A Sadistic Game

by DarkShockBro

What happens when you are an anomaly in a world where so many are miserable? Do you try to blend in and ignore the prospect of being different, or do you fight to make people feel better, even though so many are against you? This is the dilemma of detective Aru Akise, someone who has failed once before to improve the world. Can he succeed, or will he fail again? M for later events.

2. Discussion with the 4th

A Sadistic Game: Chapter 2

The day after the 3rd was killed, Aru decided to bike over to the police station.

Yesterday was quite the experience. So many confusing events happened in succession. But, I should have time to worry about that later. For now, I need to help the police bring an end to the case of the serial killer, a case that has plagued them for two years. Hopefully, my testimony regarding what happened yesterday might help them out. In addition, there's another particular case that's been nagging them for quite some time. Perhaps they have a lead on that as well. I'm sure they'll be fine with me skipping school again; we simply can't have criminals like that roaming around without bars in front of them. That's one reason why I became a detective in the first place.

With a smile, Aru put his bike on the rack, ran up to the station, and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a young man with brown eyes, brown hair, a black tie, a gray coat, and a white undershirt.

Aru smiled. "Nishijiama-san. It's good to see you."

"Good morning, Aru. What brings you here today?"

"Do you mind if I come in first?"

"No, go right ahead."

With a nod, the silver haired boy stepped inside the station, closing the door behind him.

"Nishijiama-san…yesterday was quite a chaotic day. Did anyone give you an update on the serial killer?"

"No, not yet. It amazes me how he's managed to escape our detection for two years."

"I know what happened to him. I apologize for not telling you immediately, but I remembered that Kurusu-sama had a day off yesterday. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk with both of you about what happened."

"I suppose that's fine. He should still be in his office."

"Excellent. Let's go together. However, I would prefer if you two were the only ones to hear what I'm about to say. It's a rather…fascinating tale, to say the least."

"Alright, if you insist. You've been very helpful, so I'll take your word for it."

"Thank you very much."

Soon afterwards, Aru knocked on a rather large midnight black door.

A voice came from the other end. "Who is it?"

"Aru Akise, Kurusu-sama. I've come with Nishijiama-san to give you important news about the serial killer. Do you mind if we come in?"

"If you're knocking on my door it must be important, so go ahead."

With that, Aru opened the door slowly to reveal a man with black hair, brown eyes, a black tie, a white buttoned shirt, and a blue jacket. He was sitting behind a big mahogany desk in a comfy blue recliner. Kurusu gestured for the two to come in, they did so, and Aru closed the door behind him.

Aru was the first to speak. "It's good to see you, Kurusu-sama."

"You too, Apprentice Detective. Now then, what's this news you want to tell us?"

Aru pulled out his cell phone. "First, I'd like to ask if you have heard of something known as a Future Diary."

Kurusu's eyes widened. "…Yes, I have."

"Good. I happen to have one. I tested it out a little and discovered that it keeps tabs on important events that happen each day. It resets every day, and it updates every ten minutes. However, the information is in bullet points, and as such, the event isn't described in much detail and it can be rather tough to read. In addition, it can only predict events that happen for the present day. I call it The Memorandum Diary."

Nishijiama was shocked. "Wh…what?!"

Kurusu nodded. "I see. Is this your big news, Aru?"

"No, it isn't. My news is that the serial killer planned to attack someone named Yukiteru Amano, a student from my school, yesterday."

"He did? Damn, does that bastard ever take a break? Did he succeed?"

"No, he didn't. Yukiteru-kun didn't arrive as he expected, and instead, I showed up. He tried to attack me, but I managed to grab his weapon and pacify him. Unfortunately, just as I was about to call the police station, Yukiteru-kun and a girl named Yuno Gasai arrived. One of them, I believe it was Yukiteru-kun, threw a dart at the serial killer's phone, which happened to be his Future Diary. However, and this is the strange part, the destruction of this phone caused him to…well…vanish. I got a little more information out of Yukiteru-kun and Yuno-san and then I went home, confused and exhausted."

Nishijiama's eyes widened. "Well…you weren't kidding when you said it was a fascinating tale…"

Kurusu pulled out his phone. "It isn't too fascinating, Nishijiama. After all, I'm a Future Diary owner too, the Fourth, to be precise. And it's good to see you using your Future Diary to solve crime, Aru. Someday, you may be a great detective."

Aru smiled. "Thank you, Kurusu-sama."

"By the way, did you pick up the Diary numbers of the serial killer, Yukiteru, and Yuno?"

"Yes, I did. They are the Third, First, and Second, in that order."

"Excellent. Well, it's a darn shame we couldn't put the serial killer behind bars, nor do we know his true identity yet, but at the very least, we don't have to worry about him anymore. I guess we can put our focus on our next long-lasting case now."

Aru nodded. "Of course. That terrorist has been wreaking havoc on Sakurami City for a long time. Do you have any leads on her, Kurusu-sama?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. According to my Criminal Investigation Diary, she's planning on attacking Sakurami Middle School tomorrow."

Nishijiama spoke up. "Aru looks like he's thinking of a counter-plan. Do you mind if I stay here to listen to it?"

Kurusu shrugged. "I suppose so. Be sure to return to your duties when he's done though."

"Of course, sir."

All of a sudden, Aru snapped his fingers. "Ah ha! I believe I have a plan."

Kurusu smiled. "We're listening."

"Alright. Well, I am a student of the targeted school, so I know my way around it fairly well. I may not be able to pinpoint her exact location tomorrow, but I can make a few deductions."

"Go on."

"First, I believe that there is some reason as to why she's attacking this school. All of her previous attacks were related to the destruction of religion, and this school is definitely not religious. Therefore, she will not seek to destroy the entire school. Still, she may intend to place time bombs in the school for leverage. I can also conclude that an investigation of the school at this point would prove fruitless, due to her track record of escapism, and she would probably form some sort of counterattack. Getting back to the reason for her attack, I believe it relates to one of the two people who killed the 3rd Diary Owner. From what I can gather, these Diary Owners are locked in some 'Battle Royale' for the chance to become God. This leads me to one of two conclusions. The first, which is more likely, she intends to kill all of the Diary Owners so that no one can become God. However, there is also a possibility that she possesses a Future Diary. If that's the case, then while her intent hasn't changed, her motive is that with her as God, she'll be able to dispel all of the religions in the world. Hmm…Kurusu-sama, do you know anything about the 'Battle Royale'?"

"Hmm…well, I do know that only the Future Diary owners should be privy to its existence…ah ha! Yes, now I remember. She is a Diary owner."

"Excellent. Well, that makes things easier. Now that I know that for certain, my plan should be locked in stone. I will arrive to school early, attempt to draw out her Future Diary as leverage, talk to her regarding the reason for her attack if my attempt is successful, and perhaps, if I'm lucky, I may be able to convince her to stop. I know it's extremely unlikely, and I know this is very risky due to her nature, but if I can pacify her, she might make a good ally. After all, her childhood was quite tragic with her parents dying when she was eight due to a religious war. There had to have been good inside of her at some point in her life. And helping those who are in trouble is my job as a detective."

Kurusu's eyes widened. "Wow…well, you've certainly come up with some solid deductions. However, as I'm sure you know, she is a master of disguise. Do you think that she'll attack with a disguise tomorrow?"

"Even if she does, her voice is naturally much deeper than the students at this school, and I can tell when someone is using a voice box. Besides, she hasn't been caught by the police in a long time, so I'd imagine that would lead to some overconfidence. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't decide to disguise herself at all."

"…I see. Well, you have the number of the police station, so just call if you need backup. This is a rather risky plan, you know. Trying to reason with a psychopathic terrorist is not easy by any stretch of the imagination."

"I know. I'll make sure to put it on speed-dial. However, I do believe that there's still hope for her, and that, while unlikely, this plan can succeed."

Kurusu sighed. "You're a crazy kid, you know that? But, crazy or not, you've got a lot of guts. That's an important quality for a detective. Alright, we'll let the station know about your plan, and if things go awry, we'll be right there."

"Thank you, Kurusu-sama. Well, I suppose the game has begun. I'll make sure to keep you updated, and I plan on experimenting with my Diary when I get back home. I have a feeling my comprehension of its inner workings with prove integral in the upcoming days."

"Sounds good. Take care. Nishijiama, back to your duties."

With a nod from both of them, they left the office.

"Good luck, Aru. I hope everything goes well tomorrow."

"Thank you, Nishijiama-san."

Aru turned around and walked back to his bike.

It's been a long time since I've had to come up with a plan like this, but this might be our only chance to reason with her, because this isn't a religious attack. She may destroy innocents just so she can get one step closer to winning this sadistic game. Perhaps I can appeal to her humanity, but that's doubtful. However, appealing to her hatred towards religion may be the key we need. I'll simply need to keep her personality and motivations in mind. Also, how am I going to get her phone out? I think obfuscating stupidity may be the best way. I could just walk up and ask her for directions, and maybe scratch the back of my head too. Hopefully, that can get her to pull her phone out, and then it should be smooth sailing from there. Plus, my diary should be able to locate her tomorrow, so finding her shouldn't be an issue. Well, tomorrow is going to be a big day. I'd better just check out my phone before getting some good rest.

Aru decided to ride around the city for a little to get some more exercise and to disguise the fact that he didn't go to school again. His plan succeeded, and he had the evening in his room to tinker with his Future Diary.

First, he decided to see if the screen was touch-sensitive by flicking his finger across it. Due to the fact that the focus of the screen shifted from Yukiteru to Yuno with his flick, it definitely was.

Good. This should make things easier.

Next, he scrolled down Yuno's 'page', as it were, and saw a few buttons at the bottom, such as 'bookmark', 'alert', and 'dead end update'.

Ah, this must be for keeping tabs. The diary is a bit clunky, so it's good that I can stay updated on certain people. There's probably a limit to the number of bookmarks I can have, but that's no big deal.

Finally, he went back to the main menu, where he saw two buttons towards the middle of the screen. One said 'Satellite Mode', and the other said 'Connect Mode.' He tapped the former, causing a screen to pop up.

Do you want to engage Satellite Mode? You will be able to keep in contact with other Future Diary owners in a 1 kilometer radius, but your battery will deplete quicker. Is that alright? *YES* *NO*

Aru pressed no, and then pressed the other button.

Do you want to engage Connect Mode? With a USB cable, other Future Diary owners can link to your phone and contact you in a 100 kilometer radius, but your battery will deplete quicker. Is that alright? *YES* *NO*

Aru pressed no again, and saw that the phone had no other special features. Still, even without the Future Diary, this was an impressively modern cell phone.

This is going to be quite helpful for solving cases. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be tough, but I'm ready for them. I just have to think carefully and take what opportunities life gives me. Because in order to get the result I want, I'll need to understand the people around me. That way, I can save those who need saving and condemn those who warrant condemnation. …Oh yeah, that reminds me. Where's the charger for this thing?

After a little, Aru found the charger a little behind where the phone initially was. Then, he let out a short 'silly me' laugh for not staying around to look for it. Finally, Aru plugged his phone in to recharge it and he drifted off to sleep once more.