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Shogo led the way up the mountain. The weapons he picked out of Kazuo's assortment were tossed into the day pack on his shoulders. He didn't offer them to Noriko or Shuya. It wasn't necessary for the time being.

Shuya followed Shogo as he held Noriko up on his left side. They had cleaned Noriko's cheek wound with water for now and covered it with a row of four band-aids. Shogo said they were better off not stitching it. Shuya cleaned her hand wound and wrapped it again with the bandanna. Shogo had also quickly taken care of his wounds.

It was already getting dim in the mountains, but there was no need to make their way through bushes, so it was relatively easy to climb. The ground strewn with piles of leaf mold was damp from an entire afternoon of rain.

They had covered quite a distance ever since Shogo announced, "We're climbing the mountain," and proceeded forward.

"Shogo," Shuya called. Shogo turned around. "Where are we going?" Shogo grinned. "We have just a little more to go. Just follow me." Shuya readjusted his arm on Noriko and followed him.

The peak with the viewing platform where Yukiko Kitano and Yumiko Kusaka were killed and its southern side had become a forbidden zone a long time ago. Shogo stopped right before they entered that area, in the upper mid-region of the mountain. Come to think of it, Shuya thought, a little ways below I saw Hirono Shimizu shoot Kaori Minami.

"This should do it," Shogo said.

The slope and woods ended here, and the area offered a good view. They could see the entire island, now immersed in dim blue after sunset, where the fierce battle between the classmates of Third Year Class B Shiroiwa Junior High School took place. However, the school holding their final enemy, Sakamochi, was hidden by hills.

Shuya took a deep breath. Then he asked, "What's up here anyway? How are we going to escape?" Shogo smiled without looking at Shuya. Then he said, "Relax. Take a look over there." Shuya and Noriko looked over where Shogo was pointing.

It was over the southern mountain. Although it was growing dim, they could still make out the ocean, several islands, and beyond, the mainland. Shuya could make out a mist of lights scattered over the mainland. If they were closer, they could have discerned which ones were neon lights and which ones were lights along the shore highway.

Now Shuya also knew that this was Okishima Island in the Takamatsu-shi Bay. There were two others islands, Megijima and Ogijima, forming a vertical row of islands, where Okishima was the one at the far northern tip. Which meant that the small island beyond the southern mountain was Megijima, and beyond that was Ogijima, and beyond that was the mainland—Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku. Shogo said, "It's not very familiar to me, but that's your home over there. Shiroiwa-cho must be over there. You won't see it again, so have a good look."

Did he mean they'd never return because they were escaping the country? Still…

Shuya looked back at Shogo. "Don't tell me we came all the way up here for this." Shogo snickered. "Hey, what's the rush?" Then he said, "Show me your gun. There's something I need to check."

Noriko handed over her Smith & Wesson to Shogo. He opened up its cylinder and checked it. Shuya thought Noriko had reloaded it after taking that single shot at Kazuo.

Shogo didn't return the gun and instead held it in his right hand. He took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember how I kept on saying I might be doing this just to have a group, and that my intention might be to kill you off in the end?"

Shuya raised his brow. Yes, you said that, but?…

"Yeah, but?…"

"So," Shogo said, "you both lose."

Shogo pointed the Smith & Wesson at them.

3 students remaining