Burden

*Kiyoko Sasaki's POV*

//April 14, 2040//Saturday//

My heart pounded rapidly, and my eyesight is beginning to get blurry. I started sweating so much, and my whole body was shaking in fear.

Why? Why did this happen to Kanade and Raku?!

"You did this, Kiyoko Sasaki…"

Ichi appeared in front of me with a terrifying grin and looked like he was satisfied with something.

"Wha-what do you mean?..."

"Congratulations, Kiyoko Sasaki. You have successfully killed all of the students here inside, and proved to them that you are really the best of the best."

"STOP JOKING AROUND!!! I-I DID NOT KILL THEM!!!"

"Then why are you holding that knife covered in blood?"

I looked at my hands, and just like what Ichi said, I was holding a knife covered with blood.

There, I realized that my whole body has also been covered by the blood as well."

"W-What's happening?..."

"You did this, you killed them, and I am really proud of you, Kiyoko Sasaki… Congratulations... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

I began losing it and kept screaming until my throat started to hurt. The only thing I could hear was Ichi's laugh, and the only thing I can smell is the foul odor of blood inside this room.

"Big sister…"

I looked at Kanade, and she was still alive.

"Kanade! Who did this to you?!"

"Big sister... Why did you do this to me?… I thought I could trust you?…."

"What..?"

"KIYOKO SASAKI!!! OPEN YOUR EYES! YOU DID THIS TO THEM!!! YOU DID THIS TO EVERYONE!!! YOU DID THIS! YOU DID THIS! YOU!! DID!!! THIS!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"No… I did not do this… I DID NOT KILL THEM!!!"

My mind is turning blank, and everything went silent. The only one who I can hear is Kanade.

"Big sister… Why?..."

"KANADE!!! PLEASE DON'T DIE!!"

Kanade looked into my eyes even with her eyes gouged out, reached her hand, and said something with her faint voice.

"Big sister…. You murderer…"

"Oi! Wake up, Sasaki!!!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw Raku, and Kanade was staring at me with worried looks on their faces.

"Are you okay, big sister?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine, I'm fine... sorry for dozing off."

"Why are you crying, Sasaki? Did something happen?"

I felt tears flowing from my eyes. That's right, I had a horrible dream that made me kill them both.

I hugged the two of them, and I am relieved.

"Thank goodness, you two are alive."

"Umm... Big sister? Is there something wrong? This is kind of embarrassing…"

"Of course we are alive. Did you have a bad dream or something?"

I looked at them in the eyes and gave them a gentle smile that looked like everything was all right.

"No, I haven't. I'm fine."

One horrible dream keeps appearing to me one after another. But, I will not allow myself to be conquered by these terrible dreams.

I will not kill them, and we will find a way to get out of this place.

"Sasaki, we just checked all of the classrooms, and they were all the same just like on the first floor. We should also meet up with the others." Raku said.

I looked at my phone and I was quite shocked with the time right now.

It is already 6:00 pm?!

"Huuuh?! Did I sleep too much?!"

"No, no. We are also really slow in searching each of the classrooms, and when we were waiting for you outside we heard you scream inside the gym."

"The two of us quickly went inside, and saw you screaming like you had a really bad nightmare."

"Sorry about that… Anyway, we need to go to the cafeteria right now."

"Yeah, they might be looking for us right now." Raku said.

"Also, thank you…"

"No need to worry, big sister. Just tell us if something is bothering you, we will try to help."

I smiled at the two of them, and we left the room. The three of us went downstairs and entered the cafeteria.

We again smelled the delicious food Megumin is cooking for our dinner and saw Asahi at the table.

"Huh? Where is Ichika?" Raku asked.

Asahi pointed his fingers at the kitchen, and we saw Ichika leaving in that room while holding a huge bowl full of Chicken Karaage.

The sight of the food itself, and its smell are enough for all of us to become hungry instantly.

"Ichika, what are you doing there?" Raku asked.

"Hehe, I helped Megumin plate the food that we are going to eat for dinner."

The plating of the Chicken Karaage really looks nice. What can I expect?

After all, Ichika is an amazing fashion designer. Plating something like this is a piece of cake for her.

"Looks gross…"

"What did you say, Asahi?!"

The two of them started fighting and yelling at each other.

In just a short amount of time, these two really got close with one another. It is the right choice to put them earlier in the same group together.

"Oh, the three of you are already here. Just on time! Thanks for waiting!"

Megumin served as some really fragrant rice and some coleslaw. Now, this is what you call a great dinner after working so hard for the day.

All of us began eating the food Megumin cooked for us, and it really is delicious. The rice is tasty, the coleslaw is great, and the Karaage was really juicy.

"THANKS FOR THE FOOD!!"

We were satisfied by the food that we ate, and then everyone discussed what we explored earlier.

Ichika, Asahi, and Megumin told us that there was a computer laboratory, an Arts room, and a School Director's office with something engraved on a nameplate.

They also told us that they found a huge library on the fourth floor, and found Hyakuzawa while they were searching inside. Luckily, Hyakuzawa did not find them in the library.

"That's crazy, you guys are lucky that Hyakuzawa did not see the three of you." Raku said.

"Yeah, and you know what, Asahi, and Ichika were-."

"SHUT UP MEGUMIN!!!"

Both of them shouted like they were hiding something from us, and Megumin just chuckled at the two of them. I see. Something good might have happened between Ichika and Asahi.

"Hmph! So how about the three of you? What did you find out?" Ichika asked.

I really wanted to tell them what we found out. But, from what they said, I felt like the things we saw was useless, and embarrassing.

I even caused trouble for Raku, and Kanade because of a horrible nightmare that I had earlier.

"Unfortunately, what we found were only classrooms that are identical to each other."

When Raku began speaking, I felt nervous about what he was going to say to the others.

What if Raku told them that I had an incident earlier at the gym? I think that I would be such a huge disappointment to them.

"And we also rechecked the laboratory, and the gym we found yesterday, but we haven't found any useful information at all."

"Sorry to disappoint everyone…" Kanade apologized.

That's it? Kanade and Raku did not tell them what happened to me earlier?

"Hmph! then what about you, Sasaki? You are the one who made this plan, and you look like you do not have anything to say about this matter."

"Sasaki was the one who explored more rooms than the two of us. She has been searching every corner of each room without any rest."

"Give Sasaki a break, Ichika." Asahi said.

"Hmph! I guess you are right, my apologies, Sasaki."

Raku looked me in the eyes, and smiled secretly like he was saying "I got your back."

I also looked at Kanade, and she bowed her head down a little. These two, the first one to save me, was Megumin from Hyakuzawa yesterday. Now, these two covered me up from what happened earlier.

"Well then, it's already 8:00 pm. I need to watch a movie trilogy tonight."

"I'm off to rest also."

"Me too. Thank you, everyone!"

Ichika, Asahi, and Megumin left the cafeteria. They went to their own rooms, leaving me, Kanade, and Raku inside.

"Why? Why did you not tell them about what happened to me earlier?"

The two of them looked at each other for a second, then glanced at me.

"Well… It is not right if we told them that something bad happened to big sister."

"Kanade is right. There is no point telling them what happened to you earlier. Let's keep this to the three of us."

I started tearing up, and the two of them comforted me. The burden on my shoulders from the dreams I keep on having suddenly disappeared because of these people that I have been in just a short amount of time.

"Thank you…"

I'm grateful to these two.

******** TO BE CONTINUED ********