DAY ONE ; 1:25 P.M.

Sakura Oogami had been searching for Asahina since the game had started, with absolutely no luck.

She was currently resting at the shrine – she had taken the man's words to heart and gotten her 'shrine issues' out of the way before it became a danger zone. There was the remains of a bloody fight a few feet away from her. It was Mahiru Koizumi, bullet holes riddling her body. In the trees a bit away was Mikan Tsumiki.

Sakura didn't want to know what had happened. She didn't want to know if the two deaths were related in some way or if it was just a common place for people to die, but she did think that she should maybe get a move on soon, before she was attacked.

She was certain she could fight off any attacker, but if someone shot her from behind, she wouldn't have much of a chance of fighting them off. Which was the main reason for sitting with her back to a wall.

She must have been engrossed in her thoughts, though, because the next thing she heard was someone laughing.

She glanced up to see Touko Fukawa standing on a rock, grinning, tongue out of her mouth for some reason, and a pair of scissors glinting from her hands.

Sakura stood up.

"Fukawa," she said. "You seem… different."

"Wha-a-at? Don't compare me to Ol' Gloomy!" she said. Her grin widened. "I'm Genocider Syo."

Oh was she being serious.

Sakura caught a glint of blond hair for a second. "Who's with you?"

"Huh?" Fukawa – or, rather, Syo – asked. "Just you and me!"

"Hm," Sakura said. Her hands twitched toward her hatchet, which was sitting on top of her bed – she hadn't been terribly disappointed with her weapon, it was useful. She thought that she could beat Fukawa, but she did know the reputation of the famous serial killer, Genocider Syo. She may need a weapon.

No. No, Syo or not, Fukawa was just a small girl. Sakura would easily be able to –

Before she could continue her thoughts, Syo's scissors were flying toward her stomach. She twisted away, throwing a punch, and Sakura Oogami… missed.

"You know," Syo said, almost conversationally. "I usually only kill hot guys. But man, this game, I'll have to make do, right? And you're nearly a guy, right? I can't wait to find Byakuya-sama! This is going to be so much fun! Wow!"

Sakura threw another punch, a successive kick, and Syo evaded each one until she was caught in the ribs by a punch. She toppled backward with an oof!, and Sakura wondered if she should leave. She didn't want to kill. She wanted to keep going and find Asahina with no blood on her hands.

She turned away and slung her bag over one shoulder, hatchet in the other.

As she was going, she felt a needle-sharp pain in her back and turned to see a scissor embedded in her back. Syo, who apparently still couldn't walk, had thrown it at her. Sakura didn't know if it had hit anything vital, but it was certainly deep, and it certainly hurt.

She debated turning to at least knock her unconscious, but, no, she would keep her pride. She would keep walking. She wouldn't stumble or fall or trip. And she would find Aoi Asahina, and, if possible, she would not kill anyone before finding her. There was nothing that would make Asahina more upset.

Plan secure, Sakura Oogami moved out, glancing up to see the blond hair in the trees once more. Byakuya-sama. A smile played on her lips. So Togami was following the killer around. How very like him.

26 STUDENTS REMAINING

I wanted a run-in with Syo, I was going to have someone die, Sakura was the wrong person to pick. But one more chapter for sure, now!