An Unreasonable Move is a Stolen Move

POV: Ikeda Akihiko

"Did you two get some good rest?" I asked two hours after we ran away from the forest.

Aimi, Mayumi, and I are still conscious, but the two are where I'm concerned at. The moment they escaped the forest, one collapsed while nausea attacked the other. These two might have something in common when skipping physical education classes.

I carried Saori towards our temporary house while Aimi accompanied Kenshin to theirs. The three of us went to the warehouse as agreed. Aimi gave us our share of food until tomorrow because I'm sure we'll depart.

Two hours after that when everybody is in proper condition already, Kenshin called us for a meeting in their house. We circled the lounge as Aimi prepares us a drink and the present question rose.

"I'm just alright. Two hours is too much already," Kenshin replied.

"Are you really alright with that?" Aimi asked as she bring him a cup of water.

"Not an inch. But I'm concerned about her. Saori, is it? Is it alright for her?" Kenshin replied as he gaze at Saori and sips the water.

"N… No… I'm really fine… I have been sleeping for the whole time by the way," Saori replied. "Don't worry about me. You can proceed."

After three seconds of pause, Kenshin is still gazing at Saori, and I think I'm the only one who noticed that.

"Then, shall we explain what happened earlier?" He asked while everyone's focus is on him.

"Yes," I replied while everybody nodded.

"Then what you saw earlier, what I and Saori encountered and defeated, was a survivor scout."

"What!? It's exactly as I thought," Mayumi exclaimed with widened eyes and dilated pupils.

Then, Kenshin proceeds with the explanation of what happened and how is it possible that on the first day, a survivor is already lurking. Saori supported him in his explanation.

"Then that means we need to be wary of the other scouts? You said there might be three or five of them, right?" Aimi asked.

"Not until tomorrow. Today, we're still fine," Kenshin replied. "Those lurkers must be chasing after the towers, and from where it came from, the tower on the northwest is the nearest to us."

"So that means their base is the center? We must avoid it at all cost," Mayumi suggested.

"Who goes there and dies? We're still following up on my plan. I can assure you that this will work for us, much better than what I planned for the earlier game."

"Care to tell us what your 'awesome' plan is?"

"I can't tell that to you completely."

"Then how are we making sure of our safety? You must have a pretty good reason for being selfish because I can't trust someone who flexed his first day like a hero," Mayumi complained with narrow eyes.

"You'll know that you'll die tomorrow. The only way we could clear this game is to trust me."

"No way I'm going to approve your thought without an appropriate reason! You're not the rule here!" Mayumi shouted as she ground her teeth.

"I'm not forcing you if you wanted to part ways with us. You're too awaken to know we needed numbers for this game," Kenshin answered.

Mayumi stomps her feet as she walks toward Kenshin to pull his collar. "I'm not convinced of anything you're saying, wonderboy! I can't trust you well enough since you told us you murdered someone. Thank you for being honest, but the moment you shut your mouth, you freak us out."

I ran to them together with Aimi to break off Mayumi's grip. We blocked each other's parties so that their fight didn't continue.

"Hey, stop it! Fighting will just stall us!" Aimi said while pulling Kenshin away from Mayumi.

"Please… don't fight…" Saori stuttered with watery eyes.

"I'll state my whole plan if she has a better way to accomplish this game. If not, then there are just two choices: do or die," Kenshin replied with protruding eyes.

That's the only moment we've seen him getting angry unlike before. Even with Mayumi fighting with him at the first game, he's just ignoring it. It's too scary that I'm worried about what Aimi feels right now. Her muscles are visibly strained right now.

On the other hand, Mayumi stopped talking as she steps back with widened eyes of speechlessness. She's completely showing us that she's also not confident with her plan. She just wanted to break off with Kenshin to be dominant, but Kenshin got angry. It's a different matter now.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you proud of your so-called intellectual product? Or maybe you don't have one, just the energy to brag?"

"I… I'll present you my plan! Give me a day to prepare it, and make sure you tell your plan to everyone!" Mayumi insisted.

"No. A day can't do. I'll give you two hours, and if your plan doesn't meet our expectations of survival, we'll move accordingly with my plan starting tonight," Kenshin responded.

"Deal," Mayumi quickly agreed with a smirk and leaves the door, banging it loudly.

Because of that fight, the meeting was delayed to two hours. The two parties were separated within the houses.

Mayumi continues mumbling about Kenshin's attitude while Saori tries to calm her down. In reality, Saori can only say yes to her. From this point, they seem to be on good terms, unlike last year.

I went out for a minute to continue scanning the area, but I saw Aimi sitting on a log, facing the forest where the footprints are leading. Her feet continuously tap the ground while she twists her hair. She's staring deeply at the calmness of the greens while wrinkling her eyebrows.

I sat down beside her, but her expression changed back. She might have thought that I didn't notice her obvious worry.

"Oh, hello, Ikeda! Are you also getting some fresh air?" Aimi asked with a smile as if nothing happened.

I stared at her for seconds to create a weird serious air. That knowledge came from the Korean movies I've watched. She tilts her head and asks out of confusion. "Is there… something wrong?"

"That's what I should be asking you," I replied. "You seem changed since we saw Kenshin in the forest. I might be rude to ask this, but, is there something important that we need to know, that you're worried about?"

"N… No! I'm just imagining things, haha," she chuckled forcefully as she averts her eyes. What a bad liar.

"Come on, tell me. We've known each other since the first game, and you know that you can trust me about your secrets. I'm not the one who spread out Kenshin's secret, but I promise you, I won't do anything abusive to it."

After seconds of staring to solve the doubt in her head, she sighed and continued staring at the forest. "Kenshin, he's changed."

"How?"

"I don't know. I just feel it. Ever since we were little, he always reasons out things that he'll do. He's a strategic man who won't move without making sure that his reasoning is right. He has his own imaginative world, and I adore him for that.

"He's intelligent, charming, and independent but dependable. For every difficult dilemma I encounter, he's always available to guide me. He knew the reasons why we must be pulled in the right direction.

"But now, everything seems different. He might be a bad actor… No, he can't completely imitate personalities other than his. What I'm seeing right now must be his other self.

"The moment he plans things, he solely base on evidence, but now, nothing. I can feel that the intersection where the directions meet is all chaotic, and he leads… no, misleads us to them. I can feel that the moment I followed him, we'll be in danger."

"Eh? You're childhood friends, right? Why aren't you trusting him?" I asked.

"I trust him, pretty much at everything. I trust his plans, claiming originality with reasons. But there are no reasons for this plan. This isn't his plan. He can't explain a plan he doesn't own."

"What do you mean?"

"That only means one thing," she stuttered and inhales first before stating her point.

"He's being controlled."