Battle Royale

by Koushun Takami

  "Huh." Shogo stood up before Shuya could even help him up.

  Shuya nervously asked, "Are you all right?"

  Shogo didn't respond. He picked up the shotgun, and as he loaded it with the cartridges in his pocket, he walked toward Kazuo. Exactly two meters in front of him, he pointed the gun at Kazuo's head and pulled the trigger. Kazuo's head flinched only once.

  Shogo turned on his heels and came back.

  "Are you all right?" Shuya asked him again.

  "Yeah, I'm fine."

  Shogo walked over to Noriko, gently held her hands, still holding the Smith & Wesson, and lowered them. He quietly said, "He's dead. I'm the one who killed him, not you." Then he looked over at Kazuo.

  "So he was wearing a vest," he said.

  Shuya then finally understood. Kazuo Kiriyama had been wearing a bulletproof vest.

  "Shogo," Noriko asked, her voice slightly trembling. "Are you really all right?" Shogo smiled kindly and nodded. "I'm all right. Thanks, Noriko." Then he took out his pack of cigarettes again. It seemed empty so he looked around and picked up the lit cigarette which had fallen from his mouth, and slowly raised it to his mouth.

  Shuya turned around and stared out at the sun setting over the island. It was over. At least this wonderful game was. And now, including Kazuo Kiriyama over there, thirty-nine of their dead classmates were lying sprawled all over the island.

  Shuya had that dizzy spell again. Maybe his thoughts were numbed by this hollow feeling. What the hell was this all about?

  Faces flashed by one by one. Yoshitoki Kuninobu's face as he shouted, "I'll kill you!" Shinji Mimura's face grinning slightly as Shuya left. Tatsumichi Oki's face as he swung the axe with bloodshot eyes. Hiroki Sugimura who vanished into the dark outside the medical clinic, saying, "I have to see Kayoko Kotohiki," Hirono Shimizu as she ran away from Shuya after shooting down Kaori Minami. The tearful Yukie Utsumi saying, "I just wouldn't know what to do if you died." Yuko Sakaki, who pried Shuya's fingers loose. Then the cold eyes of Kazuo Kiriyama, who'd cornered them until now. They were all gone. Not just everyone's lives, but so many other things were destroyed. But it wasn't over yet.

  "Shogo," Shuya said. Shogo looked up, shortened cigarette in hand. "We should treat you." Shogo smiled. "I'm all right. It's nothing. Take care of Noriko's wounds." Then he said, "I'm going to collect Kazuo's weapons." He walked over to the overturned minivan. 3 students remaining

  75

  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

  76

  Shuya felt a strange expression forming on his face. As if he were grinning and bewildered at the same time. Noriko probably felt the same way.

  "What is this?" Shuya said. "It's not such a great time to be joking right now."

  "I'm serious," Shogo said and cocked the hammer.

  Shuya's grin vanished. His right arm felt Noriko stiffen.

  Shogo continued, "You can enjoy the view a little more. I told you, it'd be the last time." His stubbly face broke into a slight grin. It was a sinister grin he'd never shown before. A crow cawed. Was it flying up above in the darkening evening sky?

  Shuya finally spoke. His feelings were out of sync with the situation, he could only croak out pathetically,

  "What? What are you talking about?"

  "You are so thick," Shogo responded with a shrug. "I'm going to kill you both. I'll be the winner. My second in a row."

  Shuya's lips were trembling. No. This cant be.

  He stuttered, "Come on…stop it. Then…then you were just acting until now? You…you looked after us. You helped us so many times."

  Shogo replied calmly, "You're the ones who helped me. I probably couldn't have killed Kazuo without your help."

  "Then…so that story about Keiko was a lie too!?" His words trembled. The more he tried to keep his voice down the louder it became.

  "Yep," Shogo answered curtly. "It was true I participated in the Hyogo Prefecture Program last year, and it's true there was a girl named Keiko Onuki. But there was nothing between us. The girl in that photo's my girlfriend, but her name's Kyoka Shimazaki, a totally different person. She's still in Kobe. She's out of her mind…Well, anyway, she insisted I hold onto this photo. I got to say she was a good lay, though." Shuya took a deep breath. A light early summer breeze blew against his skin, but for some reason it felt chilly. Then he cautiously asked, "But what about that bird call?…" Shog
o had another curt response. "I just happened to find that at the general supply store. I figured it'd be useful. And it proved to be, in the end."

  It grew darker and darker.

  Shogo continued, "You lost the moment you trusted me," but Shuya still couldn't believe it. That can't be. That just…can't be. Then something occurred to Shuya. This…must be…

  Noriko spoke out before Shuya, "Shogo…is this some test to see whether you can really trust us? Is it because Keiko couldn't trust you?"

  Shogo shrugged his shoulders and said, "Unbelievable how you still believe in that fairy tale." Those were his last words. Shogo held the gun in his hand and slowly pulled the trigger. Two gunshots rang out as evening descended upon the island.

  1 student remaining—GAME OVER—Report from Third Year Class B Shiroiwa Junior High School Program Headquarters Tracking System

  77

  Shogo Kawada (Male Student No. 5) reclined against the soft sofa on the ship. He was swaying slightly from the rough waves.

  The room was fairly spacious for a small patrol ship. The ceiling itself was low, but the room must have been a couple square meters. There was a low table in the middle, and two sofas on each side, with Shogo sitting on the one away from the door.

  Because the room was below deck it had no windows, so he couldn't see anything outside, but it must have been past 8:30 p.m. by now. The yellow ceiling lights shined against the glass ashtray. Shogo didn't have any more cigarettes to smoke, though.

  Once the forbidden zones were all deactivated after the game was over, Shogo obeyed Sakamochi's announcements and made his way to the school. In front of the school were the bodies of Yoshio Akamatsu and Mayumi Tendo, and inside the classroom, the bodies of Yoshitoki Kuninobu and Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, all left untouched.

  His silver collar was finally detached, and after the shooting for the news segment, he was taken away by soldiers and escorted to the harbor. There were two ships docked there. One for the winner…and the other a transport ship to return the soldiers packed inside the school. Most of the soldiers boarded this ship. Only the trio who were in the classroom during Sakamochi's game instructions joined Sakamochi to board Shogo's ship. And tomorrow the subcontracted clean-up crew would take care of the remaining bodies of the students on the island. The speakers and school computers at the school building would also be dismantled in a matter of days. Of course the software and data for the game had already been removed from the computer. This was the identical procedure taken immediately after the Kobe Second District Junior High School Program came to an end ten months ago.

  And now Shogo was waiting here. They were now south of Okishima. The patrol ship was returning directly to Takamatsu Harbor, but the soldiers' transport ship would probably alter its course and head west towards the military base.

  The doorknob rotated with a click. The soldier who stood guard (the uncharismatic one called

  "Nomura") by the door looked in, then moved away. Kinpatsu Sakamochi appeared. He came in with a tray with two teacups and asked, "Did I keep you waiting, Shogo?" as he entered the room. Nomura closed the door.

  Sakamochi walked up to him with his short legs. He put the tray on the table and said, "Here. It's tea. Drink all you want." He took out a flat, letter-sized envelope from under his left armpit and sat on the sofa facing Shogo. He tossed the envelope onto his side of the table, then combed back his shoulder-length hair behind his ear.

  Shogo glanced down at the envelope indifferently and began speaking while staring at Sakamochi. "What do you want? I wish you'd leave me alone. I'm tired."

  "There you go…" Sakamochi brought the cup to his mouth with a grimace. "You should be more polite with adults. I had this student Kato once. He used to give me a hard time, but now that he's grown up, he's quite respectable."

  "I'm not one of your pigs."

  Sakamochi opened his eyes as if taken aback and then smiled again. "Come, come, Shogo. I wanted to have a nice chat with you."

  Shogo slouched against the sofa and folded his legs. He remained quiet as he rested his cheeks in his hands.

  "Where should I begin?" Sakamochi put his cup down and rubbed his open hands together. "That's right." His eyes glimmered. "Did you know we have a betting pool for the Program, Shogo?" Shogo squinted his eyes as if looking at filth. Then he said, "I wouldn't be surprised. You guys are tasteless."

  Sakamochi smiled. "I had my money on Kazuo. Twenty thousand yen. With my salary, that's a lot. But thanks to you, I lost."

  "Too bad," Shogo said in a tone devoid of sympathy.

  Sakamochi smiled again. Then he said, "I explained how I could tell where everyone was with those collars, right?"

  The answer was obvious. Shogo didn't respond.

  Sakamochi stared at Shogo. "You were with Shuya and Noriko throughout the game, right? Then you betrayed them in the end. That's what it came down to, right?"

  "What's wrong with that?" Shogo replied. "There are no restrictions in this wonderful game. Don't make me laugh. You can't criticize me for that."

  A broad grin spread over Sakamochi's face. He combed back his hair, took a sip of tea, and rubbed his hands. He spoke as if he were sharing a secret, "Hey, Shogo. I'm not really supposed to be sharing this with anyone, but I'll tell you the truth. These collars have built-in mics, so we could hear everything the students said during the game. I bet you probably didn't know that." Shogo, who seemed so indifferent in his responses, finally seemed interested. He knit his brows and pursed his lips. "How the fuck…would I know about that?" he said. "So then you heard everything, how I tricked them."

  "Uh huh, that's right." Sakamochi nodded. "But that wasn't very nice, Shogo. Was it. 'Even if we managed to capture Sakamochi, I'm sure as far as the government's concerned he's expendable'? You said that. Being a Program Instructor is a pretty respectable occupation. Not everyone can do it." Ignoring Sakamochi's complaint, Shogo asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

  "Oh, I don't know," Sakamochi replied. "With your wonderful performance I couldn't resist telling you."

  "This is bullshit."

  Shogo looked away, but Sakamochi pressed more insistently, "A wonderful performance, but…" Shogo looked back at him. Sakamochi continued, "…there's something I don't get."

  "What's that?"

  "Why didn't you shoot those two right after Kazuo was killed? You could have, right? That's the one thing I just don't get."

  "Just as I told them," Shogo, replied without hesitating, "I just thought I'd let them have one last look at their home. A little gift for them before their descent into hell. You may not believe this, but I can be pretty loyal. I mean, thanks to them, I won."

  Sakamochi continued smiling and uttered, "Hmmm." Then he raised his cup to his mouth. He sat back on the back of the sofa with the cup in his hand and spoke again, "Hey, Shogo, I got hold of the data on the Kobe Second District Junior High School Program." Then he stared at Shogo. Shogo stared back at him and remained silent. "And as far as I can tell from the data, nothing indicates you had any special relationship with Keiko Onuki."

  "Onuki? Like I said I made that up," Shogo interrupted him, but Sakamochi spoke over him and continued, "As—" Shogo shut up.

  "As you said, to Shuya Nanahara and Noriko Nakagawa, you saw Onuki twice—the first time only for a moment and then the second time right before you won, when she was already dead. Even according to the taped conversations, you never even once uttered her name. Not once. Do you remember that?"

  "How could I? It's like I said—there was nothing between me…and her. You heard me, right?"

  "But the thing is, Shogo, the second time around you stopped there for two hours."

  "That was just a coincidence. It was a good spot to hide and rest. That's how I was able to remember that name so vividly. I tell you, she died a horrible death."

  His grin still glued across his face, Sakamochi nodded, hm hm. "The other thing is…the entire eighteen hours which transpired in this game—which is actually quite
fast, maybe the designated area was too small—in any case, you didn't exchange a single word with anyone. I mean, aside from saying things like,

  'Stop' or 'I'm not an enemy.' "

  "That was just an act too," Shogo interrupted him. "It's so obvious." Sakamochi smiled, ignoring Shogo's statement. "So I have no idea how you approached this game. You moved around a lot but—"

  "It was my first time. I didn't know how to play it smart."

  Sakamochi then nodded, hm hm. He held back a grin as if concealing his amusement. He sipped his tea and returned the cup to the table. Then he looked up and said, "By the way…what about that photo? I'd like to look at it, if you don't mind."

  "Photo?"

  "Come on, you showed it to Nanahara and Nakagawa, right? You said it was a photo of Onuki. Let me see it. It was actually a photo of someone named Shimazaki, right?" Shogo twisted his mouth. "Why should I show it to you?"

  "Come on, just show it to me. I'm your instructor. Please. Come on, please," Sakamochi said and bowed over the table.

  Shogo reluctantly reached around and searched his back pocket. He raised his brow and swung his hand back. It was empty.

  "It's gone," he said. "I must've dropped it somewhere when we fought Kazuo."

  "Dropped it?"

  "Uh huh. It's true. I dropped my wallet. Well, I don't need it anyway." Suddenly, Sakamochi burst out laughing. As he laughed he said, "I get it." He held his stomach, slapped his thighs, and kept on laughing.

  Shogo looked perplexed…but then he squinted his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling in the windowless room.

  Despite the insulation of the patrol ship's walls, he could hear the faint but definite whirring sound. It was definitely not the sound of the ship's engine.

  The sound became louder and louder…and then after a certain point, it receded. Then it was almost entirely gone.

  Shogo grimaced.

  "Does that trouble you, Shogo?" He stopped laughing. He still had that creepy smile on his face, though.

  "That was a helicopter." He reached out for his tea again and emptied his cup. He put the empty cup on the table. "It's heading toward the island where you all fought." Shogo knit his brows, but this time his reaction seemed to have a different connotation. But Sakamochi didn't care. He arrogantly leaned back on the sofa and changed the subject, "Hey, Shogo. Let's talk about those collars again. Well, you know, they're actually called 'Guadalcanal No. 22.' That doesn't matter. Anyway, weren't you telling Shuya about how they couldn't be dismantled?" Seeing how Shogo didn't respond, Sakamochi continued, "In fact, your theory was right on the mark. Each unit is equipped with three different systems, so even if one of them has a one percent margin of error, with three systems, only one in a million can break down. In reality, the chances are even slimmer. So, it's just like you said. No one can escape from them. Any attempt to remove it will ignite it, killing its wearer. It's very rare someone actually tries that, though."