by Косюн Таками
"I don't know what to say, but...I'm so sorry," Noriko said.
Hiroki smiled a little and nodded. "Thanks."
"In any case," Shuya said, "Come on in. Let's talk it over, what's the—"
He meant to say, rush, but refrained. If Hiroki wanted to see Kayoko Kotohiki while they were both still alive, what else could he do but rush? While Hiroki's connection to Takako Chigusa was clear, Shuya had no idea why it was so important for him to find Kayoko Kotohiki. But in any case, as they sat here talking, she could be fighting someone, or she might even be dying.
Hiroki grinned. It seemed he knew what Shuya was thinking.
Shuya licked his lips. He glanced over at Shogo and then said, "If you insist..." He looked at Hiroki and continued, "We'll find her with you."
But Hiroki flatly refused. He pointed his chin at Noriko. "Noriko's injured. It's too dangerous. No."
Shuya found the situation unbearable. "But you could be saved with us....How are we going to meet again if you leave?.. " That's right. Once they separated it would be nearly impossible for them to meet again.
"Hiroki." It was Shogo. He still held the shotgun, but his finger wasn't on the trigger anymore. Hiroki looked over at him, and Shogo pulled out something small from his pocket with his open hand. He lifted it to his mouth and bit on its metal end, twisting it. It made the chirping sound of a bird. It was a loud, brilliant, and playful sound. Like a robin or chickadee.
Shogo released his hand from his mouth, and Shuya realized that it was Shogo's device—a bird call? Forget why he would have one in the first place...it was one of those things that mimicked the sound of birds chirping.
"Whether you meet Kayoko Kotohiki or not," Shogo said, "if you want to see us, make a fire somewhere and burn raw wood to get some smoke going. Make two fires. Of course, leave as soon as you make them because you'll only attract-attention. And make sure you don't cause a fire. Once we see that we'll make this call every fifteen minutes, say, for fifteen seconds. Try to find us by following this sound."
He pointed to the bird call.
"This sound is your ticket out of here. If you're up for it, you can come aboard our train."
Hiroki nodded. "Okay. I will, thanks."
Shogo took out his map. He unfolded it and handed the map and his pencil over to Hiroki. "Also, I'm sorry for keeping you, but I need you to mark where Takako was killed. If you saw anyone else, I need to know those locations too."
Hiroki lifted his brow slightly as he took the map. He spread the map out on the shoe cabinet, under the moonlit window, and held the pencil.
"Give me your map. I'll write in the locations of the bodies we know," Shogo said. Hiroki stopped writing and handed over his map. The two began marking the maps side by side.
"I'll bring some coffee over," Noriko said and left Shuya's arm. She limped down the hall, using the wall as support.
"Did Takako say whether Mitsuko had a machine gun?" Shogo asked as he wrote.
"No," Hiroki answered without lifting his eyes, "She didn't say anything about that. I do know that she was shot several times. It wasn't a single bullet."
"I see."
As the two proceeded, Shuya explained the fates of Yoshio Akamatsu, Tatsumichi Oki, and Kyoichi Motobuchi. Hiroki nodded as he continued to write.
Shogo was done marking Hiroki's map. He pointed at it and explained, "This is where Kaori Minami was killed. Shuya saw Hirono Shimizu escape. She might have done it in self-defense. But either way, you should be careful."
Hiroki nodded. Then unexpectedly he said, "I saw Kaori too," and pointed at the map. "Before noon. She fired at me, but I think she was in a panic."
Shogo nodded and exchanged Hiroki's map with his.
Noriko came out into the hall, holding a cup. Shuya went down the hall and took it from Noriko, who walked unsteadily. He offered it to Hiroki, who took a sniff, whistled lightly, and then held it. "Thanks," he said and took a sip. Then he put the cup on the raised entrance floor. It was nearly full.
"I'll see ya."
"Hold on." Shuya pulled out his SIG-Sauer from under his belt. With its grip pointed at Hiroki, he offered it to him. He also pulled out an extra cartridge from his pocket. "If you still insist on going take these, okay? We have a shotgun and one more gun."
The first gun was Kyoichi Motobuchi's, and the Smith & Wesson was now with Shogo. Shuya's handing over the SIG-Sauer gun would decrease their fighting capacity, but Shogo didn't intervene.
But Hiroki shook his head. "You need that, Shuya. You better protect Noriko all right. I can't take that. Even if someone attacks me, I just can't do it." He tilted his head and then examined both Shuya and Noriko. He broke into a slight grin and then added, "I always wondered why you two weren't going out." Then he nodded at each of them and quietly opened the entrance door.
"Hiroki," Noriko called. Her voice was quiet. "Be careful."
"I will. Hey, thanks. And best of luck to you guys."
"Hiroki..." Shuya was getting choked up, but managed to say, "We'll meet again. That's a promise."
Hiroki nodded and left. Shuya held Noriko and stepped through the front entrance, watching Hiroki as he quickly ascended the mountain.
Without a word, Shogo gestured to Shuya and Noriko to move back and close the door.
Shuya took a deep breath and turned around. He could barely see the steam still rising from the cup Hiroki had left on the floor.
20 students remaining
49
The moon was high in the center of the sky. There wasn't a single cloud. The white light from the nearly full moon cast a thin film over the rest of the sky, obscuring the stars.
Shogo, who was leading, stopped. Shuya, who was supporting Noriko with his shoulder, stopped too.
"Are you all right?" Shuya asked Noriko.
She nodded. "I'm fine." But Shuya could tell she was still unsteady.
Shuya looked at his watch. It was past 11 p.m. now, but they'd already left G=9, which was now a forbidden zone. They had to find another place to settle down.
They were tracing their way back along the foot of the northern mountain. The area was scattered with trees. A little further down and they'd be near where Kaori Minami was killed. Immediately to their left, Shuya saw a flat, narrow area that extended from the island's residential area on the eastern shore. The flat land spotted with houses then became increasingly narrow, like a triangle. The road traversing the island supposedly passed through this pivot and headed to the western shore.
Shogo turned around. "Now what do we do?" Noriko's blanket was tied to the top of the day pack on his shoulder.
"Can we stop at a house, like we did just now?"
"A house, huh." Shogo looked away from Shuya and squinted. "It's really not a good idea. As the number of zones decrease so do the number of houses. The moment someone needs something, they'll want to enter a house. Whether it's to eat or whatever."
"Hey, if you're worried about me, I'm fine now. Even outside," Noriko said.
Shogo flashed a smile and then silently looked over the flat land. He looked as if he was taking Hiroki's marks on his map into consideration as he took in the view.
Along with the bodies he'd seen, Hiroki had given detailed explanations of how they had died. The body of Kazushi Niida was right near where Takako Chigusa had died. Along with his eyes being gouged out (!), his throat had been stabbed. In the residential area that was now forbidden was Megumi Eto. Her throat had been slashed by a blade. (Shuya felt a pang in his chest over this one, since Noriko had told him how Megumi had a crush on him.) To the east, Yoji Kuramoto and Yoshimi Yahagi were killed where the eastern shore's residential area met the southern mountain. Yoji was stabbed in the head, and Yoshimi had been shot. At the southern tip, Izumi Kanai, Hiroshi Kuronaga, Ryuhei Sasagawa, and Mitsuru Numai were all found dead together. Mitsuru Numai was shot several times, while the others' throats were slashed. Three of Kiriyama's group had died together, the only exception being Sho Tsukioka, who got
caught in a forbidden zone.
"Shogo," Shuya said. Shogo looked back. "Do you think Mitsuko Souma killed Yukiko and Yumiko?"
Even now, as he asked this, it all felt so unreal. He didn't believe a girl could do such horrible things. Of course he had no doubt, since it was Hiroki who'd informed them, but he still couldn't restrain the urge to dismiss it all as a delusion.
"No," Shogo shook his head. "I don't think so. After Yukiko and Yumiko got killed by that machine gun, you know how we heard pistols going off? That was to finish them off. But Hiroki said Takako was alive after being shot when he found her. Which means her killer wasn't as thorough. Of course she might have let Takako go, knowing she was going to die anyway. But given the times and locations, I just don't think Mitsuko Souma's the one with the machine gun."
Shuya recalled the machine gun fire he heard before 9 a.m. The killer was still roaming around the island. And the distant gunfire they heard a little afterwards...was that Mitsuko Souma?
"Eventually we'll...," Shogo forced a grin and shook his head, "...meet him or her. Then we'll know for sure." Shuya recalled something else that had been bugging him. "When Hiroki showed us his radar, I was thinking how Sakamochi must know we're together and out positions as well."
Shogo answered as he surveyed the flat land, "That's right."
Shuya moved his shoulder to give Noriko better support. "Won't that hinder our escape?"
Shogo chuckled with his back to Shuya. "Nope. Not at all. Don't worry." Shogo looked over the flat land again and said, "Let's go back to where we were."
He continued, "A common strategy players in this game take is to show up anywhere they hear some action. That's because of the 24-hour deadline. Because of that limitation, they kill when they can. And the fact that they're on a killing spree means they're on their own, so they can't afford to sleep much. So the match has to be kept short. If something happens near them, they go there, and if there's a fight already going on, they sit back and then they finish off any survivors. That's why we should stay somewhere we can avoid confrontations. If we get mixed up with someone who's panicking then one of the top players is bound to show up. If we go back where we were it's unlikely we'll meet anyone. Since Tatsumichi Oki and Kyoichi Motobuchi, who'd been hiding there, are no longer around, that area is pretty much uninhabited."
"But Hirono ran in that direction."
"No, I doubt she's gone that far. It wouldn't be necessary." Shogo pointed to the flat land with his thumb. "But we'll avoid this mountain where she might be hiding. We'll take a different route."
Shuya lifted his brow. "Is it safe for us to move through the flat land?"
Shogo smiled and shook his head. "The moon may be shining, but this isn't daylight. I think we're safer there than in the mountain, where there's too much cover."
Shuya nodded. Shogo took the lead and began descending the slope. Shuya held the SIG-Sauer tightly in his right hand and followed Shogo as he supported Noriko.
The trees turned into a field of short grass. The first farm they came across had a field full of squashes. Beyond this field there was a wheat field. This island was so small these probably weren't for domestic consumption. Of course the Republic of Greater East Asia was incessantly issuing orders to promote national self-reliance, so even a small farm like this might contribute a little to the effort. As they moved along the edge of the farm, the soil under their sneakers felt dry. Maybe it was because several days had passed since the area had been evacuated. Still, Shuya was struck by the pleasant, rich odor of wheat drifting through the evening air, anticipating the summer.
It was a nice smell. Especially after having smelted so much blood.
There was a tractor to their left. Beyond the vehicle there was a house.
It was an ordinary, two-story house and appeared relatively new. It was probably one of those cheap, mass produced buildings resembling Banana Homes or Vertebrae Houses. Even though it was in the middle of the farm, it was enclosed by a concrete wall.
Shuya looked at Shogo's back as he moved forward.
Something irked him.
He looked back. Noriko was leaning on his left shoulder as she walked, but he noticed something high above her head in the middle of the sky. Something flashing in the moonlight, tracing an arc. This object came flying at them.
20 students remaining
50
What made Shuya such a star athlete in his Little League days was his incredible ability to perceive objects in motion. Even in this dim light Shuya could tell that the object flying towards them right now resembled a can. Of course, they were in the serene Seto Inland Sea region, so it couldn't possibly be an empty can falling from the sky from a hurricane. There was no way it was an empty can. No.
Shuya suddenly released his shoulder, which was tucked under Noriko's right armpit. He couldn't even afford to call on Shogo, who must have realized something odd though, because he also suddenly turned around, while Noriko tottered without Shuya's support.
Shuya dashed out. His jumping ability was quite extraordinary. Just as in the past, during the Little League prefectural semifinals, he could make the ultimate play from any given position, stealing the opponents' winning home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning.
Shuya caught the ball—no, the can—in mid-air with his left hand. He put it in his right hand, and as he came down he twisted his body and threw it as far as he could.
Before Shuya landed a bright light shined through the night.
He felt the air burst as a sonic boom tore through his eardrums. The bomb blast blew him away before he could land, and he fell sprawling onto the ground. If he'd waited for the hand grenade to fall, he, Noriko, and Shogo would have all been mincemeat now. Although Sakamochi's crew might have reduced the grenade's explosive power so that it couldn't be used against the school, it was more than capable of killing human beings.
He raised his head. He realized, he heard nothing. His ears were screwed up. In this state of silence, Shuya saw Noriko collapsed on his left. Then he lifted his face to look back at Shogo and saw...another can flying at them. Another one! I have to...but it was too late now. His disabled ears all of a sudden heard a definite but muffled bang, almost simultaneously followed by another explosion in the air. This sound was also muffled, but this time it felt a little further off and Shuya wasn't blown away. Right beside him Shogo was on one knee, holding his shotgun. He had shot the hand grenade, as if he were skeet shooting, blowing it to bits before it managed to explode.
Shuya ran over to Noriko and held her up. She was grimacing. She seemed to be moaning, but he couldn't hear her.
"Shuya, get back!"
Shogo waved his hand and fired his shotgun with his right hand. Shuya then heard a different sound, rattling gunfire, and the wheat heads right in front of him scattered into the air. Shogo fired another two shots. In a state of confusion, Shuya pulled Noriko into the shade of the ridge marking off the farm. He got down. Shogo slid to his side, firing several shots as he went. The rattling continued, and the ridge soil blew up, grains flying into his eyes.
Shuya pulled out his SIG-Sauer and looked out from the shade of the ridge. He fired blindly in the direction Shogo was firing.
Then he saw him. Less than thirty meters away, the unique slicked-back hair behind the break in the house's concrete wall.
It was Kazuo Kiriyama (Male Student No. 6). And although Shuya's hearing was impaired, he could recall the sound of the rattling gunfire. It was the same sound he heard from far away when Yumiko and Yukiko fell at the northern mountain peak. Of course he might not have been the only one with a machine gun, but even so, Kazuo, who was right in front of their very own eyes, had just tried to kill them without warning, with of all things a hand grenade!
Shuya was certain Kazuo was the one who'd murdered Yumiko and Yukiko. He thought of how they were killed and felt a flash of rage.
"What the...what's the hell's he doing!?"
"Stop shouting, just shoot!" Shog
o handed the Smith & Wesson to Shuya and reloaded his shotgun.
Shuya held a gun in each hand and began shooting at the concrete wall. (Two-hand shooter! This is crazy!) First the Smith & Wesson, then the SIG-Sauer ran out of bullets. He had to reload!
Having waited for this moment, Kazuo got up. BRRRRATTA. Sparks flew out from him. Shuya ducked, and Kazuo revealed part of his body that was behind the wall.
Shogo blasted his shotgun away. Kazuo's body once again vanished. The swarm of shotgun pellets blew off part of the wall.
Shuya ejected the empty magazine from his SIG-Sauer and pulled out a loaded magazine from his pocket. He opened the Smith & Wesson cylinder and pushed the rod in the center of the cylinder to release its spent shells, puffed up from the explosions. One of the shells nearly singed part of his right thumb. It didn't matter. He quickly loaded the .38 caliber bullets Shogo had rolled over his way. Then he aimed at Kazuo's house.
Shogo shot again, blowing off another part of the wall. Shuya also fired several shots into it with his SIG-Sauer.
"Noriko! Are you all right!?" Shuya yelled. Right next to him, Noriko answered, "I'm okay." He could make out her response, which made Shuya realize his hearing was back. He saw her in the corner of his eye reloading 9mm Short bullets into the SIG-Sauer's empty magazine. Of all the things he'd seen since the game began this one really sent his head reeling. How could a girl like Noriko be participating in a battle like this...
A hand appeared from the other side of the wall. The hand was holding a machine gun. It rattled again. Shuya and Shogo ducked.
Kazuo got up. As he continued shooting, he came forward. Then he ran behind the tractor. The distance between them was shrinking.
Shogo fired a shot, blowing off the tractor's driving panel. "Shogo," Shuya called, after shooting twice. "What?" Shogo answered as he reloaded his shotgun. "How fast can you run the hundred-meter dash?" Shogo took another shot (annihilating the tractor's rear light) and answered, "I'm pretty slow. Maybe thirteen seconds. My back's strong though. What?"
