Shuya nodded. It might have been from the still lingering fever, or it might have been from the drugs, but Noriko seemed to be in an emotional state. He kept his hand on her shoulder until she stopped crying.
Eventually Noriko said, "I'm sorry," and wiped her eyes. Then she said, "I didn't tell you because it might end up disturbing you."
"What do you mean?"
Noriko looked into Shuya's eyes. "Did you know a lot of girls have a crush on you?"
The topic of conversation was so unexpected Shuya couldn't help grimacing. "What are you talking about?"
But Noriko continued, her face dead serious. "Megumi…and Yukiko too, I think."
Shuya tilted his head as if puzzled. Megumi Eto and Yukiko Kitano. Two of the players no longer in the running in this game.
"Those…" Was it proper to call them "those"? "What about those two?"
Noriko looked up at Shuya and said quietly, "They both had a crush on you."
Shuya's face stiffened. He hesitated and then mumbled, "…really?"
"Uh huh." Noriko looked away from Shuya and nodded. "It's easy to tell with girls. I just…wanted you to have fond thoughts for them." She added, "I am in no position to be telling you this now, given the situation I'm in."
Shuya had a dim image of the faces of Megumi Eto and Yukiko Kitano. Just a little though. Like, two teaspoons each. "Wow…" He exhaled. Then he said, "I wish you'd told me after we escaped."
"I'm sorry. Did it shock you?"
"Yeah, a little."
Noriko tilted her head again, "But…I thought you should know in case I die."
Shuya looked up. His right hand squeezed her left wrist. "Look, please don't assume that. We're in this together till the end. We're going to survive together."
Noriko was taken aback by Shuya's sudden intensity. "I'm sorry."
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"I actually know someone who's got a crush on you."
Now it was Noriko's turn to open her eyes wide. "Really? Why me?" She said this innocently, but the expression on her face vanished quickly. Shuya saw the fading light from the window reflected as an obscure rectangle in her pupils. She asked, "Is he a classmate?"
Shuya slowly shook his head. As he recalled those warm, bulging eyes, he thought, damn, how nice and peaceful it would have been just to be able to get worried over a romantic triangle involving a longtime friend. But that would never happen. No siree. It just won't.
"No."
Noriko looked somewhat relieved as she looked down at the knees of her skirt and only mumbled, "I see." Then she looked up and said, "So who could it be? I wasn't in any clubs or teams. And I don't have friends in any of the other classes."
Shuya shook his head. "I'm not telling. I'll tell you once we're out of here."
Noriko looked slightly skeptical, but didn't pursue the matter.
After they fell silent for a while Shuya looked up at the ceiling. Even though tidiness was mandatory in a clinic, the fluorescent light hanging here had dusty covers. The lights didn't work. They couldn't turn them on anyway even if they did.
"Megumi-san…" he said. He added the polite "san" to her name. Boys can be so fickle, "…and Yukiko-san. If it's true…what could they have possibly liked about me?"
It was becoming pitch black, but Noriko appeared to be smiling a little. "You mind if I share my opinion?"
"Sure."
Noriko tilted her head. "Everything about you."
Shuya chuckled and shook his head, "What do you mean?"
"That's what it means to love someone." Noriko's suddenly sounded serious. "Isn't that how you feel about that girl?"
Shuya thought of Kazumi Shintani's face. He thought about it. He hesitated, but thought he should be honest. "Yeah. Something like that."
"If it's not, then it's not real," Noriko said as if she were amused and then let out a quiet laugh.
"What?"
"I'm jealous. Even in this situation, it's still hard."
Shuya looked at her face that was no longer discernible in the dark and hesitated whether he should tell her, but then decided he should be honest with her.
"I can relate to the guy who had a crush on you though."
Noriko looked up at Shuya. Her well-defined brows seemed to quiver slightly. Her lips seemed to be forming a slightly melancholic smile.
"You're so wonderful," Shuya said.
"That's nice to hear even if it's not true."
"But it is."
"Can I ask you a favor?"
Shuya opened his eyes wide as if asking, "What is it?" but he wasn't sure whether Noriko could see his reaction. Noriko then leaned over slightly and gently put both of her hands on Shuya's upper arms, putting her head against his shoulder. Her shoulder-length short hair brushed up against Shuya's cheeks and ears.
They remained like this for quite some time until the dimness outside the window turned into moonlight.
21 students remaining
46
Before the dusk turned to darkness, Hirono Shimizu (Female Student No. 10) emerged from the thicket she'd been hiding in and proceeded west. It was unbearable. Her body was on fire as if she were walking in a desert under a burning sun.
Water.
She needed water.
Kaori Minami had shot her in the upper left arm. After tearing open the sleeve of her sailor suit drenched in blood, she discovered the bullet had penetrated her arm. The skin on the exit wound was torn up badly. It seemed the bullet had barely missed the major blood vessels. The torn sleeve she wrapped around her arm as a bandage seemed to have stopped the bleeding for a while. But then…the wound started to burn and the sensation spread all over her body. The initial chill was replaced by a numbing heat. By the time Sakamochi made his announcement at 6 p.m. Hirono had finished off her entire supply of water. After she killed Kaori she ran approximately two hundred meters away from Shuya and hid in the thicket, but she ended up using a lot of water in her attempt to clean her wound (which she ended up deeply regretting).