Chapter 15: Mistakes
Kamukura Izuru
It was undesirable to give up Despair. Nonetheless, he promised Nanami that he would. The Reserve Course building had no cameras. He wasn't surprised, they only existed to benefit the talented. The members of the Steering Committee would never have spared a dime for them.
Izuru began to look over the blueprints of the building. The most probable escapes were easy to dismiss. Most windows were still boarded up from the parade, as were the doors. The front doors weren't impossible, but quite unlikely. Class 78 used that as an escape, so Ikusaba would have a small period to follow them out.
Izuru stood outside the building, keeping watch for a gap in the investigation. Soon enough, they went to switch their shifts. He took this chance to step into the building. A smell of blood lingered throughout. The next most likely place she could have escaped from took him up the stairs. Following the map, he entered the roof access, climbing up the ladder. Someone was already standing at the top.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, calmly.
"Heh. Just my luck." The white haired boy responded. "I've been wanting to talk to you."
"Komaeda, why are you here?" He asked again.
"I don't want to bore you, Mister Ultimate Hope." He replied with a grin.
"Your existence is boring. If you don't want to, you will explain to me what you're doing."
"Alright, here I go." He looked down at his hand. "I always thought I was unlucky when I got my dorm room. You see, being forced to stare at the worthless talentless Reserve Course every night. It was clearly meant as a reminder that I was still trash compared to the Ultimates like yourself."
"And this is relevant, why?" He asked.
"Well, right after we were all sent to our rooms, I saw something." The Lucky Student walked over to the edge, taking a seat. "It's not my place to say, but I think you should come take a look over here." Izuru stepped up to him, leaning over the edge. A rope dangled down, attached to the roof. "Someone with short black hair was climbing down from here. Now I believe that to be suspicious, no?"
"Ikusaba, I presume?" He asked.
"I wouldn't know." Komaeda shrugged. "Now, if I didn't know better, I'd have thought you wanted to find her. But from my trash point of view, I would advise against that."
"You say you support hope, yet you don't want me to go after her." When Izuru first came into existence, he would be able to analyze him instantly.
"For the Ultimate Hope himself to want to know more about me… Hahahaha! I can't imagine the bad luck awaiting me after this! It's making me all tingly thinking about it." He looked down towards the ground below. "Hope is absolute good. Despair is nothing in comparison. Just thinking about it fills me with disgust. For you to doubt my allegiances… I must have failed somewhere in my conquest."
"Your point being?" He asked, growing impatient.
"As with my luck, hope runs in cycles. Only from great despair can hope emerge. If everything is perfect, all the time, there is no need for hope. Therefore, the greatest hope can only come from the darkest depths of despair." He clenched his fist. "It's the awful truth, but without despair, there is no hope. To eliminate despair is to eliminate hope."
"I see. From your experiences with fluctuating luck, you began to cling to the society that failed you. Through this, you grew a holistic world view. Nothing happens by coincidence, and every small detail is building towards a conclusion, in your case, hope." He deduced. "Your attempts to dissuade me from ending despair won't work."
"That's a shame. But for me to think that someone as insignificant as myself could change the ideals of such perfection as yourself is insane." He laughed. "Even though without despair, you'd never have met Nanami-san. Without despair, you'd have nothing. And you'd never even feel the warm grasp of hope."
"Both ideologies are things that interest me, yes. And it is not ideal that I erase them." Izuru paused, looking over at the Hope's Peak dorms. "But both hope and despair I am willing to give up. One person alone is able to interest me as much as them both combined. Allowing her any danger would counteract my goals."
"Yet you were willing to let her die." Komaeda stated, more forcefully than before.
"I had not met her yet." He replied.
"Not to call you a liar, but that isn't true. You see, I was there when you saw each other. Of course, my consciousness was fading, so I might have heard wrong… But she knew you, didn't she?"
"That was simply her remembering my past self. Not who I am now." He responded.
"Ah I see. My mistake." He scratched his head. "Not like I'm one to talk."
"You knew Enoshima too, that is what you're referring to. You used Pekoyama to distract Ikusaba so you could get to her. How?"
"Simply a stroke of luck. After finding Tsumiki-san, I figured I was at the top of my cycle. I stumbled upon Enoshima's lair, and felt that aura. Well, I couldn't help but pull my gun. It seemed my luck ran out when you interrupted though."
"Your luck ran out?" He pondered for a moment before looking up at him. "If you knew you were unlucky, then why did you agree to go with Nanami?"
"Well, as I said. Only with great despair can great hope grow." The Lucky Student grinned. "And, what amazing hope rose afterwards! If only the others saw it that way."
"You… You knew going down there put Nanami in danger, didn't you?"
He threw his hands up, a smile on his face. "Now, now. I only figured there was a high chance…"
"She could have died. Without Mitarai, she would have." Izuru crossed his arms. "What were you thinking?"
"Ah, that's a scary face you're making. But…" He clutched his forehead. "Now that you mention it…" His eyes began to spin. "With such despair as the death of our beloved class rep… Only an unending hope would have awaited."
"You're no better than her. Enoshima." He stood up from the edge. "I warn you, if you ever say Nanami should have died again, your fate will be sealed."
"Ahahahahahaha!" Komaeda continued to laugh. "If it would serve you, I could just jump now!"
"Return to your dorm room. Despair will be extinguished by tomorrow." He opened the hatch for the ladder. "Goodbye."
Chiaki Nanami
Chiaki spent the rest of her day idle, waiting for Kamukura to return with news. She switched between games quickly, unable to focus on anything. Eventually, it grew late, and she reluctantly fell asleep.
A knock at her door woke her up. She got up with a yawn, stumbling over to her door. "Hello?"
"Ah, good morning Nanami-san. You left your walking stick in my room last night. You probably want it back." The Princess smiled, holding out her cane. Chiaki grabbed it and relieved some pressure from her foot. "Also, the school is holding an assembly about yesterday… We should go."
"O-okay… Thank you." She had fallen asleep in her clothes, so she was ready to go. "Let's get going, I guess."
Sonia-san nodded and grabbed her hand. "It will be okay! I bet this was all a big misunderstanding."
"I hope so…" She nodded solemnly.
"I must say, your hair is growing back nicely! It's almost back to its former glory!" She pumped her fist in the hair.
Chiaki gave a small smile and started walking towards the exit. The rest of her class were waiting outside the gym. "Hey Nanami-san!" Nidai-kun shouted. "How are you doing!"
"Good, I think…?" She shrugged.
"That's good… You were lookin' pretty outta it yesterday…" Soda-kun grinned. "I'd have done something but Miss Sonia already handled it…"
"Shut it wimp." Saionji-san snapped. "You're so useless, you wouldn't know someone needed help if they asked you for it!"
"You're one to talk! Like you'd even care!" He shouted back.
"Seriously though, I'm glad Chiaki-chan's okay!" Koizumi-san smiled. "We should get going!"
"Yeah, that makes sense." She nodded and opened the doors to the gym. The group of kids remaining at the school seemed so small. Everyone seemed anxious, waiting for the news.
After a few minutes, the headmaster walked onto the stage. "Hello. It is awful for me to have to come out here like this, but it's true. A student was murdered on school grounds." He paused, pulling out a paper. "Our condolences go out to the friends and family of the victim, Sayaka Maizono. It has also been brought to our attention that Leon Kuwata has gone missing."
The crowd stood silently. Kamukura had told Chiaki about Maizono, but not Kuwata. As much of a shut-in as she was, she'd still heard of the Ultimate Idol. She remembered the time Kuwata had given her a gift after the incident. It took a moment to settle in.
"The assembly was called because we wanted to let you all know, nothing like this will happen again. For more, the Head of Security will tell you about new measures being put in place throughout the school." Kirigiri stepped down from the stand, Sakakura taking his place.
"Alright… Listen, I lightened up for one moment and suddenly a student turns up dead…" He said harshly. "This was a resounding failure on my part, as well as my team's. We have already begun to rearrange security posts for better surveillance. We are also in the process of restricting access to unused areas. These areas include the old school building, the reserve course building, and the underground." He scratched the back of his head. "For this to happen so soon after the last incident shows how unprepared this security team is. Going forward, we will do better."
Chiaki could feel the other students' eyes digging into the back of her head. Her own eyes fell to the ground, wishing he hadn't brought it up. She fiddled with her fingers, pretending to play a game, wishing she'd brought one before leaving.
"That's all from me. Stay safe out there, please." He stepped down from the podium, just to be replaced by Kirigiri.
"I understand if you want to talk to someone about this. Therefore, we have Miaya Gekkogahara, the former Ultimate Therapist, on site. Please go to her if you need anything." He frowned. "This is an unprecedented failure on behalf of every member of the staff. Thank you for your understanding."
He walked away, indicating that it was over. Chiaki regrouped with her class and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. The atmosphere in the large room was crushing. It took a moment for anyone to say anything.
"Hey Ibuki-chan…?" Koizumi-san asked quietly. "Are you alright…?"
The musician didn't reply. Her eyes gave a dull look and her pupils were pinpricks. Chiaki hadn't even realised.
"Oh right, those two were in Mioda-san's band, weren't they?" Komaeda-kun mumbled while eating.
"Hey, don't say that so casually." The Photographer chastised.
She continued to sit, eerily still, not even eating.
"Mioda-san, hey, you should probably go to Gekkogahara-san." Chiaki suggested.
"Hey! Mioda-san!" Nidai-kun shouted. "That Leon's a tough guy, alright! I'm sure he's fine out there!"
She didn't respond. Once again, quiet fell over the group. "H-hey, not to change the subject, but I'm a little worried. About Imposter-san." Mitarai-kun broke the silence.
"Did they not come back last night?" Sonia-san asked. "Where did they end up?"
"I don't know… I'm a little worried. They left yesterday to find out about what happened. And then they didn't come back. Not even this morning." He crossed his arms.
"What are you talkin' about? We weren't supposed to leave. It was like a lockdown or something." Owari-san mentioned.
"Yeah, I know. But they wanted to find out so we didn't have to worry." He said quietly. "But now I'm getting worried about them."
"Well let's go find them…" The gymnast finished her plate.
"Huh? Really?" The animator looked at her, surprised.
"If Owari-san is going, I will too!" Nidai-kun added. "I oughta keep my eye on her."
"Alright, I'm coming too." Koizumi-san said. "You guys sound like you need some help."
"Mahiru-onee?" Saionji-san pouted. "Fine, I guess I'll help out Mister Ham Hands."
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, last time-" Soda-kun mumbled.
"Alright! This will be totally radical." Sonia-san smiled, standing up.
"Okay! Let's do this!" The Mechanic changed tone.
"Fuhahaha, it appears the Lord of Disguises requires the aid of my Dark Devas! I would be a fool to-"
"What are you doing?" Chiaki interrupted.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Mitarai-kun asked.
"Soda-kun's right. Last time…" She shuddered at the thought. "I won't let you do this."
"So you'd just leave Imposter-san wherever they are?" He retorted.
"No, just… Think about it. It has to be Ikusaba, do any of you think you stand a chance against her?"
"I must agree with our class rep." Pekoyama-san stood up. "Last time I duelled her, I stood no chance. It's too dangerous."
"Hey. Hey." Komaeda-kun grinned. "Now that I think about it. What about Kuzuryu-kun? I bet he's off wherever Imposter-san is."
"Gh… You…" The Swordswoman glared at him. "Well, I was alone last time. Together, we could win."
"Why are you… Doing this?" Chiaki pleaded. "Don't make the same mistake I did."
Mioda-san quietly stood up and joined the other group. The Lucky Student finally got up. "Well, that's everyone. It would be out of place for scum like me to declare their allegiance before the hope like you do!"
"Everyone, what are you thinking?" She continued. "You can't play the hero."
"We can't just leave Imposter-san… Or Kuzuryu-kun!" Mitarai-kun responded.
"We can tell the security. They'll figure it out." She crossed her arms. "You, of all people… Should know to trust-"
"Oh. Oh…" Komaeda-kun cut her off. "You'd trust a bunch of talentless nothings with the lives of our precious classmates? You've changed Nanami-san."
"I… Yes, I would. And even then, what about Sakakura-san?" She answered.
"And what if they're being held in the Underground? You heard them today, they're sealing it closed! We can't waste time." Mitarai-kun stepped to the front of his group. "I know where you're coming from, I know how you feel."
"You… You know how I feel?" She stepped up to him. "Mitarai-kun, have you ever been impaled?" Her words came off more harsh than she intended. She rolled down her thigh-high, showing off the wound on her knee. "Has a good person died trying you?"
"They didn't die, but they… They almost did." He pointed at her. "If I didn't do anything, you would have died. And Enoshima would have won and done whatever else she wanted to, by now. That's why… I'll never not do anything again. If Imposter-san's life is on the line, I can't afford to be a coward."
"You know every day I sit and wonder… What would have happened if you didn't help… Where everyone would be." She looked away. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you make the same mistake I did."
"Nanami-san… We aren't forcing you to come. You can just stay here." He glanced back at the group behind him. "But everyone here wants to go, and knows why they're going."
"You don't understand… This is exactly what happened last time. And last time, I was almost tortured to death!" She shouted.
"It's alright, Nanami-san." Komaeda-kun interjected. "I'm feeling much luckier than I was that day! If I felt my luck would get in the way this time, I wouldn't be going." She tried to argue, but couldn't find the right words. She only managed to shake her head. They realised she had nothing left to say and quietly left on their search.
Chiaki slumped over against a wall. Why were they doing this? Hadn't they learned from last time? It was up to her to stop them. She got back to her feet. Sakakura. Her feet moved on their own, taking her out of the dining hall, towards the staff building. She avoided the elevator, taking the stairs up.
After many flights she reached the floor and knocked on his door. It flew open nearly instantly. "Huh?"
"Nanami-san! You're here!" Came a familiar voice.
"Yukizome-sensei…" Her voice was shaky. She slowly backed away from the door. "Why… Why are you-"
She was cut off by a pain in the back of her head. "Gah…" Her eyes closed too fast to catch her assailant, the last thing she saw being her teacher, before falling unconscious.
Byakuya Togami
His class was clearly shaken. They slowly made their way to their classroom. Naegi was still in care, and Kirigiri was with him. The class seemed so small now, only six of them entering the room.
Asahina was clearly taking it the worst. "Wh-why… She was so nice… Why would Ikusaba…" She muttered repeatedly.
"Hey, you okay?" Owada asked, taking a seat.
"I should just get a donut… That would help." She answered quietly.
"Stay here." Byakuya commanded. "We need to discuss yesterday as a group, and this is the best we're going to get."
"I must say." Ishimaru began. "Fukawa-san, you showed great initiative, I must thank you for the help."
"H-huh? I don't know wh-what you're talking about." She crossed her arms.
"Oh yeah… It made me reevaluate my personal biases." The Biker scratched the back of his head.
"Sh-shut up. You're not making sense. I don't know what happened yesterday…" She groaned.
"Are you done?" Byakuya asked harshly. The room fell silent. "Good. First of all, I have a question for you, Fujisaki."
"Huh?" She looked at him surprised.
"I believe you were the one who told us to go to the reserves." He crossed his arms. "You said you saw Kuwata in there."
"What…?" She frowned.
"But Ikusaba has said that he has died. Explain." Byakuya stood over her.
"Hey, back off the little dude. Chill out." Owada protested.
"No… No it's okay." She looked him in the eye. "I know I saw him."
He was slightly taken aback. "What are you saying? It's not possible for you to have seen him if he is dead. Try again."
"B-but… But I did see him. He was sitting in a window so… So I ran to get you all. But when I got back, he wasn't in the window anymore…" She defended.
"Tch. This is a waste of time." He took a seat. "It's impossible for you to have seen someone who is dead. You probably saw a coat rack and manifested the object you were searching for onto it."
"But wait!" Ishimaru objected. "That still doesn't explain why she didn't see him when she came back."
"Stop forcing your delusions onto the rest of us. It is impossible. End of story." He stated.
"Wait! That's not true." A voice came from the door.
"Naegi, why are you here?" Byakuya glanced over to him.
His leg was bandaged and he was supporting himself on the doorframe. "I wouldn't say it's impossible. I don't think we can take Ikusaba at her word!"
"Are you suggesting we go on another wild-goose chase? Need I remind you Maizono died last time you suggested that?" He glared.
"I know. And I'll always carry her with me. In my heart." He sighed. "But still, I think she'd want us to find Kuwata-kun. That's why we need to go find him."
"You always were one for blind optimism. And I'm sure she would appreciate you continuing to risk your life over finding a dead man." He remarked sarcastically.
"Hey… She definitely would. I just know." He pointed at Byakuya. "Maybe I'm psychic… Or just have really good intuition."
"I assume I'm outnumbered on this, then?" The heir looked around the room.
"Yeah… Yeah! We gotta find Kuwata-kun!" Asahina shouted.
"Fuck it, I'm in!" Owada grinned. "Plus, now we know Fukawa is really cool so she can go first!"
"Sh-shut up! I don't even kn-know what you're talking about." She cried out. "I'm only going if Master's going anyway…"
"You really have a way with people, don't you Naegi. For a commoner." He stood up from his desk. "Where is Kirigiri? She was meant to be watching over you, was she not?"
"W-well. She said she already had a lead to Kuwata… She thought that I'd be able to convince you all so she went ahead."
"A lead? What kind of lead?" He asked.
"Well, she saw someone with spiky red hair in the western district." He mumbled.
"She what? Take me to her." Byakuya walked up to the Lucky Student.
"Does that mean you're coming?" He threw his hands up.
"Obviously." He stated bluntly.
Ryota Mitarai
"Come on. We're almost there." Ryota ushered. The snow had once again picked up, spiralling around them. They had gone to the underground, deciding that it was the most likely place they would be kept. The thin white layer of snow coated the statue entrance. "Okay, is everyone ready?"
He could tell they were clearly uncomfortable, remembering what happened last time. "Ahaha! Come on everyone! Let's go!" Komaeda-kun reassured.
"Yeah! We got this!" Owari-san added.
"The Undying Gamer is under my unbreakable spell of protection! With the powers of the Dark Devas on our side, we shall prevail!" Tanaka-kun bellowed.
"Here goes nothing!" He mumbled before opening the passage.
They slowly began to descend, everyone clearly on edge. It wasn't until the Lucky Student stopped in his tracks. "This is where it happened, wasn't it?"
Ryota raised his eyebrow before realising what he meant. He remembered Munakata pointing out this floor. "Oh… Yeah, I guess."
"Heh… If only Enoshima had chosen me. Such scum like myself wouldn't have had a chance in that maze." He began to laugh. "Although I guess my death wouldn't have led to any despair in the first place."
"Quit it creep!" Saionji-san grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Ah, my apologies! To displease an Ultimate such as yourself is terrible!" He frowned.
"Just come on." Koizumi added.
He nodded silently and they began back on down the stairs. Eventually, they reached the bottom and did a head count, making sure nobody was left behind.
Ryota took the lead, first checking his old room. It was empty. His memory of first seeing Nanami-san in the maze flashed across his mind. "Okay, not here. Let's keep going."
He continued on, checking other rooms, just to come up with the same results. Eventually, a pair of large red doors lay ahead. Everyone was hesitant to open the door, Ryota understood why.
"We've come this far. We can't stop here." He said, grabbing the doorknob. "Huh?"
"What is up?" Sonia-san asked.
"It's locked?" He tilted his head.
"Maybe it's for the best, y'know… There's probably not anything in there, anyway. Yeah." Soda-kun nervously said.
"Nonsense. Crimson Steel Elephant, Maga-Z's infernal sense has detected the presence of at least three mortals beyond this door!" A tan hamster crawled out of his scarf.
"Then we must get through this door! There must be a key around here somewhere!" The Princess offered.
"Why bother with a key when I can punch it down!" Owari-san shouted, slamming her fist against it. "Leave it to me."
"W-well, this door is mechanical…" The Mechanic stated. "You're supposed to twist the doorknob and it'll open on it's own. There shouldn't be a way to lock it?" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a screwdriver. "I'll check it out, I guess." He bent down and began unscrewing the doorknob.
The knob popped off and the door let out a loud groan before creaking open. "Huh? Imposter-san?" Ryota rushed into the room. Three men were sitting on the ground near the center.
"Mitarai-kun? How are you here?" The Imposter asked in reply. The rest of the class rushed into the room.
He looked to the other two already in there. "Kuzuryu-kun, and…"
"Hanamura-kun! I knew you'd come back to us!" The Gymnast yelled into his face.
He was clearly disheveled. His hair was scrambled and his signature hat was missing. "Wa-wa-what are ya all doin' down 'ere!? Wai, tha doo's' open!" He quickly got up and began running to it.
As he was about to pass through, a mechanical whirring sounded and the door sealed shut. He slammed into it and fell back. "Huh? What the-!?"
"Bastards. Why'd you have to come after us. Now you're just stuck here like us." The Yakuza rolled his eyes.
"Soda-kun, get your screwdriver." Sonia-san commanded.
"Huh!? Y-yes Miss Sonia! Right away!" He turned to the door. "Uh… Aw crap… I left it out there."
"Wait? You mean we're trapped in here for real!?" The Dancer wailed.
"Hm? There's only fourteen of us… Where's Nanami-san?" The Imposter asked.
"She said it was a bad idea to come look for you… But… But we couldn't just leave you here, right?" Ryota answered.
"I'm glad one of you had any common sense." Kuzuryu-kun crossed his arms.
"So you'd rather we had just left you in here?" Pekoyama-san asked rhetorically.
"Obviously not. But you could have gotten some help." He looked at her. "I have a feeling my dear old dad wouldn't have a problem with helping."
"I must apologize, that idea had managed to skip my mind-" She was cut off by a static sound.
The televisions around the room had turned on. A figure was lying in what looked like a small puddle of blood. The camera took a moment to focus, but once it did, time stood still.
The Class Rep was asleep, clearly bleeding. Everyone was frozen. Ryota could at least tell at a glance that this wasn't using his technique. Her chest was slowly rising and falling, she was still alive. His largest worries aside, he looked around at the others.
"Fuck… Fuck fuck fuck! Not again!" The Yakuza was the first to shout out.
"Please, I jus' wanna go home to ma momma!" The Chef cried.
Even the stoic Mioda-san seemed shaken. He fell back, clutching his tie. It wasn't until her eyes opened that anything happened.
Chiaki Nanami
Chiaki could feel an aching pain in the back of her head. "Ugh…" She opened her eyes, slowly reaching back, her fingers felt a wetness. It was too sticky to be water. Her fears were confirmed when she brought them back in front of her face, stained a colour all too familiar. "Mm… Ow…"
She glanced around the room she was in. It looked like an empty classroom, desks and chairs pushed to the side. A camera was pointed directly at her, next to a blank TV. Her cane wasn't anywhere to be seen.
She sat up, looking at the camera. "H-hello?"
"Don't worry, they can't hear you. It's only there to watch." Someone said from the doorway. A chill shot up Chiaki's spine as she spun around. Standing there was a face she'd seen every night as she slept. Although it clearly wasn't the same person. "What? Don't give me that look. I get it, you were expecting her, weren't you? But if I remember right, you were the one who put her behind bars. Sorry, but I guess you'll have to deal with me instead."
"N-no." She closed her eyes. "Please no… Don't… Stop…"
"Uh oh, did I strike a sore spot with that one? Yeouch!" She paused. "Anyways, nice to meet you, I'm Mukuro Ikusaba. I'll be honest with you, do you think I'm doing a good job so far? Usually Junko-sama takes these types of situations, and now I'm finally starting to see why!"
"Wh…? Why me…" Chiaki sputtered.
"Oh well, you know! You did put my sister in jail, remember? It was like, two days ago? For a gamer you have a pretty bad memory!" She continued to mock.
"Please just… Leave me alone."
"No. I don't think I will." Ikusaba crossed her arms. "My sister is a little more, 'Saw' with her games. You know Saw, right? Love those movies. Anyway, now that I'm in charge, I'm a bigger fan of lose-lose scenarios."
"No… No…" She curled up, bringing her knees to her chest. "Stop…"
"Ooooh, I love this. Your honest and desperate reactions are just too funny!" She taunted. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you! I'm saving that honor for Junko-sama!"
She looked up at her, flinching away. "Ngh… Just stop… Stop…"
"How rude. I just wanna play some games with you! Which one should we start with? Hmm?" She pulled a knife out from behind her back. Chiaki jumped, crawling away. "This is one of my favorites! You stretch out your fingers and cut between the spaces really fast!" She dropped the knife in front of her.
"Huh…?" Chiaki hesitated for a moment before grabbing it. Anything to defend herself with. She pointed it out towards Ikusaba.
"No, no! That's not how you do it!" In an instant, she grabbed her wrists, slamming her hand onto the floor. "You just go chop-chop-chop! Like this."
The soldier began puppeteering Chiaki's hands. She lifted and slammed the knife between her fingers. Her body froze as she began to move faster.
"Okay! You take over now!" Ikusaba released her hands. "Be careful not to miss! You do sorta need all your fingers to play games, don't you?" She couldn't bring herself to lift the knife. "Come on! Go!" A sound of a gun cocking came from behind her.
"Ah!" Chiaki hesitantly lifted the dagger and placed it between her thumb and finger.
"Faster. It's no fun without the risk!" The black haired girl commanded. The Gamer slowly sped up, terrified. She went across her hand many times, hoping by the end of each one that she'd tell her to stop.
Eventually, a blur of red appeared, a wealth of pain shooting through her hand. Chiaki was terrified of what had happened, pulling her hand away. Luckily, she still had all her fingers, only a gash on her index finger. "Gah… Please stop."
"Meh, only a cut? I wanted to see fingers go flying! Keep going!" She pressed the gun to the sore spot on the back of her head, causing her to wince. "Now." Her entire body was shaking. Both from pain and fear. She slowly reached for the knife, grasping it.
Chiaki was about the start again when a sound came from the door. She felt the gun lift from the back of her head. A blur flew past her and onto Ikusaba. She turned around to see a figure grappling with her. A wealth of hair flowed down to the floor. "It took me too long to get here. I'm sorry." Kamukura said, disarming her.
"I always knew not to trust you, y'know?" She jumped back, pulling another.
A gunshot rang out. He dashed at her. In a blink of her eye, he had grabbed her face and spun around. She went flying through the air, slamming into a desk. A loud crack echoed through the room as it split in half. She collapsed onto the floor and stopped moving. Weapons had scattered around the room from the fight.
"Is she dead?" Chiaki mumbled the first question on her mind.
"Incapacitated." He answered, turning to her. "Comminuted Fracture in both the tibia and fibula, as well as a fracture to the skull, radius, spine, and clavicle. Treatable."
"Uh, well, okay…" She tilted her head. "Wait, you're bleeding!"
"So are you." He deadpanned.
"I know that… Did her bullet hit you?" She asked.
"It was necessary. She aimed for you. The only way to stop it was to take it." He answered, blood dripping from his forearm.
"You… You didn't need-" Her sentence was cut off by another gunshot. The first feeling was blood spraying onto her face.
Kamukura clutched the side of his neck. "Nanami-san…" He uttered before collapsing.
Chiaki looked at Ikusaba, still unconscious. Her eyes flew to the doorway.
"There we go! Boom! Grand entrance!" A maniacal voice laughed. "I know you missed me! Puhuhu!" She grabbed at Kamukura's wound while staring up at her tormentor's face. "I'm back, baby!"