Battle Royale (15 page)

Shogo gave a light nod.

"So it was only natural that Kyoichi would try to kill me."

"That's true. Maybe. But even so I—"

"No," Shuya interrupted Shogo. "Forget about that. What I mean is that Tatsumichi…Tatsumichi came after me even though I didn't do a thing. And besides, I was with Noriko. Why did he have to attack us?"

Shogo shrugged and put his water bottle and bread by his feet.

"Tatsumichi was up for it. That's all. What's to understand?"

"No, well…theoretically, yes, but…I just don't get it. How Tatsumichi could—"

Shogo cut off Shuya's hesitant words, "There's no need to understand."

"Huh?"

Shogo's lips twisted slightly as if grinning, then he went on, "I'm only a transfer student, so I don't know much about you and your classmates. But what do you know about Tatsumichi? Maybe there's someone really ill in his family, so he felt he had to survive. Or maybe he was just being selfish. Or maybe he went insane from fear and lost his capacity for reason. Or there's even this possibility: you were with her. He might have thought you teamed up with her. How can he tell whether he's invited? You and her might have decided he's a threat. Or if you were actually playing the game, then you could use this same excuse to kill him. Hey, did you provoke him at all?"

"No…" Shuya stopped, recalling how he'd reflexively touched his knife when he faced Tatsumichi. Shuya himself had also been afraid. He'd been afraid of Tatsumichi.

"Was there something?"

"I touched my knife." He looked at Shogo. "But that's not enough to—"

Shogo shook his head. "Oh yeah it is, Shuya. Tatsumichi might have thought, I have to beat you, since you're holding a weapon. Everyone's fuse in this game is pretty short."

He said, as if to conclude the topic, "But in the end Tatsumichi was up for it. That's the best way to understand it. Look, there's no need to understand. What it comes down to is this. Once your opponent attacks you with a weapon, you don't hesitate. Otherwise you'll die. You can't afford to think about it.

The first thing you do is anticipate your opponent. You shouldn't trust people too much in this game."

Shuya took a deep breath. Did Tatsumichi really want to kill me? Then again, as Shogo said, it might be pointless to think too much about it.

Shuya looked up at Shogo again.

"That's right."

"What?"

"That's what I forgot to ask."

"So what is it? Come on."

Shuya continued, "Why are you here with us?"

Shogo raised his eyebrows. He licked his lips.

"Good point. I might be against you too."

"That's not what I mean." Shuya shook his head. "You saved me. No, you also risked your life trying to stop Kyoichi. I'm not suspecting you."

"Well, you got it wrong, Shuya. You don't seem to understand this game yet."

"…what do you mean?"

Shogo continued, "In order to survive, being in a group gives you an advantage this game."

Shuya considered this, then nodded. He was right. You could take turns being on the lookout, and you were stronger in case of an attack.

"So?"

"Think about it." Shogo nudged the shotgun resting on his knees with his hand. "Do you think I was risking much to stop Kyoichi? Do you think ordering him to stop would have actually stopped him?

Maybe I was already planning on killing Kyoichi. Did I really have to kill him? Kyoichi never struck me as the type who'd attract a group, but maybe I ordered him to stop just to put on an act for you guys to join me. Wouldn't it be in my best interests to join you guys and then kill you off later?"

Shuya stared at Shogo's face, surprised by this series of clear and logical explanations. It was true Shogo was a year older than them. But he talked like an adult—a wise, mature adult. In this sense he resembled Shinji Mimura.

Shuya shook his head.

"There'll be no end to it if I start getting suspicious. You're not against us." He glanced over at Noriko

"That's what I think."

"Me too." Noriko nodded. "If we can't trust anyone we'll lose."

"That's a noble thought, girl," Shogo nodded. "If that's the way you want it. I'm just telling you that you got to be careful in this game." Then he asked, "So what is it?"

Shuya all of a sudden remembered he was the one with the questions. "That's right. You. Why do you trust us? Teaming up with you doesn't necessarily rule out that one or both of us is against you. You said so yourself. You have no reason to trust us."

"I see," Shogo responded, as if amused. "An applied question. You're getting the hang of it, Shuya."

"Come on, I want an answer."

Shuya waved his hand still holding the revolver. Shogo drew back as if to warn him it was dangerous.

"Well?" Shuya insisted. Shogo raised his brow again. Then he revealed that faint smile on his face. He looked up at the branches looming above them and then looked back at Shuya and Noriko. He looked serious.

"First of all—"

Shuya saw something intense run across Shogo's calm eyes. He didn't know what it meant but it was intense.

"I have my reasons. I have a problem with the rules. No, the game itself."

Shogo stopped for a moment and then continued, "You're absolutely right, but…you see, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've always based my decisions on my conscience. So—"

Shogo grabbed the barrel of his shotgun standing between his knees as if it were a cane and looked at them. A bird was chirping deep in the woods. Shogo looked solemn. Shuya listened nervously.

"You two make a nice couple. That's what I thought when I saw you this morning, and I still think so now."

Shuya stared at him, his mouth agape.

Couple?

Noriko spoke first. Her cheeks were bright red. "You have it all wrong. We're not. I'm not—"

Shogo looked at Shuya and Noriko and grinned. Then he broke out laughing. It was an unexpected, friendly laugh. He continued chuckling.

"That's why I trust you. Besides, you just said so yourselves. There's no end once you start getting suspicious. Isn't that enough?"

Shuya finally grinned. Then he said sincerely, "Thanks. I'm so glad you trust us."

Shogo continued smiling, "Oh no, the honor's mine."

"I knew you were an individualist the day you transferred to our school."

"Easy with the fancy terminology. Sorry but I was born with these looks. I can't help it if I don't look friendly."

Noriko gave him a warm smile and said, "I'm so glad. Now we have one more on our side."

Responding to Noriko, Shogo rubbed his finger against the stubble under his nose and made an unexpected gesture. He turned to Shuya and offered his right hand. "I'm glad too…now that I'm not alone."

Shuya squeezed his hand. Shogo's palms were thick. In keeping with his appearance, it felt like the hand of a fully mature man.

Shogo stretched, passed Shuya, and offered his hand to Noriko. "You too."

Noriko squeezed his hand.

Then he looked down at Noriko's leg wrapped in bandannas and remarked, "I'd forgotten about this.

Show me your leg wound first, then we'll talk about our plans."

29 students remaining

20

The sunlight reflecting off the opaque window with the detailed patterns began to turn white. As sunlight came directly through the top of the window into the building where Yumiko Kusaka (Female Student No. 7) was sitting against a wall, she squinted her eyes. She was remembering the trite phrase repeated in the sermons given by the local priest of the Halo Church which her parents and she (before her name was even registered) attended, "The sun will come every day, blessing every one of us with joy."

Oh yeah, I am so blessed to be part of such a wonderful game, ha ha ha.

Yumiko lightly shook her short, boyish hair with a sarcastic smile. She looked over at Yukiko Kitano (Female Student No. 6), who was sitting near her, also against the wall. Yukiko remained in a daze, staring at the wooden floor bathed in light. Even though it had the bombastic name "Okishima Island Tourist Association" the building resembled a plain town council hall. Down by the lower entrance, there was an office desk, a chair, and a rusty file cabinet. The desk had a phone (she'd tried using it, but of course, as Sakamochi had warned, there was no dial tone). Inside the file cabinet they only found some unattractive tourist flyers.

Yumiko and Yukiko had been friends ever since nursery school. At nursery school they were in separate classes and lived in different neighborhoods too. They met thanks, once again, to the Halo Church where their parents took them. When they met it was Yumiko's third visit, but for Yukiko it seemed like it was her first, and she looked intimidated by everything there including the gong ringing with every chant and the general atmosphere of the heavily decorated church. So Yumiko approached the quiet girl left alone by her who were preoccupied with some other task and said, "Don't you think this is all so stupid?"

The girl looked a little shocked, but then…she smiled. They were friends ever since.

Although their names sounded similar, they were very different from each other. Yumiko was energetic and got labeled a tomboy. Even now (although the chances of that "now" returning were very, very low) she batted fourth on the softball team. Yukiko was domestic and baked cakes for Yumiko. Yumiko was now fifteen centimeters taller than Yukiko. Yukiko often said she envied Yumiko's height and her well defined face, but Yumiko was in fact more envious of Yukiko for her petite body and round cheeks.

That's right, they were totally different, but they were still best friends. That didn't change.

Fortunately (well, that's putting it harshly), the death of Yoshitoki Kuninobu (Male Student No. 7) before his scheduled departure enabled their own departures to be only two minutes apart from each other.

After Yumiko left the classroom, she hid behind a pole and waited for Yukiko, whose face had turned white. They left together (twenty minutes later Yoshio Akamatsu returned to begin killing, but they were unaware of this) and headed north far beyond the residential area, following the road on the eastern shore. A little ways up the northern mountain they found a single building standing alone on a hill. They locked themselves inside here.

…over four hours had passed since then. They were exhausted from the extreme tension and remained sitting next to each other as time flew by.

Yumiko looked away from Yukiko and along with her stared at the floor.

Even though she was in a daze, she continued to think. What in the world were they supposed to do now?

Sakamochi's announcement was audible even inside this building. Aside from Yoshitoki Kuninobu and Fumiyo Fujiyoshi, nine classmates were already dead. Aside from Sakura Ogawa and Kazuhiko Yamamoto…the others couldn't have been suicides. Someone was killing someone else. Right now someone might have been dying. In fact she thought she'd heard gunfire right after the 6 a.m.

announcement.

How could you kill your classmates? Of course those were the rules, but she couldn't believe there could be people who'd actually follow them. But…

But if someone tried to kill her… if she could assume that much, then she would probably fight back.

Yes.

If so, then…

Yumiko looked at the megaphone lying in the corner of the room. Could she use that? If she could…

Wasn't there something she could do? She was simply afraid of doing it, though. Not just of doing it.

Because while she couldn't believe anyone was playing the game, she also couldn't rid herself of this overwhelming fear. That's what made her seek shelter here with Yukiko. What if…what if someone really did…

But—

She recalled something from when she was in elementary school, the face of her best friend. It wasn't Yukiko. The friend was crying. For some reason, the only clothes she could remember on her friend was her pink sneakers.

"Yumi," Yukiko said and interrupted Yumiko's thoughts. She faced Yukiko.

"Let's eat our bread rolls. We won't come up with any good ideas if we don't eat." Yukiko provided a kind smile. It felt slightly forced, but it was still her usual smile.

"Okay?" Yukiko repeated and Yumiko returned her smile and nodded.

"All right."

They took out their bread rolls and water from their day packs. Yumiko looked at the two cans inside.

The cans were a greenish silver, and at the top a cigar-sized stick stuck out, attached to a lever and a metal ring approximately three centimeters in diameter. She assumed it was a "hand grenade." (Yukiko's

"weapon" was a set of darts. It must have been some kind of joke. It even came with a wooden target board.)

After she finished half of her roll and took a sip of her water, Yumiko said, "You feel a little better now, Yukiko?"

As Yukiko chewed on her bread, her round eyes grew wider.

"You've been shaking all this time."

"Oh," Yukiko broke into a smile. "I think I'm fine now. I mean with you by my side."

Yumiko smiled and nodded. She wondered whether she should bring up "what they should do" while they ate…but decided against it. She just wasn't feeling confident enough about her idea. It could be extremely dangerous. To go through with it wouldn't only endanger herself but Yukiko as well. But on the other hand, it was this kind of danger that was forcing everyone to panic over the deadline. What was the right thing to do?—Yumiko just wasn't sure yet.

They remained quiet for a while. Then Yukiko all of a sudden said, "Hey, Yumiko."

"Hm? What?"

"You might think this sounds stupid but…" Yukiko lightly bit on her small but full lips.

"What is it?"

Yukiko hesitated but then finally let it out, "Did you have a crush on anyone in our class?"

Yumiko's eyes suddenly grew wide.

Wow. This was exactly the kind of topic you discussed at night when you're on a study trip. After going through the rituals of playing cards, pillow fighting, and checking out the inn, late at night you could bitch about your teachers, or talk about the future, but none of those were in the same league as this topic. It was
the
holy topic. And of course she'd expected to have this kind of conversation during their study trip, until they'd fallen asleep on the bus.