Chapter 110

CHILDREN RECORD SIDE -NO. 1- (2) “Wh-why…?” With that single short word, Konoha collapsed to the ground. Looking over there, I found that Dad’s body, which Konoha had been trying to tie up, was also completely limp, like a puppet whose strings were cut. It was so weird. Marie’s power should have lasted much longer. What could have happened…? “Get—get out of here…!” The moment the voice shouted that, a thick black shadow jumped out of Konoha’s body. It enveloped him, instantly swallowing him within itself. Marie screamed. I had seen that once before. When we were at Marie’s place the day before…When Konoha got injured. The shadow was there then, too. But Konoha was totally unhurt now. Why had it appeared again? The air around us was disturbing. Konoha’s body, now a mass of sheer blackness, seemed to twist and turn on the ground as it transformed. “H-hey!” Shintaro shouted. “Konoha! Can you hear me?! Shit…! What the hell is happening?!” He tried to get closer, but a twisted, sickening voice rang out: “N-no…No. Get—get away…!!” I shuddered. That couldn’t possibly be Konoha’s voice. But it didn’t stop Shintaro. “Hang on! I’m gonna help you out…!” He extended a hand into the shadow…and it vanished, as if evaporating into thin air. A lone man stood where the shadow had been. He had a sinister sneer and jet-black hair. The face was a dead ringer for Konoha’s, but the atmosphere was like nothing our friend exuded. When he spoke, it was in Konoha’s voice: “…Game over, you little brats.” The anti-Konoha opened his eyes. It was a look so ominous that I screamed: “Shintaro!! Get out of there!!” But I knew the moment I did that I was already too late. With unbelievable speed, the man brought his hand up to Shintaro’s neck, grabbing him at the throat…and tearing it off. Shintaro’s body bent back, crashing into the monitors behind him as he fell to the floor. The blood spurting out made dreadful sounds, forming large pools on the floor as he lay there, limply. “Ah…ahh…” I couldn’t speak. All I could do was spout off a pathetic-sounding groan. The other two were loudly shouting something or other. Damn it. I had to think of something. We have to escape from this guy, or else all of us are… The shadow man picked up the handgun from the floor, gave it an appreciative look, and pointed it at me. My body stopped listening to my orders. A pure white filled my mind. And the last thing that reached my ears were the words I never, ever wanted to hear from his mouth: “…See you later, boss.”