Hours later…
The pain returns, and Kuro tiredly opens his eyes to see where he is. The same window of Heavenly Host… the outside is raining nonstop. He's leaning against a wall in a sitting position, his hands are placing on his straightened legs. Slightly turning his head to the right, he sees the bloody scissors lying on the floor, a little far away from his reach. He wants to grab it, but right now, he can't even move his fingers. None of his body parts are responding to his command, his body stays the same no matter how he tries to move. Only his head is still 'alive', as he looks down to see his bandaged hand, which is covered in dried blood of him… and the blood of Kentaro Oshio when he punched him to the face to temporarily stop the Darkening before Azusa could force the Holy Water into his mouth to purge the possession.
"…Their group is now saved…" Kuro says to himself after he remembered his success. He then tries to move one more, and this time his body collapses to the right, forcing him to let out a grunt of pain. His vision starts to blur, but due to the sudden shock, he's able to move his left hand, as he grabs the scissors. With the last bits of adrenaline, he barely pushes himself off the ground, and he leans his body on the wall to support his walk. "But then… another drop…" He says to himself, before starting to walk forward, heading into the darkness of the school. "No matter…"
Walking to an intersection, he turns to the right to see a bunch of strings blocking the way. Sighing in frustration, Kuro weakly raises the scissors and slowly cuts them down… only to stop at the third one due to his shaking hand dropping the scissors. "…No…energy…" With his last words, Kuro drops on his back, his world turns dark again…
"Eh…do those count as parts of the ensemble too?" Yoshiki asks Morishige, as he gazes over the cat ears sitting on the table.
"You should bring them. We might not be able to continue without them." The megane suggests as he heads to the exit.
"Hm…maybe you're right." Yoshiki agrees, and he returns back to the table with the cat ears.
"Okay. I will go ahead…" However, when he pokes his head out of the door and looks at his left, he sees something on the ground. And thanks to the body, he also finds out the strings on the air. "Hey, Yoshiki. Come quick."
"What is it?" Having grabbed the ears, the blond-hair boy walks to his friend. Morishige points out of the door, and he pokes his head out. "…Wait, is that…somebody…"
"Be careful. Those strings look sharp." Walking out of the classroom, the megane warns. Yoshiki nods and slowly walks towards the body, kneels down and grabs the scissors, then starts cutting down the strings. Once he confirms that there's no strings left, he walks over the body. "…Hey, Morishige… is this some sort of test?"
"I…don't think so…" The megane walks to the body, then reaches his hand to the person's head… only to retreat back. "Not good. He's having a fever."
"Uh…Morishige… how about we just leave him here for now, and finish this before…"
"And let him die?" Morishige interjects. He then looks at the ceiling, where he assumes there's a camera, and calls: "Hey Sachiko, can we go back and then continue later?"
"Hm… are you sure?" The voice of the ghost girl asks back. "I mean, you're a little closer to the goal…"
"…Yes, we are returning." Morishige answers, this time with certainty.
"Wait a second." Yoshiki stops him. "About the goal…"
"There's a chance that, if we win, we would be out instantly and not be able to get him out." Morishige then checks person's pulse on his neck. "And he's extremely weak. He might die anytime."
Yoshiki scratches his head in annoyance. While he wants to escape with Ayumi, that doesn't mean he could just ignore someone in need of help. "Fine then. If that ghost girl allows it, then we have no reasons to ignore it."
"Good." The two then grab the person's arms and throw them over their shoulders, and start heading back to where they have started the trial.
…
"Hm…" Sachiko crosses her arms in annoyance and curiosity. Since the two boys have disobeyed her instructions, she has called out those strings to cut them down. But, that dying man just ruined her plan. Although… for some reasons, she couldn't hate the person for doing so. She then watches the duo carrying the man back…
She then hears the zombie teacher grunting behind her. Though she understands it. "You didn't know him, huh? Guess he's one of the newest ones then…"
'…He's the one saving us.'
"Huh?" Turning around, Sachiko turns around to see who just said that, but she sees that everyone's focusing on the TV. Deciding to dismiss it for now, she looks at the exit door just to see the boys bringing the man inside. Some of the students and the teacher from Kisaragi School gather around them as the boys slowly lie the body down, as the teacher starts checking for his current situation…
"This is not good…" Yui says. "He's dehydrated. Any of you have water or so?" The students shake their heads sadly. She then starts checking his pockets, and finds out a piece of chocolate wrapped in a piece of silver paper. "Better than nothing." She then pushes the chocolate piece into his mouth, but the man doesn't seem to recognize the thing in his mouth. "Hey, hey!" Yui starts to panic, as she puts her hands on his cheek and tries to shake his head to wake him. "Hey, wake up!"
'…Save him…'
'Okay, what the hell was that?' Keeping trying to find voice, Sachiko looks again, only to find no one. 'Serious, this is getting annoying…'
Thankfully, a few seconds later, the person's mouth starts moving… and he starts crushing the chocolate then swallows it… and a few seconds later, he laughs, startling the students. Then he opens his eyes and looks at everyone and smiles. "…Damn…that's close…"
Seeing the man managing to get out of the danger, for now, the students from Kisaragi sigh in relief, as Yui re-checks his pulse. The man plans to sit up, but she holds him in place. "You can't stand up now. You're too weak."
"…Guess I have to do so then. Thank you Yui." The man chuckles again and lies back down.
"Um…what did he just say?" Naomi, not understanding English too well, asks Ayumi.
"He… just thanked miss Yui…" Ayumi answers. "But, why did he say that in English?"
"Maybe he's a foreigner." Satoshi guesses.
"Hey…" The man then turns his head to Yoshiki. "Can you… return… the scissors?"
"Oh…Okay." After hearing the translation from Ayumi, the blond-hair boy does so, earning a thankful nod from the man. "This is going to be hard…"
"Brother…" Yuka nudges Satoshi's arm. "Have we…seen him somewhere?"
"I…I'm not sure…" Satoshi answers. "But… I do feel like so…"
"By the way…Happy birthday, Sachiko." Despite being in pain, the man still manages to say his wish to the ghost.
A little surprised, Sachiko then smiles. "Well thanks for the wish… Hey, what's your name?"
Coughing twice, the man answers: "It's…Kuro…"
At that moment, something clicks in Sachiko's mind…
'You're planning to fight me? You really expect that you could overcome me?'
'You are… planning to 'save' me?'
'I could help you atoning.'
'What's the point of doing all of this, if you would get nothing back in return?'
'…Eh, I guess not.'
"…" Memories of her encounter with him… how he managed to avoid deaths a few times… how he knew about her… how he's planning to sacrifice himself to get everyone out…
"What's…with that face?" Kuro tries to joke, but ends up coughing again.
"Just rest, would you?" Yui sighs at the man's antic. "You're on the edge of dying, and yet…"
"Here..." Turning back, Yui is surprised to see Sachiko materializing a bottle of water and giving it to her. "Keep him alive. It's my birthday, and I don't want a person like him to die. I need him for my entertainment."
Slightly…disturbed by the sudden generosity, Yui pushes the feeling away and takes the bottle. "Thank you." She then opens the cap and gets Kuro what he needs.
"What… a sudden change of character…" Aiko Niwa is a little surprised by the event. Her statement is all agreed by everyone else. "But, I guess it's better than her going ballistic…"
"Thanks…again." Kuro raises a thumb up to the air. "Sorry… for no presents…" Then, the hand drops harshly to the floor, creating a noise. Everyone startles, but relaxes when they hear his snore.
"Geez, he surely scares a lot of us there." Naomi comments.
"…Alright!" Sachiko changes back to her 'cheerful' self. "Hey, Yoshiki, Morishige. Are you two going to continue the race?"
"Ah, right! I almost forgot!" That's the blond-hair boy's response.
…
Time skip
Kuro snorts once, and then he smells the air being drastically different. Upon his mind waking up, he feels his body being in a sitting position while leaning on a wall. He slowly opens his right eye… and nearly regrets it due to the bright light flashing right at him. Grunting, he raises his arm up to block the light…
"You have awakened, huh?" Slightly turning his head to the left, he sees Sachiko's shockingly face close to his, causing him to nearly swing his scissors right at her face if he doesn't see her 'innocence' eyes.
"…Geez, you scared me." Sighing, he tries to control his heart rate… and his stomach growls. A moment of silence, then he chuckles. "Guess that won't be enough, huh…"
"You have gone around the school for a day without food. That's to be expected." The ghost girl calmly explains.
"…How did you…"
"Don't mind it too much. Stand up." By saying so, she pulls him off the ground and then to one of the tables. Having no strength to resist her, he lets his body follow whatever she wants to do on him. Then, she puts him in a chair next to Satoshi, who waves his hand to greet him and Kuro returns the gesture, and Sachiko sits in another chair next to him. "You're going to be the last judge for the contest."
"Contest?" Kuro plans to ask more, but then the smell of the food gives him the hint. "Cooking?"
"Yeah."
"…You KNOW I'm going to be bias here, since I'm hungry, right?" She simply points her finger to Yoshikazu, who grunts in return. "…He's the same too, huh?"
"Don't worry. At least, this is my thanks to help you from now on."
"…So, you know about…" He receives a nod. "Well, my thanks for keeping me alive."
After a few more minutes of waiting, the food has been bringing out… and Kuro has to stop himself from facepalming when he sees one of the dishes. He could make a guess that the first ones are salad, but… '…The nay thi tao cung chiu. Cai ong Kizami dien khung nay…' Despite that, he decides to take one VERY SMALL bite… and forces himself to not throw up immediately. 'That…bastard…'
"IT'S TIME TO SCORE THIS DISH!" The MC Ghost announces.
He immediately raises a zero for the dish. Other judges look at him in surprise, and he sends a glare back with a message that 'don't question it'. They decide not to comment vocally.
The next dish is from Naomi, which is Tofu Salad. At least it looks normal... and tastes normal. A little too salty, but edible. He gives it a six.
For Yoshiki, it's… 'frozen salads'. That's NOT something he would do, but… it's actually his kind of food. Seven it goes for Yoshiki.
For Yui… no escaping this one. Zero.
For Urabe… unfortunately, he has zero counters for her logic. Still, eight, since it's in a pot.
After that, the lowest score belongs to Yui… and Kuro immediately closes his eyes and ears to NOT remember about the scene. Only when he THINKS Sachiko is done, would he stop doing so.
When the MC announces the second round, and the chefs return to the kitchen, Sachiko turns and asks cheekily: "Horrified of what happened to her?"
Kuro sighs. "Obviously. So, the next one is…"
"Soup."
"…Wait. Soup?" Kuro rubs his nose bridge to remember… "Ah, right. Forget that I'm in Japan."
"Culture differences, huh?" The ghost girl earns a nod as confirmation.
"Just curiosity…" The MC suddenly asks Kuro. "How did you get in here? I mean, Lady Sachiko can only bring the people who performed…"
"I did bring him here." Sachiko answers in Kuro's place. "Though, it's more of 'another me'."
"Oh…" The ghosts nod.
"Um…what are you talking about?" Satoshi enters the conversation.
"Ah, it's nothing for you to worry, Satoshi bro. Just enjoy the event." Sachiko smiles at him.
…
And, the result this time:
Kizami… not even going to touch it. Zero.
Naomi, with her sweet red bean soup… not exactly his type, but he won't complain. Five.
Urabe, with her caterpillar fungus poultry soup…she's nailing the contest isn't she? Ten.
Though, at this part, Satoshi and Naomi are surprised at Kuro's zero-hesitation in eating the soup even after hearing the explanation. So the latter asks him: "Uh, Kuro, do you know WHAT that is?"
"We eat living weevils." He simply answers back, nearly shocking the alive people. "…And since WHEN can you guys understand me?" He then notices that the moment he says that, people react immediately.
"Ah that's me." Sachiko answers.
"Oh."
For Yoshiki… unfortunately, what could happen, will happen.
…
After his punishment, Sachiko then says that she's bored, and she changes the location and the rules. Kuro, after having some food, is currently okay enough to be on his feet. He decides to just stand out and watches from afar for a while…
"Thank you for helping us, Kuro." Turning to his right, he sees Yoshie Shinozaki walking to him. "If it wasn't for your help, maybe my daughter won't remember about this at all."
"Ah, it's nothing." Kuro smiles back. He then looks at Sachiko. "But… may I ask HOW this happens?"
'It's…me…' Kuro blinks, then turns his head around to see who just said that, and ends up with nothing.
"What's wrong?" Yoshie asks in worry.
"It's…nothing." Kuro answers. However, reminding the strange answer… 'The Queen?' There's no mistakes. That voice could only belong to her. But… why? Even IF she sees him on her side… wouldn't it benefit her better for him to die? Shaking his head to clear his thought, he then says to Yoshie: "Well, I'm still hungry. Want to head to Naomi's tent first?"
The teacher nods, and the two take their first stop as intended, then to Urabe's. Yoshie plans to go to Kizami's, but he holds her back since he knew WTH he's planning to do, and he's NOT going to give him any benefits.
Thankfully, there's not much for him to do since the event solves by itself. That doesn't stop him from taking a couple more plates of food, though.
After that, the last 1v1 comes up, and everyone starts helping the main chefs…
"Wouldn't you help them?" Sachiko asks curiously.
"Hm…maybe I will, but only in the taste. Can't let them turn the food into seawater." Kuro jokes, followed by her giggle.
…
"Kuro?" Naomi is surprised to see the man walking to them. "We haven't finished…"
"Don't worry." He interrupts. "I'm here to check how you're doing. So, what are you planning?"
"Wow, you know how to cook?" Seiko asks hopefully.
Unfortunately, he shakes his head. "I have no places for a contest like this. But, I can tell if a dish is okay or not. My taste bud is on par."
"Well that's enough." Naomi sighs.
"I was planning to check both of you, so it would be fair. But…" Turning his head to Urabe, Kuro chuckles. "I doubt I could enter her mind."
"It's good to get help!" Satoshi says in relief.
"So…yeah. Naomi, what will you make?" Kuro decides to ask.
"Um…chocolate, maybe?" Naomi is uncertain. "I mean, we have too many kinds of food today, so I thought it would be okay for a dessert. Besides, what kid doesn't like chocolate?"
"…Good point." Since it doesn't affect too much of what's coming up next, Kuro rolls with it.
And…obviously, that's a bust. Including the rice balls. And not even Urabe's food works.
"What should I do?" Naomi is now anxious. "This is not going to end well…" Suddenly she hears Kuro chuckling. "Wh…What's so funny?"
"Well… My work here is done, I'm afraid." Grabbing the rice balls for himself, he then gives out the last hint. "Remember the rule. It will help you."
Walking out of the place, Kuro takes a bite from one ball, then walks to Sachiko and gives one to her, but she declines. Shrugging, he keeps eating… until Sachiko says: "You know how it would end, right?"
"I mean, isn't that obvious?" The man chuckles…then, he asks: "So…after this… do I have to run from you?"
"I won't kill you. But that doesn't mean I will help you with your work."
"Fine by me. Well, let's just enjoy this day first before thinking further."
Chapter 9 end!
If you expected him to run around for six months without food, then you're so mistaken.
So yeah, I was planning to get something dark...and ended up with this light-heart chapter. Maybe the next chapter would still be like this.
See you all in the next chapters!