Chapter 42
(There's a card with the message, point A, is that where she is?)
"Something wrong?" Rain asks me.
"Shuka sent me a call for help. I hope it's just a bad joke."
'This is a joke, right? Answer me!' I send another message, hoping she'll respond quickly.
I wait for several seconds, then get to the minute, still no answer.
"Damn... No answer. I can't believe it, did something really happen to her?"
"I doubt she'd waste a request for help on a joke! For a level D, it only costs 5 points, but at level A, you have to sacrifice 600!" Rain explains.
"You mean this message cost 60 million yen?" (Well no choice...) "Change of program, I'm off to find Shuka, keep the bracelets on until I get back."
"All right! I'll open a passage for you through the back exit!" Ichiro follows me.
"I'll go with you, apparently, the Eighth's attack isn't for a while!" Ryuji joins me.
"Thank you." I nod.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Rain calls out. "Don't you realize how dangerous this is?! You're going to have to deal with one or more opponents who got the better of an A-level! We risk losing both of you as well as Shuka!"
"It's worth the risk!" Ryuji said, putting on his mask. "If we manage to save her, she'll make a great ally. One is A-level too, I remind you!"
"Look, I know you're trying to protect us, but my mind is made up."
Seeing me firmly placed on my decision, Rain lets out a long, defeated sigh.
"I'll be posted on the roof with my sniper, I can hit a target a mile away!" She announces.
"Okay, we'll count on you when we need you." I turn one last time, before taking the elevator.
Ryuji and I exit the building, taking my phone to see where Shuka is.
"The point indicated on the map is 400 meters to the north, I see six bracelets right next to it, that must be Shuka." I explain.
"It's near the station... If we hurry, we could be there in less than five minutes... The trouble is, there are 300 enemis roaming the neighborhood!" Ryuji picks up his phone. "Oh sorry, there's only 168 of us left! There's been quite a clean-up..."
"Okay, then let's not waste time, let's go." I take off but Ryuji stops me.
"Wait a second, you don't have a gun on you? Don't tell me you left empty-handed!"
"Hmm? Ah you're right, better get ready to avoid the same mistake as earlier."
I activate my magic circuits and project three kunai and place them in my kunai holster on my left thigh.
"Phew!" He whistles, impressed. "That's weapon creation?! What a handy Sigil! Wait, you can produce anything? If you create copies of the bracelets, we'll be treasure-hunting champions!"
"So, it's not a Sigil but purely magic and unfortunately, my power has its limits, even if indeed I can project the rings, however, when I pass my phone over them, the sensor doesn't recognize them."
"I see, it's rather predictable... So what can you make appear then? We'll have to base part of our strategy on that!"
"Well, swords, kunai, shurikens..."
"Ha! You could make a fortune through collectors than playing Darwin's Game! I'd trade my power for your magic circuits!"
"The problem is that my projections don't last long and are, to generalize, empty shells. So, what's your Sigil? I've revealed my power to you, so now it's your turn."
"Me? A rotten thing! The lie detector! I know when I'm being lied to! It makes me uncomfortable more often than it helps me... The world is full of liars, you see! Besides, I don't need my Sigil to tell me, but you can do more than just create, can't you? Rain explained to me that when you confronted the florist, the hotel was shaking and then the fact that the ground floor was completely burnt out, I'm assuming it wasn't him. So?"
"...You'll know if I ever need to use it." I reply.
"Hmm, I understand, the element of surprise all that, I'm just hoping to avoid friendly fire, if you know what I mean."
We walk discreetly through the streets, watching every corner for the possibility of someone hostile showing up. As we pass under a bridge, not a cat. And as we enter a covered street, not a sound, I strengthen my eardrums. I can hear gunshots, explosions and screams in the distance, but even though it's all so upsetting, it seems that everything around us is calm.
"No enemies in sight, but better move under cover, I don't feel like getting shot by a sniper." Ryuji calls out to me.
"Understood."
I follow him into the shopping district, the sound of our footsteps echoing heavily under the oppressive silence.
"Not a single cat... You wouldn't think you were in Shibuya in the early evening." I think out loud.
"...Non-players are either dead, used as bait, or dead sound, with the lucky ones evacuated. Some may even be hiding near us right now. I'm not going to lie to you, this must be the first time an entire borough has been used as a playground in Japan!"
Suddenly, Ryuji waves stop and we duck behind a store.
"An enemy?" I ask, seeing him watching out of the corner of his eye.
"I don't know, but he's a player! You there! Throw down your weapons and come out from behind that pillar! Otherwise, the naughty gentlemen will throw a grenade!"
"Who are you trying to make us out to be? If you have no intention of attacking us, you have nothing to fear, so show yourself!"
"Please... Please don't hurt me... I have no weapon!"
"That voice is..." I don't have time to finish my sentence when a little girl, younger than Shuka, emerges from her hiding place. "A little girl?!"
"She's unarmed, it's true, but her sigil could be dangerous!" Ryuji remains on his guard.
"I... I don't want to fight, I assure you!"
Ryuji remains silent for several seconds, then turns his head towards me.
"She's not lying, what do we do?" He asks me in a whisper.
"...Sorry for scaring you, don't worry, we've got nothing on you!" I start to step forward. "Well, let's get on with it. Not a second to lose." I nod to Ryuji.
"Okay!" He follows suit.
"We're less than 100 meters from Shuka." I look at my phone. "Judging by the position of the bracelets, she's... Underground?! She must have gotten into the subway."
"Uh..." The little girl's voice is heard.
"We'll leave you, we're in a hurry." I turn to her.
" Y...You'd better not go, it could be dangerous..." She said hesitantly.
"Why, do you know something?" I ask.
"N...No... But I think it's a bad idea..." Her voice trembles more and more.
"You're sweet, but we don't have time to chat." I dash off again, leaving the girl alone.
"Wait!" I hear her calling me but ignore her, joining Ryuji who's already in front of the subway entrance.
"I think your friend is in a much worse position than we imagined!" He tells me.
"What do you mean?" I move closer to see... "Water?!" Completely covering the subway, leaving only a few usable steps. "Don't tell me the whole gallery is flooded?"
After several seconds of hesitation, I take off my top and what I'm wearing on my feet, strengthening my body to better resist the cold and last longer underwater.
"You're not going to dive, are you?!" Ryuji doesn't believe it.
"Yes. It may not be too late." I reply, descending the steps.
"Are you stupid or what?! It's not just a flood, it's a sigil that caused this! Just because we can't see the enemy doesn't mean he's not around! As for Shuka, there's little chance she's still alive!"
"I know, if I'm not back in five minutes, go back to the hotel. Just give the kid my bracelets."
"But wait, you moron!"
I don't listen to him and dive straight into the icy water. After swimming for several seconds, which seemed like an eternity, I came to a wall.
(Ice? Not surprising, given how cold the water is).
I rise, seeing that there's a small gap between the water and the ceiling.
(Just what we needed, this wall goes all the way to the ceiling. Is Shuka stuck behind it?)
"Shuka! Hey oh!" I try to call out, banging on the wall. "Can you hear me?"
(Damn it, I just have to break it.)
I conjure up two clones and using my kunais, we strike at it with all our might, cracking it as we go until we leave a hole big enough for me to get through.
"Shuka! Where are you?! Answer!" I poke my head through.
Nothing, a complete silence.
(Come to think of it, I can detect bracelets with my phone, luckily I thought to reinforce it so that it's waterproof... They're at the bottom of the water?!)
"Hang on, I'm coming!"
I pass my body through the hole but realize too late that I've made it too small, and that it's difficult to get through, the broken ice hurting me here and there. I ignore these details and dive straight down to see her, Shuka, completely inert at the bottom of the water. I quickly retrieve her and head back up.
(Damn, the water's freezing! Even with my reinforcement, if I hang around too long my body will go numb.)
I finally reach the surface, catching my breath, and try to wake her up by giving her a few slaps.
"Shuka! Hey, Shuka! Answer!"
No answer. I put my ear close to her mouth to hear a breath, but nothing at all. I put my hand on her neck, finally feeling a pulse, however faint.
(The hole is too narrow, I'll never be able to get out dragging her with me, and there's no time to widen the passage...)
"Shuka! Come on wake up!" I start slapping her again, but still no sign of waking up.
(Well, there's only one solution left, sorry Shuka, but I have no choice.)
I take a deep breath and place my lips on her, plugging her nose and exhaling. I do it a second time and just as I'm about to do it a third time, I see Shuka's eyes open.
"Senji?"
"It worked! Phew, you gave me one of those scares!" I take her in my arms, trying to warm her as best I can.
"Say... Wouldn't you have kissed me just now?" She asks, after coughing.
"It was mouth-to-mouth, sorry I had no choice, you weren't breathing."
"You're all hot... At first I thought you'd died and we'd met again in heaven!"
"Don't worry, I'm alive and well and so are you, thankfully."
"Senji..." She takes my face in her hands and kisses me tenderly. "Thank you for saving me!"
"Um..."
"I wasn't going to settle for mouth-to-mouth for a first kiss!" She said, her cheeks completely flushed. "What do we do now?"
"...Ah, let's get out of here already. Then we hurry back to the hotel. Can you use your sigil?"
"I can hardly move, but my power still works yes. The trouble is, I no longer have my chains..."
"That's not a problem." I activate my magic circuits, feeling the heat run through my body and project her black chains with the spikes at the end. "We'll get through this, you'll see!"
"Announcement! It's time for the second distribution.
A diamond bracelet has been hidden in the treasure hunt area! Search for it using the map and the detection function!"
No sooner do we get out of the water than an ad appears on our phones, so I get dressed and we join Ryuji and the kid in a grocery store.
"Hmm..." My gaze hesitates between the ad and the scene before me.
The little girl, unsure of where to stand in the face of Shuka's dark, accusing gaze, has long, light-blue hair and eyes of the same color. She wears a long hooded jacket with cat ears and black tights.
"How are you going to handle this?" Ryuji asks me.
Leaning against the counter, Ryuji and I relax, our phones in hand.
"Are you talking about the kid or the ad?" I ask, sarcastically.
"Okay, I get that you're sorry... But do you think that's enough for me to get over it?" Shuka crosses her arms.
"N..No, it's just that after what I put you through, I wanted to apologize! I won't fight again anyway, I don't feel like killing people to survive!" The little girl avoids her gaze.
"Okay, die then!" Shuka, picks up her chains and throws it at the little girl, full head on but stops a little short.
"Hiii!" The girl puts her hand in front.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd have slaughtered you..." She retracts her chain, making it dance behind her. "But I'll make an exception this time! I even want to thank you, because thanks to you, I've had the pleasure of being saved by Senji!" She said, caressing the girl's cheek.
"Uh... Ok..." She doesn't know how to respond.
"Well, it was resolved peacefully. Still, she's pretty scary, your girl!" Ryuji doesn't know how to react either.
"I'll stop you right there, we're not together, we've only known each other a few months." (Doesn't sound convincing at all...)
"And now Senji? What's the plan?" She turns to me, smiling. "I'd like to change before moving on..."
"Me too, we're all soaked." I say, shifting uncomfortably because of my frozen, water-filled pants.
"Sorry, it's my fault!" She lowers her head several times. "Uh... If you like, I can dry you off with my sigil..."
Suddenly, I felt the dampness of my clothes disappear and saw water floating beside me, the same for Shuka and Ryuji.
"Practical power! I like it!" Shuka shakes her dress.
"T...Thanks..."
"It's true that it's not bad! You could completely dry out the bodies of your enemies!" Ryuji thinks aloud, touching the water bubble next to him.
"Oh no! It's too horrible!" She shakes her hands. "And then I can't move the water so fast. Sota's much better with his sigil!"
"Who?" I ask, curious.
"I told you about him earlier, he's my twin brother!"
"Ah, is that the story you made up for yourself?" Shuka asks.
"It's not an invention at all! He really exists! He died in an accident a year ago, but thanks to Darwin's Game, his soul has returned to the world of the living!" She explains.
(...It's strange, but at the same time, it seems plausible...)
"Ok... You're funny, I want you in our clan!" Shuka doesn't take her seriously at all.
"Huh?" The little one is confused.
"Do you agree Senji?" She asks.
"What's got into you all of a sudden? Anyway, I don't mind..." I don't know how to respond.
"Uh... That's sweet, but fighting isn't really my thing!"
"It's decided, you're joining us, don't worry, you won't have to fight!"
"...What should I do then?"
"I'll explain later. In the meantime, you'll obey my every word!"
"You really don't have anything to say about it?" Ryuji asks me, appalled by the spectacle before him.
"...No, that's fine... I was planning to start a clan in a little while anyway." I reply, closing my eyes and trying to refocus on the current situation.
"Bah, recruit whoever you like, it's none of my business. All I care about is killing One!" He exclaims.
"I understand that you have reason to be mad at him... but don't forget, we work together to win the game, we only have to kill as a last resort." I look at him sideways.
"A matter of perspective..." He replies, holding my gaze.
We stare at each other, a slight tension building, but he steps back and closes his eyes, admitting defeat.
"Tss, okay you're the boss... I'll obey, since I'm indebted to you!" He finished, a cold sweat passing over his face.
*Beep Beep* "Ah!" Suddenly, my phone starts ringing.
"What?" He asks.
"A message from Rain." I open my phone to see Rain's message from Darwin's Game.
"The Eighth are in action?!" He approaches, as if alarmed.
"No... What's this all about?" I say aloud, reading her message.
'Do you have an emerald bracelet? If so, look inside with the camera.'
(Interesting...)
"Shuka, did you find any emerald rings?" I turn to her.
"I must have one, yes..." She walks over and places all her rings on the counter.
I inspect them to see several, pick one up and look inside to see a QR code, scan it with my phone to see a code appear.
"Numbers... They have to mean something!" (So the other bracelets...)
"Wow!" Shuka is surprised, looking over my shoulder.
'There's the number 139. Are there different ones on the other types of bracelets?' I send Rain a message.
(If all the rings have numbers, then...).
"Hey, look at the map!" Ryuji cuts off my thought. "The bracelets are moving! It must be because of the appearance of the diamond! It's not just the Eighth, all the groups have started moving! That sucks, there's quite a few of them around!"
Suddenly, an explosion is heard very close to us, flashing inside the grocery store. We turn towards the windows to see that further down the street, a store is on fire.
"It's already starting to pop..." Ryuji picks up his gun.
"Now's not the time to hang around." I project a chain for Shuka.
"I can take the bracelets and attract the attention of the other players, while you hole up in the hotel!" Shuka offers, fitting herself with her new chain.
"I'd rather not, you're not at your best, not to mention we're going to have to rethink our plans." I spin my brain around for a solution.
(Rescuing Shuka took us a long time, and the appearance of the diamond changed everything. It's no longer just the Eighth, we'll have to reckon with the other groups. Plus, if my hunch is right...)
I'm sending a message to Rain, hoping to have understood the purpose of the game. She replies directly, confirming my message.
'Okay, join us as soon as you can, it's time to get this over with.'
"Anything new?" Shuka asks, seeing the expression on my face change.
"You can throw away all the bracelets, we don't need them anymore." I can see the surprise and incomprehension on their faces. "We're going to get our hands on the diamond and finish this damn treasure hunt!"
At my words, I can see their determination growing. They throw down the rings, even the little one is ready to follow us. Ryuji puts his mask back on and reloads his weapon, Shuka floats her chains around and I project a sword, ready to fight.
"Ready? Let's finish the game!"