King's game : purgatory 11.04 ep 29

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[Monday, November 8, 04:52 pm]

"Yohei Nakajima-kun and Miki Maeda-san passed away."

In front of the school gate, Yumeto said to Miyauchi and Kawashima.

Miyauchi turned his gaze to the corpse that Yumeto and Takeshi had brought. Their body was wrapped in a white sheet, but their head was stained with blood.

"I see.... Okay. I'll take the body. Whoa!"

Men in protective clothing behind Miyauchi load the bodies onto trucks.

Yumeto stared blankly at the scene.

...Now, the only ones left are me, Yuna, Fuka, Take, Hinako, Narumi, Hisashi, Iori, Souta, and Satoshi-kun are 10 people.... If Yohei-kun or Miki-san were the king, the next order wouldn't come, but that's probably not the case. If Yohei was the king, he wouldn't have given such an order that he would die.

"The king should still be here."

"That's probably right"

Takeshi, who was next to me, muttered softly.

"I can't trust anyone other than my group anymore. Unfortunately, not even Yumeto-kun."

"Me too?"

"Ah. It's true that you, who transferred to another school, doesn't seem to have any relation to Tomoki who committed suicide. However, there may be a point of contact somewhere. If the number of people has decreased by this much, I can't help but doubt. Anyway, you doubt me too, don't you?"

"...…That's right. I think Takeshi-kun has the potential to become king."

Yumeto looked at Takeshi with sad eyes.

"Even if this is the king's strategy, it can't be helped. I have no idea what other groups are doing"

"Yeah, but...you should be careful even if you're in the same group."

Takeshi put his face to Yumeto's ear.

"Even you, Yuna-san and Fuka-san, who are in the same group, aren't always together, right?

"That's... Yes, but..."

"Even I don't want to doubt Hinako, who is in the same group as me. But you can never say that she's not the king. So if you're not a king, be careful with your comrades. we should do that to each other"

"..."

Takeshi's words squeezed Yumeto's heart. The air around him becomes heavy and his breathing becomes rough.

"Would Yuna-san or Fuka-san be the king?"

When I turned my gaze to the school building, I saw Yuna and Fuka by the window of the Class 2A classroom. The two look at Yumeto at the school gate through the window.

.....It's impossible for that two people to be kings. It shouldn't be possible...

Before he knew it, his own nails were digging into Yumeto's palm.

..................

After washing his face and returning to the computer room, Fuka was nowhere to be seen. Yumeto approached Yuna, who was sitting on a chair by the window.

"Huh? Where did Fuka-san go?"

"She's going for a walk".

Yuna placed the mobile phone she was operating on her desk and looked up at Yumeto.

"I think she probably went to the clubroom building."

"I see. You shouldn't go out alone."

"I said so too, but she said it's okay now."

"Certainly, right now, there's no reason to fight with other groups, But..."

Yumeto frowned between his eyebrows.

.....Since the orders for this king's game have been completed, it should be fine until noon tomorrow. But still someone might try to kill Fuka-san, regardless of orders, if anyone suspects that Fuka-san is the king. Because if the king dies, the king's game will end...

"...Hey, I'm going to look for Fuka-san."

"Then I'll go too."

After Yuna said that, she placed the mobile phone on top of the desktop holder connected to outlet.

"Ah..."

"Hmm? What happened?"

Yumeto called out to Yuna, who was staring at the desktop holder connected to the outlet.

"Ah...I'm sorry. I have something to worry about..."

"Something to worried about?"

"Yeah. But maybe I'm just too concern..."

At that moment, the door opened and Fuka came back. Fuka looks at Yumeto and Yuna, and she smiles.

"Yuna! You were seducing Yumeto while I was gone, weren't you?"

"Wh..., I didn't do that."

Yuna turns her face red and shakes her head left and right.

"Or rather, Yumeto was going to look for Fuka."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah. Even without the King's orders, you shouldn't go out alone now."

Yumeto looked worried and approached Fuka.

"Souta-kun and Satoshi-kun may target Fuka-san regardless of the king's game order."

"I see. I was a little careless. I'm sorry."

Fuka sticks out her pink tongue and bows her head lightly.

"I wanted to think about something by myself, so I took a walk to the clubroom building."

"What do you want to think about?"

"It's all about who the king is."

"..... So, did you find the answer?"

"Yes, I find peoples who aren't kings."

"Who are they?"

"Yumeto and Yuna."

Fuka looked at Yumeto's and Yuna's faces alternately.

"Yumeto and Yuna were often together in the same group, and above all, I don't think they would play a game where they would kill their classmates."

"I'm happy that you think so. Then, the king is among the remaining seven?"

"The only peoples left are, um... Takeshi, Hinako, Narumi, Iori, Hisashi, Souta, and Satoshi. I think all seven of them are suspicious."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. Souta and Satoshi have no hesitation in killing their classmates, and Takeshi was marked as a suspect by the police. Iori has something to do with the missing Sousuke. Hisashi-kun has acted even more inconspicuous since the king's game started. Hinako-san, if I remember correctly, she was in front of the vase on the day the king's game started, right?"

"That's right. Hinako-san was in front of my desk that day."

"In that case, I wonder if Hinako-san can will be the king too."

"Then, how about Narumi-san?"

Fuuka groaned at Yumeto's question.

"Well, normally, Narumi-san would be excluded. I don't think she has any dissatisfaction with her life, and she shouldn't have any contact with Tomoki-kun. But, there is one thing that bothers me.... "

"What are you worried about?"

"Have you ever heard rumors about king's game, Yumeto-kun? If you become the last person in the king's game, the virus in your body will mutate and you will become immortal."

"Ah..."

Yumeto remembered the writing on the bulletin board Yohei showed him earlier.

"When I thought about that, there seems to be such a rumor."

"It sounds like a hoax, but some people seem to believe it. Keldo virus can change your bodies. It's being research in countries all over the world."

"I can't imagine such a dangerous virus being useful to humans."

"I agree, but I think there are people who find immortality attractive. Narumi-san has that beauty, and I think she wants to live like that forever."

"Come to think of it, I think Narumi-san said something like that when we were ordered to become demons together in a tag game."

Narumi's words replayed in Yumeto's head.

'I like myself. This look and personality. It would be great if I could live forever at this young age.'

.....That's it, that's what Narumi said. If so, does Narumi-san have a motive for playing the king's game too?

Fuka peers into Yumeto's face, which has gone silent.

"It seems that Yumeto-kun didn't think of Narumi-san as a king."

"Yeah. I knew there was such a rumor, I also knew that Narumi wanted to live forever. But still...."

"No way, you didn't doubt Narumi-san because she's beautiful, did you?"

"That's not true. But if Narumi-san was the king, then Tomoki-kun had nothing to do with her, right? Considering the king's letter, Tomoki-kun's revenge is a more fitting reason for playing the king's game."

Yumeto pursed his lips and wrinkled his eyebrows.

....I thought that the king's purpose was to take revenge for Tomoki-kun, but is it better for me to consider other possibilities? That letter shows the king's true feelings, and I feel like I understand it. Even so, Is that also the king's plan to deceive us?

"It's frustrating, but it feels like the king's plan."

Fuka puts her fist to her mouth and twitches her eyebrows.

"Maybe to make every group thinks someone other than their group is king."

"And the fight will accelerate... huh?"

"Nevertheless, You have no choice but to doubt it. The king's letter was hidden on the school grounds, so there must be a king among us."

Fuka's words made Yumeto's mouth dry.

..................

Order 12

[November 9 (Tuesday) 00:53 pm]

A ringtone rang out in the computer room.

With a pale face, Yumeto checked the LCD screen of his smartphone. There was a new king game order displayed there.

[11/9 (Tue) 00:53 pm.

Sender: King

Subject: King's Game

Text: This is the king's game played by the 2nd year class A students of Akaikeyama High School.

*The King's orders are absolute, so be sure to obey them.

*Withdrawal is not permitted

*Order 12 : Kill people of the same sex and prohibit killing the opposite sex. If no one dies, randomly punish one student every 24 hours. This order continues until six students die.

END]

"Six people..."

A hoarse voice escaped from Yumeto's mouth.

.....With this order, the ones who are aiming at me are Souta, Satoshi, Hisashi, and Takeshi.

..... Narumi, Iori, and Hinako will target Yuna and Fuka. Either way, it's best to move quickly.

"Yuna-san, Fuka-san, we'll be moving soon."

"Moving.... Where are we going?"

At Fuka's question, Yumeto pointed at Mt. Akaikeyama.

...................

Yumeto and the others took the bottled water, nutritional supplements, and sweets that had been left in the computer room and moved to the back gate. After confirming that there was no one at the back gate, They ran to the trailhead of Mt. Akaikeyama.

Letting Yuna and Fuka go first, Yumeto looked back at the school building. There are no people in the windows of the school building. There was no one at the back door either.

.....Perhaps the groups are wary of each other. Takeshi and Hinako are boy and a girl, so they don't fight each other, but Souta and Satoshi are the same sex, and Narumi and Iori are also the same sex, so they can kill each other. Either way, it's our chance now. If we can hide in Mt. Akaikeyama, I can protect Yuna and Fuka.

Yumeto gripped the handle of the bag filled with food and started climbing the mountain path covered with fallen leaves.

...................

The orange setting sun turned the pampas grass growing around it orange. The rustling ears of pampas grass sway in the wind.

Through that gap, Yumeto confirmed the mountain trail about 100 meters away.

"Yeah....it's okay. Nobody climbed up here."

"Is everyone still in school?"

While Yuna was crouching down, she grabbed Yumeto's shirt sleeve.

"I don't know. But I think we are in an advantageous position."

"Advantageous?"

"Yeah. There is a possibility that Narumi-san and Souta-kun will fight within the group. With this order, if they are of the same sex, they can kill each other. There is a possibility that Narumi-san and Iori-san will fight. And Souta-kun and Satoshi-kun may also fight. Takeshi-kun and Hinako-san are a different sex group, so they won't fight."

"Then, Takeshi and his group might target us."

"You should consider that possibility. Yuna-san and the others should be wary of only Hinako-san."

"I see. Takeshi-kun can't kill us girls... huh?"

"Then it might work out."

Fuka sighed and sat down on her sleeping bag.

"We managed to escape into the mountains, so it's going to be hard to find us."

"Yeah. Moreover, this place has silver grass that is about 2 meters high, so they shouldn't be able to see us from the outside."

Yumeto moved his gaze left and right. Yumeto and his friends are surrounded by pampas grass, making it difficult to spot them from the outside.

"Normally, it would be hard to imagine that you are hiding in a pampas meadow like this."

"That's right. It's safe to hide in the forest. The search should be the main one that have a hard time."

Fuka touched the pampas grass stem with her index finger. The white spikes at the tip sway gently.

"So, what are you going to do now, Yumeto-kun?"

".....I think we should hide here for the time being, so I can protect Fuka-san and Yuna-san."

"Yumeto-kun?"

"Yeah. Only girls can target girls. In that case, if I'm a boy and I'm near you guys, even if girls from other groups find us, they won't come near me."

"It's true that girls and boys have different strengths. Besides, girl can't a kill Yumeto, who is a boy..."

"This order seems to be that kind of rule."

Yumeto took out a knife that was in his bag.

"Fuka-san, I'll give you this. It's the knife that Tokisada-kun took from Seiichiro-kun."

"Knife..."

"If anything happens, I want you to use it. I definitely don't want you to die."

"Does that mean that you want me to survive even if I kill people?"

"...Yes"

Yumeto nodded at Fuka's question.

"Honestly, I don't want to see you guys killing your classmates. But it's hundreds of times better than you dying. So if you think it's dangerous, don't hesitate to use it."

"....That's right. I guess I have to prepare myself."

Fuka lowered her gaze to the knife in her hand.

"I understand. I will definitely survive and I will protect Yuna. Even if I become a murderer..."

Fuka's words made the surrounding air heavy.

Yuna's face turns pale, and Yumeto moves tongue to moisten his dry mouth.

.....If possible, I don't want Fuka-san and Yuna-san to kill her classmates. If that's the case, then I....

Yumeto clenched his fists on his knees.

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