Chapter 26

(0/3) Yuki ran into Kokone on the way home from the convenience store. (1/3) The game had ended. Since Yuki had been strangled and had sustained a cut to her scalp, she was taken to the hospital. Fortunately, neither injury was serious, so she was put to sleep with the usual sleeping pill and driven back home. Typically, she would either wake up in her agent’s car or remain asleep until she had been carried into her apartment, and this time, it was the latter. Yuki figured she had enjoyed a longer sleep since she had faced more troubles than usual this time. After waking up, Yuki laid splayed out in bed for quite some time. What finally spurred her to action was the growling of her stomach. Deciding to go out and buy something, she stepped out into the world of midnight. Celebrating her forty-fifth victory—was not what her mood called for, so she only bought a single bun of sweet bread from the convenience store. Cramming it into her mouth, she began plodding back to her apartment. On the way home, she ran into a girl wearing a gentle-colored dress. It was Kokone, one of the twins from Kirihara’s mansion. Yuki was surprised. She never expected to bump into her. Forgetting to remove the bread from her mouth, she mumbled, “…Goo’ eef’ning.” “Good evening,” Kokone responded in a completely serious tone. Since there was no way they had met by coincidence, Yuki asked, “Um… Is there something you want?” “I wish to offer you thanks, as well as a gift,” Kokone replied, giving a deep bow. “You have my heartfelt gratitude for defeating Shion.” “…You know about that?” Little time had passed since the end of Halloween Night. It was hard to believe that such specific news had traveled so quickly. Did Kokone have a special information network, or had she also joined the game like Haine? As Yuki pondered the reason, Kokone answered with an alternative explanation. “I was watching.” “…Watching…? You mean as a member of the audience?” Kokone nodded. “I wished to see how my sister and Shion would end up, so I made contact with the organizers.” In which case, the girl had to be aware of Haine’s fate. “Truly, thank you very much,” Kokone expressed her gratitude once more. However, her face was far from one of delight. Yuki recalled Shion’s words about how people after revenge were not grounded in reality. She had brushed that comment aside back then, but now she had to admit it made a bit of sense. Haine had likely not imagined a future where Kokone had this expression on her face. “…I mean, it’s not like I defeated her…” Yuki waved off the gratitude. “I’m not the one who dealt the finishing blow, so I don’t deserve the thanks.” “Still, the fact she’s dead means a lot to me. Again, thank you very much.” Being thanked for killing someone inspired an odd feeling. Since Yuki didn’t want to bask in it for much longer, she changed the topic. “So… What do you mean by ‘gift’?” “It concerns that right eye of yours,” Kokone replied. “I have heard…it is not in the best condition. Is that correct?” The girl must have come across that information as a member of the audience. “Yeah.” Yuki rubbed the spot beneath her right eye socket. “It’s not too serious right now, but…I’m not sure what it’ll be like in the future.” “Despite that, you still intend to play in the games?” “I do,” Yuki responded strongly, without going so far as to disrupt the mood of the conversation. “In which case, I may be able to help.” “…How so?” “I am acquainted with a player who has participated in games despite being completely blind.” It took a brief moment for Yuki to process Kokone’s words. However, once her mind caught up, shock welled up in her heart. A person who had made a living as a player despite being completely blind. To Yuki, that seemed far more dubious than rumors of unicorns existing. “Does…someone like that really exist?” In sharp contrast to Yuki’s bewilderment, Kokone responded in a calm tone. “She is an old friend of Kirihara’s. I hear she has retired from being a player… But I believe she must know of a method to clear games without relying on sight. Would you like me to schedule a meeting between the two of you?” Yuki couldn’t have asked for a better gift. “Yes, please,” she replied. “Then consider it done. Now, if you would excuse me.” Kokone bowed once again before quietly walking away. After watching the girl disappear from view, Yuki continued on her way back home. She stuffed the sweet bread back into her mouth and began counting the things she had lost and found recently. Things she had lost— Visual acuity in her right eye. Stability in the foundation supporting her, as a result of her condition. Things she had found— A resolution to the catastrophic game. The experience of defeating a homicidal maniac entirely on her own. And as indicated by Kokone, the existence of a blind player. Three steps forward and two steps back, huh? Yuki thought. It would be another month before Yuki learned she had actually taken four steps forward. (2/3) Approximately one month after the end of Halloween Night— Yuki had continued to clear games without a hitch. Her right eye had not worsened in that time, and she did not encounter any players capable enough to take advantage of her weakness, so she safely cleared another two games, bringing her number of victories to forty-seven. By that point, Kokone had already contacted her about the blind player. Evidently, the player in question was living out in the countryside and was available to meet anytime. Yuki wished to leap at the opportunity to meet as soon as possible, but unfortunately, she had an issue she needed to deal with first—someone had been monitoring her at school lately. She had brought up the problem with her agent and they were now working together to figure out a solution. One day, around that time, Yuki returned home from school as usual to find someone outside her apartment. It was neither her agent, nor Kokone, nor a resident of her building or the neighboring area. It was an outrageously beautiful young girl. Due to her occupation as a death-game player, Yuki was acquainted with many pretty-looking girls, but this one took the cake. She was so gorgeous, she had the opposite aura of being a little hard on the eyes. Her beauty was the kind that evoked a sense of danger, like that of a femme fatale who would tempt a king and drive the kingdom’s economy into dire straits, or of a shape-shifting creature who would lure in men with irresistible looks before devouring them headfirst. Who is she? Yuki wondered. It was reasonable to assume the girl was a player, but Yuki did not recognize her. Although Yuki had completely forgotten about Keito, she didn’t think she would forget someone who stuck out this much. They most likely had never met before. But even if they were acquainted with each other, why was she standing outside Yuki’s apartment? As Yuki struggled to reach a conclusion, the situation changed. The moment the beautiful girl spotted Yuki, a smile came to her face, and she ran up to Yuki with gentle steps. With a voice as elegant as her appearance, she said with a bow, “Long time no see.” Yuki saw that the girl’s hair was styled into two buns on the back of her head. “…Hello,” Yuki responded half-heartedly. The beautiful girl lifted her head and shook Yuki’s hand with a hand so pale, its lack of visible veins was strange. “I’ve been looking for you. Finally, I found you! This means we can move on to lesson two, right?” “Huh?” The beautiful girl stared straight at Yuki. Her face vaguely reminded Yuki of someone—a player she had come across in Halloween Night around one month prior. Although the girl had become almost unrecognizable, Yuki was able to identify her from her slightly plump face and her hairstyle that brought to mind swollen head bumps from a manga. It was Tamamo—the plump girl whose name had been a perfect match for her appearance. She was standing before Yuki at this very moment, in a non-plump state. Memories from a month ago came flooding back. Yuki had relented to Tamamo’s persistence and agreed to take the girl on as a protégé. Then, as an excuse to leave her behind, Yuki had told Tamamo they would move on to lesson two if the girl could slim down and catch her. That was indeed what she had said. Still… “You’re kidding, right?” The girl did not respond. She simply stared at Yuki with a large grin. (3/3)