The Clue Needed

*Kei Machida's POV*

//July 22, 2040//Sunday//

I left the laboratory and went inside the elevator.

*DING*

When the elevator opened. I saw an unusual face who was inside there as well.

"Hyakuzawa."

"Oh, Machida. Good evening."

I entered the elevator, and the two of us waited until we reached the top.

For the love of God. Hopefully, the lights won't turn out while we are here inside or I will be trapped with this guy.

"You've been to the gym?" I asked.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Well, you're sweating."

"I see…"

This is awkward.

While waiting for the elevator to go up. Let me first recollect in my thoughts the information that I got earlier.

Just like what Asahi said earlier, there are a lot of flaws in this whole thing.

Even if we are inside this death game. This is not comparable to how the participants in fiction suffer from us.

Well, there are times that we were in danger, and there was a point when all of the people here are led in despair. But it wasn't enough to destroy the rationality that will push us to kill each other.

Now, as for Ichi's supernatural powers, it doesn't make sense at all. This keeps on coming to my mind for quite a while.

Why would someone with supernatural powers do things that only humans can do?

A massive killing on the first day of the students here at Saitei University, teleporting our location to an unknown place where even the government couldn't track down, and what is more unbelievable is how he can regenerate, and disintegrate limbs with just his words alone.

If you have those things, does it make sense if you want to kill someone with a bullet or make someone insane by overdosing them with drugs?

I have one conclusion that I have thought of, but I still need information for me to make sure if what I have inside my mind is true or not.

One more crucial clue… Where could I get it?

"Hey, Machida. I know I kept on repeating myself, but I'm really sorry for almost killing you."

Again? You're just making things more awkward between the two of us.

"I lost to you, and it's my fault for losing. Stop apologizing, you apologized to us earlier."

"Got it."

Just one more clue… One more clue…

"Hey, Machida."

"What is it again?" I said with irritation.

"I heard from Sasaki that you tried on working on the case where I was involved in the past. Even if what happened didn't bring me justice at all, I still want to thank you for trying to help me even if I didn't know before."

"I'm just doing my job, and I found your case to be fucking unfair for you."

That's right, I fucking despise how the government turned a blind eye to Hyakuzawa because the Yamazaki family was involved.

How fucking stupid society is. Just because someone with more power made a horrible mistake to someone, they will still take their side no matter how disgusting the deed is.

People like Hyakuzawa didn't deserve that kind of injustice because of the mentality of the people we live with. It's unfair, it's so fucking stupid.

And because I couldn't convince the government to change their stand on that case. Hyakuzawa was imprisoned for three and a half years.

But for some reason, when he was released from prison, he went here to Saitei University to go to college even if he is too old enough for it.

Wait…

April 9, 2040. If I remember correctly, that was the date when Hyakuzawa was released from prison.

April 13, 2040. That is when the school year first started here at Saitei University.

*DING*

The elevator door opened, and Hyakuzawa walked outside.

When Hyakuzawa got out of prison, he lost everything. His home, money, the NBA G League offer from a scout. He didn't have anything else.

I can assume that he didn't have any news on what is going on while he was still serving jail time for three and a half years.

Saitei University is indeed a famous school for college students this year, but because of how prestigious it is, you need to work hard to pass here.

Even I took a while to get a school ID from this school just to investigate this place

So How..?

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Machida."

"Hey, Hyakuzawa. I want to ask you something."

I left the elevator and followed Hyakuzawa who was about to go to his room.

"Sure, ask ahead. What's up?"

"How can an ex-convict like you be in this school?

That's right. How can an ex-convict like him get accepted into this school in just five days after he got out of prison?

"Do you mean how I got to be a student here even if I just got released recently before?"

"Yeah, I think you are not aware, but it is difficult to get accepted here before all of these things happened to us."

Getting to Saitei University is difficult for people who are considered normal, but people with talents that can have more potential than the others, they got easily accepted here.

But in Hyakuzawa's case, his talent was long forgotten when he was famous back then by most people who know things in the world of sports while he was still in prison.

For Hyakuzawa to get accepted here, it should be difficult for him especially since he was an ex-convict.

"Oh, about that, someone offered me to go here when on the exact day when I got out of prison."

"Someone?"

"Yeah. He just suddenly popped out of nowhere, and gave me a letter of invitation to go to this school."

So does that mean that there is still someone who knew how big Hyakuzawa's potential is?

Wait…

Students who want to enter this school don't have any connections to the school at all no matter how important that person is, and that is what Shinohara and I found out while we are looking for information about Saitei University.

How unusual it is for someone who knows Saitei University to go by themselves face to face with Hyakuzawa suddenly.

Wait, in fact, Ichi should be the only one who knows what is going on in here. He is the one who planned all of this.

"Is Ichi the one who gave you that letter?"

"N-No. It was someone else."

Huh?

There was another person who knew what will happen here on that day?

"Can you still remember what that person looked like?"

"Hmm… If I remember correctly."

I need to know who that person is!

"He was taller than me, and his body was slender.

A tall, slender man..?

"Can you remember anything else about him?" I asked quickly.

"Oh yeah there is. When he first approached me, he had this weird accent, and he kept on speaking gibberish."

"Gibberish?"

"I had quite of a temper that time, but I remembered him saying some fancy words that I couldn't understand well.?"

Wait, isn't that man?

How Hyakuzawa described that man is exactly like…

"A tall slender man with a weird accent."

It's exactly how Aya Nakano described a man in the journal before she died in the Ruination of Kanagawa.

"Is there something wrong, Machida?"

A tall slender man with a weird accent. If he is the same person who Hyakuzawa was talking about then that means…

"I'm fine. Thanks for the information, Hyakuzawa."

"Sure thing! Let me know if you need my help."

Hyakuzawa went inside his room, and I was left alone in the hallway.

"Hahahaha…"

I laid my back on the wall and covered my face with my hand.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Now it all makes sense! All of us are overthinking it! The answer is simple! We are just blinded by how overwhelming, and absurd things are here in this school!

All of the questions that I have in my mind…

All of those things that I kept on thinking about for quite a while…

Finally! I have answered them all!

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