. Michio had been able to keep Bokuzen in good spirits while they waited for their friends to get back. He eased the situation by telling amusing stories, swapping old and new jokes, and recalling their most memorable events together. After a while, Bokuzen felt as though all his worries and sorrows had faded away.
Eventually, the others managed to bring the helicopter to their position and the paramedics quickly got Bokuzen loaded onto it. Before taking off, the pilot informed Bokuzen that there was still room for another person, in case he wanted one his friends to come with him to the hospital. Bokuzen accepted this offer and chose Michio to go with him.
The other boys returned to the campsite with the mountain ranger and stayed there overnight. The following morning, they packed up and left. After checking out at the ranger station, the three of them went to the hospital to visit their friends. When they got there, they found Bokuzen in a room with his leg in a cast. As they expected, Michio was right at his side. The two of them were laughing, as if nothing bad had happened.
"Too bad you can't stay here the whole time I recover, Michio," Bokuzen told his friend before he left, "You've got a better bedside manner than this hospital's entire staff combined."
Michio scoffed and remarked "I do what I can. The day I turn on a friend is the day I forfeit my life."
At the time, he had made this statement merely to emphasize a point. He did not realize just how true it could be under just the right circumstances.
When Bokuzen broke his leg, Michio had been the one who primarily helped him get through the ordeal. However, a broken bone – even when protruding out of one's skin – is one thing. A shattered bone is another entirely. They do not mend easily. Some may never mend at all.
Even with the splint on, Michio's leg distressed him greatly. It would be a disability to him throughout the remainder of the Program. Even if he did manage to survive it, professional treatment would only get him so far. While he was certain he would not have to resort to amputation, his options were not very expansive. He would probably have to wear a brace whenever he was on his feet. At the very least, he would have a limp for the rest of his life. That would mean no more trips to the mountains with Bokuzen and his other friends.
Michio's physical health was not his only questionable aspect. Of all the members of Class 3-A, he had changed the most in terms of personality. In less than one day, he had gone from the compassionate, good-humored person everyone loved and recognized to the coldblooded, merciless individual that only Jakobe Tanaka knew about.
The main reason Michio was always in a good mood was because before that day, he never saw any real need to panic about anything. This in turn was because he had never faced a dilemma he felt to be particularly threatening to him.
The Program had struck him like a cold splash of reality. When he was faced with this life-threatening situation, his demeanor had taken a drastic turn. His reaction to this newfound sensation of fear was very different from his normal reaction. It had manifested itself in him as a form of madness. This madness was what had driven him to chase, confront, and kill Jakobe.
If Michio was willing to kill once, he would certainly be willing to kill again. However, he was making a few changes to his original plan. He had to factor in his broken knee, as it had become a serious impediment. He had no desire to emerge his next encounter with something even worse than a shattered kneecap. So from this point onward, he was going to be more careful. He would still try stalking his victims, but he would do this strictly for investigative purposes. As soon as he felt confident that he could defeat whoever he found next, he would move in and take that person out.
After putting the splint on his leg, Michio had a disturbing realization. It occurred to him that with the hospital out of commission, some of his classmates would probably come to the pharmacy if they needed medical aid. With this in mind, he wanted to get back on his feet as soon as possible and head back out into the city.
Over the next three hours, Michio had spent most of his time trying to balance himself on his feet. He gradually put more pressure on his left leg overtime. This was an extremely slow process, but after three whole hours of these exercises, Michio finally managed to stand on his feet without so much as wincing.
Once he was satisfied with his recovery, Michio decided it was time to leave. He slung the straps to his supply pack and backpack over his shoulders and slid his sword back into his sheath. Then he got to his feet and headed towards the entrance. His pace had not improved any in the past few, but he had no choice but to cope with this disadvantage for the present.
When Michio reached the front entrance, he got out his flashlight and carefully pushed the door open. He poked his head outside and pointed his flashlight down either ends of the street. As far as he could see, the immediate area was empty.
Michio slipped outside and started limping down the street. It was difficult to move with the splint in place, as he could not bend his left leg at all. However, it was preferable to the alternative sensation.
He trudged off to the west. He went at a slow and steady pace to prevent overexerting himself. He actually made it across two whole blocks without pausing or trembling. In all that time, he said things to himself such as "Come on, just keep moving. You've got it in you. You can make it. You can do this."
Then, out of nowhere, Michio felt a stab of pain in his ankle. He shouted in alarm and stumbled against the building to his left. He tried his hardest to stay on his feet, but the pain was surprisingly overwhelming.
After regaining his composure, Michio looked down at the back of his feet and saw the source of the problem. He had been shot in the heel with an arrow, just like Achilles at the battle of Troy. The sight of it shocked him so greatly that it almost took his breath away.
Michio kept one of his hands on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. At the same time, he reached down to pull out the arrow in his heel. But just before he reached it, another arrow sailed through the area and pierced his hand.
Michio backed into the wall again and shouted in agony. He barely had time to catch his breath when another arrow punctured his upper chest. This one hit him right where his windpipe connected to his lungs. As a result, Michio did not even have the capacity to scream anymore.
As he was visited by this new pain, he spotted his assailant down the road.
Across the street, Maki Nakamura (Girl #15) had already fired three arrows and was in the process of notching a fourth. Even though it was totally dark, she could clearly make out every move Michio made. Truthfully, she could have killed him with the first arrow, but she had no intention of letting him off that easily. She had waited this long for him to come out of his hiding place. She wanted to make his suffering last as long as possible, so she choose her targets on his body carefully.
She saw he was reaching for his sword. Even though she knew an armed adversary could actually pose a decent challenge, Maki was not going to let Michio think he could gain the upper hand. She fired at him again; this time the arrow impaled his thigh. Once more, he doubled over in anguish.
It was then that Michio turned around and tried to run to end of the block. Maki could tell he was trying to make a getaway. Of course, this was difficult enough with his broken leg. All the same, Maki wanted to make certain Michio had no chance of evading her. She armed her bow again and aimed at his lower body. The fifth arrow sailed directly through his right kneecap. Immediately after this, he tripped and collapsed onto his stomach. Maki smiled when she saw this happen. Now Michio was crippled. However, he was not yet dead.
Maki slowly began walking towards Michio. He tried desperately to crawl away from the scene. But his efforts were in vain. Maki had him right where she wanted him.
When she was about ten feet away from him, Maki stopped approaching Michio. By then, all he had managed to do was sit up against the wall with tremendous effort. Maki got a good look at his countenance. It was lined with gloom, discomfort, and misery. He was in so much pain that he could barely even move. That was precisely what she wanted to see.
Michio barely had the strength to speak at this time. But if he could talk, he would have begged Maki for his life or for mercy. Even if he had, she would not have granted him either.
Maki slowled reached back into her quiver and drew out a sixth arrow. She brought it around and notched it onto her bow. Then she raised it into the air and pulled the bowstring as far back as it could go. She aimed it directly at her wounded classmate. She remained in that position for almost an entire minute. Then she released the bowstring.
The last arrow went directly through the right lens of Michio's glasses.
…
Back at the mall, Osamu Sano and Reika Fujihara had managed to move fifteen mattresses from the furniture store to the clothing department in the past hour and a-half. They were in the midst of moving a sixteenth one. It had taken them so long to accomplish this task because of the distance between the two shops, as they were on opposite ends of the mall. It only took them about two minutes to get from the clothing department to the furniture store, but it took more than twice that long going the other way, as they had to work together to transport the mattresses. This proved to be a long and somewhat process, but they got it done.
Once they got to the clothing department, they carried the last mattress over to the others. They were three stacks of four and one stack of three. Osamu and Reika placed the last mattress on the smallest pile so that they had four stacks of four.
They paused a moment to look over the piles. They were stacked nice and neatly. Reika queried "You think we got enough?"
"Yeah, definitely," Osamu replied, "After all, we've got four more than we originally settled on. I guess we're past 'one more can't hurt.'"
"No kidding," Reika concurred, rubbing her biceps with her hands. Then she joked "If we have to move any more, it probably will start to hurt."
"At least we got in a decent workout," Osamu cheekily remarked, "Come on, let's go get our stuff."
The two of them then left the clothing department and headed back to the furniture store. About an hour earlier – just before they moved the fifth mattress – the two of them had realized that their supply packs and backpacks were starting to become a nuisance. The bags had limited their range of motion whenever they picked up and moved the mattresses, so they decided to take them off and leave them behind in the furniture store while they worked. Now that they were finished, they could recover their bags.
When they got back to the furniture store, they spotted their bags on one of the made beds in the center of the shop, which was right where they left them. This particular bed was a rather large one, large even for a king-sized. It was lined with tan and brown sheets and covered by a gold-checkered comforter. There was a sign hanging above it which marked it as a specialty item.
Osamu and Reika stepped up to the bed and gathered their bags. Before they went anywhere, Reika sat down on the side of the bed and requested "You mind if we rest a little while?"
Osamu shrugged and said "I don't see why not. We're not in any hurry."
Reika then scooted onto the bed and crossed her legs. She turned to her supply pack, opened it, and took out a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and held it out to Osamu first, offering "Care for some?"
He waved his hand and politely declined with "No, thanks. We've got to make this stuff last. I can manage without it for a while."
"Suit yourself," she agreed. She took a long swig from the bottle. The water was hardly even cool, lukewarm at best, but it was still refreshing to her. At the same time, Osamu got a towel out of his backpack and wiped the sweat off his brow.
Once Reika was finished having her drink, she screwed the cap back on the bottle and put it back into her pack. After this, she turned to her front and stretched out her arms and her back, groaning a bit.
"You alright?" Osamu asked in concern.
"I think so," she replied, pressing her fingertips against the center of her back, "It's probably nothing, but I think I may have strained something when we moved that last mattress."
Osamu placed his towel back into his backpack and sat down next to Reika. Then he asked her "Where exactly does it hurt?"
"I can only detect a twinge of pain in my forearms," she informed him, "However, I can feel a lot of tension in my back."
"Here, let me see your wrists," he instructed her.
Reika complied and showed Osamu the front of her arms. He took her hands in his and began rubbing them with his thumbs. As he did this, he asked her "How does that feel?"
She smiled at him and said "It feels nice. Definitely easing the stiffness. Keep doing that."
He scoffed and remarked "Yes, ma'am."
As he rubbed Reika's wrists, Osamu saw that her supply pack was open. He noticed a glass Mason jar was among the contents of her bag. He turned to Reika and inquired "What's with the jar?"
"Oh, that's a bit of an amusing story," she elucidated, "This morning, we took inventory of our weapons before I went out to find you. Kaminari was given that as hers. She left it behind at the bar when she and Kazumitsu went to get gasoline for the car."
"Why'd you bring it along?" he enquired.
She shrugged and bluntly responded "I don't really know. I just thought we might find some practical use for it. You could call it an inclination; an inclination that derives from the most ideal of policies to live by: waste nothing."
"What is it?" he said in interest.
"Gakuto identified it by the chemical formula on the label as Fluoroantimonic Acid," she recounted, "It's very destructive and very lethal. According to what he told us, it can dissolve just about anything: metal, ceramic, plaster, Pyrex. Theoretically, it should even be able to eat straight through that glass."
"But it isn't," Osamu noted, "Why do you suppose that is?"
"I have a theory," Reika speculated, "According to Gakuto, the only type of surface Fluoroantimonic Acid definitely won't eat through is plastic. Maybe the jar's insides are coated with some sort of plastic-based compound to protect the glass."
"Sounds like a reasonable theory," Osamu told her. There was more silence as Osamu continued rubbing Reika's wrists. Thirty seconds later, he let go of her hands and stated "If everything Gakuto said is true, then maybe we could use the acid to get these collars off. Right?"
Reika promptly frowned and shook her head. She advised him "Believe me, Osamu, that would be an extremely bad idea. For one thing, we don't know what type of explosives these collars are rigged with. We don't even know where the detonators are. If the acid comes in direct contact with anything other than the detonator, then the explosives could automatically go off. Aside from that, I don't think I've emphasized just how dangerous this acid is. When I said it can dissolve just about anything, that includes anything organic. This acid can eat straight through our skin. Gakuto told us that getting as much as a drop on your hand could leave a giant hole in your palm. With that in mind, I don't even want to know what it could do if it came in contact with my neck."
"It would probably decapitate you," Osamu hypothesized, "That would be a surefire way to get the collars off, but it would produce the same bad results as just letting them explode."
"So that's out of the question," Reika concluded.
"Yeah, but I wonder…" Osamu stated, rubbing his chin. He sat thinking for a while, and then he told Reika "We still haven't worked out a way to open that window in the clothing department. Windows of that size cannot be pushed or slid open manually. So we'll have to break it open somehow."
"That should be easy enough," Reika claimed, "We could just find some heavy object to smash the glass. Or better yet, I could shoot the glass with my pistol."
"No, that would make too much noise," Osamu pointed out, "The sound would probably alert the soldiers standing guard along the fences. That could end our escape plan before it even begins. We'd need a quieter method of destroying the glass. So I was thinking… if Fluoroantimonic Acid really can dissolve glass, maybe we could use it on the window."
Reika took a moment to think about this proposal. Then she shrugged slightly and said "I suppose it's worth a shot. You want to put that theory to the test?"
"Sure, but not right now," Osamu decided, "I want to check the department for alarms and such first. We may actually have to wait until we've regrouped with the others."
"I can live with that," Reika remarked.
The two of them sat in silence for a while. Osamu rubbed his brow again and commented "Is it hot in here? I know I worked up a bit of sweat from moving those mattresses, but it's starting to feel humid."
"The foundation should have a facility-wide air-conditioning system," Reika noted, "But given the size of this place, it would probably need constant monitoring in order to keep it running. I'm guessing it's offline."
"Oh, well; guess we'll just have to deal with it," said Osamu. He pulled back his uniform collar and slid off his uniform jacket. Then he rolled up the sleeves on his shirt up to his elbows and the sleeves on his pants up to his knees.
Reika snickered and commented "It's really that hot, huh?"
"Yeah, but it's not the heat that gets me as much as the stress," he observed.
"I can relate to that," she stated. She stretched out again and said "On the subject of that, I still have a bit of a kink in my back. I don't suppose you'd mind… well…?"
Osamu just smiled and told her "It'd be my pleasure. Here, lie down on your stomach."
Reika complied and settled her boy down across the bed. She untucked her blouse from her skirt and lifted it and her jacket a few inches to show the lower half of her back. Osamu shifted his position on the bed so he was sitting on his knees directly behind her. Then he began rubbing the lower part of her back. As he did, he asked her "Is that the right spot?"
"A little higher," she informed him.
Osamu pushed Reika's jacket and blouse a little further up her back. He stopped when the strap to her bra became visible. Then he continued rubbing her on the center of her back. After a few moments of doing this, he inquired "How's that feel?"
Reika sighed contently and responded with "Much… much better. That's really soothing."
"In that case, I'll keep doing it," Osamu remarked.
The two of them remained in this position for a long while. Osamu continued stroking Reika's back in all that time. A couple minutes after he began, she started moaning. But she was not moaning in pain; she was moaning in bliss. She sounded as though she was aroused.
Truth be told, she was. Though she was not the only one. Osamu found the situation to be a little invigorating as well. He had given a couple people backrubs before this day, but all of them had been immediate family members. He had never touched any of his friends this way before, nor had he ever seen Reika's back. In fact, he was the first person outside of her own family that she ever allowed to see that region of her body.
A type of energy was developing between the two of them. This energy's inception took place this morning when Osamu kissed Reika after she found him. As the hours passed, it had been building up, growing stronger and firmer. Almost twenty hours had passed since their first kiss, and now the energy was turning into desire.
"Hey, Osamu?" said Reika.
"Hmmm?" he acknowledged.
"You remember that question you asked me before we got here?" she stated.
He thought back a little and responded with "You mean the one about how you never have any opposition to our groups' activities?"
"Yeah, that one," she confirmed, "I've been pondering on it ever since you asked me, and I think I'm ready to answer it."
"Right now?" he assumed.
"Yeah, I want to tell you," Reika told him, looking over her shoulder.
"Alright," he complied, continuing the back rub, "You have my attention."
Reika contemplated how to begin her explanation. She opened up with "How often has one of our operations failed?"
He answered straightforwardly with "There was the incident with Kaminari and Kazumitsu."
"That doesn't count," she countered, "For that matter, nothing in the Program does. Anything can go wrong here. I'm referring to everything that took place before today."
"Well, in that case…" Osamu briefly thought back through everything the group had been through back in Fujisawa. Then he responded with "Never. As far as I recall, everything's always gone according to plan."
"Why do you suppose that is?" she asked rhetorically.
Osamu shrugged and told her "It all depends on a variety of factors. Some could say it's luck, but I don't think so. Maybe we just always manage to utilize the appropriate resources, organization, and execution."
"Yeah, but who's the one that controls those things?" she remarked.
"Well, that would be me," he replied.
"Exactly," she confirmed, "That's precisely why I never have any complaints. Because with you in charge, I feel there's nothing to worry about."
Osamu was surprised by this answer. "Do you mean that?"
"Absolutely," she affirmed, "The others and I can trust you to do right by us. Regardless of how difficult the situation may seem, you always get us out of it. You help us stay hopeful and resolved. I admire that about you. That quality's the true mark of a leader. And of a man."
Osamu was awed by Reika's words. As he continued rubbing her, he stated "I'm very glad to hear you say that. But you shouldn't give me the credit for everything. You and the others are just as important to the group as I am. After all, a leader is nothing without followers. Just as how a man is nothing… without a woman."
Reika looked over her shoulder and said "I can be both of those things for you."
Osamu abruptly stopped rubbing her. He was stunned by the implication she had just made. "Reika, are you implying… what I think you are?"
Reika slowly turned onto her side, and gazed back at Osamu. She smiled and told him "I am."
She then sat up straight so that her eyes were level with his. She noticed he was sweating much more than he had been earlier. She remained smiling and said "You're right about the heat. Let me see if I can help you cool down."
Reika raised her hands up to Osamu's uniform shirt and unbuttoned the collar. Then she went further down to handle all the other buttons. Osamu did not reject her advances. Once she was done, she helped him slid his shirt off his arms and shoulders.
"Your turn," Reika beamed, sticked out her chest.
Immediately, Osamu went to work unbuttoning her blouse. He took much less time than she had, which showed how eager he was. Once he was finished, he helped Reika take off her jacket and blouse. All she was wearing on the upper half of her body was her bra.
"Keep going," she encouraged him. Osamu tentatively reached around her and unfastened the clasp to her bra. A split-second later, it was off.
Osamu took a moment to admire Reika. To him, her body looked just as flawless as her face. There were no moles, no birthmarks, and absolutely no wrinkles to be seen anywhere. Her large, round breasts nicely complimented her curvaceous figure. Osamu shuddered anxiously when he noticed her nipples were erect.
Reika was just as pleased with what she was seeing. Osamu's upper body was very muscular. He had a total lack of chest hair, but his muscles were tough and smooth. His ribcage emphasized how strong and firm his abdomen was.
After this long silence, Osamu placed his hands on Reika's shoulders and asked her "Reika, are you sure this is what you want?"
In response, she grasped him by his shoulders, pulled herself closer to him, and kissed him full on the lips. He returned the kiss and embraced her.
When she pulled apart, she answered him "Yes, Osamu. I've wanted this for so long."
At that, he smirked deviously, said "Good," and pushed her back onto the bed. He gazed lustfully into her eyes and told her "Because I have, too."
She returned that smirk and whispered "Let's do it."
It took less than three minutes for the two of them to get completely undressed and crawl under the covers of the bed.
The next half-hour felt like a fantasy that both of them had often yearned for. Only it was not a fantasy; it was actually happening. The end of this living fantasy marked the moment two of the most private individuals in Class 3-A lost their innocence.
…
When accomplishing a goal, what would be the most important approach to utilize? That, of course, would depend upon the nature and circumstances of the goal. When given a limited amount of time, haste would be most ideal. When the quality of the results is prioritized first, attentiveness would be keen. However, when a person is given time constraints and the results for success must be executed superbly, one must use caution.
The Program is perhaps the epitome of the last type of goal. While no specific time limit is set, at least one of the contestants must die every twenty-four hours in order for the remaining participants to keep playing. Additionally, the only possible way to succeed with little or no error would involve being the last one left alive. One would have to be as observant and careful as possible in order to avoid failing here
Needless to say, caution would be invaluable in this scenario. At the start of the Program, only a few of the students had warily taken steps to ensure their well-being. As time went on, more of them realized that they could not take any aspects of their safety for granted. Currently, the majority of the remaining survivors in Class 3-A had adapted careful approaches.
However, ever since the start of the game, Genji Nishihara (Boy #14) had been an exception to this majority. Despite being the game's most prolific killer, he had been far from cautious. In fact, up until this point, almost everything he had gotten through had been reflected not by dexterity or by astuteness, but rather by simple luck. This included all five of his victims.
Genji had planned to play the Program right from the moment Furutani confirmed his class was in it. However, when he departed from the school, he was angered to see that he had his weapon had been a pack of thumbtacks. He knew he would need a fairly decent weapon in order to have a serious chance at winning the game.
Had Genji received any sort of firearm, he would have seriously considered staying at the front entrance to eliminate some of his classmates. However, the possibility of lingering around to swipe a better weapon from one of them did not even occur to him. Instead, he decided to go out into the city and lure someone towards him. He did this by going to the apartment complex and leaving a light on in the front room, which could have turned out to be a rather foolish gesture.
It was just his luck that Misaki Ozawa had been the first person he encountered and that she had been carrying a submachine gun. Taking her down was easy enough, as he knew full well about her crush on him. The only reason he had managed to kill Misaki was that he knew her personal weakness. For that same reason, he had managed to kill Chieko Suda as well. Getting her onto the roof of that building was surprisingly simple; almost as simple as pushing her off. However, he would not have been able to manipulate any of his other classmates that way.
He had made his first major mistake when he encountered Hitoshi Ohara and Kotoyo Fukumoto. Rather than gunning them down the moment he found them, he took some time to directly confront them. In this time, Hitoshi managed to use Kotoyo's whip against Genji and hold him off long enough for her to escape. Hitoshi had also managed to whip Genji almost to the brink of death. Even though Genji still managed to recover his submachine gun and kill Hitoshi, he had emerged from that encounter covered with scars and his clothes ruined. Worse yet, Kotoyo was somewhere out in the city. It occurred to Genji that if she managed to make some allies, she would be able to spread word that he was playing.
After cleaning his wounds and donning his spare uniform, Genj realized that this sort of incident could happen again. That was what incited him to put on Chieko's hooded sweatshirt. After all, his entire upper body and head would be concealed by it, and no one else in the class knew that he had it.
Despite this, his other confrontations had gone no more smoothly. After leaving the hospital grounds, he had followed Shuuichi Kai and Kenzou Iwamoto (Boy #3) to City Hall. But he had failed to kill either of them, and Yuuga Suzuki had managed to chase him away. This was partly because the encounter with Hitoshi had left him reluctant to enter any more direct confrontations.
After Kenzou got away, Genji had wandered aimlessly around the streets, looking for more of his classmates. When he heard the explosion at the gas station, he decided to investigate without hesitation. He was fortunate enough to have gotten there before anyone else. This had enabled him to kill Teru Machida and steal his disruption code and harpoon rifle.
Lastly, there was the incident at the hotel. He had seen three of his classmates enter the building and he entered it about twenty minutes after. Only one of the three – Chiaki Iwasaki – was out there. He would have waited until the other two came back out before attacking, but Chiaki discovered his presence before he could hide.
He managed to overpower Chiaki, but what had he had done after had been the most imprudent thing he had ever done. Not just in the Program, but in his entire life. He had allowed both Kotoyo and Yuuga to draw guns on him, and he wasted time by giving them an impromptu speech about how seriously he was playing the game. The only reason he had done this was to instill fear in his classmates so that he would be able to bring them down more easily. Secretly, he relished in seeing them so afraid of him.
He found it peculiar how Kotoyo never addressed him by his name. In fact, it seemed as though she was avoiding it.
He had been so preoccupied on the three of them that he had allowed Blaine Rhodes, Tatsuo Inoue (Boy #2), and Kiyomi Takayama (Girl #12) to sneak up on him from behind. He had no doubt that Blaine could have shot him in the back of the head if he wanted to. He was simply lucky that he had not chosen to do so. Genji cut his plans to bring up his kill count short. He had been forced to improvise to make a quick escape through the hotel's offices. In the process, he managed to use Teru's harpoon rifle to mortally wound Kotoyo and switch it out for her revolver. Then he broke the window and jumped out.
After eavesdropping on Kotoyo's death and the conversation between the other five people, Genji left the area. Other than getting to the library in twenty-four hours, he had no immediate plans for the future. He ultimately decided to just make some up as time went on.
He decided to get out of the area first, so he gathered up his materials and headed to the east. Soon, he arrived in E-6. Once he got there, he sat down on the sidewalk, opened his supply pack, and took out his flashlight and map.
After confirming his location, he pondered his available options. He had been so busy all day that at this time, he suddenly felt quite fatigued. For the first time since leaving the school, Genji thought about taking a break from playing the game and to get some rest. So he examined the map for a hideout in close proximity to the area. It only took him a few seconds to discover that the fire station was close by. It appeared to be only a few hundred meters away from him. So he decided to go there.
After he packed up his supplies, he decided to study Kotoyo's revolver. He pulled it out of his belt and examined it closely. Even from a distance, he had managed to identify it as a Colt Python, which utilized .357 Magnum cartridges. He recalled that Kotoyo had fired at him with it a few times, so it needed to be at least partially reloaded.
Genji turned to Kotoyo's supply pack and took out some ammunition. He opened up the chamber and saw that it still had two rounds left.
As Genji began to reload the gun, he had a flashback to his childhood.
Even before the Program, Genji had been no stranger to guns. He had held and seen many of them in his life. He had been involved in a business that heavily used them. It was a covert business, and a particularly risky one. His work in this business had taught him plenty about the history and characteristics of dozens of different firearms. He could recognize many different guns on sight, but this particular model, he would never be able to forget.
Something very grim and traumatizing had happened to Genji when he was younger. It had taken place many years ago, but he could still remember it as if it had occurred just that morning. He had tried many times to forget about it, but the memory was etched into his brain. The best he could manage was temporarily put the memory aside.
Under normal circumstances, he could keep the memory at bay. But the Program was not normal. Everything that had happened so far had rendered him very disturbed. He tried to appear emotionless and coldblooded in front of his classmates, but inwardly, he was terrified. While he genuinely did not care for his classmates, he had no personal grudge against any of them. He was not proud to have killed them, but he was certain his father would be.
After Genji loaded up the gun, he held it in both hands and stared down at it. The flashback soon returned. He could still visualize everything perfectly. The shadowy figure, the bright light, the scream, and most of all… the gunshot. What haunted him the most was what followed immediately after the gunshot. That was the blood splatter. The splatter had a limited radius, but at the time, it felt as though the entire area was coated in red.
Genji held his forehead with his hands and muttered in frustration "Get out. Damn you, get out of my head! Don't do this now! I do not the time for this shit."
Perspiration began to form on Genji's temple. His breathing became labored and uneven. He said softly under his breath "No, no, no, no, NO, NO!"
Then he stopped. He opened his eyes and looked around the vicinity. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that it was all just a hallucination. There was no bright light, no scream, no gunshot, no blood splatter, and no shadowy figure. He was still alone.
Or at least, he appeared to be.
"Well, look what we have here," he heard a voice say slyly from behind. This was followed immediately by the cocking of a revolver.
Genji snapped to attention when he heard this voice. But he dared not to make the slightest move, lest that be enough to set the other person off.
He could not make out the assailant's voice, but he could tell it was a female classmate.
"Drop your weapons," the other person ordered, "Then put your hands over your head."
Genji did as he was told and deposited his submachine gun and revolver onto the ground. Then he put his hands onto his head and crossed his fingers. While he was nervous, he did not panic. Even under the tension of this sudden unpleasant situation, he was determined to keep a level head.
"Stand up," the girl demanded.
"Okay, okay," he remarked, disguising his voice again. He slowly rose to his feet and told her "I'm cooperating here.
The girl said nothing in response. She kept one hand on her revolver and use the other one to frisk Genji. All she could find in his pockets were some bullet casings and a flash drive. After coming up with nothing notable, she told him "Kick away your guns. Then turn around. Slowly."
Genji gently used his feet to push away his firearms. Then he gradually turned his entire body around until he was face-to-face with the other person. That was when he discovered he was being held up by Eiko Hirakawa (Girl #17).
In addition to her revolver, she had a submachine gun slung around her shoulders. She was grinning maliciously at him, as if she was enjoying herself. Truth be told, she was.
As he faced Eiko, Genji began studying her for any potential weaknesses. He was hoping to find a blind spot or an opening on her. As he did, she commented "Very good. Now… take off your hood."
"Why?" Genji queried.
"I want to make certain you're not wearing a bulletproof mask or anything beneath that hood," she explained.
"Bulletproof mask?" he scoffed, "Are you serious, Eiko?"
"Does this gun look serious?" she replied, taking a step closer to him, "Take it off. Now."
Genji just nodded his head. Then he unlocked his fingers and brought them to the sides of his hood. He gripped them in his palms and began to pull back his hood. He did this very slowly. Just before it was all the way off, he noticed Eiko's grip on the revolver was loose and unstable. That was just what he needed to turn the situation around.
The moment his hood was off, he lunged forward, grabbed the front of Eiko's revolver, and struck her on the face. Almost immediately, she groaned, collapsed onto her back, and drifted into unconsciousness.
Genji smiled evilly down at Eiko and pointed the revolver at her head. He stated drily "Never underestimate a masked man."
But just before he pulled the trigger, he got a good look at the gun. It only took him a moment to identify it as a Colt Peacemaker. When he did this, he froze. He remembered that when he first stumbled upon the gas station that afternoon, he had found several bullet casings next to Kazumitsu Hayashi's body. They were only compatible with certain types of revolvers, most notably the Colt Peacemaker series. He took one of the casings out of his pocket and held it next to the revolver. Then he flicked open the chamber to get a good look at the bullets inside the weapon. He compared them to the empty bullet casing and found that they were identical.
This implication stunned Genji. He turned to Eiko and whistled in amazement. At this time, he looked down at her not with contempt, but with some form of admiration.
Genji then remembered two other events from earlier that day. When he had found Ichiko Murakami dead in G-8, he had found a type of bullet casing. It belonged to a very distinct form of ammunition; one that was only used on Swedish revolvers. Genji then recalled that when Blaine showed up at the hotel, he had been totting a Swedish revolver.
With all these realizations in mind, Genji began forming an idea in his head. He put the bullet casing back in his pocket and flipped the revolver's hammer back up. Then he tucked it into his belt. After this, he gathered up all his supplies and drew his hood back up. Once he was done with this, he looked back down at Eiko. He kneeled down next to her, put his arms under her head and legs, and picked her up. While Eiko was one of the tallest female members of the class, Genji was strong enough to carry her and all her materials.
"Come on," he uttered quietly, even though she was out cold, "We shouldn't stay out in the open. Let's get you to the fire department."
With regards to Eiko, Genji had a unique plan in mind for her. At first glance, some would consider this plan to be anything but cautious.
However, Genji's plan had a great many details and it went very deep in thought. He had a practical goal in mind. If he ended up achieving the goal, his plan would actually be one of the most brilliant and cunning things he had ever done, as well as one of the most cautious steps he was taking to win the Program.
Boy #4 Michio Ueno – Dead
23 Students Remaining
