30

Yoshimi Yahagi (Female Student No. 21) waited until her watch read 10 a.m. and then cautiously looked out the rear entrance of the house. It was on the southern end of the residential area of the island, so it was far from the house where Megumi Eto was killed, but Yoshimi had no idea Megumi had died there anyway. She just heard her name in this morning's announcement.

She was more preoccupied with the forbidden zone announced this morning. At 11 a.m. all collars in sector H=8, which included the houses here, would explode. The computer would not respond to pleas for it to wait.

The rear entrance faced a narrow alley that ran between the houses. Yoshimi held the heavy automatic pistol (Colt Government Model .45) with both hands, pulling back the tight hammer with her right thumb. She quickly checked the premises. There was no one in the alley in either direction. Even though as a member of Mitsuko Souma's gang she was considered a "delinquent," her round face had a childish quality. Right now though, it was breaking out in a cold sweat. It was only an hour or two ago that she saw from the second floor window Yumiko Kusaka and Yukiko Kitano calling on everyone to join them. Then the rattling machine gun. No doubt about it. The killing was continuing. Not everyone was hiding out like she was. There were others willingly killing their classmates. And it was impossible to know where they might show up.

She stepped out and cautiously tiptoed to her right with her back pinned up against the wall of the house where she had been hiding. She turned south at the corner and saw a field extend up a gentle slope. The mild slope was covered with patches of green and headed up to the southern mountain. The houses there weren't as crowded together as they were here. She decided it was best for her to reach the southern mountain. Then she'd be safe for the time being.

Yoshimi shouldered her day pack, checked around again, then ran out to the small thicket by the field. She reached it in a matter of seconds. Holding her gun with both hands, she pointed it left and right, but no one was there.

Yoshimi was already panting after that brief excursion. She had further to go, though, to get out of sector H=8. She actually might be beyond the border, but it wasn't as if there was a white line running on the ground. It was best to err on the side of caution. Otherwise she'd go nuts. There were blue dots on the map indicating houses and the group of houses where she was was cluttered up with so many dots she had no idea exactly where she was. The sector border was at the edge of this clutter. Yoshimi felt like crying. If…if she wasn't in Mitsuko Souma's gang then she'd have probably found someone, yes, some nice girl she could trust, and joined up with her. But no one trusted her. Well, she'd done some bad things with Mitsuko Souma and Hirono Shimizu. Stealing from, even at times terrorizing her classmates. No one would believe her even if she insisted she meant no harm. They might attack her on sight.

Before she hid in the house last night she saw another girl heading in the opposite direction. She was leaving the residential area. Was it Kayoko Kotohiki (Female Student No. 8)? Maybe she'd first hid in the residential area but then decided against it and moved on. (Her decision proved a good one, since the area became the game's first forbidden zone.) It was a perfect opportunity to contact someone, given the timing and proximity, but Yoshimi just couldn't bring herself to do it.

And what about Mitsuko Souma and Hirono Shimizu? It was true they were bad…but they were her friends after all. If she could find them…would they trust her? And…could she trust them? No…she probably couldn't.

Overwhelmed by despair, she thought of a certain boy's face again. It was the same face she'd been thinking of ever since the game began. The one who said he didn't care she was with Mitsuko Souma, he still liked her. He kissed her gently on the bed and kindly warned her, "Stay out of trouble." The boy who made her believe she could actually change.

When she left the school building…she thought he might be waiting for her. But of course there was no one there. Of course there wouldn't be. There were the corpses of Mayumi Tendo and Yoshio Akamatsu lying on the ground, though. Chances were if you stuck around you'd end up like them. (She had no idea where their killer had gone.)

Where could he possibly be right now? Or…or was it too late…

She felt her chest tighten. Her eyes filled with tears.

She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sailor suit and moved through the thicket towards its edge. She had to move a little further ahead.

Still holding the gun, she looked for her next source of shelter. Now there were several tall trees bunched together on her right with dense, tall weeds all over.

She ran across the field again. Her face was scratched by a small branch as she slid into the edge of the thicket. She got up slowly and looked around. She couldn't see completely through the thick green shrubbery, but no one was in sight.

Yoshimi still kept low as she crept forward in the thicket. It was all right, it was all right, no one was in the area.

She reached the edge of the thicket. Now the greenery of the southern mountain was right in front of her. Large and small trees and also a dense grove of what looked like bamboo. It looked like there were plenty of places to hide there. All right…all right…then I just have to get there___

Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound behind her. Her heart leaped.

Yoshimi lowered herself, holding the Colt .45 in her hands, and slowly turned around. The hair on the back of her neck was standing straight up.

She caught a glimpse of a black school coat moving between the trees approximately ten meters away. Her eyes opened wide with fear. Someone was over there. Someone!

She clenched her teeth to contain her fear and lowered her head. Her heart was pounding. She heard another rustling sound.

There wasn't anyone in the thicket just a moment ago. Someone had come here after her. Why? Was this person after her?

Yoshimi turned pale.

No, not necessarily. The student might just be on the move like her. That's right. If she'd been noticed, he or she would have come right after her. She hadn't been noticed yet. Then…then it was best to let him pass. Don't move. Just don't move.

There was the rustling sound again. The person was moving again. Crouching, Yoshimi could see between the dense leaves the figure moving through the woods. Revealing its profile, it moved from Yoshimi's right to her left. Oh yes!

He's not headed towards me....

As she sighed though, she suddenly did a double take.

The figure was too far into the trees to see. The rustling sound gradually became distant. She couldn't be wrong. Was she just hallucinating out of panic? No, that couldn't be. Yoshimi stood up, hunched over, and proceeded to follow the sound. Moving several meters ahead, she looked toward the source of sound in the shade of the dense leaves. In her narrow field of vision she was able to make out the school coat.

Yoshimi put both of her hands on her chest. Had it not been for the gun she held in her hands, she would have looked like she was praying.

But Yoshimi was praying, no doubt. If there were a god who could bring about such a miraculous turn of events, then she was thanking it. She held no particular religious beliefs, but it didn't matter which god it was. She was grateful. Oh God thank you! I love you!

Yoshimi blurted out as she stood up, "Yoji!"

Yoji Kuramoto (Male Student No. 8) trembled for a moment, but then turned around slowly. His face had a Latin look. His thick-lashed eyes opened wide and then returned to their normal size. For a split second his face seemed to turn blank, but she was convinced it was just her mind playing tricks on her. The face then formed a smile. The smile of the boy who loved her more than anyone else.

"Yoshimi—"

"Yoji!"

Holding her day pack and Colt .45 in her right hand, Yoshimi ran toward Yoji. Her eyes filled with tears. Yoji held Yoshimi in his arms, gently, but also with reassurance in the tiny space of the thicket. Then without saying a word Yoji kissed her on the lips.

He kissed her eyelids. The tip of her nose too. It was how Yoji always kissed her. It might not have been appropriate, given the circumstances, but she was ecstatic.

After kissing her he looked into her eyes and said, "So you were safe. I was worried about you." Remaining in each other's arms, Yoshimi responded, "Me too, me too." Tears came rolling out of the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks.

When Yoji left the classroom before her, he took a glance at Yoshimi, who was on the verge of crying as she watched him leave. She had left too, and dawn came. And she had been terrified every single moment until now. But now she was with someone she thought she'd never see alive again.

"I-it's a miracle," Yoji said, somewhat belatedly, as if he were in shock.

"It really is. I can't believe it. I thought we'd never see each other again. In this…horrible…" Yoji gently brushed his hands through Yoshimi's hair while she cried. "It's going to be all right now. We'll stay together no matter what happens."

Yoji's words sounded reassuring and tears came gushing out from her eyes. The rules only allowed one survivor, but I get to be with the one I love most. There was something about a time limit, but we'll just stay together until time runs out. If someone attacks us, Yoji will protect us. Oh God tell me I'm not dreaming.

Yoshimi remembered everything that happened between them since she met Yoji in their second year, when they ended up classmates. That special autumn day, when they bumped into each other on the street and decided to go to a movie together, then Christmas, then the strawberry shortcake they ordered and split at the cafe, that night's kiss, New Year's, dressing up in a long-sleeved kimono for the first temple visit (the sacred lot she drew was only "fair luck." while his was "very good luck," and he gave her his), and the unforgettable Saturday, January 18th, the night she spent at Yoji's house.

"Where have you been?" Yoshimi asked.

Yoji pointed to the group of houses. "In a house over there. But you know this collar…if I stay there, it's supposed to explode. So…"

Yoji looked serious, but Yoshimi thought it was funny. They were right near each other! She'd been wondering ever since the game began where could he be, only to find out he was right nearby…

"What's up?"

"I was hiding in one of those houses too. We were probably right next door to each other." They laughed. Yoshimi realized how wonderful it was to share a laugh with someone you loved. It might be considered trivial, but no, it was essential. And now it was hers once again. Yoji slowly let go of Yoshimi. His eyes suddenly fell on her right hand. Realizing she was still holding the gun, she burst out, "Ha ha ha. I forgot..."

Yoji also smiled. "Nice weapon. Look what I ended up with."

He showed her what he'd been holding. She hadn't noticed it at all. On closer look, she saw that it was a dagger, the kind you might see in an antique store. The strip of thread wrapped around the grip was worn out, the oval-shaped guard had turned greenish blue, and as Yoji revealed by pulling the dagger out of its sheath, the blade was spotted with rust. Yoji returned the blade to its sheath and tucked it in his belt.

"Hey, let me check that out," Yoji said.

She offered the gun to him. "You hold onto it. I doubt I can do much with it..." Yoji nodded and took the Colt .45. He held the grip and checked the safety. He pulled the slide, revealing the first bullet in the chamber. The hammer was still cocked.

"You have bullets for this?"

The gun's cartridge was fully loaded. Yoshimi nodded, took the box of bullets out of her day pack, and handed it over to him. Yoji took it with one hand, opening it up with his thumb to check the contents. Then he tucked it into his uniform pocket.

All of a sudden…Yoshimi couldn't believe her eyes. She was completely clueless as to what was going on—as if she were watching some baffling magic trick—as she looked at Yoji's hands. Yoji was pointing the Colt .45 at her.

"Yoji?…"

After repeating his name, she saw how Yoji had become a different person. His face was contorted. The thick-lashed eyes, the large hooked nose, his wide lips, each part of his face looked the same as before, but she'd never seen this expression with its twisted mouth, revealing its teeth. The contorted mouth spat out these words, "Go away. Get out of here!" Yoshimi didn't understand what he meant.

Yoji sounded irritated. "I said get away from me!"

Still in a daze, her lips quivered, "Why?"

As if fed up with her, Yoji cried out, "You expect me to be with a bitch like you!? Get out of here, bitch!" Something inside of Yoshimi began to crumble, first slowly, then quickly.

"Why?" Yoshimi's voice trembled. "Did I…did I do something wrong?" The gun was still aimed at her. Yoji spat to his side.

"Give me a break. Even I know you're a slut. I know you've been arrested by the cops__On top of that you slept with a guy old enough to be your dad. I know that too! You expect me to trust a bitch like you!?"

Yoshimi's jaw dropped as she stared at Yoji's face.

It was…true. She'd been arrested several times for stealing, and the police had taken her in once for blackmailing a high school student. And then there was…prostitution. A while ago Yoshimi had slept with some middle-aged men Mitsuko Souma had introduced her to. The money was good, she wasn't the only one doing it, and at that time of her life she was getting so fed up with everything. So wearing makeup she'd never worn, acting like an adult, and being with men who seemed in their own way generous didn't seem like a bad thing. Yoshimi assumed Yoji had known all this about her. Ever since she started dating Yoji that autumn day, she had put an end to all of that. Of course she continued being friends with Mitsuko Souma and Hirono Shimizu. It wasn't like she was suddenly a star pupil, but she did stop prostituting herself, and she did her best to keep herself out of trouble. And she'd believed Yoji forgave her and loved her anyway.

… that's what I believed all along.

A tear rolled down Yoshimi's cheek.

"I-I stopped doing that." Different tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I wanted to be…I wanted to be good to you, Yoji."

Yoji stared at Yoshimi as if her words had completely shaken him up.

But then his expression returned.

"You liar! Stop pretending to cry!"

Yoshimi stared at Yoji with her wet eyes. Words came tumbling out, "Then…then why did you go out with me?"

Yoji immediately replied, "Come on, I thought a slut like you'd be easy! Get out of here! Bitch!" Suddenly prompted by some force, Yoshimi ran towards Yoji. It might have been because she couldn't bear listening to Yoji anymore, or maybe it was because she couldn't deal with the fact that Yoji was pointing a gun at her. "Stop it! Please stop it!" she cried and tried to grab the gun from his hand. Yoji quickly dodged her and shoved her. The day pack slid off her shoulder down to her left hand, and Yoshimi fell back on the grass.

Yoji pinned Yoshimi down.

"What the hell are you doing!? Bitch! You tried to kill me! I'll kill you, bitch!" Yoji pointed his gun at her while Yoshimi frantically grabbed his right wrist with both her hands. Yoji immediately shifted the gun from his right hand to his left. Yoji's hand moved slowly downward. To her forehead! Yoshimi felt her heart pounding.

Yoshimi stuck out her hands and cried in desperation.

"Yoji! Please! Please stop it, Yoji!"

Yoji said nothing. His bloodshot eyes glared down at her. His arm came down methodically, like a machine. Five more centimeters…four…three…the bullet could now brush her hair. Two more centimeters, and…

Though she was torn up with sadness and fear, a thought suddenly occurred to her. She understood everything now. She didn't want to, but it turned out the person she adored was only an illusion. Still…

Still, it was a wonderful illusion. With Yoji, she thought she could start over. It was Yoji who gave her that illusion. Without Yoji she would never have believed it could happen. Oh, that time we ate ice cream at the only burger joint in Shiroiwa…she had ice cream on her nose and Yoji said, "You are so cute." Even now she believed he'd been sincere. I loved you.

Yoshimi suddenly relaxed her arms. Yoji cocked the gun and placed it against her forehead. His finger was ready to pull the trigger.

Yoshimi stared back at Yoji and quietly said, "Thank you, Yoji. I was so happy being with you." Yoji's eyes opened wide and remained frozen, as if he'd suddenly realized something important.

"Go ahead…shoot me."

Yoshimi smiled warmly and closed her eyes.

Pointing the gun at her, Yoji began to tremble.

Yoshimi waited for the burning bullet to pierce her head, but the gun wouldn't fire. Instead she heard his hoarse voice, "Yoshimi…"

Yoshimi slowly opened her eyes again.

They met Yoji's. Through the thin film of her tears, she saw how his eyes were now those of her beloved Yoji. They were even filled with remorse and self-reproach.

Ah—

So he understands—Yoji—is it true?

TUNK! It was a pleasant but somewhat strange, damp sound.

Simultaneously, Yoji's right finger pulled the trigger. But it was on accident, the result of his finger's reflex. The gunshot exploded like a firecracker and made her shriek, but the muzzle had already been pointed away from her, and the bullet lodged into the patch of grass above her head. A tiny cloud of dirt rose in the air.

Yoji's lifeless body fell on top of Yoshimi. He remained motionless.

As she tried to pry herself loose, she saw someone smile over the shoulders of Yoji's black school coat. It was her old partner in crime, Mitsuko Souma.

Yoshimi had no idea what was going on. She only knew that the smile on this angelic, adorable, beautiful face absolutely terrified her.

Mitsuko asked Yoshimi if she was all right as she grabbed her hand and pulled her out from under Yoji's body.

Yoshimi staggered to her feet in the bushes and looked down. An extremely sharp sickle (a sickle! as one of the more urban girls in Shiroiwa, Yoshimi had never seen one before) was planted in the back of Yoji's head.

Leaving aside the sickle for now, Mitsuko immediately went for the Colt .45 in Yoji's right hand. His muscles had tightened, so she had to pry each stiff finger loose. The gun was finally in her hands, and she grinned.

Yoshimi looked down at Yoji's lifeless body, trembling. She was trembling violently. Uncontrollably. In one flourish she had just lost someone incredibly important to her. It was like the sensation she had when a precious glass ornament she had as a child accidentally fell and shattered on the floor. But…this was far more precious.

Yoshimi came to her senses and looked at Mitsuko (of course she had been looking at her all this time, but she was too incapacitated to process this visual information), who proceeded to wrestle with the sickle to dislodge it from the back of Yoji's head. She gripped the handle with both hands and tried shaking it loose, swinging Yoji's head along with it.

"No!…"

Yoshimi screamed and shoved Mitsuko aside. Mitsuko fell back onto the grass, exposing her well formed legs, from the hem of her pleated skirt up to her thighs.

Yoshimi shielded Yoji's body. The sickle was still planted in his skull. Her tears fell onto his body. The sickle was telling her: shaking me won't revive me, don't shake me, there's a sickle stuck in me, man, that hurts.

Her chest tightened with waves of remorse. She felt as if she were drowning, as if the world were coming to an end.

She thought of the cause behind all of this, and her tearstained eyes glared fiercely at Mitsuko. If looks could kill, her glare would have. Yoshimi couldn't care less now what kind of game this was or who her enemies and allies were. That's right. If anyone was her worst enemy, it was Mitsuko Souma, who'd killed her love.

"Why'd you kill him!?"

The words sounded empty to Yoshimi. She felt as if she had become a hollow bag in a human shape. But the words came pouring out. The human body could do strange things.

"Why! Why'd you kill him!? It's horrible! It's just too awful! You're evil! Why'd you have to kill him!?

Why!?"

Mitsuko contorted her mouth in an expression of dissatisfaction. "You were about to get killed. I saved you."

"No! I got Yoji to understand me! You're so evil! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! Yoji understood me!" Mitsuko shook her head and shrugged, pointing the .45 at her. Yoshimi's eyes opened wide. And so Yoshimi heard the dry pop one more time. Her forehead felt as if it were being crushed by a car. That was all.

Yoshimi Yahagi fell onto the corpse of her beloved Yoji Kuramoto and remained motionless. The .45

caliber bullet had demolished the back of her head. But her mouth remained open as if she were screaming and blood came flowing out from its side. It soaked Yoji's school coat, oozing out into a dark patch.

Mitsuko lowered the smoking Colt .45 and shrugged again. She'd planned on using Yoshimi to shield her from bullets.

She leaned over and whispered into the ear of Yoshimi's half-destroyed head, "I'm sure he understood." There was a strange topping of gray jelly brains and blood on her earlobe. "I killed him because it looked like he wasn't going to kill you after all."

Then, once again, she proceeded to pry loose the sickle from Yoji's head. 

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