"Keiichi-san!!!
I know now, I figured it out!!!"
I heard Satoko screaming from the classroom.
Satoko had figured out where Rena hid the time bomb!!
I wanted to catch Rena, but I didn't have time for that.
I had to do something about the time bomb instead!!
"Keiichi!
Hurry up and go back to Satoko!"
Rika-chan had spread her arms, blocking Rena's path forward.
"What are you doing? Just run!!!"
".........Keiichi.
This isn't the first time I've done this for you.
Don't you remember?"
"............Eh?"
"If I'd tried a little harder the previous time... you could have made it.
...So this time, you are going to make it!
Just go!!"
I didn't know what Rika-chan was talking about.
But there was one thing I did know.
Just like Rena and Mion were ready to give up their lives for their friends, and I was willing to give up mine...
Rika-chan was prepared for that too!!
Therefore, telling Rika-chan to run was like telling her she wasn't my friend!!
And so, I will depend on my friend, Rika-chan!!
"Thank you, Rika-chan!!!"
"Keiichi-san, we are running out of tiiiiiime!!!"
Leaving it to Rika-chan, I dashed for the classroom!!
As soon as Rika heard Keiichi's footsteps reach the classroom door, she sighed in relief.
As she did, Rena's black shadow came ever closer.
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
That's great, that's just great; this isn't a club activity, you know?
You'll be killed for real!! You'll be killed by an angry Rena!!"
"....................."
"Ahahahahahahahahaha...ha ha...
Hmm...
You're not afraid of me, are you?
You're amazing, Rika-chan."
Rika grabbed a mop as she ran from the storage closet. She picked it up and held it upside down, like a spear.
Rika's stance told Rena that she was ready to fight.
Rika didn't look like a little girl anymore.
She looked so brave...
that Rena was even startled by it.
".........Boy, you really are amazing.
You aren't afraid of being killed at all, huh?"
"...Heh!"
Rika smiled cynically.
Rika usually never smiled this way.
"Do you really think I would be afraid of death?
I've experienced several hundred deaths up until now. Why should I be afraid of it all of a sudden?"
"You... aren't Rika-chan, are you?
...You're the one I met that night...
Show yourself, alien...!
Where is the real Rika-chan?"
"The real Rika?
She's right here.
...Meep, nipah☆."
"Ah!!
The way you're looking down on me, that really is like Rika-chan!
...I get it, Oyashiro-sama is an alien.
The Furude family is descended from him... and therefore you are a descendant of aliens!!
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
I'll crack open your head and drag out all the parasites in your brain, ahhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Rena raised her hatchet and charged at Rika with a scream!!
"Hyaaaahhhh!!
One swing is all I need to smash your head open!!!!"
Rena looked like a beast charging towards its prey!!!
Rika took a step backwards and lowered her body, preparing to counterattack.
She did that with no hesitation...
"Even a minute is plenty.
I'll play with you.
Come on, hatchet girl!"
"Do you not get it, Keiichi-san?
All the hints were already in place this morning!"
"C-Calm down, Satoko!
Explain more slowly so I can understand!
What are you trying to say?"
It's simple if you just remember...!
Come on, it's quite obvious when you do!
"Hey, something stinks today. Close the windows!"
"Silly, it'll be hotter in here if we close the windows!!"
We had been smelling gasoline coming from outdoors.
There were no forestry service people in the office, so they weren't doing any work today.
The smell wasn't coming from anything they were doing.
In other words, it was the smell of Rena's gasoline.
Rena hid the gasoline near the classroom. She had it in a plastic container.
You can't smell gasoline that's in a plastic container...
So in other words, she had more gasoline ready than just in the container she used to spread it around the classroom.
Where was the smell coming from?
...Was it coming from outside?
Vaporized gasoline is heavier than air.
It sinks.
There was another hint other than that.
"What?!
Our ball is missing!
You hid it again, didn't you, Houjou?"
"Why would I hide such a stupid thing?
If I was going to hide something, I'd hide something better than that."
Kids who love to play with their ball never lose it!
It should have been in the same place it always was.
But it was gone!
So that must mean that Rena used it for something!
The gasoline was
coming from above.
A ball was missing...
So maybe, it was stuffed somewhere...
"Rena-san blocked the drain with the ball and poured gasoline in the drain canal!!
Where?
On the roof of the second floor!!"
The drain canal extended along the roof of the second floor and then came straight down to the ground.
If it was plugged and filled with gasoline... it was like a huge Molotov cocktail that extended from the ground to the roof of the second floor!!
Furthermore, the drain canal ran by the classroom windows!!
If the canal exploded, the classroom would explode too!!
"Therefore!!
The time bomb must be...!!"
"I bet she ran an extension cord out the second floor window... It's on the rooftop!!!"
I picked up a pair of scissors and cut Satoko's bonds.
"By the way, how did Rika-chan free herself from the rope?"
"I apologize for not being thin enough to slip out myself."
I rubbed Satoko's head.
"Take care of the rest here!
I'm going up to the roof!!"
As I jumped out of the classroom, Satoko stopped me.
"Keiichi-san, here!!"
"What is it?"
Something silver sailed through the air!
I caught it.
It was a metal bat...!
"...That's Nii-nii's.
Make sure you give it back to me, okay?"
"Sure thing!!
Thanks, Satoko!!!"
The metal bat fit right in my palm. I didn't even feel its weight.
It really eased my mind!!
The name "Satoshi" was written on the handle.
This was the bat that belonged to Satoko's brother, Satoshi.
He was the victim of last year's tragedy.
You and I, we're the same.
I won't let another tragedy take place!
I'll treat this as a gift from you, who was waiting in the wings!
Let's rip apart the script of this demonic tragedy together!!
Let's go, Satoshi!!!
As I tried to run up the stairs, I heard a loud noise coming from the hallway by the teacher's office.
I saw Rika-chan rolling on the floor.
......Damn... Rika-chan!!
You held out as long as you could!!
"......Damn it.
If my body were five years older..."
"You're next, Keiichi-kun!!!
Whooooaaaaaa!!!"
"Shit!! I have to go.
I have to get to the rooftop!!"
"Ahahahahahahaha, how did you figure it out, how did you?!!
Still, I won't let you get up there!!!"
Rena's face looked unbelievably scary!
She was ready to rip me apart if she caught me.
In that case, just try me!!
I jumped up the stairs, skipping every other step!
I turned on the bug in my pocket.
I didn't have time to put in the earphones!
As Rena flew up the stairs,
her foot got caught on a jump rope.
She tripped, and then three buckets fell on her head.
...The result of Satoko's trap!!
"Ow... ow ow ow ow...!!
Tch... Ahahahahahahahahaha, it was Satoko-chan, huh?!!"
Satoko leaned against the wall and waved her index finger in a mocking gesture.
"Oh ho ho ho!
You were pretty good, but you are about three hundred million light years too early to go up against a trap expert like me!!!"
"...Satoko-chan, light years are a unit of distance, not time..."
Smash!
The fourth bucket hit Satoko on the head.
I continued up to the rooftop!!
Rena ignored Satoko and ran after me...!
"O, O!
Ooishi-san?
I did it!!!
I got the lighter.
I know where the time bomb is; it's on the rooftop in the drain canal!!
I'm headed up there right now!!"
"...Ooishi-san... is that it?"
Ooishi grabbed the pair of binoculars from Kumagai and looked at the rain gutter on the rooftop.
......There was something like an alarm clock sitting there!
The cord from the clock was extending into the second floor window.
It was so obvious, but they didn't even notice until just then!
Satoko was working hard to remove her classmates' restraints.
But she couldn't do anything about the bike lock on Mion's neck!
"Just run, everyone! Forget about me...!"
"Hmm, that doesn't sound like Mion-san.
Why not act like our club president, even in a situation like this?
All you have to do, as our president, is to give me an order to undo this lock, okay?"
Satoko reached for the back of her collar... and produced a bent hair pin.
Satoko opened the window, climbed onto the windowsill, and faced the bike lock that was restraining Mion.
"E-Everyone, open the curtains and the windows, then run!!"
"B-But, class prez!
What about Maebara-san?"
"The police will help Kei-chan!
You all need to run as soon as possible!!
...Huh?
Did you unlock it already?"
"To me, this type of lock is child's play!"
The binoculars were trained on the classroom.
All the curtains were open, as well as all the windows. The children, in turn were all running out onto the schoolyard!
Ooishi pushed Ootaka aside, then grabbed his radio and yelled into it.
"All units, go!!
Go, go!!
Secure the hostages!!
The suspect is going up to the second floor, running after one of them!"
"Hey! What are you doing?
Ooishi-kun, give me back the radio... Gyahh! Ah... guhhhhh."
Ootaka tried to grab the radio from Ooishi, but Kumagai stepped in.
There was a dull noise and Ootaka crumbled to the floor, convulsing.
"Oops, sorry.
I guess my knee happened to hit your balls."
"The classroom is still filled with gasoline, be very careful!
You are forbidden from using any gas bombs or flares. Again, do not use gas bombs or flares!!
The whole place will blow!!"
"Support unit to HQ!
We secured twenty-four hostages!!
One is injured!"
"This is the assault unit. We're trying to take control of the first floor.
...We've got a problem.
The electrical room is locked, and we can't get in."
"You can't get in?!
Can't you break down the door?"
"It's located directly opposite the classroom.
The smell of gasoline is strong here. We might ignite the gas when breaking down the door.
We'll await further orders."
"Shit!!
We could have just turned the power off!
...Forget the electrical room, go secure the second floor!!"
"Assault unit, roger that.
Alpha, GO! GO! GO!!!"
"Ootaka-kun!
What were you going to do if you failed to secure the electrical room?"
"That is... That's what the special unit was for..."
"This is the problem with rich boys...
We'll just have to secure the clock's outlet now!"
"Sniper unit to HQ.
I can see a male hostage on the rooftop of the first floor."
"Ooishi-san!!
That's Maebara-kun!!"
"Give me the speaker!!
Maebara-san!!!
The clock is plugged into the back room on the second floor!!"
I shook my head repeatedly.
I couldn't do that.
Rena was coming after me, so I couldn't head that way.
What else could I do?
The only way was to go up to the roof of the second floor and get the clock from there!!
"Maebara-saaaan!!
Continue up to the roof of the second floor!!!
I'll direct you from there!!"
Ooishi-san was telling me to go further up.
Satoko only told me that it was on the rooftop of the second floor, and she didn't tell me where exactly.
She only said it was in the drain canal.
But maybe Ooishi-san found it with his binoculars.
I put my foot on the railing of the veranda and ran up to the rooftop.
I had never felt so light.
I felt like I could lift myself with just two or three fingers.
"That's it, keep going!!!
It's at the furthest end of the drain pipe!!!
You only have thirty seconds!!!"
Heh!
Thirty seconds would be plenty of time!!
I could get there in half that!!
Over there... Was that it?
It waaaaaaas!!!
"Sniper unit to HQ.
I can see the suspect on the rooftop of the first floor!"
"Ahh, I wish you could fire, but you're using live ammo, aren't you?
It's not tear gas or anything, is it?"
"No, it's live ammunition."
"Use those in the military! Japanese police don't need anything like that...!
Maebara-san!!
She's after you!!
Hurry!!
She'll be there soon!!!"
How many more seconds did I have?
Ah, who cares? Whooaaahhhhh!!!
I slid down the roof and grabbed the kitchen timer that was sitting on the drain pipe, which was filled with gasoline.
There was a cord with a copper wire attached to it.
This was supposed to create sparks and start an explosion!
The hands on the clock kept moving, with the second hand trying to reach the minute hand...
Seven,
six,
five,
four,
three,
Whoooaaaaaoooooooohhh!!!!
I threw it to the ground!!
A moment later, I heard the noise of something breaking.
Hah... hah... hah!!
Did I do it?
"Assault unit to HQ, the time bomb has been stopped!"
"Yeeeeeeeees!!!"
"O-Ooishi-san, we did it, we did it!!"
"Yeah!
M-Maebara-san, good job!!"
"Keiichi-san certainly made me nervous.
Cutting it so close isn't elegant, you know!"
Not only policemen, but the children who were on their way to ambulances raised their voices in cheer.
"Ooishi-san, there's a message from the fire department.
The scene is still dangerous, so order all units to retreat immediately!!"
"Isn't the time bomb gone, though...?"
"Although the ignition device is gone, it's still extremely dangerous.
The lives of the assault unit might be at stake."
"Damn...!
What about Maebara-kun up there?
Can he jump off?"
"Ooishi-san, according to the map, there's a flower bed by the school building.
We'll tell him to jump there!!"
"Ooishi to all units!!
Stop the operation, fall back immediately, fall back!!"
"Alpha here, roger that."
"Beta here, roger that. Fall back, fall back!!"
"Can you hear me, Maebara-san?
Ryuugu-san too!!
It's too dangerous to stay there!!
It might explode at any minute!!
There's a flower bed by the school building; jump down there!!!"
"A flower bed?
Damn it, I can't see it from here..."
But it didn't sound like I had enough time to be looking for it.
......I noticed a white hand at the edge of the roof...
followed by Rena's head.
Rena slowly crawled up to the rooftop.
I waited for her there.
"I never thought you would find it.
It was all for nothing..."
Rena scratched at her throat.
The band-aids peeled off, and her throat started to bleed...
"It's game over,
Rena!!!"
We were confronting each other on the rooftop of the second floor.
...This wasn't a club activity, but a real battle!
Rena was glaring at me with hatred at first...
But maybe because she had already given up, she started smiling wickedly.
I heard the chorus of the higurashi in the background, as if to cool us down from the heat of battle.
I didn't think we needed their service yet, though.
"Yeah, if it was a board game, you'd have reached the goal and won.
But... this isn't a game.
So this isn't a goal--it's a dead end."
"......Shit, you don't give up, do you?
Rena, you really are strong.
You never give up.
You fight until the bitter end.
You keep believing until that point, too."
"Praise like that won't make me happy now...
You ruined everything that I had risked my life for, Keiichi-kun.
I was simply trying to protect our species from the aliens. You ruined it.
If humans go extinct... it'll be your fault, Keiichi-kun. That will be recorded in history!!!"
I didn't mean to laugh, but I couldn't help it...
My name would be written down in the history books of the aliens as the one who destroyed the human species. Somehow, that sounded kinda cool.
"Rena...
no matter what you have to say, I've won this game.
I've already won, and you just don't want to admit it. That's all."
"Yeah...... maybe you're right."
"But maybe that's not how it works.
A game doesn't end when there's a winner.
It ends when there's a loser.
That means... for me, winning isn't enough."
"............Hmm?
What do you mean?"
I tapped my shoulder with the metal bat, gesturing for Rena to come at me.
"I'm going to make you understand that you lost."
I won't run or hide.
Do you know why?
According to the rules of our club, we don't run from our enemies!!
"I'll prove to you
that you've already lost, Rena!!"
"..................Hmm."
"Are you ready?
Parasites and aliens?
How stupid!
Who would believe in things like that these days?
I can only laugh, ha ha ha har!!"
".........You never believed me in the first place
yet you pretended that you did.
.........How dare you deceive me!!
I won't forgive you...
I'll never forgive you!!"
"I don't care if you believe in those things.
But I would never believe in anything that stupid!
Well, if I did have to believe in anything like that, I'd rather believe in the buried treasures of the Tokugawa Shogunate!
But if you still want me to believe...
don't you remember our club's rules?"
"Whoever can seize victory is the correct one..."
"There you go!!"
Rena and I grinned at each other, and as we went around in circles on the rooftop, we both checked the distance between us.
"If you can take me down, I'll believe in your alien stories!!
I'll perform a mysterious dance every morning and night to call for UFOs to come and beam up livestock!!
But Rena...
If I take you down, then I want you to be ready!!"
"Ahhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
I don't think you even need to think further than that, I don't think you do!
You will never defeat me!!"
Rena came at me with a heavy strike!!
I caught it easily with the metal bat.
It looked like there were some sparks.
This was finally getting interesting!
"Hey, maybe you shouldn't say that yet. You might be wrong, you know.
When I went through a whole lot of fierce battles in our club, I learned something.
I learned about myself!
Now I know what I need... to bring out my ultimate power."
"Really?
I wonder what it is...
I wonder!!"
Rena, your hatchet can be a powerful weapon.
But my metal bat is as powerful as your hatchet.
Sure, it doesn't have a blade, but it reaches farther and it's easy to handle!
I won't be going for a defensive battle!
I'm going to fight you face to face, and I'm going to defeat you!!
I'm sure I'm stronger than you physically, but you're better at drawing out your true potential, Rena.
In other words, we're equally matched!!
This is great!
I won't need to hold back at all!
"So what are you going to do after you beat me?
Take that, that, and that!!!
Hmm, I think I might have the upper hand!"
"Huh!
I'm just warming up!
Just you wait and see!
Wait and see what I do after I take you down!
We've both put a lot of chips on the pile!
Prepare yourself for having to make a big payout!!!"
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Aren't you counting your chickens before they've hatched?
Your bluffing is just pathetic!"
"Heh heh heh!
You don't get it, do you?
My strength increases in proportion to my reward, don't you know?
Let's see...!!
You'll be my personal maid!!
Starting from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep at night, you'll serve me all day, every day!
With Coach's help, you'll be wearing a different costume every day!!
Wait, until I go to sleep at night?
What if I make it so that you won't let me sleep instead?!
How 'bout that?"
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!
That's so like you, Keiichi-kun!
No, thank you!
Actually, I'll win, and make you my servant!!"
Ah ha ha ha ha!!
We both laughed like crazy people as we struck at each other!!
It was strange how much fun it was becoming.
Rena and I were trying to kill each other... and yet, it was a blast!
Sparks were flying. We could get seriously injured!!
If we fell off of the rooftop, we'd break our bones, yet this was so much fun!!
I had been mourning and crying all day today while Rena terrified me.
How did all that turn into this?
"The two of us can't be serious even if we try!
Even with sparks flying, we can only goof around!!"
"Too bad!
That's not me. I like being elegant and graceful.
You can have fun goofing around by yourself, Keiichi-kun!!"
Rena's next strike came at a strange angle, but I managed to deflect it!
"Whoa!!
Taahaha!!
That's too, too weak. You're done!"
"Ha ha!
Finally, I'm all warmed up.
This is just a warm-up, right?"
"Huh?
Stupid, this isn't even a warm-up.
This is like taking a walk.
Hey, you're all sweaty."
"Hee hee hee hee, ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!
Instead of sweat, you'll be covered in your own blood!!"
"Maebara-san!!
Jump off!!
Come on, jump!!!
He isn't even listening to us!
He's so into it that he can't even hear anything...!
...Ooishi-san?"
".........Hmm?
Ah, ah, sorry!
What is it?"
"What do you mean 'what is it'?
We have to figure out a way to rescue him!"
Ooishi couldn't figure out why he was distracted, considering the seriousness of the situation.
He was engrossed in watching the two of them fight with the sunset behind them.
But Ooishi wasn't the only one.
Everyone watching was captivated by their battle on the rooftop.
At that moment, a sudden loud voice broke the silence.
"M-Maebara-san, hang in there!!!
Careful, don't fall!!"
The students who were about to climb onto the ambulance
were cheering him on.
Mion was being loaded onto a stretcher with bandages around her head, but even she sat up, captivated as she was by Rena and Keiichi's duel.
Our once-happy days were supposed to have shattered due to a series of misunderstandings. They were supposed to be irretrievable...
But...
huh......
...why?
Why did I feel this way...?
This was such a close game.
But it wouldn't be fun to stay in a stalemate forever!!
Rena and I kicked at each other with perfect timing, and increased the distance between us!
"Hey!!!
This is a blast!!!
What do you think, Rena?
Isn't this just the best?"
"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I've been having fun since the very beginning!!
But it'll be even more fun to split your head open, Keiichi-kun!
Split it opeeen!!"
"Wow, that's dangerous!!
Over here!!
Come back over here!!
Let's use more space!!
Something like this doesn't happen too often!!
Let's enjoy it as much as we can!!"
"Ahhhahahahahahaha!!
This would make a great picture!
Look, there's a beautiful moon behind us!
The breeze feels great!!"
It was such a fantastical scene.
Two people were fighting on the rooftop of the school building, with the moon behind them. It was almost unbelievable.
All the policemen and children looked at that mysterious and fantastical scene from a distance, completely entranced.
Everyone was thinking the same thing,
but nobody said anything.
...Why does it look like they're having fun?
"Getting all fired up in a breeze this cool...
It reminds me of the Watanagashi festival!!
I don't really like to just sit back and enjoy the cool of the evening in silence!
When the moon comes up, I turn into an animal!!"
All us club members went crazy on the night of Watanagashi!
The mayor scolded us by the end of it, but we laughed at each other, and promised to do the same thing again next year!!
"Going crazy under the moon, huh? That sounds cool, doesn't it?
Maybe we're already crazy!!"
"Yeah, I feel the same!!
We're having fun trying to kill each other... we must be mad already!!
This must be what insanity is like!!"
Some people say the moon has the power to arouse passions in people.
Maybe that's true, and maybe it's not.
One thing that's for sure is that even if it were a new moon tonight,
we would still feel the same way!!!
As our surroundings got darker, the sparks we'd create with each hit started to look like fireflies.
Hey now, isn't there gasoline in the drain pipe right nearby?
Ahhhahahahahaha, who cares? If an explosion happens, it happens!!
"Hey, what are you doing?
Are you getting too sweaty to hold the bat?
Why don't you take a break and dry your hands off?
I'll split your head open while you do that, though!!"
"Wa ha ha ha!!
That's a good one!!
Isn't your skirt clinging to your legs? You can take it off if you want!!
I'll just watch you instead of attacking!!"
"Really?
Then I'll give you a good blow to the head while you're charmed by my legs!
Ahhahahahahaha!"
"This really is so much fun, isn't it, Rena?!!"
"Yep, it sure is!!!"
We flew! We danced!
We struck! We laughed!
We stepped back once in a while to catch a breath, and then charged at each other and let the sparks fly!
We aimed at each other as we went around in circles on the rooftop of the school, our special stage.
Rena and I were all sweaty.
But we weren't exhausted yet. The beads of sweat rolling down my body just tickled me.
We exchanged furious blows one after the other.
Neither of us was at an advantage or disadvantage.
Neither of us exalted in victory or raged in defeat.
The battle with Rena in itself was fun.
It was like a dance.
A dance I couldn't dance by myself.
It was a dance I could only dance with someone with whom I was equally matched.
"Didn't you think the same thing I did when we did that club activity with the whole class...?
The day we duelled with water guns..."
"Yeah, I did!!"
""We wanted to fight like this again!!!""
As we thought that way on the rooftop, our classmates down below must've thought the same.
Our fight was so pure and passionate... that everyone thought the same thing!
'We want to join them!!'
"It was the same back then!
We were using water guns, but we did the same thing!!!"
"But this is far more fun!!
I don't have to worry about how much water I have left in my gun!!"
"Yeah, we can't create sparks with water guns!"
"We couldn't strike at each other like this either!!!"
We both were breathing hard, waiting for the right timing to take a step forward.
In the midst of that, we grinned at each other.
"Huff... huff...!
This is exactly what I said then, but I'm going to say it again."
"Okay then, I'll respond just the same."
We both smiled wickedly in the same moment!!
"This is so fun!
I don't want it to ever end!!"
"Ahahahaha!
Don't hate me if you lose!!"
"No, never!!
I'd hate myself for ending this game!!
But I know I won't be the one crying in the end!!"
"I don't know about that!
Your feet are getting weak, like they're made of straw!!"
"Shut uuuup!!
Whoaaaryaaahhhhh!!!"
Everyone was captivated by our fight.
They were swept up in our fight.
We both had weapons.
Weapons deadly enough to seriously hurt one another!
But we were both perfectly matched
and neither of us had hit the other yet!!
Why did they look so happy?
This was just ridiculous...!
All the people below were just watching this fight on the rooftop with the beautiful moon as a backdrop.
Not even the police could stop them!
This was impossible!!
This battle was absurd... and absolutely impossible!!
"Keiichi-san!!
Try to stay in the middle of the roof!!
Use the height to your advantage!!!"
Satoko and some of her classmates cheered Keiichi on, but there were some who were cheering for Rena too.
To them, this was no longer a fight to the death.
It was just the second round of their water gun battle.
A club activity is a club activity and a game is a game.
This was just the second round, so nobody would die.
Even though they had real weapons...
Nobody thought they would get hurt.
Rika wasn't cheering. She was just looking up at the rooftop.
"...I've...... never
seen anything...
like this before..."
Rika thought to herself.
She thought Keiichi could win.
Not just against Rena.
Rika thought Keiichi could even destroy the walls of the maze of tragedies that had no exit.
"What are the snipers doing?
The suspect is trying to harm the hostage!
Fire immediately!!"
As Ootaka yelled into the radio, Mion screamed for him to stop.
"No, no!!
Don't shoot Rena!!
Rena isn't crazy anymore!
She isn't who she was earlier!
That's a different Rena!
So please, don't shoot her!!"
"What do you mean, she's different?
Look!
She's swinging around that weapon!
She's trying to kill him!
Unless we shoot her down, the hostage is in danger!!"
"...No, no!!
Don't shoot at Rena!!
If you shoot Rena, Kei-chan will kill you for sure!!
I can guarantee it!!"
"Wh-Why would he kill me?"
"They aren't trying to kill each other!
They're just having fun creating sparks!!
Can't you see?
Kei-chan is talking to her, too.
He's telling her that they're equal!
That means she can trust him more than anyone!!
Kei-chan will wake Rena up!
No, he's already waking her up!!
Rena's nightmare is almost over!!"
"Keiichi-kun, you're the best!!
I don't even want to kill you anymore!!
A world without you would be so boring!!"
"Huh! Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it!!
So what's going to happen to the world, huh?
Aren't aliens trying to invade it?"
"Ahahahahaahahaahahahahaha, ahhhahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahaha!!
You know, I don't think I even care about aliens or parasites anymore.
If the world is going to perish, go ahead and perish. Who cares about the conspiracy of the Three Families, anyway?"
"That's right, even if a meteor hits the Earth tomorrow..."
"Nothing could be more fun than this moment!!!!"
"Hey, aren't you supposed to die tonight due to some poison?
You sure don't look like you only have a few hours left to live!!"
"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
That's right, I completely forgot about that. I'm supposed to claw out my throat and die tonight!!"
"Hey, that's the scenario you came up with, don't forget.
Come on, scratch your throat once in a while, at least!!
Hey, I know, it doesn't itch anymore, does it?
It definitely doesn't!!
This is more fun than scratching your throat could ever be!"
"Yeah, this dance of ours really is way more fun!!!"
I wished it would never end!!
But my body was screaming.
I was breathing hard, and felt dizzy from lack of oxygen.
My upper body felt as light as a piece of paper, as if even a slight breeze could take me away.
...It really had been a blast, but I needed to end it soon...
I felt the same sadness as in that water gun fight.
Back then, it had been declared a draw.
"I wonder what will happen this time..."
"Who knows?
But one thing is for certain."
"What?"
"I loved doing this with you!!"
"Me too!!"
I jumped backwards and slammed the roof with my bat.
The sound was as intense as a huge drum,
and the noise woke up the people who were captivated by our fight.
The silence returned, and the chorus of higurashi filled the air.
"Okay...... let's pause for a moment."
"......Sure.
Let's end this with one more strike."
We started to move slowly... and increased the distance between us.
Everyone realized it.
This fight was ending very soon.
"Okay, this is it.
I'm going to ask you one more time."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Ahahahaha, hey, you're betting something on this, right?
Isn't that why you were fighting?"
"I did?
Ahahahahahaha, sorry, I forgot."
"Tsk. You're hopeless.
Okay, listen carefully.
If I win,
you'll become my personal maid and serve me every day!!
You'll have introduce me to others as your master!!"
"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha, my uniform better be cute!"
"Of course it will.
There will be a variety of uniforms, ranging from old-fashioned ones to ones that are a little dangerous!!
They'll be custom-made so they'll fit you perfectly.
How about that?"
"My goodness.
I don't intend to lose, but that could be fun, somehow.
Ahahahahaha."
"If you win, Rena."
I paused for a moment.
"If you win, I'll believe your stories."
Rena was happy until just a moment ago, but that expression was suddenly wiped from her face.
"Aliens are invading the Earth and we have parasites in our brains.
The Sonozaki family is pulling the strings, they're researching the parasites in secret, and aliens will be in control of the world starting tomorrow. I will believe in that.
Also, since you're dying tonight,
I'll make sure you go peacefully, so don't worry."
"......It's not fun if I win, is it?
Your reward sounds a lot more fun, Keiichi-kun."
"Well, what can I do?
You did all this because of what I just said, right?"
"...............Yeah, I guess...
Sorry, I almost forgot."
Rena smiled sadly for a moment, but soon that expression was wiped off her face too.
"I'm going to win no matter what.
I want my personal maid!!"
"......Boo, boo.
It's not fun if I win."
"Then do you want to change it?
What do you want?"
......Finally, Rena smiled happily again.
The breeze dried our sweat.
It was a good feeling.
We no longer went crazy, even with the moon out.
We could finally enjoy the coolness of the evening.
It would be so nice if we could just lie down on our backs and gaze at the moon.
Still smiling a little, Rena spoke.
"I
want the same reward as yours, Keiichi-kun."
"What?
You want me to be your maid?
That's something."
"You don't have to be my maid.
But the rest is the same.
I want you to say 'good morning' to me every morning and 'good night' every night.
I want you to treat me well and let me play around all the time.
......Hmm?
Aha ha ha ha ha,
I guess
no matter who wins
we'll always...
be together."
"We'll be together, but the one who gets the special treatment is different."
"Aha! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."
""Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.""
"Why am I fighting with someone I like so much?"
"I don't know.
Why are we on the rooftop?
Why did we even come up here in the first place?"
"Ahahahahaha, I don't know.
I forgot."
"Maybe we're both airheads.
That's why we floated up here."
"Yep, we're airhead buddies."
"We're buddies, alright."
""Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...""
"...Well then, shall we get started?
I don't want to cool down too much."
"You're right.
We better finish up before it gets too cold."
We readied our weapons and took our stances.
"I......
was going to suggest
that we stop this.
I really was."
I shook my head slowly.
"No.
We have to finish this.
...Otherwise, it won't end.
Our fight won't end.
We can't quit.
We have to bring it to an end."
"...This isn't right.
It's possible that no matter who wins or loses, there will be no reward."
".........Even if that happens, we shouldn't hate each other.
So I'm going to tell you this now."
"......What?"
"It was fun."
"Yeah............ I feel the same way..."
"Rena...
Even if one of us dies, we'll see each other again.
And when we do..."
"We'll have fun in a normal way.
We'll laugh together in a normal way.
......And we'll fall in love in a normal way.
We won't doubt each other.
We'll trust each other.
......And we'll meet again,
right?
For sure, right...?"
"Yes...
for sure..."
Tears appeared in Rena's eyes...
I noticed I was about to break down, too.
"Okay
......
...
are you ready?"
There was no signal.
But we stepped forward at the same time.
Our shadows jumped in the moonlight.
We were fighting so viciously earlier, but now it was like we were moving very slowly. We must have looked like a shadow play.
Everyone was watching the shadows dance.
Rena's shadow hit my metal bat violently.
As a result, I let go of it...
The metal bat bounced once on the roof, then rolled down to the schoolyard.
I had lost my weapon.
Here was Rena's chance. Of course, she wouldn't miss it...
I was lying flat on the roof, and Rena got on top of me.
Rena's knees were holding down my arms, and there was no way for me to fight back.
The moon was divided into two.
The shadow of Rena's hatchet had split the moon right down the middle.
This was the end.
"......Shit,
that was good.
I can't even pull my arms away."
"Hey, Keiichi-kun.
...It's over...
right...?"
"Not yet.
It's not over until you swing down your hatchet."
"......I don't wanna."
"Huh?"
"...I don't want to.
......
I don't want to..."
Rena's arms were still raised, but tears were pouring from her eyes.
"...What happened?
What went wrong?
I loved everyone
and I trusted everyone.
When did I start to doubt them?"
"..............."
"I don't know why I'm doing this to you... I don't know.
...Why,
why am I
doing this to people...
I love so much?"
"You...
You
realized it.
You realized it in 'this' world!!!"
"I can't believe myself...
Every day was so much fun
but... why,
why...?
I didn't have any complaints,
I didn't worry about anything...
so why did I try to destroy everything with my own two hands...?"
"Rena... you're... you're incredible!"
After I killed you and Mion...
...I didn't realize I had done anything wrong, so I left a note and called Ooishi-san.
I still believed that someone else was at fault.
Until,
I mean, even after I was dead!
I didn't even notice I had sinned.
How sad it was to kill my friends because of a little misunderstanding, even when they were trying to help me.
And
how painful it was not to realize
it was a sin...
"Therefore... you're amazing, Rena...
You didn't kill any of your friends.
You came to your senses ...before you committed a sin.
Ha ha, aha ha ha ha ha!!
You're incredible, Rena.
......Just incredible...
You're totally different from me!!"
Rena stood up slowly and lowered her hatchet.
"I hurt my friend.
I hurt Mii-chan..."
"Just apologize to her.
Personally, I appreciate that the wounds will help me tell the twins apart."
"I've already killed..."
"Huh?
No, you haven't.
Who did you kill?"
"......Rina Mamiya... and Teppei Houjou..."
"Ah... those two..."
"......I thought it was right to kill them.
But the day I killed them...
the world started to go crazy.
Did that mean...
that it was wrong
to kill them...?"
"I don't know if it was right or wrong, but it wasn't the best thing you could have done."
"What do you mean, the best thing?"
"Don't you know?"
I grabbed Rena's head and embraced her.
Then I told her.
I told her something so simple.
It was so simple that anyone could think of it.
But Rena didn't do it.
I didn't do it either, back then.
"If you're in danger
or you feel like doubting others
or something sad happens..."
It was so simple...!
"You should talk to...
your friends!!!"
"That's right...
You're right.
...Ooh...
whaaaahhhhh..."
Rena cried in my arms for a while.
...She cried about the wrong choice she made at the very beginning.
The choice couldn't have been hard to see.
I'm sure it was something that was within her grasp.
How stupid it was to worry about it by herself.
She had friends.
She had friends whom she trusted.
Why did she think she couldn't talk to her friends about it?
"I was wrong...!!
Why didn't I talk about it?
Everyone trusted me, so why didn't I trust them?"
"......I was the same way before.
That's why I won't laugh at you.
But you realized it.
You realized it a lot sooner than I did!!"
We will trust each other.
We will never doubt our friends.
We will rely on each other.
We will talk to each other and help each other.
That's why friends are always happy, and why we can endure anything together...
"Okay, Rena.
Why don't we respond to the curtain call?
This is really the end of everything."
"Wh-What do you mean by the curtain call? What do you mean?"
"Well, I was just talking to myself.
Come on."
We stood up together, holding hands.
...The moon was hanging behind us.
When I nodded, Rena threw away her hatchet. It disappeared into the darkness below.
Then I spoke to the audience in Hell, the demons who weren't expecting this ending.
I was proclaiming victory!
"That's all for tonight!
We overcame this tragedy!!
We'll never doubt each other again.
We'll be united forever!!
No matter what disaster might befall us, don't think we'll ever yield!!
Who cares about tragedy, who cares about disaster?
Even if the script is written by demons,
we'll tear the whole thing to pieces!!!"