(MIKI'S POV)

I stare in disbelief as Leo's bleeding chest suddenly stops moving. Is he... really dead? I can't be sure. Nothing's ever that simple with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was faking it just to have one last laugh at our misfortune.

Except he's not. A puddle of blood becomes forming around him, like it does in movies. His eyes are closed, and his face is quickly turning pale. I push myself up slightly, which isn't easy considering my condition, and crawl up to Leo, then place my fingers on his neck. No pulse.

Leo Harway is dead. It's all over. This nightmare has finally ended.

With strength I didn't even know I possessed, I rise up and stand on my knees, with my left hand firmly planted against the bleeding wound on my abdomen. My body's completely busted, no doubt about it. I'm absolutely going to die in a few minutes. But Leo's death has given me a sense of... security. I feel like the fear and adrenaline that were filling me up to the edge were quickly vanishing, thus loosening their grip on me. I might have just a little while to live, but at least I won't spend my last moments paralyzed and helpless.

I turn my head and look around. Lilly is lying on the other side of the room, covered in blood. Her chest isn't moving either. Just as I thought – the wounds she had sustained were way too much for her to handle. Sure, I took way more abuse, but I also got lucky – until I was stabbed, no vital organs were hurt. Poor blind girl took half a magazine in the chest. Even I wouldn't be able to wake up after a blow like that.

With great effort, I finally manage to turn my head up. Hanako is standing right above Leo's corpse, with the gun in her hands still smoking. Her body is trembling like a leaf – so much so that the muzzle of her pistol is moving like one of those bobble head dolls they place in cars. Despite that, she's still aiming straight at Leo's corpse, in case he attacks us again.

'It's okay, Hanako. He's dead' I convince her.

It takes her a few seconds to finally comprehend what I told her. Slowly, the scarred girl falls on her knees, and her hands loosen their grip on the weapon. I approach her and quickly pick up the pistol, knowing that she's not strong enough to even hold it anymore. The last thing I need would be for one of us to get killed in a stupid accident like the gun firing by accident upon hitting the ground.

'You did it' I smile faintly as I wrap my left arm around her. I would have hugged her properly to reassure her, but my right arm is completely numb and useless at this point. Not that it really matters, but I still feel kind of sad that, even if I survive this by some holy miracle, my sports career would be over. But now's not the time to think depressing thoughts like that. We won, and I managed to save Hanako's life! She's practically unharmed, and, if Raiden stays true to his word, she'll get to go home soon! I feel so happy for her... So why isn't she saying anything?

'Hanako?' I ask and look at her.

The girl's eyes stare blankly at Leo's corpse, with no life left into them. Her mouth is gaping slightly, and her entire body is completely relaxed, only staying up on its knees because it's leaning on me. I grip the wound on my abdomen tightly as I feel a sudden wave of dull pain. Hanako acts like she's in shock, which is unsurprising. She just had to kill someone, after all! Honestly, it's only natural for her to not fully comprehend what she had done.

Except her dead, motionless eyes tell me that's not the kind of shock she's ever coming back from.

'Oh, no... No, no, no...' I let go of my wound and place my palm on her face, covering its side in my blood. 'Hanako! Hanako! Come on, please, talk to me!'

I desperately beg her, yelling as loud as I can't, which isn't very loud considering my condition, but it should still be enough to bring her back to reality. But she's not waking up. Her body's completely numb and motionless. It's like her soul simply left her body.

I close my eyes. Of course, it was all so obvious... Hanako's mental state has never been particularly stable. Ever since the fire that killed her parents and scarred her body, her mind was deteriorating rapidly, with only Lilly and Hisao helping her keep at least some of her sanity. It was foolish of me to think that this fucked-up game wouldn't take its toll on her. And now, not only was Hanako forced to take a human life with her own hands – she also lost everyone that mattered to her.

She was the sole survivor of a tragedy, again.

While her body was healthy, her mind simply couldn't handle all of this. Hanako was incapable of dealing with everything she went through in the past forty-eight hours, so she simply... faded away. I felt my eyes fill up with tears. Was that gonna be their winner?! A completely broken girl with nothing left to live for? Was she going to be the one they'd parade as their sole survivor? Was she going to be the one burdened with the responsibility for all the deaths that happened here?

No... I can't allow this. This... This is simply cruel.

When I first heard the rules of this game, I immediately resigned myself to my death. Frankly, I didn't particularly mind it, at least not any more than the average person does. The only thing I wanted to do was to save someone before I went out. I thought that someone would be Hanako, but... Letting her survive this would be no salvation. It would be a nightmare all on its own. She would never recover from the shock she experienced today, at least not fully. Her life from now on, if you can even call it a "life", would be nothing but suffering and humiliation. No, the only salvation I could bring her was to spare her of the humiliation.

Using my left hand, I slowly bring the gun up and place it next to Hanako's forehead.

'I'm so sorry...' I whisper in her ear. 'Please, forgive me...'

And then, I pull the trigger.

My friend's blood sprays my face before I even hear the gunshot. The pistol jumps in my hand, knocking me back and forcing me to lie down on the ground, this time for good. Finally, my mind blanks out, unable to bear all the stress and damage my body went through. Now, I no longer have a reason to fight it. I close my eyes and left my consciousness drift away.

So, at the end... This game ended up with no winner. Maybe... That is for the best.

STUDENT #3: HANAKO IKEZAWA – DEAD

STUDENT #7: LILLY SATOU – DEAD

STUDENT #8: MIKI MIURA – DEAD

NONE REMAIN