Greatest in The Worst

About four years ago, on a bright spring day, Jon was sitting alone under the shade of a tall tree, enjoying the gentle breeze that carried the sweet scent of blooming flowers. The sky was clear, and the fluffy clouds drifted slowly above. Jon had his earphones on, and he was lost in the music, swaying his head to the rhythm.

Suddenly, someone snatched the earphone out of his ear, and Jon jolted with surprise. He looked back and saw Ashya standing there, with a sly smile on her face.

"What are you doing here alone, Jon?" she whispered in his ear. Jon was taken aback by Ashya's sudden appearance, but he couldn't help but smile at her cheekiness.

"Oh, it's you, Ashya," he said, "You took my breath away."

Ashya chuckled, "If that's the case, I have no problem sharing my breath with you, Jon."

She sat next to him, and Jon felt a sense of comfort and ease in her presence. The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the music and the calm surroundings. After a few minutes, Jon asked Ashya, "What are you doing here?"

Ashya shot back, "It's unfair. I asked first. What are you doing here alone apart from the group?" Instead of answering, Jon offered Ashya one of his earphones, and she plugged it into her ear. "How's it?" Jon asked.

"It's good, but I don't understand the lyrics," Ashya said, shaking her head. Jon smiled, "Try listening to it with an empty mind, and hear it clearly."

Ashya closed her eyes and listened intently, but all she could hear were two sounds: "di" and "dah."

"What are they?" she asked, looking at Jon curiously.

"They are Morse code sounds," Jon explained, "They are used to give information through signals. Di is one unit long, and Dah is three units long. You can also say them like this: Di as dots and Dah as dashes. Each letter and number has its own Morse code. For example, the sound of 5 is di di di di di, and the sound of F is di di dah di. Apart from this, there are three more sounds - dit, didy, and didit."

"You sure know a lot," Ashya said, impressed. Jon shook his head, "No, I had to learn it to understand this song." Ashya raised her eyebrows, "You haven't written it?"

"No," Jon replied, "It was given to me by a man who had a handwritten manual of Morse code." Jon then opened up to Ashya and shared a personal story, "I never shared this with anyone, but I guess I'm not an orphan. I used to live with a man, and that day he left me outside the orphanage with this. It was raining, so I fell, and I was found by the mother of the orphanage. She took me in, and when I woke up, I had only hazy memories about that day or any day I spent with that man."

Ashya looked at Jon with empathy, "Actually, everything's gone over my head, but do you want to remember what happened that day or who that person was?" "No,"

Jon said firmly, "I love my life this way. I don't want to open the pages of some misery and make it worse."

Ashya nodded in understanding, "Okay, but why did you share it with me?"

Jon moved closer to her face, and with a mischievous grin, he said, "Consider yourself special."

As Jon playfully teases her, she blushes and replies, "Don't say such things outright. It's embarrassing," as she jokingly punches his face.

Jon stands up, shouting in response, but then he quickly calms down and says, "That's why we're even now."

Ashya rolls her eyes and dismisses Jon's offer to help her up. "Hmph! Whatever," she exclaims, standing up on her own.

Present time, As they leave, Jon strikes up a conversation with Ashya about Kyora, asking her questions about the shy girl. "Thank you, Jon," Ashya says, expressing her gratitude for something Jon had done earlier.

"Why? If you have to do something, give me something to eat," Jon demands in response. Ashya offers him a rice ball, but not without reminding Jon that he had already drunk all of their colas.

"Huh! Why? What did I do? Means from when did it become a sin to drink all cola," Jon asks defensively.

"It's not all about drinking cola. If you were feeling so thirsty, you should have told us, you want our cola too. Shouldn't have drunk it from ours behind," Germon explains to Jon, who seems annoyed by the comment.

As they continue their journey, they all gather around Kyora, who is unable to break the chain on her leg or release herself. Germon begins to explain the details of their current situation, including the fact that what's happening.

Kyora listens intently, clearly shocked by what she hears. "Um... will you sacrifice me on this stage? If you all fail," Kyora asks, her voice barely above a whisper. "It won't happen,"

Ashya assures her. "Don't get yourself high after clearing a stage,"

Jon drawls sarcastically, causing Ashya to look at him with a smile. Germon, who is sitting to the left of Jon, leans over and asks him, "What happened to her?"

Jon shrugs and responds, "I have no idea."

Ashya takes the opportunity to ask Kyora about herself, curious about where she is from, what she does, and why she is on the train. Despite being shy and stuttering at first, Kyora manages to speak up. "Um...I a-a-am from Ikebukuro like you. An s-s-student at R-r-rikkyo University and a p-p-part-timer," she says softly. Regenerate response

"Me too. Kyora-sis," Ashya said, grinning at Kyora. Jon looked at Ashya suspiciously and asked, "When did she become your sister?" "

Because she's older than us. We should respect her," Ashya replied, matter-of-factly. Germon was engrossed in his flashcards and barely lifted his head, saying, "Let them talk, Jon."

Jon turned to Germon, his eyebrows furrowed. "You had this too?" he asked, referring to the flashcards. "Yes! Everything is in the bag except our smartphone," Germon said, as he continued to flip through his cards.

Jon checked his bag and said happily, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Suddenly, he shouted, "Where's my manga?"

Ashya replied, "Oh! I threw them before boarding the train." Jon looked at her with a pained expression and asked in desperation, "Why did you do this, Ashya?"

"Why not, otherwise you won't let us enjoy the journey better," Ashya replied with a shrug. Kyora, who had been quiet until now, stuttered, "Um...You t-two will b-become a good c-couple in F-future."

Both Ashya and Jon looked at her in denial and said, "Never."

"I don't want someone who steals the shares of others," Ashya said, scowling.

"I also don't want someone who throws others things without telling them," Jon said with a frown.

Germon, who had stopped reading his flashcards, asked, "By the way, why are you on this train, Kyora-sis?"

Kyora stuttered, "A-Actually, I was going to v-visit my old f-friend in Shimbashi, we had another p-plan from there but I think it's all r-ruined now."

"It seems like it," Germon said, looking at her sympathetically. Ashya interrupted, "Well, no one has come yet to tell us about the game like every stage."

"I was also thinking the same," Germon said with a nod.

Suddenly, a horn sounded, and a voice came from somewhere, "Sorry for being late, brats." Everyone started looking around, trying to find the source of the voice. Germon asked, "Who?"

"I'm Kyle, the host, and maker of this stage. I think you all had a lot of fun, but now it's over because it's my stage time - Greatest in the worst," Kyle said, appearing from behind a nearby seat. Everyone stood up except Kyora, who remained locked in the chains. Jon didn't seem to be in a good mood after hearing about his manga

Germon looked at Jon, trying to maintain a sense of focus amidst their current predicament. "This is not the time to black out," he stated firmly.

"Yes!" Ashya replied. She knew that their situation was dire, but she was determined to help Kyora however she could. Kyle perked up at the sound of Germon's voice.

"Ah, Kyle, right?" Ashya addressed him. "Tell us about this stage game."

Kyle's eyes widened with excitement. "Okay!" he exclaimed, then switched to a boastful tone. "Welcome to the Greatest in the worst. The game isn't too hard for people like me, but I don't know about you brats. This one is a tag game, the game is divided into two parts. In the first part, the person uses any of the four of their body parts to guess what those materials are but you can't use eyes in them. In the second part, the other person has to find the greatest in those worst things."

Germon chuckled at Kyle's antics. "Unique game as always." Ashya was curious about any additional rules. "What about other rules like time limits or anything?"

Kyle was dismissive. "There's none! Because I know you won't be able to clear it. There's no time limit either. If you clear this stage, you can release that girl and get the key. Because this is the first checkpoint if you guys remember." His confidence was palpable.

"Okay! So let's decide who will play it." Germon suggested.

Ashya didn't want to play again so soon. "I don't want to play, I just played. You and Jon go."

"But do you really think Jon will be able to go on like this?" Germon wondered aloud, concerned about Jon's mood. Ashya nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, we need to try and change his mood first."

She approached Jon cautiously. "Jon, you're going to play this game, won't you?"

Jon exploded. "Do you understand what you did or didn't, Ashya? That was the last piece of my one-piece manga. I bought them by saving money and you threw them away."

Ashya was quick to respond. "Excuse me! I didn't throw them away, I hid them inside my pillow when we were packing up at my house. And sorry for lying!"

Jon's face softened with relief. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah! Now get ready for the game before I thunder at you," Ashya said with a playful smile.

"Okay," Jon said, feeling much better.

Germon turned to Kyle. "Hey, Bragger! I and this guy who just got better are ready."

"Did you call me bragger?" Kyle retorted. "Whatever! After failing in this stage, you will even lose your voice. Part one is on the blue line side and the other part is on the red line side."

"You will play the first part. I don't want to start," Jon requested. "Okay!" Germon agreed, and the group began to prepare for the game.

"Under the stage are four things in a variety of sizes and shapes inside that Blue Surface but what is it?" Kyora asked curiously, gazing at the mysterious box.

"They are materials," Kyle replied with a grin. "But here's the catch: without using your eyes and any body parts at once, you have to guess what they are."

Kyle gestured to Ashya. "You, the girl with midi hair, cover his eyes with that black scarf."

Ashya obeyed and walked over to the box, retrieving the black scarf before moving behind Germon to blindfold him.

"The game begins," Kyle announced as Germon reached down to touch the first box. "Remember, you can no longer set foot on the other boxes."

Germon put his foot into the small box and felt a cold, stiff substance. "Slush," he guessed confidently. "Right!" Kyle laughed.

"But now you have to find the others without stepping on the boxes." Germon moved sideways, his arms outstretched, trying to locate the next box. Finally, he found a bowl-shaped container but was unsure how to figure out what it contained.

Kyora asked, "Will he be okay?" "Don't worry, he will be,"

Ashya replied. "He can even use his arms or legs to feel it out."

Germon took the bowl in his hand and inhaled deeply, trying to identify the smell. "Corpse Flower, isn't it?" he asked tentatively. "Correct!"

Kyle exclaimed. "Now nose out."

As Germon continued to stumble around blindfolded, he eventually collided with the final container. Putting his hand inside, he found the contents to be slippery and difficult to identify.

Germon carefully examined the viscous substance before him. As he reached out to touch it, he noticed that it was not slippery, but soft and difficult to move. "Ooze, isn't it?" he guessed, uncertainly.

Kyle, the host of the game, nodded his approval. "Correct! Now you can't use your face, arms, and feet," he declared with a sly smile. Feeling a sense of dread, Germon realized that only one material was left to identify in the rectangular box. He had already used his hands, feet, and nose, leaving him with no other options.

"What will you do, brats?" Kyle taunted, relishing in Germon's predicament.

"He's in trouble, isn't he?" Kyora whispered to Ashya.

"He has to find a way to identify the final material," Ashya replied, her voice tinged with concern. Determined not to fail, Germon took a deep breath and thought carefully. Then he turned himself upside down on the rectangular box and poured out his head, stopping just before his forehead was submerged in the viscous substance. As he struggled to keep his head above the substance, he suddenly understood what it was due to its sucking properties. "Mud, if you count the forehead as physiology, isn't it?" he announced triumphantly.

Kyle's expression soured as he begrudgingly confirmed Germon's guess. "Tsk! Right! Well done, brat. Your part is now done," he said dismissively.

Meanwhile, Jon observed the proceedings from a safe distance, watching everything closely. He bristled as Kyle called out to him, "Now it's your time, another brat. From these things—Mud, Slush, Corpse Flower, and Ooze—tell me where is the greatest in these worst."

"Huh! That's all?" Jon replied skeptically.

"Yeah! And you only have ten minutes for that. Now I'll come to see you fail," Kyle sneered before turning and walking away. Feeling frustrated and overwhelmed,

Jon muttered to himself, "What the hell is this Game? Everything's the worst. How do I find the greatest of them all?"

Meanwhile, in the East Japan Railway Company, the chairman prepared to face the contents of his father's diary, a weighty task that filled him with trepidation.