"Hey, welcome back," Nishi greeted Kei when the older teen appeared, grinning at him since Kei and the red-haired girl seemed to be in a slight personal position. Once the two had fully formed, the girl stumbled away from Kei.
The next to appear was Kato, to which Nishi rolled his eyes. Nishi had hoped the taller high schooler would have blabbed to someone and got his head blown off by Gantz, no such luck. What a pity.
Once the dog had appeared, new players began to arrive.
Four men appeared, two wearing a tracksuit: one orange and one light blue with yellow stripes. Another dressed in a dark green hoodie with dark blue jeans; he was on the chubby side.
The fourth was slender, wearing a black and purple hoodie and blue jeans; his hair was black and red.
Nishi stood in front of the Gantz ball, hands in his cream-colored hoodie with the dog and the other three teens, watching as the four men appeared lying on their front, staring up in bewilderment.
The men gasped loudly as, almost instantly, another two appeared right in front of them; a male dressed in a school uniform with long brown hair and a female with long black hair dressed in a long-sleeved white dress. They seemed to have been on a bike since the male was wearing a helmet, and seconds after, two more appeared on the floor, sitting just slightly behind them; an old woman dressed in a long cream sweater and a young boy with a green hoodie. The old woman had her arms held in front of her in a driving pose, suggesting that the four may have been in a traffic accident.
The two men in tracksuits exchanged shocked glances before getting to their feet and panicking as they and the other fat one tried the doors and windows.
Nishi frowned at the floor, trying to ignore the newbies as they began complaining loudly; he could hear the kid on the floor start to whine too. Pathetic. Nishi looked up when the man with red in his hair addressed them.
"Hey, what's going on, answer me!"
Loudmouth.
"Hey, what are you, deaf or something," the one in the orange tracksuit yelled.
Brainless.
"Yeah, tell us what's going on, bastards."
No chance, fat fuck.
Nishi knew that Kei probably wasn't going to say anything, could tell the teen already thought it was pointless, and the girl was too weak to speak up for anything.
"Well? I'm getting pissed," the man dressed in the lighter blue tracksuit stated.
"Yeah, so start talking," the orange one followed.
Nishi sighed inwardly. Fucking sheep.
"Don't be messing with the boys," said the one in the green hoodie.
So pathetic.
The red-haired one turned to the other high schooler. "Hey you, Mr pretty boy there. Well say something!"
The tall teen remained facing the window but replied, "Sorry, I know zilch."
"You had better not be fucking with us." The man frowned. "Damn, this is pointless."
The orange tracksuit man's eyes widened. "I get it, this is a hospital, we did get the shit kicked out of us."
Nishi snorted quietly. That explains a lot; they probably think they're some big fearless gang. Trash.
The red-haired male turned to his friend and replied, "Oh right, does this look like a hospital to you? And none of us have a scratch on us."
"Hey, look at that," the one in the green hoodie gestured.
Three of the men then turned their attention to the girl and whistled. "Whoa, check out the lungs on her."
"Son of a bitch."
"Hey, we can still get some action!"
"I don't know what's going on here, but who cares!"
"Me first!"
"Not taking sloppy seconds."
"What? Tiny dicks go last!"
The girl began to hide behind Kato, and Nishi shook his head. You'd think after what happened to her last time, she would have the guts to at least defend herself. Fucking useless.
"I'm first and that's that," the man in the orange said as they started to approach.
"Back off assholes!" Kei warned, curling his hands into fists.
Nishi leaned against the wall, quietly observing. She's got both of those idiots tending to her like little puppies. It's absolutely disgraceful.
"Say what?" The orange man approached Kei threateningly. "Maybe you need a good fucking."
Nishi grinned. Haha, what now boner boy, you're shitting yourself, haha.
"Do ya!"
Suddenly, the kid with the old woman began to cry loudly, causing everyone to turn their attention. Nishi frowned in annoyance. God damn it, little brat, these morons are already giving me a headache, so shut the hell up.
"I wanna go home now! I wanna see my mommy!"
I guess that makes two of us.
The man in orange turned to the boy. "Shut up brat, or you're dead!"
There was silence for a few seconds, and then the boy cried louder.
Nishi grimaced at the noise. Ah, well done, you fucking idiot.
The old woman then started to panic and cuddle the boy. "Oh, I'm so sorry, we will figure something out, I'll find some way to get you home."
The boy continued to cry and then buried his face to her chest. "Grandma!"
"Listen up," Kato suddenly shouted, catching everyone's attention.
Nishi glanced at him and frowned. Don't you fucking dare. Nishi knew Kei and the girl wouldn't speak, but he hadn't been sure about Kato.
"If you wanna live through the night and get home, you've gotta listen to me. I'll give you as much information as I can."
Nishi grew angry immediately. "You fuck!"
Kato ignored the boy and continued, "First off, let me tell you the part that I know."
Nishi gritted his teeth. "That's enough!" Damn, I can't let him destroy everything I've worked for. These people don't deserve to know anything! I knew I should have kept quiet!
"Soon, everyone here will get a weapon and be transported to different locations."
The three loud men began to protest instantly.
"Huh?"
"Bull fucking shit."
"That dudes lost his mind."
Kato replied calmly, "Maybe I have lost my mind, but that's exactly what will happen."
"Is this some sort of game? A reality show on tv?" The other high schooler asked from the window.
Nishi glanced at him. I knew I recognized that self-proclaimed actor from somewhere. He's probably got airheaded girls swooning over him, giving him anything he wants. He's just a male version of big tits.
"No, you're not on tv, and it's not a game."
"So, what happens next?" The red-haired male asked.
Kato sighed. "Alright. We have to capture what appear to be aliens."
They're not gonna believe you, Nishi lilted in thought.
The men gaped, and the one in the blue tracksuit replied, "Ah, dude? Aliens?" It wasn't long before all three began laughing hysterically. "This guy is out of his mind."
Kato seemed surprised by their reactions. "The people who were here last time didn't take it seriously either."
"And all of them are dead now," the girl finished.
"Yeah? Well where are these aliens?" The men continued to laugh. "I'd like to meet them."
Kato looked at his friend. "You tell them Kei, tell them how the suits work."
Nishi grinned. Oh, this should be good. Yes, tell them how excited you got, tell them how turned on defeating the alien got you.
Kei began to stutter, "Well, there's really nothing to them, you just put them on and- "
The sound of the Gantz ball singing loudly interrupted Kei, causing all of them to turn their attention to the ball. Nishi grinned as he watched the four gang members crouch low in front of it. One of them began to read out the message. "Your lives are now over, you bastards. What you do - with your new lives, is for me to decide. Shit, that clears it up, we can go home now." The three loud ones began laughing until the ball changed and showed them an image. "Suzuki alien. Traits: Strong, refreshing, bird. Likes: birds, sweets. Catch phrase: Ha Ha Ha!"
"Whoa, this is starting to feel like a fucking video game!"
"Maybe we are on tv, sweet!"
Nishi almost laughed when the ball opened, and all four men fell backward with a shriek of surprise.
"Oh don't worry, they're real alright," Kato told the men who were excitedly inspecting the weapons as he gave the girl her case to change into her suit. "It's your choice to listen to me, but those suits could be what determines whether you live or die."
Nishi frowned; the taller teen was really irritating him. "So who died and made Kato the class president?"
"Nobody did, and it's not a position I really want either."
Nishi glanced at him. "Then why are you spilling the beans?"
Kato frowned back. "Cause I want us to come back alive. I mean, all of us. You said we're like fax copies right, duplicates of the originals?"
"And you're point is?"
Kato pointed at Nishi. "You are already dead, remember that?" Kato huffed a laugh. "When I was growing up, I used to admire that kind of bullshit."
Who fucking cares hypocrite, you've survived one mission, and suddenly you think you're hot shit do you? You just wait.
"But now, now it really pisses me off."
Boohoo. Tell someone who gives a fuck. God I really hate him, damn it.
…...
Nishi stood on the opposite side of the room, observing the conversations quietly, trying to remain calm. He had been agitated ever since Kato had begun giving away information. So far, none of them were listening, which always worked in his favor. Not even the old woman and the boy seemed to be paying much attention. The only one close to questioning the situation was the red-haired male, but Nishi wasn't holding his breath. At least he's not running his mouth like a loud brainless idiot, but, oh well.
The way they argued back and forth over who wore the suit and who got to decide their fates like some leader was really getting on his nerves.
While Kato changed into his suit and the inexperienced players debated theirs, Nishi watched the old woman and kid, as though he was searching for signs of potential in either player.
"Hey grandma, do you think this one's for me?"
The old woman smiled. "Why, yes it is, they have kid's sizes too. I hope it's disinfected, you know how easily you get rashes."
Jesus fucking Christ. "God what a stupid old fart," Nishi mumbled under his breath.
While the red-haired male, now known as Tetsuo, and the man in the green hoodie, known as Haruya, were still debating their suits, Kato returned to the room wearing his, and the girl then took her turn.
"You won't put it on either?" Kato asked the high schooler by the window.
"I wouldn't be caught dead in something that Gauche."
Nishi rolled his eyes. You'll have much more than you're pathetic self-image to worry about when that alien gets a hold of you, he thought with amusement.
…...
It was obvious that the group of men had tried their luck with the girl, just like the Yakuza before, leaving Kato and Kei to go once again running to her rescue. Nishi sighed in annoyance as he looked at the boy staring at him while the old woman was assessing her suit. "Annoying brat, quit fucking staring at me."
The woman smiled and lay a hand on her grandchild's shoulder. "Don't stare Ryouto, you know that's a little rude, but I know you didn't mean to cause any harm, it's okay."
Nishi gritted his teeth. Un-fucking believable. Gantz better hurry up before I lose what's left of my god damn sanity. I hate these people so much; they're the worst this room has had.
…....
Soon, everyone had their suits on, except for the three loud mouths; even Tetsuo had accepted the suit. Nishi glanced down, and a questioning frown appeared on his face when he saw that Kei wasn't wearing his, and then laughed when he realized why. "No way. Don't tell me you took it home." Nishi grinned. "Too bad. What a shame."
"You're suits' gone?" Kato questioned.
"Well I guess that takes one out of contention, cause we've got one dead man already."
Kei shook and turned to Kato with tearful eyes. "It's at - my place. I left it there."
"What a pussy," the orange male remarked.
Nishi snorted inwardly. My thoughts exactly.
"You, isn't there something we can do?" the girl asked Nishi.
Not gonna work on me, big tits; I don't fall for naive helpless girls. The one I had would knock you on your ass in seconds. Nishi turned his head away. "Right."
"I'm asking you nicely, to lend it to Kei," Kato asked Haruya.
Nishi glanced at them. Were they serious? Did they really think Gantz made those suits specifically for them if they could just wear one at random? Absolute morons.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Haruya snapped back.
"Come on, if you don't want it, then there's no reason you can't lend it to him now, is there?"
"Like hell, it's mine asshole!"
"Just let him borrow it Haruya," Tetsuo told him.
"Don't tell me what to do, even if I don't wear it, it's still mine." Haruya looked at Kato. "Your butt buddy is outta luck."
"But if you don't,"
"It's no use," Nishi interrupted with a grin even though he was fuming on the inside; it was taking everything he had to stay calm now. "Another person's suit won't do you any good."
Kato stepped forward. "There's got to be some way for Kei to survive this thing."
Nishi smirked. "I wouldn't tell you even if I did know."
"Is there, is there a way? Tell me!"
Kei stood in front of Nishi; the shorter boy still grinned; he could even see the slight tears at Kei's eyelids.
I had hopes for you, oh well. "You mean please tell me, don't you?" Nishi gave Kei a smug grin.
Kei sighed, and swallowing what was left of his pride, replied, "Alright, please tell me."
"I dunno, should I?"
Kei started to yell, "Stop jerking my chain, tell me now!"
He's more pathetic than I thought. "Oh die with dignity." Nishi could feel himself getting wound up again, and it wasn't long before he snapped. Yoko always thought I would lose it one day; it looks like she was right.
"You son of a-"
Nishi couldn't hold it in any longer and yelled, "You're dead! Every last one of you is dead!" The group of players stood in silence, Nishi's fists clenched within his pockets as he tried to act calm and grinned. "But can you really trust me?" Nishi pushed off the wall with a slight laugh.
Haruya growled, "Why you stupid little shit-" he was about to approach Nishi, but Kato squeezed his shoulder hard to stop him. "Ow! what the fucking hell is in those gloves!"
Nishi sighed heavily as he turned to them with a deep frown. "God you're fucking pathetic. Even if you are dead, with human refuge like you it wouldn't make a difference at all in the real world, so there's no point in moaning and whining over who lives and who dies. It just doesn't matter."
The other high school senior softly replied, "So what you mean is, that you're dead too?"
Nishi turned to him and shrugs. "Who cares," he then turned to face the rest of the group. "The people here aren't your teammates, so there's no need for a leader, the truth is we're nothing but rivals, all of us competing for survival." Nishi narrows his eyes directly at Kato. "Did you hear that Mr, 'let's all make it back?' It's just bullshit! And you're still nothing but a hypocrite." Nishi stepped in front of Kato. "Last time you headbutted a Yakuza and nearly choked him to death didn't you. Why would someone who wants us all to make it back, do something like that! Who are you kidding! They call those violent impulses you know. Can't you use that thick head of yours for thinking," Nishi grinned at Kato, "or would you rather just hit people with it?" Nishi glanced at the girl, still grinning. "And you, tit girl."
She frowned. "Me what!"
"Isn't there something we can do," the boy mocked in reply. "That kinda shit really pisses me off. As if shaking those money makers means we're going to do whatever you say. Face it, a woman like you is as helpless as a little baby. You can't do anything for yourself can you, but if you get in trouble," Nishi nods in Kato's direction. "you can just wave a tit at him. That is what you think isn't it, isn't it!?"
Nishi then turned to Kei. "And you, Mr boner! Are you that scared of dying again? You oughta be ashamed crying like that. Remember how I thought you had a little bit of potential last time?" Nishi gave Kei a sadistic smile. "I was wrong, you should be the first one to die."
Kei frowned. "Why? And so what if I was afraid?"
Nishi shrugged. "I'm telling you it's disgraceful." Nishi strolled past Kei toward the young boy and his grandmother. "That kinda shit doesn't face me at all."
The young boy began crying hysterically.
Nishi narrowed his eyes. He's getting on my nerves. Nishi leaned forward and shouted, "Hey you little brat, shut up!"
The old woman looked up at Nishi, hugging her grandchild. "I'm sorry..."
Nishi tilted back with a sigh.
"But do you think you could keep it down a bit?"
Nishi grinned. "Ha! You two are practically pre-filled body bags. You have no chance of surviving on your own."
The old woman looked up sadly. "Oh dear..."
Nishi tilted his head up toward the girl. "You're just like tits here, dead meat for sure unless you can depend on somebody else. And who will you depend on?" The teen leaned forward. "It's not gonna be me Grandma." Nishi could feel himself tensing with hidden anger, but now that he had started, he couldn't stop. "And since we're on that subject...you spoil that grandchild of yours rotten without thinking about the consequences. You think it's okay to warp his personality just because he's cute? You know he won't grow up to be a respectable adult, but that's not your problem cause you'll be dead by then won't you. So that makes it okay to let a spoilt rotten egg stink up society huh, am I wrong, am I!?" Nishi began to circle the group, his attention now on the angry-looking bikers. "Honestly this isn't even funny. What's funny is these bikers ass-fucking each other over who's the boss."
The man in the blue tracksuit gritted his teeth. "Say what!"
Nishi turned to him and grinned. "Ha, you're just a bunch of punks, the garbage of society, ha!" The teen walked past them. "And then you go on and on with all this I'm the leader bullshit! Who's the king of the trash pile, who cares, you're still garbage!" Nishi then turned to the last of them, the other high schooler, facing him and the window. "And you, I bet you're the type all the girls go crazy for, but is there a single thing going on underneath that trendy hairstyle? Tell me, do you even know what the internet is? Have you ever used a cellphone for anything but chatting with girls?"
The older teen frowned. "I'm not an idiot."
"No? Then let me ask you a question smart guy. When you read a newspaper, where do you start?"
"The tv listings of course."
Nishi laughed. "Are you kidding me? You really are an idiot. Still, I suppose you're better off than the biker trash. Those morons probably can't even read the paper..."
Then Nishi heard it, the sound of the Gantz gun being fired, and as he looked at the reflection in the window, he realized it was aimed at him. Nishi froze; his face no longer held the grin from before, and he couldn't help the fear that crossed his features. Nishi turned abruptly to his attacker; it had been one of the bikers to fire the weapon. Sweat began to trickle down Nishi's face as he stared at the man. Shit, he fired, but...what now? I can't - no, this can't be happening... There was a fuzz of static that surrounded Nishi's body and then - nothing. I guess the guns don't work on the suits. But - did he damage it somehow?
The biker growled and stalked toward Nishi, gun raised as if to hit him. "It doesn't matter whether this stupid piece of shit works or not, I'll fuck you up!"
"Stop messing around, no!" Kato tried to warn.
You'll fucking pay for that! Nishi hadn't ever killed another player before; he had been close several times but always had someone to stop him or even take the kill for him. Now there was no one holding him back anymore, and he narrowed his eyes and pulled out his own gun from his hoodie, aimed it for the biker's head, and pulled both triggers without hesitation. Die fucker.
The biker stopped and shouted, "Oh you didn't just fucking shoot at me, did you!"
"Ah man, that thing is just a toy," said Tetsuo.
Kei's eyes were wide, knowing what might happen. "Oh yeah, you just watch!"
"There's always a time lag," Kato told them.
The girl covered her mouth.
Nishi glared at the biker, trying to ignore his remaining fear, still unsure what had happened, did his suit absorb the damage to stop his body blowing up?
"Don't fuck with us you little shitwad." It was the last thing the biker said before his head swelled and blood gushed up everywhere, covering half of Nishi's hoodie and the girl and Kato, who was stood closer, causing some of the others to scream in surprise.
Nishi lowered his gun, his grip tightening. "Listen, assholes, that's what happens when you point a gun at me, got it? And what's more, I'll snuff you without a moment's hesitation, any of you! And write that on your tiny brainstems! And if any of you cretins slow me down, I'll kill you without a shred of remorse." Nishi glanced at Kato. "Especially you." The girl began to hide behind Kato. "Look at that, she's relying on you already."
"I don't get it, how come nothing happened to you when you were shot?" Kato asked.
I wish I fucking knew. Shit. "I'm not answering anymore questions."
"Was it your suit?"
Nishi gritted his teeth and shouted toward the ball, "Gantz, hurry up and get on with this already, what are you waiting for!"
Everyone began to panic when they started to disappear. Nishi was the last to transfer from the room, leaving the biker's bloodied corpse behind.
Ten more points to go, and then I'll be free!