Battle Royale: An Alien Perspective

by The Passionate Admiral

An American scholar is spending his ninth-grade studying abroad in Japan. The day before the class graduates, the American and his 44 classmates wind up in the absolute worst scenario imaginable. When a "new rule" is introduced, the American is certain more than anyone else that he will not survive the ordeal. On HIATUS as of 2/17/14

37. Fluctuating Relationships

Note: These past few weeks have been really hectic, but I'm back now! As before, this will be a two-section chapter, but both sections will play an important role in the upcoming chapters. Especially the second one. Hopefully, I'll be able to write the next update during the week of Thanksgiving.

Rockythetigre, that's certainly a plausible theory. The website's moderators have a very specific system which prohibits any plagiarism. They have zero tolerance for stealing other authors' material without their express consent. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the previous section with Maki. And about why she was accepted into Keio University before she found her skills in archery… well, perhaps I was a little too broad when I stated that everyone at that school has some notable talent in at least one particular field. I never meant to imply that they MUST have such a discerning facet BEFORE they apply to the school. I mean, their chief talents are not what primarily gets them in; that would be their grades. Many of them could simply wait to discover their aptitude at one particular activity until they have already begun their studies at Keio University. As for the group at the laboratory… there's a specific reason why they're waiting for Yuuga and Kenzou but not for Osamu and Reika or Blaine's group. None of the latter five people even KNOWS that they've made the laboratory their new base of operations. Also, Yuuga and Chiaki already have plans to rendezvous with Blaine's company at the library later in the day. Naozumi still has a role to play, but he might not encounter anyone for a while.

8bitmatter, thank you for being even more analytical than usual this time around. I understand you have other priorities before fanfiction; I can relate entirely. I had a feeling you'd appreciate the part which focused exclusively on Maki. In answer to your question, she does take pleasure in other's pain physically, emotionally, and mentally, but not sexually like Trixie. She definitely has plenty of aptitude to outlive a lot of the other survivors, but remember that anybody (and I mean ANYbody) can die at any time – even Blaine. After all, that's what it would be like in real life! Yes, Maki is rather cunning, but you present a good counterargument as to why it may have been foolish to have left behind Michio's katana. With regards to her friendship with Shuuichi… she would have certainly killed him if he turned against her or refused to help her, but based on how I crafted her persona, I honestly don't think I would have had Maki torture him the way she tortured Michio. After all, despite her totally hostile demeanor, she still had some form of respect for him. Besides, I doubt he could have suffered a fate much worse than the one I had Hina give him. Wow, that would explain why the gay community so strongly opposed Romney's nomination. I mean, Republicans have never really been popular with the gay community for the past few decades, but they seemed to condemn Romney's candidacy in particular. Now I know why. But yeah, Maki is not one to be messed with, as Hatsue would tell us (or write down for us). Just wait and see who those three targets of hers turn out to be. Naozumi's motivations will be discussed soon, but not just yet. I decided to do that "spontaneous demise" with Toshirou partially to emphasize the point I made earlier about how nobody is absolutely safe. You have a good interpretation of the last few paragraphs. That's exactly the impression I wanted to leave. Here Gakuto and Toshirou have been thinking about expanding their company, only to discover that two of their closest associates conspired to eradicate them during the previous day. This will indeed impact them, but to which degree, I will not specify just yet.

Now, we may carry on…

It had been over forty minutes since the disastrous episode in I-6 had taken place. Six of the students in Class 3-A had been involved in that incident, and by the time it ended, three of them had lost their lives. The other three were in the process of navigating their way to the laboratory in G-5.

Kenzou Iwamoto (Boy #3), Yuriye Sakaguchi (Girl #9), and Yuuga Suzuki (Boy #11) had barely spoken to each other since they left the river. In most other settings, Kenzou and Yuriye would have found something to converse on, but after everything they had just been through, they were both speechless. Since Yuuga was the laconic one of the three, this could be considered typical behavior for him. All the same, beneath his emotionless façade, he was just as unsettled as either of his companions.

After all, the three of them had been through a horrible ordeal. Yuriye had directly witnessed the murder of one of her friends, Kenzou and Yuuga had been added to the list of killers in the class, and all of them had gotten dangerously close to death at least once in the past hour. These facts and others had left each of them greatly troubled in some fashion.

The worst part of that mess was that there was no evidence to suggest it would be the last difficulty they would be faced with, or even the most perilous one. Kenzou, Yuuga, and Yuriye were well-aware of this notion, and as much as they did not like to reflect on it, they knew they could not ignore its very strong likelihood. That realization left them more perturbed than anything else they had been through in the past thirty hours, including the event with Akina and Fumitaka.

So they cruised through the streets in almost total silence. To navigate the best route back to the laboratory, Yuuga held his map out in hands and wordlessly pointed out the most ideal path for them to take. To monitor their surroundings, Kenzou kept his attention focused on the tracking device. If the zone they were currently in was deserted, he would give them a thumbs-up. If the screen registered another signal, he would wave his arm. So far, he had given them a thumbs-up seven times, but he had not waved his arm once.

Yuriye was the only one who produced any real noise. Fifteen minutes earlier, when the trio had crossed over from H-6 to H-5, she had loudly and abruptly sneezed. Without halting, Kenzou and Yuuga had both quietly mumbled "Gesundheit," and she had nodded her head in appreciation.

Four minutes later, Yuriye had sneezed again. Her second sneeze had been a little more forceful and sudden than the first one. The boys had merely muttered "God bless you" in German again, to which she again expressed her thanks.

Another three minutes passed, and then Yuriye sneezed again. This sneeze was immediately followed by another one. The two boys turned to her, somewhat alarmed by this new outburst. All she did was hold up her hand, as if to assure them that everything was alright.

Over the course of the next eight minutes, Yuriye had been sneezing more frequently. Some were loud; some were quiet. Some were in succession; some were solitary. Overtime, the interval of silence between her sneezes had gotten increasingly shorter.

Finally, Kenzou gestured to the others to stop moving. Once they were all standing still, he turned to the short girl, placed his hand on her shoulder, and inquired in concern "Yuriye, are you feeling alright?"

She sniffed once, groaned in annoyance, and responded with "I… I suppose so. It's just my nose. It's giving me problems."

"You feeling at all congested?" asked Kenzou.

"Somewhat," she informed him, "It's also kinda hard to smell anything."

"You may be getting a cold," Kenzou observed.

"Really?" Yuriye said without any particular sign of anxiety. As Kenzou lightly nodded his head, she shrugged and presumed "Well, if that's all, we don't have anything to worry about."

Kenzou shook his head and remarked "Don't be too sure of that. The common cold may seem relatively harmless, but it can be just as deadly as any other virus."

"Is that so?" Yuriye commented, "I thought the global morality rate for the common cold was like one in a million."

"It's even less than that," Kenzou informed her, "However, you should know that the number of people who die from the common cold in this country every year is larger than that of any other country, except Egypt. Plus, if a cold goes untreated, there's a chance in could develop into something more serious. While it is specifically an ailment of the upper respiratory tract, the virus could spread below and become bronchitis or pneumonia. That may not seem like a big deal either, but on average, lower respiratory tract infections kill more people than any other disease, including AIDS."

Yuriye rolled her eyes and stated in frustration "Perfect. As if we didn't already have enough troubles. Now imagine how this would look. Forty-five classmates are expected to fight to the death, and the youngest participant is eliminated because she's got a goddamn stuffy nose."

Kenzou scoffed and told her "Relax, I'm not implying that you'll succumb to a chill. I'm just advising you to be careful. You might not even have a cold yet anyways. In order to ensure that you don't contract one, we should probably take a few more precautions."

"Like what?" Yuriye requested.

"I have some oxymetazoline and phenylephrine in my first aid kit," Kenzou proposed, "In simple terms, those are nasal spray and pills respectively. They are both very fine for remedying colds and even preventing them altogether. But before we get to those, I'd like to ask you: how do you feel?"

"My nose feels slightly clogged, but other than that, my head is totally clear," Yuriye expounded. She paused for a moment, and then she hugged herself tightly and added "Oh, and to be honest with you… I'm freezing."

"I already gathered that," Kenzou bluntly commented, "You've been shivering continuously ever since we stopped moving. That's rather perplexing; it's quite warm and dry out here. How long have you felt this way?"

"Ever since you guys fished me out of the river," Yuriye recounted.

"Oh, that would explain it then," Kenzou fathomed, "I forgot to take into consideration just how long you were down in that drainage juncture. Looks as though you're still dripping. Your uniform must be thoroughly soaked. That's definitely not good; if it clings to your skin too tightly for too long, it could be a hazard to your health."

"I understand that notion," Yuriye thought aloud, "It makes a great deal of sense. In fact, this could be the primary reason why I've been sneezing so much in the first place. What do you suggest we do about this problem?"

"I have a simple solution," Kenzou advised her, "Perhaps the simplest one in the world. We should get you out of those clothes."

Ever since the trio had ceased moving, Yuuga had been standing off to the side to give the other two space to work. Up until this point, he had not uttered a word. However, after he heard this last statement from the medic, his pupils dilated in outrage, he took two menacing steps forward, and he sharply barked "Excuse me?"

Kenzou was initially startled by Yuuga's reaction. However, when he took a moment to think back on what he just said, he discovered that Yuuga must have deeply misinterpreted the meaning of it. He scowled in irritation and stated "Goddamnit, Yuuga, don't twist my words. I was not suggesting anything of a perverted nature by that idea."

"So what were you entailing?" Yuuga demanded.

"Let me rephrase what I said," Kenzou explicated, rolling his eyes, "If Yuriye keeps on her current attire, she'll most certainly catch cold. I'm merely suggesting that she remove it and don another outfit instead. Then she'll be warm and dry, as well as far less likely to get a cold. That's all I had in mind."

Yuuga eased down considerably when he was given this explanation. He gazed off to the side and spoke softly "Hmmm. Well, Kenzou, when you put it that way, I suppose that your proposal is a fairly reasonable one."

"I'm glad you concur," Kenzou told the empathic boy straightforwardly, "And while we're on the subject, you should probably change your clothes, too. Your current ones are not as drenched as Yuriye's, but just by looking, I can tell that they're still very damp."

Yuuga took a moment to look down and examine himself. He quickly concluded that Kenzou was correct. Due to his normally rigid nature, he was less sensitive to sudden changes in temperature than most of his classmates. However, he had to admit that his outfit's damp condition was a bit of an inconvenience to him. He soon turned back to Kenzou and stated in agreement "Very well. I guess it's problematic enough with one of us in danger of getting sick. It would be pointless and needless for that risk to expand to the rest of us."

"My thoughts exactly," Kenzou remarked, "Do you guys have any other clothes on you?"

"Yeah, I have some in my backpack," Yuuga replied.

"So do I," stated Yuriye, "Now we just need a place to change."

"Right," Kenzou muttered. He looked around the area and noticed they were standing near the front of a tall building. He gestured to main entrance and proposed "That building should provide plenty of privacy. You two go ahead and get changed in there. I'll stand watch out here."

Yuriye and Yuuga merely nodded in acknowledgement of this idea and approached the front door. The empathic boy held the door open for the petite girl, allowing her to enter first. He followed her quickly thereafter and shut the door behind him.

Kenzou was now left on his own on the outside of the building. He turned away from the front door and went to studying the immediate area around him. It appeared to be deserted, but he did not let that fool him. However, when he peered down at the tracking device, he saw that there were no new signals in the zone. Just his, Yuriye's, and Yuuga's.

Kenzou leaned against the wall by the door and sighed deeply. He gripped Fumitaka's rifle in his free hand and clung it close to his chest. He wanted to be ready in the event that he would have to put it to use. He was not entirely certain how to operate it, but he figured it could not have been that difficult. In his mind, all he really had to do was point and shoot. That was certainly the impression Shuuichi had given him.

He had not been with Shuuichi very long, but during their time together, they had exchanged some background knowledge in their main fields of expertise with each other. The medic had given Shuuichi some expert advice about staying in fine fettle, and the marksman had given Kenzou a couple helpful tips about handling firearms. He only wished his information about staying healthy could have been beneficial enough to help Shuuichi stay alive. If so, maybe he would still be in the game. Kenzou wished he was; this was one time when he felt he could have really used more of Shuuichi's knowledge about guns. Although he continued to have mixed feelings about the legitimacy of Shuuichi's capabilities from the encounter with Genji outside City Hall, he felt he had prematurely misjudged his former partner.

On that note, he hoped that his companionship with Yuriye and Yuuga would not be as short as the one he had with Shuuichi. Secretly, he would have preferred the latter over both of the former, but as he knew full well, Shuuichi was no longer available, and nothing in the world would make him available again. At this particular moment, Yuriye and Yuuga were Kenzou's most promising prospects for allies. He did not view them as substandard or inadequate compared to Shuuichi; he was actually very glad to be in their company. Yuuga's ability to detect lies and interpret emotions could prove to be instrumental in the game, and Yuriye was perhaps the most resilient person he knew. Kenzou was confident that both of them could be just as useful as Shuuichi.

Of course, this did not imply that he would present to them the same proposal he presented to Shuuichi. The primary reason he had suggested playing the game to Shuuichi was because they formed a pair, and this year two people had a chance of surviving the Program the traditional way. A trio, on the other hand, had absolutely no chance. He had been in the same class with Yuriye and Yuuga for the past three years, and he had never seen two people of opposite genders be so close to each other without any display of romantic interest. He felt certain that the two of them would never betray each other under any circumstances. Aside from that, now that he knew that there was actually a reasonable chance that the surviving members of the class could escape, he figured that there was no longer any need to play the game. At least for the present. This encouraged him to think that it was safe to cooperate with more than one of his peers.

As long as they avoided coming down with influenza, everything would be manageable. He was fairly certain that Yuriye was actually in fine health, but he did not want to run the risk of her getting ill. Because of this, he was very grateful for his medical knowledge. It gave him some assurance that he was being useful to the other members of his company in a special manner. If there was one thing he unquestionably abhorred, it was the notion of being useless.

Nine minutes after Yuriye and Yuuga entered the building, Kenzou began to wonder what was taking them so long. He turned to the front entrance, tapped his knuckles on the door, and enquired "You guys doing alright in there?"

"Yeah, don't come in," Yuuga frankly retorted.

Kenzou just chuckled, turned away from the door, and drily commented "I didn't have plans to."

There was a short period of silence. Then Yuriye called out "Aren't you going to change, Kenzou? You were in the water, too."

"True, but don't forget I was balancing myself on the ladder the whole time," Kenzou informed her, "Because of that, barely any of my clothes got wet. Just my shoes, socks, and the lower sleeves of my pants. I wouldn't even regard that as a minor nuisance. So it'd be unnecessary for me to change."

"Okay, if you insist," was all Yuriye said in response.

"We'll be out soon," Yuuga notified the rugby player.

Kenzou made a note of that and held his hands at his sides. Then he noticed something peculiar about Yuuga's last remark. The only reason he and Yuriye were in the building was to undress and then redress. If they were not coming out yet, he figured they must still be in the process of one or the other. Based on the proximity of their voices, they both sounded as though they were standing right by the door. That implied that they were changing clothes… directly in front of each other.

Truth be told, that was precisely what they were doing. However, the two of them were not the slightest bit perturbed by this concept. It was not even the first time they had done this; they had changed clothes in front each other a few times back home in the Kanagawa Prefecture. While their friendship was platonic and they rarely interacted with other people of the opposite gender, they were both undeniably straight in terms of sexuality. In addition to that, there were times when they could not help but admire each other's physique.

Yuuga was not as physically active as most of the other boys in class, but he worked out whenever he could. And he could afford to work out very often. This may come as a surprise, but keep in mind that someone as antisocial as him had to do something in his free time. Regularly working out certainly paid-off. His chest and arms were finely-shaped and muscular. Despite his humble appearance and calm demeanor, he was quite strong. Not as strong as Kenzou, but still strong enough to defend himself.

As for Yuriye, it was a similar story. While she had a small stature, her body was in excellent shape. All her years of gymnastics and aerobics had helped her develop dainty curves and smooth arms and legs. The most noteworthy aspect of her figure was her breasts; they were well-round and prominent size C. Her elfin frame almost made they look like they were Size D by comparison. That was one thing she liked to brag about on occasion. While she was the shortest girl in the class, she had one of the "most head-turning racks," as Tomoe used to claim.

If only Tomoe was still there to make that joke. Normally, Yuriye would have found that remark to be somewhat derisive, but she would have loved to have heard her late friend's voice just one more time, even if that statement was all she had to say.

Yuuga and Yuriye spent a total of twelve minutes inside that building. They spent the first four minutes removing their wet articles of clothing. They had spent another four of those minutes using a towel from the latter's backpack to wipe their moist skin dry. They spent the last four minutes slipping on fresh sets of clothing from their backpacks. Now they were finally finished.

"What do you suppose we should do with these?" Yuriye inquired, gesturing to their sodden clothes on the ground.

"Maybe we should just leave them here," Yuuga suggested, "It would take hours to wring the water out manually, and they'd just add more weight to our bags."

"Sensible idea," Yuriye concurred. She and her best friend then approached the front door together. He pushed it open, stepped outside, and held the door for her. Just before she passed through the doorframe, she paused and told him "Oh, hang on a moment first. I have to get something."

Yuuga just nodded his head and stood at the door. Yuriye turned around, went back over to the pile of soaked clothing, kneeled down by it, and picked up one of the jackets. It was neither hers nor Yuuga's; it was Tomoe's. Yuriye slid her hand into the left pocket and found it empty. When she patted the outside of the right pocket, she could feel something in it. She stuck her tiny hand inside the pocket and swiftly pulled out two long, thin, solid objects. Then she dropped Tomoe's jacket, rose to her feet, and returned to the door. As she exited the building, she stated "Alright, I'm all done here."

Yuuga nodded and released the door. As it slowly swung shut on its own, Kenzou announced "We should keep moving."

The three of them resumed trekking through the streets. When they were about two blocks up the road, Kenzou turned to Yuriye and queried "Out of curiosity, what did you recover from the clothes pile?"

Yuriye held her hand out to him and showed him that she was carrying two glitter pens. One of them was scarlet and the other was lavender. She explained to him "Each of the girls in my clique has a glitter pen like these. They're all of a different color, though. Mine's ochre, and Shizuye's is cyan."

"What about those two?" asked Kenzou, pointing to her hand.

"The lavender one is Tomoe's," Yuriye enlightened him, "With the exception of her weapon, this is the only thing I have left of her. Since she fell in the river after she was shot, I don't even know where to find her body. Because of that, this pen is precious to me for its sentimental value. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving it behind."

"I understand that outlook," Kenzou stated in good conscience. He focused on the other glitter pen and assumed "I take it the scarlet one belongs to Chiaki?"

"Yeah, it does," Yuriye confirmed, "You'll never guess where I found it."

"The supermarket?" Yuuga asked rhetorically.

Yuriye raised an eyebrow in amazement and asked "How'd you know?"

"Chiaki told us she had been at the supermarket for most of the morning and afternoon yesterday," Yuuga informed her, "That was one of only two buildings she had been in before I ran into her."

"Whenever we regroup with her, I bet she'll be relieved to have her pen back," Yuriye supposed.

"That could be," Kenzou admitted, "But I'm certain she'll be far more thrilled by the knowledge that you're safe. I mean, she and the others are expecting me and Yuuga, but they're not expecting you."

Yuriye smirked and cheekily stated "That's a good point. I can't wait to see how Chiaki will react. She can behave very endearingly when she becomes excited."

There was another brief interval of quietness between the two. When they had traveled a few blocks further up the road, Yuriye broke it when she said "So, tell me something. How did you guys come to team up with Toshirou and Gakuto in the first place?"

Neither Kenzou nor Yuuga answered straightaway. They were uncertain how they could even begin to answer her. Kenzou exhaled deeply and remarked "The full answer to that would be very difficult to expound in its entirety."

"Is it a particularly long-ass story?" Yuriye presumed.

"Oh, we could have started explaining the whole of the situation to you when we first left the river," Yuuga proclaimed, "But even then, I doubt we'd have had enough time to tell you everything before we reached the laboratory."

"So I take it your involvement with them came about through a specific set of very delicate and intricate factors?" Yuriye rationalized.

"Pretty much," was Kenzou's reply. "It may be best if we just wait until we return to our base and then go into detail. There's still a few parts of the whole affair that are unclear even to us. The others will probably be able to explain it more lucidly."

"Alright, but I still feel the need to ask," Yuriye remarked, "You're sure that Gakuto and Toshirou really are as upright and trustworthy as you're making them out to be?"

"Absolutely," Yuuga ensured her, "I'll admit I was also slightly skeptical of them at first. However, I managed to study their faces quite closely and got all the validation I needed to confirm their reliability. Believe me, they're not the ones we should be worried about."

"He's right," Kenzou declared in concurrence, "We all have a common enemy, but it's not them."

"In that case, who is?" Yuriye asked in interest.

"The lousy hypocritical scumbag who has falsely passed himself off as a leader and a person of honorable character to the rest of us ever since the first day of junior high," Kenzou frankly replied.

Yuriye took a moment to process this statement. She wondered who amongst the male survivors it would most likely apply to. At this point, there was a maximum of ten boys in the class that were still alive, and four of them were Kenzou, Yuuga, Toshirou, and Gakuto. That meant that the "enemy" had to be one of the other six.

She was certain it was not Akiyo. She and virtually everyone else in the class had always despised him; no one had ever regarded him as a person of honorable character. Osamu was definitely a leader, and his gang did have standards, but he had never been too cautious about leaving a positive impression of himself. While Naozumi was a touch more respectable than either of them, he was known to be meek and submissive on occasion. No real leadership qualities there. Tatsuo had a likeable persona and several likeable facets, but due to his "unusual" interests, he was never one to stand out as a frontrunner. Blaine was recognized by many as an honest and reputable individual, as well as a bit of a director and giver of sagacious advice. However, he had only been studying in Japan for the past year. Kenzou had explicitly stated that the "enemy" had been around since the start of junior high.

That left only one possible contender. This one met all three criteria.

Yuriye slowly looked up at the boys and whispered hauntingly "Are you telling me that Genji is playing?"

"Oh, yeah," Yuuga verified frankly, "He's already killed at least five people."

This bit of knowledge seemed to disturb Yuriye even further. "How do you know this?"

"Chiaki and I encountered him at the hotel before we met up with Gakuto and Toshirou," Yuuga elucidated, "We had a most intriguing exchange of dialogue with him. He actually gloated about killing four others, and he identified them by name. They were Misaki, Chieko, Hitoshi, and Teru."

"Who was the fifth?" asked Yuriye.

"Kotoyo," Yuuga replied, "She was with us at the hotel during that event. When Genji made his getaway, she went after him. Unfortunately, he managed to shoot her with a harpoon rifle. He was gone by the time we found her. She died right in front of us."

"Well, that's depressing," Yuriye mused, "I liked Kotoyo. She did wonders in the school band, especially during the rugby matches."

"Yes, she most certainly did," Kenzou agreed, "But her death only further proves how seriously Genji is playing this game to win. As far as I know, neither Gakuto nor Toshirou have come across him since the Program began, but Chiaki, Yuuga, and I all have. We're all goddamn lucky to have escaped with our lives."

Those last two remarks attracted Yuuga's attention. He inquired curiously "When did you bump into Genji?"

"Surely you already know that," Kenzou bluntly responded, "You witnessed the affair yourself."

"I did?" said Yuuga, somewhat perplexed, "When was this?"

"Yesterday afternoon, at City Hall," Kenzou illuminated, "Earlier on, you mentioned that at that time and place, you and the members of your first group saw a hooded figure draw a submachine gun on two other people. Does that jog your memory?"

The implication of this reply quickly dawned on the empathic boy. He thought back to the previous day when he was with Blaine, Tatsuo, and Kiyomi. He vividly recounted observing Genji chase two of their male classmates into an alley from the second floor. Of course, Genji had been disguised by Chieko's hooded sweatshirt at the time, so neither he nor any of the others were aware it was him. They were also unable to determine the identities of either of his targets, as the alley was too far from the window of the mayor's office for them to concentrate on the boys' faces. However, he had a strong notion that he was currently speaking to one of them.

"Were you the guy who climbed the wooden fence, or the one who remained in the alley?" he enquired.

"The latter," Kenzou revealed, "The former was Shuuichi. He was part of the first group I was with yesterday. When the group had to split up, he became my sole partner. After I helped him over the barrier in that alley, I never saw him again. I was completely alone from then until early this morning, when I encountered Akina and Fumitaka."

"Why did you get Shuuichi over the barrier in the first place?" enquired Yuuga.

"Well, I'll admit it wasn't because I valued his well-being over mine or anything like that," stated Kenzou, "The actual reason was more complex than that. You see, even though the only thing I had for a weapon is my Taser, Shuuichi was given a handgun. Knowing how infamous he is with firearms, I quickly developed a plan for him to circle around the block, sneak up behind Genji, and shoot him down. Once he was out of the picture, we would both move on together."

Kenzou paused for a couple moments here. Then he sighed in frustration and muttered "As you may recall, that strategy failed miserably. If it hadn't, Shuuichi might still be alive right now, and he and I might still be together. But I'm not saying the failure was his fault entirely. I should share some of the blame because I apparently put too much faith in Shuuichi's reputation in the marksman club."

"What makes you say that?" Yuriye asked curiously

"Well, Shuuichi eventually made it to the other end of the block," Kenzou expounded, "However, when he fired at Genji, all his shots missed him by at least a meter. None of them went anywhere near him. Not a single one. I was flabbergasted by the spectacle. Moreover, I was terrified by the possibility that Genji would soon realize I was alone and without sufficient weapons to match his. Sure enough, when Shuuichi disappeared from around the corner of the block, Genji turned back to me. Right at the exact same moment I stepped out of the alley to make my getaway."

When he paused here for emphasis, Yuriye anxiously remarked "Jesus, how did you even manage to escape?"

"It was a very close call," Kenzou continued, "I managed to retreat unscathed to another alley further down the road. There was an open garage there, and I managed to hide behind a pile of crates. Genji came to the garage only seconds later. Fortunately, he left when he couldn't find me."

Yuriye whistled in astonishment and said cockily "You really are one lucky bastard."

Kenzou scoffed and stated "I suppose I am. Shame I can't say the same about Shuuichi. I don't know how he died or who killed him, but however it happened, he didn't deserve it. While he may have royally screwed up at City Hall, I would have been willing to give him a chance of redemption for his mistake."

Yuuga had been listening to Kenzou as intently as Yuriye had been. As the medic went further into his explanation, Yuuga realized that part of it was poorly interpreted. Specifically the part about the person who fired at Genji from the end of the block.

At this moment, Kenzou turned to Yuuga and queried "Yuuga, are you alright? You're sweating."

The empathic boy gazed off to the side and wondered if he should share his knowledge about the City Hall ambush with Kenzou. Part of him felt it would be wise to disclose the entire truth to him. However, he did not wish for any of his respectable classmates to be remembered exclusively for their failures. He definitely thought of Shuuichi as one of the "respectable" ones. Although the two of them had rarely interacted back at Fujisawa and Shuuichi did spend almost all of his free time around guns, he was recognized as a very diplomatic and tranquil individual. That was how Yuuga planned to remember him.

In the end, Yuuga decided that it would be best if Kenzou remembered him that way as well. He breathed in deeply, let it out slowly, and calmly told him "Kenzou… Shuuichi wasn't the one who fired those shots. I didn't want to tell you this, but it would be an insult to Shuuichi's memory for me to remain silent."

He could tell that he had Kenzou's undivided attention now. The rugby player leaned in closer and insisted "Go on."

"You are right in that Blaine, Kiyomi, Tatsuo, and I witnessed what happened between you and Genji," Yuuga explicated, "However, while Blaine, Kiyomi, and Tatsuo observed all of it from the mayor's office, I didn't have any intention of just watching. So while their attention was diverted towards the window, I slipped out of the room and ran outside through the other side of the building. Then I made my way to the end of the street where you guys were, armed myself with my handgun, and fired several rounds at Genji."

Kenzou was very astonished by this new information. He quietly uttered in amazement "That was you?"

Yuuga lightly nodded his head and confirmed unenthusiastically "Yes, it was. Shuuichi is no more to blame for that mishap than you are."

Yuriye was almost as shocked by this news as Kenzou was. She stepped up to her best friend and demanded angrily "Yuuga, what the hell were you thinking? By putting yourself out in the open and in danger like that, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm well-aware that that may have happened, Yuriye," Yuuga calmly assured his best friend, "Believe me, I did consider it before I left the building. I also balanced the pros and cons of entering into that fray. Ultimately, I decided that it was alright for me to risk my life if there was a chance that I could eliminate a player in the process. I figured that one less player would mean one less threat to the rest of us, including you."

"Well, I'm flattered that you acted out of concern for everyone else's well-being," Yuriye told him, "But before yesterday, you never used a gun in your life. You never held one or saw one up close. How could you have thought it was somehow possible for you to just pick one up and somehow successfully shoot a moving target from over dozens of meters away?"

Yuuga thought about this observation, and quickly realized that it was extremely prudent. He felt as though he had been quite impetuous to have not considered it the previous day. He shrugged and stated "When you put it that way… I suppose that my actions were somewhat hasty and foolish."

"Yes… they were," Kenzou mumbled through gritted teeth. Yuuga was surprised by the tone of his voice. When he turned to face the medic, he immediately discovered that Kenzou was furious and irate. He stated "Based on what you're telling me, your interference was the chief reason my stratagem miscarried. If you hadn't intervened… Shuuichi would have succeeded."

"How can you be so certain of that?" enquired Yuuga, remaining emotionless, "While Shuuichi's experience with firearms was infinitely greater than my own, there was always a chance he could have missed."

"I highly doubt that," Kenzou countered heatedly, "Yesterday morning, our group had a deadly encounter with Goro. He fired on us with a sniper rifle from the building of the insurance skyscraper. He managed to kill one of us before we took cover. I managed to talk Shuuichi into taking the dead boy's rifle and using it against our adversary. He pulled that proposal off almost flawlessly. Goro was over a mile away, and Shuuichi effortlessly put a bullet in his neck."

Kenzou stopped speaking for a moment to give Yuuga and Yuriye time to absorb this information. Then he stated animatedly "So there's my evidence. If Shuuichi could shoot a guy from that distance without breaking a sweat, he could have easily taken out Genji from less than a hundred feet away."

Yuuga blithely shrugged and commented "I'm pleased to know that he really was that proficient with guns. But how is that fact relevant in any fashion to what happened at City Hall?"

"Yuuga, don't you get it?" Kenzou snapped, raising his voice, "If you had just stayed inside the mayor's building, Shuuichi would have eradicated one of the 'threats' you spoke of earlier. Genji would be dead right now. Teru and Kotoyo would still be alive. The flash drive would be in our possession. Hell, we might have even managed to escape the Program by this point! That is what could have happened if you had not gotten in the way."

Up until this point, Yuuga had been as neutral in expression and emotion as ever. But when those last words came out of Kenzou's mouth, his eyes dilated in shock and he leered crossly "Are you saying that it's entirely my fault that the game is still going on?"

"Maybe I am," Kenzou mumbled irritably, "But if it is your fault, then you've got the blood of Teru, Kotoyo, and everyone else who died after that fiasco on your hands."

Yuriye moved over to Kenzou and raised her arm as if she intended to slap him. He calmly turned to her and glared at her, as if he was going to say "Go ahead; I can take it. And it won't alter the truth." Yuriye hesitated for a few seconds, and then she slowly lowered her arm. She sharply pronounced "That is an outrageous accusation, Kenzou. How was Yuuga to know that you and Shuuichi had your own plans to exterminate Genji?"

"She raises a fine point," Yuuga pointed out, "Aside from that, who's to say that you would have ever met up with me and the others if it actually turned out that way? Where do you suppose you would be right now if I just looked the other way? How far would you have gotten? What would you be doing?"

Yuuga's abrupt move to change the subject caught Kenzou off-guard. He had not taken time to consider how the aftermath of the event of City Hall may have turned out if the outcome had been different. The first thing that occurred to his mind was the ominous proposal he had presented to Shuuichi just before the affair with Genji.

While Kenzou was standing in silence, Yuuga noticed some apprehension in his eyes. This and some other facts he had noted earlier on captivated his interest. He raised one of his eyebrows and stated "You know what? I actually want you to answer that last question. What would you be doing presently if Shuuichi managed to kill Genji? You might still be with him, but you would have no idea that the option of escape was available to us. So how would you guys be getting by?"

"What's that to you?" was all Kenzou said.

"A variety of 'intriguing' factors," Yuuga bluntly informed him, "Twice yesterday, you encountered an ambitious player. I noticed that on both occasions, Shuuichi was the one to retaliate, but you were the one who suggested fighting back in the first place. You had Shuuichi endanger himself while you were cowering in shadows."

"He was the gunman, not me!" Kenzou disputed, "It would have only made sense for him to be the one to take action."

"True, but was confronting your enemy actually your only option?" Yuuga questioned.

"Yeah, in either scenario, there was no way we would all have made it out without directly removing our adversary from the equation," Kenzou pointed out.

"You might be able to make that claim for the mess with Goro," Yuuga observed, "After all, I wasn't there so I can neither confirm nor deny anything about that event. But I'm willing to bet you could have somehow found a way to climb over that wooden barrier in that alley. You and Shuuichi might have both made it out of there without facing Genji off."

"Are you kidding?" Kenzou countered, "You should have seen that fence up close. It was at least ten feet tall, it was solid lumber, the top was spiked, and there was nothing on or near it to grab ahold of. It would have been impossible for anybody in our class to climb over it without assistance."

"You can debate that all you want," Yuuga remarked, "But there is one point you can't get around. Why didn't you attempt to relocate Shuuichi after that ordeal ended? You also didn't try regrouping with the other two members of your first group. Why did you even separate from them in the first place? Did you have a similar encounter with another player? Or did you just leave them behind?"

Kenzou nervously looked down at his shoes and muttered "No… that's not the case at all. Instead-"

"You're lying," Yuuga interrupted him sternly, "That just confirms my theory. You didn't rendezvous with anyone from your first group because you saw them as liabilities. I'm willing to wager it was your idea to split up in the first place. Was it?"

Kenzou made no effort to answer at first, but then he slowly nodded his head and uttered "Yes, it was."

"I'm not surprised," Yuuga barked angrily, "Now, let's add that to the fact that you were so eager to obliterate everyone who demonstrated hostile force towards you. As understandable as that may be, I'm astounded you didn't at least try to find a way out that didn't involve more bloodshed. You must have had a strong desire to eliminate anything that may have been an obstacle to your well-being. With that in mind, I'd wager that you would have been willing to expand your hostile approach to more than just the players. I may have blood on my hands, but I'm willing to bet that there's plenty of blood to go around. There'd certainly be enough for you."

Kenzou took note of each of Yuuga's remarks. Much of his reasoning struck him as rash and rushed, but he appeared to be on the right track to discovering the truth. He inquired restlessly "What precisely are you insinuating?"

Yuuga folded his arms and declared "You had plans to play the game, didn't you?"

Kenzou was dreading the possibility that Yuuga would arrive at this conclusion. Primarily because it was correct. He sighed bitterly and stated "Obviously, if I tried to deceive you, my efforts would be in vain. So I'll tell you the truth." He paused a long while here before finishing with "Yes… I did indeed consider playing the game yesterday."

Kenzou could not bear to look either of his classmates in the eye when he said this. However, if he had, he would have seen that neither of them seemed to be especially surprised. Yuriye may have brought herself to understand Kenzou's motivations if he chose to play the game earlier on. While she did not like the concept of Battle Royale in the slightest, she understood that it was possible for even the most benevolent of soles to get lost in its depraved nature.

On his part, Yuuga was merely proud that his theory was correct. He smirked and stated "So, all this talk you've made about eradicating the wolves who are out for us… and it turns out you contemplated the idea of joining their pack."

"Yes, I freely admit I did ponder on that at one point," Kenzou confirmed, "But that was before I discovered that escape was actually possible. Now that I know it is, I have no intention of going down that path again. You have my word on that."

"Is that so?" Yuuga tauntingly remarked, "Well, what if our efforts to escape are somehow compromised? What if Genji destroys the flash drive before we can recover it? What if he doesn't have it on him when we find him? What if the other members of our group start demonstrating tense and uneasy behavior? What if Furutani and the instructors make a move to hinder our progress? What then? Will you think about revisiting that path then?"

Yuriye appeared to be stunned by this allegation. She stepped in and said "Yuuga, how could you say such things? Think of everything Kenzou has already done to benefit us. He acquired the tracking device from Fumitaka and Akina. He went out of his way to help you extract me from that drainage juncture. He bandaged my hand so that my injury wouldn't get infected or bleed out."

"Yes, he did," Yuuga acknowledged, still speaking in a somewhat derogatory tone, "All that would certainly indicate that he believes both of us are useful to him in some way. Let's just hope we don't outlive our purpose. If that happens, I doubt he'd be on our side. After all, why would he want a useless person around?"

Kenzou could tell that Yuuga was genuinely furious about something. After all, these remarks implied that he had an aim to offend him. However, he remained incredulous to all of these scurrilous insults. He scoffed and said "If you're trying to provoke me, Yuuga, you're doing a piss-poor job of it. I can take criticism and invectives. Aside from that, it won't change the fact that this conversation was originally about you and how you majorly goofed up yesterday."

"I may be the one to blame for the fact that Genji is still alive," Yuuga admitted, "But at least I never thought of stooping down to his level. That's more than I can claim about you."

"Whenever you conspire to kill anyone in this game – whether they're friend or foe – you run the risk of dropping as low as the players," Kenzou drily reasoned, "How far you're willing to go determines how close to that level you really get. I may have come close to reaching that level yesterday afternoon, but I've drifted very far away from it since then. As of right now, I'm no closer to it than you and the rest of our group is. After all, I managed to convince all of you that Fumitaka and Akina needed to be eliminated. And as you know full well, we successfully accomplished that task."

"Indeed, we did," Yuuga said frankly. He quickly added in a somewhat spiteful voice "That must make you feel really grand. At the very least, I'll bet you're proud of it."

"Just what the hell are you entailing by that?" Kenzou remarked angrily.

"You can certainly claim that you don't plan to full-out play this game," Yuuga explicated, "But I can tell that you're still getting some type of enjoyment out of it."

"Am I, now?" Kenzou spat back.

"I have reasonable proof to back that hypothesis," Yuuga declared viciously, "For one thing, when you first suggested going after Fumitaka and Akina at the laboratory, you sounded as though you were eagerly looking forward to reenter the hunt. A most peculiar notion, seeing as how you had spent much of the previous two hours fleeing from them. Only this time, you were the predator instead of the prey. Plus, I was there when you neutralized Fumitaka. You explicitly told me that our goal was just to disable him and Akina. But what you did to Fumitaka was torment, plain and simple."

"I just wanted revenge for the hell he put me through earlier today," Kenzou argued tensely, "I had a great desire to make him experience the type of fear and agony I underwent."

"Your pain was mental; his was physical," Yuuga pointed out, "You knew full well what a prolonged shock from a Taser does to the human body. There's no way you couldn't have known that with the background medical knowledge you have. Snce you gradually increased the voltage to your Taser while it was in use, you wanted to progressively raise the level of his anguish. Which organ malfunctioned first? The brain? The heart? The lungs? The nervous system?"

"The liver, actually," Kenzou bluntly answered, "His brain and nervous system followed shortly after. The rest of his internal organs shut down in no particular order after that. His heart collapsed last. Once that happened, his entire body gave out."

"So, you do know exactly what you did," Yuuga observed, "I can understand that you wanted him to suffer, but if there was a line separating humane from inhumane, you almost certainly crossed it. You didn't just kill Fumitaka; you executed him."

"And what if I did?" Kenzou indifferently stated.

"It's quite apparent to me," Yuuga responded, "When you disabled Fumitaka, I happened to look at your face. When I did, I noticed a strange expression across your face. I've only seen one other person radiate that sort of countenance: Maki."

Kenzou was shocked by this revelation. He scowled and stated "Are you calling me a sadist?"

"No, but that would certainly be convenient for you," Yuuga debated, "After all, the emotion you felt at the time could only have been bliss. That can only mean one thing. When you disabled Fumitaka… you enjoyed it. You enjoyed taking another person's life. In fact, you were invigorated by it. So much so, that I'll bet you'd be willing to kill again. For no reason whatsoever."

At that moment, Kenzou finally snapped. He lunged forward, gripped Yuuga by his jacket collar, and slammed him against the wall of the building they had stopped in front of them. Yuriye was startled by this sudden action and reached for her revolver. She did not plan to use it; she just wanted to break up the quarrel between the two boys before it got very ugly.

However, Yuuga merely held up his hand and coolly told her "Don't worry, Yuriye. He just needs a moment to grasp his nature."

Kenzou was outraged by these accusations. He really wanted to shut Yuuga's mouth, but he would not give him the satisfaction of resorting to violence. That would simply prove his point. He craftily thought up another way to turn the argument in his favor again.

He grimaced and stated furiously "Yuuga, did I mishear you? I mean, did those words really just come out of your mouth?"

"Well, I'm very good at recognizing my own voice, so yes; I was the one who spoke," Yuuga apathetically confirmed.

The medic glared the empathic boy in the eye and muttered angrily "You read me and assume I personally relished in Fumitaka's pain. That may be the case. But I would have loved to know what was going through your head when you had your turn."

Yuuga's smug grin quickly faded at this statement. He inquired in confusion "What do you mean 'my turn?'"

"Need I remind you about what you did to Akina before we left the river?" Kenzou spat angrily.

Yuuga shook his head and said bluntly "No, I haven't forgotten. What of it?"

"You shot Akina in her abdomen," Kenzou muttered through gritted teeth, "Not five seconds beforehand, you asked me to specify the exact spot in that region that would inflict the most agony on the victim. You took advantage of my response and used it against Akina without any display of emotion or hesitation."

"What is your point?" Yuuga pressed for indignantly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kenzou asked rhetorically, "Who the fuck are you to accuse me of taking pleasure in other people's misery when you were fully aware of the repercussions being shot in the abdomen would produce?"

"She shot Yuriye in the hand!" Yuuga retorted, "You can't criticize me for wanting to take vengeance for my best friend's pain and suffering!"

"Yuriye's injury was not even fatal," Kenzou enlightened him, "Aside from that, that's no way to justify the atrocity you committed."

"Are you honestly saying my murder wasn't justified?" Yuuga snapped furiously, "But yours was?"

"Perhaps it was," Kenzou muttered, "After all, I'll bet you don't even know how many people you've killed!"

"I do; it's something you and I have in common," Yuuga observed, "We've both killed one person."

"Wrong!" shouted Kenzou heatedly, "You are very wrong indeed. You've killed two people in this game."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yuuga demanded.

"Akina was pregnant!" Kenzou elucidated, "You know how I know that? Her last words were 'our baby would have been beautiful.' She directed them towards Fumitaka."

Initially, Yuuga was taken aback by this news. Then he rolled his eyes and stated "That doesn't strike me as firm evidence that she was carrying a child."

"Actually, Yuuga, he's right," Yuriye spoke out. The two boys turned to the petite girl and watched as she pulled a small slip of paper out of his pocket. She stepped forward, held it out to them, and apprised them "When I searched through the bags for extra supplies and ammunition, I found this on top of Akina's supply pack. It's a pregnancy test, and it's positive."

This disclosure stunned Yuuga greatly. He stared in utter disbelief at the slip of paper in his best friend's hand. It did indeed have a plus sign in its center, and the end of it was damp. This indicated that it must have been used sometime within the past six hours. That could mean only one thing: Akina had been carrying her and Fumitaka's child when she died.

As Yuuga embraced this truth, Kenzou informed him with a note of pride in his voice "If your goal was indeed to make Akina suffer, you more than succeeded. I will admit that I probably went too far when I tortured Fumitaka. But I can safely say that I'm not responsible for the death of a helpless, innocent unborn life."

He paused here to emphasize his point. It had the expected effect on Yuuga; he was totally speechless. Then Kenzou yelled maliciously "So, tell me something, Yuuga. How does it feel, knowing what you've done? How does it feel to be a murderer of infants? How does it feel to have reached a low that no other contestant in a Battle Royale – not even the most bloodthirsty, hardhearted lowlife – has ever reached? How does it feel knowing that you're no better than the players? HOW DOES IT FEEL?"

In all his life, Yuuga had never lost his temper. But he had a limit, just like everyone else. Kenzou had finally pushed him to it. Immediately after that last statement, he thrust his arms towards Kenzou's head and tried to grip him by the throat. However, Kenzou's reflexes were much more adept than Yuuga's. He promptly reacted and seized both of the empathic boy's wrists. This did not stop Yuuga; he raised his foot back and kicked Kenzou as hard as he could in the shin. Kenzou was momentarily distracted by the pain in his leg. Yuuga took advantage of this distraction, broke his right arm free, brought it back, and punched Kenzou in the face. Kenzou staggered for a few seconds, and then he retaliated. He slugged Yuuga in the chest. When Yuuga stumbled backwards, Kenzou grabbed him by the shoulder and punched him in the neck.

Ten seconds later, the two boys were outright brawling. They tried to overpower each other through any means possible. Kenzou was easily the stronger, but Yuuga was well-versed in various methods of concentration. They were both equally determined to deliver some pain, even if that meant knocking the other out.

However, not thirty seconds into the fight, they heard a gun discharge. This impelled both of them to stop. They turned to the source and realized it was Yuriye. She was holding Akina's revolver directly upwards, and it was smoking at the barrel. She had not fired at either of the boys; she had only fired a warning shot to get them to break up their scuffle.

Once she had their attention, she lowered the revolver and muttered impatiently "Guys, come to your senses! We don't have time for this bullshit. You told me that our enemy is Genji, not each other. Think about what you're doing. You told me that escape is possible if we cooperate with more of our classmates. How do you expect me to believe that we can trust our other allies when you two are capable of beginning a fight over nothing?"

Although Kenzou and Yuuga were very furious with each other and still felt a bit of an urge to continue fighting, they could not deny that Yuriye's words contained plenty of sound reasoning. She had spoken very eruditely to them, and she was definitely making much more sense than either of them were. Clearly, she was the most levelheaded and clear minded of the three of them at this time. Despite the feelings of resentment they felt towards each other, they managed to pull themselves apart and regain their composure from before.

"Now, before we go on, we should establish something," Yuriye announced, "So long as you had just cause to do so, I don't care how many people you guys have killed. Quite frankly, you shouldn't care either. Fumitaka and Akina may or may not have deserved their fates. But they killed Tomoe, and for that, I'm grateful that you eliminated them. I don't regard what either of you did as murder, even though they both died in misery and we've confirmed that Akina had another life inside of her. All the same, we shouldn't worry ourselves with them any longer. If you continue to debate the morality of your actions, you will have allowed them to conquer you even in death. So please, let's just put this whole ordeal behind us and move on. Fumitaka, Akina, and their baby are gone, and nothing will ever change that."

Again, Yuriye presented an extremely valid and meaningful argument. Kenzou and Yuuga found themselves agreeing with just about every one of her points. They soon turned to face each other and stared in silence.

Eventually, Kenzou broke it by saying "She's absolutely right. What the hell were we thinking, squabbling over something that's in the past? How could we allow ourselves to resort to such barbaric impulses?"

"I guess we're letting the tension get to us somehow," Yuuga theorized, "We've been awake for more than a day, we've barely eaten anything, and we've been frequently on the move. I suppose the combination of sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and constant physical exertion is taking its toll on us."

"Speaking as a person who knows full well what sort of damage those three concepts can inflict on a person, I'm inclined to agree," Kenzou perceived, "They can be devastating enough on their own. Altogether… I don't even want to think about what could happen."

"I'd advise us to just keep moving," Yuriye proposed, "Once we're at the laboratory, we should be able to recuperate for a while. Maybe then you guys can explain all this stuff about a flash drive to me, as well."

"Oh, certainly, Yuriye," Kenzou granted her, "Once we're at the laboratory, we'll enlighten you on everything that's going on."

The medic had dropped Fumitaka's rifle and the tracking device when the seized Yuuga by his shirt collar. He leaned down, picked them up, and held onto them firmly. Then he proclaimed "We're not that far from the laboratory anyway. If we pick up our speed a modicum, we could be there within the next fifteen minutes."

"Then let's march on," Yuriye decided, "I'd recommend alacrity. Somebody may have heard that gunshot I just fired. We shouldn't stick around to find out."

The rugby player, the cheerleader, and the stoic resumed heading towards the laboratory. They gradually quickened their pace to make up for lost time. Like before, they barely spoke to each other. Not that they would have had much to talk about anyway.

Just before they arrived at the northern border of G-6, Yuuga wanted to say something. He stopped the others and tentatively told them "Guys, if it's all the same to you… I would prefer it if we didn't mention anything about what happened back there to the others."

"Don't worry; you'll get no argument from me on that," Kenzou assured him.

"Me either," Yuriye concurred, "The others probably have enough on their minds without having to worry about conflict arising within the group."

"My thoughts exactly," said Yuuga.

"It's actually somewhat amazing, isn't it?" Kenzou remarked, "For the past forty minutes before we stopped, we were being quieter than Hatsue Yoshimatsu and nothing got out of control. Yet the first time we open our mouths, we wind up on the verge of turning against each other. Over something that should already have been resolved, no less!"

Yuriye chuckled and commented "Yeah, that certainly is remarkable. I suppose crazy things are just bound to come about in these crazy times."

"We've already verified that our troubles are far from over," Yuuga recounted, "Even with that in mind, I hope that we can have a break from them for a while. After everything we just went through, I would say that right now would be an ideal time for that break to come about."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer, Yuuga," Kenzou grimly told his associate.

Yuuga turned to his companion and queried in perplexity "Why do you say that, Kenzou?"

"We just arrived in G-5, but the tracking device isn't picking up any signals other than ours," Kenzou notified him.

"What?" Yuriye uttered quietly. "But the laboratory's in this area. That can't be right!"

"See for yourself," Kenzou dismally remarked, holding out the tracking device for her and Yuuga to see. Sure enough, it was only registering three dots. All of them were on the bottom of the screen, which in real life was the southern border of G-5. Kenzou sighed and said "Looks as though there's nobody else in this zone. That could mean that the others have bolted or left us behind. If so, that means we're on our own."

He paused for a moment, and then he sighed and stated "It's like the mishaps from my first group are happening all over again with this group."

Kenzou and Yuriye appeared to be profusely disappointed by the implication that Gakuto, Toshirou, and Chiaki may have been gone. Yuuga, however, was not so quick to jump to that same conclusion. He thought aloud "That's not necessarily true. Maybe they really are still there, and the tracking device is simply playing tricks on us."

"What would compel you to arrive at that conclusion?" requested Yuriye.

"I'm just saying that there could be something we're overlooking," Yuuga expounded, "I mean, Gakuto did say that the foundation is the project of Dr. Junichi Honda himself. According to him, Dr. Honda is a very resourceful and independent entrepreneur. Maybe there's something in its layout that's interfering with the tracking device."

"That's a lot of supposition…" Kenzou noted, "But right now, I'm willing to consider anything, as long as it gets us somewhere."

"Then let's head to the laboratory and knock on the front door," suggested Yuriye, "If it opens for us, we'll be able to determine whether or not the tracking device is deceiving us."

"Very well," Kenzou agreed.

"Aye," said Yuuga.

Thus, the three classmates cautiously advanced toward the most secure foundation in the whole of the city. They hoped it was not abandoned. Of course, even if it was, in the long run there was no official guarantee that they would be any safer in the laboratory than they would be anywhere else in the city. Nor was there any assurance that the atmosphere in that building would be any more pleasant than that of the situation they had just been in.

…

Death Row and Battle Royale. Suppose you were to compare and contrast these two entities. They are much more alike than one might believe them to be at first glance. The following description could be used authentically to summarize both of them:

If you were sent there, it was not by accident. It was because the government has determined that you belong there. You should do away with the idea of hoping that they may reverse that decision. As long as you are there, you will struggle consistently to cling onto your life. Your time here will be spent in fear and despair, and your last moments will be overcome with remorse and heartbreak. Regardless of how strong your desire to stay alive may be, it will not be enough to keep you alive. This is because you are not in control of anything, including your own fate. It can come around at any time, and when it does, resisting it or attempting to prolong it would be futile.

In almost all cases, this mentality would be a positively accurate interpretation of Death Row and Battle Royale. However, every now and then, a prisoner on Death Row may be released if he is somehow proven innocent. Perhaps new evidence clearing his name turned up, or his alibi was verified by a source who did not come forward during his first trial. At any rate, it is possible for a condemned man to be exonerated before his sentence is carried out. In a similar manner, there is usually one person who survives each Battle Royale. No one ever comes out of the game without sustaining some notable damage, but the instructors go to great length to keep the last contestant standing alive. The only exceptions to that policy would be if the winner had some "undesirable" quality about his or her persona. If he or she does not, then he or she is allowed to reenter society after claiming victory.

If Death Row and Battle Royale were to be regarded as diseases, both of them would have a mortality rate of over 90 percent. The few individuals who did not succumb to them could be deemed "immune" to their ultimate outcome. However, the side effects would still have an enduring impact on the survivors for as long as they lived.

While Death Row and Battle Royale are two of the deadliest ways to spell "doom" for people, they still have a plethora of distinguishing features.

There was location, for instance. Death Row is typically in a special, tightly secured section of a penitentiary. Sometimes it is in another facility entirely; one privately run and owned by federal officers. The setting of Battle Royale is ever-changing; it is never in a locale that was used once before.

The victims of Death Row are convicted felons who have committed capital crimes against their fellow citizens or their country. The victims of Battle Royale are random schoolchildren, most of which had never broken the law in their lives. And even if they had, the likelihood that their misdemeanors would be serious enough to wind them up in Death Row was very insignificant.

There is also a considerable dissimilarity in the amount of time one would spend in either situation. The typical inmate on Death Row is held there for over a decade before he is put down. The contestants in Battle Royale only remain alive for as long as the game does not end. On average, the Program lasts about two or three days, and never in its history had it gone on longer than a week.

The most striking difference is the matter of the person who carries out the sentence. In Death Row, one of the prison's security guards is expected to perform this task. If none of them volunteer, the captain of the guard will assume the responsibility. Regardless of who flicks the switch to the electric chair, pulls the lever to the gallows, administers the injection to the syringe, or activates the valves to the gas chamber, the man who does it is also one of the men who was assigned to watch over and monitor the victim in the time leading up to his execution. In a way, he may have been the closest thing the prisoner had to a friend while he was awaiting his fate.

The circumstances in Battle Royale are radically disparate. The instructors utilize some highly immoral and controversial methods to coerce the participants into fighting each other. Like the security guards on Death Row, they and the soldiers are primarily there to maintain order and supervise the ongoing activities of their charges. However, they are not the actual executioners. By pitting the students of the selected class against each other in this hazardous struggle for survival, the instructors and soldiers effectively wipe their hands clean of this burden and force it upon the contestants instead.

Essentially, if you landed in the Program, you would have to keep in mind that any one of your peers – even your closest friends and trusted allies – could become your executioner at any time! This is why the most gullible people in the class are customarily among the first to fall. Their eager willingness to retain too much trust in their peers could leave them overconfident and vulnerable, as well as an easy target. The wiser members of the class allow themselves to be much more questioning and skeptical about everyone else. Some of them may choose to collaborate with a handful of others while remaining observant of their behavior at the same time. They could also try holding out on their own, but they would have to rely on themselves for everything they would need to stay alive. In a scenario like the Program, such a burden could produce far too much pressure and stress for one mind to bear alone. That is why many of the participants attempt to earn at least one ally for the duration of the game. Although they could have been as cautious and as suspicious as they wished, being wary would still not be enough to ascertain the ultimate state of their well-being. The worst part of the whole affair is that there is no definite way for them to determine whether or not one of their companions is secretly conspiring against them. And if they actually are, there would be no telling how or when the betrayal would occur. In fact, there was even a possibility that the backstabber may choose to double-cross the others and then lash out at them only moments after making this decision!

The dispute that arose between Kenzou and Yuuga could certainly be presented as credible evidence to validate this contention. Before Yuriye had inquired as to how they came to cooperate with Gakuto and Toshirou, the emphatic boy and the medic had functioned amicably together. But once Yuuga enlightened Kenzou of his involvement in the ambush outside of City Hall, their conversation rapidly developed into a heated argument over each other's honor. This ultimately led to their scuffle. Had Yuriye not chosen to intervene, they would have continued to fight. It would only have gotten rougher as it went on. It may have even resulted in a fatality. Neither of the boys had really considered killing the other during their fight, but if it went on long enough and became violent enough, it was certainly possible for it to have ended in bloodshed.

Needless to say, the two boys were still greatly on edge. Then again, everyone else was as well to some degree. This included the individuals who were aware that the option of escape could be made available to them. The number of potential "executioners" had greatly reduced since the start of the game, but it was still large enough that the threat of danger loomed everywhere around the survivors.

This prospect could have been one of the factors that had driven Kenzou and Yuuga into quarreling with each other. Perhaps on a subconscious level, all the tension and anxiety of the game really was putting a strain on their ability to comprehend and accept certain details about current events whilst retaining the capacity to use sound judgment. That would definitely be a rational way to explain how they had gone from being at each other's sides to being at each other's throats so suddenly.

The most ironic aspect of this event is that before it had taken place, Kenzou and Yuuga had had a respectable opinion of each other. While they still managed to maintain something of one even now, it had not been enough to prevent them from their round of bickering and clashing in the first place.

With this in mind, imagine how volatile such a partnership would have been in the Program if the two people involved in it were not even very fond of each other to begin with. Initially, one may predict that their bond would dissolve within an hour after its inception. Even if they managed to stay together after that, they would most likely continue to run the risk of turning against each other at any time. For example, take the partnership between the two deadliest students of Class 3-A. It had been over two hours since Genji Nishihara (Boy #14) and Eiko Hirakawa (Girl #17) had officially teamed up, and while they were still collaborating, their relationship was anything but affectionate. After all, they were not travelling together, one of them was constantly spying on the other, and their only method of communication was in the form of a pair of walkie-talkies. That last aspect especially had notable deterrents; Eiko had not heard back from Genji since he had recounted his murder of Chieko to her. She thought about checking in with him several times, but some part of her was impelled to believe that that would be a huge mistake. Eiko did not want to risk incurring Genji's wrath any further by contacting him while he was still unwilling to speak to her.

So apparently, they were not even on speaking terms for the present. Eiko hoped that would change soon. For the past hour, she had been surrounded on all sides by eerie silence, and it was making her feel more uncomfortable than the sound of a scream or a gunshot ever would. Already she had been through three whole zones, and Genji had not uttered a word to her. While it was possible that he simply had nothing of significance to report, it was also possible that he was choosing to withhold information from her. Eiko dreaded the likelihood of the latter. Although her companionship with Genji was not entirely stable, just having it made her feel as though she had an advantage over everyone else. If it turned out he was no longer helping her and this advantage was not as beneficial as she originally believed, she would essentially be no better off than any of the other survivors.

At one point, Eiko began to speculate that Genji was probably remaining silent as a way to rebuke her for so contemptibly affronting him earlier on. That was the only rational explanation she could conceive under the present circumstances. Before today, she had never regarded Genji as one to hold a grudge or take serious offense to criticism. Then again, she had never believed him capable of being involved in illegal arms dealing. Nor would she have suspected he had been masking his true persona from her and their classmates ever since the first day of junior high. By confronting all these new revelations at the same time, she gathered that her affiliate was absolutely nothing like the boy who had been Class President back home. In actuality, she was dealing with a very different person. The only thing she felt she could confidently conclude about this person was that he was very impulsive and unpredictable.

This deduction was proven true when Eiko approached the northern border of D-8. At this time, she had just start theorizing that Genji had actually abandoned her. A couple moments later, her walkie-talkie emanated a faint distorted sound, which meant the communications line was open. This was followed immediately after by Genji saying "Eiko, turn around."

This sudden interruption took Eiko quite by surprise. She noticed straightway that there was a note of urgency in Genji's voice, his statement was short and somewhat vague, and it sounded more like a command than a phrase. But the alarming, cryptic, demanding nature of it did not especially matter to Eiko. She was just happy Genji had finally contacted her again. It was a sign that their partnership had not been dissolved.

She held her walkie-talkie up to her mouth and asked in perplexity "Is something wrong, Genji? Why do you want me to turn around?"

"C-8 is set to become a danger zone in less than five minutes," he promptly informed her, "If you continue on your current path, you'll walk right into it just before that happens. I don't know how long it would take our collars to react after entering one of the forbidden areas, but yours will definitely go off unless you redirect your route. So please, turn around and go back the way you came."

This was more than sufficient reasoning to convince Eiko that it would be ideal to follow Genji's recommendation. She swiftly turned on her heels and began marching back to the south. As she advanced further in that direction, she stated into her walkie-talkie "Thanks for the warning."

"Hey, don't mention it," he casually remarked, "After all, it wouldn't do either of us any good if your collar detonated. I mean, imagine how embarrassing it would be if the audiences all over the country witnessed you blindly walk into a totally avoidable death trap. That would probably make for the most pointless and unnecessary death in the Program's entire history. Aside from that, I… I'd hate for any needless harm to come to you."

"Well, I'm relieved to hear you say that," Eiko commented, "In fact, I'm relieved to hear you say anything at all. It's been like an hour since we last conversed. I was beginning to think that you either chose to take a vow of silence or were still somewhat furious with me for what I said near the end of our previous discussion."

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," he informed her, "Trust me, I've gotten over that. I'm actually amazed I could lost my temper like that. I suppose it was mostly just the implication of the insult rather than the insult itself that got to me. At any rate, I'm not holding it against you any longer."

"But you were at some point, right?" she presumed.

"Yeah, I was for about the first fifteen minutes following our conversation," Genji verified her notion, "I honestly felt like shutting you out entirely at that time. But by the time those fifteen minutes had elapsed, I managed to cool down and dismiss any lingering feeling of resentment I had towards you."

"That's good to know," Eiko observed, "But it still doesn't explain why you continued to be silent for remaining forty-five minutes since we last spoke."

"I just didn't notice anything that I felt was worth mentioning," he explicated, "If I chose to report to you every single thing that looked even remotely suspicious, I figured you'd get irritated after a while. Plus, I aim to conserve the walkie-talkies. I don't wish to waste their batteries too quickly."

"That seems perfectly logical," Eiko proclaimed, "However, I'd still like to know; is there anyone else in close proximity to my whereabouts? I feel a strong need to ask that anyway."

"Well technically, yes," Genji apprised her, "There's a mansion in B-8 less than two miles north of you. When I first spotted it a couple hours ago, I noticed that one of the front doors had been totally demolished, as if someone had forced their way inside. Just a moment ago, I gazed over there again and thought I saw some movement. Right now, there appears to be somebody stepping out through that same entrance."

"Who is it?" Eiko curiously enquired "Can you tell?"

"Hold on; let me focus," he bade her, "I'll get back to you in a minute."

Eiko patiently waited for Genji's response, and sure enough it came about a minute later: "I can't make out the face very well, but the hair and the uniform both suggest it's a girl. Based on her movements, I'm compelled to say it's Riyeko."

"How come?" Eiko asked in interest.

"Riyeko has very distinctive posture," Genji expounded, "A lot of people do different things when they walk. Some swing their arms. Some frequently quicken and reduce their pace. Some just pause and continue immediately after. I've known Riyeko to do all those things at random intervals. In the time since the girl from the mansion has stepped outside, she's done all those actions. So I'm convinced; it must be her."

"Certainly sounds like her," Eiko commented, "Where's she going now?"

"She's heading to the west," Genji replied, "It's a little difficult to keep up with her. For someone who spent so much time on a stage, she's rather quick. Wait… now she appears to be stopping. Interesting how she appears to be surveying the area around her. Maybe… Oh, God. This is too rich! I think she's actually behaving as though she was in a spy thrillers, or one of those old war movies. Imagine that; she must view the Program as just another one of her roles."

"That's the thing about Riyeko," Eiko humorously observed, "Of the three people in our class who were inducted into Fujisawa's theatre troupe, she probably showed the most gumption. Sure, Tsukasa was the head of the drama club, and Teru's acting talent came as naturally to him as swallowing, but Riyeko is the one who always lived life as if she was delivering a performance for every waking moment of every day."

"That's a rather keen observation," Genji concurred. There was a brief period of silence, and then he stated "I guess that regardless of where she's going, Riyeko won't be a problem for either of us. At least for the present, that is. I mean, you've got an entire danger zone separating her from you, and she's even further away from me. In addition to that, she's not the one who killed Ichiko."

"I was already fairly certain of that," Eiko bluntly announced, "Although Ichiko was never one to pick a fight and Riyeko could be very spontaneous at times, I feel confident that she could have taken her on easily enough on her own. Though I wonder what she's going through right now."

"What do you mean?" inquired Genji.

"Teru was included in the obituary for yesterday's evening announcement," Eiko illuminated, "It's been eleven hours since then. I can only imagine how his demise must have seriously impacted Riyeko, given how the two of them were so… cozy together."

"If I were to venture I guess, I would say that she's not taking his death that well, but she's probably able to cope with it somehow," Genji hypothesized, "Or it could be possible that she's out to avenge his death somehow."

"A motivation I would strongly relate to and sympathize with," Eiko speculated, "Regardless of what her objectives are, I'll bet she'll be pretty pissed if she ever finds out you're the one who killed Teru."

Genji scoffed a bit and said "I suppose you're right. But how would she ever find out?"

"No idea," Eiko told him in response, "However, it's still a distinct possibility that the news can ultimately reach her ears. Based on everything I've witnessed so far, information seems to spread throughout this city very rapidly, even when it's nearly deserted."

"Speaking from my own experiences, I would have to agree with you," Genji remarked, "There's a plethora of knowledge to go around in this arena."

There was another short interval of silence. Eiko broke it when she requested "Say, Genji, while we're on the subject of information, would you mind if I ask you a few more questions?"

"Alright; as long as they're not about my location," he responded.

"Relax, I've given up on trying to determine that," she assured him. She paused for a moment, and then she added in cheekily "Probably because I've pretty much figured it out on my own already."

"Oh, really?" Genji sardonically remarked, "Then tell me; where am I?"

"The astronomy tower," she replied straightforwardly.

Genji neither confirmed nor denied this statement straightaway. He was somewhat stunned by the firmness and conviction in Eiko's voice. After a prolonged pause, he queried "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"It's actually quite obvious when you think about it," Eiko unflappably elucidated, "When I first arrived at the payphone, you advised me to head east. Since you've been so intent on keeping us split, I doubt you would have recommended that if you were off to the east. Also, the paths north and west of the payphone led directly into danger zones. That suggested you must have been somewhere south of me. In order to keep constant surveillance of me and the surrounding area, you would have to be on higher ground in another zone. That would indicate that you're in a stationary position. When you apprised me of Riyeko's whereabouts, you hinted that you're still in that same spot in that same zone and you're able to see for miles in any direction from there. That in turn implies that you're in a building that's at least ten stories tall. According to the map's key, there are only two buildings of that size: the insurance skyscraper and the astronomy tower. You'd probably get a view of the entire city from the roof of the insurance skyscraper. However, it's more than six miles away from where I am. There's no way in hell you'd be able to spot me from that distance, especially when it's this dark out. Subsequently, I inferred that you must be in the astronomy tower. After all, I'm certain you'd find plenty of useful equipment that could help you monitor activities in the distance from there."

There was a rather long, awkward pause after Eiko finished explaining her reasoning. Finally, she said "Well, does my logic make sense here?"

"Truthfully, it does," Genji admitted, letting out a sigh, "You are correct, Eiko; I am in the astronomy tower. To be precise, I'm in the observatory on the top floor. I'm sitting out on one of the balconies right now. Got a rather marvelous view of much of the city from here. Best part is that I have the ability to zoom in on that view. You see, I'm using a telescope with a special attachment to keep track of all the nearby activity. It's been fitted with an infrared lens that can detect live bodies by registering the heat they produce. That's how I'm able to keep track of everything in the dark."

"That certainly sounds like a handy contraption," Eiko observed, "Have you been able to determine the range of that particular telescope? Do the heat sources get weaker as they move further away? Is it capable of uncovering people inside buildings as accurately as ones outside of them?"

"Slow down, Eiko," Genji amusingly commented, "I'll go ahead and say that the answer is 'yes' to each of those questions. The lens can locate a warm body within at least five miles. I'm managed to locate every single one of the soldiers standing guard along the city limits, as well as the soldiers with Furutani at the school."

"How many are there?" Eiko inquired.

"I'm not sure; every time I try counting them, I keep losing track," Genji answered, "There has to be at least 150 along the perimeter of the city. As for the ones with Furutani, I'd say somewhere between two and three dozen. Maybe four. A lot of them are grouped close together in a couple particular rooms, so it's hard to say for certain."

"Oh, well; I suppose their exact number isn't that important anyway," Eiko thought aloud, "Can you tell how many amongst our own are still around?"

"Yeah, I overviewed the city about twenty minutes ago," he expanded, "There were twenty-three of us as of midnight. However, I was only able to pick up a total of seventeen heat signals throughout the city, including yours. Adding myself, I would make eighteen, but there's still five others unaccounted for."

"Looks as though the rest of the class has been busy," Eiko declared irreverently, "Neither you nor I have killed anyone today yet, but some of our classmates may be just as eager to continue increasing the kill count as we are."

"I certainly have no qualms with them doing our dirty work for us," Genji flatly stated, "However, since it's after five o'clock, the sun should be rising in under an hour. Once it's up, I won't be able to keep using the infrared attachment. I'll have to resort to using the telescope the old-fashioned way."

"As long as you'll still be able to keep tabs on everyone in close proximity to us, I'm content with that," Eiko notified him, "By the way, is the attachment capable of picking up bodies that are dead, but were alive recently?"

"It doesn't appear that way," Genji informed her, "Maybe if I adjusted the wavelength of the lens I could pinpoint the remains of somebody who was killed not long ago. But I have no idea how to recalibrate it in that manner, so I suppose that's out of the question. Though tell me; why would you want to locate a corpse anyway?"

"Well…" Eiko tentatively began. She chose her words carefully before she went on: "I already know when Ichiko died, how she died, and you'll eventually tell me who was responsible for her death. However, I still don't know where she died. For some reason, I feel that if I remain oblivious of this piece of info, I can't really feel closure about her departure from my life."

"I totally respect that," Genji enlightened her, "However, I wouldn't need a telescope to locate Ichiko. Don't forget I discovered her body yesterday morning. Just so you know, she can be found in the center of G-8."

"Okay, thanks for telling me," Eiko told him gratefully.

"Are you going to visit her remains?" Genji queried.

"As much as I'd like to, I don't have plans to," she replied.

"Why not?" he asked in mild confusion.

"Well, I figured she's been dead for an entire day," Eiko pointed out, "Her body has probably begun to rot already. Rigor mortis has set in, her complexion has started turning pale, and she has a large butcher's tool conspicuously wedged in the side of her face. Just visualizing that as her current appearance makes me feel profusely uncomfortable. I don't want to remember Ichiko that way. I want my last memory of her to be a positive one."

"Now that's a sentiment I can fully understand," Genji told her, "When you really care for someone, you should continue having a respectable opinion of them even after they are gone. As of right now, what is your last memory of Ichiko?"

"Right before we arrived here, when we sat together on the bus for the class trip," Eiko informed him, "That was the last happy memory I have of her."

"That's probably the last happy memory all of us have of anything," Genji theorized, "After all, even though we were intrinsically condemned the moment we boarded that bus, it was our last taste of sweet, sweet freedom before we wound up in this dump."

"Quite true," Eiko coincided, "I, however, fully intend to make more happy memories. Memories of happy days that have not yet gone by. While I am saddened by the fact that Ichiko won't be part of those memories, they're still something for me to look forward to beyond this game."

"I can appreciate that mentality," Genji disclosed, "The concept of life going on after the Program is something that at least one of our number will be able to look forward to. Granted, life will never really be the same as it was before we arrived here. But even so, I would prefer it if I was one of the individuals who got to experience in it."

"You and me both," Eiko commented drily, "Hopefully, as long as Furutani does not move to rescind the new rule and we continue giving each other aid, that may actually happen. Of course, any one of a number of things could go wrong along the way. One of the other contestants may be armed with a particularly lethal weapon, like an Uzi. Several of them may have banded together in effort to eliminate everyone else more quickly. If I were to encounter either, there's a huge possibility that I wouldn't come out alive. In fact, even you aren't entirely safe. Not only because F-7 could become a danger zone in a future announcement, but also because someone could sneak into the astronomy tower and catch you unawares."

"Oh, that's nothing for me to worry about," Genji asserted, "I locked the front door after I got inside, and I made certain that all the other entrances were tightly sealed as well. And even if somebody did get inside, it would be impossible for them to access the observatory without me noticing. So I'm content with my current accommodations."

"That's all fine and well for you," Eiko observed, "But I'm out in the open and on the move. While I can come to rely on you to relay everyone else's whereabouts to me, they may prove to be insufficient in the long run."

"Relax, I have some useful stratagems in mind," Genji told her, "There are three things you can use to your advantage. Firstly, you have the option to feign innocence."

"How so?" Eiko inquired.

"The way I see it, around half of the remaining survivors know that I'm a killer," Genji explicated, "That's chiefly due to recklessness and overconfidence on my part. However, you were prudent and fortunate enough not to leave any witnesses around when you committed each of your murders. So nobody will suspect you as a player if you approached them peacefully. Once you got in close enough, you could draw your firearms on them and eliminate them at point-blank range."

"That sounds like an ingenious proposal," Eiko remarked, "I suppose I could try it out if I encounter another person soon. I bet they wouldn't even see me coming. Anyway, if that's just my first advantage, what would the other two be?"

"Your second plus is my position relative to the rest of the city, as well as the resources I have at my disposal," Genji informed her, "You see, there's another attachment I can apply to my telescope. It's one of those laser-beam sights; the type used often by non-military snipers. If nobody believes your 'innocent' routine, I can attach the sight and aim it at whomever you encounter. That way, you'd be able to force them to pick one of three options: surrender, retreat, or be gunned down by an unseen accomplice of yours."

"That's really smart thinking," Eiko noted, "I guess you and I would pretty much have anyone at our mercy with that kind of approach"

"Maybe," Genji acknowledged, "But it's helpful to have a backup strategy just in case that method backfires. That brings me to your third advantage. If your opponents don't buy your 'ignorance' spectacle or the idea that you have a sniper watching your back, you can use the flash drive I gave you to get yourself out of that situation."

"Is that so?" Eiko stated attentively, "What could possibly be on the flash that could be that useful?"

"A modified disruption code," Genji expounded, "It's similar to the one we had to write for our computer class. It actually started out as one of those, but it's been rewritten so that its primary function is to wipe out security mainframes instead of crash websites."

"How exactly did you come to acquire it?" she asked inquisitively.

"It belonged to Teru originally," he illuminated, "Shortly after I stumbled across your handiwork at the gas station, he entered the scene. I had kept the whip from my encounter with Hitoshi. While Teru's back was turned, I snuck up on him and wrapped it around his neck. He tried talking me out of garroting him by claiming he had worked out a plan of escape. When I asked for specifics, he mentioned that he was going to disable the school by using his disruption code against it. While he seemed genuinely confident in the success of his plan, I wouldn't allow it. So I finished garroting him and took his flash drive so that nobody else would get the idea to use it."

"I actually approve of that action," Eiko admitted, "I mean, if we were to escape this game – which I have no intention of doing – our loved ones would suffer the repercussions, especially if we managed to avoid capture by the government. My father and mother would lose their business, and they might even get sent to prison as a result. As domineering as my parents may be, I'd never forgive myself if I did that to them."

"That's the exact same rationalization I gave Teru for why his plan was flawed," Genji recalled, "I'm glad you have that view as well. You seem to be the only one who's thinking as practically as me. Unfortunately, Yuuga, Chiaki, and at least five others seem to be incapable of appreciating that reasoning. They're desperate to recover the flash drive, so now they're after me because of it. That's part of why I gave it to you. The flash drive would probably be a lot safer in your possession."

"If you're so concerned about the others acquiring this device, why didn't you just destroy it?" Eiko inquired.

"I considered that at first," Genji informed her, "However, after the event at the hotel, I realized that as long as I had the flash drive, I would have everyone else wrapped around my finger. They're probably willing to do anything to retrieve it. So while they're preoccupied with hunting me down, you'd be able to continue functioning under their notice and keep the flash drive safe. And just in case you run into some real big trouble, you may be able to use the flash drive as a bargaining chip."

"A bargaining chip?" Eiko enquired in intrigue, "How would I accomplish that?"

"You could call it leverage," Genji explained, "As far as I know, that flash drive is the only source of hope anyone in this class has for escape. That's their most exploitable weakness. So my assessment is that if you were to become overwhelmed or pinned down, you would be able to get out of it by giving your assailants the flash drive in exchange for letting you go on your way unharmed."

"Now that's a particularly clever scheme," Eiko remarked, "But there's something I don't quite understand. You've already made it quite clear that you're absolutely against the idea of anyone leaving this game before it can end the traditional way. The flash drive is perhaps the only thing that would make that possible. You seem so hard-set on keeping everyone in this city, yet you're willing for me to give them the option of escape just to ensure my well-being. Why is that?"

Genji did not respond straightaway. In fact, he was not prepared for this question at all. It was part of a subject he had been hoping to wait until further on to discuss. Ideally, he would have preferred to bring it up when there were fewer than a dozen contestants left. Now that Eiko had addressed it, he realized that he would have to go into explicit detail. He sighed deeply and told her "For starters, I figured that you might need leverage more than me. Also… there's no official guarantee that whoever has the disruption code will actually know how to use it against the school. That might give us an opportunity to swipe it back later on. Even if we don't, at least you'll be out of harm's way. That's the most important part of it all."

Eiko was somewhat surprised by this last statement. She scoffed lightly and said cheekily "So, you're saying you have a soft spot for me?"

"A few hours ago, I would have given a flat-out 'NO' in response to that question," he responded, "I've had plenty of time to reevaluate my stance on that position since then. I've realized that you and I have a lot more in common than I originally believed. We both live a very private, controlled person life. Both our fathers are heads of successful large-scale businesses. We both have our future set for us by our fathers. Above all, you and I have a strong will to survive; probably stronger than that of anyone else in this class. All those similarities got me thinking… you and I actually make an excellent pair."

Once more, Eiko was stunned by Genji's explanation. After she had a chance to grasp everything he said, she presumed "So basically, you're saying that your reasons for choosing me as your partner weren't entirely related to this game?"

"At the time, they probably were," Genji conjectured, "Right now, I suppose there is something else there. That must seem hilarious; the underground criminal falling for the heiress. Almost sounds like something out of a fairy tale, or one of those 1930s romantic comedies."

"Minus the comedic factor, of course," Eiko wryly pointed out, "Though I must say, I'm rather amazed by this. In the past three hours, you've gone from threatening me to testing me to guiding me to flirting with me. You're even more impulsive and unpredictable than I thought."

"I guess I am," Genji confessed, "I know I said that we're not an item, but that doesn't mean we can't be. However, I'd like to know; is my affection one-sided? You probably have more reason to harbor feelings of ill-will towards me than vice versa. I certainly don't expect you to forgive me for deserting you at the fire department or withholding the identity of Ichiko's killer from you."

"Oh, relax," Eiko told him calmly, "You've assured me that you will ultimately reveal that bit of information to me, and I'm inclined to believe you wouldn't deceive me about that. I also suppose I should be grateful you didn't kill me yourself when I first woke up at the fire department. You certainly would have had justifiable cause to do so when you view that situation in perspective. If anything, I should be asking you for forgiveness. I mean, when I first slunk up behind you last night and aimed my revolver at your head… I had no intention of making the same offer you gave me. I really would have killed you after I was certain you weren't wearing bulletproof clothing."

"Well, all that matters is that it didn't occur that way," Genji opined, "When all this is over, maybe you and I can sit down and have a long discussion about how we'll live life back in Fujisawa. I'm sure that my father will do whatever he can to help me cope with the aftermath of this game, and your parents will likely do the same for you. However, regardless of how much support and counsel they give us, none of them will really be able to empathize with us. After all, they haven't been through this hell; only we have. The way I see it, the only person who can truly understand us back home is each other."

Eiko took some time to process everything Genji said. His deductive reasoning made as much sense to her as everything else he had told her ever since they had formed their partnership. After carefully going over his short speech, she responded serenely with "You know what, Genji? I think I just might take you up on that arrangement. Back home, I did admire you for your leadership skills as Class President. While you may have been Dr. Jekyll at school and Mr. Hyde everywhere else, I can tell that you're still a very accomplished individual. Though tell me; would you expect me to get involved in your father's munitions empire?"

"Oh, no; by no means would you have to," Genji responded hastily, "However, if you wanted to, I could probably convince him to let you into our inner circle. I'm certain you have sufficient qualifications to earn that privilege."

"How do you figure?" Eiko asked, paying acute attention to him.

"If our conversation back at the fire department is any indication, you've learned plenty about accounting, finance, and management from your parents," Genji elucidated, "You're clearly well-versed in all the details and contracts that are needed to make a business legitimate. My father has plenty of advisors with similar knowledge, but you have one particular pro over all of them."

"What's that?" stated Eiko.

"Firsthand field experience with his products," Genji specified, "I'm very certain that your revolver came from one of his factories. The array of the weapons my father manufactures is quite diverse. Some of his merchandises have been off the assembly line for decades. That's probably why this Program has so many weapons that are apparently outdated. Many of them – including your Colt Peacemaker – are more than likely examples of my father's goods."

"That would certainly explain why it's in mint condition," Eiko thought aloud, "But if your father's operations in the firearm industry are dissident, how would the government have gotten ahold of these weapons?"

"As for that, I have no clue," Genji admitted, "I'm guessing they raided the headquarters of one of my father's clients, like a mob kingpin or the head of a dissident group. They would have confiscated all their weapons as evidence of their malignant activities. If so, maybe the Program instructors got wind of the weaponries, became impressed by what they saw, and submitted a request to transfer ownership of a handful of the armaments to them. That's my theory, anyway. I can't imagine how else the government may have acquired them."

"Maybe there's an undercover agent somewhere in one of your father's factories," Eiko speculated, "Maybe he is smuggling out specimens of certain weapons to his superiors as a way to report his findings. Since they would not have been reported as evidence, the Program instructors could have easily attained them."

"That's a plausible theory," Genji admitted, "But not that likely. If there was a mole anywhere in my father's empire, he would have been discovered within a week of working there. Aside from that, my father does have his fair share of rivals like any large-scale arms dealer. However, it does not appear as though the government is one of them. They know his empire exists, but they have no idea that he's involved in any way."

"That's rather convenient for you," Eiko proclaimed, "Who knows; maybe I will join up with you and your father. He sounds like a very methodical, by-the-book entrepreneur, must like my own father. At the very least, if I spent some time with you, I would get me some freedom from my tyrannical mother."

Genji snickered and said "Yeah, that's one problem you won't encounter in my house. My mother was never overbearing or difficult to live with. So you wouldn't find any dictatorial women in my house. Then again, you wouldn't find any women at all, seeing as how my mother has been dead for four years and my father has never dated anyone since them. So it's just me and him. We've gotten along well enough together, but it can get really lonely at times."

"Well, perhaps the presence of somebody of the opposite gender would do both of you some good," Eiko posited, "I'd love to get to know him as an associate and as a friend. If he will allow it, of course."

"Based on how well we've gotten along in the past few hours, I'm almost certain he will," Genji affirmed, "It isn't that hard to get on his good side when you have my recommendation. After spending enough time with him, he may even give you and me his blessing. I realize that's probably a longshot, but if we're talking long-term-"

Genji abruptly stopped speaking there. Eiko noted his sudden silence and asked in concern "Genji, is everything alright?"

"Stand by for a moment, Eiko," he politely requested. Eiko waited in anxious silence, and about a minute later, Genji stated "I just picked up four people south of you. Three of them are moving together, and the fourth appears to be walking in the same direction as them."

"Can you tell how far I am?" Eiko inquired.

"Not very," he informed her, "The group of three is less than a miles away, and the solitary person is less than a mile and a-half away. But the latter's moving at a faster pace."

"Can you identify them?" Eiko suggested.

"I'll try, but I'll need to concentrate" Genji told her. Another minute passed, and then Genji announced "The lone individual is wearing a sailor suit and appears to be armed with an archery set. Must be another girl, and I'm impelled to say it's Maki. She looks as though she's tracking the group of three."

"Any idea who they are?" Eiko queried.

"Actually, yes," Genji informed her, sniggering wickedly, "There are two boys and a girl, all armed with firearms. I've also managed to determine their identities. You're going to love this. One of them is the person responsible for Ichiko's demise."

This immediately caught Eiko's attention. She smiled evilly and asked eagerly "How close am I to them?"

"There's a large foundation about two-thirds of a mile from your current position," Genji explicated, "They appear to be heading towards it from the opposite direction at a slightly lesser pace. If you sprint, you may get there a few minutes before they do. However, I would advise using a more careful approach. Maintain your current stride, and you may be able to intercept them at the exact same moment Maki does. Once she's upon them, she'll create a fine distraction. It should enable you to move in on them undetected."

Eiko continued to hold her evil smile as she armed herself with her submachine gun. She spoke disconcertedly into her walkie-talkie "I'm liking this proposal. I'll head to that foundation right now."

"Excellent," Genji remarked audaciously, "I'll remain on the line to keep you apprised of any changes in their movements or activities. You need any help at all, just ask. I won't go dark this time."

"I'll keep that in mind," Eiko responded. Then she lowered her walkie-talkie and returned her attention to her current path.

At this time, a vengeful heiress and a bloodthirsty huntress were approaching three well-armed apparitions from opposite directions. They would inevitably encounter each other before long, and whenever they did, it could only end in disaster. By the time this deadly encounter was resolved, at least one of these five individuals would become an executioner. Perhaps two of them would. Or even three.

18 Students Remaining