I stared at the girl across the room, her eyes fixated on my table, constantly switching between myself and Miyu, and that's when I realised that she didn't know who held the diary.
"Hey, Ket, is something interesting about that girl or is it something behind her?" Miyu asked, annoyed.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just me spacing out again," I replied with a half-hearted laugh, turning back to face my dining partner.
"Whatever. Oh. I wanted to ask why you take art studies," Miyu said with a smile.
"I take it because of my mother. She was a very talented sculptor, so I thought that I might have some talent for it, as well," I said, sighing, looking down at my uneaten cake.
"Well, then, you will have to show some of her work to me sometime. We can call it payment for the cake," Miyu chuckled.
"Wha- Hey! I thought that this was your treat!" I said, flustered.
Miyu just replied with a shrug and a cocky grin, but that's when I noticed that the little girl had vanished. I franticly looked around the room, trying to find her. Then, I saw the tail end of her bow slipping past the door to the kitchen.
Crap. She's going for the waitress, first, I thought, and quickly rose from my chair.
"Hey, Ket, where are you going?" Miyu asked, confused.
"I-I just wanted to talk to the chef for a second. I'll be right back," I hastily replied, making my way towards the kitchen door.
As I made my way towards the door, I heard a loud clatter and hastened my pace, rushing inside. When I entered the kitchen, I saw the small girl standing over the waitress, Yuzu, with a very large kitchen knife and I panicked, grabbing the closest thing to me, which happened to be a small plate, and flung it towards her, completely missing her and smashing into the wall next to her.
"I-I'm the one you're looking for!" I half-stammered, half-shouted.
The small girl turned around with a deadly gaze and a scowl across her face, but as she saw me, the anger on her face turned into a sadistic smile.
"Looks like the prey this time is rather stupid. Come here so I can put you out of your misery," the girl said, slowly walking forwards, swinging the knife back and forth.
I started to panic, realizing that I had no weapon of my own, and then I noticed a small door, probably leading to the outside. I just knew that it would be better than staying in this small kitchen and made a dash for it. As I burst through the door, I found myself in a alleyway, facing the wall of another building, and dashed down it, trying to get out onto the street. Behind me, I could hear the door of the café slam open again, but I knew that I couldn't look back.
OK, Ket. Think. You're being chased by a psychotic little girl who has a knife and is trying to kill you. Crap. This isn't normal. I don't know what to do. My thoughts rushed through my head as I tried to think of anything that could help me.
As I rushed into the street, I saw a large group of people who were huddled around some kind of shop and I knew that hiding in a large group was probably my best chance of survival. When I made my way through the crowd, I saw what they were looking at. It was one of those lottery spinners and the grand prize was a trip for two at a hot spring.
"Hey. You there. Young man. Care to test your luck?" the man behind the counter asked, pointing at me.
"No... Uh... I'm fine, really..." I stammered, out of breath.
"Come on. You could win this fabulous prize," the man boasted, slapping the poster of the springs with the back of his hand.
"O-OK, then..." I reluctantly stepped up, trying not to cause a scene and attract some unwanted attention.
I cranked the wheel, only turning it slightly, trying to get it over with, and as the container stopped, a small golden ball fell out, and gasps could be heard behind me.
"Looks like we have a grand winner!" the man shouted, ringing a bell and then handing me two tickets.
"T-thanks..." I said, taking them, just wanting to get out soon as possible.
"This great trip to the relaxing hot springs is perfect for you and your girlfriend," the man said with a huge smile.
"Wha-what girlfriend?" I stuttered. Then, I slowly turned, looking down, and saw the little girl from the café with a pleasant smile on her face.
I panicked, rushing from the crowd, the girl skipping after me, the fake smile still on her face. I kept running, trying my best to put distance between me and the psycho girl, but every time I looked back, all I saw was her, and she would give me a small wave as if it was just a game that she was playing like a cat toying with a small mouse.
OK, Ket. If you're going to survive, you have to find a weapon to protect yourself. I focused my mind on trying to survive, looking for any building that could help me but, sadly, it seemed like I had ended up in a market district.
Flower shop? No. Maybe the bakery. Can't. Too many people. Wait! There! I stopped and looked up at a building, seeing that it was under construction and probably devoid of people. I gave a quick glance behind me and I couldn't see the girl, but I knew that she was probably close behind me, so I silently dashed into the building.
When I got in, it was darker than I had expected and I opened the Number 3 phone for a bit of extra light. The entry of my death was still there, almost like a taunt that was urging me to panic, but I did my best to calm myself and tried to find a weapon to defend myself with. I eventually settled on a decent-sized pipe, picking it up and giving it a few swings to test it.
"Careful there, mister. You don't want to hurt someone with that, do you?" a small voice called out from behind me, causing me to freeze.
I slowly turned around, and there was the small girl, still holding the knife, playing with it absentmindedly, almost like someone would do with a pencil. The girl slowly moved towards me a small smile on her face.
"St-stay back. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to," I swung the pipe nervously, making the girl stop in her tracks.
"But, if you don't hurt me, then how will you survive?" the girl said, pointing her knife at me.
"W-what the hell is wrong with you?! Just stay back!" I gave a few warning swings to see if she would react, but to no avail.
"I'm just doing what this phone and my sisters tell me to do." She responded pulling the 7th phone from her pocket.
"Y-your sisters?" I hesitantly asked, trying to back up further.
"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Raion Hikazua the youngest sister, and I have been chosen to be the 7th diary holder of this game," the girl said with a smile, giving a small curtsy.
I tried to relax a little, trying to assure myself that this girl was simply misguided. That was until I saw her face twitch and a dark grimace replaced the once-warm smile.
"My name is Raion Yamizu. I'm the eldest sister," Raion said in a deeper tone, her eyes looking down at her feet.
"W-what do you mean by 'sister'?" I questioned as I felt the entire mood shift, just like what happened at the diner.
As I tried to study the girl once again, her face twitched and she arched her back, standing straight up, and her eyes were no longer sullen or happy, but cold, like that of a hunter or a predator making eye contact with its prey right before the kill.
"Finally, you have me, Raion Mizu, the middle sister. I hope that we can have some fun with you, boy," Raion said, looking me up and down, her eyes seeming to bore right through me.
"W-what the fuck is going on? You're crazy," I stammered, looking at the strange person in front of me.
"Well, you now that I've introduced myself and my sisters, may I ask that you do the same?" Raion said, her eyes darting around, assessing the room.
C-crap. This is bad. She's blocking the exit and I feel like she's just toying with me. I looked at the door behind the girl, seeing that her body was squarely between me and it.
"Hey, my sister asked you a question, you little shit. Answer it or I'm going to have to kill you," Raion—probably Yamizu—shouted, snapping me out of my train of thought.
"K-Ketaru. Ketaru Fudo," I stammered back.
"Well, I hope you don't mind if we call you Ket. It's just so much easier to say than that long name," Raion said with a crooked smile.
"I-if you must," I replied looking around and seeing a staircase.
"Well, Ket, you can pick which of us gets to kill you. Me, or one of my sisters," Raion said, inching ever so closer.
I knew that it was now or never to make a break for it and, seeing how I probably wouldn't get past her, I had to go for the stairs.
"I... uh... don't think I really want anything like... that!" With my last word, I tossed the pipe that I was holding and made a dash for the stairs.
I heard a scream, but I didn't look back as I raced up the stairway, desperately trying to put any amount of distance between the psychotic girl and me. As I ascended the stairs, I could hear footsteps behind me and the scrape of the knife against the wall getting closer with each step that I took. My breath was running out and I could tell that, if I didn't find a place to hide, I would be dead, and that was when I saw the end of the stairs which led to a door.
C-crap. I can't go back down. I've just got to hope that it's safe, there, I thought as I panted, rushing up the last few steps.
As I burst through the door, I was almost swept back by a strong wind and, as I regained my balance, I saw that I was on the roof of the building and that it was probably late afternoon by them. I looked around desperately for somewhere to hide, but it was just a barren rooftop with a few tarps. There was nothing to hide in or behind.
T-this is bad. Even if I call for help, no one can get up here in time. My mind raced for any idea, but I was coming up with nothing.
I eventually decided that putting myself near the door in the hopes that I could perhaps get the drop on her would be the best idea, so I pressed my body as close to the wall as I could and held my breath. As I waited and squeezed my eyes shut, I could hear the footsteps getting closer accompanied by heavy breathing until the door swung open and Raion rushed out, looking incredibly angry.
"Wh-where is that little shit?!" she gasped, looking around, and I could see a small trail of blood running down her forehead.
"C-calm down, Yamizu. We will find him eventually," Raion said, seemingly talking to herself.
"But, he hurt you. He hurt all of us, Mizu!" she screeched, waving the knife around.
"I said quiet!" Raion shouted, stamping her foot down.
"Yamizu, Mizu, I'm tired, and my head hurts. Plus, it's getting dark out here. You both know how much I hate the dark," the girl whined. It was probably Hikazu.
"Don't worry, sister. Once we kill this prey, we can go home," Raion sighed, trying to calm herself.
I couldn't see much because the door was blocking most of my view, but I could tell that the girl wasn't standing too far from the entrance, making it hard to get past her.
"I really don't want to chase you all day, so come out and die, will you?" Raion called out, stepping forwards a bit.
Yes. Just a little more. Then, I can make a run for it. I prepared myself to make a mad dash past her and down the stairs.
As Raion ever so slowly walked forwards, I gathered all of my courage and clenched my fists, but then she stopped dead in her tracks and pulled out her phone. She looked at it for a second, then slowly turned, her eyes locking with mine.
"Found you," Raion said in a low voice, slowly walking towards me.
W-what the hell?! How did she know that I was here?! I panicked, my mind trying to find answers, but coming up with nothing.
"Now, don't try to run. You have nowhere else to go," Raion said with wicked glee.
She was right. Where I was standing only put me about three feet away from the edge of the building, and from the fact that I could see the street far below, it was too high to jump from. I tried to look for an opening, but I knew that, if I tried to force myself past her, I would only get hurt or worse.
"L-look, I don't want to hurt you, b-but I will if I have to," I shouted at the girl.
"Ha. You hurt me? You must be joking. Unless you can change the future, this is your fate," Raion laughed, pointing her knife towards me, only about a foot away from me.
C-change the future? Could it be that easy? My mind went blank and I slowly took out the phone, looking at it.
'Ketaru Fudo was stabbed to death by diary holder number 7 atop a roof.'
My mind flashed back to when I was at my school where Miyu was predicted to die. Had I really stopped it or was it just a coincidence that she was there? Could I really trust this phone?
I snapped out of my trance just in time to see Raion lunge at me with the knife. I tried to sidestep it, but she slashed my left side and I could feel the stinging pain and wooziness as blood came from the wound.
"You know, that habit of yours is going to get you killed one of these days," Raion said mockingly and I could see my blood trickle down from the tip of the knife.
"T-that really hurt..." I stammered, clutching my side, my shirt beginning to stain with blood.
"Heh. Don't worry. I will make this next one count," Raion stated, making a quick dash towards me, her knife outstretched.
I knew that it was then or never. I quickly turned around and made a dash for the edge.
"W-what the hell are you doing?! There's nowhere to run, you fool!" the girl shouted, quickly gaining on me.
"This isn't how I die!" I shouted back before I flung myself off the building.
My body turned in the air and I could see Raion who was still on the rooftop, glaring at me, but it didn't matter. I looked towards the sky, a brilliant orange and red from the setting sun, and I knew that, if I died there, it would be a perfect final image for me to see, but then I heard a loud crash followed by screams and my body was instantly was consumed by pain, so much that I couldn't even scream as it hurt so badly, but then I saw tiny pink petals float down around me.
"T-the flower shop," I meekly said before I passed out.
So hey there, it's been a bit but I finally finished this chapter and don't worry the three sisters will show up again and if you're wondering what her ability was well that will come latter. Also this lovely young lady is the OC of Fuyukaze Mahou so thank you. I am also open to my OCs still have a few slots open for the final diary holders.
Anyways I'm sorry for the long wait and I know that this chapter is a bit short compared to the last one but I had a lot on my plate at the time but I assure you that the next one will be longer. So if you have comments or ideas, feel free to write a review or send me a PM, I always love to hear from my readers.
One more thing (Bonus points if you get that) The next few chapters will end the OC submission time. A player meeting will be held and I will describe the shadowy figures in some detail. I only decided that No.7 would be Raion because she seemed like a great starting person but that also means that I haven't picked anyone else so send in now if you want your shot to become a future diary holder.
Sincerely Rinjai