Battle Royale

by Koushun Takami

  "Yeah, well, that's why I avoided him. But…" Shinji glanced up at the sky. Then he looked back at Yutaka. "He seemed to notice me. I'd just left a house where I was searching for some stuff. He was there, around the house, but he immediately took cover in the path between the fields. I think he was carrying a shotgun. I hid behind the door…I think he was checking me out for a while. But then he disappeared. He didn't try to attack me at all."

  Yutaka responded, "Huh. Then that means he's not an enemy."

  Shinji shook his head. "Not necessarily. He might have seen my gun and decided he was better off not attacking me. In any case, I decided not to follow him."

  "I see…" Yutaka nodded, but then looked up as if he'd realized something. "I know I haven't seen anyone, but I could've sworn I heard another gun go off before Yumiko and Yukiko were shot." Shinji nodded. "I heard it too."

  "It wasn't a machine gun. Do you think it was aimed at them too?"

  "No," Shinji shook his head. "I don't think so. I think whoever fired it did it to stop them. It was so obvious what they were doing was risky. The shooter wanted to scare them with the gunfire so they'd run and hide."

  Yutaka leaned forward excitedly, "Then…then that shooter isn't an enemy."

  "Yeah well, we don't have any way to hook up. Even though I have a rough idea where the gunshot came from___The shooter's probably already on the move since the machine gun shooter knows where he is too."

  Disappointed, Yutaka drew back. They fell silent while Shinji continued thinking, his arms folded. Shinji wanted to know if Yutaka had seen anyone they could trust. He thought they could hook up with a classmate if he or she hadn't moved, but come to think of it, he'd trust anyone Yutaka would trust, so if Yutaka had seen others who were trustworthy Yutaka would have been with them by now. But Yutaka was alone. So the question was pointless.

  But…in any case, who could he trust? Shuya…and then maybe Hiroki Sugimura? The rest were…girls. He could probably trust the class representative, Yukie Utsumi, and her friends…but he didn't have a good reputation with the girls in his class, probably because he slept around. Ah well. Hey Uncle, I should have found a steady girlfriend, huh?

  But how lucky was he to hook up with Yutaka? He could absolutely trust him. Yutaka asked him, "Hey Shinji. You said you were looking for something." Shinji nodded. "I did."

  "What was it? What were you looking for? A weapon? I was too scared. It never even crossed my mind."

  Shinji looked down at his watch. It should be done by now. An hour had elapsed since the machine began its password search.

  Shinji got up and tucked his gun in front. "Yutaka, can you move over?" Yutaka moved away from the tree he was leaning against. Beyond it, there were bushes spreading out over the ground, forming a thicket.

  Shinji walked over there and stuck his arms into the bushes. Carefully he pulled out the accessories and cables together.

  Yutaka looked astonished.

  Shinji had pulled out a car battery (the power source), a partially disassembled cell phone, and a laptop computer. They were all connected by a patch of red and white cables.

  The liquid crystal monitor display had been left on, with the computer screen display turned off. Which meant…Shinji puckered his lips and whistled quietly, pressing down on the space bar. The computer, conserving its energy in sleep mode, turned on with the sound of its hard drive spinning and the grayscale display lighting up on the screen.

  After searching for the final line in the tiny window on the screen, Shinji's eyes twinkled mischievously.

  "Geez. Just a switch of vowels. Too simple for me to guess on my own," he said.

  "Hey, Shinji, is this—" Yutaka finally blurted out in amazement. Shinji closed and opened his fists as he always did before tapping away on the keyboard. Then he grinned at Yutaka.

  "It's a Macintosh PowerBook 150. I didn't expect to find such a good machine on this lousy island." 27 students remaining

  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 stu
ck 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 fac
e 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.