2 Chapter 2 - Darwin's Game

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Press Start

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It's cold.

Sitting on a chair near the bed, I glanced at Kaname's face. After he passed out, I brought him to the nurse's office for a check-up. The nurse said that he was just unconscious. Obviously. Sometimes I wonder why is there even a nurse's office when they don't even do their job properly.

Of course, I won't complain. I am a normie after all.

Glancing at the table nearby, I reached for Kaname's phone. After seeing the timer earlier, I knew I wasn't hallucinating. For some reason, I couldn't open the game, much less inspect it.

Darwin's Game.

I heard Kaname mutter it earlier. Thus, I decided to do some searching and found that it didn't exist. No matter how much I changed the abbreviation, it won't show up on the internet.

"Suspicious..."

My otaku senses are tingling.

I can feel that something about this game is special.

That snake that bit Kaname.

After asking about it, it seems none of my classmates saw it. Except for me.

Maybe it was just some double hallucination. Maybe Kaname and I are actually spiritually connected and some supernatural things are happening to the both of us?

Or maybe Kaname is just fucking with me because I betrayed him in middle school.

I don't know. But I will find out.

As I was fumbling with my phone trying to enter the dark web, Kaname's eyes fluttered open. Sweat dripped from his forehead while he gasps for breath.

"Kaname!"

He immediately sat up straight once he heard my voice.

"Dio...?"

I cringed.

"Yeah, it's me." I smiled wryly. I didn't really like it when people call me Dio. Sometimes otaku or taku is better than the half-assed name my parents decided for me.

"Wh-what happened...? Where am I?"

"You're in the nurse's office. I brought you here when you passed out."

"Passed out...? Right! The snake! Did you actually see it?" realization struck him, he hurriedly asked me if I saw the snake or not.

"Well..."

I scratched my cheek. I don't really want to seem strange to him. Although we knew each other in middle school, now that we're in high school, I don't want to be ostracized. It's better if I only have one bully instead of the whole school.

So... I'm sorry Kaname.

I'm a normie. A cog in the wheel of society. There was no snake. It was my past otaku self imagining it.

"I didn't see anything."

"What! But you said you saw it!" he grabbed my collar and shook me fiercely. "Don't lie!"

"Sorry, Kaname. I don't know what you're talking about."

"...Fine."

He picked up his phone and hurriedly stood up. He glanced at me before walking through the door.

That gaze...

"I'm sorry..."

My father already ruined my life for me. I don't want to destroy it myself.

I hope you understand.

"Oh? Where's Kaname?" an old nurse came in through the door. "I need him to fill out some forms for me."

I smiled politely.

"You just missed him."

"Can you fill it out for me?"

I sighed.

"Sure."

The things I do for a normal life.

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-Sudou Kaname-

Walking through the streets of Shibuya, Kaname began thinking about his conversation with Dio. "What happened to you... Dio." He asked himself listlessly.

He remembered back when they were friends. Diomachi Diovich. He was a very cool guy. He was the type of friend that had your back. He was fun to be around, and he was pretty sociable too.

But now...

He was alone.

Sitting at the back of the class, he listens well and answered every question the teacher gave him. He was no different from any other student.

The only thing is, he was always alone. Despite having an above-average appearance, high grades, and a kind attitude, he always chooses to be alone.

Even when he was asked to hang out, he always refuses, saying he has a part-time job to attend to. Kaname remembered how many times he tried to reconcile with him, but Dio always brushed him off.

"Haah... what the hell happened to you. Dio."

Gazing at the blazing summer heat, Kaname decided to take the train today. Hoping that a short nap would make him forget about what happened today.

Arriving at the train station, he sat in an empty seat. He looked around and noticed that the train seems to be empty. Normally, there are only a few people who ride the train this early.

While Kaname was busy dozing off, he suddenly remembered that he hasn't eaten lunch yet. He lamented the fact that he should have stayed in the cafeteria before heading home early.

Pulling up his phone, he glanced at the time and saw that it was just past 1:00 PM. He debated whether he should stop by a convenience store before he goes home.

Darwin's Game.

A familiar app appeared on his screen. It had a black sword standing straight up and a huge tree in the background as its design.

'Darwin's Game... I've forgotten about this... I guess I should probably check it once more.'

Pressing the app, he suddenly felt scared all of a sudden. He remembered how a huge snake came out of his phone and bit him earlier.

'It's just a game... right?'

Holding the phone a few meters away from him, he cautiously pressed the app. Seeing that nothing special happened, he concluded that it was all his imagination.

He glanced at the screen and saw the following information.

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[Top ¦ Status ¦ Gacha ¦ Points ¦ Battle ¦ Ranking ]

Affiliated Clan: None

Name: Sudou Kaname

Battle Record:

0 win

0 loss

Points: 30pt

Time remaining until battle 0m 18s

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Seeing that it was actually just a normal game, he heaved a sigh of relief.

'Geez... It really is just a game. I get scared too easily.'

[You are currently waiting for an opponent. Would you like to confirm your battle?]

[Ok/Cancel]

A sudden notification appeared. Kaname, who thought it was just a normal game, pressed 'Ok' without a second thought.

A picture of a pixilated Kaname and a Panda mascot arose.

Banda-kun VS SudoKaname

'Banda-kun vs SudoKaname or rather, why is my name already there? Did this read my cellphone's data without my permission?

Kaname furrowed his brows.

'Wait, there's only 3 seconds left in the countdown! I don't even know any rules yet!?'

Tada~! A sudden voice came out of his cellphone.

"Uhahaha! I'm the Rookie hunter, Banda-kun!"

"Don't haunt me when you're dead, okay?"

Hearing the pixilated panda's words, Kaname scoffed.

'Huh? He's the enemy? I mean, he's Banda-kun, the mascot of my town's local baseball team. Is this okay?'

While he was busy concentrating on his phone, he didn't notice a man wearing the same costume on his screen standing up from his seat.

Looking up, Kaname noticed him. To be exact, what he noticed was the knife in the Mascot's hand.

'Eh?'

The Mascot's head turned towards him. The head looked somewhat creepy, it had an open mouth, just like most mascots. The mascot raised the knife in his hand, and that's when Kaname noticed something strange.

'Huh? Wait, is he looking at me?'

Looking around, he saw that they were the only people inside the train. 'Wh-why is he wearing a costume inside the train...?' Although Kaname found it strange, he remained seated and observed the mascot. 'Isn't that Banda-kun, the mascot of my town's local baseball team? He seems to be holding a knife though...' Kaname just stared at the approaching mascot with a nervous smile.

'Is this some kind of event? Where's the hidden camera? Hey hey! Don't come near me! Don't come here!'

Kaname stared straight at the knife the mascot was holding. "What do you want, u-um... from me...?" when he raised his head, the mascot lunged at him with the knife.

"WHOAAA!!!" Kaname tumbled over his seat. The knife ended up stabbing the seat he was previously in instead. "Wh... wh... What do you want! Why are you doing that all of a sudden!?" he scrambled away from the mascot.

'This is a joke, right...? Why is he suddenly attacking me with a knife? And he's even wearing a costume!'

Kaname hurriedly raised his bag to block the knife heading for his throat. "Kuh!" He pushed with all his might, cold sweat dripped from his forehead. 'Th-this knife isn't funny at all!! What is this nightmare!?' He grew paler as the knife was about to tear through his bag. 'I don't remember being hated by Banda-kun!'

'Wasn't it supposed to be some sort of camera gag!? What if I get killed--'

Thinking at his point, Kaname raised his leg to kick the mascot away. "Y... YOU BASTAAARD!!"

SLAM!

His back ended up hitting the train's wall, but he created a distance between him and the mascot. "Cut it out! Stop fucking with me! You costume bastard!!" He yelled before bolting off once the door opened.

Kaname immediately went down the flight of stairs. His destination was straight towards the train station's guards. "E-EXCUSE ME! MISTER!" He shouted desperately.

"Hey, hey, what's that?" He could hear a few strangers murmur as he passed them by.

"Huh? What?"

"Look, that costume, are they having some sort of event here?"

Fear gripped Kaname's heart.

"Ah, I know him! He's the baseball team's mascot, Banda-kun!"

'Eh?' Turning around, he was horrified to find out that the mascot was chasing after him at full speed!

"NOOOOOOO!!"

He didn't expect the crazy killer to suddenly chase him in broad daylight!

"Hey, you!" one of the train station's staff tried to stop him, but he was too afraid to stop. The mascot followed him soon after.

"What!?"

Kaname saw that the mascot was about to catch him, so he decided to think of some other way to stall it. "NOOO!! SOMEBODY! CALL THE POLICE!!" He cried desperately.

'H-he's persistent! That psycho costume bastard!' Even in the middle of the streets, the mascot still chased after him.

"Huh? Was there a baseball event today? A championship celebration sale maybe?" The people who saw them chasing each other thought that there might be some sort of event nearby.

'This isn't some championship celebration sale! It's devilish homicide! And don't just watch! Help me out!'

Spotting a police officer nearby, Kaname ran with all his might. Even when his sides hurt, he desperately ran for his life.

"H-hey, Mr. policeman! Excuse me!" Kaname grabbed the police officer.

"H...Hey! What's wrong?"

"P-please help me! He's gonna kill me!" Kaname gasped for breath as he explained.

"Kill?"

"Some weird guy in a costume is chasing after me! He's got a knife with him and—" Kaname was about to point where the mascot was chasing him from, but when he turned around, he saw that the mascot already was gone. "Huh?"

"There's no one like that around...?"

Kaname was escorted inside the police station and he began explaining what had happened. He pointed at the holes in his bag but the police officer didn't seem to believe him.

"L-look at this! Look at that hole in my bag! He stabbed my bag with a knife!"

"Okay, I get it. I'll confirm it with the station. If what you say was true, the station staff must have seen him."

"Th-thank you very much!!"

While Kaname was sighing in relief, a message suddenly arrived on his phone.

'Who's texting me at a time like this? Dammit, it's just shinozuka!'

'Are you alright, Kaname? I found a superb ero video, so I'll send it to you. Masturbate to it and get well!'

A series of links was sent along with these messages. Kaname clenched his teeth in anger.

'Masturbating is out of the question right now! Want me to kill you!?'

"Ah, I'm Terada from the police station..." The police officer talked with the station's staff while Kaname slumped on his chair.

'Huff... What the hell was that? Why was that guy trying to kill me?'

Kaname tried to guess the reason why he was attacked but eventually shook his head. He wasn't the type to create trouble anywhere, so he didn't think too much and thought that it was just a crazy psycho.

"I see. A high school student and a mascot you say...?"

Hearing the police officer muttering to himself, Kaname's eyes brightened. But it immediately dimmed down once the officer finished his words.

"They didn't pay for the ticket fee?" The police officer turned to glare at Kaname. "Okay, don't worry, I got this under control." After bidding farewell to the station staff, the police officer crossed his arms.

"Why didn't you pay for the train?"

"Th-that's not it! I mean, sure, I jumped over the ticket gate! But he was chasing after me! I didn't have any choice!"

Kaname searched his pockets. He pulled out his wallet and showed the police officer his ticket.

"Besides, I have a seasonal ticket! Here, take a look at it!"

The police officer eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, the fact that there was a strange man in a costume seems true. First of all, you need to file a report."

"O-okay..." Kaname sat back down.

"Let's decide on what we'll do once we hear the station staff's story in detail tomorrow. I'll accompany you to your house after we finish filing the report." The police officer went to a nearby closet and started rummaging some files. "Where do you live?"

"Ah, in Kawanaka town."

Kaname looked down. It seems the police officer didn't believe his story. But he soon relaxed when he thought about going home.

"Kawanaka's pretty close. Would you rather have your guardian pick you up?"

"No, I live alone, so—"

Slash!

"...Eh?"

A trickle of warm crimson touched his cheek. Kaname raised his head, what he saw made his stomach churn.

A gush of red liquid splashed to the floor, while the police officer he was talking with dropped dead on the ground, his neck gaping with fresh blood.

As if appearing from thin air, the masked figure of the mascot materialized in his vision. Splotches of blood covering his suit.

Kaname touched his cheek. His fingertips felt the warmth of the blood.

'See? He's right here. Banda-kun.'

Too shocked to react, Kaname stared in a daze as the mascot lunged at him with a bloodied knife.

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot ringing woke him up, he immediately stood up and dodged to the side.

The mascot fell down on the chair while blood seeped from his leg.

"R... Run... Away... Boy... I'll... Deal with... This."

The police officer pointed his gun at the mascot. "D-don't move... if you move... I'll shoot!"

The mascot's body turned invisible for a split second before another crunching sound echoed in the office.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The panda mascot stabbed the fallen officer repeatedly. Blood splashed across the room, only the sound of the police officer's bone and flesh, tearing apart over and over again could be heard.

'What the hell... What the hell...? He can't really become invisible, right? What, is there an alien inside that costume...?'

After finishing up, the mascot stood up and prepared to stab Kaname again when suddenly.

Ring! Ring!

His cellphone rang. He pulled it out immediately and answered. Ignoring the frozen Kaname behind.

"Yes... This is Kato."

'Wha? Eh? Huh? Kato?'

While Kaname just stood there listening to his call, a blonde teenager was running full speed ahead, running past the corpse of the police officer and slamming against the mascot.

BAM!

With a fluid motion, Dio tackled the mascot to the ground and lifted its headgear. He placed a taser on the man's neck and watched him writhe in pain.

Zzzttt!

Wiping the sweat on his forehead, Dio smiled at Kaname like he didn't do something so crazy just now.

"You alright dude?"

Kaname could only nod in response.

"Let's go, this guy won't be waking up too soon." Dio contemplated whether he should kill the guy or just let him be.

Eventually, he shook his head. He wasn't ready for that. And he doesn't want to.

Being dubbed as an otaku is entirely different from being a criminal.

"Why do you have a taser?" Kaname hesitantly asked.

"Hm? I'm an Otaku. It would be weird if I didn't have a taser."

Dio answered calmly, even in this situation he still didn't lose his cool.

'I've already predicted countless scenarios like this. As a cultured individual, it is natural what I should do next.'

It turns out that his usual daydreaming paid off. The main character moment he expected eventually came true, although a bit gruesome than he expected.

"What should we do next?" Kaname asked hesitantly while glancing over the corpse.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dio looked at him as if he was looking at an idiot.

"We run!"

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Fun fact:

While time is stopped, DIO can move his own body, as well as his Stand freely, along with any object he touches, allowing him to strike his defenseless enemies, move to a superior position, and toy with his victims.

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Why you guys so toxic? Keep your toxicity away from this fanfic. Go to that Bakugo fanfic or whatever. Just don't ruin this one. Only good boys and girls(?) allowed.