Chapter 18 - Impending Doom

Akari was sitting in the monitoring room, staring down at her tablet. The screen displayed Uramune Yoichi frantically running through a thick forest, his rifle getting stuck in branches and his feet bumping against the roots of the trees, making him stumble over and over again while his knees felt too weak to keep him steady. Above him, the faint yet intimidated whirring of a drone could be heard, seemingly following his every move. He didn't know where exactly it was – it was hovering over the thick crones of the trees – yet it felt like it knew exactly where he was. 

"Shit! Shit!" he yelled, seemingly at himself, cursing his every decision. He had taken on the role as the class leader by choice. He thought he could lead them to victory. And as pathetic as it sounded, part of him wanted to impress Akari, who he knew would be watching. 

And yet, not only did they lose against Class A, but now he was the last one alive in his class. The images of his classmates getting shot down repeated in his head. The sudden, ear-piercing sound of a gunshot coming from above them. Mayafumi Mika's head jolting backwards, her limb body falling on the ground like dead meat. It felt too fast, too unfair. How could it be that easy to die? 

One after another, no matter how fast they ran, would fall. Without ever even seeing eye-to-eye with the enemy. 

Yoichi really thought he had learned from their battle against Class A. "Have a clear backup plan," they agreed upon, choosing the thick forest as their hideout. "We'll wait for them to come to us, and we'll be prepared. If anything goes wrong, we'll split up and take different routes to a new position." They were so sure that it would work. And so, they hid in the bushes, before firing a couple shots in the air. Even if Class B would suspect it to be a trap, Class D was willing to wait it out. They had used some of their budget for food and drinks, even tools to create a campfire if necessary. They would only fight their opponents on their own terms. 

And then there was the whirring. That awful, dread-inducing whirring above their heads. Before they could even react, three had fallen. Then they all ran in different directions, just as planned. And although Yoichi couldn't be sure that he was the last one alive, he had counted exactly four more shots. And then number eight reached his ears. 

Yoichi fell to the ground. He didn't know why. He tried to stand up, like he had done many times, yet this time his right leg did not respond as he wanted it to. His hands were shaking, his teeth grinding against each other in frustration. The beating of his heart was so loud, so annoying. The whirring of the drone, the rustling of the leaves, his own breathing and thoughts; they all vanished into the background like white noise, replaced by the drums of his heart, the flow of his blood and the constant ringing in his ears. 

Stand up! Move! 

He balled his hands into fists, hitting his knees repeatedly. That was when he noticed. His calf was missing. Blood was gushing out, and when he tried to put pressure on the wound with his trembling hands, he could feel the warm meat falling off. 

Yoichi wasn't sure when, but he must've stopped breathing. It felt like his burning lungs weren't getting any air, the motion of breathing so alien, as if he had never taken a breath before. The world around him morphed into a blur of colors, his vision spinning around while his muscles all contracted at once. He felt as light as a feather, threatened to be blown away by the wind, yet at the same time his own weight was crushing him, pinning him down against the bloodied ground. 

He didn't even hear the ninth shot. 

Akari closed her eyes, exhaling for a couple seconds. Her heart was in turmoil, swaying around in unease. She felt like she should approach Yoichi, like she needed to set things right. But how? It was a conversation so serious, filled to the brim with emotion, that she feared that she might just trip and spill it all out, the ugliness revealed before him. 

"I've kind of developed feelings for you," he had said. "Do you want to try going out with me?" 

Her childhood friend had tried his best to seem casual about it, but Akari knew better. Avoiding eye-contact, the fiddling of his hands, the light red shade of his face; Akari had known him for years, she could tell how serious and embarrassed he was. 

How often had he helped her out? How often would she rely on him for support? One could even say that her mother was only alive thanks to the effort of Yoichi, whose parents owned the hospital. Had he not convinced them to trust Akari to pay the money back, despite her financial status, how else would her mother have gotten the chance to live on? 

In other words, Uramune Yoichi wasn't just her dear friend, he was her only hope. 

"I'm sorry... I don't think I feel the same way." 

These words would create a canyon of discomfort between the two. Ever since, their conversation hadn't been the same. Every time Akari started a casual chat, Yoichi would barely reply; he'd simply nod along until he found a way to excuse himself. 

Not that I can blame him. 

Even when she had passed on the test solutions that Akata Yashiro had generously given to her, their interaction felt stale. Yoichi seemed happy and relieved, thanking her sincerely. Yet Akari herself didn't want to stay on the topic. After all, she did not deserve credit for getting those test results. Seeing Yoichi's eyes full of appreciation made it even more difficult to tell him the truth. 

I wonder if Yashiro had noticed the awkward mood between us and decided to help me out? 

Akari sighed and hid her face in her lap, her long hair flowing down her legs. Yashiro was smart and, above all, compassionate and empathetic. She had seen his small acts of kindness over and over again, even though she had only known him for a bit over a month. But even so, even if it was Yashiro, the last thing that she wanted was for someone to figure out her pathetic state of mind, much less decide that she needed help by themselves. She was supposed to be the pillar of support for others, someone who could bring joy in any situation, not a helpless princess, stuck in a tower and shouting her cries of help for everybody to hear. 

The thick, metal doors opened, and the students of Class A and C were asked to leave first. Just how it happened with the previous fight, many students lined up in the hallway, awaiting the arrival of the winners and losers. 

Akari talked to a few friends in the meanwhile, trying to take her mind off the negative thoughts. She even exchanged a couple words with Rei, although he seemed disinterested as usual; she really wanted him to smile and enjoy his days more, yet it also seemed like she had overestimated her own capabilities. Maybe some people just didn't want to laugh and joke around, to talk to others and go out for fun. Maybe some people just wanted to be left alone. 

Maybe she was the only one enjoying their little banters. Maybe Rei was just genuinely annoyed by her presence. 

Luckily, to save her from her own thoughts, the doors opened once again and out stepped the students. The first person to set foot into the hallway was Akata Yashiro. 

"I knew you could do it! That was amazing!" he said, putting his hand on a fellow classmate. Akari hadn't talked much to him, but if she remembers correctly, his name was 'Danzuka Muira'. A short, blonde boy with big, round glasses. 

"I told you, as long as you let me play around with the technology accessible to us, I'll follow your lead," Muira simply stated, not showing any emotion about their win. He kind of reminded Akari of her own classmate Isamu. "I've never had the chance to control such futuristic drones." 

Yashiro nodded along while smiling – he was clearly happy with the outcome, and who wouldn't be? An overwhelming victory without a single casualty on their side. 

Making eye-contact with Akari, Yashiro walked over. "Congratulations on the win!" she welcomed her friend, clapping her hands together. 

"Thanks, I'm really glad it went so well. Somehow, I ended up in the position of leading our class, so it felt like I had the responsibility to get us the win," he explained, scratching his head. It was hard to tell if he liked being in the position of leader, or if he just saw it as unnecessary pressure. Either way, Akari thought he was a great pick. 

"How do the drones work? It felt like they followed the students without being able to see them." Somehow, despite them technically being competitors, it felt completely natural for her to ask questions about their strategies. Maybe it was due to their friendship. 

"They track a target by sound," Muira walked over, adding onto the conversation. "Once they analyze the sound of a person, they can lock onto it and follow it." 

"We thought they might steal Class A's idea of using a smokescreen and that they could even have a counter to infrared-cameras ready. Guess we really didn't need to be overly careful, but I'm glad that it all went over without anyone in our class being harmed." 

Yashiro had a relieved smile on his face, yet beneath his reddish eyes, Akari could spot a glimmer of doubt, maybe even regret. 

Soon, Class D emerged from behind the thick door, the students trotting along in silence. Yoichi, Ribeiro and Miwami were walking in the front, the defeat visibly clouding their mind as their eyes stared into the distance. At least until they spotted Akata. 

Yoichi and Yashiro made eye contact, both of them standing there for a moment, before the Class D student was about to storm towards him, anger in his eyes, only to be interrupted by Akata himself. 

"I'm sorry!" he yelled, lowering his head in an apologetic bow. "You have all right to be mad at me. I've been talking on and on about how I want to get along with every class, yet I still decided to use such a brutal strategy," he spoke, the emotion in his voice threatening to swallow up every word. 

'I', is what he said. Not 'we', but 'I'. Taking all the blame by himself – is that what a good leader would do? 

"If you paint me a hypocrite, I won't protest, but please understand that I just wanted to protect my own classmates. I thought that by using drones, we could guarentee fast and painless deaths... I'm sorry that we failed in that regard." He kept his head low, not daring to meet Yoichi's eyes just yet. But Akari could see it. The eyes gave it all away. The pain, the rage, the disappointment, the frustration. The overwhelming shame. "It felt like I had no choice but to participate in the Director's games. These aren't excuses, but explanations that I hope you're willing to understand." 

Yet those feelings weren't directed just at one person. Yoichi's eyes occasionally jumped away from his bowing enemy, apologizing for his victory, locking onto Akari's eyes. His furrowed brows, his trembling lips. His arms crossed over his chest, desperately holding onto himself. She knew better than to assume that those feelings only stemmed from their recent losses. 

"Don't belittle me! You think hearing all that makes it any better!?" Yoichi yelled, his voice cracking. 

"I'm sorry..." Yashiro simply replied, only frustrating his opponent further. A thoughtful, surprisingly gentle hand landed on Yoichi's shoulder. Ribeiro shook his hand, to which his classmate broke the eye-contact he had held with Yashiro, before turning to walk away. 

"Wait!" Akari had found herself loudly calling after her childhood friend. She hadn't planned to talk to him now, but it seems like something deep inside her had gotten the better of her. 

Yoichi stopped in his tracks; his back face turned away. Akari quickly took a few steps towards him, allowing her to lower her voice. "Can we talk for a bit?" 

But Yoichi did not turn around. He couldn't face her. 

"Sorry, but I don't feel like talking to you right now." 

Akari could feel his words shooting through her chest. Every letter wrapped itself around her heart, until she could feel them constraining her, choking out every drop of pain harbored inside her. A sharp, grueling pain that only got worse the longer the thoughts rested in his mind. 

Did I mess up? Is our friendship really over? 

Every thought led to another wave of unease, every heartbeat causing the sharp edges of his words to stab further into her heart. 

Yoichi simply walked away, leaving Akari with uncertainty; uncertainty that she wasn't sure if she even wanted to resolve. 

"Are you okay?" Yashiro asked carefully. In response, Akari took a deep breath, until she was ready to smile again. 

"I guess I should give him some time, huh? I can't imagine losing twice in a row like that. Anyone would be bummed out," she gave a reply without an answer, looking at the back of her friend. 

"I... don't want to fight you," Yashiro admitted. 

"We'll be fine!" she faced him with a big grin. "So you better worry about yourself instead! Don't think you can beat us so easily!" 

Her words put a much-needed smile on the red-headed winner. 

"I won't go easy on you either."