Chapter 23

Day 2 <C> Kazuki Hoshino’s Room NO TARGET HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR MURDER YET. In the past, that would have been enough to comfort me, but not anymore. I have no idea who can use the Murder command. But I know whoever it is will undoubtedly be choosing a target. And I’m sure they will try to force me to kill their victim. “HeY_hey_hEy_It’s_aLMOst_Private_Meeting_timE. ChOose_who_yOU_wouLd_liKE_to_meeT_with.” I quickly touch the name MARIA OTONASHI when it appears with my pointer finger. “PleAse_waIT_a_biT_until_eVERyone_finishes_chOOsing.” After a clearly longer wait than before, the Private Meeting chart flashes onto the monitor… Someone could be drawing things out on purpose to mess with the order of the meetings. “……” Daiya and the president have both picked me. Daiya I get, but why would the president chose me? I think it’s possible Daiya is both the Revolutionary and the owner of the Game of Indolence. The idea of another owner is too convenient for me to believe. …But if Daiya is neither the Revolutionary nor the owner, then both positions would pretty much have to be the president. Both of the prime suspects are seeking to meet with me. I shiver as I think back over them at each other’s throats in the common area. There’s no way I can face off with either of them. Cradling my head, I wait until it’s time to see Maria. Day 2 <C> Private Meeting with Maria Otonashi – Maria Otonashi’s Room Maria sits on her bed, arms folded and face tense. She starts talking as soon as I sit down next to her. “Kazuki, we can’t allow anyone else to die besides Yanagi. You know that, right?” “Yeah.” “But that’s going to be extremely difficult. The way things are now, the Revolutionary is sure to kill again… We must do something to alter this course of events.” “What can we do…?” I ask. Maria clenches her jaw hard for a moment before answering. “I’ll tell Shindo everything there is to know about the Game of Indolence.” “Huh…?” But the president might be the owner. “I understand your apprehensions. The thing is, the time for avoiding risks is over… I know it may put you in danger, but please forgive me.” “…Were you…keeping quiet about the Boxes until now because you were worried about me?” “Why else would I?” Maria furrows her brow as if puzzled. …I have a few vague thoughts about her decision…but now doesn’t seem to be the time to bring them up, so I continue the conversation. “Well…you’re telling the president about Boxes because you assume Daiya is the owner of the Game of Indolence, right?” “Yes.” “Do you expect her to believe you? The way she is now…don’t you think she’ll probably just try to kill Daiya…?” Maria grimaces. “……Yeah, most likely. Despite that, we absolutely must prove to Shindo and Kamiuchi that there’s another way out of Kingdom Royale besides winning. I’ll have to do everything I can to make sure my intentions get through to them if I want to keep them from killing Daiya… That’s going to be easier said than done, though.” “…Oh, but hey, if Daiya is the owner, then the president isn’t the Revolutionary, which means she won’t be able to do anything about Daiya with Magic. I’m the Sorcerer after all. We’re in the clear as long as I don’t press the button.” “Why do you think Daiya being the owner indicates that Shindo isn’t the Revolutionary?” “Huh…? Well, if she didn’t have a reason to want Kingdom Royale to start, she wouldn’t have any motivation to kill Yuri, right…?” Maria doesn’t respond affirmatively to my obvious question. “Daiya gave reasons people could have for killing Yanagi first… But consider this approach. Gaining an advantage in the game didn’t matter to them. They simply hated someone so much they wanted them dead, even before this, and that person was Yanagi. That’s why they couldn’t help but do it once they found themselves in circumstances where it could be rationalized.” “Huh…?” I’m staring at Maria, wondering if this is one of those occasions where she’s joking but doesn’t sound like it, but the serious expression never leaves her face. “…No way. Th-this is Yuri we’re talking about, right? No one would ever have it in for her like that.” “Yuri was charming. Charm that sways people’s emotions can also stir up negative feelings at times. I’m sure some girls were jealous of Yanagi’s popularity with boys, for example. Or maybe she rejected someone, and their love for her turned to hate.” “…But…” “…Anyway, these are all just possibilities. I didn’t notice anything off about Shindo’s attitude toward Yanagi, either. Shindo has been blessed with many gifts herself, too. I can’t imagine her being jealous of Yanagi. What I’m really trying to say is that it’s dangerous to get too invested in a single idea.” That’s certainly true. I’ve only been considering situations where the Revolutionary and the owner are one and the same. I could end up in trouble if I don’t take alternatives into account. What should I do? I don’t have any time to think, but the questions keep piling up. I’ve got to keep believing there is something to be done. I know that, but this situation—it’s just hopeless. “……Kazuki.” I don’t realize I’ve lowered my head until I feel a comfortable weight on it. Maria is mussing my hair with her hand. “I don’t know about Shindo, but I was certainly jealous of Yanagi.” “Huh?” I instinctively raise my head and look at Maria. Still rubbing my hair, Maria continues with no particular expression on her face. “I don’t know why, but even though you called me Otonashi for so long, you called her by her first name, Yuri. Yanagi being the way she is, she was acting familiar with you and holding your hand—she even whispered in your ear. And then promising to have a Private Meeting with you? That really ticked me off.” “……?” “Why do you look so confused?” “Why would that make you jealous…?” Maria’s hand rubbing my hair suddenly stops. “…Are you serious?” “U-uh…” “All right then, let me lay it out to you plain and simple. What I’m saying is that it upset me to see you attracted to Yanagi.” As she says this, Maria places her hand on top of mine and leans in until her face is inches away. Though I’m used to seeing her now, her features really are beautiful, and I feel my face quickly heating up. “Um…y-you’re a bit…close…” “Do you know why that Private Meeting would make me angry…? A completely private meeting means that you two, a boy and a girl, would be all alone together.” Maria says this softly by my ear, almost intentionally trying to tickle it with her breath. She then jabs her pointer finger into it. “Ack!” Hearing my little yelp, Maria abruptly drops her alluring character, draws the corners of her mouth up into a grin, and begins to laugh. As I sit there perplexed, she steps back and watches me with that big smile on her face. “You really know how to let younger women mess with you, huh, Kazuki?” I finally realize she’s been teasing me this whole time. Ngh… I never really thought of Maria as being younger than me… “Oh, come on, it was just a joke. There’s no need to be so flustered.” ……What— What part of that was a joke…? As I sit there silent and gloomy, Maria’s grin fades, and she speaks again. “There’s nothing to worry about, Kazuki.” Then she gives me that smile that is kinder than anyone else’s. “I’ll protect you.” Day 2 <C> Private Meeting with Iroha Shindo – Kazuki Hoshino’s Room “Wh-why…?” The word escapes my mouth upon my return from Maria’s room. I stare at the monitor dumbfounded. A TARGET HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR MURDER. That, I’m okay with. I predicted that whoever could use Murder would put the command into effect. But the person they targeted was not who I expected. WILL YOU BURN IROHA SHINDO TO DEATH WITH MAGIC? Under this message is a portrait of the president’s face, with the text KILL? over her eyes. If I press this picture, she will be burned to death. Why has she been targeted for Murder and not Daiya…? I struggle to get my thoughts under control. The ones who can target someone for Murder are the King or the Double. Neither Maria nor I have those roles. And it’s not like the president is going to Murder herself. Which narrows it down to Daiya or Kamiuchi. …But Kamiuchi is totally dead set on Daiya being the Revolutionary. I can’t see why he would choose the president. So is it Daiya…? No, didn’t the president say Daiya isn’t the King or the Double? Hold on a second. Then who the hell is the Revolutionary…? “Hey, I’m here.” “Eep!” It’s enough to make me jump. “Hmm? Aren’t you overreacting a bit? You should’ve known I was coming.” The president waves at me from in front of the door with an astonished look on her face. “S-sorry, President.” “…I’m not going to force you, but would you mind not calling me ‘President’ anymore? It feels like you’re ignoring who I am as an individual, and it kinda bugs me.” “…So, ‘Miss Shindo’…?” “I prefer Iroha.” “…Miss Iroha.” “You can drop the ‘Miss,’ too… But whatever. I’m going to sit here.” Though she says she isn’t going to force me, the president—Iroha—makes her wishes crystal clear, then sits on the table like Daiya did yesterday. “Um…Iroha, why did you pick to meet with me?” The president answers my question with a smile. “To beg for my life.” “……Huh?” “Don’t you get it? If I don’t kill Daiya Oomine during <C> today, then I’m pretty much guaranteed to get targeted for Assassinate. In other words, my life is in your hands. Please, oh please save me, Kazuki!” “…Why are you telling me this…?” “I mean, you’re the Sorcerer, aren’t you?” My shock threatens to show itself, so I do my best to fight it down. This is exactly the same trick Daiya pulled on me. Screwing up the same way twice would just be pathetic. “Darn, he didn’t fall for it. You’re more on guard than I thought. But anyway, if we don’t get Oomine with Murder today, I’m a goner. Why me?!” “…Um, are you in a position to use Murder?” “No.” Iroha’s denial is simple. “Even if I was the Sorcerer, I wouldn’t be able to help you on my own. I can’t choose a target for Murder, after all.” “I wonder. Do you really think Kamiuchi and Otonashi wouldn’t Murder Daiya Oomine after how our talk went in the commons? He was digging his own grave back there. Don’t you think you might be able to affect the outcome if you do something?” I know Maria at the very least would never choose someone to kill, and the actual target is Iroha herself. I can’t say any of that, though, so I keep my mouth shut. “The reason why I chose you specifically for a Private Meeting was because, as far as I can tell, you’re the one most likely to let Oomine off the hook. It seems like you two knew each other before this, and even if not, well, you’re a nice guy.” These words just strike me as sarcasm. “I’m going to be in trouble if you spare him. So I’ve come here to give you a bit of encouragement.” Encouragement to kill Daiya…? “……But you said it yourself, didn’t you? If you kill someone, your life will fall apart.” “Yeah, that’s true. Suggesting that you murder someone will undoubtedly throw the rest of my life into shambles. I’ll be perfectly honest, with as little imagination as I have, it’s hard for me to tell just how much suffering it’ll bring me. Or maybe I’m just trying to avoid thinking about it. After all—” Iroha is smiling, but there is a strong gleam in her eye as she finishes. “—even that is better than dying, no doubt about it.” It finally dawns on me as I see the total resolve and complete lack of hesitation in her eyes. I see just how dangerous Iroha is. It isn’t just her inborn abilities that makes her superhuman; it’s her mental nature. Iroha may be similar to Maria in the way she can plunge headlong toward her goals without getting sidetracked. But unlike Maria, who is able to change her goals because of how she prioritizes others—more than anyone else I know—Iroha prioritizes her own objectives over everything else, and under no circumstances will she change them. And for this reason, from time to time, she’ll run right over others. Like a train crushing a pebble on the tracks, she does it naturally, without even noticing. Right now, her goal happens to be “staying alive.” A chill runs up my spine as I remember how I first met her. “……Hey,” I begin. Iroha said she wanted me to press the button to kill Daiya. What would happen, though, if I shook my head to her request? What would she do, since she believes she’s going to be killed if I don’t comply? “You don’t happen to have your knife on you, do you?” Iroha’s eyes go wide. “Well, well.” She looks at me with deep interest, then says, “How did you know?” Iroha shoves her hand in her skirt, casually pulls out a knife, and then hurls it into the wall by the door. “I bet you spotted it trying to get a look at my panties. What a perv.” “……” “Ha-ha, I’m just joking… Well, I guess carrying around a concealed knife doesn’t really qualify as a joke. Aw man… Will you give me a chance to explain myself? I wasn’t carrying it because of this Private Meeting with you. I’ve kept it on me any time I’m not in my own room. That’s the truth.” “But you would use the knife to threaten me if I said I wouldn’t Murder Daiya, right?” “I would. But that’s normal, isn’t it?” I shake my head at her offhand response. That’s far from normal. “Really? Well, whatever. Now I can’t threaten you, though.” “Um, that sack…” “Huh?” “The sack on the table has my knife in it, so I need you to hand it to me.” Iroha’s eyes go wide for a moment, and then she gives a rueful grin. She sweeps up the whole sack and tosses it over to me. Taking the sack, I pull out the knife and throw it toward the door just as Iroha did. “…And did you also sit on the table because you knew my knife would be in here?” “Ah-ha-ha, I didn’t think it through that much, no. More importantly, can I ask you something?” “Ask me what?” Iroha looks me dead in the eyes as she says: “Whether you’re going to help kill Daiya Oomine, that’s what.” She speaks lightly, with a kind smile on her face. “……Um…” “What?” “I’m not killing anybody. Not Daiya, and not anybody else.” After I reply, Iroha sits there watching me with a smile on her face, not saying anything. I can’t help but break eye contact and look down in the face of her silent entreaty. “You don’t get it. This is what I’m asking you.” Iroha pauses for a moment, then continues: “I’m asking whether you’re going to kill Daiya Oomine or kill me.” I raise my head and look at Iroha. She regards me with the kind of expression you’d give a disobedient child. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can escape your sins if you don’t press the button. If you do, you’ll definitely be killing Oomine. But even if you don’t, you’ll be killing me.” “B-but that’s—” “You’re free to think what you want, but that’s how I see things. If I get Assassinated, it’ll be because you let me die, in my view.” “Ugh…” I understand that. Once I’m part of this game of murder, there’s no longer any way to keep my hands entirely clean. “…I understand what you’re trying to say. But I can’t Murder Daiya during today’s <C>… I can’t explain why, though.” “Are you saying you’re a Class that has nothing to do with Murder? …Or that Oomine really hasn’t been chosen as the target?” she asks with an angry scowl. Of course, I can’t answer either question. “Judging by your face, I’d say it’s the latter! Hey! That means I’m definitely gonna die!” As I remain silent in the face of her misplaced excitement, Iroha sighs and collapses faceup on the table. She covers her eyes with her arm as if exhausted. “…Hey, Hoshino.” Then, in a quiet voice, she asks a question on a completely different topic: “Yuri was cute, wasn’t she?” Unsure of why Iroha is asking this suddenly, I stay quiet and look at her. “Before I met her, I had never been jealous of anyone. Generally, I thought I could do anything. But even being the way I was, the first time I respected, envied—and yeah, probably felt jealousy toward someone…was Yuri.” Jealousy. I remember Maria’s comment that being charming can elicit negative emotions at times, too. “I haven’t told anyone this because I really hate letting others see my weak side, but in my entire time in high school, I’ve only liked one boy. We had always gotten along well… But I’m not really smart when it comes to love, see, so I was content to just be friends with him.” Iroha shows me a slightly bitter smile as she speaks. “That is, until he and Yuri started dating.” I can’t read the emotion in her expression. “They were both friends of mine, so they would both come to me for advice about their relationship. So I even knew how things were progressing—if they held hands, if they kissed, things like that. Hearing all of it made me think—I really wished the whole thing would fall apart.” “……” “And then, as if my prayers were answered, they broke up after three months. I was so stupid. Yuri and him splitting up didn’t mean something good was in store for me. He and I were never going to start a relationship, and it would just alienate me from Yuri instead… So why had I wished for something so meaningless? Basically, all I had wished for was the two of them to be unhappy. Two people who supposedly meant a lot to me. It was horrible of me, and that’s putting it mildly.” Iroha eventually looks at me. “Did you think that was a boring, run-of-the-mill story?” I shake my head vigorously. “Well, what it means is that even I worry about such trite things sometimes… Some ‘superhuman’ I am.” Iroha shifts her gaze up toward the light bulb hanging from the ceiling as she continues: “…I forgot about all those childish concerns. I really did. All I needed to know was that I loved Yuri.” A self-deprecating smile appears on her face. “But when Yuri died, I remembered all of it. Like, I couldn’t get it out of my head. This pointless memory won’t leave my mind. Even though Yuri, who I loved so much, is dead, that stupid stuff is all I can think about.” Iroha slowly turns her head in my direction and looks at me. “So, Hoshino, what do you think?” Gently, softly, she asks, “Do you think I—actually liked Yuri?” There’s nothing I can say about that. Iroha blankly regards me for a moment as I remain silent. But watching me sit quietly without saying a word, she unexpectedly starts to smile. “Heh-heh… So? You like my plan?” “…Huh?” “Learning about my human side makes you wanna help me out, right?” she says, then starts cackling. But I understand. She’s trying to play it off as some joke or funny story, but I have no doubt that the things she told me were how she really felt. She doesn’t have anyone she can show her vulnerabilities to. I’m sure that applies not just to others but also to herself. That’s why she doesn’t know her own heart. She was able to express her weakness because she truly feels death bearing down on her. I’ve closed my mouth and lowered my eyes, and Iroha stops smiling. And then, in a humorous tone, she says: “I’ve put a curse on you.” Her expression is full of life. “Now once I die, you’re going to remember our talk forever.” Her plan…is a success. Even if she does turn out to be the mastermind, I still can’t find it in me to wish her dead. Day 2 <C> Private Meeting with Daiya Oomine – Kazuki Hoshino’s Room Daiya sits on the table, fiddling with his portable device. “Did you know, Kazu? Our devices won’t work for anyone but their owners,” he says, then starts going through my bag on the table. He pulls out my portable device and shows me how he can’t use it. “…You’re very calm.” He’s the complete opposite of Iroha and her desperation. “It’s because I know I won’t be targeted for Murder.” “Huh…?” Daiya smiles. “Don’t be boring and ask how I know. We’re all aware it’s because I’m the one who chose the Murder target.” “…So that means you’re—” “I’m the King.” He says it so naturally that I almost take his words at face value—but that’s exactly what I shouldn’t do. I know this is another one of his tricks. I rack my brain for an arguable point. “…Um, if you’re the King, then I guess that would mean you know Iroha is the Revolutionary, right? If so, why didn’t you pick Iroha right after <C> period started? Why did you choose her after your Private Meeting with Kamiuchi?” “During <B> period, Shindo did sound like she could be the culprit, but the truth is, I wasn’t entirely sure. I was just about as suspicious of Kamiuchi as she was.” “Kamiuchi?” The Kamiuchi who got so emotional after Yuri’s death? “So you thought his anger was just an act?” “He’s a dangerous guy in his own way. Even you must have felt like he’s tricky and hard to pin down, right?” I give a small nod. “Try to remember. The first person Shindo picked for a Private Meeting was Kamiuchi. That basically means she was on guard against him more than anyone else.” Iroha had chosen Kamiuchi first… “…By the way, Daiya, I get the feeling you know Kamiuchi from before.” “Yeah, I do. We went to the same middle school. I didn’t really remember his face, though.” “……Huh? But Kamiuchi doesn’t seem to know you.” “That’s probably just because a mere peasant such as myself is beneath the notice of the great Lord Kamiuchi, don’t you think? I just have good grades, but he’s famous. I could tell you all the juicy rumors I’ve heard about him, but we don’t need to do that now, do we?” So I guess for the time being, I should take it that Daiya and Iroha had heard enough bad things about Kamiuchi to put them on guard against him. “Now then, I’m going to share one other extremely interesting tidbit with you.” “…What is it?” “The Revolutionary didn’t want to kill Yanagi.” “…Huh?” My mouth hangs open. “Hoo boy… Do I really have to lay everything out for you? The King has another command aside from Murder, you know.” “Ah!” That’s right—he also has Switch Places. If the King used that command, it could result in Assassinate killing an unintended target. “The Revolutionary was trying to kill me, not Yanagi.” Daiya had smelled the danger in the air, so he used Switch Places on the first day. That’s why Yuri, the Double, had gotten killed instead of him. If that’s true, then it would be hard to say for sure that Kamiuchi’s anger was all an act, even if he really is the Revolutionary. After all, it would have been Daiya’s fault he killed Yuri, the girl he liked. “I ascertained during my previous Private Meeting that Kamiuchi isn’t the Revolutionary. That means it’s impossible for the Revolutionary to be anyone other than Shindo.” If everything Daiya says is true, that would mean Iroha killed Yuri accidentally. And if that’s true…then it slightly changes the meaning of Iroha’s confession earlier. She was forcing herself to find a reason why she had no choice but to kill Yuri so she could rationalize her guilt away. —That might be one way of interpreting things. “B-but…if so, then why were you being so vague during <B> period? If you just told us all that you were the King, it could’ve done away with the suspicion on you, right?” “Revealing my own Class is about the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard of.” “But you just told me…” “That’s because I trust that you would never kill me.” “Huh…?” My eyes go wide, and Daiya scowls as if to say, Dammit. He then looks away from me, almost like he’s embarrassed. …Did he say he trusts me? Daiya trusts in something? “…I’ll explain why I said what I did during <B> period.” Daiya launches into his explanation as if his last remark never left his mouth. “I’ll start with my first goal: narrowing down the suspects. If I were the Revolutionary, I would naturally have known that Yanagi died because of Switch Places. I brought up the topic of why anyone would go after Yanagi so I could make the suspect slip up. That ended up failing, though.” I nod and beckon him to keep going. “And then there’s my other intent: to keep people from guessing I’m the King.” “…Why did you need to do that?” “The Revolutionary made me the scapegoat, namely so that I would be targeted for Murder. But if I’m the King, then that’s pointless. Obviously. After all, if I’m the King, then only I can pick who to Murder.” The one who was actually selected for Murder is Iroha and not Daiya. “So what do you think the Revolutionary would do if I not only didn’t work as a scapegoat but was a huge pain, since I was onto their lies?” Daiya smiles as if this topic is pleasant. “Kill me with Assassinate.” I gulp audibly. “That’s why it’s better to have them suspect as little as possible that I might be the King.” I recall what Iroha said: “You would have noticed all of this if you were the King or the Double, so I know you aren’t either of those Classes. So what does that leave us with?” Yeah, now I see. That exchange was meant to make Iroha think he wasn’t the King. “……Oh.” The speed of Daiya’s mind threatens to overwhelm me. But—if it does, then maybe it’s okay to go along with what he says. He said he believes in me, and I can’t believe he was just acting… Or maybe I just don’t want to believe he was. He’s my friend, after all. Is it all right to trust Daiya? And if Iroha is the Revolutionary, is it also safe to say she’s the owner? “Kazu.” Daiya summons me out of my silence. “Kill Iroha Shindo.” “—That’s…” “If you use Magic, neither you nor Otonashi will have any more dangerous bridges to cross, and you can find the solution to this Box. All it takes is one little act of determination on your part to free yourself from everything. No, you have to kill her. Are you prepared to let my resolve go to waste?” I know that the suggestion Daiya cut me off with is the smart answer. But… “I won’t use Magic.” That answer won’t change. “If you’re saying Iroha is the owner, then I’ll find some way to persuade her to reveal the Box.” “Even though your hesitation may end up killing you and Otonashi?” “That’s right.” Daiya snorts in derision at my quick declaration. “I commend you on keeping up your patented ‘good boy’ act even in a killing game. Guess you’re planning to have faith in her being a good person, too? That’s about the worst case of sugarcoating I’ve ever seen. Take a look at my arms. Your rotten values have given me goose bumps so big I could use my skin as a washboard. What’re you going to do about that?” “…Sorry.” For some reason I apologize, even though I’m the one being slandered here. But…I don’t know, it just feels like another one of those back-and-forths we always have in class. “But I knew all that,” Daiya says, pointedly rubbing his arm. “I knew what you’d probably say.” He has a resigned smirk on his face. “…Heh-heh.” “You freak me out. How the hell is your brain wired that you laugh when someone’s making fun of you?” Come on, though. It’s so totally Daiya to show me respect while he’s insulting me. And that’s when I become certain. Daiya is telling the truth. Day 2 <D> The Common Area The Revolutionary—and the owner of the Game of Indolence—is Iroha Shindo. That’s the conclusion I’ve reached. I have to find some way to get through to her and keep her from doing anything else crazy. It should be possible. She’s not such a horrible person to just totally disregard the lives of others, after all. That’s why there has to be some way out of this, no matter how difficult it may seem. Or so I thought. How could I have been so incredibly naive? “Ah— Aaaaah…” Someone is gasping. A red puddle grows, threating to reach my feet. I stand rooted in place, not even thinking of avoiding it. “Kamiuchi!” Maria’s yell snaps me back to my senses. I realize what exactly it is at my feet. “Ah—” That spreading red puddle…is blood. I know that. I understand. But I’m trying not to process why it keeps growing and growing, growing and growing and growing and growing and growing and growing. I slowly kneel down and gently touch the face near my feet. I’m answered with an almost teasing smile. That expression is so typical for the one making it that I can’t help but say the name: “……Iroha.” Splish, splish, splish… What’s that sound? Splish. It’s footsteps. Each step leaves a red footprint on the floor. Splish, splish. The guy making that sound goes and sits in a chair as if nothing has happened at all. Even though he plunged a knife into Iroha. “Kamiuchi, why…?” “Why? Hoshino, you sure do say some funny things. I did it because if I left her alive, she would’ve killed us all. Naturally, I had to stop her, right?” “But there could’ve been another way…” I stop short in the middle of what I was going to say. Kamiuchi’s hands are shaking hard. He, too, notices this almost ridiculous level of trembling and suddenly begins giggling (“Heh…heh-heh-heh…”) in a way that’s completely inappropriate for the situation. I’m sure Kamiuchi learned in his Private Meeting with Daiya that Iroha was the Revolutionary, and he got it into his head that he’d be killed if he didn’t do something. But to think that would drive him straight to violence… Ah, now I get it. Daiya and Iroha were right to be on guard against him. “Ungh…,” she moans. Maria, who had been standing somewhere in a daze, snaps out of it and rushes over to Iroha. She begins looking over her body, trying to find a way to treat her— —and then steps away without saying a single word. “……I see. A scapegoat…,” Iroha says, then with a big cough, spits up some blood. “Whoa, I’m coughing up blood… I really screwed up… How lame…,” she whispers in a nearly inaudible voice. “……” I can’t say anything. Even though there’s a woman coughing up blood in front of me, dying before me, I think: This might be for the best. “I’m sorry.” Iroha’s eyes close… She’s too weak to keep them open any longer. “……I’m sorry for cursing you…as I planned.” In a small voice, as if mustering the last of her strength, she struggles to say: “…I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.” “—What?” Those are her final words. She’s sorry she couldn’t save me? I continue staring at her motionless form as I come to grasp the meaning of her words. Iroha knew there was someone dangerous among us who would murder Yuri without a second thought. Knowing this, she had no choice but to kill that person. She took the forefront in Kingdom Royale, a game where the more you stand out, the more suspicious you are. With her strong sense of responsibility, she did this to turn the situation in a better direction, regardless of the danger she was placing herself in. —She was prepared to let her life fall into ruin. To protect her own life. To protect all our lives. “……Ah.” I reach down and touch her face once more. But she doesn’t show me that teasing smile again. She’s motionless. Not breathing. Not alive. And despite this, the Game of Indolence has not ended. “……” I stand up. Slowly, so slowly, I turn my head to look at him. Daiya Oomine is touching the earrings in his right ear with a blank expression on his face. •Iroha Shindo, dead via stab wound to the chest inflicted by Koudai Kamiuchi Day 2 <E> Kazuki Hoshino’s Room KOUDAI KAMIUCHI WAS STRANGLED TO DEATH BY ASSASSINATE. Now there is no one left to challenge him. •Koudai Kamiuchi, dead via Assassinate Day 3 <B> The Common Area “The game was decided the moment I realized you’re the Sorcerer.” With just three of us left in the common area, Daiya begins telling us all his tricks. Maria sits in her chair, looking haggard. Since she knew everything, she had tried her hardest to explain to Kamiuchi about Boxes, but he refused to hear any of it. And then, Koudai Kamiuchi was killed. In the end, we couldn’t do anything to prevent his death. Why did I believe Daiya? Why did I fall for such a convenient lie like the existence of another suspect, even though I knew he was the owner? I knew Kingdom Royale was a game of deceive or be deceived… That’s why I also understand how it’s my fault things ended up this way. But still… “You said you trusted me.” Daiya smirks at my caustic remark. “Yeah, I did. I said I trusted that there was no way you could kill me.” “…And that was all just talk so that you could fool me.” “That was a slip of the tongue. If you were smart, you might’ve noticed the real implications.” I scowl. “Still don’t get it? I assumed there was no way you could kill me as the Sorcerer. What I’m saying is, I was making fun of you because you can’t off me, no matter how far I take this.” I bite my lip. …So basically, he was mocking me. I thought he looked away from me then because he was embarrassed, but the truth is that he was actually just flustered because of his little verbal slipup. “As the Revolutionary, naturally I’m going to want to know who the Sorcerer is, since they would be another Class with the ability to kill.” “That’s why you asked if I was the Sorcerer…” He wasn’t concerned about me; he merely wanted to know who the most dangerous Class was. “And then you were. So if I let you live, I would never be a candidate for Murder.” Daiya smirks, then says, “Because I trust you.” So that’s why Daiya said the game was over the moment he figured out I was the Sorcerer… “Still, even you might have used Magic if you were absolutely sure I was the Revolutionary. And even if you didn’t, you might have tried something else. So all I needed to do was convince you I wasn’t the Revolutionary.” I fell for Daiya’s scheme and ended up believing Iroha was the Revolutionary. Damn, it really was that simple. All along, what I should have done was what I talked about with Maria back when all this started. I should have found a way to get through to Daiya and get him to hand over the Box. It only seemed complicated because Daiya made it appear to be. “…Even then, not everything went smoothly. Yanagi in particular.” “Yuri?” “Yeah. She was trying to recruit other people as allies. She probably would have been able to get everyone on her side except for me. If that had happened, things wouldn’t have worked out this way.” …I see. Daiya wanted the game to start, and the presence of someone trying to stop Kingdom Royale was a thorn in his side. That was why he shot down her plan to share all our Classes, and why he killed her first. “Now, then—” Daiya brings his explanation to an end. Letting out a breath, he looks over at Maria in her chair. “All I need to do is kill one more person, and then it’s game over.” The Revolutionary has one enemy left. Maria Otonashi, the Prince. She doesn’t even raise her head at the proclamation of her death. …Ah, I see now. The Revolutionary has no need to kill the Sorcerer to win. That’s why I’ll survive. Maria can save my life without lifting a finger. And Maria seems to have absolutely no interest in her own life. So she couldn’t care less about Kingdom Royale. She’s saying it’s fine, and she doesn’t mind if she’s killed. “……” Like hell. I can’t let this happen. If Maria says she’s a Box, and she’s willing to disregard that and offer her life up to save mine, then… “Daiya.” …naturally, I have to reject that. I don’t mince words as I fix Daiya with a glare. “I will never, ever allow you to kill Maria.” That’s right. Back when Maria realized she’s powerless in this Box, didn’t she say she thought I might have to do something? Now that time has come. At the time, I didn’t know what I should do. But now… “If you’re intending to kill Maria, then I’ll stop you. I’ll do whatever it takes. Even if it means—” The conclusion leaves my mouth so easily. “—killing you, Daiya.” Maria hadn’t even twitched at Daiya’s intent to kill her, but my words make her open her eyes and look my way. I’m sorry, Maria. I’m betraying your faith in me, that I could never kill someone. “…You sound like you mean it,” Daiya says, then falls silent. He once said it himself: If I’m certain who the Revolutionary is, there’s a possibility I would use Magic. He failed. Kamiuchi went against Daiya’s predictions and killed Iroha, which means he doesn’t have any more scapegoats. It’s now obvious he is the Revolutionary. “Give us the Box, Daiya. Do that, and you don’t have to die,” I say. Daiya’s expression seems to suggest he still has it all under control. But as someone who used to be his friend, I know better. He’s more panicked than ever. “I don’t have to die, eh?” Going back over my words quietly, Daiya sneers. “…Kazu, do you know what type of Box the Game of Indolence is?” I frown at this sudden change of topic. “The Game of Indolence is a Box that staves off boredom by forcing the summoned players into a killing game called Kingdom Royale.” “…So what’s your point?” “Do you really think the ultimate escape from tedium would just end like this? Do you think I’d actually be satisfied with a single playthrough of the game?” “……” “This is meaningless slaughter. Your desire to save Otonashi, your resolve to kill me if that’s what it takes to do so—all of it is pointless. In the end, none of it matters. The next game will have different players, and that alone will make it unfold differently. You and I may even end up working together.” What the hell is he talking about…? “That said, the sins you commit in this stupid game will carry over, if nothing else. If you kill me, that guilt will remain with you.” “…So you’re saying I shouldn’t kill you?” “Yeah.” …Oh, come on. I had thought it might be something more, but it’s all just a bunch of garbage meant to try to save his life. Even now, Daiya’s still trying to pull the wool over my eyes. “I didn’t want to see you reduced to this, Daiya. I don’t care about any of that, so just hand over the Box.” As a former friend of mine, Daiya has to know—more than he probably cares to admit—that I am seriously prepared to kill him. Even so… “That’s the one thing I cannot do.” Daiya states this coldly. “…You know you have nowhere else to turn, right?” “Like I give a crap. I know about the hope the Boxes bring. And now that I do, I’m not gonna let anyone take that away from me. If I lose my Box, then I’ll no longer have any purpose. I’d just be a CO2 factory blundering through the motions of life in a thoughtless haze.” “The Boxes are hope…?” The Boxes that brought such suffering to Mogi, to Asami, to Miyazaki…? “They aren’t as good as you think.” “Shut up. You annoy me. I’m not interested in your cheap-ass bargain bin values.” Scarily enough, Daiya sounds like he really means it. He’s serious when he says the Box is his hope. Even though he knows well enough about the previous two instances. As my thoughts reach this point, I suddenly realize something. Could it be…? “Does this have something to do with Kokone?” Daiya doesn’t respond right away. “…Does what have something to do with her?” “I mean, does Kokone have something to do with your wish?” “Why’re you bringing her up? I almost feel sorry for your pitiful brain and the irrelevant intellectual disasters it comes up with.” I don’t miss it, though. There was a stony expression on Daiya’s face before he said that, and he seemed to be forcing himself. No doubt about it. Kokone definitely has some connection to Daiya’s wish. I’m certain of it now. “You…aren’t going to hand over the Box, are you?” I’m certain—that Daiya will not part with the Box, no matter what. “Uh, yeah. That’s what I said, right?” No matter how much I threaten to kill him, Daiya will never give us the Box. In other words, Daiya has us— “……” Realizing this, I look at Maria. Maria is smiling. “……Stop it.” She’s smiling… As if she has given up on everything. But maybe that’s an appropriate reaction to our situation. I’ve known it all along. I can never kill Daiya and crush the Box by force. I can never use Magic, no matter the circumstances. Not because I don’t have the resolve to kill Daiya. My willpower doesn’t have anything to do with it. I mean, I can’t use Magic on my own. Yeah— I can’t use Magic because Maria will absolutely never take another person’s life. And that’s why… …we are going to lose to Daiya Oomine. Day 3 <C> Private Meeting with Maria Otonashi – Maria Otonashi’s Room I knew it would be this way, but for the entire thirty minutes, Maria ignored my pleas for us to use Murder. I think back on what Maria said yesterday. “I will protect you.” I took her words at face value. I had been a fool basking in her strength and kindness, taking it for granted. Even though I knew the truth. Even though I was well aware that Kingdom Royale was a game of murder and deception, and Maria was powerless within it. I was wrong. I’m the one who should have said those words. “I will protect you, Maria.” But it’s too late, and there’s no time left. Day 3 <E> Kazuki Hoshino’s Room MARIA OTONASHI WAS STRANGLED TO DEATH BY ASSASSINATE. •Maria Otonashi, dead via Assassinate