Secrets Worth of Slaves

POV: Saori Kitagaya

"Mayumi?" I and Ikeda asked with our dilated eyes.

"What?" The short girl with brown eyes and shoulder-length brunette hair asked with her mouth full of bits of burger leftovers.

While we watch her, she quickly gulps down the remaining quarter of the burger like a small candy and swipes her mouth with her hand. She tried her hardest gulping down all of it in a second and faces us as if nothing happened. Her eyes enlightened when she saw me, but they turned down when she saw me.

"Ikeda, why are you with her?" Mayumi asked.

"She's our ally. We need her."

"Eh? Not in my style." She asked and walks with noisy breathing toward me. I, with my quaking lips, step away as Mayumi walks near me. That's the moment Ikeda blocked her way to protect me.

"Mayumi, I won't let you do your thing again. As long as I'm here, I'll protect her."

"Wow, what a 'Bright Prince' charming. Did you miss me from our first game? Isn't this fate that we are being pulled together?" Mayumi said with a malicious smile.

"You're overthinking a coincidence. I have no intention of being attracted to you," he said.

"I don't care about your opinion. You can't do anything without Kenshin. That's the same case right now. You can't do anything without me.

"Your bit of superior days are over. In this place, where every rule is broken, where I shine, I am one of the kings," she boasted.

"I know you, Mayumi. I know you didn't choose what happened. It was all an accident, and you're just a victim."

"I'm a victim? Since when? And you pity me for that misconception? Wahahaha," she laughed nearly into tears while mocking us. "You're such a kind person, Ikeda. No wonder you're a person that can be easily tricked, like your dad.

"Why did you raise this matter just now? We've been together since the first game. Maybe… you told her what happened, isn't it? You told her what you exactly saw?"

We replied to her with the silence of agreement while she steps back in frustration.

"Oh no, Ikeda! You don't spread secrets like that. I have a great idea! Why don't we expose our most hidden secrets right now? Now you know that I've killed a person, why won't you two share yours and get the spotlight?"

That's right— partly. She killed a person. That's only half of her secret. Three years ago, imagine how young we are. A teacher was suddenly pushed out from the school rooftops.

It was the school festival back then. Ikeda told me that everyone is busy decorating the hallways and booths. Before lunchtime when Ikeda finished his task for the class, he planned on taking fresh air on the rooftop.

You can't get fresh air from the rooftop. It's just the breeze. But I didn't question his real reason because I'm just an outsider in the story. That time when he took up, he saw a young girl same his age and their adviser in front of her, clinging to the rails of rooftops.

Ikeda didn't hear the whole conversation. That small young girl sent our adviser down to the ground with a push. Ikeda was completely frozen when she turned around, and that's when he saw another half of her secret.

She turned around with widened eyeballs, a grin that reaches from ear to ear, and a laugh Lucifer can do. She was completely a psychopath at a young age. Ikeda might have been killed back then, but they made an agreement that will silence Ikeda.

They're related since childhood, and from what I've heard from him, Mayumi isn't like that before the scene happened. Maybe he just believed it by himself, and their beliefs clash with one another.

That secret was the reason why Mayumi is scared of Ikeda. First, she won't want to kill Ikeda. It will be a huge crisis for their families since their far relatives.

And the other reason is what I witnessed earlier under the tree. She can't kill Ikeda, never. I partly agree with her game because I wanted to know Ikeda's secret. Why did I see an impossible future? Why did I call him a monster? Why is he even here in the first place?

"W… What will happen if I don't tell you my secret?" I asked.

"Come on! You're now in a free, lawless world. Do you still want to keep your secret? You're already good as dead in the real one!" She exclaimed.

"Do you want to know why you're being picked, Saori? You're too dumb. All of your grades are just passing ones. You can't even be compared to mine, nor even the other top students. Those who are in the lower tier deserve to be slaves.

"I'm the most intelligent one here. I make the rules. Tell us your secret or you will be my slave for this life."

"What are you talking about, Mayumi!? We don't have time for that! We need to cooperate to survive this tower," Ikeda replied.

"No, what you need is brains, me. You can't even survive a day without me, you dumb fox."

"You're already belittling us too much, Mayumi! Stop this or…" Ikeda stopped as he saw me kneeling and bowing at Mayumi. "Saori, what are you doing!?"

"I can't say a secret to you, but I can't also survive without the help of others. Please save me… us from this tower. I offer myself to you in this life," I murmured.

"Look! What a simple premise. I already expected this from you, Saori. Starting from now, you will be obeying my words."

"You're already going to far, Mayumi!!" Ikeda exclaimed.

"I'm always too far to reach, Ikeda. Now, will you show me your secret or become my slave for life."

He looks at me with a lowered gaze. It is when I realized that I went wrong with my decision. I did that to force him to say his secret, but I didn't consider how kind he is. I've been overlooking someone that is too predictable, and I've made my goal further.

Ikeda bowed down to the ground as I did. "I'll be serving you as well."

His decision made me raise my head and look at him with dilated pupils. But what will happen might be in favor of me in this tower game.

She thinks that if she's intelligent, she will be looked up at the top by others. But in this world, the gap between the pinnacle and the toe is too far to measure. She didn't even take a step on my throne yet.

I'll show her what she's worthy of.