5 Chapter 5: Just a Copy

"Ptui. Dammit! How the hell did I manage to trip twice?" Kurono stood up, wiped away the soil that dirtied his face, and cleaned the dust that stuck on his clothes. His luck seems a little down today. He died twice today, and now he also tripped twice. Is this what people called being crushed by ladder after falling from it?

"What are you looking at? Have you not seen someone who experienced bad days?" Kurono glared at the adult alien who was standing not far from the top of the stairs.

The ugly guy was enraged once again. It followed Kurono, and jumped down the stairs.

When the alien landed, it directly charged forward and attacked Kurono. Kurono ducked the attack. He then focused his attention on his right foot and kicked on the torso of the opponent. As he expected, his kick got enhanced. He managed to deliver a powerful kick that directly broke the alien's spine.

The alien dropped down on the ground. It screamed in pain from it's backbone being broken.

"That's should prevent it from standing up once more." Kurono felt no sympathy at the wounded alien. It maybe because it was after all just an alien.

Swish! Clasp!

A laser-like rope was suddenly launched and stuck on the Adult Onion Alien's body. It tied it tightly, and instantly. Some distance away at the location where the rope was launched from, a boy slowly turned visible. The boy is Nishi.

"Oh, it's you." Kurono just glanced at the boy.

"Seems like I made it in time." Nishi nodded when he saw the alien is already got restrained. He turned to look at Kurono, and said, "For this round, I'll give the point to you. Come, shoot this guy."

He want to give me the point? So, he didn't know that I already earned some by killing one alien? Kurono was surprised that Nishi didn't know that he already earned some point. Maybe, he was too focused on the group that died here.

Kurono took out his gun and pointed at the head of the wounded alien.

"Wait Kei-chan. Don't listen to him."

Kurono and Nishi turned to the side and saw Kato is approaching them.

"Kei-chan, don't kill. You will turn into a murderer if you do so." Kato tried to advise Kurono of the consequences of killing.

"He tried to kill me." Kurono replied shortly. "For that, he needed to die."

Tack!

"Don't..."

The trigger was pulled, and after some delay, the alien died. Kurono looked at the mess created from the dying alien with an indifferent look.

"Why? How can you do that? Of all the people I know, you were the least I expect to do such deed." Kato felt a great remorse as he looked at the dead.

"Hahahaha. Man, you didn't betray my expectation. You must be someone who like to see people die, right?"

"Don't just assume me as some psycho. I did that because that guy wanted to kill me first. I only did what he deserved." Kurono was not happy being labelled as someone who liked to kill.

"Well, whatever. The trial is over. We will soon be transported back." Nishi didn't want to argue.

"Transported? To where?" asked Kato in surprise.

"Obviously, back to the room with the black ball."

"Then, what next?"

"Well, we can go back home."

"What!? We can go back? Wait, do you mean we are alive?" Kurono asked the thing that he obviously know. Right now, he wanted to pretend that he didn't know anything.

"We are. Just wait, and you will understand." Nishi was not that enthusiastic to answer anymore questions. Right after he said that, he started to get transported back to the Gantz Room. "See you soon guys."

After some time, Nishi was completely got transported away. After that, Kato also got transported back.

Seeing this, Kurono hurriedly searched for Kishimoto. Fortunately, she didn't run away that far. She showed a delighted look when she saw Kurono approach her.

"Thank God you are still here." Kurono exhaled a breath of relief. "The fight is over. We are being transferred back to the room with black ball."

"We are going back to that place?"

"Yeah. According to the kid who have a shifty eyes, we are...ah."

At this time, Kurono was also beginning to disappear.

"Ah...again?"

"Don't worry. You will also be transported back."

...

Back inside the Gantz Room.

Kurono slowly appeared once more inside the room. Looking around, he saw Nishi and Kato. Kato at this time looked at him with some complicated look. However, Kurono was not that bothered.

Kishimoto appeared next, followed by a dog. After that, there were no longer anyone appearing, even after the countdown times on the black ball turned to zero.

"TIM3 TO ZHERE THE POINTZ!"

On the screen of the black ball some words comes out.

"Share points? What is this?" Kato asked curiously, as he looked at the black ball.

"Gantz is going to start handing out points." Nishi replied.

"Huh, Gantz?"

"Yeah. Gantz."

"You mean, this ball is Gantz?"

"That's the guy."

"Who named it? You?"

"No. It's always been it's name."

While they were talking, a picture of a dog appeared. The dog on the side, happily wagged it's tail, and walked forward.

-Dog-

Point: 0

Skill: No skill

Too much tongue wagging, too much tail wagging.

As if knowing what written on the ball, the dog whined away dejectedly.

"Too much...tongue wagging? Thought so."

"Hahaha. He is all bummed out."

Next, Kishimoto's picture appeared.

-Titz-

Point: 0

Too much titty, too much wandering around.

"Titz?" Kurono was reminded when he first held the girl in his embrace. Like the ball said, she really have big tits.

"What the heck!? That's me?" Kishimoto was ticked when she saw the comments displayed on the screen. "Although I don't really mind that I got zero point, those words really pisses me off."

"Points huh. What is this point for?" Kurono spoke out the question that everyone was curious about. He meant to ask the question to Joichiro Nishi, as only the both of them knew the answer. However, he didn't want to let other people know that he knows something.

Kato's picture appeared next.

-Kato-cha (lol)-

Points: 0

Goddamn Kato-cha, why are you always dying.

Kato got annoyed when he saw the screen.

"Is it trying to be funny?" From all those comments, Kishimoto concluded that the ball was trying to make fun of everyone.

"My picture has not come out yet." Kurono excitedly waited for his own picture. He should be getting some point from those kill.

"Ah, it's him."

-Mr. Nishi-

Points: 0

Accumulated points: 87

13 points more till you are done.

"You got 0 point too?"

"Tsk. I gave you the chance to earn the points."

"You mean killing those alien?"

"What else? That's how we earned the point anyway."

"Then, I will get some points..."

Kurono's photo also appeared.

-Kurono-

Points: 6

Too much boner staring at titz.

"Huh?" The words still shocked Kurono. Well, he already know this. However, seeing it on his own still surprised him.

"Pfft. Too much boner staring at titz." Nishi snickered as he looked at the comments.

"Well, she is a beauty. What so bad about getting boner looking at her?" Kurono tried to act nonchalant about it. However, his ears turned red, betraying his act.

Kishimoto blushed in red, and turned away.

After announcing Kurono's points, Gantz showed no other pictures.

"That's it?"

"So, no one else survived?"

"Hey, where are you going?"

Seeing Nishi was walking away, Kato promptly asked.

"The door will open now. I'm going home." Nishi replied without stopping.

"Wait. I still want to ask you. You seems to know something about this place."

Nishi's step halted when he heard Kato.He turned around and said, "Fine. I will answer the thing that I know."

"Okay. Let's start about you first. Who are you? How do you know many things about this place?"

"I am an alien."

Kato's and Kishimoto's expression changed. "You kidding, right?"

"Hahaha. Yup, I'm kidding."

"Damn it little punk. Are you asking for some beating?"

Kato cursed when he heard the boy.

"Im just a normal middle-schooler. However, I've been coming here for an entire year."

"Wh...what do you mean?"

"Don't you get it? It just keep repeating itself, over and over again. Just like tonight.

Long before I ever come here, this room has always held people who should have died like us. I even saw some crazier death than tonight, and I've survived through it all."

As Nishi told his story, he showed a shocking expression. It as if he was expecting some crazier even than this day.

Nishi approached the black all and said, "Hei Gantz, show them all the people that died and placed here."

However, the ball didn't react.

"Hey, don't ignore me."

Seeing the ball didn't react, Nishi opened a side compartment which made the person inside the ball to be visible. He then put his finger inside the ear of the guy, and turned it clockwise. Soon, many pictures of people appeared at the Gantz screen.

"You can see right? Now, focus on the lowest picture. You will see those people that were here with us, but died outside."

As Nishi said, Kurono and the others saw the pictures of the two yakuza, the blonde youth, and the teacher, Yamada.

"Those guys are stupid, and died easily." Nishi looked disdainfully at those dead people. He then turned at Kurono and the others, and said, "You guys are different. You managed to survive from those aggressive aliens."

He then pointed at the suit that was on Kurono and said, "Those suit is important. You know this after experiencing it, right?"

Kurono said nothing, showing his consent on those words.

"Why didn't you tell them about all of this?" Kato suddenly said, looking deeply at Nishi.

"What?"

"If you explained all of that, there should have been many survivors from the aliens attack. So, why didn't you let them know, and let the rest died?" Kato elaborated his question, while looking intently at the kid.

"You are being hypocrite, do you?"

"What?" Kato was confused as he heard the guy.

"Do you think they cared if I told them? Do you think they will believe some story from a kid?"

Hearing him caused Kato to feel uncertain. What the kid said can also happen. People who died will not believe others easily if they were told some weird story, like what they just experienced. However, his reasoning for justice still make him argue with the boy, "At least you can tell them that. It's better knowing, rather than kept in the dark. Or do you wanted to see them die in front of you?"

"Why should I care about them. If they die, then so be it." Nishi was ticked facing this justice man. "As for you, don't try to act like hero. That's just hypocrite. Didn't you try to save a man? Then, why did you asked him too, and caused both you and him dead?"

Kato was shocked when Nishi mentioned Kurono in their conversation. It can be said that it was really because of him that Kurono died. Fortunately, they become alive...wait.

"I agree that we died. However, hod did we turned to be alive and suddenly arrived here in this place?"

Nishi looked at his listener for a moment as if pondering. He then said, "...You think that you were saved the moment before you died, and brought here right?"

"Isn't that the case?"

"My guess is that, we are right now just a copy of our original self."