Chapter 29

(0/28) It was evening. Yuki awoke inside her familiar run-down apartment. (1/28) The rays of the setting sun filtered through the windows and cast a red glow over the room. It was a tiny studio apartment. The only objects inside that could be considered furniture were the mattress Yuki was sleeping on, a refrigerator, and a desk. Although she had tidied things up, the flooring and walls showed considerable signs of wear, so there was no hiding her home’s dingy appearance. It was the same old run-down apartment that made her incredulously question how she had been living in such conditions every time she woke up. Except—one thing was different from usual. Yuki looked beside her. On the same mattress slept a girl who was slightly younger than Yuki. Ordinarily, the girl radiated the bewitching charm of a femme fatale, but her magnetism was turned off as she slumbered. Her trademark style was to wear her hair in two buns at the back of her head, but naturally, she had untied them for bed. The girl’s name was Tamamo. Although Yuki was loath to acknowledge it, she was her protégée. (2/28) Until recently, Yuki had been saddled with numerous problems. The catastrophic game, where the majority of participants had been massacred by a single player. Her diagnosis with progressive vision loss in her right eye. The prying gaze of a classmate who followed her everywhere at school. Yuki hadn’t faced so many severe challenges at once since the Wall of Thirty, and she’d been left with no choice but to scurry around all over to address them. Yuki had managed to satisfactorily resolve her first problem and had also come across a way to deal with the second. It was just as she was thinking about turning her attention to handling the third, her stalker, when a fourth problem had suddenly popped up from out of nowhere. One night, upon returning home from school, Yuki noticed a girl standing outside her apartment. The girl was beautiful. She was someone who would be better described with adjectives like stunning and gorgeous, as opposed to cute or pretty. Her beauty was so overwhelming that it would trigger wariness in anyone who saw her. She had an aura like that of a femme fatale who would ensnare a king and drive his nation’s economy into ruin, or a shape-shifting creature who would lure men into her territory before devouring them headfirst, or a young celebrity whose showbiz commitments frequently kept her out of school and made her the center of attention in class. The girl’s unique aura immediately gave away that she was a player. However, Yuki had no memory of her. While she didn’t remember all the faces of players she had come in contact with, she didn’t believe she would forget a girl with such a breathtaking good looks. And so Yuki stood frozen in front of her apartment, clueless as to the girl’s identity. The girl was the first to break the standstill. She shuffled up to Yuki on slender legs and offered a greeting with a melodious voice that complemented her appearance. “Good evening.” The girl bowed, giving Yuki a glimpse at the double buns on the back of her head. “…Hello,” Yuki responded with a nod. The girl looked up and grabbed Yuki’s hand. “Finally, I found you! This means we can move on to lesson two, right?” “Huh?” The girl stared straight into Yuki’s eyes. As Yuki stared back, she formed a theory. “You’re kidding, right…? Um… Just so we’re on the same page…” “Yes?” “Are you that player from Halloween Night…? Tamamo?” The girl’s wide smile told Yuki the answer. Tamamo. That was the name of a player Yuki had run into during her forty-fifth game, Halloween Night. Back then, the girl had been pudgy, lacking the kind of beauty that would turn heads. If not for the girl’s space buns and the words lesson two, Yuki would never have realized she was that very player. Yuki hadn’t spent much time with Tamamo during the game; she had only rescued the girl from being attacked by other players. That was the extent of their relationship. However, perhaps Tamamo found that act of heroism exceptionally dazzling, as she then requested Yuki to take her on as a protégée. At the time, there had been plenty of worries on Yuki’s mind, and she’d lacked the leeway to mentor a protégée. Naturally, she refused, but Tamamo continued to hound her. Left with no choice, Yuki superficially agreed to take Tamamo under her wing and commenced with lesson one: a long training run. Tamamo would complete the lesson if she managed to run around enough to slim down and catch Yuki. That excuse provided Yuki with the convenient out she needed to escape. And yet here Tamamo was, standing right before her. She had achieved a dramatic weight-loss transformation and caught Yuki. And so Yuki was bound by her promise to move on to lesson two. (3/28) Yuki invited Tamamo into the apartment complex, and the two soon arrived at Apartment 107. Since Yuki had just come back from school, she was wearing her sailor-style uniform. She pulled on her ribbon while looking at Tamamo. “I’m going to get changed, so wait here.” Yuki opened the door to her apartment. She slipped off her loafers and stepped into the entryway. After taking several steps, she opened her built-in closet. With a hand on the collar of her uniform, Yuki began to change— —when she sensed someone behind her. Yuki turned around. Tamamo was standing inches from her. “…………” Yuki glanced over at the entryway and noticed a pair of shoes that did not belong to her. Next, she shifted her gaze to Tamamo’s legs, which were both squarely inside Yuki’s apartment, before her eyes finally fell on the girl’s beaming face, which showed no doubts over the fact that she had entered without permission. “…When I said ‘wait here,’ I meant outside.” “I know,” Tamamo replied. “What? Are you hoping to watch me change…?” “Would it be all right if I did?” “Of course not.” Yuki looked straight into Tamamo’s eyes, which, for some reason, were faintly glimmering. “I don’t want to wait outside,” Tamamo complained. “I want to be beside you as much as possible.” “…Fine,” Yuki relented. She stepped fully into the closet and shut the door, so as to not be seen by Tamamo. Then she grabbed a tracksuit that was on a hanger and began to change in the darkness. Yuki mulled over her situation. Even though she’d had absolutely zero intention of mentoring a protégée, she had no choice but to follow through on her promise. But how should she go about it? Since Yuki had believed she had fully escaped Tamamo’s grasp, she hadn’t given any thought as to what to teach the girl, and since this would be her first time as a mentor, she had no clue where to start. What was it like when she’d been a protégée? What was the first lesson Hakushi had given her? It had been so long ago that her memories were awfully hazy. Perhaps it would be wise to seek Hakushi’s advice on training a protégée. Although Yuki was usually reluctant to seek her mentor’s assistance, this situation was different, since it was for her protégée instead of herself. By the time Yuki decided she would reach out to Hakushi later that night, she had finished changing. Upon stepping out of the closet, Yuki heard the sound of running water. “Wha…?!” The noise was coming from the kitchen. Tamamo was doing the dishes. “Wh-wh-what are you doing?” Yuki asked as she dashed over. “Oh, Yuki,” Tamamo replied, cleaning a plate with a sponge. “Your dirty dishes were piled up, so I was washing them… Am I being a bother?” “Well, no… I wouldn’t say that.” Yuki looked around her kitchen. It was a gigantic mess. Not only were her dirty plates and utensils untouched, but lying next to the sink were empty convenience store meal containers, instant ramen packages, wooden chopsticks, plastic spoons, and more. She had done nothing else but rinse them with water. How long had it been since she’d really done the dishes? She scanned her memory, and it came up empty. Still, her current kitchen was on the cleaner side these days, relatively speaking. In its heyday of mess—before Candle Woods—her kitchen had been such a disaster that it had been impossible for her to even do the dishes. Of course, Yuki did prefer her kitchen to be clean. She was grateful Tamamo was willing to help, but she was embarrassed—far more embarrassed than she would have been if Tamamo had watched her change. That was because the mess was a symbol of her slovenly lifestyle. “…Just curious, have you looked anywhere besides the kitchen?” Yuki asked. “Where do you mean?” “Like, the bath or the toilet…” “No, I haven’t… Are they in a similar state?” “Of course not. Why would you think that?” Yuki smiled. “But don’t go in without my permission. There’s, um…plutonium inside, so it’s not safe.” (4/28) Yuki stepped outside in her tracksuit. She had decided to go on an evening walk, something that had been part of her daily routine for over a year now. Walking the cold, empty streets in the middle of the night brought great calm to her heart. For a resident of a world of death, these strolls offered a necessary respite to maintain her sanity. Tonight, however, this activity was in no way relaxing. With eyes half closed, Yuki glanced next to her. There, just as before, was the smiling Tamamo. She was walking beside Yuki, occupying the exact position where she would just barely be visible out of the corner of Yuki’s eye. The flashes of the girl’s face coming into view and the constant weight of her gaze worked in harmony to block Yuki from feeling calm in any way. “So um…,” Yuki said. “Tamamo, right?” “Yes,” the girl responded eagerly. “You look like you’re still a minor. Is it okay for you to be out this late? Won’t your family get concerned?” “It’s all right. There’s no one who would worry about me.” Although the girl spoke in a gentle tone, there was an unmistakable something hidden in her voice. Still, Yuki decided not to pry into the specifics. She herself had similar circumstances, after all. “…Look, I’m fine with taking you on as a protégée…” Yuki scratched her head. “It’s just—I really don’t know what to teach you first. I didn’t expect you to show up tonight, so I’m not prepared at all. If you give me some time, I’ll draw up a plan for lesson two and beyond, so…can we start your training tomorrow instead?” “I understand.” “Great. Then let’s call it here for the day. You can head home…” “No. Please let me stay by your side for today,” Tamamo said with a beaming face. Although her expression was all smiles, her attitude left no room for refusal. “…………” Yuki fell silent. She continued to quietly walk down the dark street. Tamamo followed beside her at exactly the same pace. Yuki tried speeding up, only for Tamamo to do the same. Next, Yuki slightly slowed down, but naturally, Tamamo immediately decreased her speed as well. The girl didn’t get any closer or drift farther apart—she maintained a fixed distance away from Yuki. She’s awfully fussy about keeping up, Yuki thought. Tamamo had shown the same attitude when entering Yuki’s apartment without permission, but evidently, the girl was unwilling to be separated by even the slightest distance. Perhaps her behavior was a lasting consequence of lesson one, when Yuki had run away and abandoned Tamamo. If that was true, Yuki felt sorry about what she did, but regardless, being followed around was not a pleasant experience. She didn’t enjoy having someone constantly in her personal space or being in their view around the clock. She could accept taking Tamamo as a protégée, but she wished she could be alone when they didn’t need to be together. That was why Yuki spoke up. “…I go running every night. One lap around a set course. It’s important for players to build up their stamina, so I made this a part of my routine.” That was a bald-faced lie. Although it was true that Yuki would go on training runs, she typically would only roam around the neighborhood. Needless to say, she had no set course, either. Yet Tamamo appeared to believe Yuki. “I see. I’m not surprised,” she said in a tone of respect. “Sorry to string you along like this, but do your best to keep up.” “Understood.” “Right, then… Let’s go!” Yuki had already broken into a run before the words left her mouth. Since she had intentionally given the signal in a way to catch Tamamo off guard, the girl was slow to start. Without paying her any mind, Yuki ramped up her pace and quickly reached her max speed. In the short time that a human was capable of sustaining anaerobic exercise, Yuki rounded the corner and slipped out of Tamamo’s view. Yuki slowed down as she turned and maintained this decreased speed—the optimal pace for a long-distance run. The chilly night air filled her lungs. Like a phantom, she silently dashed down the street, contorted her body to squeeze between walls, cut across private property, and—without stopping for a break—climbed a hill that seemed at least sixty feet high. Then she slid down a railing, scaled a locked fence, and hopped on stepping stones across a raging river. This was no longer a training run; Yuki had absolutely no intention of letting Tamamo catch up. She continued onward… …until she reached a convenience store. Yuki’s heart pounded loudly as huffs and puffs escaped her lips. She turned toward the convenience store while wiping sweat off her face with the sleeve of her tracksuit. This was where she typically shopped. Tonight, the rather complicated path she had taken to it had tired her out, but the optimal route she normally took from her apartment was a pleasant five-minute walk. Yuki scanned her surroundings. Tamamo was nowhere to be seen, at least in the area illuminated by the store lights. “…Must’ve lost her…,” Yuki muttered to herself. Moving her lactic acid–filled legs, she entered the store. As soon as she did, footsteps echoed from behind her. “……?!” Yuki turned around in surprise. At some point, Tamamo had crept up on her. “Ah… Long time no see, Yuki,” Tamamo said. “So this is the arduous training you go through every night, huh? I had no idea.” The girl had flushed cheeks and was panting. She appeared to be as exhausted as Yuki. Still—she had caught up. Yuki had failed to flee from Tamamo not once but twice. The two of them stood in place for a short while to catch their breaths. Yuki was the next to speak. “…See now? If you become my protégée, this is how tough it’ll be every day. Getting second thoughts?” “Not at all.” (5/28) After buying a new ice cream product for herself and treating Tamamo to one as well, Yuki left the convenience store. Even then, Tamamo insisted on tagging along. While Yuki’s typical route took her straight home from the store, tonight she deviated from her routine, as she couldn’t bear the thought of Tamamo cleaning her apartment again. She killed time by chilling in a manga café, lingering as long as she could at a twenty-four-hour chain restaurant after ordering the cheapest item off the menu and simply wandering the night roads. Ditching Tamamo was at the front of her mind, but her multiple attempts to do so all ended in failure. As Yuki continued to bustle about, dawn started to break. Sleepiness began to take hold of her, so she relented and decided to return home. After rinsing off her sweat at a bathhouse that opened at the crack of dawn, she headed for her apartment. On the way, she passed an elderly resident walking their dog, a student heading to morning sports practice, a businessman rubbing his weary eyes, and other early risers. Although the hour marked the start of the day for ordinary people, the day was drawing to a close for night owls like Yuki. “Where do you plan to sleep today?” Yuki asked Tamamo, who was still walking beside her. “Huh? Well, um… If it isn’t a burden…,” Tamamo replied, fidgeting. She seemed hesitant to ask point-blank if she could crash at Yuki’s apartment. “You’re welcome to stay over,” Yuki offered. “There aren’t any hotels around here…” The two returned to Yuki’s apartment. Yuki pulled out her mattress from the closet and laid it on the floor. “I’ve only got the one, so go ahead and use it for yourself,” Yuki said. “It’s what I always sleep on, so I’m sorry if it’s dirty.” “Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Tamamo stretched out her hands in front of her face. “I can’t kick you out of your own bed… I’ll sleep on the floor.” Oh? Yuki thought. Now you’re acting all considerate? Tamamo’s apparent change of heart caused Yuki’s devilish side to take over. “Why don’t we sleep together?” she proposed. “Huh?! …B-but…” Tamamo’s face turned pale—presenting Yuki with an opening to strike. “Something wrong?” Yuki asked, feigning ignorance. “I only have one mattress, so there’s no other way to keep us both warm.” “No, but um…,” Tamamo stammered. Yuki lightly pushed the girl by the shoulders, making her fall to the mattress. Then Yuki covered Tamamo with the blanket before joining her underneath. The two of them were now co-sleeping, as some called it. “W-wait, Yuki…!” Tamamo scrambled to escape from the blanket, but Yuki firmly pressed down on the girl to stymie her efforts. “Didn’t you say you wanted to stay by my side? Why are you so against this?” Yuki asked, using Tamamo’s earlier words against her. Tamamo let her eyes fall, seemingly struggling to come up with a rebuttal. The now-flushed color of her fair skin made it clear that she was blushing. How cute, Yuki thought. After gaining Tamamo’s consent—or rather, after Tamamo stopped resisting—the two of them went to bed. Tamamo shut her eyes tightly and fell silent, as if trying to drift off to sleep as fast as she could. Yuki kept her eyes open, closely observing the girl. The mattress was designed for a single person. If two people wanted to share it, they would have to snuggle up close. This meant Yuki and Tamamo were currently in extreme proximity to one another, a distance that would be considered far too close even for a parent and child or siblings. Yuki was near enough to Tamamo’s face to make out the individual hairs of her eyelashes. Surprisingly, even with such a close-up view, Yuki was unable to spot a single imperfection in the girl’s features. There was not a wrinkle or a pimple to be found, all the parts of her face were positioned exactly where they should be, and the areas around her eyes and the bridge of her nose combined to form an impeccable curve. Even with the Preservation Treatment, the girl’s beauty was out of this world. Her appearance also induced a certain amount of fear, as if it was on the verge of entering the uncanny valley despite Tamamo being human, like a maximally touched-up selfie. As Yuki continued to observe, for some reason, she started getting excited. The fact Tamamo was not just beautiful was what fired up Yuki even more. Yuki had a personal theory that things—be they manga or music—were only truly charming when they were not just pleasant but also imbued with a certain degree of unpleasantness. The constant loop of relief and anxiety was a path toward ecstasy. Tamamo possessed that very quality, which greatly amplified Yuki’s emotions. Soon enough, Yuki began acting on those feelings—by tightly wrapping her arms around Tamamo’s torso. “……?!?!” Tamamo opened her eyes and began flailing about, seemingly unable to endure the situation. However, Yuki did not release Tamamo from the hug; in fact, she enjoyed the overwhelmingly pleasant feeling of Tamamo flailing in her arms. Yuki felt an endless itching and tingling inside her, as if their two souls were rubbing against each other. This moment taught Yuki that embracing another human being felt good—especially when it was her adorable protégée. Before long, Tamamo stopped resisting, going still in Yuki’s arms. Without the stimulation of Tamamo flailing around, Yuki also calmed down to some extent. Maybe having a protégée isn’t so bad after all. Yuki shut her eyes and let her consciousness drift away. —Time returns to the present. (6/28) Yuki awoke. The rays of the setting sun filtered through the windows and cast a red glow over the apartment. It was evening. Sitting up and rubbing her weary eyes, Yuki looked beside her. Tamamo was sleeping soundly on the same mattress as her. The two of them were physically quite close to each other. They were in the same state as they had been that morning. Apparently, they had fallen asleep while cuddling. Yuki pressed her hand against her head. She muttered, “…What are we, a couple of lovebirds?” (7/28) That was how the curtain rose on Yuki and Tamamo’s mentor-protégée relationship. The next day and beyond, Tamamo showed no inclination whatsoever to leave. Although she had mentioned wanting to stay by Yuki’s side “for today,” apparently, that did not mean she would leave the following day. In lieu of paying for accommodation, Tamamo handled all the household chores, such as doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning the apartment—including the bath and toilet Yuki had not wanted the girl to see. Yuki was greatly embarrassed when Tamamo undertook that task with a coy expression. Yuki did not merely put Tamamo to work; she endeavored to fulfill her own duties as a mentor, too. Deciding to put off the nitty-gritty details until after meeting with Hakushi, Yuki first taught Tamamo about the games, covering the different game types—escape games, competitive games, survival games—the flow of events before and after games, the existence of people in related industries, and so on. For a beginner like Tamamo, there was much to gain from even such a basic lesson. In addition to knowledge, Yuki also bestowed Tamamo with another gift: a mattress. Since Yuki lacked the audacity to sleep while cuddling every night, she decided to purchase a set of bedding exclusively for guest use. Several days had passed since the two of them began sleeping on adjacent mattresses. Yuki stepped out of her apartment, leaving Tamamo behind; somehow, she had persuaded the girl to wait by herself. Her destination was the smaller city she had visited some time ago. She had set up a meeting with her mentor at the magic bar. By the time Yuki arrived, Hakushi was already at the counter. Without turning her head, Hakushi glanced over in Yuki’s direction and greeted her with a “Hey.” “Good evening,” Yuki replied, taking a seat next to her mentor. After the two of them enjoyed some small talk, watched the bartender’s magic show, and finished their drinks, Yuki brought up the main thing she wanted to discuss. “So you’ve finally taken on a protégée of your own,” Hakushi said. “How’s it going? Do you see potential in this Tamamo girl?” “Well, it’s too early to tell… So far, I’ve only been teaching her about the games.” “…Oh?” “I also bought a mattress for her.” Incidentally, for the past several days, Yuki had been busy dealing with the problem with her classmate. That was another reason she hadn’t made much progress in mentoring Tamamo. “You’re sure taking your sweet time,” Hakushi remarked. “That’s sort of the reason I wanted to meet… I need your advice. How should I be mentoring a protégée? What was it like when you were showing me the ropes?” “Right, let’s see…” Evidently, Hakushi had a far better memory than Yuki. The woman explained all the lessons she had given to Yuki in great detail. “That’s about it,” Hakushi said, winding up her account. “Of course, you don’t need to follow my formula. If you have ideas of your own, feel free to incorporate those. She’s your protégée, so do as you see fit.” “…I guess so…,” Yuki muttered. “Something else on your mind?” “Oh, no…” Hakushi appeared to perceive something from Yuki’s stammering. “…Could it be that you didn’t want a protégée?” she asked. “Well, um… It’s true this wasn’t exactly a situation I was eager to be in…” While interrupting herself with plenty of ums and ahs, Yuki explained what had happened. “It’s like, teaching someone comes with a lot of responsibility, you know? Everything I do and say will directly impact how long Tamamo survives. I’ve never had that responsibility outside of a game, so I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it…” In her twenty-eighth game, Ghost House, Yuki had taught other players game basics. Inside a game, she could impart knowledge without feeling responsibility, since she had set a rule for herself to never accept fault for the things that happened there. However, she felt far more powerless outside of the games, where she was not acting in the capacity of a player. The responsibility that came with being an ordinary human had reared its ugly head. “Harness your desire to do right by her and train her up as best you can,” Hakushi said, offering a reasonable suggestion. “…I’m curious, how did you feel about taking me on as a protégée?” “Well, back then, I couldn’t tell whether you were actually alive or dead. I figured you wouldn’t even care if you died.” “Cold, much?” “Anyway, I suggest you make the most of this opportunity. Make an earnest effort to build a connection with another person. It’ll do an individualistic player like you some good.” “I don’t know about that…” Yuki plopped her head down onto the counter. “That reminds me,” Hakushi said, changing the topic, “you mentioned you were going to take lessons from someone else, right?” Indeed, when setting up the meeting, Yuki had briefly informed Hakushi about her life details. “Yeah. There’s someone who apparently played in the games while being blind. I’m going to visit her soon.” Yuki placed her hand against her right cheekbone. Just above it was her right eye, which, according to the results of an exam she had recently taken, was gradually losing its function. She had felt an urgent need to do something about it, and thankfully, a girl she had recently met by the name of Kokone was able to introduce her to a blind former player. They had already set up a meeting, and all that was left was to wait for the agreed-upon day to arrive. “I think her name was Rinrin, but that’s all I know about her at this point…” “Hmm…” Hakushi touched her chin. “I’ve heard that name before.” “Oh, you knew her?” “No, not really. Only her name, the fact that she’s blind, and—” Hakushi cut herself off abruptly. Several seconds later, she resumed speaking. “Hey.” “Yeah?” “If you’re going to meet her…I’d advise you to prepare for the worst.” “……?” Yuki was going to ask for clarification, but before she could, Hakushi stood up and went to pay. It would only be a short while before Yuki learned the meaning behind Hakushi’s words—the hard way. (8/28) Several days after her meeting with Hakushi, Yuki went to visit the blind player with Tamamo in tow. As part of the journey, Yuki rode an airplane for the first time in her life. Although the prospect of problems occurring during the flight had excited her somewhat, fortunately—or perhaps, unfortunately—they landed safely at their destination airport. From there, they boarded a ship that took them to a certain island, before they transferred to a different boat. Since there was no regularly scheduled ferry service to the location where Yuki and Tamamo were headed, they had to make their own arrangements. Thankfully, since Yuki’s agent was apparently capable of driving a boat, they asked her to take them there. And so Yuki and Tamamo stepped off the vessel, setting foot on a remote island. The island had a different ambience from the one that had served as the venue for Cloudy Beach. While that previous island could be considered “a resort area brimming with nature,” this one would be more aptly described as “a remote area shaped by human hands.” There was a pier constructed at the edge of the island, paved roads lined by stone walls on both sides, utility poles set up in equidistant intervals whose power lines partitioned the beautiful blue sky, and houses and buildings dotting the area. Yuki and Tamamo began walking across the island with bags on their shoulders. Although they did not know what to expect after meeting Rinrin, they figured they would be staying on the island for quite some time, so they’d packed as if they were going on a short vacation. The weight of their possessions added extra heft to their footsteps. “…Ugh, there’s no reception,” Yuki said, checking her cell phone. The words NO SERVICE were displayed on the screen, indicating that the device was out of range of mobile networks. Although Yuki had seen this message before, the previous times had mostly been under specific circumstances, such as immediately after powering on her phone or before she inserted a SIM card into the device. This could very well have been her first time experiencing the intended purpose of that warning: informing her that she was actually in a location with no signal. “Same for me.” Tamamo was looking at her phone while walking beside Yuki. “Is there really someone living here?” “I’m pretty sure we have the right place…” Kokone had only told Yuki about the location of the island and that, since it wasn’t very large, Yuki would be able to find Rinrin without much trouble. Regardless of what might happen after they actually met, Yuki had not been concerned about actually locating the woman. Now, however, she was growing uneasy. Although the island had plenty of human-made structures, it was devoid of signs of life. Actually, upon closer inspection, things appeared to be in a state of ruin, with cracked roads and a number of collapsed houses. Had they gone to the wrong island by mistake? Much to Yuki’s relief, however, after around half an hour walking with those worries on her mind, she came across a reassuring sight: a coat hanging on a stone wall. Her knowledge of fashion was limited, so she couldn’t glean much from it, but Tamamo pointed out to her that it was a woman’s garment. “I suspect this must belong to Rinrin,” Tamamo mused, peeking past the stone wall. Beyond the wall was a house, separated by a yard. It was a single-story, Japanese-style wooden home with a tiled roof that brought to mind images of the countryside. The building sat comfortably on a plot of land so large that it would be impossible to imagine in the middle of a city, appearing as if it was basking in the sun. Yuki looked back and forth between the house and the coat. “Rinrin must’ve put this here as a landmark…” The coat was in pristine condition, suggesting it had been left on the wall no earlier than the previous day. Considering its position in front of a house, there was a high chance it was meant to convey Rinrin’s location. Yuki and Tamamo walked up to the house. There was no doorbell, so Yuki knocked to announce her presence. “Coming!” a small voice responded from the other side. Moments later, Yuki heard the sound of jingling mixed in with approaching footsteps. Yuki stood there wondering what the noise could be for about half a minute, after which the door slid open with a rattling noise characteristic of old houses. “Why, welcome.” Standing there was a youthful-looking woman. Yuki had pictured Rinrin to be around Kirihara’s age since the two of them had been friends, but the woman appeared to be younger, either because she actually was or as a consequence of her style. She had a gentle, elder sister–like aura, and from each of her ears dangled a small bell—likely the source of the jingling. And most importantly: Both her eyes were closed. Although the woman’s appearance essentially convinced Yuki of her identity, she still asked for confirmation just in case. “Would you happen to be Rinrin?” “Indeed,” the woman answered. “You must be Yuki.” “Yes.” “—And who is that girl with you?” Rinrin asked, gesturing at Tamamo with her hand. At Rinrin’s gesture, a look of shock spread across Tamamo’s face, but the girl quickly composed herself and bowed. “I’m Yuki’s protégée, Tamamo.” “Oh? So you have a protégée, Yuki.” “Um… How did you know she was here?” Yuki asked. “You…can’t see, right? And Tamamo hasn’t said a word.” “Yes, that is true,” Rinrin replied. “However, I can easily tell something like that without sight… Now, come in. Let’s continue our conversation inside.” Rinrin turned around and stepped farther into the house. Yuki and Tamamo did the same. The two of them took off their shoes and placed them in the entryway. As if having watched and waited for them to step into the hallway, Rinrin began walking at the perfect moment. The two girls followed her lead, and the three proceeded down the hallway. “Thank you for coming all this way,” Rinrin said. “Your cell phones have no service, right?” “Yeah, there’s no signal,” Yuki replied. “I apologize for calling you out here. It was absolutely necessary that this be our meeting place…” “……? Rinrin, do you not live on this island?” Since that was what the woman’s tone had seemed to imply, Yuki decided to ask. “Heavens, no,” Rinrin replied. “Do you think anyone could live alone in a place as remote as this? Least of all someone completely blind.” She had a point. “…I guess not,” Yuki replied. “An acquaintance set things up on this island for me in order to make this an enjoyable experience for the two of you…” Yuki reflected on the situation. Although the island showed signs of being shaped by human hands, it had most likely been abandoned some time ago, which was why it felt like a wasteland. That aside, Rinrin’s use of the word enjoyable implied something more than mere fun. Yuki wondered exactly what the woman had in store for them. “…………” Yuki carefully observed Rinrin as the woman walked on ahead. She’d heard Rinrin had played in the games while completely blind. That was the reason she was visiting her. Yet so far, Rinrin’s actions seemed to have mirrored those of someone who had the full faculty of sight. She had noticed the presence of Tamamo, who hadn’t spoken a word before then, and had even politely waited for them to take off their shoes. Plus, the woman was turning corners and avoiding obstacles without using a guide cane as they walked down the hallway. Yuki turned her attention to Rinrin’s ears. Although they were hidden beneath Rinrin’s hair, she could see the earrings attached to them, along with the bells hanging from her earrings. With every step Rinrin took, the bells would jingle, brightening the mood of the hallway. Are those bells for what I think they’re for? “Um… Rinrin?” Yuki spoke up. “What is it?” “Do you wear those bells to generate echoes?” Echolocation. The act of perceiving one’s surroundings and orienting oneself through the reflection of sound waves. Bats and dolphins were well-known to possess the skill, and it was even possible for humans to pull it off by clicking their tongue or tapping the ground with a cane. Yuki had never heard of someone doing this by wearing bells, but when you considered how bells might help a person with total blindness, it wasn’t difficult to come up with that theory. “Exactly.” Rinrin flicked the bell hanging from her left ear. “These have been with me for ten years now. After I lost my eyesight, I had to find a way to compensate for my disability…and the idea came to me. I think it’s fitting, since my name is reminiscent of the ringing of a bell.” Rinrin giggled. It was a grating laugh, the kind you often heard among young women. “Is navigating with bells a skill that can be learned?” “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Though, it does require a considerable amount of time to become proficient.” At the very least, Yuki had solved the mystery of how Rinrin was so aware of her surroundings. However, even if that technique allowed her to go about her daily life, it would not be enough for her to thrive as a player. There had to be something more. “Yuki, are you having problems with your right eye?” Rinrin asked out of the blue. “Huh?” The question took Yuki aback. “The length of your stride is shorter when you step with your right foot than with your left. That implies you are more guarded when it comes to your right side. Given you sought me out, I gather that either you must be unable to see out of your right eye or your vision is deteriorating… Am I mistaken?” Her stride. Yuki was momentarily taken aback that the woman was able to perceive such minor differences by ear, but then— “…Okay, I see what’s going on,” Yuki said. “This is a bluff. Kokone filled you in about me ahead of time, right?” Kokone was the link between Yuki and Rinrin. The girl was aware of Yuki’s vision loss in her right eye, so naturally, she must have mentioned it to Rinrin when setting up the meeting. It wouldn’t be odd for Rinrin to know about Yuki’s condition. Rinrin giggled. “Exactly. Well done noticing.” “Please don’t tell pointless lies.” “Bluffing is no less important a technique in death games. Especially for someone like me…” At that point in the conversation, Rinrin ushered Yuki and Tamamo into the drawing room. It had tatami mat flooring and various pieces of furniture that fit the image of a traditional Japanese home. The room appeared to be on the edge of the house, as sunlight was filtering in through paper sliding doors. Rinrin sat down on a cushion next to the large table. Yuki and Tamamo followed suit on the other side. “Now, let’s get straight down to business,” Rinrin said. “Kokone informed me of your situation…but allow me to confirm the facts. You are a player like me, and the vision in your right eye has started deteriorating.” “Yes.” “You have come to visit me to learn how you can continue fighting on as a player without relying on sight.” “Exactly.” “I won’t ask for your reason.” Rinrin brought a hand to her chest. “I do not need to ask to know I empathize with your circumstances. I sincerely wish to be of assistance, so I’ll support you however I can.” “…I appreciate that,” Yuki replied. Apparently, the woman felt strongly for Yuki. While it seemed strange Rinrin would express such emotion toward a virtual stranger, considering the severity of the issue of eyesight and their shared background as players, the woman must have greatly identified with Yuki’s situation. “I gave a lot of thought to how I could best convey my techniques to you,” Rinrin continued. “While it is possible by word of mouth alone, I fear that will not be sufficient. You and I are two different beings. Though we share a language, there is no guarantee that the same words will resonate with us in the same way…” The woman had spoken poetically, but Yuki thought her points to be true. “That is why I have decided on a more dynamic approach. Thankfully, you and I are both players. We know of a method of conveying techniques that is far more effective than words, while being just as accurate. Isn’t that right?” “I’m not sure I follow.” “If you are a player, then surely you make a habit of it. I am referring to, of course, stealing the techniques of the people you fight with and against… Although I find my skills as a teacher to be lacking, I am still confident in my combat abilities. So that is how we will proceed.” “Do you mean we’ll be sparring or something?” Yuki theorized. All of a sudden, Rinrin pressed a hand to her lips—to suppress her laughter. After a few moments of giggling uncontrollably… “You’re a funny girl,” she replied. “I would not have called you to this island for a simple sparring match. When I said ‘combat,’ I meant it literally. “Allow me to explain the rules,” Rinrin continued. “In game terms…I suppose you can consider this an escape game. Hidden somewhere on this island are a motorboat and its accompanying smart key. You will clear the game upon using those items to escape the island. Meanwhile, I will attempt to prevent you two from leaving. There is no designated time limit, and no tactic is prohibited. You are free to use anything on this island however you see fit to win. There are also food provisions and lethal instruments hidden all over, so I suggest you try searching for them.” “…‘Lethal instruments’? What do you mean by that?” Yuki asked, curious about Rinrin’s ominous choice of words. “Yes, well… I found a few when I conducted a cursory search after arriving here yesterday…” Rinrin stood up and walked toward an old-fashioned chest of drawers. After opening one of the drawers, she pulled out two objects and set them on the table. “Like these, for example.” No matter what angle you looked at them, they were undeniably weapons. (9/28) On the table rested one handgun and one butterfly knife. Neither object was fake. As a denizen of a merciless world where she constantly had to keep her wits about her, Yuki could distinguish between real and fake weapons by sight alone. These ones were illegal to possess in Japan without just cause, the kind that could effortlessly take a human life. Rinrin picked up the gun and fired. Of course, she hadn’t pointed the weapon at Yuki and Tamamo; she had aimed it at the sliding door, likely as a demonstration. Four gunshots rang out in rapid succession, and with each booming roar of the firearm, another hole opened up diagonally below the door handle. “…………” Yuki was speechless. “I do not know how many are hidden on this island,” Rinrin continued nonchalantly, “but I was able to find these two inside this house alone. It stands to reason there are plenty more scattered around. I imagine you will not be at a loss for weapons.” “C-could you stop right there for a second?” Yuki interrupted. Although Rinrin naturally could not see it, Yuki had instinctively stuck out her hands to gesture for the woman to stop. “Wh-what are you suggesting? Are we seriously going to be fighting to the death?” “You’re reacting like a first-time player.” Rinrin giggled. Yuki couldn’t see what was so funny. “Why are you so surprised?” Rinrin asked. “What did you think when you heard me say the word combat?” “Well, you know… I was expecting something more along the lines of mock combat. Why does this need to resemble a game? And even if we have to use weapons, what’s wrong with ones that are less lethal?” “Too soft. If you wish to improve your combat skills, you must train in conditions that are as close as possible to an actual game. Was this not how your mentor instructed you?” “Of course not! She taught me things in a normal way!” Although Yuki couldn’t say that Hakushi had taught her in a kind way, none of the woman’s lessons had been this violent—at least, not that she could recall. “Is that so? Players these days are far too lax.” Rinrin picked up the butterfly knife and flipped it open in a smooth motion. The movement would have seemed more amusing than terrifying when performed by a random delinquent off the street, but seeing it done by a gentle, youthful-looking woman—and someone blind at that—was bone-chilling. “However, this is my way of doing things—and I insist you follow along.” “…………” Once again, Yuki was rendered speechless. It took a few seconds for her to fully accept this was really happening. After that, she glanced at her protégée, Tamamo, who was sitting beside her. “In that case, I want to let Tamamo go home before we begin,” Yuki said. “We took a boat here, so she can use that…” Yuki’s agent was standing by at the pier with the boat they had used to get here, as it had not been clear how long their island stay would be or what would happen after their meeting with Rinrin. It was possible Yuki and Tamamo could use that boat to escape the island without going along with Rinrin’s game. However… “No can do,” Rinrin said. “Or rather, I should say that it is too late. That boat is long gone.” “Huh?” Rinrin slid open the door. She walked across the veranda, slipped on some geta sandals, and stepped out into the yard. Although she didn’t give any instructions, Yuki and Tamamo followed after her. They walked across the yard to a spot overlooking the entire surrounding area. Only now did Yuki realize the house was situated on a hill. She saw the path she and Tamamo had walked up, along with the pier where they had arrived. Yet for some reason, the boat was gone. “Was it your agent, perhaps?” Rinrin remarked. “The presence of other boats would throw a wrench in things, so I had her leave. As such, you no longer have a means of escaping this island besides clearing my game.” “…………” Yuki was struck speechless for a third time. Yuki and Tamamo’s trek to the house had not been a smooth and quick journey. They had gone back and forth between branching paths and dead ends to search for where Rinrin could be. While they had been taking their sweet time, Rinrin must have traveled from the house to the pier, directed Yuki’s agent to leave the island, and returned. That would have required great skill. “Are you serious about this?” Yuki asked, staring at the gun in Rinrin’s hand. Whether or not she could sense Yuki’s gaze, Rinrin raised the weapon. “I would not bring this out if I was joking.” “You said no tactics will be prohibited. So…should we interpret that to mean you’ll be coming at us with intent to kill?” “Yes, that would be accurate.” “I don’t mean to be rude…but it’s entirely possible we might take your life. You are aware of that, right?” According to Rinrin, this mock game would be an escape game. That meant they could clear it without killing Rinrin. Yuki had zero intention of killing outside of a game. However, considering the kinds of weapons they would be using, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility she would need to take a life. Rinrin smiled. “A strange question. Isn’t that obvious? I gave up my attachment to life the day I became a player.” Something about her remark didn’t sit right with Yuki, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. What could it be? Although Yuki wanted to continue sitting and pondering, Rinrin cut short her train of thought. “Now, shall we begin?” Rinrin pointed the gun at the sky. The next word out of her mouth would immediately communicate what this meant. “One…” Yuki turned to Tamamo, who nodded in response. A moment later, the two of them took off as fast as they could. They kicked off their sandals, dashed across the yard to the drawing room, exited, and sped down the hallway at a pace ten times faster than that of when they had first arrived, like super-express bullet trains. They scrambled to put on their shoes, etiquette be damned, and the moment they left the house, a gunshot rang out, signaling the start of the mock game. Fortunately, Rinrin had given Yuki and Tamamo a head start. The gunshot had sounded exactly ten seconds after the woman began counting, which had given the two of them enough time to make it outside the house. Yuki was grateful that it hadn’t been three seconds or five seconds, but even so, she did not think for a moment that Rinrin had an ounce of mercy in her. (10/28) After leaving the house, Yuki and Tamamo continued to run. They ran and ran and ran and ran as fast as they could, with a sense of seriousness that had been utterly absent during their long “training run” some time ago. Yuki was genuinely relieved she had learned Tamamo possessed the endurance to keep up with her back then—and that the girl had actually slimmed down. Now she didn’t need to worry about leaving her protégée behind, even if she sprinted at max speed. After dashing down a cracked road, leaping over a stone wall, and cutting across a grove of trees, the two of them continued to retreat. By that point, Yuki was nearly out of breath, her vision was growing hazy, and her legs were no longer fully cooperative. When a metallic taste began to fill her mouth— —she heard the sound of Tamamo falling behind her. “Ah…” The second Yuki turned around in worry, she also tripped and dropped to the ground. Both of them had fallen to their knees in the middle of the road. With the last reserves of Yuki’s stamina exhausted, getting back on her feet from a kneeling position presented a nearly impossible challenge. She crawled over to Tamamo like a dog and asked, “Are you okay?” “My…my legs feel like jelly…,” Tamamo replied. Her lower body was indeed trembling, a sign she had reached her limit. “Let them give out,” Yuki said. Yuki then scanned their surroundings. The road continued to their front and rear, while to the left and right, groves of trees stretched out beyond the stone walls. There was no sign of Rinrin in any direction. They had gotten away—for now, at least. Yuki wiped the sweat off her forehead, sweeping aside the hair that had clumped together as well. “Ugh… This is ridiculous…,” Yuki grumbled as her lungs begged for oxygen. Nothing could have prepared her for this situation. Although she had figured undergoing training from a former player wouldn’t be a painless experience, she hadn’t expected anything like this. It was essentially the same as an actual game—or rather, even more ruthless than an actual game. Since the organizers were not involved, they wouldn’t be offered medical support come the end of the competition. Though Yuki was still under the effects of the Preservation Treatment, she would need to deal with whatever injuries she accrued here herself. What was she to do? Could she ask her agent for help? Would the organizers be willing to treat wounds she incurred outside an official game? And what about Rinrin? Was she no longer under the effects of the Preservation Treatment, like Hitomi and Kirihara? Did Kokone know about this mock game? If so, Yuki was prepared to physically harass her the next time they met. I might as well count this toward my goal of ninety-nine—when Yuki’s thoughts began to veer toward escapism, she shook her head to clear it. “Sorry to drag you into this,” Yuki said to Tamamo. “Oh, no, I’m, fine. Really…” Tamamo’s choppy words between heavy breaths made it clear that she was, in fact, not fine. Although Yuki was glad to hear Tamamo say that, inside, the girl was probably exasperated with the situation. At least, Yuki felt that way herself. While she could accept dying in a game, she couldn’t stomach the idea of biting the dust during a training exercise. Just then, Yuki remembered they had been so preoccupied with running away that they had left their bags in the house. Both she and Tamamo had nothing but the clothes on their backs. To be precise, they did have their phones in their pockets, but their devices still had no service, so calling for help would be impossible. “Tamamo, can your phone make satellite calls by any chance?” Yuki asked. Tamamo shook her head. “Sorry, I should have been more prepared…” It’s not your fault, Yuki thought. It was an unreasonable ask to begin with. Besides, Yuki didn’t even know if modern smartphones had satellite-calling capabilities. Once the fatigue disappeared from her legs, Yuki got back on her feet. She rambled around the vicinity, wondering if she might be able to get service somehow, but what she found was not a signal. Inside the grove, she spotted something black: a long and thin rod around three feet in length. Upon closer examination, it was slightly curved and had some heft to it. Suddenly, Yuki had a flash of insight. She gently pulled on the rod— —revealing a blade with a wavy pattern on the sharp edge. It was a katana. “…………” Yuki sheathed the sword and mustered her resolve. With the situation being what it was, she had no choice but to do it. She had to steal the techniques of Rinrin, the blind player. (11/28) Yuki and Tamamo went over the rules Rinrin had explained to them. The mock game fell under the category of escape games. They would clear it if they located both the boat and the key hidden somewhere on the island and used them to flee. However, Rinrin would work to prevent them from getting away. All options were on the table—including killing, of course. Theoretically, Rinrin could destroy the boat or toss the key into the ocean, but Yuki didn’t believe she would do anything like that. Typically, in games with “obstructors” who clashed with players, the path to victory would never be completely shut off. And since Rinrin had indicated this would mimic an actual game, she would follow accepted protocol—at least, Yuki certainly hoped so. In addition to the boat and key, there were various items stashed around the island. Yuki had found a katana right out of the gate. Since she had stumbled upon it without searching, the island was likely overflowing with items, just as Rinrin had indicated. When Yuki first heard the rules, she instantly had a certain thought— “This place is way too big…,” Yuki said while wandering the island with Tamamo. The isle itself was not large. It would be possible to go around the entire perimeter if given a full day. But while the island was not vast in terms of area, it was enormous in terms of the number places someone could hide something. Boat aside, the key could be hidden anywhere: in a bush, underneath the floorboards of a house, on top of a utility pole, or even in the dirt. Searching for an item no more than three inches long on this island was no different from digging for a gold nugget in a desert. “We don’t have any hints to go off, either,” Tamamo said, indicating her agreement with Yuki. “This is way too difficult.” What was the point? Assuming this scenario was mimicking an actual game, victory should be attainable. Either the key was hidden in an easy-to-spot location, or hints to its hiding spot had to be scattered all over the island. Or perhaps it was a mistake to believe a reasonable strategy was possible in the first place. The purpose of this mock game was for Yuki to learn the fighting style of a blind player like Rinrin. It wouldn’t be strange if the rules were only meant as embellishments. “Oh, wait a sec…,” Tamamo muttered. She pulled out her phone and fiddled with it. After she stared at the screen for several seconds, her face lit up. “I knew it.” “What are you doing?” Yuki asked. “Using Bluetooth.” Tamamo held up her phone to show Yuki. “I was thinking the items might be emitting radio waves. We’re searching for a smart key, after all.” Yuki looked at the device. Tamamo had pulled up the Bluetooth settings screen, which typically was used to wirelessly connect electronics like earphones or laptops to peripheral devices. That function would even work on an uninhabited island without cellular service. Since Bluetooth allowed devices to interact directly with one another without needing to route through a base station, the availability of cellular service—or lack thereof—was irrelevant. The information currently on the screen was quite curious. Since the island had no residents, there should have been no devices emitting radio waves, but the phone had detected several such connections. From top to bottom, the list of available devices showed “Item 0037,” “Item 0024,” “Item 0118,” and “Item 0101.” “Are these…referring to individual items?” Yuki asked. “I believe so. They must have security tags or something similar attached to them.” Yuki looked down at the katana she had picked up earlier. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a sticker on the sheath, which was likely the source of the signal. Yuki had heard about security tags that could be paired with smartphones. You attached the tags to important objects like keys, and in the event that item got lost, you could use a phone to wirelessly activate an alarm or pinpoint the object’s location via a dedicated app. Of course, neither Yuki nor Tamamo had paired any devices or installed relevant apps, but it was apparently still possible for their phones to detect the radio waves of usable devices. The items currently listed on Tamamo’s phone appeared to be nonessential, but it was likely that the boat and key they were searching for had tags as well. They could use the Bluetooth functionality of their phones to track down items as if by dowsing. That had to be the strategy for clearing this game. “…Um, by the way,” Tamamo said, “besides the items, there’s also a device named Yuki’s Smartphone listed… This is your phone, right?” “Huh?” Yuki took a closer look at the screen. Indeed, Yuki’s Smartphone was present at the very bottom of the list of detected devices. It was, obviously, Yuki’s cell phone. She hadn’t bothered to change her phone’s default name, and she wasn’t in the habit of turning off Bluetooth. If anyone in her vicinity was to ever open their Bluetooth settings screen, naturally they would see Yuki’s name listed. “I don’t mean to be pushy, but you really should change the name of your phone. It could be unsafe as it is…” “…………” Yuki felt a pang of embarrassment. She jested, “…If we survive this battle, I’ll do just that.” The very next moment— Tamamo’s phone detected another device: My Smartphone. (12/28) “…!” Tamamo tapped the screen with the speed of a spinal reflex and turned off Bluetooth on her phone. “Yuki, you too,” Tamamo said. “Ah yeah…” Yuki pulled out her phone. While unlocking the device, Yuki tried to wrap her head around the situation. My Smartphone had to be Rinrin’s phone. Which meant, like Yuki and Tamamo, Rinrin was also using her phone to proceed with the game. And since she had set its name as My Smartphone, she must have anticipated Yuki and Tamamo would detect the device. But how was that possible? After all, wasn’t Rinrin blind? How was she operating a phone? How was she able to search for items? Yuki finally reached her phone’s Bluetooth settings. The exact moment her finger hovered over the button at the top of the screen— Malice filled the air. Moments later, multiple gunshots rang out. Yuki and Tamamo immediately took cover. Curling up like a rabbit in winter, Yuki counted eight total gunshots. Combined with the four shots Rinrin had fired during her demonstration and the one she’d fired to signal the start of the game, that added up to thirteen. Evidently, that must have been the maximum capacity of the gun, as no more shots rang out. Yuki heard what sounded like Rinrin tossing away the now-empty firearm. “—Seems that I missed.” The voice came from far away. “I must be rusty after all this time. It won’t be easy to hit you.” The jingling of Rinrin’s bells gradually grew louder. Yuki stood up and glanced in the direction of the voice. Walking down the road toward her and Tamamo was the gentle-looking woman with bells hanging from both ears: Rinrin. In her left hand was a smartphone. She tapped the screen. “Oh?” she remarked. “Tamamo, you turned off your phone’s Bluetooth. Does that mean you’ve realized the trick behind this game? How impressive.” Apparently, Rinrin could perceive the information on her phone’s screen. “…I take it we’re supposed to use our phones for this game?” Yuki asked. “Indeed,” Rinrin answered. “All the items on this island have been affixed with a tag that can be detected with Bluetooth. Some are hidden in areas where the signal may be difficult to pick up, but for the most part, they should pop up on your phone if you’re within several yards. The same applies to the items that will decide your fate: the boat and the smart key. They have been given special names that differ from those of other items, so if you see them on your device, try searching around that area… Oh, and there’s no need to worry about your phones running out of battery. There are portable chargers among the items, so please make use of them. “However,” Rinrin continued, “like you, I will also be using my phone. To search for items, of course, but I may also use it to deduce your whereabouts, as I did just now. If you wish to take a break or ambush me, it would be wise to turn off Bluetooth.” “Rinrin, you can use a phone?” Yuki asked, noticing an opportune moment in the conversation to pose the question. “Yes,” she replied. “Modern smartphones are quite convenient. I need not be able to see to know what’s displayed on the screen.” Rinrin tapped the screen. She had apparently set her device’s volume to max, as Yuki could hear the sounds from where she was. “Bluetooth.” “Nearby devices.” “Searching.” “Settings.” “Button.” A computerized voice uttered those words in rapid succession, reading out whatever text Rinrin had tapped. “My phone has text-to-speech functionality built in. Although it takes somewhat more effort, operating a phone is no issue for me. You may find yourself needing this setting someday, so I suggest you make note of it.” “…I’ll keep that in mind.” Rinrin giggled. “By the way, are you not so technologically inclined, Yuki?” The woman repeatedly tapped the screen. As soon as the synthesized voice echoed out, Yuki remembered that her own phone was still emitting Bluetooth signals. “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “Yuki’s Smartphone.” “P-please stop.” Yuki turned off her phone’s Bluetooth. Rinrin’s grin widened. Then, without changing her expression, the woman pulled out a butterfly knife from her pocket. “……!” Yuki scrambled to put away her phone. Next, she grabbed the katana she had found earlier and unsheathed it. Yuki tossed aside the sheath, which clattered on the ground, but by that point, Rinrin had already finished opening her knife. “It seems you found a weapon,” Rinrin said. “A long sword…or a katana, perhaps? I can tell by the sheath you discarded. Either way, your weapon certainly has a longer reach than mine.” Just like before, the woman was once again analyzing the situation as if she could see. Yuki tightened her grip on the katana. Yuki was wielding a sword, while her opponent had a knife. It was an ironclad principle of combat that longer weapons provided an advantage. In the current situation, however, Yuki did not sense she had the upper hand—for she felt insecure about holding a katana. In a past game themed like a period drama, she had been unable to adequately wield a katana, which ultimately resulted in all four of her limbs being sliced off. Ever since, the katana had ranked at the top of her list of weapons to avoid. Factoring in the vision loss in her right eye, she wanted to avoid a close-combat fight against a capable opponent at all costs. Alas, her current opponent was not someone who would respect Yuki’s naive wish. Rinrin walked closer and closer. One step. Followed by another. With every step she took, the bells on her ears would jingle. The jingling of bells, Rinrin’s footsteps, and Yuki’s own breathing—each time those three sounds repeated in a cycle, Yuki deepened her focus. Her mind swept away all irrelevant information. She lost the ability to sense the gradually darkening sky, the trees swaying in the wind, the stone walls lining both sides of the road—or even the presence of Tamamo, who was right beside her. Her whole world now only consisted of the space between her and Rinrin. From the moment Yuki had grabbed the katana, she had been envisioning the weapon’s range, now more so than ever. The moment Rinrin entered into that range and motioned to take another step— It’s time, Yuki told herself. She lunged forward. Taking advantage of her momentum, she attempted to swing the blade down from overhead. However, Rinrin also stepped forward, as she had been watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With just one little movement, Rinrin had reduced the distance between them, and Yuki knew this would reduce the effectiveness of her own swing. To make matters worse, Rinrin crouched down, held out her knife horizontally, and positioned her other hand perpendicularly against the blade of the knife, forming a cross shape. The woman’s intentions were clear—if Yuki continued with her attack and brought down the katana, Rinrin would bring the knife up against the katana’s handle. That would allow Rinrin to effortlessly stop Yuki’s attack and cut Yuki’s fingers. Shoot, Yuki thought. Her body reacted, beginning with the parts closest to her brain. She pulled back her neck, tensed up her shoulders, and pushed off against the ground with her front foot to shift her center of gravity backward, but she did not cease her attack. Her katana traced a perfect arc in the air before colliding with the knife and making a pathetic clang. Because her swing had no weight behind it, Yuki was unable to overpower Rinrin, who was attempting to deflect the katana by slicing her knife sideways and forcing her way forward. However, since Yuki had predicted what her opponent would do, she retreated back even farther and lightly swung the katana, preventing Rinrin from coming deeper into her space. They stood at the same distance as before. “……” Yuki exhaled deeply. She suddenly felt exhausted. Although the interaction had only lasted several seconds, Yuki felt like she had been forced to use every inch of her body. She turned her attention back to her opponent, who was standing in front of her. Until the moment she realized that Rinrin’s eyes were both still shut, Yuki had completely forgotten she had just crossed blades with someone completely blind. Rinrin balled up her empty hand into a fist before opening it again. It seemed that Yuki’s attack had inflicted some damage. “Well done, Yuki,” Rinrin said. Yuki lacked the mental leeway to respond with a “right back at you.” “The odds appear to be against me. I suppose I will retreat for the time being.” The woman turned around, showing her back to Yuki. While Yuki momentarily interpreted this to be careless, she immediately realized that line of criticism did not apply to Rinrin. After all, the woman could not see even if she was facing Yuki directly. For someone who perceived the world through sound, “backward” carried no more significance than the direction in which it was more difficult to move one’s arms and legs. As she had just declared, Rinrin trudged away from the area, as if making a show of leaving. While watching the woman from behind, Yuki assessed the situation. Should she give chase? If the odds were against Rinrin, that had to mean they were in Yuki’s favor. In which case, wouldn’t this be the prime opportunity to stake everything on a battle? Wouldn’t it be best to force the blind player to demonstrate more of her techniques here and now? However, Yuki was unable to make up her mind. She lowered her katana and simply watched as Rinrin walked off. “We should get going, too.” Only when she heard Tamamo’s words did Yuki release the tension from her body. (13/28) Yuki and Tamamo explored the island until sunset. Pushing past their fears of being attacked by Rinrin, the girls used their phones to search for items, obtaining weapons that were easier to wield than a katana and food rations that included hardtack and water, along with several portable chargers. They also made progress regarding the all-important conditions for victory: They located the boat. It was floating on the water, tied to a rock on the island’s coast. Just as Rinrin had explained, it was a model that would start with a smart key. The name of the ship came up on their phones as Ship 001. Based on that, they presumed the key would be named Key 001, but before Yuki and Tamamo could locate the second essential item, the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. Night fell. As a habitual night owl, Yuki was well acquainted with this time of day. But right now, however, the late hour instilled in her nothing but fear. That was because she was facing an opponent who was even more comfortable with the darkness of night than her. (14/28) Besides their one brief encounter, Yuki and Tamamo did not run into Rinrin the rest of the day. There were several close calls where the device My Smartphone had appeared on their phones, followed by the jingling of bells, but they did not cross blades with the woman a second time. Why? Part of the reason was that Yuki and Tamamo had elected to run away, but Rinrin hadn’t chased after them, either. Yet why hadn’t she done so? It was possible Rinrin still believed the odds were not in her favor, as she had previously stated. So then, what was she waiting for? What conditions would be ideal for her? The answer was obvious: nighttime. Rinrin was blind. The night was her time to shine. Since she was unable to see, the presence of light, or lack thereof, had no bearing on her actions. Meanwhile, even if Yuki was proud to call herself a longtime friend of the night, both Tamamo’s and her abilities would be greatly diminished in the dark compared to during the day. Rinrin must have been waiting for a situation where her prey would be weakened. That was the conclusion Yuki and Tamamo had reached while it had still been bright out. As such, their most pressing concern was deciding how they should spend the night. Sleeping was out of the question. And since the darkness would reduce their situational awareness, continuing to explore would also be dangerous, as would be staying outside. That was why the two of them decided to wait inside one of the abandoned houses. Naturally, Rinrin would likely begin by searching buildings, but owing to the sheer number on the island, she would be unable to check them all before dawn. And since Yuki and Tamamo knew she was coming, they could set traps and lie in wait. Besides, neither of them had suitable clothing to shield them from the cold, so they had no desire to be somewhere that offered no shelter from the elements. So Yuki and Tamamo ended up staying inside the house, waiting for dawn to break. Of course, they completely turned off their cell phones. The two of them wrapped themselves in a slightly stained blanket they had managed to find inside the house, thereby securing the bare minimum amount of warmth. While taking turns napping, they huddled in the cover of darkness. “You cold?” “I am, but I can handle it…” Yuki and Tamamo spoke in hushed voices. “Let’s search the west side of the island tomorrow. If we continue at the same pace as today, we should be able to finish exploring everywhere by noon.” “Okay…” Their search during the day had taken them around approximately half the island. Although the area was small enough to fully explore in a single day, because they had arrived in the afternoon, they had been unable to cover the whole thing before sunset. By Yuki’s calculations, if they departed at dawn, their search would wrap up before noon. However, even if they finished searching the island, there was no guarantee they would find the key… “By the way, how is your other objective coming along?” Tamamo asked. “Have you learned anything about Rinrin’s combat skills from your fight with her? Although, it feels like we won’t have a real clash with her for a while…” Oh, right, Yuki thought. She had completely forgotten that had been the main purpose of her visit. “About that…” Yuki had sensed various things from Rinrin, but she had yet to organize those feelings into words. After taking some time to piece it all together in her head, she said, “There’s one impression in particular I got from fighting her.” “What is it?” “Even though she’s blind, she doesn’t actually seem to be at a disadvantage.” “…Really?” “Yeah. She makes up for it with her sense of hearing, to a certain extent. It’s not like we can run up to her willy-nilly and beat her up. We’ll have to stay vigilant when we approach her and prepare for the possibility of a counterattack—just like when fighting someone who can see.” Yuki continued, “The question is: How vigilant do we need to be? Honestly, I don’t have that figured out. I mean, there’s no possible way we can understand the mindset of someone who sees the world through sound. We have no clue how detailed her perception is or how much she can’t perceive. Obviously, I imagine her picture of the world is less precise than that of someone who can see, but it’s not clear how much less precise it is. That’s why it won’t be easy to gain the upper hand.” At the very least, there was no doubt Rinrin was able to perceive quite a lot. During their earlier fight, Rinrin had foreseen the exact timing of Yuki swinging the katana, not to mention accurately positioned her knife to parry the attack. After experiencing that, Yuki had no choice but to treat Rinrin as someone with perfect vision. “Besides, other senses are superior to sight in certain ways. For example, our brains only receive visual information from in front of us, but auditory information can come from all directions.” At the end of their fight, Rinrin had turned her back to Yuki. That was proof that attacking the woman from behind would not work as an ambush. “Overall, I’d say her other senses are more than sufficient to make up for what should be a disadvantage. Taking her down will be a challenge.” “Do you see a way to win? Have you come up with a strategy against her?” “At the moment, just one.” Yuki made a finger gun with her right hand. “If we can force her into a gunfight, we should have the upper hand. Earlier, she fired eight shots at us, but not one of them hit, remember? She played it off by claiming she was rusty with a gun, but I bet that’s her weakness. We’ll have good chances of coming out on top in a shootout.” The greater the distance one was from the source, the weaker the sound. If Rinrin was far enough away, she would be unable to accurately gauge the position of her opponent. Surprisingly, that probably meant Rinrin was less suited to fighting at mid-to-long range than she was in close proximity. “Makes sense,” Tamamo commented. “There are other things that have me curious, too…” “…? What do you mean?” “Well, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Something just feels off about her…” Yuki had felt that way ever since she had first met Rinrin. There was something strange about the current situation and the woman herself. Yuki had a hunch that solving that mystery would lead her to victory in this mock game, which was why she had constantly mulled over it throughout the day, but she had failed to make any headway. During this conversation with Tamamo, too, Yuki had been unable to uncover the answer. Just then, the sound of jingling echoed from outside the house. (15/28) The sound was not the cry of a bell cricket—Rinrin had arrived. It was far easier to tell at night. Although it wasn’t quite on Rinrin’s level, Yuki’s sense of hearing had also become heightened. Yuki and Tamamo strained to listen. The jingling continued at a constant tempo, suggesting Rinrin was circling the house. She had to be searching for a way to enter. After she completed a lap around the building, Rinrin’s bells fell quiet. The next thing Yuki heard was the rattling of a sliding door. Rinrin had entered from the veranda. Yuki and Tamamo left the warmth of the blanket and grabbed their firearms: an automatic handgun for Yuki and a revolver for Tamamo. As Rinrin would be out of her element in a shootout, the two of them had settled on using guns as their primary weapons, but also they were carrying as much other equipment as they could without sacrificing mobility. There were two courses of action available to them: ambush Rinrin or flee. Yuki had shied away from engaging in combat during the day, but this time, she decided to go on the offensive. Although the darkness put her at a disadvantage, she would have the terrain advantage from being indoors. If Yuki’s suspicions were correct, the mock game would not end unless she defeated Rinrin. It was now or never. Yuki steeled herself. “Get out of here while you still can,” Yuki instructed Tamamo. “Run far away from this house as quietly as possible. Let’s meet at the boat tomorrow morning.” “Got it. I wish you the best of luck in battle.” Tamamo gave a quick bow before leaving the room in the direction opposite the sound of bells. She tiptoed away so as to cloak her footsteps and presence. With Tamamo gone, Yuki once again strained her ears. She could still hear the jingling of bells. The sound had grown louder, informing her Rinrin was inching closer and closer to the room. Among the items Yuki and Tamamo had discovered was a trap kit. They had set up as many traps in the house as they could, including a crossbow trap, a bear trap, and trip wires. Rinrin would have to pass through several of them to reach the room from the veranda, but Yuki tempered her expectations. If measly traps were enough to take Rinrin down, this game would be no challenge. Accordingly, Yuki was operating under the assumption she was going to have to fight against Rinrin, and she had a good idea as to what Rinrin would do to kick off the battle. There was one obvious choice for a blind player’s first move in an indoor fight. Although she had no concrete evidence, Yuki was confident in her theory. She fully trusted her instincts in these situations. Just as Rinrin had learned how to see the world through sound, Yuki had developed her cognition through building up a wealth of experience as a player. That was why Yuki concealed herself behind a dresser when the sound of bells reached just outside the room. She covered her eyes with a pair of goggles she had found on the island and tightly pressed several layers of a folded blanket against her ears. Although Yuki was now almost completely deprived of her hearing, she knew from the vibrations she felt through the tatami mat that Rinrin had opened the sliding door and tossed something inside. The next moment, a burst of light and sound filled the room. (16/28) Rinrin removed her earmuffs and charged into the room. As she ran, she flipped open her butterfly knife. She was already aware Yuki was inside and hiding behind the dresser. The flash grenade she had thrown should have discombobulated the girl, which meant that all she needed to do to finish the job was plunge her knife into Yuki’s vulnerable neck— —At least, that was how it was supposed to go. Unfortunately, the malice she sensed from the interior forced her to alter her plans. Rinrin returned to the hallway. The second after she took cover in a spot outside the line of fire from the room, she heard the sound of gunshots and bullets whizzing through the sliding door. If she had taken evasive maneuvers a moment later, her body would have been full of holes by now. Rinrin giggled. “Yuki, you’re awake, yes?” she asked. After a brief pause—enough for a single breath—the reply came. “I figured you’d pull something like this, so I took the appropriate measures to defend myself.” A shaking sensation came over Rinrin. One of the objects on her person was vibrating. She stuck her hand in her pocket to check which item was shaking. It was a smart key. Attached to it was a keychain of roughly the same size—the tag attached to items in this mock game. To be precise, it was the tag that was vibrating, which would only happen upon being paired with another device. Of course, Rinrin was well aware she had not activated the tag herself, which meant only one other person could be responsible. “I knew it. You found the key,” Yuki said. “Exactly.” Rinrin had found the smart key hanging on a utility pole shortly before sunset. Destroying the key or tossing it into the ocean would undermine the very foundation of the game, but she saw no issue with taking the item and keeping it close. “You cannot clear this game without defeating me.” “…Guess so.” Rinrin did not need sound to know Yuki had readied her gun. Rinrin felt her heart race with excitement. She had been anticipating this situation from the moment she’d received the call from Kokone. She would lay all her cards on the table in a fight against a fresh player with a promising future, have all of her techniques readily stolen by the absorbent youngster, and then, in the end— “Tamamo isn’t with you, yes?” Rinrin said, attempting a verbal strategy. “Could she be hiding inside the dresser? Or is she in a different room? What could you be planning? Hee-hee, I can’t wait to find out…” “……? What are you going on about?” Yuki replied. “I sent her away a while ago.” “…What?” “This battle is mine and mine alone. It doesn’t involve her…and I can’t have her dying ’cause I got her mixed up in this.” “…………” Oh? Rinrin thought. That puts a damper on things. It seems she’s still not fully serious about the game. If this is how she’s going to play it, I have no choice but to take comparable measures on my end. “You had Tamamo run away? Because you don’t want her to die?” Rinrin asked. “…What’s strange about that?” “How foolish of you, Yuki.” Rinrin snickered. “If you are afraid of her dying, then you must keep her by your side.” Rinrin took out a second flash grenade and pulled the pin. (17/28) Yuki heard a second flash grenade land on the tatami mats. Immediately, she took defensive measures. As if time was being rewound, she set down her gun, put on her goggles, and wrapped the blanket around her ears. The next moment, an explosion of sound and a flash of light assaulted her senses. It was over in a second. Yuki replaced the blanket in her hands with the gun and attempted to work out the situation outside the room. However, Rinrin’s presence had disappeared. “Wha…?!” Yuki strained her ears. Her opponent’s footsteps were growing fainter and fainter, along with the jingling of her bells. But why was Rinrin heading farther away? What was she planning? Yuki was in this room— She thought back to their conversation from seconds prior. Rinrin had left to chase after Tamamo. The realization spurred Yuki to dash from the room. Following Rinrin’s footsteps, Yuki sprinted down the hallway and out of the house. It was the dead of night, and she was on an island without a single streetlight. Although she had determined it would be risky to walk around in such conditions when up against a blind player, she set foot into the danger zone regardless. She had no other choice. Chasing after Rinrin’s footsteps, which had sounded from the yard, Yuki took stock of the situation. Was Rinrin seriously going after Tamamo? As a strategy, it was perfectly reasonable. With Yuki and Tamamo split up, the weaker link in the duo would be easier to pick off first. Moreover, attacking Tamamo, who was currently outdoors, would be far simpler a task than attacking Yuki, who had set up defenses inside a room. Plus, by targeting Tamamo, Rinrin had also forced Yuki outside to protect her protégée. Going after Yuki’s protegee was a sound strategy that brought multiple benefits. Yet Yuki hadn’t expected Rinrin would actually do so. Somewhere deep down, Yuki was still treating this exercise differently from a genuine game. She had convinced herself Rinrin would simply not target Tamamo, as the girl had inadvertently gotten mixed up in this. At this point, however, Yuki knew Rinrin was 100 percent serious. This mock game was pure, unadulterated warfare. As those thoughts streamed through her mind, Yuki descended a set of stairs that had been built near the road. It was a narrow structure, often seen next to roads in the countryside. She nimbly maneuvered down the steps and jumped the final few, landing on the road below. Alas, Yuki realized her mistake far too late. Gunshots rang out through the darkness. Yuki immediately crouched down. This was the same situation in which she had found herself earlier that day. Rinrin, who perceived the world through sound, would be unable to accurately aim at a faraway opponent— However, this time, the outcome was different. Around half the consecutive shots hit their target. One pierced Yuki’s leg, causing her to fall to the ground. “Gah—” Yuki desperately suppressed her urge to scream. “You’re awfully kind, Yuki.” The voice came from the direction of the bullets. The jingling of bells and the sound of footsteps continued. Soon, Rinrin’s silhouette appeared at a distance that was barely visible to Yuki’s naked eye. “Unfortunately, that was your downfall. I can understand your concern for your protégée, but you should have taken more care to avoid making noise. You were so loud that anyone, not just me, would be able to pinpoint your location.” Of course. That was when Yuki realized it. The moment the sound of her going down the stairs stopped, Rinrin would know she was at the bottom. Yuki’s position would be fixed at a single specific point. Although the direction of the sound would be insufficient information on its own, the nature of the sound gave away her location. Rinrin had been waiting to hear a sound that would confirm Yuki’s exact position. Had Rinrin chasing after Tamamo been a ruse to get Yuki to put herself at risk? Or would Rinrin actually have gone to kill Tamamo if Yuki hadn’t given chase? Regardless, the scenario was a win-win for Rinrin. Yuki had played right into her hands. “What’s the matter?” Rinrin asked. “While this may be a game of combat, I suppose it would defeat the purpose if I go any further than this. Killing you would mean everything I prepared would be all for naught.” The woman’s words offered a sliver of hope, but… “However,” Rinrin continued, “I have half a mind to take your life here and now after this sorry showing. Besides, even if I let you live, you’ll meet the same fate sooner or later…” Yuki felt a wave of hostility in the air. “Very well. I suppose I’ll put you out of your misery.” Dammit, Yuki thought. She’s not messing around. Thanks to the Preservation Treatment, Yuki’s bleeding had stopped. She was still able to move, and it wouldn’t be impossible for her to wield a gun. However, she wouldn’t be able to handle recoil in her current position, which meant aiming would be difficult. Yuki no longer had an advantage, even if she did challenge Rinrin to a shootout. I have no choice, Yuki thought. She held her firearm steady— —when all of a sudden, a gunshot rang out from another direction. (18/28) For a second, Yuki freaked out, thinking she had been shot. Contrary to her distress, however, pain did not course through her body. It wasn’t that the bullet had missed—it was that it hadn’t been aimed at Yuki to begin with. Both the gunshot and the muzzle flash had originated from the grove adjacent to the road. Rinrin hadn’t been the one to fire. Of course, Yuki hadn’t fired the shot, either. That meant there was only one possible shooter. “Don’t move!” Tamamo’s voice echoed through the darkness. “Throw away your gun! Leave this place at once!” Do you want her to move or not? Yuki thought. Tamamo must not have been used to this kind of situation. Still, Yuki knew what the girl was trying to do and felt grateful; Tamamo had come rushing to Yuki’s aid, likely after hearing the earlier gunshots. Rinrin’s shadow stirred in the darkness, suggesting the woman was readying her gun. However, she did not fire. It appeared that she was unable to pin down Tamamo’s exact location. When faced with the same situation in the daytime, Rinrin had not hesitated to unleash a barrage of bullets. Now that it was dark, however, it would be dangerous for her to do the same, as the bright flash of her gun firing would expose her location. Finally, the shadow in front of Yuki disappeared. Rinrin had left. “…Yuki!” Tamamo called out Yuki’s name, apparently having sensed Rinrin’s departure as well. Yuki heard the girl’s footsteps rush toward her, but— “Stay back!” Yuki shouted, straining her voice. “I’ll come to you…” Yuki began crawling toward Tamamo’s presumed location, where she had seen the muzzle flash. She had stopped Tamamo not out of her pride as a mentor but rather out of wariness of Rinrin. It was more than possible the woman was simply holding her breath and hiding nearby. Yuki crawled over the stone wall and entered the grove. Her injured leg cried out in pain, but she pushed ahead while propping herself up against trees and soon reunited with Tamamo. Once the girl saw Yuki up close, she took notice of her mentor’s injury. “…How is your wound?” Tamamo asked. “It’s not stopping me from moving, at least…,” Yuki answered. Leaning on Tamamo’s shoulder, Yuki continued to move. The two of them left the grove, walked down a road, and retreated as far as they could. Her senses sharpened by the pain, Yuki scanned her surroundings, but she detected no signs of Rinrin or the jingling of her bells. It seemed the woman had retreated for the time being. Since Yuki and Tamamo had been careful to avoid making obtrusive noises, Rinrin would have a hard time launching another attack. Yuki glanced at Tamamo. Since Yuki was leaning on the girl’s shoulder, she could only see Tamamo’s side profile, which was just as adorable as her front. Coming to her rescue had been well worth it. Although, putting it like that was not entirely accurate, since Yuki was the one who’d been rescued in the end. At the very least, however, it was true Yuki had rushed out of the house out of worry for the girl’s safety. It hadn’t been long since she had taken Tamamo under her wing, but Yuki was surprised at how much she already valued her protégée. —At how much she unwittingly valued her protégée. Don’t lose yourself now, Yuki reminded herself. This was not a real game, despite how everything about the situation clearly resembled one. Because of that, Yuki hadn’t been able to truly act like a player. If this had been a real game, for instance, she would’ve also had the option to abandon Tamamo, but she couldn’t do so at present. “You’re awfully kind, Yuki.” Rinrin’s words echoed in Yuki’s mind. The woman was absolutely right. Setting aside the matter of Tamamo, Yuki agreed she was pulling her punches in this game. This wasn’t how an eager learner behaved. If she truly wanted to acquire the techniques of the blind player, she would need to take things more seriously. Rinrin had mentioned being prepared for the possibility of losing her life. That meant Yuki should also approach the rest of the game with similar resolve— “…Huh?” Suddenly, Yuki felt a lightbulb go off in her head. All the pieces connected. Certain parts of her brain—Yuki didn’t know if they were synapses or neurons—fired in succession. She finally realized exactly what had been puzzling her since she had landed on the island, the mystery that had been nagging at her constantly. Yuki immediately put her thoughts into words. “I’m curious—why did Rinrin retire?” “Huh?” Tamamo looked straight at Yuki. “She used to be a player, right? But she isn’t active right now. I was just wondering why she quit…” “Probably because of…her vision…” Tamamo cut herself off. She seemed to realize the oddity as well. Exactly— Rinrin’s blindness could not possibly be the reason for her withdrawing from the games. Yuki had automatically linked Rinrin’s vision loss to her retirement without giving it much thought, but upon further reflection, Rinrin had, in fact, continued as a player even after losing her eyesight. Her reason for leaving the industry lay elsewhere. “She doesn’t seem like someone who would call it quits without a truly compelling reason,” Yuki said. Just like Hitomi, Kirihara, and Yuki’s mentor, Hakushi, retired players were not a rare breed. Some were forced into retirement due to an injury, while others got cold feet when coming face-to-face with the Wall of Thirty. In fact, those like Yuki who resolved to continue playing until their deaths were a far greater minority. Even in a world as unhinged as this, such players were exceptionally deranged. Based on what Yuki had observed, Rinrin was clearly someone who belonged to that group of diehards. A player to the bone. The very archetype of someone who would forge on until death. Since she had continued playing even after losing her vision, it seemed unthinkable she would retire due to anything less than extraordinary circumstances. Yet in reality, Rinrin had indeed left the games. She was flaunting her body that had escaped death to Yuki and Tamamo. What did this mean? What on earth could have happened to her? “…Don’t tell me…,” Yuki muttered. A certain theory clicked in her mind. (19/28) An abandoned house stood on the outskirts of the island. Inside, a supplier was standing at the ready. (20/28) The man worked as a supplier. He belonged to an adjacent industry to the world of death games, which made a spectacle out of the misery of girls. Like prosthetic craftsmen and the tattoo artist Kirihara, he was someone who made a living going after players’ wallets. As the name of his occupation suggested, his job was to supply items that were requested of him. His selling point was he would procure just about anything, ranging from out-of-season fruits to new family registers, but considering his line of work, he was more frequently asked for illegal items. In this instance, his client was a former player by the name of Rinrin, who also happened to be his longtime acquaintance. She had asked him to find a remote island and scatter a number of items around it, all for the sake of carrying out a mock game. On top of that, Rinrin had asked him to assist her as a collaborator. For that reason, the supplier was currently on the island, the venue of the mock game. He was sitting on a tatami mat in an abandoned house on the island’s outskirts. The room was dim. The lights were off, and very little light entered through the slightly open sliding door, as the sun had yet to rise. Yet the supplier himself was lit up—by the monitor in front of him. The monitor displayed footage of the island in real time, as transmitted by a live camera. Since dawn had yet to break, a typical video feed would appear dark, but because the camera was set to night-vision mode, the footage looked as though it was the middle of the day. Two antennae stuck out of the top of the monitor. The setup allowed him to connect to the camera wirelessly, without the need for an internet connection. At this very moment, there was movement on the video feed—because the camera itself was on the move. It was camouflaged and attached to a button on Rinrin’s clothes, constantly broadcasting what Rinrin was seeing—or rather, what Rinrin would be seeing if she had working vision. The device’s small size made it unrecognizable unless observed from up close, and it would be hard for anyone to even suspect the existence of a camera in the first place. After all, one wouldn’t suspect a blind person of using a device so intrinsically linked to vision. A surveillance camera, and an “audience” viewing footage through it. Those were part and parcel of death games, but in this mock game, they served a different purpose. Everything that was needed to pull off the bluff Rinrin had in mind—to support the big lie she was making—was here in this room, including the supplier himself. The blind player, Rinrin… Who would ever think it? That she lacked not only sight but also hearing. (21/28) Strictly speaking, Rinrin was not completely deaf. If she were, this big lie would not have been possible in the first place. While she could not hear anything with her left ear, her right ear was still somewhat functional when paired with a hearing aid. However, she no longer possessed the ability to perceive her surroundings using echolocation—the indispensable skill she had used to thrive as a player. Rinrin had lost her hearing a year or so after her eyesight, right around the time she had started making a name for herself as a blind player. At that point, her status as a player was revoked. That was the obvious outcome. What point was there in inviting a blind and deaf person to participate in death games? Even the organizers, who led an inhumane organization, apparently had enough common sense to recognize that. Although it seemed Rinrin herself wished to continue as a player, the organizers no longer permitted her participation. And so Rinrin was deprived of not only her sight and hearing, but also her calling as a player. Due to her circumstances, Rinrin was currently perceiving the world through a completely different method from when she had been active as a player. Specifically, the small camera hidden on her button was transmitting visual information of the scene in front of her to the supplier, who would then relay detailed directions to Rinrin via a transceiver in her inner pocket. The transceiver was wirelessly linked to an earphone with hearing aid functionality in Rinrin’s right ear, allowing her to hear the supplier’s instructions. Although she was still processing sounds, she was not hearing echoes but words. She was perceiving the world through verbal information, as if reading a novel. Actually, “perceiving” was perhaps a generous way of referring to it. Compared to directly seeing and hearing things, receiving information by word of mouth was tremendously inconvenient. In reality, there had already been plenty of close calls where things could have ended at any moment. Although the hearing aid was well hidden underneath Rinrin’s hair, when the woman had crossed blades with Yuki the previous day, the supplier was only able to inform Rinrin of the girl’s weapon and of the rough distance between them. Rinrin walking away after the clash with her back turned had been a complete bluff. Yuki could have easily defeated Rinrin had she attacked the woman from behind. As for their second clash in the middle of the night, Rinrin had evaded the traps in the house almost entirely on instinct, and her chasing after Tamamo had been a complete lie as well. It was nothing short of a miracle that she had been able to dash that far without tripping over or running into anything. Rinrin was making up for the dearth of information available to her with the intuition and daredevil courage she had developed as a player. That was the truth behind this self-proclaimed “blind player.” In other words, it was all an illusion. Of course, this big lie was not born from ill intentions. If there was any truth to be found in Rinrin’s actions, it was that she was genuinely hoping to convey her techniques to Yuki. While simulating her skills from her player days, Rinrin was demonstrating the art of bluffing, an essential skill for a player with a handicap. She was no doubt taking things seriously. She was, quite literally, staking her life on this. The supplier had been shocked when Rinrin approached him with a contract after a long period of silence. Her retirement from the games had turned her into a husk of her former self, yet it sounded as if she had returned to her old, cheerful ways. Based on what she had told him, it seemed that Rinrin had been asked to teach her techniques to Yuki, a player who shared a similar visual impairment. Although the two of them had yet to meet, Rinrin was already expressing strong empathy for Yuki. She enthusiastically explained she wanted the supplier’s help because she hoped to go through with the request without making compromises. The supplier got the sense Rinrin intended to die. Passing down all of herself to the next generation and being killed in the process—that was the one and only hope she could cling to. It was a regular occurrence in the world of death games. There was nothing strange about it. It would be a loss to the world if the techniques of a longtime survivor ceased to be passed on, especially those of someone with rare skills like Rinrin. A former player like her would almost certainly not hesitate to gladly give up her life. Still, the supplier sensed something off. Even if that was a source of hope for her, was it not a strange kind of hope? Was it not akin to the kind of hope felt by, say, a slave who could no longer endure tortuous forced labor throwing caution to the wind and charging into a group of armed guards? Was it not the kind of hope designed to make one feel satisfied with oneself? Was it not the kind of hope that lay one step away from self-destruction? Although the supplier had objections, in the end, he did not stop Rinrin. In accordance with her wishes, he prepared the venue and agreed to assist her. “…How is this going to end…?” the supplier muttered. All of a sudden, the front door rattled open. Someone had entered the house. The intruder walked down the hallway while making a ruckus, moving aside the sliding doors along the way. They did the same with the entrance to the room the supplier was in. The sliding door flew open with such great force that it bounced back around 20 percent of the distance after slamming against the wall. Standing on the other side—was not Rinrin. (22/28) Rinrin ran into a stone wall. (23/28) “Whoops…” Rinrin fell forward and grabbed the wall to support herself. She must have run into a corner. That would sometimes happen to her while walking, since she could neither hear echoes nor see in front of her. What’s going on? Rinrin thought. She would expect the supplier to give her directions before something like this happened. Was the camera broken? Or had he passed out from exhaustion? The supplier had been guiding Rinrin around throughout the night, so that would be perfectly understandable. While players like Rinrin were no strangers to pulling all-nighters, the supplier was an ordinary civilian. It wouldn’t be odd if he had fallen asleep. I suppose I’ll wake him up, Rinrin thought. She pulled out her transceiver. Of course, the device was not simply meant for receiving instructions; it was capable of two-way communication. “Hello?” Rinrin said, calling out to the supplier. However, there was no reply. “Hey, are you really asleep…?” Her second attempt also elicited no response. If I must…, Rinrin thought. She decided to head directly to the house where the supplier was. Rinrin put away her transceiver and took out a baton. When extended to its maximum reach, it became a two-foot-long metal rod. She had been carrying it around to use not as a weapon but as a guide cane in case the need arose. It was ever so slightly, yet noticeably, shorter than a typical cane, and even though she was dissatisfied with its length, she started walking while tapping the ground. Thankfully, she knew she was near the house in question. Rinrin had arrived on the island two days ago to commit most of its geography to memory, and she had constantly kept track of her location as she moved around. Even without directions from the supplier, she was perfectly capable of navigating by herself—as long as she didn’t care about time or appearances. Ten or so minutes later, Rinrin arrived in front of the house. She climbed over the stone wall, crossed the yard, and came to the main entrance. She reached out for the handle of the door— —but all she grabbed was air. The door was already open. “…………” Her intuition went to work. After taking a breath, she spoke up. “…You’re there, aren’t you, Yuki?” Footsteps came from behind her. (24/28) After reaching an answer to the mystery of Rinrin’s retirement, Yuki and Tamamo had resumed their exploration of the island. If that person existed, they must be somewhere here. Despite being totally blind, Rinrin had continued to play in the games by relying on her sense of hearing, so it followed her retirement must have come about as a result of hearing loss. Additionally, Rinrin had been moving as though she could hear, so Yuki deduced the woman must be working with a collaborator who was secretly feeding her instructions. And because the island had no cellular service, Yuki concluded the collaborator had to be here somewhere, leading her and Tamamo to search all the houses one after another. The two of them were able to locate the supplier and steal the transceiver before the break of dawn. At that point, they could have informed Rinrin of what they had done, but instead they decided to wait. Although the supplier had explained the woman’s circumstances to them in detail, Yuki wanted to confirm the truth with her own eyes. The moment Rinrin appeared, using a baton as a guide cane, Yuki was at a loss for words. Rinrin walked straight up to the house, failing to notice Yuki had been sitting on the stone wall out front. There was no denying the truth. Rinrin was actually… “…Good morning, Rinrin,” Yuki said. “Good morning.” “So you have hearing loss, too, huh?” “Yes,” Rinrin admitted. The woman lifted up the hair over her right ear and turned her head to the left, revealing an earphone that rested inside her ear canal—her hearing aid. “Have you already met the man inside?” Rinrin asked, returning her head and hair to their original positions. “Yes. He told us everything.” Everything—including the progression of Rinrin’s hearing loss, the tricks she used to compensate for her impairments, and her state of mind. “Is this why you came up with the game mechanic of searching for items with wireless signals? If we could tell where items were from outside, we wouldn’t need to search any houses. We’d have no way of stumbling upon your collaborator if we went about the game normally.” “Yes, that’s true. Although this was his idea, not mine.” “…So you were pretending this whole time.” The only response Rinrin offered was a smile. A player’s expression through and through. “Are you going to call me dirty?” Rinrin asked. “No way.” Yuki would likely have struggled even more against someone who could actually hear. “You mentioned yesterday how ‘bluffing is no less important a technique.’ I understand exactly what you mean now. The point is to blind your opponents to your own vision loss…” “That’s a good way of putting it,” Rinrin replied. “In this case, I was pretending to be able to hear, but the essence is the same, be it with sight or hearing. The trick is to complicate things by piling on both truth and lies.” “Good to know.” “By the way, you seem to be speaking with an air of finality. Could you not act like this game is over?” The woman’s remark came as a surprise to Yuki. “…You’re still gonna keep going?” Yuki asked. “Of course. This game won’t end until you steal the key from me.” Rinrin tossed aside her baton—and pulled out a gun. “Tamamo is keeping the supplier in check,” Yuki said. “You won’t be receiving any directions from him. You have no chance of winning.” “So what? That’s no reason to quit.” “I’ve learned plenty enough already. It’s pointless to keep going.” “He told you everything, didn’t he? Then you should know what you have to do.” “I have no intention of killing you.” “How selfish of you.” Rinrin took a step forward. “You come here to take and take from me, and you refuse to grant my wish.” “…No, but… I didn’t sign up for that!” “Why do you hesitate? This should be no big deal to a player of your caliber.” “There’s no point to this.” “No point? What does that matter? As if you’re someone who cares when you die…” “When I go out, I want it to be the result of putting my best foot forward. I won’t just accept any old death! There’s no way I’m helping you commit suicide!” Only after those words left her mouth did Yuki realize she had gone a step too far. However, Rinrin did not criticize Yuki’s careless remark. She simply smiled faintly. While maintaining that expression, Rinrin gave her response. “I no longer even have a right to put my best foot forward.” Rinrin pulled out the smart key from her pocket. “If you insist on not going along…perhaps this will force your hand.” Rinrin lifted up the key—the lynchpin of this game and the only way to escape the island. She held it above her face— —and opened her mouth wide. “……!” Yuki’s instincts took hold. (25/28) Yuki moved so fluidly that she even impressed herself. Almost entirely subconsciously, Yuki drew her gun, disengaged the safety, and aimed the muzzle at Rinrin. Two bullets flew through the air in the blink of an eye. One hit Rinrin’s right wrist, while the other struck her right hand. With Rinrin deprived of her grip strength, the smart key fell to the ground. Drops of fresh blood spattered through the air. “……” The sight snapped Yuki back to her senses. A long time had passed since Rinrin had left the world of death games, so she was no longer under the effects of the Preservation Treatment. Her blood did not transform into white fluff, and the bleeding did not stop on its own. Red fluid continued to flow from her wounds. Rinrin applied pressure to her right hand. Even now, her smile did not falter. “Your aura became quite cold for a second there, Yuki. That’s the way…” Yuki did not reply. She kept her gun trained on Rinrin. Yuki had suffered an injury to her leg during their encounter the previous night, which made it difficult for her to walk. This meant she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of Rinrin’s blindness by dashing forward to scoop up the key and running away. Ideally, Yuki would first incapacitate Rinrin before walking over to pick up the key at her own pace. However, the sight of fresh blood dampened Yuki’s resolve. Rinrin’s body lacked the protection of the Preservation Treatment, so shooting her too many times might actually kill her. Even though Yuki’s line of work gave her an intimate view of life and death, surprisingly, she did not know what constituted a fatal wound for an ordinary person. How far could she take this? As Yuki hesitated, Rinrin sprang into action. With her uninjured left hand, she raised her gun at Yuki. Somehow, she stopped the gun when it was aimed right at Yuki’s head. At roughly the exact moment a gunshot rang out, Yuki hid behind the stone wall. She looked down at her body—the shot hadn’t connected. The only bullet wound on her was the one she had sustained the previous day. However, the shot would have blown her brains out had she not crouched down. As Yuki took cover behind the stone wall, she heard a pair of footsteps. Rinrin was approaching. The woman seemed to be carefully taking one step at a time, probably because she could no longer use her baton cane with her injured hand. Yuki moved silently. She climbed over the stone wall and landed in the yard. She had made no noise, as far as she could tell. At the very least, Rinrin did not fire at her. Yuki moved in unison with Rinrin’s footsteps and attempted to draw closer to the woman from behind. For a second, Yuki’s eyes fell on her own gun, which brought back a memory from long ago. Yuki flipped the weapon around, holding it not by its grip but by its barrel. Almost as if having waited for Yuki to complete her preparations, Rinrin turned around. The woman had most likely noticed Yuki approaching from behind much earlier and was waiting for the girl to get in shooting range. Rinrin aimed her firearm at Yuki. She pointed the muzzle at a downward angle, accounting for Yuki’s lower posture that resulted from her injured leg. Grateful for the woman’s accurate aim, Yuki leaped up like a cat. She could practically see her own face reflected on the bullet that flew out of the gun. Because Yuki had leaped forward, the bullet passed right behind her, missing by a hair. There was no second shot. Yuki had gotten close enough to grab Rinrin’s left arm. While forcing the muzzle of Rinrin’s gun to point in a completely wrong direction, Yuki swung her other hand—the one holding a gun—down onto the woman’s head. Rinrin flashed a smile. “—That’s dirty.” “Say what you want.” Although only a second passed in real time, they did indeed have that exchange. A dull sound that barely produced an echo filled the air. (26/28) It was still fresh in Rinrin’s mind, the memory of the day she was stripped of her status as a player. She had damaged her hearing in an incident from a certain game. Since she had already lost her vision and was mainly relying on echoes for sensory information, going deaf was a fatal blow. Despite that, she intended to keep playing, but her agent refused to entertain her wish. Not only that, but they also revoked her status as a player, effectively exiling her from the world of the games. “—How dare you do this?” Obviously, Rinrin demanded an explanation from her agent. She grabbed her agent by the chest and slammed them against the wall. A peaceful resolution seemed utterly inconceivable. “How dare you do this without so much as asking me…?” “What do you have to complain about? This was the logical decision.” Her agent responded in a firm tone, despite being on the receiving end of Rinrin’s intimidation tactics. “I agreed to let you keep going when it was only blindness you had to overcome, but I will not be persuaded this time. You will retire from the games. Continuing to play in this state is nothing more than an act of suicide.” “So what? I gave up my attachment to life the moment I became a player.” Even after Rinrin expressed her resolve, her agent shook their head. That was why Rinrin resorted to a method of negotiation befitting a player—threatening to hurt her agent if they barred her from participating in games. Her agent was well aware of her personality, so they had to know her words were by no means empty. However, once again, her agent shook their head. “I urge you to find another way to live,” they said. There’s no other way, Rinrin thought. There’s nowhere I belong outside of this world. Ever since that day, Rinrin had felt like a puppet with its strings cut. The feeling of her world crumbling beneath her feet. The feeling of lacking anything that defined her as a person. The feeling of merely existing and nothing more. Even though she had now been given the opportunity to live a long life, nothing mattered to her anymore. Yet she was disinclined to take her own life. Although she did not fear death, she couldn’t bear the thought of having everything she had accomplished be for naught. She wanted someone to acknowledge her. She wanted a connection to something, somewhere. And this was the opportunity that landed on Rinrin’s doorstep. This has to be it, she thought. Like Rinrin, Yuki was a player who was visually impaired. Rinrin was going to pass on her techniques to Yuki and be killed in the process— That was what Rinrin had planned. Evidently, however, her plan would not be allowed to come to fruition just yet. (27/28) Yuki carried the unconscious Rinrin into the house and grabbed the smart key. She then took Tamamo and the supplier to the craggy coast where the boat was. Yuki had worried the key had gotten damaged when she shot Rinrin’s hand, but relief came over her when the boat powered on without issue. The supplier ended up driving the boat. Yuki and Tamamo had the man test it out by moving it to the pier, and as this happened, the two of them returned to the house where they had first met Rinrin. There, they gathered up the bags they had brought with them before heading to the pier. When they arrived—they found Rinrin, awake and waiting for them. “Wha…?!” Yuki and Tamamo adopted fighting stances. Rinrin, however, gave them a smile that exuded no hostility. “Calm down. I will no longer torment you.” “…If you say so.” Apparently, the woman was satisfied with how things had concluded. Maybe the grip of the gun hit her in just the right place, Yuki thought. “I came to see you off,” Rinrin said. “See us off? You aren’t coming with us?” Yuki glanced at the boat. It was plenty large enough to carry Yuki, Tamamo, the supplier, and Rinrin. “I wish to maintain the appearance of the game,” Rinrin replied. “It would spoil the fun if I were to leave on the same boat as you, no? I will have the supplier come back for me after sending you two off.” Makes sense, Yuki thought. After loading their bags onto the boat, Yuki and Tamamo boarded the vessel themselves. “Thank you for everything, Rinrin,” Yuki said, offering her farewell. “You’re very welcome… So how was it? Did you learn how to fight without relying on sight?” “Yeah, I think I have the right idea. If I run into any trouble, can I pay you another visit?” “Feel free. I welcome a fight anytime.” “…If possible, I’d prefer to just talk.” The boat began to move. The island, and Rinrin waving goodbye on the pier, soon faded from view. “…She sure was ruthless…,” Tamamo said once Rinrin was no longer visible. “You said it…,” Yuki agreed. “By the way, Tamamo…” “Yes?” “About lesson two and beyond…” Tamamo looked scared, the girl likely recalling the harrowing experience that had taken place over the past two days. “…Don’t worry, I won’t be as violent with teaching you,” Yuki assured. (28/28)